Time-lapse photography has been around for a long, long time and has that “It” and “WOW” factor but no one ever seems to use it because the perception is that it is labor-intensive and expensive. Regardless of how it is viewed, time-lapse is the perfect medium to market to current and prospective attendees because it shows the newbies what it is like to be there, and it makes the pros wish they were still at the event or conference.
What is time-lapse photography?
Time-lapse photography is the act of setting up a dedicated camera (a DSLR works best) and taking a picture every minute, second, or some other interval. These pictures are then used to create a video that has the effect of letting the user see a long period over a short amount of time.
I can just imagine that this used to require a dude (or dudette) sitting all day and into the night snapping pictures while staring at a stopwatch but you can now program many cameras to do the work for you, and if they can’t do it internally, there are external gadgets that will handle the task. Time-lapse is now easy… and really underused.
As marketers, we are in the position of having an old, hip, and cool art form that sits lonely in the corner, waiting for someone to ask it to dance.
When you get out on the dance floor, you will notice that time-lapse can really swing.
Showing a Conference Experience
Showing a tradeshow floor
Highlighting Event Set Up
Showing a Product Launch
For one client, we create a time-lapse of their conference and have it ready to go on the final day and play it during walk-in for the closing session… what a way to stun the attendees while they are waiting for the speaker(s) to take the stage. We continue the process during that final session and then finish the video for marketing next year’s conference.
When you are getting ready for your next event, look into doing something out of the ordinary that will grab attention and blow away your audience.
You may want to try time-lapse on your own. It is not hard to do and here is a step by step guide to get you started.
