A Look Back on 2011: Lessons Learned From the Trenches

January 18th, 2012 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The overall morale in 2011 was higher than it has been for the past three years.  There was hopefulness in the air.  Here at 5^th Avenue Digital, we saw:

•    Companies having summer outings and holiday parties for the first time in years.

•      Advertisers spending marketing dollars on events with consumer interaction and (thankfully) photo capture, for   mementos or social media benefit.

•     The return of corporate incentive trips and large company celebrations.

•      Companies putting money back into their image and deciding to update their employee’s headshots.

•      Business surging once again for the venues and planners we work with.

It seems like everyone is starting to see the economic woes dissipate. The many jobs we were lucky enough to be part of this past year indicate we are on our way, after two years of corporate celebrations being relegated to the back burner.

I’ve worked hard to assemble a team of super-talented photographers, who have captured not only incredible corporate images this year but have also taken our 5^th Avenue Social division to new heights.  We have partnered with a dynamic group of planners and venues and are very excited to share our new portfolios that feature images from their clients’ events.  I am already anticipating the new images we’ll be seeing in the coming months.

 

One of my proudest accomplishments in 2011 is the newest model of the YouBooth photo booth.  The collaborations with our clients have allowed us to introduce the newest technology crazes to their events.  The YouBooth has a new exterior design, plus the most exciting new feature: a social media application that allows guests to upload their photos directly to Twitter, Facebook or email.

This year the YouBooth was proudly used at pop-up store events, holiday parties, mitzvahs, weddings – any occasion where fun was required.  What we love the most is finding creative solutions that maximize each client’s use of the booth.  I owe a special shout-out to my producer, Rylan Crooks, for always finding ways to execute our clients’ unending ideas of how they envision using the YouBooth.

Building a strong business in this economic time is certainly a challenge.  We have watched many of our partners in event planning scale down the past few years, and it’s so comforting to watch them scale back up.  We are very grateful for their trust in us and we treasure these partnerships.

I am also very grateful to my 5^th Avenue Digital team: the amazing group inside the office, Beth, Rylan and Tim, and the photographers, videographers and designers that make our clients their number one priority.  Teamwork and partnerships have been the overall theme in 2011.  Knowing that you have the right people in the ship makes being the captain a joy.  I am grateful every day that I get to work with the team I have, and I would not have been able to double our business this year if it hadn’t been for them.  There have been some rough waters in terms of owning a photography business over the past three years, but it looks like smoother sailing ahead.

Thank you all who have contributed to an amazing 2011.  We will be sharing some of our favorite photographic moments in galleries over the next few weeks.  Here are a few more of my favorites.

The Epix Free-for-all Movie Event- Event Marketing Done Right

September 7th, 2011 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

5^th Avenue Digital has been busy this summer as the official photographer for the Epix Movie Free-For-All in New York City. Epix, MTV, NYC & Company, the city’s parks, and other sponsors have been showing first-run classic films and popular recent releases at four outdoor locations in around town.

The sponsors turned to 5^th Avenue Digital to shoot event photos of the audiences enjoying this wonderful summer evening activity. There have been about four screenings a week at four locations around the city: Tompkins Square Park, Coney Island, Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens and McCarren Park in Brooklyn. We’ve had a photographer at each event, shooting the crowd.

Here’s the coolest part: how we were able to help epix with their event marketing efforts.  At the event, our photographers provide attendees with a web address. Within 24 hours after each Epix Movie Free-For-All showing, our team has uploaded all the images and posted them on the designated website. There, people find their photo, print it, save it, or even share it by email with family and friends. Event marketing at its best.

The Epix Movie Free-For-All photos show New Yorkers at their summer best, enjoying the outdoors and each other. People love them! Visits to the EPix site have exceeded expectations, with thousands of people viewing, sharing and printing their photos. Check it out these great shots for yourself:  http://freeforall.epixhd.com/photos

5^th Avenue Digital is thrilled to be a part of this quintessential event marketing opportunity and great summer activity. We can’t wait to see what is planned for next summer!

If you have an event coming up and are interested in providing your attendees with the kind of event marketing service that we provided for Epix Movie Free-For-All, please feel free to contact us.  This is what event marketing is all about.

The Gorgeous Look of Love at a Montauk Wedding

August 8th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Last weekend we had the distinct pleasure of photographing the wedding of Rebekah and Makenzie at Gurney’s Inn in Montauk.  This beautiful bride phoned us a mere month before her wedding.  Although their wedding was in Montauk, Rebekah and her fiancé live in North Carolina so she was handling everything long distance.

Rebekah had reservations about her original photographer, and after talking to us and seeing our wedding work, she listened to her gut and decided to go with our photographer Jesse.

We are so glad she did!  Despite the 90 degree weather, Rebekah and Makenzie were serene … even blissful.  Theirs is a beautiful love story told in the way she looks at him. Read the rest of this entry »

Smurfs light up the Green Screen..and the Big Apple!

July 28th, 2011 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

As some of you may know from our previous post – or may have seen in the news – this week was declared Smurf Week in New York City, tying in with the new Smurf movie that features locations in and around the city.  Most of the activities have been organized by NYC & Company, which turned to us to provide green screen photography at their big launch event on Monday, July 25th at Columbus Circle.

Judging by the crowds and the photos, the event was a huge success.  Our photographer, Stavros, said he felt like Santa at Macy’s right before Christmas, with the hoards of people waiting for their turn in front of the green screen.  Stavros reports that the line wound from the tent in Columbus Circle into Central Park.  Hundreds of people waited in the rain to get their photos taken.

It’s clear to see why they waited.  The photos are adorable!  Yet despite the rain and crowds, the event was well organized so everything ran smoothly.  People were friendly and patient, and they loved the photos, T-shirts and other fun swag given away in the tent.  Kudos to NYC & Company for producing another stellar city event! Read the rest of this entry »

What We Learned From HBO

July 21st, 2011 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

Part of the fun of working at 5th Avenue Digital is learning new and often fascinating things about our world and the people in it.  And I usually learn them from our photographers and clients!  Most recent example: with photography and onsite prints we provided for HBO.

As a thank you to one of their sponsors, Verizon, HBO brought Bernard Hopkins to the Verizon office to meet and greet their employees.  Each person had their photo taken with Hopkins, which we printed onsite so people could take their photos home. Read the rest of this entry »

How to Shoot a President…With a Camera, That Is!

June 23rd, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Yes, that’s me standing next to George W, and not the one you see in Madam Tussaud’s – although I’ll admit it’s hard to tell.

Last week we had the pleasure of working on the annual fundraising event for the Jewish Enrichment Center (JEC), along with the amazing folks at Global Events, Gotham Hall, Bentley Meeker and Foremost Caterers – plus the former president’s staff and Secret Service detail.

These grip-and-grin photos don’t just happen spontaneously; they are fully staged, with plenty of pre-planning.  This was by far our most carefully produced step and repeat session.  Happily, all the advance work paid off, because the results are spectacular.  We were able to take 150 images of the President with the VIP supporters of the JEC.  After the portrait session with President Bush, the photos were printed onsite and placed into engraved silver frames for the special guests to take home after the program.

What made this photo session unusual for us was the black curtain blocking all the guests from the portrait station, so no one saw President Bush until their turn for the photo.  There was also a Disneyland-worthy line that snaked around as people waited for their private time with the former president.  These parameters were arranged through Bush’s secretary of special projects.  She had the final word on where the president would stand, how big the line needed to be and how to quickly distribute the prints. Read the rest of this entry »

Golf Outings Resurge

May 18th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Are golf outings back this summer?  We have been seeing the signs.  This seasonal corporate marketing basic fell out of popularity over the past several years, as corporate events – particularly those that smack of any lavish spending – ebbed with the economy. Read the rest of this entry »

Photos Tell the Story: Harvard Event Honors Inspiration

May 4th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

I am proud to have been invited to be part of such a great organization as Harvard Business School Women’s Alumni of New York.  These accomplished women get together monthly to network, learn, inspire and give back to their communities.
Having graduated from HBS in October, I’m new to the group, which is one the largest alumni associations out of Harvard.
I’ve been to two events and I’m impressed with the warmth and intelligence of all the women I have met.  Some graduated in 1973, some graduated in 2003.  All work in fascinating businesses and I’m proud to share a common bond with these women. Read the rest of this entry »

Nikon Uses YouBooth to Thank Their Customers

March 28th, 2011 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

Just about every company (perhaps with the exception of the healthcare industry, but that’s another story!) says they appreciate their customers.  Most of this “appreciation” is really just advertising and lip service.  Few companies put any tangible effort into expressing their appreciation.

Nikon is a notable exception.  They put on a big bash in Arena, a renowned New York City nightclub, to not just tell, but show their customers how much they’re appreciated.

Smart marketers that they are, in addition to the huge party, everyone there got photos to take home.  And they did this with 5th Avenue Digital’s YouBooth photo booth.  Anyone at the party could stop by the booth and snap a photo of themselves – and just about everyone did!  Of course, the photos were branded with Nikon’s logo, further extending the connection of Nikon with Fun Party.

To maximize the photo booth fun, the YouBooth photos were projected onto a giant wall in the club in real time.  Everyone was able to see the photos as they were printed, which encouraged more people to participate and allowed everyone to share the laughs. Read the rest of this entry »

Promoting Britain with Photo Sharing

March 21st, 2011 by Beth Baynum | Share Blog

We’ve been talking about photo sharing, and how it’s becoming a more crucial element of corporate events.   This fact was illustrated yet again with a recent event produced by Fourth Wall Events.

First, it’s worth mentioning how much we love working with the Fourth Wall Events, one of New York’s most innovative event producers.  They always insert some kind of twist into what they do, adding details that make you stop and say, “Wow, that’s cool!”  For example, on their website they provide an event space calculator that helps you figure out how many people will fit in your space, or how much space you need to fit a certain number of people.  Check it out here! Read the rest of this entry »