DMCC had one evening in London to get a room full of UK business owners thinking seriously about trading through Dubai. And they wanted something to show for it before everyone had gone home.
The evening was Made for Trade Live, DMCC's roadshow, run with the Institute of Directors at 116 Pall Mall on the last Thursday in September. I've photographed a lot of IoD events in that building, so I knew the room: pale green walls, gilt frames, and a royal portrait in a red tunic keeping an eye on whoever's at the lectern.
What the evening was for
DMCC is the business district in Dubai built around international trade. Over 2,250 British companies already operate from it, and this evening was about the next ones. Their partners were on the backdrop, the IoD, Dubai Hub, Al Burj Holding and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, with Hawksford supporting.
The shape of the night was familiar. Networking as people arrived, then Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DMCC's Executive Chairman and CEO, opening from the lectern, a panel, and questions from the floor. Then more networking, which is where most of the real business at these evenings gets done.
What they asked for
The brief came through Yusuf at the IoD, and it was clear about what DMCC needed.
They wanted images for their social channels and press while the evening was still news, not a week later. They wanted their partners and sponsor covered properly. They wanted a short highlights film that looked like it came from DMCC, so their own intro and outro, their branding, and music that fitted. And they gave me a list of the people I had to catch, the speakers, the VIPs and the sponsors.
Photos and film from one person means choosing where to be at every moment. You can't be on the stage and at the back of the room at once. The running order made those choices for me, which is why it's the first thing I ask for.
What they had that night
DMCC's gallery opened during the evening. The main shots went up first, in two sizes, web for anything online and full resolution for print, so their team could post from the room if they wanted to.
What they had the next morning
On Friday morning DMCC published their press release about the roadshow. The lead image is the one at the top of this post, Ahmed Bin Sulayem at the lectern, taken the evening before.
The guests had their own gallery too. They scrolled through, found themselves, and downloaded their photos to use on LinkedIn or in their own write-ups. That part is easy to underrate. Every guest who posts a picture of themselves in front of the DMCC backdrop puts the event in front of their own network, people DMCC would never have reached otherwise.
What they had within the week
The highlights film went over six days later, 68 seconds long, opening and closing on DMCC's own branding. It's long enough to show the room filling up and the conversations afterwards, and short enough that people watch it to the end on a phone.
DMCC have since put it on their YouTube channel, which is the best feedback a film can get. You can watch it there.
Watch DMCC's highlights film on YouTube
If you're organising something similar
DMCC's brief is a good one to borrow. Tell your photographer what the images are for and when you need them, because "for the press release tomorrow" changes how the evening is run. Send the running order. Name the people who matter to you, and don't assume a photographer will know who your sponsor is. If there's a film, send your intro, outro and brand files before the day, not after.
And ask for the gallery to go up during the event. It's the difference between pictures that arrive while people still care and pictures that arrive after they've moved on.
If your event has delegates who'd value a proper headshot, a headshot station can run alongside the coverage. I cover corporate events and team days across the South West and in London.
