Re-Blogging some great Props!

Wow! It is amazing how kind people can be when you present them with an idea to think about. As Executive Producer for the 2010 Spotlight/CATIE Awards, I have had the distinct pleasure to interact with some brilliant people. To see they share a respect for the ideas we tried is in a word, tremendous. So to steal from Twitter, (and because it gives better content than I can produce) I am going to "RB" - ReBlog - some of the interesting posts I have had written about me in recent weeks.

From the special events blog ready2spark.com author Lara McCulloch-Carter:

Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know corporate event producer, Ryan Hanson of BeEvents. Ryan is in 2 words an Event Provocateur. Convention irks him…instead, I do believe he spends his sleeping and waking hours trying to determine how to redefine events and our roles within them.

Last week I attended one of Ryan’s events in Las Vegas. He produced the Spotlight/CATIE Awards…and he lived up to his reputation. Gone was the stage – instead, the entertainers wove their way throughout the crowd and, as a result, we were intertwined in the entertainment. Gone were the table rounds – and the feelings of stodginess went with them. Gone was the traditional ‘In Memoriam‘ – it was replaced with all of the themes, trends and concepts that have died a horrible death over the years (i.e. client budgets).

I have a lot of respect for people who are not afraid to take calculated risks and are willing to wag their finger in the face of convention. This is why I asked Ryan Hanson if he’d be interested in a short interview…Read the rest here.

From Ruth Moyte of Red Dandelion Creative:

...I’ve been to a lot of awards shows and I hear a lot of complaints about the quality of presentation and what we as an industry should be doing in the production of our awards shows. This year, someone has risen to the challenge. I admire his entrepreneurial spirit. The willingness to take risks and have a vision for something different. I’m speaking of Ryan Hanson of BeEvents. He’s an inspiration to me. He’s an inspiration to the industry as he forges the way for what is surely to come.

When I spoke with Ryan Hanson, Producer of this year’s show, I became even more impressed with his insight, talent and positive attitude. Ryan shared with me his vision for the Award show. “My big push is to do the basics really well: can people see, can they get a drink, get food, have a seat? Does the show move along? I really wanted to underplay the build-up of the show – use non-traditional channels for communicating the messages, and not promise the biggest bang around ... I would much rather have people come with questions and leave pleasantly surprised and happy by the experience, than fall short of big pre-set expectations. That is more true to our business today with real clients, and that is the kind of awards program we should be showing – one without a stage, one where an industry embraces its collective identity and abilities, and celebrates itself among itself.” Creative? You bet. Risky? Yep. Admirable? Most certainly.

It’s a well thought out vision and one that I’m hopeful our industry will respond to. Things are a changing and if you’re not adapting you’re going to get left behind. The state of the industry is changing. We need to change with it, and I’m excited to see someone that is willing to try something different to see if it will work. Some will probably love it. Some may dislike it. Some may not even get it. But, I hope that everyone will see the potential in it.

I look forward to seeing just how it all plays out…either way, I’ll be cheering Ryan’s attempt (and hopefully a successful one) to mix it up and show some new potential to our industry at large.

Hats off, Ryan. You have one big fan cheering for your success!

Read the full post here.

This Event Provocateur is riding high today! ;o)