Event enhancement through drawing

CartoonEvent's live cartooning service consists of enhancing a meeting (workshop, seminar, business away day, conference, etc.) using live drawings created by a cartoonist working in the control room, at the back of the room or on the stage who, in just a few seconds, extracts elements of the meeting to sketch. His visual commentary will provide a touch of humour in contexts that are often overly serious, allowing the participants, speakers and audience to feel more relaxed and promoting participation, attention and memorisation. Using a cartoonist shows that the organising body has a friendly and innovative side and is prepared to be self-deprecating or even self-critical. .

Raw materials

The sources of inspiration for the cartoonist are, of course, the speeches with their thematic content, possibly communicated in advance, and all the forms of modulation they take at the event, as well as the speakers' attitudes, the audience's reaction, the speakers' notes, videos or PowerPoint presentations and, finally, the general atmosphere, which the cartoonist helps balance: a cartoon with a humorous slant can temper a tense atmosphere, while a more refined illustration (see example 1 on this page) will be well received as a way of restoring a sense of calm and concentration to a dissipated meeting. In addition, a symbolic illustration will stimulate reflection, while a caricature of the speaker will punctuate his or her conclusion and prompt further applause. A mood drawing can be a perfect way of signalling the transition between two focal points; a summary drawing or illustration comparing two points of reference will ensure a pleasant flow from one theme to the next... In short, the whole structure of the day or session can be improved.

Coffee breaks

Breaks offer an occasion to comment on the proceedings. The drawings and, through them, the topics discussed at the meeting or conference, can make for the most pleasant topics of conversation. For art and humour bring people together and allow everyone to be positive and give praise: evoking a presentation they particularly appreciated, or talking about the reaction of a participant to whom a drawing was addressed. The organisers will also be congratulated for having the great idea to invite a cartoonist like Aster or for being daring enough to provide a very welcome touch of humour in an atmosphere sometimes deemed too strict or stuffy. Humour is even more effective when it appears where we least expect it.

Effectiveness

The effectiveness of live drawing as a communication enhancer derives from its impact on our memory.
Firstly, drawing is a very fluid graphic form that can be perceived by everyone: there is often no need for explanation or translation to enjoy a live drawing or thematic illustration. We might also be sensitive to the artistic aspects of the 'performance' itself, which consists of drawing an intelligent humorous situation very quickly.
Secondly, humour, conveyed here by the drawings, also has a great mnemonic impact, partly because it calls upon faculties other than the reasoning around which most speeches are structured: humour creates a sense of finesse, emotion and a reaction, which can be physical!
Thirdly, the context in which the humorous drawing is introduced is an exclusively verbal one made up of speeches, which can sometimes be technical and include redundant information, supported by presentation slides overloaded with text. Such a context can sometimes come across as 'tedious' or 'soporific'. It is therefore inevitable that a drawing, a simple, impromptu graphic form, suddenly displayed on a huge screen, will stand out from the general content like a rainbow in a grey sky. Taking into account these three elements - the impact of the graphic form, the effectiveness of humour and their introduction into an almost exclusively verbal and rational context - it is not surprising that illustrations produced live are one of the first things participants remember. The aim for the organiser and cartoonist, working together, is for these drawings to act like catch lines to enhance the perception of the key messages delivered by the speakers.

Afterwards and... ad infinitum!

The drawings produced during an event will live on long after it has come to an end! They are scanned, made into a useful format for the printed press or the Web, associated with an explanatory contextual phrase and sent to the client 'ready to use' or made available on a Web page. As for the originals, these can be offered to speakers as thank you gifts or awards at the end of a competition. All the drawings can be sent to participants upon request, with permission to use them for appropriate purposes. Finally, the live drawings constitute an iconographic bank upon which you can draw to enhance a report of the event, an Intranet page, an e-mail shot, etc. (related to the event) and re-immerse readers in the atmosphere of a convention, seminar or event made unforgettable by a few touches of humour.