Archer Hotel is a collection of nine boutique hotels across the United States, owned and managed by LodgeWorks Partners.
The brand opened its first property in New York City's Garment District in 2014 and has since expanded into markets including Austin, Napa, the Boston area, New Jersey, Seattle's Eastside, and the Washington DC region. Once a year, the team comes together for their annual sales meeting: a few days to connect in person, celebrate wins, trade best practices, and align on priorities for the year ahead.
When your team only gathers in person once a year, every hour of the agenda counts. Archer Hotel had run headshots at past meetings and knew attendees loved them. This time they wanted the same result with none of the friction: no photographer to book, no line, no time stolen from the agenda.
We spoke with Jackie Galea, Area Director of Sales at Archer Hotel, about how they leveraged HeadshotPro for their annual sales event.
Challenge
Archer Hotel initially wanted to bring in a professional photographer, the way most companies handle headshots at an in-person event.
On paper that works. In practice, at a multi-day meeting with a full agenda, it creates problems. Booking a photographer for the whole event is expensive, and getting every attendee in front of the camera means coordinating schedules and carving out time the agenda did not have.
"Coordinating schedules and allocating enough time for every attendee to be photographed would have been difficult, especially during a meeting agenda that was already packed with content and activities," Jackie explains.
A single photographer also creates a bottleneck. One camera, one chair, one line. That is meeting time spent waiting instead of connecting, which is the whole reason everyone flew in.
Solution
Instead of a photographer, the team decided to partner with HeadshotPro and let each attendee create their own professional headshots, a self-serve activity they could complete on their own time, right there at the event.
Setup was simple. Attendees scanned a QR code and followed step-by-step instructions to submit their photos. No equipment to manage, no line to wait in.
"The experience was very smooth and easy to implement. The QR code setup and step-by-step instructions made the process simple for everyone to follow," Jackie shares.
The goal was simple: a polished, on-brand headshot for everyone, whether they were refreshing an old one or getting their first. Each person got a full set of professional options and picked their favorite.
"Our team enjoyed the experience and appreciated having the ability to choose the images they liked best," Jackie says.
Results
Every attendee completed the headshot experience, all without taking a bite out of the agenda.
Privacy was another highlight. "One feature that resonated particularly well was the automatic deletion of photos after a set period of time, which gave attendees additional confidence regarding privacy," Jackie notes.
Every attendee walked away with headshots they could use right away, from LinkedIn to email signatures.
Jackie adds, "I would absolutely recommend HeadshotPro for in person events. It's a great way to introduce AI to your team in a practical, engaging format. It's easy to use, cost-effective, and provides lasting value well beyond the event itself."
Top 3 results from running headshots at the event:
- Full coverage, zero agenda cost - Every attendee walked away with finished headshots without disrupting a packed schedule
- Privacy by design - Photos delete automatically after a set period
- Effortless to run - A QR code and simple instructions, no equipment or staff to manage
