Contributing Bloggers

Three Trends from #TSE2016
February 3, 2016

tse16-logoJust a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending The Special Event Conference in Orlando, Florida. If you don’t know about this conference, you have to look it up. It’s an annual meeting of industry leaders. There is education, networking, and often – sun! Anyhow, while I was there I noticed three key themes that were repeated often and I wanted to bring them back to Toronto to share with you.

1. Drones

I know we have all heard about drones. They are out there, unregulated, dropping unexpectedly out of the sky. But in recent months, that has changed. Drones are regulated in the US, and now require a licensed pilot. No drone will crash due to the huge amount of failsafe’s built in. And if you’re worried, get a drone with a parachute!

The use of drones in events is endless. The obvious answer is to connect it’s feed to a giant screen in your venue and broadcast it’s trip as it flies over. But some drones have LED lights built under them. These lights can be programmed to flash to the music. Imagine creating a false ceiling of these flashing orbs? Or, better yet, what if you use the flashing orbs to get your attendees from one room into another by lighting the way? The options are endless. So get out there and find yourself a drone (pilot)!

2. Ombre

Ombre is defined as: “Having colours or tones that shade into each other — used especially of fabrics in which the colour is graduated from light to dark.” I’m sure you’ve heard the term. It started with hair. And it’s just not going away. Florals have been ombred for over a year. Now linen companies are purchasing ombred fabrics. The options are endless. Build it into your next event design.

3. Social Tables

I cannot NOT tell you about this app. Sign on and test it out. If your job requires you to create table layouts, then this is for you. They save floorplans that are TO SCALE of many venues throughout North America. They have endless pieces of furniture in 2D symbols. AND you can even create a 3D fly through for your clients! It is an incredible time saving tool. (And that comes from a Vectorworks user, so that is saying a lot.)

There was a tonne of other information I absorbed while there, but these three topics were mentioned time and time again so I wanted to share them with you. Next year, TSE is in Long Beach California. I hope to see you there!

Elizabeth Nutting

Elizabeth Nutting

Elizabeth discovers inspiration in some of the most unusual places, and often feels an inexplicable compulsion to share that spark of an idea with the world. So go ahead and bring that idea to your next brainstorming meeting – that is what it’s there for, after all. Want to get in touch with Elizabeth? Contact her at Production Canada.
Elizabeth Nutting

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