I think it goes without saying that my team and I love gala dinners. 🙂

Once again, we had the opportunity to photograph the state iAwards Gala Dinner and also had the pleasure of photographing the national iAwards and Gala Dinner for AIIA (Australian Information Industry Association) at the MCEC (Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre), which included a daytime conference dedicated to innovation.

 

 

2015 was a great event, and this year did not disappoint. If I’m being honest, I think this year was even better. 🙂

I don’t know about you, but where else do you find industry leaders in ICT taking time out of their busy schedules to talk about innovation? I must add, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the major supporter again this year was the Victorian Government. Too bad the rest of the country doesn’t follow their lead and start developing real plans to expand our ICT capability through innovation.

 

 

My team’s day started at 8 a.m. when we packed our gear and headed over to the MCEC from our hotel room — which, I must admit, wasn’t far. We stayed at the Hilton, which is effectively part of the same building as the MCEC, so it was just a short elevator ride down to level one. 🙂

 

 

This year we decided to do things a little differently. Instead of processing all the images after the event, one of the team handled post-processing on-site so the iAwards organisers could use images for social media. Meanwhile, my other photographer and I covered different areas of the event. In general, it worked really well — images came from the photographers and flowed smoothly through post with very few issues, which was great.

 

 

As the day moved through the conference, VIP lunches, and into the Gala Dinner, my team and I took a moment to reflect on the day so far. I think it’s fair to say we were having a blast, and the information shared with attendees was outstanding. We all walked away with a new appreciation for innovation and some of the amazing things happening in the ICT industry across the nation. Very, very cool.

 

 

The break in the event also meant it was time to set up the portable studio against the media wall before the crowds flocked in. We were located in the reception and pre-gala drinks area, which was great because it attracted plenty of people to have their photos taken. 🙂

Last year we had David Huey (“Hueys”) as the MC; this year it was a pleasure photographing Shane Jacobson (www.shanejacobson.com.au) — aka Kenny, *The Dunny Man*. Without sounding biased, I can say he’s a great bloke. Not only did I photograph him on stage, but I also followed him around, chatting and watching how he interacted with guests. He was more than willing and open to make everyone feel at home, and super accommodating to my photographic needs — one of which was taking a selfie with me. 😉

 

 

The night went off without a hitch… oh, except for one thing! When it came to the pointy end of the evening, we discovered that the winner of the $50,000 prize money had already left because she had a 6 a.m. flight. Hahahaha! Someone in the audience had her number, so Shane tried to get her on the phone to let her know… but no answer.

 

 

Talking with Shane afterwards, we were both bummed that the winner didn’t answer — it would’ve been a hoot to get her on the phone and add to what was already a very entertaining night. Oh well! They eventually got in touch with her, and she came back later for her official photos.

 

 

We wrapped up a little after midnight and went back to the hotel room to process the media photos for the 6 a.m. deadline. Thanks to the post-processing we’d done during the day, it only took me until 4 a.m., saving many hours of work.

 

 

After what turned out to be a 20-hour day, it was finally time to hit the sack and wake up early to pack and head home. My other photographer had a 6 a.m. flight, so I said goodbye to him at 3 a.m. so he could get to the airport. 🙂

 

 

Let’s bring on the after party… hahahaha!

 

 

I have to admit, the lighting and the intensity of those lights were fantastic. They added so much atmosphere to the room, and for a space that large, it was a mighty feat to make them so effective without fogging out the entire area.

 

 

At the end of all that, it was time for a nap — and that, my friends, is a day in the life of a corporate conference and gala event photographer. 🙂