the old model is to view an event as a map and a schedule. we see it as a network of human moments.

surround sight is a system of seeing a large corporate event as one connected system rather than hundreds of disconnected moments, so photography can be planned around value instead of coverage.

a modern conference is a live communications platform. executives are making product announcements, p.r. teams are working on media deadlines, marketers are building campaigns, and attendees are publishing live to their communities while the event is happening.

the scope of these events has changed drastically in the last 5 years, yet the photography hasn’t. bigger rooms meant more photographers, more images. the result is that coverage increases, but value does not. galleries become larger while the number of high value images is diluted.

this may look like a staffing problem, but it is primarily a systems problem.

a single image may appear on the main screen within minutes, in media coverage by the end of day, on the website this week, in a recruiting campaign next quarter, and in an annual report by the end of the year. that image has unbalanced value, and creating it should be prioritized.