This week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Apple Event to release the new products.  I had been wanting to attend this event for a while and I was so excited to actually be there in person.  It did not disappoint.  Actually, I was blown away by the event and felt all the excitement in the audience as each product was released.  Apple dropped the hammer with a new iPad, iPhone, updates to Watch, Pencil, and Apple TV.  Apple has set the standard for product launches and in this post I want to share some of the secrets that has propelled these events to the top of the business world.

  1. Use lots of pictures. Pictures indeed are worth a thousand words and Apple’s slides have few words and many beautiful images.
  2. Tell a story.  In Apple’s product videos, they use the medium of story telling wonderfully.  They don’t just say what the devices can do, but show how the products change people lives.
  3. Eliminate extra words.  In Apple presentations, each word is carefully chosen for maximum impact– whether for describing, storytelling, humor, etc.
  4. Move efficiently through the event.  Apple efficiently hands off the stage to each speaker and the event runs incredibly smoothly.
  5. Pull elements from other mediums– Apple masterfully created short videos on many of the products and in a venue like the Billy Graham Auditorium that is built for music with high quality audio, the movies created a cinematography experience.  I sometimes couldn’t tell if I was at a movie or tech event and that is a good thing.
  6. Eliminate distractions– Apple strives for minimalism and the stage, slides, and products themselves are perfectly designed with no excess.  Presentation-wise, this puts the focus on the products and presenters and holds the audiences’s attention.
  7. Finally, surprise the audience. After an stellar event with a slew of new products, Tim Cook surprised everybody with a live concert by One Republic!  They came out on a moving stage and rocked the building with a 3 song set.  The element of surprise is used by Hollywood, magicians, comedians, and Apple carries on this craft masterfully for tech events.

What an incredible event and I look forward to attending again in the future.  See if you can incorporate some of these into your own personal or business events and presentations.