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Suffolk-based event production specialists AV Unit have teamed up with local hotel and restaurant milsoms Kesgrave Hall  to provide one of Suffolk’s largest indoor event spaces.

The Hangar, a recently converted event space at Kesgrave Hall, is set to provide a much needed conference and event facility synonymous with the quality for which the group is renowned. 

And to ensure that distinction continues throughout the whole event experience, milsoms Kesgrave Hall have chosen to form a strategic alliance with the AV Unit, to bring quality assured production services to the party.

Garth Wray for Kesgrave Hall said: “We pride ourselves on coupling our traditional settings with excellence and creativity and we’re really looking forward to carrying this through to the events that we run in the Hangar at Kesgrave Hall.  Teaming up with the AV Unit was the ideal choice for us in this venture, as their values and pride in service fit perfectly with our own.

The Hangar will be ready for launch in the Autumn and the partners are already planning an inspiring event that will get the venue off to a flying start.

Adam Clark, Managing Director of the AV Unit said: “Excellence is at the very core of everything that we do at the AV Unit, and working with Garth and his team we know that will carry through the whole event experience.  We’re really looking forward to creating spectacular events in this new facility!”

In an event that dwarfed the X Factor auditions, The Cobra Group’s annual sales convention and awards ceremony, held in London ExCel’s new auditorium, was a triumph of massive proportions, thanks to the technical expertise of the AV Unit.

The audience of over 4,000 – the largest number of delegates to attend in the event’s ten year history – were given a welcome fit for the stars, all stepping over 7,000 square metres of red carpet to the heady beats of Drums on Live.

And with Michelle Dewberry, winner of the 2006 BBC Apprentice, hosting this most successful convention to date, things quickly got underway with record-breaking Chloe Bruce and her sister Grace performing a sequin studded ninja style martial arts routine.

Against a backdrop of a 1,500 square foot LED video wall and 815 square feet of high definition projection screens, all produced by AV Unit, the Cobra Group’s new brand identity burst onto the scene to great applause.

Neil Wickenden, Media Manager for The Cobra Group said: “The annual convention is a much coveted event for the whole of The Cobra Group, and this year was particularly special as we used the opportunity to unveil our new global brands.

“Having worked with the AV Unit on this event for nearly a decade, we knew that they would come up with the stunning backdrop we needed, and they certainly exceeded our expectations once again.”

Joanna Grunert, Senior Event Manager at Excel, added: "It’s the biggest stage set and quality that we’ve ever had for a conference. Sets that big usually remain for a whole week. It’s a shame that it was only up for one day!”
The event drew to a close with a grande finale from the Wideboys featuring Majestic, Boy Better Know and B-live, aptly performing their latest hit ‘In the VIP’.

As with all communication channels, events are a reflection of your company and your brand, get it right and you will be reaping the benefits for a long time.

So, it’s probably fair to say that the planning and execution aren’t to be taken lightly.Events are a powerful means of communication; they are experiential, people actually live them, so an outstanding experience of your brand in, let’s say a conference can make a lasting, positive impact.

Audio equipment that’s up to the job is an absolute must, poor quality sound making it difficult to hear the speaker properly can be incredibly fatiguing and will result in your audience just not bothering to listen.

The same applies to visual aspects of your presentation. Not being able to see your presentation is equally as irritating.

Here are a few factors to consider on that point:

• Projector – make sure it’s right for the room, will its throw and brightness allow you to position it where you want it?
• Screen – is front or rear projection better, what’s best for your presenter and venue and what size should it be?
• Presentation – the content may be great on your laptop, but what about the audience at the back, will they see it?

Think about your presentation; is it the typical slide after slide of text? People are much more likely to remain mentally engaged when presented with a variety of stimuli like sound and video and letting strong images support the speaker instead of a torrent of text.

However good it is, if your presentation is lengthy it’s likely people will begin to lose their focus on what you’re saying. Breaks in a presentation are an excellent way to hold an audience’s attention, videos are great for this - we’ve found using our interactive voting handsets to be a superb way to refocus the audience.

Finally, don’t play your event down, think big. It’s not always about a huge budget but it is about using it to its max. Too many people think ‘low key’ when pulling their event together; if your message is important enough to broadcast through an event, it’s important enough to do it well.