What is graphic recording anyway and why do I even need it?
Graphic recording is a method of super-duper notetaking—live and in real time on a big surface or screen—where information from a speaker, an audience, or a team is captured, synthesized, distilled, organized, and represented in fun graphic chunks to form a permanent visual record of the proceedings.
It’s a proven tool that aids comprehension and boosts memory retention for the people witnessing it unfold. Graphic recording is very valuable in facilitating meetings and amplifying the impact of conferences and special events, helping organizations maximize the impact of their work.
What are some of the common kinds of projects you do?
They include, but are not limited to:
- Planning and strategy meetings/brainstorming sessions
- Trade shows/booths
- Conference presentations and keynotes
What problems does your work solve for us?
Your big event is coming together…but it needs a little something that will give it some WOW factor. You also want to maximize the event’s usefulness to the attendees.
You need to be sure that your planning meeting is maximally effective, that everyone is on the same page, understands the complex issues, and is excited about how to proceed going forward.
What we do at Visual Acuity is innovative. It’s cool. It’s fun! It’s unusual. People WILL remember it.
OK, but isn’t this distracting?
Actually, after the initial excited curiosity subsides (“What is THAT?”), it’s just the opposite—it actually INCREASES engagement. Participants at your meeting or event are drawn in by the chart unfolding before their eyes in real time. They look on with interest to see how their individual contributions are being added to the whole map. This strengthens their understanding of what they’re hearing around them and helps them remember the important points they’re learning as the session unfolds. People feel heard and valued for their input, which greatly increases buy-in for the process the team is crafting in order to reach its goal.
What value does this add?
When you have your best minds in the room, how can you afford not to capitalize on it? You’ve spent a lot of money to get them there and a lot of hours organizing the event. The answers you seek are in the room right now!
There will be stimulating conversations, invaluable feedback, and brilliant insights that normally just get lost. But Visual Acuity comes in and documents your conversations in a dynamic way, capturing the roadmap of the process in real time and giving you a useful visual record of what occurred, so you have an organized, attractive graphic record to refer to again and again (and to share with the participants or within the broader organization or on social media if desired).
There is value in the process (see “OK, but isn’t this distracting?”), and value in the product (see “What are the deliverables”).
Where are you? Can you travel to us?
We are located in metro Atlanta, USA, in the leading-edge tech city of Alpharetta, Georgia. And yes, we travel—even internationally!
We generally ask to arrive the evening before your event to allow time to scope your space, do a little planning—and get a good night’s sleep so we’re well rested and come in sharp.
What do you need from us when you’re on site?
The very best and most preferable situation is when there is a large expanse of flat, smooth wall at the front of the room, so we can tape our paper up and remove it easily—and so all eyes can readily see what we’re doing and watch the map unfold.
In situations where this wall expanse is not available, we can bring in our own portable wall to set up on easels.
Visibility is important! When your people can’t see the capture process unfolding (and, in meetings, feel like they are collaborating), much of the value that Visual Acuity brings to the table is lost. So while you’d still have a cool artefact at the end of the session in terms of a great visual capturing your content—which you can use in several interesting ways that we will discuss together—you’ll get the max ROI when everyone can see and feel like an integral part of what’s going on.
In large rooms with groups of more than about 75 people, it is best to bring in a videographer to show what we are doing and project the live stream to a large screen so that everyone has a chance to see.
What does all this marvelousness cost?
We charge by the day and by the half day. The half-day rate is useful for local clients when Visual Acuity is in and out of the event before noon; otherwise, the full-day rate applies. Contact us for a custom quote!
Expenses are billed, which may include travel time out of the metro Atlanta area, costs for any special materials and/or their shipping to the event, and typical travel expenses such as airfare, meals, and hotel.
A 50% deposit/signed letter of agreement holds your date. Without these, we cannot consider your event booked and are free to release the date to other clients.
If you book us less than two weeks before the event, we request 100% of the fee up front, and will bill for any expenses after the event.
Yup, we’re thinking we want to use you. What’s the next step?
Contact us for a free consultation, which will be booked as soon as is convenient for you!
If you don’t see your question here, please just ask. We’d love the chance to answer.
