In case you missed the 86th Annual Oscar Awards that took place this past Sunday, there is a list of the winners online.
However more importantly for event planners, we’ve recapped the top 4 take aways for you to use in your own events.
1. Find an amazing host – The Oscars is known for being an overly formal event, so by finding the always entertaining Ellen DeGeneres to host, the award show became much more relatable for the thousands of viewers at home. We also noticed how often Ellen interacted with the audience for some hilarious candid moments to break up the show. If your event has a host that can keep guests involved and lively, you are sure to have a successful event.
2. Support local vendors/businesses – Lately there has been a push for everyone to support small businesses for products and services, and vendors for your event should be no different. One of the most memorable moments during this year’s Oscar’s was when Ellen ordered a few pizzas for the hungry guests in the crowd (see #1). Though national pizza chains such as Pizza Hut or Papa Ginos could have paid tens of thousands to make that delivery to receive huge marketing benefits, Ellen chose Big Mama’s & Papa’s Pizzeria, a Los Angeles-based franchise instead. Props for supporting local business!
3. Incorporate Social Media – The Oscar’s made social media history Sunday as it took the most famous “selfie” of all time. Shortly after Ellen tweeted the star-studded photo, to say it went viral is an understatement. Twitter was momentarily shut down by the amount of activity as tweeters rushed to see the picture on Ellen’s page. It quickly became the most retweeted tweet of all time and currently has 3.2 million retweets. By incorporating social media at your event, buzz will be created by guests. Encourage hashtags, retweeting, tagging handles of important people relevant to your event will open the lines of communication between the guests at your event and the ones that are only connected by their cell phone.
4. Brand Identity – For the past 86 years, The Oscars have always been known as one of the most formal events in the entertainment industry. A lot in our society has changed in the last 86 years, yet year after year the Oscars continues to stay true to their traditional theme while allowing certain aspects of the ceremony to be relevant. In 2014, serving pizza to women in fancy gowns, Jennifer Lawrence being applauded for her fall, and encouragement of being distracted by social media on your cell phone is acceptable. Simple features like this create a fresh event every year without the awards losing their predominantly formal brand identity. Balancing tradition with relevancy is key in planning events for corporations that have carried traditions for decades; however as an event planner it is just as important to plan an event that belongs in this decade.
Do want your next event to run as successfully and smoothly as the 2014 Oscars? Contact us today and let’s get planning