Thinking about a career in design, but not sure where to start? Here are some tips for you:   1. Passion is key Like in any other job, you must have passion and love what you do to do it well. If you are looking through magazine layouts, playing around with colors, patterns and most importantly you are drawn to art and beauty then the good news is - creativity may already be built in you. Now you need to practice developing it! 2. Practice Makes Perfect If you are serious about developing any skills, you need to put a lot of effort and time into it. Try to organize your time to make learning as part of your daily routine! Spend at least 2 hours in the morning or evening watching tutorials or working on a design project at least three times a week! So that's only 6 hours of design time per week! But try to allocate time in your calendar, treat it like a job and stick to it! 3. Build your Portfolio Start building a portfolio on projects that you want to be doing when you are employed. The best way to learn and build a strong portfolio is through doing actual design tasks. There are so many fantastic crowd-sourcing sites that will help you to work on real client-based projects. 4. Show your Work Don’t be afraid to start sharing your designs, even when you don’t think they’re good enough. Guess what? They might not be! But it’s important to get feedback on them, to have someone tell you about an existing pattern you didn’t know existed, to join a community that will help you grow long down the road, to show and share your work and iterate bit by bit with the help of others. 5. Complete an Internship What is the better way to improve as a designer than to work with real people on real projects that have an impact on the world and for the users we design for? Don’t just apply to one internship.  I applied to many. When you are just starting out, you don’t want to be extremely picky. Even if you don’t entirely fit all the job requirements, it never hurts to apply. One of the great ways to practice and show your work to a wide range of people all around the world is by becoming a WikiStage design volunteer. Designers will be mentioned on the "WikiStage Designer" section on the WikiStage Team page for a year and we will share your work on our social media channels where we are followed by in total more than 100.000 people. WikiStage is looking for volunteers to become WikiStage Designers. If you have great skills in design that you want to share with the world, apply here.

It is a given that when photographing an event, details matter. A lot of hard work goes into producing an event of any size and a photographer's job is in part to capture those details. However, a photographer’s priority should be on capturing defining moments of an event that both tell a story and evoke a feeling. Every image should be about something, whether that be an emotion, reaction, or an interaction, there should be meaning behind the photograph. These are the images that offer a window into what it was like to be there. Prior to the day of your event, it is a good idea to brief your photographer on the series of events if any, and provide them with a written timeline. One of the ways to find a good photographer is by talking to your network. This is often the best way to ensure you get someone who’s reliable. Talk to your colleagues and friends for positive recommendations. The next good place to start your search is on one of the many freelance job sites around the web. Also, photography associations have large databases where you can find a range of photographers in your area. Talk with the venue or vendors who have worked in the venue about photographers they’ve seen in action before. Is there someone who stands out to them for their impressive work? You might just find a hidden gem this way. Look at the communication channels you can reach the photographers on. Do they have a website? Email? Phone? Social media? The more options you have to reach them, the better. Check their portfolio to see the quality of their work. Focus on the examples that are relevant to your event. Also, look out for how many events they have done in the past. Online reviews and personal references are perhaps the best way to evaluate an event photographer. Before hiring the best photographer you should ask the photographer different questions so that you learn their abilities, and determine how you can take advantage of their abilities. Remember, trying to find an event photographer requires just as much research and attention to detail as finding any other member of your event team. Good luck!

We want to make a blog page an important part of WikiStage and help people find out more about what we do. If writing is your cup of tea, we will be more than happy to welcome you as a blog editor! Tell us everything about your experience with WikiStage, what WikiStage means for you, or any other topic you would like to share. For WikiStage organizers – you can write about your motivation to become a WikiStage organizer, what was your role in the team, and what did you learn from this experience. Many of our organizers are sharing their experience and give meaningful advice on how to organize a WikiStage event for our future organizers. This way they are contributing to our Community which is all about sharing knowledge. What is the best way to lead and manage the team? How to find sponsors?  How to grow your social media accounts?  How to find speakers?  How to design the stage? How to attract attendees? – These are just some of the questions that our new organizers are asking about when starting to prepare for the event.  You can read blogs that are addressing some of these questions here. For WikiStage attendees – tell us what did you learn? What is your favorite WikiTalk and speaker? Did you meet like-minded people and made new friendships? There are many people for which attending a WikiStage event was a life-changing experience. We would like to hear more of these stories because this is our biggest motivation to keep doing what we are doing and to know that we are on the right way. For WikiStage speakers – what are your tips for a great WikiTalk? What is your expertise and what is the topic you were talking about? How do you prepare for the speech in front of the numerous audience and how do you inspire others? There are more interesting roles in WikiStage: International Ambassador, Mentor, Designer, Blog Editor, Photographer/Video Editor, Sponsor.  If you took a part in any of these roles we invite you to tell us more about your motivation and achievements. Also,  you can write about what you learned on our online video platform, what WikiStage means for you, or any other topic you would like to share. Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to write about your experience with WikiStage! You can apply here.  

Are you thinking about becoming an event photographer?  Sometimes it can be a little hard to break into event photography, but it is possible!  You are probably going to have to volunteer for some time to get started. Before you present yourself as a professional expert in event photography, you’ll want to gain some experience. One of the best ways to gain experience is by volunteering at local events. Try offering your photography services to a local charitable organization that may not have the budget to hire professional photographers. Another alternative is to contact an established event photographer and offer to assist at an event. You can also bring a camera along to events you personally attend. Perhaps you know someone who is or knows a photographer or maybe you know an event planner. But if that is not the case, the advice is to just let people know you are a photographer so that they will think of you when they need one. Do not ignore social media either. The next important thing is buying photography gear. Use the money you save to start building your lens collection. Remember lenses make images more so than cameras. Additionally, unlike cameras, lenses hardly depreciate in value. And finally,  put together an online portfolio (online is the key word here) that has at least three things: a portfolio of images, a page with your smiling face and a biography or summary of your experience, and several ways to contact you. The perfect opportunity to volunteer as a photographer is at WikiStage events! WikiStage is constantly looking for new photographers for many different events and locations around the world. Not only you will get experience in the field of photography, but you will also have the chance to hear the most interesting speeches and have fun! At our events you can meet some great people and make meaningful contacts.    

Event photography is a fun and exciting niche. But capturing that once in a lifetime moment can pose some technical challenges, things move fast, there’s usually a ton of energy in the air, and the best moments often don’t occur twice. Here are some tips that can help you:   1. The first step is to ask event organizer questions such as these: - What kind of event is this - What kind of images do you want from this event? Are you looking for headshots? - What are the most important moments - What style of photography do you like - What do you not like? No one wants a disappointing event photography shoot because there were miscommunication and this way you can make sure that the organizer is well aware of the limits of the photo session. 2. Pre-Event Photos Can Contribute to the Overall Story Photograph the venue, table settings, and other beautiful details before the guests arrive. These are just as important as the story that unfolds. Organizers will appreciate a snap of the setting that they spent so much time (and money) on. 3. Map out shots of speakers and sponsors ahead of time If the event features speakers, sponsors, or stakeholders who absolutely need to be in photos, you should know this ahead of time. Also, If there are key attendees who must be photographed, the event organizer should point them out. Note on a map of the venue where people will be coming from and walking to so you can take great shots of them. 4. Good event photography is all about expressions Event photography is much more than just aiming the camera and shooting. It’s about seeking out poignant moments, powerful expressions, and often just waiting for them to appear. While you often will need to capture some environmental shots, the photographs of people are the stars of the show, and to take a good photograph of people you need good expressions. Set up a shot and wait for someone to smile or react. 5. Capture a variety of posed photographs Remember to always take posed photographs from events that you photograph.  Yes, the candid shots are more interesting and are generally the best, but people also want a few posed photos. 6. Use abstract shots for marketing It’s important to get shots of attendees having fun, but it’s also important to get more abstract shots that aren’t focused on individuals. This is especially true if you’ll be using your corporate event photography for marketing. It’s important to get shots of attendees having fun, but it’s also important to get more abstract shots that aren’t focused on individuals. This is especially true if you’ll be using your corporate event photography for marketing.

Investment in event sponsorship is always a smart choice over billboards and radio ads. If you are thinking of stretching your marketing budget, here are 5 reasons why you should sponsor an event. 1. Brand Visibility Sponsorships put your brand visuals in front of large audiences who haven’t heard of your business. The bigger the event, the more press and social media mentions you get before, during, and after the event day. With many sponsorships, you get featured ads, signs, or radio spots that boost brand recognition. 2. Community Goodwill Customers love brands that care about spreading positive messages and helping the community. Linking your business to a worthy cause can draw lasting support and media attention. Community involvement also sets you apart from larger brands. People have more incentive to support your business if you’re invested in the local community. Find out what matters to customers, and pick causes that align with their values to boost loyalty. 3. Increased credibility as a brand Driving awareness of your brand is one thing. Inspiring respect and admiration are another. Thus, event sponsorships are a great way to drive positive PR and build credibility. You can also use events to position your brand in your niche accurately. For smaller players, events are active venues to be cast alongside heavyweights. 4. Social Responsibility Event sponsorship is a way to show that your business supports a cause or mission about which your customers are passionate about. It helps you to build an image in society and connect with customers on an emotional front. 5.  It’s affordable Running an ad campaign on TV, radio, and print ads work well together. However, these take a great deal of your time and cost you thousands of dollars. With event sponsorships, your target market is right there in the event itself. Sponsors can choose to support one or more WikiStage events and as a sponsor, you can decide how strong your contribution and participation should be. If you want to become our sponsor, you can apply HERE.