Check out this article from Biz Bash that illustrates how others have made their bar works of art and inspiration.

The American Flag is a sign of respect to our country and people, and also to the men and women who sacrificed to build a land of prosperity and freedom.  Download a free e-book that outlines the official US government rules on how to properly hang the flag in different situations, displaying it for special occasions, folding, and more.

Still, Standard Definition has been around for the past 10 years.  It’s fine for projecting images on large screens, provided the images are high res, of course.  But we all know that once new technology has gained a foothold in the marketplace, the older technology is phased out.  Transitioning to HD is well underway, and within a year or two A/V equipment will only be offered in High Definition.

For the time being though, we still have an option to do either HD or SD presentations.  Therefore, it pays to know at least the basics of what the differences are between the two formats.

• High Definition signals carry much more picture data  making the picture much clearer.

• Pixel Lines:  Pixel lines carry the picture information across your screen.  Standard definition is limited to 480 lines per screen, while High Definition can support 720 and 1080 lines.  High definition has more pixel lines so the picture has much higher resolution.

• High definition equipment is the latest technology so the cost is higher than current Standard Definition equipment.  How much higher depends on many factors so please inquire for specifics

Now that everyone is used to High Definition presentations, they’ll be expecting it at your next special event. Let us help you decide if and when the transition from SD to HD  is right for you.

Whether you opt for a Standard Definition or a High Definition presentation, you’ll need to adjust your presentation image to fit screen size.  Standard Definition screens typically use a 4:3 aspect ratio, and High Definition generally uses 16:9.  This is an important distinction because the shape of the resulting image displays differently on a screen.  (Side note: Interestingly, the human eye sees in 16:9.)

When creating a video, PowerPoint slide, or image for your presentation, you should confirm that the image’s aspect ratio matches the screen aspect ratio. If you don’t match them up, in order to fit the whole image on the screen you will have black bars like these.

By not creating your presentation or cropping your image to the correct aspect ratio, the program will automatically either cut off or stretch your image to fit the ratio it needs.  This results in mismatched screen images throughout your presentation with black bars across the top or sides.  Not a good look.

There is easy to fix. In PowerPoint you can adjust the aspect ratio of your presentation simply by going to the Design Menu/Page Setup and selecting either 4:3 or 16:9.

But Wait, There’s More Screen Sizes

There are many screen sizes depending on the projector or monitor you’ll be using.  However, no matter what the actual screen size, the aspect ratio will either be 4:3 or 16:9.  Here’s a simple chart to see what ratio you use for various screen sizes.

Confused?  Using your own monitor day in and day out, it’s easy to forget about other screen sizes.  If you’re not sure what to use, here’s a hint:  reserve your A/V projection screens needs ahead of time and know the exact aspect ratio before you start creating your presentation.  Or be prepared to refresh all the material to match the projection screen size afterwards. Either way, to have a professional looking presentation, at some point you’ll have to match the aspect ratio of the image to the A/V screen.

We do this day in and day out and can help you determine the correct way to proceed. Just give us a call – we’ll be glad to help out.

No, we were not investigated by 60 Minutes, or even interviewed.  But a call from the producer of the 60 Minutes TV show does pique some interest.  When the 60 Minutes crew interviewed the parents of the Sandy Hook victims, Event Resources was there for event production on installing risers, pipe and drape, and other needs for the broadcast.

Presented by Arnold Berman,  President, Event Resources, Inc.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

9:00 am – 10:30 am

CT Association of Non Profits

90 Brainard Road, Suite 201

Hartford, CT 06114

Learn how to change up your meetings, conferences, dinners, fund raisers or other special events with the latest ideas in event production. Viewing real world examples, you’ll learn go behind the scenes to see new and different ways to create unforgettable experiences, transform an unconventional space into one that inspires and wows an audience without breaking the bank, and apply the best tips and tricks to presentations, lighting, sound, staging and more.

Register Here

No Charge for Members, $30 for Non-Members

You do need a DJ when:

• You need an emcee that has a big personality to get the crowd going.

• It’s a long event with different crowds to entertain: families in the morning, teens in the afternoon, and adults in the evening. A good DJ will read the crowd and know what kind of music to play and when.

• A selection of thousands of songs is ready at a moment’s notice.

• Your guests will make spontaneous requests.  The DJ should not only have a large song selection available, but know when to best include requests in the playlist.

On the flip side, there are many times when you don’t need a DJ.   This can save $$ in the budget and still be professional.  Just make sure you have a high quality sound system and you’re ready to go.

You don’t need a DJ when:

• You only require background music.  Ask your event planner to create a playlist of instrumental music.

• You know what music your guests prefer.  If you know the music genre you’d like to play, just tell your event production house to create a playlist, or use your i-Tunes account and create one of your own.

The most important quality of any music is the sound. Clear, balanced background music is only achieved with a professional sound system, as opposed to blaring out dance tunes for a late night dance crowd from a corner of the room.

If you’re still not sure which way to go, feel free to give me a call. We can run through the pros and cons of using a DJ for your special event as well as how to incorporate a quality sound system.

April 16th, 2013, East Hartford, CT — Event Resources Inc., a leading Connecticut event production company, is pleased to announce that Arnold Berman, founder and president, will present at the upcoming TANGO (The Alliance for Non Profit Growth and Opportunity) Conference being held Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

His topic “How to Reinvent Your Special Event” will focus on how non-profit organizations can change up their meetings, conferences, dinners, fund raisers or other special events with the latest ideas in event production. Since events are a major source of fund raising for non-profits, this is an intriguing topic, particularly when budgets are strained and new ideas are critical for engaging donors at special events.

“How to Reinvent Your Special Event”
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm

TANGO Conference
“Best Practices for Non Profits”
Clarion Hotel
42 Century Drive
Bristol, CT 06010

The Conference Program includes a total of eight sessions, all designed to educate and inspire non-profit organizations in the areas of health care, taxes, finance, personnel, relationship building and special events with a special keynote from Mark E. Scheinberg, President, Goodwin College.

Admission to “Best Practices for Non Profits” is free for TANGO members. TANGO membership is free for non-profit organizations. For more information on the conference or TANGO membership, go to www.tangoalliance.org, or contact Sarah Morin, TANGO, Tel: 877-708-2646 X116, Email: smorin@tangoalliance.org.

For information on Arnold Berman and Event Resources, go to www.eventresources.com, or contact Mary Beth Staron, Event Resources, Tel: 860-528-1343, Email: mbstaron@eventresources.com

# # # #

About TANGO
The Alliance for Nonprofit Growth & Opportunity (TANGO) is a community of more than 800 nonprofit organizations in CT, MA, and RI that receives best-in-class services and educational opportunities from a partnership of top-tier professional service firms. All that a non-profit has to do is join – and joining is free. For more information go to www.tangoalliance.org.

Today it is a very popular website where the best talks and performances are available to the world, for free. More than 1400 TED Talks are currently posted, with more added each week. Each talk is accessible online, is 18 minutes or less in length (very succinct), with amazing production quality.  There are two TED conferences held each year, and each day the Best of Best TED Talks are posted on the web site.   I highly recommend checking it out for ideas and inspiration in both your work and personal life.  Here is a couple to start with:

For the nonprofit world:   Dan Pallotta – “The Way We Think about Charity Is Dead Wrong”

For Crowdfunding/Sales/Marketing/Branding:  Amanda Palmer “The Art of Asking”

Other Sources for Event Ideas

You can also check out BizBash, an online website, magazine and semi-annual trade conference that focuses on the latest trends in events across the US.

Locally there are several organizations that hold frequent events in sales, PR and events.

• American Marketing Association, CT Chapter
• Meeting Professionals International, CT River Valley Chapter
• Public Relations Society of America – CT Chapter
• The Alliance for Non Profit Growth and Opportunity
• Connecticut Society of Association Executives
• Metro Hartford Alliance

If you’re on LinkedIn (and who isn’t?), there are dozens of groups dedicated to Event Planning, Marketing, and virtually any subject.  You’ll get daily or weekly emails, discussions and can ask questions of your peers.

Choose the Appropriate Microphone: Many people like wireless mics so they can walk around as they talk.  However, if presenters are tied to a lectern, then wired mics are fine (and much less expensive).  You also have to think about how close the presenter is to the mic. Why?  Mics are optimized for the proximity to the sound being amplified.  The further away from the sound, the more sensitive the mic.    For example, rock singers use mics that are close to their mouths, but presenters with lecterns are about a foot away from the mic.

Place Your Speakers Properly:  First determine if you need speakers that are intended for music, or the ones that are optimized for speech.  Then you have to establish where and how far the placement of the speakers should be around the mics, stage and audience. If the speakers are behind the microphone, or close to it, you end up with “feedback”, or that terrible squealing sound.  How does it happen? Feedback occurs when a  microphone feeds a signal into a sound system, which then amplifies and outputs the signal from the speaker, which is picked up again by the microphone.  It’s this continual loop and forms the “squeal”.

For a large room, second or third sets of speakers may be necessary and they must be on a “delay”.  Since sound travels at 1126 feet per second, each set of speakers that set back in the crowd must be electronically delayed to match the sound coming from the stage.

Adjust for the Acoustics:  Each room has its own acoustics: some great, like Carnegie Hall, some not so great, like a train station.  This is where the science of audio engineering comes into play.  A Sound Engineer has a set of tools that allow the sound to be adjusted in a number of ways:  leveling the mic, eliminating low end sounds, feedback, etc.  Each of these variables is adjusted for each zone (speakers, auxiliary equipment, monitors, etc.)  Remember that the structure of the room plays a large part in the acoustics.  Soft surfaces , with draping, carpeting and soffit ceilings, absorb sound and form acoustically- friendly environments.  Then there are the hard walled rooms like train stations, where brick walls and windows are common.  In this type of room the sound isn’t absorbed but instead bounces around the walls, ceiling and windows – a very non-friendly sound environment.

Whatever you do, don’t underestimate the importance of professional sound system at your event.  Sound glitches can leave you stressed and your guests scurrying for the door. For more information on how to get an awesome sound system, click here for a guide to “Good Sound”.