It’s the party conference ‘video’ season
Party conference season seems to roll around more quickly with each passing year.
And here we are on the cusp of another two to four weeks (depending on whether you attend the Liberal Democrats and SNP conferences as well as Labour and Conservatives) of fringe meetings, receptions, exhibitions and catching up with people we’ve not seen since the last set of conferences.
It’s a season that – to my mind – offers a lot of potential for use of video content, and wandering around the conference venues and seeing videos we’ve made being put to good use, is always very rewarding.
For the fourth year running we’ll be running our network of screens around the Labour, Conservative and SNP conferences, where video offers the chance to air key messages throughout the duration of conference and to all visitors.
But there are many more scenarios where video can help you to make the impact you need.
Fringe meetings can be an excellent source of debate and discussion (and good food), but after several days of going from one meeting to the next they can start to blur together.
Most people don’t take the opportunity to play a short video to what is a captive audience, but it’s a great chance to make your meeting – and key messages – stand out from the crowd.
They can work even better at a reception, where by their very nature you have wine-fueled shorter attention spans to contend with. Simply whack up the video volume and you’ll have everyone’s attention.
There’s a similar argument for having video on your conference stand (as you’ll certainly be seeing us doing). Catch delegates’ attention as they wander the exhibition, or if you’re near a seated area, while they are refuelling between sessions.
Our clients also tell us they use our videos in meetings over coffee with delegates and stakeholders on their phone, tablet or laptop, because the video will guarantee to get over all the key points they want to make within just a few minutes, and without being interrupted.
We’ve been producing videos for party conferences for several years now, so it’s always nice to look back on what we’ve done. To wrap up, I’ve picked out a couple of my favourites to share with you.
Associated British Ports – This video for ABP from 2014 uses simple flat graphics and on-screen text, but combined with a well-chosen sound track makes for a very nice informative piece.
Crop Protection Association – I really like this video for the CPA because the graphics and animation are simply stunning. The bees and butterflies in particular.
I hope to see many more of our videos in use around Brighton, Manchester and Glasgow in the coming weeks.
And if you’re attending, drop by the Senate Media stand and say ‘hi’.
Labour party conference: Stand 99
Conservative party conference: Stand 9
SNP conference: TBC