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Some other things to do with a booth

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Posted by , in Events, Photo Booth, Tips, Wellington

Good brand exposure right there!

Good brand exposure right there!

 

When people think about photo booths they normally see them at weddings, school balls or maybe the odd birthday or Christmas party but there are so many other times that a photo booth can be a really cool thing to have around. This blog is full of lots of occasions when our box has been to some out of the box events and put to some out of the box uses but here are a couple of suggestions.

Getting your brand out there

The life span of the humble photo strip can be much longer than you expect. We have lots of stories from people who meet us at events and expos who tell us that they have photos from our booths on their fridge or at the work space or on the noticeboard months or years after the event. We’ve even had the same folks come up to us several years in a row to update their “family photo”. So strips hang around for quite a while. We can customise those strips to carry your brand and your message so that its not just that the photos are reminders of a good time but also of your business.

Raising Awareness

There doesn’t just have to be a commercial imperative here either. We’ve helped spread health messages, encouraged tertiary education and promoted recycling amongst other things. Having a photo booth at events to raise awareness also helps give the event a fun and memorable twist that can help keep people around for a bit longer.

Raising funds

A booth at an event can also raise funds for your cause. We are happy to assist with charging a small fee to use the booth and because you get a USB stick with all the images from the booth on it after we’re done some canny groups have also sold the larger digital images to people after the event to raise some more much needed cash.

So whatever you want your event to achieve we can help that happen with our booths. Just get on the phone and talk to you local team to see how we can help out.


How many people can you fit in that thing?

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Posted by , in Photo Booth, Tips, Wellington

Photobooth Fun - making people movers look simultaneously awkward and gangster since ages ago

Photobooth Fun – making people movers look simultaneously awkward and gangster since ages ago

One of the questions we often get asked is “How many people can you fit in this thing?” Its normally as a group of 4 people try to go into the booth.

Well, 4 is no problem. Neither is 6. And, I think the record is 19 people within the curtained confines of the booth.

There's something like 17 people in here. If you know what to look for

There’s something like 17 people in here. If you know what to look for

Its all a matter of human Tetris, organising people by size and making sure everyone can see the camera. But it can be done.

Take the curtain off and anything is possible! You’ll notice above there’s a people mover in the background – so we can fit all sorts of things in the photo booth frame. Without the curtain it depends on how good the lighting is and how you arrange yourself to get the most people in focus. You can even get your own custom back-drops made or use the ones provided so conveniently by Mother Nature.

So there are all sorts of combinations and configurations that you might want to think about, or talk to us about when you book a booth. However you look at it – the only limit to the number of people in the booth is your ingenuity and imagination!


Timing is sometimes almost everything

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Couple of folks frightened as their booking is almost ove

Couple of folks frightened as their booking is almost over

One of the best things about weddings is the speeches. There’s plenty of laughs and, often, a good number of tears and speeches can be one of the highlights of a special day. But in Wellington recently we’ve found that speeches have eaten a big chunk out of people’s Photobooth booking. While our operators always try to make sure that everyone gets a go sometimes its just not possible because speeches have eaten into half, if not more of the Photobooth booking. It means two things: firstly that some people might miss out and secondly that you’re not getting value for money with the booking.

But the good news is that you can have it all! Awesome speeches and awesome memories created by the Photobooth. While most people only have one wedding, unless they’re Elizabeth Taylor, we’ve been to more than our fair share and we know how things go during a wedding reception. Combine this with your knowledge of the folks doing speeches and we can work out if Uncle John is likely to blow out his allotted 5 minutes and therefore what’s the best time to start the booth booking. Or even if straight after speeches is the best place to have it.

Before you lock that booking in, or even afterwards if you’re having second thoughts about the timing, get in touch with us to talk through the logistics. Better to make sure its not you pulling the “are we going to miss out?” faces.


Expo Time!

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Posted by , in Marketing, Packages, Photo Booth, Tips

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As the Wellington team prepares for our first Wedding Expo of the year, the North City Wedding Expo, its a good time to quickly talk about Expos.

Just recently I’ve started taking the booth to the weddings of folk who I’ve met at the various Wedding Expos that we attend in the Wellington region and its always really nice to finish something that may have begun two years ago! The thing with so many weddings is that details are often sorted out well in advance and, having been in the job for 18 months now, I haven’t had this opportunity often.

Expos can seem like a bit of a daunting prospect, or unnecessary as you think you’ve got it all “locked down” but it doesn’t hurt to go to a couple before the big day. Mainly because companies, like Photobooth Fun, do deals for these Expos and there’s always the chance of picking up more bang for your wedding buck – and there’s nothing wrong about that.

And its always a great chance to road test some of your products. We love having people in our booths at expos because its easy to see how fast and fun the process is, as well as the quality.

So a big congrats to all the brides and grooms who we met at an expo and ended up joining on their big day. Here’s hoping I meet some more later on this month!


Three fun themes

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Posted by , in Events, Tips, Wellington

Its party season now and although you’ve probably got the theme picked out for 2014 – here’s a few themes that have worked out really well in Wellington from a Photo Boothing perspective. Maybe try them out in the New Year (when you book us again – no pressure!)

Bond girls

Shaken not stirred

JAMES BOND

Always a fun excuse to just dress glam and easy to accessorise with. Most guys own a black suit and most gals have a cocktail dress of some sort and there’s always plenty to be found at costume hire companies. Its also really easy to add things to the props box for those folk who haven’t quite read the dress code or who feel a bit under-dressed when they show up

 

 

A Mexican theme is always a winner

Nothing says “party” like a Mexican

MEXICAN

You can go as fabulous as the Day of the Dead make-up above, a sombrero and a moustache or even just join your eyebrows together like Frida Kahlo. But Mexican is a great theme that can extend all the way through to food and drinks – especially the drinks!

 

Tinkerbell and Captain Hook

Even mortal enemies become friends at a Disney party

DISNEY

This one’s a little bit out there. But if you want a party with lots of character possibilities and plenty of nostalgic songs to sing-along to why not awaken the inner child in you with something like a Disney party!

Just remember that if you are going the costume party route make sure you check in with your local costume shops to see what sort of stock they have. Its always a bit stink if you get in there and nab the best one and everyone else has to scrounge around!


Why so scared – its just a bit of fun!

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Posted by , in Photo Booth, Tips, Wellington

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People often seem to be a bit shy of having their photo taken. More than just shy, scared sometimes.

Even in the age of the selfie there are plenty of people who seem nervous going into the booth for the first time.

With the horrors of Halloween behind us its time to look at something else to be unafraid of…the humble photobooth.

Photobooths are supposed to be about fun, not getting things just right and it takes the pressure off finding that perfect angle. Its difficult to achieve airbrushed perfection when you’re crammed into a booth with 7 other of your mates, several of whom are wearing sombreros. So its perfect for the photo phobic – everyone looks silly but everyone is having a great time.

So jump on into the booth, whether you think you take a great pic or not.

Its not something that goes bump in the night, its something that giggles or downright screams with laughter!


MC or not MC? Is that the question?

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Posted by , in Photo Booth, Tips, Weddings, Wellington

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Wellington Manager Greg has been a professional MC for conferences and events for over 24 years. With Wedding season upon us Greg has some suggestions for getting the most out of your MC:GE on stage

Weddings are a curious gathering of people. Unless its a super small affair there’s a big chance that the only thing that most people have in common is one half of the happy couple or the other. So the formalities in the wedding reception can be a tough balancing act. Everyone likes a few great stories about the bride, groom or both but the speeches can’t go on too long or it just sucks the life out of the evening – people want to get down to the eating, drinking, dancing and photo boothing.

So your MC is an important person – they can really help tie all the speeches together or they can just make everything worse. Here’s a few quick tips for finding the right person and how to get the most out of them:

  1. Pick your MC early – its an important role and can be as important as the rest of the bridal party in making sure things go well
  2. Make sure that he or she knows who else is speaking and can get in touch with them well in advance. That way your MC has a chance to find out what people are talking about and can gently make sure they’re doing a bit of prep. Knowing who is talking and what they are talking about allows for a better and more personal introduction. Its even a great idea for them to know how long each speaker will be. It just means that people will feel like there is a time limit and not go rambling on!
  3. Its not about the MC! They are the glue that holds things together and keeps things moving but we want to hear from the parents, the happy couple and the bride and groom. Often people pick an MC who’s “a bit of an extrovert” and they can spoil things by taking up more time with their own stories. I’ve even seen one wedding MC steal one of the father of the bride’s jokes
  4. Make sure they know everything that is happening well in advance – introduce them to your planner, the photobooth operator or the venue. Then they can run and announce things without you constantly having to tell them new things
  5. Your MC is like the sober driver of the evening – they don’t get on it until the formalities are done. That way you can rely on them to keep things on the straight and narrow.
  6. Unexpected things can occur if you throw open to the floor to say something – so be prepared for that! Think about your guests and whether that is wise. If Aunty Lynne always likes a drink and to sing off-key maybe don’t open it up for anyone to talk!

If you’ve got an MC who is staying on top of those little things then the speeches at your wedding and the rest of the formalities can be a really memorable part of the evening and not an endurance test of politeness!


Show Me Wellington

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Posted by , in Corporate, Events, Marketing, Photo Booth

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Wellington operator Beckie on our Show Me Wellington Stand. Photo thanks to Photography by Woolf

Wellington operator Beckie on our Show Me Wellington Stand.

Early in August we had our stand up at the Show Me Wellington expo. This is a gathering of folks in the Conference and Incentives industry where vendors, such as ourselves, meet those hard-working folk who put on all the conferences, launches and corporate shin-digs throughout the year. As per usual it was a busy day – with lots of interest and plenty of fun in the booth! Its great to be able to show the booth off in different settings because one of the first places people often see one of our booths is at a wedding. And there’s no denying they are great for weddings! But photo booths also go really well at conferences. Some delegates go to so many conferences in a year that its hard to make things stand out, to make your conference memorable. A photo strip from one of our booths is something that can really do that. We have stories of lots of our clients who have a photo strip on their fridge or in their wallet 2 or 3 years later. So why not have that kind of long-lasting memory for your conference. Our custom strips are also a great way to give value to a sponsor for your event. We can put their branding right on the strip and its something else for delegates or guests to take away that isn’t a pen! Some suggestions of great times and places for a booth: 1. The gala dinner. This is the most commonly used time for a booth. Everyone is relaxed, in their glad rags and ready for fun. 2. At registration. Why not kick everything off with a photobooth. It sets the tone for your conference and says its going to be fun and a little bit different. 3. During the lunch break. People can only talk to each other about the last presentation they saw for so long. And an hour for lunch can be a looooooong time. Maybe slot a photobooth in there to get some energy going and make some memories. And it doesn’t matter where your conference is in the country – we’ve got you covered!


Everything is awesome!

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Posted by , in Corporate, Events, Hawkes Bay, Wellington

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A photo booth made out of Lego

Even Lego has a Photobooth now

I was looking at the new Lego collections, as one does on a blustery Wellington day, and I noticed that one of the latest sets has its own Photobooth! You know that when Lego does a model of something its finally arrived in pop culture coolness. So it must be the time of the Photobooth!

Congratulations if you’re one of those folks who have already had a booth before or have made your booking you are are ahead of the curve!

But for the rest of you – fear not! You can still get in on the magic and without all the fiddly little Lego pieces.

We’ll do the assembly of our booths for you and the best thing about our booths is that you get the strips to take away with you – not as a little plastic bit but as a professionally printed strip of memories. And one that won’t hurt your bare foot if you accidentally step on one like a Lego brick.

The other good news is that we are taking bookings for those all important Christmas parties. The tiny little toy booth in the picture won’t hold your boss, Dave from accounts, the whole marketing team and Linda’s boyfriend Wayne all at the same time. But ours do.

So get on a put a real Photobooth on your Christmas party wishlist for this year. All the cool kids will be opening theirs under the tree on Christmas Day.

We’ll leave you with this Lego booth, constructed by the son of our very own Hawkes Bay Region Manager Tony.

Every booth is awesome!

Homegrown booth

This booth was made by the son of our Hawkes Bay manager – our uniforms aren’t quite as cool as that!

 

 


Winter Blues Be Gone!!!

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Posted by , in Corporate, Events, Marketing, Photo Booth

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Wellingtonians are passionate about our city and we don’t put up with a lot of stick from everyone else about our wind and rain. But let’s be honest – there is nothing like a day or two (or five or six) of sideways rain to break even the most passionate citizen of Wellington. And when you get broken by winter the grumps set in.

Just today Facebook has been alive with reports of an experiment that was run that basically shows the more negative and narky stuff in your Facebook feed the more narky and negative your posts become. So why not fight that fact with some fun posts of your own.

Luckily, even at your most depressed we can help you out – get a Photo Booth to your next function. Then your guests leave with a least 4 awesome, fun images they can scan and share and brighten up their news feeds. The good news is that whoever makes the booking also gets our USB stick crammed with all the shots taken in the booth that function. Perfect for sending to people, posting and tagging on Facebook, printing out and hanging on your wall or just generally having a good laugh about.

Guaranteed to brighten up both your Facebook and your day.