Planning Events with Lessons Learned From COVID

The gates to fairs are reopening, fans are returning to concerts, travelers are boarding planes, major sports games are kicking off again and people are finally attending events again. To say the pandemic has changed the landscape of the event industry is an understatement.

Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned over the past year and a half, and how events can successfully return.

Bringing Back 2020 Favorites

Did you host a socially-distanced or virtual event last year? The past year and a half has led to some pretty creative solutions from across the board that people ended up loving!

At fairgrounds and amphitheaters across the country, drive-in movie theaters popped up like popcorn. Last year, the Social Circle hosted a series of drive-in movies over Memorial Day Weekend at the State Fair of Louisiana. Before each showing, viewers also enjoyed live music from a local band.  

If you did something last year that was well received, consider hosting it again! After their first Fair Food Drive-Thru drew more than 1,800 cars last summer, Cass County Fair decided to bring it back in 2021. For three days, guests could stop by the fairgrounds to satisfy their cravings for a fresh elephant ear or other fair faves.

Cass County Fair Board President Brian Kuemin told a local reporter, “This was really well received last year, and the community really came out to support our vendors. Our first one was hugely successful. People still want community events, and with the pandemic, people want to get out and do things. This was an opportunity for families to come out, and hey, who doesn’t want fair food?”

Connecting Online

Since we weren’t able to meet up in person in the past year, it’s been crucial to connect with fans and attendees digitally. The platforms you choose to promote on (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn) will depend on who your event is for or who you are targeting. Your best bet will be to do some type of promotion on a few different platforms to get the highest reach.

Once people are ready to buy tickets, don’t make it difficult for them! Having an integrated website and ticketing platform will make the checkout experience as smooth and seamless as possible, leading to higher ticket sales and improved customer satisfaction. 

Going Cashless for a Better Experience

In order to reduce physical contact during transactions and at the box office, many events and venues switched to a digital, cashless ticketing experience. With Saffire’s contactless ticketing technology, you can create a safer, stress-free environment for anyone by eliminating points of physical contact when scanning, selling tickets and accepting payments.

When the South Florida Fair broke tradition for the first time in over one hundred years and decided to host two fairs in 2021, they also decided to introduce Saffire’s contactless ticketing system at the gates and in the midway. Attendees could skip the ticket booth line and get a digital QR code that would scan them into the fair. To encourage sales, the fair offered considerable weekend savings for advanced ticket purchasers. The South Florida Fair made history by being the only fair in the industry to hold two fairs in just four months, ending with a historic closing Sunday night.

Make Attendees Feel Comfortable

As excited as people are to get back to in-person events, they’re also conscious that some risk is still present. Making visible efforts to promote health and safety precautions will help guests feel more comfortable as they are welcomed back.

In accordance with many local mandates, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is required for entering a venue or event space. Think about your customers and make this as simple as possible! Some events have even offered rapid on-site testing for attendees. Ensure your space is set-up to encourage social distancing, hand sanitizer is readily available and you have a supply of disposable face masks on hand. Details can make all the difference to ensure everyone feels safe coming to your event.

Be Data Driven

By using new ticketing technologies, you can better track your event attendance and monitor the data that is gained from those digital tools. For example, during the event it may be important to know in real time what the capacity of the venue is at or how many people have checked into a certain area.

Following your event, you can send out feedback forms to attendees to collect data about their experience. In addition to looking at ticket sales and extrapolating from attendee data, this info will be the most crucial information in planning your events in 2022 and beyond!

These are just a few of the biggest things we’ve notices from 2020-2021. And as we’ve learned recently, the future is always unexpected. If you have an idea or experience to share, drop us a line and let us know!


5 Ways to Put Sponsors in the Spotlight

Whether your event is being sponsored by a big name brand or a local non-profit organization, it’s important to incorporate fresh strategy for attracting and retaining event sponsors. 

Once you’ve found the perfect sponsors for your event, the first step is to communicate with your sponsors to understand the message they are wanting to convey, and how you can help them without disrupting the attendee experience. You will want to shape your sponsorship proposal around that core message. 

Below we highlight ways to put your sponsors in the spotlight: 

Go Digital 

Sponsorships shouldn’t only be visible during the event! Highlighting your sponsors with a custom banner on your website or within your digital marketing materials will help to show gratitude and affirm your partnership long after your event ends. If you’re hosting a virtual event, you might consider selling ad space on your live stream, or even using branded transitions between speakers or slides. 

Scavenger Hunt 

Hosting a virtual scavenger hunt is a fun way to highlight your sponsor and interact with your customers! By using tools pre-built into Saffire software, it’s easy to create a custom problem-solving journey that will drive traffic and improve engagement while allowing you to collect data and capture sponsor revenue. Sponsors may also choose to offer prizes to raise the stakes of the hunt. 

Leverage Social Media

A strong online presence can reach far beyond just those who attended your event, and there are several ways you can utilize your social media to gain exposure. Update the headers on your Facebook and Twitter accounts before the event to feature the logos from your sponsorship and don’t forget to cross-promote and celebrate the work of your sponsors!

Offer a Photo Booth

Set up a fun social photo booth for guests to take pictures, GIFs, or TikToks! Use a backdrop with your sponsor’s logo and create a fun theme with props or signs. Pictures or videos that are uploaded with an event hashtag (which could also include a sponsor’s brand) are some of the most potent social content your attendees can share at an event. 

Fun Swag 

Have some swag to offer that is tailored to your guests and the event! An outdoor gear company for example may sponsor an environmental fundraiser by providing branded reusable straws. This also gives you an opportunity to offer a high-end, premium swag bag. Sponsors can reach high-tier ticket holders with more unique swag offerings.

The Scoop on Instagram Reels: Best Practices & Fun Content Ideas

If Instagram Reels aren’t on your radar, they should be. With their wide reach and entertaining format, Reels can generate buzz around any event and grow your social media following. What are “Reels” exactly, and are they worth the effort? We’ve gathered some basic principles and fun content ideas to help you and your team create awesome Instagram Reels today!

What are Instagram Reels?

Instagram Reels was born shortly after the mobile video app TikTok became a wildly popular app downloaded by millions of users worldwide. Similar to TikTok, Reels allows you to create fun and engaging content in the form of 3-30 second videos. Using a compilation of video clips, you can very easily edit together a short-form video that entertains and engages their audiences.

The beauty of the Reels feature is the suite of tools it offers to cut and edit video clips with music, text, filters, and other special effects. Anyone with a smartphone and an ounce of creativity can create engaging video content to help bring events and brands to life!

Why use Instagram Reels?

Reels can be a great way to get “real” with your audience! Reels let them in on the behind-the-scenes moments, they capture unique experiences only your event offers, and they show your followers you’re in on the latest trends. The best part is you don’t have to spend a lot of money on production.

Perhaps most importantly, Instagram (and many other social media platforms) will continue to favor video content – especially video that sparks engagement, saves, and shares. The more your video content is entertaining and shareable, the further it will reach new viewers.

Bottom line: Reels can turn new viewers into followers, and followers into loyal customers!

Best Practices for Instagram Reels

  • Compile enough clips to have some movement every 2-3 seconds.
  • Set your Reels to trending songs or audio clips
  • Make sure to include text in each clip so people can quickly follow along as they watch. People don’t read long captions!
  • Add titles to your Reels cover shot so when someone navigates to your Reels tab, it’s easy for them to choose a Reel they want to watch.

Fun and Engaging Instagram Reels Ideas for Events

  1. Highlight a Popular Concession Stand or Vendor. Maybe it’s a popular food vendor or an activity like face painting at your event that people love; take shots of the process from start to finish and create a Reel to get people excited! Take a look at this Reel from Alameda County Fair: www.instagram.com/reel/CMm0CG5BVLl/
  1. Showcase Bucket List Items: Think of a list of 4-5 things people should do to make the most of their time at your event, venue, or destination spot. Take a look at this Instagram Reel posted by Destination Dripping Springs that shows how they would spend a day in Dripping Springs, TX. For an event, this could translate into something like 1) Eat a funnel cake 2) Ride the Ferris Wheel 3) visit the petting zoo 4) end your day at a concert. Just be sure to make some of the items unique to your event! View Reel here: www.instagram.com/reel/CMcnAICF5gB/
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  1. Announcements: Got new merchandise or products? Take a few quick shots, pair it with a trending song and a few descriptive subtitles, and voila! Here’s an example from Pendleton Round Up’s Reels page where they announce new merch. View Reel here: www.instagram.com/reel/CPRAQpGpuBy/
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  1. Repurpose Content: Take your old stories and posts and repurpose them into a 15-30 second reel that highlights your event! Madera County Fair compiled photos and videos to announce their 2021 fair. View Reel here: www.instagram.com/reel/CQR0hwsp7CZ/
  1. Employee or Team Culture Highlight: Showcase your organizational culture and who makes up your team! Does your team have a great sense of humor? Are there fun perks or funny quirks to your team culture? Take a look at this Reel the Wisconsin State Fair made to announce their job fair: www.instagram.com/reel/CPoVygRHMqg/
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  1. Insider Tour of the Grounds or Venue: Whether it’s opening day of your event, or you’re doing a walkthrough of the grounds before the event begins, give your audience a taste of what they can experience at your event! We love this Reel from Florida State Fair: www.instagram.com/reel/CN-tX50j_dz/  
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Reels are a great way to entertain and engage your followers. They can generate buzz around your event and turn new viewers into followers. The feature has been out for almost a year, but we’re still not seeing too many events and festivals taking advantage of this awesome tool.

We hope this article will inspire you to try Instagram Reels, we are positive it will pay off!

6 Ways Cashless Data Can Improve Your Event

In 2021, event and venue managers have their work cut out for them–they must provide the best experience for attendees, abide by new health and safety guidelines AND ensure a successful event outcome. Even for the most experienced, that’s a tall order! The good news is, there are systems event managers can set up to help ease some of these big demands.

Cashless systems are becoming increasingly popular in the fair, festival and event space and for good reason. There are plenty of benefits that come with implementing a cashless system–touch-free payments, faster transactions and shorter lines–but one of the best assets you gain by going cashless is access to robust, comprehensive data.

Here are 6 ways you can use the data you get by going cashless to improve your event experience and increase revenue:

#1 Get to know your customers. Unlike the exchange of cash or tokens, a cashless system captures valuable customer data the second a customer purchases a RFID wristband or card online, all the way through to the end of the event. Before the event even starts, you can see which customers are adding items like drink credits and ride credits to their card or wristband. Once attendees are onsite at your event, you can see exactly where they spend and how much they spend inside your event. Event managers can leverage this data to improve customer experience and increase revenue!

#2 Segment and engage your customers. Based on purchasing behavior, you can segment your customers into different categories, and send out promotional offers that best suit their interests. For example, you can engage your customers who previously bought event merchandise with promotions announcing new swag.

#3 Surprise and delight your top spenders. You can see who your top customers are and reward them with special promotions to keep them coming back. This could look like a free parking voucher or VIP upgrade!

#4 Optimize resources and reduce overhead. Real-time reporting allows you to identify which entry locations are getting customers through gates quickly, which ones are getting overloaded, and which spots are not seeing any action. You can re-allocate or cut the number of staff members and adjust scanning locations accordingly and use the data to improve the flow for the current and future events.

#5 Evaluate your vendors. You can evaluate a vendor’s popularity based on real-time customer spend and frequency. This allows you to make data-driven decisions on which vendors you should keep or cut for future events based on performance. You can also use the data to consider increasing your vendor fee or percentage cut, if the numbers make sense.

#6 Secure bigger and better sponsors. With cashless data, you can create killer sponsorship proposals with data like customer demographics, average spend per head, what kind of products customers purchase most (alcohol sales, food sales, etc). This is the kind of data that is expected to secure big name sponsors.

The data you get from going cashless can give you valuable insight to make educated improvements to your event both while it is happening, and in the future. If you want to learn more about Saffire’s cashless system, BlastPass, please reach out to us today. We’re here to help make your job a little easier, and your event more successful!

Move Confidently into Contactless Ticketing

Saffire has always encouraged our clients to sell more tickets in advance and avoid long cash transaction lines at their events, and now we’re taking it to the next level! We’ve brainstormed with our current clients, met with technology partners and challenged our own team to come up with ways we can help Saffire clients #stopthespread of … Continue reading “Move Confidently into Contactless Ticketing”

Saffire has always encouraged our clients to sell more tickets in advance and avoid long cash transaction lines at their events, and now we’re taking it to the next level! We’ve brainstormed with our current clients, met with technology partners and challenged our own team to come up with ways we can help Saffire clients #stopthespread of Covid-19.

Lots of events have made the hard decision to cancel in 2020, but events scheduled later in the year are moving forward with planning. We’re as excited as anyone for these summer and fall events to happen, but we know there will be a “new normal” in terms of safety and customer care. We’re going contactless, and we’re encouraging you to join us!

Here is how Saffire is promoting safety for you and your customers when your event happens in 2020 or makes its glorious comeback in 2021:

No-Touch Selling with BlastPass

With Saffire’s RFID system BlastPass, you can set up your entire event for contactless payments, including food, rides and games. BlastPass is a cashless RFID wristband or card that acts as an electronic wallet for your guests to make purchases while at your event, eliminating the person-to-person contact required when exchanging cash or tokens. BlastPass can also grant guest access to specified entrances or areas, manage alcohol service and more. What’s even better—BlastPass doesn’t require an internet connection to continue selling!

Increase Online Sales with SaffireTix to Reduce Cash Lines

Advance online purchasing means less cash exchanging hands at the gates between huge groups of people. Our team excels at helping with the advance planning and early communication needed to shift your sales to online. In this time of social distancing, customers understand the safety advantage of buying online and avoiding contact.

The goal is to have customers show up with a ticket in hand to limit all forms of contact “out of the gates” (or in this case IN TO the gates!) Better yet, Saffire’s sales team will help you manage the costs related to this service to stay in line with your budget!

No-Touch Scanning With SaffireTix

SaffireTix is the most mobile ticketing technology in the industry. You can allow customers to scan their own print-at-home or mobile tickets using an iOS device, without a staff member or volunteer ever touching a ticket.

SaffireTix iOS scanners can be placed in self-serving stands, and a staff member or ticket monitor can watch all scans from a safe distance..

SaffireTix Can Help Meet Evolving Social Distancing Policies

From manageable reserved seating maps that help block off designated seats to tracking live attendance numbers for your venue’s capacity, SaffireTix can help you create a safer experience for your events and attendees.

Are You Ready to Embrace the New Normal?

Moving forward with your event in an era of new rules and regulations can be scary. Thankfully we live in a time when technology can take some of the stress out of logistical requirements. Advance planning and preparedness is key.

Contact us today to see how Saffire can help you confidently go contactless!

Inspiring Ideas From Our Saffire Family

We are now a full month into living within our “new normal.” We are staying indoors, limiting our human interaction and applying hand sanitizer like it’s our part-time job. . If you’re like us, you may have had an influx of creative ideas and ways to re-strategize your marketing efforts at the beginning of the … Continue reading “Inspiring Ideas From Our Saffire Family”

We are now a full month into living within our “new normal.” We are staying indoors, limiting our human interaction and applying hand sanitizer like it’s our part-time job.

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If you’re like us, you may have had an influx of creative ideas and ways to re-strategize your marketing efforts at the beginning of the pandemic, but the more time passes, and the reality sets in that most of us will be staying quarantined for the foreseeable future, you might need some inspiration on how to continue to engage your customers & community without adding to all the noise.

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Our Saffire Family continues to impress us with their efforts to engage, entertain, and support their physical and virtual communities. Check out the examples below to get inspired!

ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT

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Van Andel Creates Fun Interactivity

A spin-off of the trending meme, “Choose Your Quarantine House”, Van Andel Arena creates a “Choose Your Quarantine Concert” meme, where people can comment on which concert series they’d most like to go to. This post received an overwhelming amount of comments and tags!

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Portland Rose Festival Provides Fun Activities for Kids

Portland Rose Festival hosts a live story hour with their festival princesses, coloring book pages and other fun activities for kids on their social media pages. What a great way to engage parents and children while keeping your postponed event top of mind!

HOSTING VIRTUAL EVENTS

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Clay County Fair Creates a Virtual Fair Experience

A big round of applause to Clay County Fair, who in a matter of days turned their canceled fair into a buzzing online experience! Check out their Facebook page to see more.

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Food & Vine Time Productions Hosts a Series of Wine Tasting Experiences 

Food & Vine Time Productions, who organize the popular spring-time event Katy Sip n Stroll, records a series of “Wine Tasting Tours” that their audience can tune in to and follow along!

SHOWING SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY

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The Big E Donates Space to Support COVID-19 Testing

The Big E opens its doors to first responders to use the fairgrounds as a COVID-19 testing spot. What an awesome way to utilize your resources at this time!

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Swiftel Center Joins #aworldofhearts Movement in Solidarity with Their Community

#aworldofhearts movement has inspired thousands of folks to draw or paint hearts in their windows to send a message of love & hope to their neighbor during this time! The Swiftel Center joined in with an amazing display to show their love and support.

What do you think? Inspired? We hope so!

As always, the Saffire Team is here to support you and your organization in any way we can. Please reach out if you need any help with your website or marketing during this time!

Tips for Managing Your Online Style Guide

When it comes to executing your marketing strategies in the form of social media posts, ads, and other online initiatives, it’s extremely helpful to have a go-to-guide that outlines how the content should look and feel. By keeping your content consistent and unique to your brand, you build trust and loyalty among your audience. Here, … Continue reading “Tips for Managing Your Online Style Guide”

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When it comes to executing your marketing strategies in the form of social media posts, ads, and other online initiatives, it’s extremely helpful to have a go-to-guide that outlines how the content should look and feel. By keeping your content consistent and unique to your brand, you build trust and loyalty among your audience. Here, we break down the essential elements that will ensure your brand shines online!

Brand Voice & Tone

Developing a unique brand voice makes your organization stand out and improves recognition. Think about what you want your audience to feel when they interact with your content – inspired, informed, encouraged, happy, humored? Defining your brand voice can be as simple as getting a few team members together and brainstorming what keywords describe your organization best. Think about your organizational values, and who you are trying to reach. We suggest coming up with 3-4 key adjectives. Here at Saffire, our brand voice & tone is friendly, fun, authentic, & educational. 

From here, you can use your brand voice and tone to influence your approach to things like:

  • Spelling, punctuation & grammar: While these details might seem small, spelling, punctuation and grammar play a special role in shaping your style. In your style guide, note whether or not you encourage the use of things like abbreviations, exclamation points, trending vocabulary and so on. Whatever it is you decide is best, just make sure you keep it consistent.
  • Emojis: These elements can add some fun and flavor to your posts. In your guideline, take note of where and when to use emojis, or if you want to avoid them altogether.
  • Hashtags: Do you use hashtags? Do you place the hashtags at the end of a sentence, or do you only include them in the comment section of your post? Write down all the hashtags you use, if any, and where they should be placed.
Responding & Engaging with Your Audience

You know you’re doing something right when your audience is commenting on your posts, asking questions, and sharing your content! But how do you respond to their engagement? Here are a few issues to consider for your style guide:

  • Do you “like” every comment?
  • Do you respond to every comment?
  • How do you respond to negative comments?

If you don’t have the time or resources to be hyper-communicative with your followers that’s okay! The important thing is to be consistent so your audience knows what to expect from you.

Visual Content

Have you ever seen a post on social media and without a doubt knew what brand it was from? Chances are they have a strong brand personality that is anchored in the consistent use of imagery, filters, colors, and fonts. To achieve this level of consistency, we’d recommend including these pointers in your style guide:

  • Make sure you’re using photos and videos that complement your brand colors. Include sample photos to show off this concept.
  • Note what photo filters should be used and which ones to stay away from.
  • Keep your logo placement and size consistent on all photos/videos. Use examples to show the dos and don’ts of logo placement.
  • Make sure you are selecting photos/videos that align with your brand voice. Ask yourself, does this image communicate [fill in the blank]? i.e inspiration, fun, humor, motivation.
What & When to Post

So now that you have your brand voice and image defined in your style guide, it’s time to think about how often you want to post, and if you want to include content from outside sources. Things like industry articles, user-generated content, or trending GIFs/memes can be an awesome way to engage your audience. Some questions to be considered and answered in your guide might be:

  • How frequently do you post?
  • Do you only use in-house content, or do you share outside content?
  • What percentage of your posts should be internal content vs. sourced content?

 

Creating an online style guide will help maintain consistency and form a stronger brand identity. Your guide can continue to build and morph as your organization grows and changes, but it’s important to start with these essential elements to maintain cohesiveness when posting!

 

How To Use Instagram Stories for Your Organization

Want to better use Instagram stories to increase engagement and ticket sales for your organization?   Instagram stories are the perfect medium to give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your organization, tell longer stories to engage your audience over time and post cool things that may not be just right for your feed. In … Continue reading “How To Use Instagram Stories for Your Organization”

Want to better use Instagram stories to increase engagement and ticket sales for your organization?

 

Instagram stories are the perfect medium to give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your organization, tell longer stories to engage your audience over time and post cool things that may not be just right for your feed. In this post, you’ll learn how to plan, create and execute and optimize Instagram stories for your business.

 

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR CONTENT STYLE AND GOALS

 

As with all of your marketing efforts, it’s important to understand your “why.” Goals for your Instagram stories should be intimately tied into your other marketing and organization-wide goals. Think about what you’re hoping to do with your stories. A good tactic is to choose a goal that complements what you are already working on, either with your Instagram feed, other social media or in other campaigns. Another option is to choose what you are missing, instead. Pick a goal that you are not yet hitting with your other initiatives.

 

– Are you looking to generate ticket sales?

– Are you hoping to pull in more engagement?

– Are you hoping to increase followers and brand awareness?

 

Choosing a goal is important. It will help you create content that is better suited for your initiatives and will help in measuring your success. For example, if you’re looking to generate sales, you probably want to create content that drives people back to your website, but if you are looking for engagement, you will want to encourage people to spend more time on your Instagram page.

 

Use this goal to decide which types of content are best for your stories. We suggest choosing 3-4 different types to focus on as you get started. Remember, content can be anything that is useful or engaging to your audience.  Some examples of content types are: Behind the scenes shots, client or customer features, interviews, photos or stories from events, photos of food or animals, promos and deals, how-tos, etc.

 

STEP 2: DECIDE WHAT AND WHEN TO PUBLISH

 

Now that you’ve gone through your “why,” it’s time to decide on your “what.” This means determining a schedule and taking note of your assets. A common mistake we see with Instagram stories is that people believe that their posts must all be in-the-moment content.

 

While live footage can make for great content, what’s most important is the commitment to a consistent cadence of content. Whether this means a weekly series, creating a content calendar around product or ticket releases or simply scheduling time to come up with posts, it is important to schedule posts to supplement your more spontaneous content. AKA, you need to create a plan just like you would create for your regular feed.

 

If you are serious about creating an Instagram Story strategy, we recommend posting at least 2-3 times a week. Unlike feed posts that usually stand on their own, stories are designed to be a series of posts. You could post something on its own, but it is much more likely to see users post a combination of photos, text, and videos that work together to entertain and convey information. Think of it as your own mini TV show or presentation!

 

CREATE AND POST YOUR STORIES

 

Instagram stories are known for all the options they offer to get truly creative. With Instagram Stories, your posts can be as funky (or not) as you want them to be!

 

When it comes to stories, your content should be all about your brand. Because the options are endless (draw here, add music, link to another user’s work), it can be easy to get lost in the sauce. Just like anything else you create, your stories should be representative of your organization. We recommend sticking to your brand colors, deciding on a font or two and selecting a filter to use across the board. Your followers should know it’s you when they view your story without ever seeing your name.

We recommend checking out these design apps to help you get just the right look!

 

– Over: For really great story design templates.

– Canva: A great tool to create stories. Use video with the app.

– Adobe Spark Post: Another great design tool.

 

Remember, Instagram stories have tricky dimensions (9:6), so taking landscape style photos and designing your graphics ahead of time is often best.

 

With this plan, you can focus on posting stories that create engagement and add value to your brand. Remember, the more followers view and engage with your stories, the higher you’ll place in the algorithm!

How a Cashless System Can Upgrade Your Event

Putting on a successful event can be one of the most fun and rewarding experiences. There is nothing better than seeing the smiles on eager event-goers faces, but they can also be difficult and tiring. The never-ending job as an event manager is to make everyone happy: customers, vendors, and acts are all counting on … Continue reading “How a Cashless System Can Upgrade Your Event”

Putting on a successful event can be one of the most fun and rewarding experiences. There is nothing better than seeing the smiles on eager event-goers faces, but they can also be difficult and tiring. The never-ending job as an event manager is to make everyone happy: customers, vendors, and acts are all counting on you to keep things organized and running smoothly. Dealing with long lines, long transaction times, rowdy attendees and piles of cash going through the hands of many different vendors can make an event needlessly stressful.

 

The good news? Cashless systems are taking over the event, fair and festival space, and they’re making demands easier to handle. Not only does a cashless system make lines and transaction times shorter, but it has been proven to increase revenue at events by up to 30%!

 

Saffire has seen cashless systems in action (and we have launched our own system, BlastPass, in the process!) and we’re 100% on board with the new technology.  The trend is spreading like wildfire for good reason. Huge festivals like Coachella, Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza have jumped on board, and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.  So, are cashless systems worth it?

 

Here’s why we think they are:

 

Increased Revenue:

Shorter lines and transaction times mean that attendees have more time to spend on food and fun. Cashless systems have proven to create more capita per customer, and in the end that often means more revenue for your event. Money is easily trackable at any time through real-time reporting, making it easier to keep track of than ever.

 

Carefree Event:

For attendees, nothing is easier than pre-purchasing a card or wristband, which they can use for all sorts of things like gate admittance and purchasing food. Reload stations throughout your event allow customers to refill when necessary and rarely have to worry about their wallets. The added security for event-goers is priceless. Combine this with a smoother running event for event managers, and it’s a win-win situation.

 

Real-time Reporting:

Reporting can be a real lifesaver for events. Not too long ago, managers were forced to wait until the close of the day to finalize money counts and close registers. Today, real-time reporting gives them an in-the-moment look at total earnings, what every vendor has sold, event capacity and more. It can mean the difference between chaos and nipping a fire in the bud before it ever starts.

 

No Internet Needed:

Some cashless systems, like Saffire’s, can be used 100% offline. Downtime is never an option, so systems that can operate without an internet connection are extremely valuable.

 

With a system that is so beneficial for both the event organizer and the attendee, its no wonder why cashless systems are taking over the event space.  To learn more about how cashless systems can increase your revenue, read more here or reach out to us today!

How to Take Great Photos with Your Smartphone

When it comes to taking great photos, you don’t need the most expensive, high-quality camera. Today, most of us can take beautiful, quality photos with equipment that can fit in our pockets! In the past few years, smartphone cameras have come a long way. Today, iPhones and most Androids can take pictures that rival professional … Continue reading “How to Take Great Photos with Your Smartphone”

When it comes to taking great photos, you don’t need the most expensive, high-quality camera. Today, most of us can take beautiful, quality photos with equipment that can fit in our pockets!

In the past few years, smartphone cameras have come a long way. Today, iPhones and most Androids can take pictures that rival professional quality cameras. Gone are the days of fuzzy, pixelated cell phone photos. With a little education and editing magic, you can take photos that will look great on your website and social media!

 

Here’s how:

 

Focus on a single subject

A loud background and multiple different objects stuffed in one image can make for a crowded and confusing photo. Instead, try making a single thing the star of each picture. Crop out distractions, shoot against a simple background and focus your lens on the star of your photo. Remember, you can always take and post more than one shot if you have multiple items to shoot!

 

Use the rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a technique used by photographers and artists to create balanced and eye-catching shots. To use this technique, turn on the grid in your camera. In iPhones, you can do this by going to Settings > Photos & Camera and enabling the Grid switch. You should place the most important things in the photo along the lines or on the corners where the lines intersect so that your photo is naturally balanced.

 

Utilize white space

White space (or negative space) is the empty space around your image. Leaving plenty of white space will draw attention to your subject and leave your photo feeling clean and focused. Tip: If you know your image will be used in conjunction with text (for example: on a flyer, website graphic, Instagram story etc.) plan to leave plenty of white space on the sides or top of your image to ensure that there will be a readable place for your text.

 

Find good lighting

Good lighting is the foundation of any great photo. We recommend using soft natural light whenever possible. Standard overhead lights can create harsh shadows and unnatural yellow hints. To combat this, take photos outside (just before sunset is best!), in a well-lit room or next to a window.

 

Consider Final Layout

If possible, it’s a good idea to consider the final placement of your image before you even take the photo. This will help you decide photo dimensions and orientation – should it be square? Landscape? Will it be a long photo used for Instagram photos?

Depending on the type of photo this can also help you decide on any extra camera features that might be useful. Blast mode will help you take great action shots and portrait mode is always recommended when taking pictures of people.

 

Experiment with apps

When you have your photo, it’s time to create some editing magic. There are a lot of different apps to help you edit your photos, but we recommend Facetune, VSCO and the Photoshop app to help you get your photo just right!

 

We know if you follow a few of these tips, you’ll be shooting pro photos in no time! Do you have another favorite app or tool that gets your photos just right? Send us a note and let us know what photo magic you can’t live without!