We recently engaged in one of our biggest headshot activations for Workday‘s SKO. Over the course of three days, we had six headshot stations and photographed about 2300 people! In the past year since the pandemic has subsided, we’ve done a lot of headshot activations and there a number of factors that make it a successful activation for the booking client as well as the end user (the subjects getting the headshots).
For large activations, when the attendee count is 250 or more, it’s important to have a ‘reservation’ service where people can sign up ahead of time for scheduled appointments. With the way many conferences/events flow, there are always ‘rushes’ where the queue for headshots can become long; a reservation service provides an efficient way for people to plan their day and not get stuck waiting in line. Another important feature is the ability for the end user to get their photos right away via email or SMS. The instant feedback can help build excitement around the activation thus furthering user engagement.
Of course, it goes without saying that quality of the headshots matter and although it is important to get as many people through the stations, the time the photographer spends with the subject matters. Typically, we recommend a max of 20 people per station per hour of coverage so that the photographer can get a variety of angles and the subject doesn’t feel like they’re rushed through like at the DMV. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback by providing subjects with posing tips and spending more time with them to get a good headshot so having more time per slot is ideal.
From a planning perspective, the number of headshot stations is also critical to a successful activation. In this day and age, headshots are one of the best takeaways from an event/conference as most people appreciate getting a professional headshot for LinkedIn and their Zoom profiles! Our ability to scale is a significant advantage because as an agency, we are used to managing teams and hacing high quality associates to represent our brand. For example, we recently also did an activation for Chase Ink when they sponsored Entrepenista‘s 100 and they wanted three headshots stations during an hour break to accommodate their guests busy schedules.
