Las Vegas, NV 08/12/2009 -Digital Blue Global, an Integrated Event Production company announced today it has been named to Inc. Magazine’s 2009 list of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies. DBG placed #1060 overall on the prestigious Inc. 500/5000 national listing, and are the second highest ranked Event Production Company.

“We’re both humbled and proud to be recognized by Inc. Magazine. We hope being included in this list of fine companies offers some validation to the shared commitment and trust we have with our customers. This is a huge moment for us.” commented Sonny Dyon, Partner and President of Client Relations.

While in the process of negotiating an agreement with Inc. Magazine to produce the conference and awards ceremony, DBG applied to be included on the acclaimed list. “Our strategy was to create an ideal scenario that would allow us to win the business, make the list, showcase our services, and network with fellow entrepreneurial honorees on-site. It’s very special for us to see this happen.” said Klinton Kraft, Partner and President of Corporate Development and Finance.

The Inc. 500/5000 Conference and Awards ceremony is September 23-25 at the Gaylord National Hotel, Washington, D.C. For more information: http://www.inc500conference.com

Ranking for the Inc. 500/5000 list is according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008, and provides the most comprehensive look at America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Inclusion in this list lands DBG in elite company with past honorees such as Microsoft, Oracle, Timberland and Intuit.

About Digital Blue Global
Digital Blue Global is an integrated event production company based in Las Vegas, Nevada that specializes in providing boutique style and budget conscious services with an obsessive attention to detail, delivered by forward-thinking creative and technical teams. DBG is rapidly becoming known as a family of professional producers, technical directors, multimedia designers, music fanatics and brand enthusiasts with a passion for doing extraordinary work. With offices in Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando, Digital Blue was founded in 2004 by Sonny Dyon, Klinton Kraft, and Phillip Wiese.

For more information, please visit our website at www.digitalblueglobal.com

Aug 11, 2009—Digital Blue Global (DBG), a Las Vegas based Event Production Company announced the promotion of Troy A. Askew to the role of Partner and President-Business Development.  Troy has been with Digital Blue since 2007 and offers extensive expertise in Event Production and Corporate Theater.

As President of Business Development, Troy’s continued focus will be to create a fresh DBG presence in new markets, introduce the DBG brand and establish a collaborative perspective with potential new partner-based customers.  As Partner, Troy’s passion, insight and industry awareness are welcome and vital ingredients of Digital Blue’s entrepreneurial foundation.

With nearly 20 years of experience, Troy has managed many world-class events for clients such as ArcSight, IBM, Nike, General Motors, Intel, Redken 5^th Avenue and John Paul Mitchell.

“Troy’s talents and reputation are globally known in our industry, “said Sonny Dyon, Partner and President-Client Relations.  “We are thrilled to welcome him to this new strategic position and immensely excited about the future of DBG.”

About Digital Blue Global

Digital Blue Global is an integrated event production company based in Las Vegas, Nevada that specializes in providing boutique style and budget conscious services with an obsessive attention to detail, delivered by forward-thinking technical and creative teams.  DBG is rapidly becoming known as a family of professional producers, technical directors, multimedia designers, music fanatics and brand enthusiasts with a passion for doing extraordinary work.  With offices in Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando, Digital Blue was founded in 2004 by Sonny Dyon, Klinton Kraft, and Phillip Wiese.

For more information, please visit our website at www.digitalblueglobal.com

If you are looking for dating tips, I apologize for the misleading title.  You won’t find answers on how to hold a fork, or how to make sure you hit lips and not nose on that first kiss.  This blog is more along the lines of how a company can maximize revenue by picking the best dates for their programs.

When trying to find the host property, many companies are booking programs based around a potential property’s down time.  The property may be offering better pricing based on booking holes in their calendar.  That’s all fine and dandy, and who doesn’t want to save a buck, but are you really saving money?

From a production standpoint, holding a conference on off days can get pricey.  Sundays and holidays can mean double time charges in union cities.  Even if your event starts on Monday, Sunday set up can add to that bottom line.  Different cities offer different union rules and have defined different holidays as “premium” holidays.  For example, Columbus Day in Chicago is considered a premium holiday, but not in San Francisco.   In addition, some unions charge double time on Sundays while some only charge time and a half.  It’s as confusing as what to do after you walk your date to the door.

Another way companies try to save a buck is by not booking proper set up time.  Again, with all the different rules in different cities, this can be a dangerous move.  In most cities if technicians don’t have 8 or 9 hours between days, the next day will be billed at double time.  In some cities, time and a half is charged for hours worked after 5pm.  It’s key to secure a full set up day, and can be more cost effective.

This is just another benefit of getting your production company in early (see my previous blog, Get in Early).  Your production partner should be making you aware of all of these different intricacies.  If the property and dates are already booked by the time your production company is brought in, you could be in for a bit of a budget crisis.

At DBG, we take pride in giving our clients the heads up on dates and rules in different cities.  Having contracts with unions throughout the country helps DBG keep track of all the different rules.  In the end, it helps you in not getting stuck with the tab. 

And when you have a partner that genuinely cares, it’s a match made in heaven.

I’ve come to a realization. Hotels/convention centers can be misleading when it comes to the measurements of their rooms. I know, shocker, right? But surprisingly, some meeting planners are unaware of this. When a meeting planner walks into a potential property for an upcoming program, the property is not going to lose business over something as trivial as not being able to fit all of the attendees into a specific room. When a property explains that they can fit a certain number of people in a room, they usually don’t take into account the space needed for staging/production. So add that to most hotels’ “less than accurate” measurements, and there could be the potential for disaster.

Sure, we can fit all of your attendees in this room. No problem!

There is no substitute for having your production company come in early in the site selection process. I can’t tell you how many times we have produced a program without a site visit only to walk into a room of which the chandelier is 6’ off the ground, or a column is right in the middle of where the stage should be, or an air wall is paper thin, or huge windows are overlooking the surface of the sun, and on and on and on we go. Online diagrams and dimensions just don’t cut it. They don’t paint the real picture.

So how can a meeting planner be sure that they are getting the straight facts when they are on a site visit? Easy, bring a representative from the production company. Not only will your production company be able to gauge the size of a room but also many other potential challenges. At DBG, we make our own measurements to make sure we have the correct measurements. This aids us in creating a spot on diagram which is an integral part of the whole production process.

A common argument is that there isn’t enough money in the budget to fly an A/V geek around the country. The flipside to this type of thought process is that being prepared beforehand will eliminate on-site adds which means keeping non-budgeted revenue in your wallet.

Hey, I’m fine with taking one for the team and sitting on someone’s lap during the general session, but something tells me not all your attendees will be so accommodating.

It starts with a concept. A team of individuals come together to create a set look with nothing but a blank slate to start with.  The attitude is excitement.  Team members are hurriedly bouncing ideas off one another.

A few days later, with rendering in hand, we are ready to get buy in from our client.  I’m confident I’ve captured their vision, now it’s time to deliver.  A conference call and a pitch.  And the most important question is here; what do you think of the set?  YES! 

One of the initial set renderings.

Fast forward to set day.  The set is going up, and I’m starting to see a concept come to life.  Hours later, with tired eyes, the set looks amazing and better than the renderings.  The clients walk in the room and you can just see on their faces that we accomplished their vision.  Now all that’s left is to execute the program, and that’s where we shine.

I find that the time where I can fully appreciate what we produced is when that last truck leaves the dock.  The client is thrilled and the team is filled with a sense of accomplishment. It is truly amazing to be surrounded by a team that can conceptualize something that seems almost impossible, and then more importantly, execute. 

I’m sitting in Santa Barbara as I write this, watching a concept being built into a beautiful set for The Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics conference.It’s amazing to think back to that first conference call and sit here and see it come to life. 

Think you’ve seen everything in the Event world? Try looking at it like this:

If you watched the Super Bowl this weekend or happened to catch Chuck, then you saw what looks to be a growing trend in media…3-D.

Sounds kind of Old School to me…

MSNBC agrees.

Reading that got me wondering…how long before we incorporate 3D into an Event Presentation? I mean, talk about experiential, right?

Hand out the glasses, pull up the power point, play the video…watch your audience jump out of their seats when the pie graph jumps out at them like Jason’s machete in Friday the 13th-Part XXIV.

Just another example of DBG thinking ahead of the game…of course, by thinking ahead, I mean thinking back to the ’60’s!

Maybe it’s time we revisit Smell-o-vision…

It’s no secret why the most seasoned speakers dread presenting after lunch.  Nap time.

You have provided that wonderful lunch of chicken and salmon, complimented by a side of mashed potatoes, asparagus, and baby carrots.  And raise your hand if you can pass up that slice of cheesecake covered in raspberry sauce.  I see no hands.

I hate to throw out medical terms, but here comes the inevitable “post-meal sleepy-time syndrome”.  Attendees file out of lunch and head towards the General Session like a herd of zombies.  The occasional zombie will stop and pick up a cup of Joe.  But coffee won’t help.  An IV bag full of vitamin B and Red Bull may be the only hope in keeping this undead herd awake.  Or is it?

Since typically it’s not in the budget to stock coffee breaks full of Red Bull, I find it hard to believe that there is any room in the budget for registered nurses and IV equipment.  So what can be done to keep your attendees awake?  It’s simple.  Senses need to be stimulated with the likes of music and lighting.  I’m not saying there is a need to pump 50 Cent at an ear-drum popping decibel. Nor am I implying that there is a need to have a light show comparable to a Pink Floyd concert.  Rather, a well thought out music playlist with a change of lighting here and there.  It’s not that hard to accomplish and guess what? We do it for you.

The music chosen should be targeted towards the age of the attendees and the overall theme of the conference, no doubt.  In other words, it’s probably not a good idea to play Beck’s “Loser” at the Star Trek Convention.  But there is no reason why the playlist can’t consist of upbeat, modern music.  It wakes people up and gets people going.  Much like when one goes to the gym, their mp3 player is chalk full of upbeat, motivating music to inspire a good work out.  The same can be said for stimulating the mind for a good presentation. 

So we’ve got the ears in tune with the conference, now for the eyes.  With the modern day technology of LED lighting, changing the color of a set is not only easy, green friendly, and cost effective; it’s a fantastic way to keep the audience engaged.  Instead of having attendees walk in to the General Session room and being “wowed” on the first day, they can remain in that “wow” state of mind throughout the conference. 

These guys thought your post lunch speaker was just super! Yes!

Often overlooked, music and lighting can turn a good event into a memorable one, fighting off “post-meal sleepy-time”, every time

Two final points:  If you can find ANYONE that has better music knowledge and/or collection than that held by the DBG family, I will listen to Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” for 8 hours straight.  Seriously, I will.  And finally, if I hear Black Eyed Pea’s “Get It Started” one more time to kick off a conference, I will personally punch our sound guy in the face.

That’s right.  Give that person a big hug.  Why?  Not because he may be strikingly handsome and answer to the initials “JT”, but more importantly because this manager is an integral part of your program’s success.

We are all well aware of the amount of time and effort that is afforded to planning a General Session.  The look of the set, the arrangements of multiple different cues, seating arrangements, etc.   Months are spent planning, no detail is overlooked, and rightly so.  But what about the breakouts?  What kind of attention to detail are they getting?  Often times, not enough.  And not for lack of planning, but for lack of having a crystal ball.

And this is where your Breakout Manager comes in.  At Digital Blue Global, we understand how important this often overlooked position is. This is the person that is everywhere at once.  This is the manager that realizes there is a panel of five and we have an order for one microphone.  This manager is the one that informs you that one of the sponsor’s presentations requires a DVD player and afore mentioned “Mr. Difficult” is not happy about the situation because this presenter is the most important person on the face of the earth.  Why do I always get the technicians with the weak bladders?  Why would somebody steal a projector?  Where did the rip in my blazer come from?  Why did I sign up for this?  This manager has 8 different rooms with 8 different needs with 8 minutes to go until the rooms kick off. 

Then, after putting out fires for what seems like an eternity, silence.  All rooms have kicked off.  “Mr. Difficult’s” DVD is playing.  The panel of five is speaking without passing a microphone like they are hippies in a drum circle.  All technicians have peed 10 times and are now safely in their respective rooms trying to stay awake.  The missing projector was actually in the store room where I left it.  I needed a new blazer anyway.

And then the big sigh of relief.  Wait… did I just hear feedback?

At DBG, the Breakout Manager position is a priority, not an after-thought.  Breakouts are just too important not to have a trusted, capable member of our team executing them.

My little blurb may not encompass how stressful and important a Breakout Manager’s job is, but hopefully you get the idea.  So go ahead, hug your Breakout Manager after the show and don’t be alarmed if he falls asleep in your arms.

A few weeks back, I had an unfortunate experience with a man and my dogs.  The man in question happened to be delivering phone books and in the course of his duties, he had to make sure (for whatever reason) that I received my copy.  Apparently, there is a high theft rate with unclaimed yellow books.  So, this guy decided to ring my doorbell, like 4 times in a minute and a half.  At the time, I happened to be on the phone, I think he saw me through the window and that is why he was oh so persistent.  His incessant ringing got my dogs into a frenzie and when I opened the door, it was hard to hear him mumble over the bark of Wrigley, my 130 lb. English Mastif/Boxer.

Anyway, after a not-so-friendly encounter and exchange, he left and I proceeded to take the yellow book he dropped on my steps and walk it right over to where I have kept all of the phone books I have received in the last 10 years or so…the trash!  Acually, not to split hairs, but the recycling bin (gotta stay green).

Anyway, I had forgotten about that until yesterday, when, again…I got a new phone book.  Apparently, in some sort of scheme to make money there is more than one company that produces these tree killing monstrosities.  This guy just left it on my porch and I happened to trip over it while walking the aforementioned Wrigley.

Again, I took this 4 inch thick canary colored biblio and tossed it with the sales ads and thousands of Victoria Secret’s Catalogs that my wife receives daily in the recycling bin.

So…this morning, I get a phone call.  It’s the phone book company (I’ll give you a hint, their name starts with a Y and ends in ellowbook).  They were calling to confirm that I had received my all important phone book.  I told them that I indeed had received it and politely asked them to take me off the recipient list in the future.  She said, “Sure, thanks” and hung up.  Cool.

About 20 minutes ago, I get another call…same company, this time they are reconfirming that I received the book and want to make sure that I have enough copies.  At that point, I said…”Look, I know you have a job to do, but I haven’t opened a phone book since Al Gore invented the Internet and I learned the wonders of google!”  Seriously, does anyone use a phone book anymore?  If so, why?  And a subset question, do you still use 8 track tapes, ‘cuz you’re old school?  Do you drink new coke?  I’m curious.

NO…nobody uses phone books.  So while it took me awhile to get here, my post-digression point is:  why are they still being ridiculously mass-produced?  Is there some sort of “do not phone book” list?  Like the (completely ineffective) “Do not call” list?  I have searched, but to no avail.

So, let’s band together and start calling the phone companies…I figure it should only take us a week or so to call each and every one of them…

Ready…set…dial!

Checking in from the wonderful Y Pulse Mashup in San Francisco.

It’s actually quite a unique conference and considerably different compared to the events we normally produce. The whole point of the event is to find out how to market to a very unusual demographic, teens and tweens. As a father of two teens, it definitely resonates with me how powerful the opinion of teenagers can be on the buying decisions of adults.

What’s actually even more interesting is the attendees and sponsors are companies that you may not have ever heard of, but I bet your kid has. For instance, as I type this in our booth, I’m sitting next to Ashley Qualls.  CEO and Founder of whateverlife.com. Whateverlife is a website designed, mostly with young women in mind and it provides layouts for social networking sites like myspace, facebook, etc. The site is funded completely by ad revenue and sees up to 250,000 visitors in a day…some people credit Ashley and her site with propelling the Jonas Brothers (or Jo Bros) and Lily Allen into the stratosphere because they were played regularly on whateverlife.  All of this is fine and dandy, but what makes it spectacular is that Ashley is just 18 years old (like literally, just turned 18). She started whateverlife when she was just 14 and grew it into a multi-million dollar business. She is a very grounded, smart person…it’s funny to think of her as “just a kid”.

I think of what she has accomplished at 18 and I fondly remember being fired from my paper route delivering the North Country Sun when I was 14 because I kept dumping the papers in the garbage as opposed to delivering them…apparently, that’s a no no.

But, maybe there’s hope for me yet? Afterall, I used to look like this:

And to tie things together, in about 2 minutes…MC Hammer is speaking…he wore pants just like that and look where he is!

Anyway…really interesting things going on here in San Fran and as a business owner it got me to thinking…am I maximizing my revenue net? Are you?

Maybe I should be looking to my kids to see what they think? Who knows, they or one of their friends might be the next big thing!

Anyway…more later, check out Y Pulse and whateverlife…very cool stuff!

UPDATED: 

So, after I typed this, I got to meet the man himself…

I swear, had I known he was gonna do the 2 symbol, I would have done the L symbol…

2 Legit…2 Legit 2 Quit…HEY HEY!!!