Planning photography and film for a conference or product launch
An event lasts a day; the photos and film are what people see afterwards. Here is what to decide before the doors open, so nothing important happens off camera.
Conferences, launches and award nights move fast. The keynote starts on time, the product reveal lasts a minute, and the person you most needed a photo of leaves before dinner. The coverage you get depends on what was decided before the event, not on the day itself.
Here is the planning we go through with marketing and internal communications teams before an event.
Decide what the content is for
Start with the end use, because it changes how the day is covered:
- Internal communications: people, teams and moments that show the company to itself.
- Marketing and social media: the brand, the product and the atmosphere, often needed quickly.
- PR: clean photographs of speakers and leadership that media can use.
- The website: a few strong images that will stay up for a long time.
Most events need a mix. Say which matters most, so the crew prioritises it when two things happen at once.
Share the run-of-show early
Send the agenda as soon as it is fixed, with timings, stage changes and anything that happens only once: a product reveal, an award, a ribbon, a surprise guest. We go through it with you and mark the moments that must be covered and the ones that are nice to have.
If the schedule changes on the day, tell the crew as soon as you know. A two-minute heads-up is the difference between catching a moment and missing it.
List the people who must be photographed
Make a short list of speakers, leaders, award winners and guests who need to appear, ideally with a photo of each so the crew can recognise them. Name one person from your team as the point of contact on the day, who can point out who is who and clear the way for a group photo.
Plan the crew around the event
Crew size depends on the event: how many stages or rooms run at once, how many guests are expected, and whether you need both photographs and video. A single-room seminar needs a different team from a launch with a stage, a demo area and a dinner. We scale the photographers and videographers to the event, so every important space is covered.
Don't forget the in-between moments
Stage photos are only part of the story. Networking, people at the registration desk, the product being handled, branding around the venue and the room before guests arrive are often the images that end up being used most. Build a little time for them into the brief.
Same-day photos for social media
If you want to post while the event is still happening, plan for it. We send a few edited photographs during or right after the event, so your team can share them while people are still talking about it. Tell us in advance which moments you want first, for example the keynote or the launch itself.
Films and cut-downs
Video coverage is usually edited into a highlight film, plus shorter cut-downs for social media. Decide the length and format you want in advance: a two-minute film for the website and vertical clips for Instagram and LinkedIn need different shots on the day.
After the event
Edited photographs usually arrive within 5 to 7 working days, and the highlight film within 1 to 2 weeks. Plan your post-event communications around those dates, and keep the same-day selects for the first wave of posts.
Planning an event?
Corporate Events & Films covers conferences, product launches, offsites and award nights in photographs and on video, in Pune and across India. Send us the date, venue and agenda, and we will come back with a plan and an exact quote.
