Is Company Image Your Brightest Star?
How corporate event photography can make your business reputation shine.
"The night is darkest just before dawn."
You may remember this quote from Harvey Dent in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Or perhaps you’re an English literature buff and recognize a similar phrase. "It is always darkest just before the day dawneth," Thomas Fuller wrote in 1650 in "A Pisgah-Sight Of Palestine And The Confines Thereof."
(I may or may not, but definitely did search for the known origins of the phrase.)
Either way, there will be a dawn. A dawn with a worldly welcome from this all too long pandemic. Wait…hold up, aren’t stars only seen at night?
Don’t forget about the sun. The brightest star in our solar system. The star that brings the dawn. The star that shines a light on life. The life that lights your company. The company that lights up life.
So again, is your company image your brightest star? And is it being brought to light?
Four STAR traits that can be highlighted through corporate event photography are Strength, Transparency, Appreciation, and Responsibility. These traits can be authentically shown through "behind-the-scenes" corporate meetings.
Below is a rundown of each trait to show how your company's image can be a source of light for growth.
A Boy and His Dream Foundation Founder - Sunny Akhigbe
STRENGTH
Corporate event photography offers the opportunity to show the strength of leadership within the organization. Being a strong leader on a mission to empower their organization and partners during a conference meeting should be shared more broadly.
But I’m not limiting this to only top-level executives. Think of past moments when you were affected by a stellar presentation. Maybe something clicked in your mind and made you look up from your phone.
Or perhaps your eyebrows were raised by an intriguing question. Have you found yourself getting pumped up and giving standing applause to a motivational speech?
Now, what if this was just a memory that could eventually fade away? Why rely on a simple thought when you’re at your desk, slammed with backlogged work? Would you agree that a visual aid would be more empowering?
It’s that moment captured in a still frame that can take you back to those feelings of motivation to tackle that previously mentioned backlogged work. The great thing about a photo is that it can be printed out and quickly referenced while dominating that to-do list.
You know what’s even better?
What if it was a photo of you? Maybe you’re not the CEO or at the executive level.
Isn’t empowering yourself the best sense of accomplishment? But what if you could also inspire colleagues, partners, and consumers? Collectively, I’d say that’s strong leadership for a strong company.
TRANSPARENCY
We have all heard the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words." But what does that mean for business? You can reflect on that phrase more tailored to your specific company, but corporate conference photography presents an opportunity for transparency.
With so much misinformation, cancel culture, distrust, and just straight-up hatred, transparency is at the forefront of importance.
There are several benefits to transparency as an inside look of your company.
Transparency through photography can complement the strength and dedication of leadership previously mentioned.
Important work sessions, keynote speakers, and panel discussions can be open to non-attendees.
Photos can be a source for employees’ sense of connection and innovation, furthering overall mission alignment.
Photos of corporate meetings can show the collaboration between partners, solidifying strong business relationships and loyal friendships.
A 2017 article from Entrepreneur.com titled "How Transparency Became a Top Priority for Businesses, and Why You Should Care". Within the article, research from Label Insight stated that
"94 percent of consumers surveyed indicated that they were
more likely to be loyal to a brand that offers transparency, while
73 percent said they were willing to pay more for a product that offers complete transparency."
That was back in 2017. One could argue that the importance of transparency is exponentially more essential now than ever before, especially on this side of the pandemic and several other world issues. Knowing photography’s versatility through press releases, social media, and internal communications, to name a few, hiring me to photograph your corporate events could have a great return on the investment. Correct?
APPRECIATION
Possibly the most important aspect of being human is being appreciated. Awards photography allows businesses to showcase their company culture. Employees, whether long-tenured or lower-level alike, and strategic partners should be acknowledged for their dedicated loyalty.
While the 'trophy award' can be a beautiful piece for the recipient, it is also symbolic of how everyone can be treated. Being appreciated for all the work has a huge effect on business. Internally, morale can be lifted, resulting in more positivity. Better collaboration, better ideas, better work. There is substantial growth potential.
Externally, the positive content shared on social media, websites, blog posts, etc. can enhance the overall company image. This is not limited to current audiences, but also potential ones. Again, substantial growth possibilities.
Notice the countless social media trends. Trends they may be. They fade. Some are surface level. Some stick and become the norm. But the commonality with any trend is that they bring awareness to the brand.
So, strategically and for the sake of human decency, would you agree that positioning your brand in an appreciative light would be a positive trend?
RESPONSIBILITY
I could make this section short and say that responsibility sums up the first 3 points interchangeably and vice versa. I will say that.
Responsibility is Strength.
Responsibility is Transparency.
Responsibility is Appreciation.
Responsibility is Resilience.
Altogether, your business can have star-level leadership. I’d say that positive leadership can make trust and credibility flourish.
So why let the behind-the-scenes positivity stay behind the scenes?
If you would like to bring positivity to the world by showing your company’s star image, please contact me by clicking the button below. Let’s have a conversation and light the dawn.
