Why photograph the annual meeting?
Because it’s the one time a year your people are all in the same room.
Your board is there. Your leadership is on stage. Members flew in. That doesn’t happen again for twelve months, so it’s the day to get two things done at once: portraits of the people who’ll need them, and pictures of your leaders doing what they do best, which is talking to a room.
Those are the photos marketing goes looking for all year.
What should we have photographed?
Most of it is coverage, and that’s on me. The part worth planning:
- Every speaker on stage, with the room listening. A speaker alone is half the picture.
- Your leadership mid-sentence, not just posed. These end up in the annual report and on next year’s registration page.
- The hallway between sessions, where members actually talk to each other.
- Any vote, award or announcement you’ll want to point back to.
The event photography shot list goes deeper on what belongs on a list and what doesn’t.
Who needs a portrait?
Anyone whose picture is out of date. That’s usually the board, new staff and anyone speaking.
Set up a portrait spot near registration or the break area and people can step out between sessions. I look for a spot with some character to it, a window or the venue’s own light, rather than a corner with a sheet behind it. Portraits for teams shows what that looks like.
How do photos help next year?
Next year’s registration page needs a full room in it. So does the sponsor deck.
A packed session, a speaker people came to hear, members laughing at lunch. That’s how you show someone who wasn’t there what they missed.
How far ahead should we book?
As soon as the dates and venue are set. Spring is when DC’s association meetings stack up, and the good weeks go early. When to book a conference photographer has more on timing.
A full day on site is $5,200, and what event photography costs walks through the rest. More of my conference work is on Conferences.
