Atmosphere is one of the most intangible things to describe. We all know when we feel it, yet it’s technically invisible, untouchable and you can’t buy, hire or sell it. Ultimately it’s a mixture of people, space, décor’ and the feelings they create through human interaction of sight, feeling, touching, hearing and person to person communication. The Dictionary definition is “the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or creative work”. While it may be somewhat intangible, there are specific things you can do to help create a good atmosphere at your event;
- Consider from the very conception of any event how many people are attending and where it is going to be. It’s very clear that 50 people in a space that holds 400 is going to be a big fail on the “create a good atmosphere” scale, but it’s amazing how often this basic formula is ignored. Make sure that any space size versus people attending is to scale.
- Consider the first impression. If you are running an event, what’s the very first experience once people arrive? You can have entertainment prior to anyone even being in the space of the actual function, with music or entertainment as people walk towards an event. Having a drink on arrival as clients or friends arrive may be another simple step to instantly create a welcoming atmosphere. Creating a VIP car park experience for attendees to an event can be another small step that simply makes it easier for attendees, all of these things ultimately assisting to your attendees being in a great mood once they arrive.
- Make sure any space you hold an event in has some structure to it’s organisation and has the amenities you need. Even a simple square event room can be arranged so seating, tables and couches are spread out enough to fill the space, but not so much as to create unwelcome space between them. Ensure if you create a dance floor space that it is to scale. Should it be at one end of a space, off to the side on one wall, or encircled by tables and be in the middle? Can you close in a space early when its quite and open it up as it gets busy, or by opening only certain areas at the start, eventually adding more, can you assist in creating a good feel early as well as when your event is at its peak capacity. Can you create different spaces within a big space, thus giving people the opportunity to explore, or get away from a main area with maybe a chill out space and or an outdoor space (the latter essential for smokers). Consider toilets verses numbers… we all hate a toilet queue, not to mention arriving to a dodgy porta-loo instead of a classy bathroom space.
- Lighting and sound is critical in assisting to the atmosphere being correct. There’s a reason nightclubs don’t have lighting like your local Officeworks store! Candles are your best friend and by far one of the best ways to light dining spaces and drinking spaces. They create subtle light and warmth. House lights (the term used for the main bright lighting in a space) should ideally be off! We have experienced many events where the moment the house lights are turned down, the dance floor is turned up… Lets face it, nobody wants to be putting on a floor show for the rest of the guests, so when you want the dance floor rocking it’s essential to make it much darker and moodier than you may have the same area set up for a presentation or a speech. Sound wise, it’s important that it’s flexible… When there is dining you don’t want David Guetta blasting out at you at 100db… Likewise, when you want people dancing you don’t want to be able to hear everyone’s conversation in the room over a tiny speaker in the corner. Make sure the music volume is appropriate for different moments throughout the event. Additionally, the physical sound system you hire must be able to handle the job you want it to do. You cant get a great vibe on a dance floor without a decent sound system, nor can you get a nice relaxed vibe if you don’t have enough sound to fill a room even at low level.
- Finally, consider your entertainment choice. We here at Request Artists understand the importance of music at any event… we understand “When Music Matters”. No matter how much work you put into décor’, bars, food, invites, hospitality and mood, the wrong music at the wrong time can totally destroy the atmosphere and vibe of an event. The wrong DJ or entertainment can literally empty a room, the same way the right choice can make the very same room go crazy. Not all DJ’s are equal so consider what you want, be it cool club music, classics, chillout etc and we can assist with nailing the vibe!