BoothCon 2020 saw the Australian Photo Booth industry return to Brisbane where it all started four years ago.
Following a similar format to the previous two years, BoothCon seems to have settled on a formula focused around delivering one day of seminars, one day of Master Classes and a mix of networking opportunities that forge strong personal and business relationships across Australia, New Zealand and the world.
Adept Photo Booths are in a privileged position to have attended every BoothCon event to date and witness firsthand the evolution of the industry and event itself over this time. Having also attended Las Vegas for the previous two Photo Booth Expo’s, the trip home provides an opportunity to reflect on the action packed two days.
Here are five talking points that we took away from BoothCon 2020
- The Australian photo booth scene is receiving international recognition
The Australia industry punches above its weight in many respects, however the presence of international speakers and exhibitors in 2020 took the event to a whole new level. Over half of the speakers were from outside of Australia as were nine out of the twenty-one suppliers including the likes of Fotomaster, LA Photo Party, Booth Book, Photo Booth Supply Co. and ATA Photo Booths as well as local suppliers Wilkes Booth Co.
Click this link to see the schedule of events.
- What was trending on the trade show floor
2020 saw more exhibitors than ever before with the notable presence of some international heavyweights of the industry for the first time.
Fotomaster went all in as major sponsor of BoothCon 2020 and doubled down with the largest tradeshow stand that the event has seen. With a number of Mirror Booths on display, Fotomaster also gave the Australian industry a taste of the new Pylon iPad Booth that bucks the trend of iPad booths getting cheaper and smaller with a unique design embracing a premium finish.
Fotomaster shares a unique affinity with Australia after recently acquiring a local success story of the industry in the Red Robot Industries who originated in Canberra. The commitment to the Australian Market was hard to ignore with a team of six staff and delivering educational content on day one of the Seminars, a Master Class on Day Two and dominating the tradeshow floor.
Mosaic was one of the leading innovations of Photo Booth Expo 2019 in Las Vegas and this trend hit Australian shores in 2020 with Fotomaster and LA Photo Party showcasing their versions of the mosaic photo experience in Photo Mosaic Wall and Muse Mosaic respectively.
We’d also like to shout out to the Australian suppliers present on the Trade show with Wilkes Booth Co. supporting the event again for the fourth year and GD Design Co continuing the innovative spirit with a completely clear acrylic designed Ghost iPad Booth you can check out here.
Click this link to check out all of the suppliers present at the Trade Show.
- Take you eye off the tools and focus on the experience
If you need your sink fixed, do you go to your local hardware store or call a plumber? This was a key message of BoothCon 2020 educational content to take the focus away from the tools themselves, the photo booth, and focus on the output and experience.
Ryan Salinas from Super Boothers gave some insight into story telling through video, highlighting the user experience rather than the tools or output. Content of people having fun and interacting with each other and their equipment took center stage.
We received a lesson on the importance of selling the ‘Sizzle’, rather than the sausage from our British friends at Booth Book while Catalina Bloch from MDRN Photo Booth hammered home the reality that photo booth companies are the experts of their craft, even in the corporate market.
Dion and Anmea, our friends from across the ditch in New Zealand, took a very personal approach sharing some touching stories taking about connection and memories being central to their motivation and purpose.
- Stronger Together: The theme that underpinned BoothCon 2020
The Theme of ‘Stronger Together’ was evident throughout the carefully curated event which was seamlessly delivered as we have come to expect from Justin Jowett.
Diversity was celebrated with not only a distinct international flavour, but more female presenters and attendees that I can recall from previous events.
The location, Eaton Hills Hotel, lent itself to fostering community with limited options outside of the hotel itself. This ensured that everyone maximized the opportunities for intimate networking events and impromptu catchups with fellow bothers.
One presentation of particular inspiration for us was from Jan Paredes who told a story of overcoming adversity. Jan immigrated to the USA as a child and whilst living with hearing impairment, has grown a successful photo booth business in San Francisco, Chroma Booth.
- BoothCon and Photo Booth Expo Are Now Digital
Perhaps the biggest news to be announced at BoothCon was the launch of BoothContent, an online resource giving the photo booth community a central streaming service to both BoothCon AND Photo Booth Expo content.
For the Australian Market it is a huge move allowing access to the Photo Booth Expo educational content as only a handful of Australian Boothers are able to make the trip to Las Vegas each year. You can read more about our most recent experience at Photo Booth Expo at our Blog.
The same could be said for the rest of the world where they can access content from every BoothCon to date and Photo Booth Expo content from 2020 at their fingertips throughout the year.
I know from our perspective, after attending each event, we will make the most of the opportunity to view the content online after the event. After missing some content that I would have liked to see at Photo Booth Expo 2019 where some seminars overlapped, BoothContent should make this experience richer for those attending as well as an opportunity to participate without attending in person. The additional time to go over the content, share with my staff and access photo booth educational content throughout the year will be a massive bonus.
All in all, BoothCon was a massive success and certainly something we will be heading back for BoothCon 2021 in Sydney. We are looking forward to seeing where Justin can take the event from here. Click this link to visit the BoothCon website and keep up to date for yourself.