New premises and established company history in one event

Moving into new premises is often a company's chance to mark how far it has come. The opening is the news, and the history is the context. Done well, the event honours both. Done carelessly, it mixes unverified claims with archive material the company may not be free to reuse.

This guide sits within our overview of commercial opening and milestone photography. It overlaps with a business relocation celebrated with customers and partners, which focuses on the move itself.

Two kinds of material

The event produces two kinds of images:

1. Event images. The ceremony, the guests, the premises and the activity on the day. The photographer makes these.
2. Reference images. Archive photographs, documents, logos and objects from the company's past. These already exist.

Keep the two apart in planning. Event images belong to the booking you agree. Reference images belong to whoever owns them, and using them needs permission.

Who owns the archive?

According to MyIPO, copyright protection arises automatically when a work is created. An older photograph may have been taken by a staff member, a customer or a commissioned photographer, and the rights position may differ for each. The company is not necessarily free to reproduce it.

Ask for each item: who created it, who owns it and who can authorise copying. Our guide to copyright ownership and permission to use event photographs explains the principles. We do not give legal advice. If the position is unclear, your own adviser should review it before an item appears in published images.

Personal data in old records

Archive displays often show names, faces, ID details or staff records. The Personal Data Protection Department notes that the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 applies to personal data processed in commercial transactions. Whether and how it affects your display is a question for your legal adviser. As a practical step, check each document and leave out anything that includes details of people who have not agreed.

Verified claims only

History is where exaggeration creeps in. "Serving Malaysia for over fifty years" or "the first in the region" are statements that need documents behind them.

Make a short list of claims you intend to use in captions, banners or speeches, and attach a source to each: incorporation record, press report, annual report or an old contract. Claims without a source are left out of captions. Our guide to accurate captions, credits and event context and the event photograph caption worksheet help you word them.

Telling the story through people

The strongest history images often show people interacting with the past: a founder's family at the display, a long-serving employee pointing at a photograph, two generations of owners side by side.

Plan these moments. List who attends, who has agreed to be photographed and what each might do. Former staff and partners should be asked first, and their names confirmed before they appear in captions.

A hypothetical example

For example, imagine a family-owned printing company moving to a larger factory unit. The event includes a ribbon moment, a tour and a corner display of old press plates and photographs. The company confirms that it owns the plates and that three of the old photographs were taken by a former employee who has given written permission.

The plan covers the ceremony, the tour and the display with guests. A caption reads: "Founder's grandchildren view the first press at the new factory opening". The founding year is checked against company records before use.

What to tell the photographer

• The programme and the display layout.
• Which archive items may be photographed and which may not.
• Claims and dates the company can document.
• Former staff and partners who have agreed to appear.
• Caption wording and approver.
• Storage and later use of the images.

Our photo archive planner helps you plan where the finished record is kept, and the image-use and approval register tracks permissions. We confirm the date, venue, crew and deliverables in writing.