How to film a conference sizzle reel

What is the job and ROI of a sizzle reel? 

In tech marketing, sizzle reels are meant to create excitement around a conference and drive registrations to upcoming events (to the next city or to next year’s conference). When done well, sizzles can also create awareness of your company to new customers. 

How do you measure success? 

Ultimately, sizzle reels should drive or influence new sign ups and event registrations. 

How to create a great sizzle reel? 

To film a conference sizzle, you should consider the following questions: 

1. What is the emotion you want the customer to feel?
2. Do you want this sizzle to elicit excitement, fomo, hype – or is this a slower paced, nod to the community? This decision dictates music, editing, and pace of the video overall.
3. What is the brand and visual language of the event?
4. What's the concept or story you want viewers to take away?
5. What kinds of visually interesting installations or imagery could we capture at the location / conference venue? 

The more art direction at a conference, the more visually interesting the sizzle becomes. Ultimately, the actual capture of striking imagery is what's going to set a conference video apart, more so than adding filters in post.

6. What supporting soundbites can we capture? Could we incorporate speaker footage? Can we pull in attendees for a soundbite?
7. What does the venue look like? The best conference sizzles start with a location scout a day before the conference. 

What are examples of sizzle reels?

Budget: How much does a sizzle reel cost? 

The cost of a sizzle reel depends on the complexity of the shoot: number of conference days, turnaround time, number and types of cameras (e.g. drone footage). 

Generally, you can expect to spend $10,000 to $30,000 for a team of 1-2 DPs (cinematographer) and one editor. 

If you need more help, you can always talk to our producers.

Additional FAQs

What should a sizzle reel have?

Sizzle reels usually contain footage of customers interacting, art direction on-location (installations, interactive pieces), and clips of speaker footage. 

What is the ideal length of a sizzle reel?

While there’s no such thing as a video that’s too long (just a video that’s just too boring) the most common sizzle reel length is 60-90 seconds. 

What is the tone of a sizzle reel? 

Sizzle reels are usually energetic. While the overall feeling depends on your brand, sizzle reels perform better when they are fast paced and visually interesting. 

Does a sizzle reel need narration?

A sizzle doesn’t need narration, though great sizzles can incorporate clips from speakers or attendees to make the sizzle feel more authentic. 

What is another name for a sizzle reel?

In other contexts, a sizzle reel can also be called a highlight reel or a hype reel. 

Conference sizzle reels: what marketers need to know

If you’re hosting a conference, there are three types of videos you can create out to get the most out of your field marketing investment:

1. Sizzle reels
2. Customer testimonials
3. Speaker clips

Sizzle reels are meant to create excitement around a conference and drive registrations to upcoming events (to the next city or to next year’s conference).

Sizzle reels can cost between $10,000 and and $30,000 for a team of 1-2 DPs (cinematographers) and one editor.