From multi-day events with thousands of attendees to 2-hour global all-hands meetings, every event has a long list of creative and technical details that must be perfectly orchestrated to create a memorable attendee experience. Professional event producers are the event jacks-of-all-trades that have been there and done that, from negotiating with venues and other vendors, to planning ways to engage the audience, to powering through any possible challenge that could arise on the way to delivering an exceptional event experience, on-time, and on-budget. It’s a big job!
Here are 6 questions to help you be sure to select the right event producer or event production company:
- What is your core business? There are AV and rental companies out there that dabble in event production. In order to avoid ending up with this type of ‘producer’, make sure the company you’re talking to can ‘speak’ event production details. A real event producer will collaborate with you to understand your goals and present a solution that meets your creative and technical needs and will be able to give advice on a wide variety of topics like permitting, power requirements, event flow, seating/space requirements, etc.
- Do you offer content/speaker management services? For events with multiple speakers and presentations, content needs to be managed in one place. The need is even greater when multiple slide decks have to be incorporated into one deck, and executive speakers send updates (or even first drafts) at the last minute. While you can set a deadline for receiving presentations, you’re obviously not going to pull an important speaker from your line up because they submitted their presentation late. When your event production company is on the hook for managing content, you can be sure presentations will come off without a hitch.
- Can your core team travel with us on a roadshow? One of the best things about working with an independent event production company is they get to know your preferences over time and are able to anticipate your needs. When you go on the road, that shouldn’t stop. There are some critical roles to take with you on the road, like your core speaker manager and production manager to ensure speakers and the audience are as delighted on the road as they are at home.
- While traveling, can you hire and coordinate the local labor? Understanding the rules & regulations worldwide is a whole ‘nother ball of wax, as they say. But being steeped in the event production community, hiring and coordinating local av labor and equipment to produce the event of your dreams is something a strong event production company will be able to take on completely for you, managing all production regardless of venue or city.
- Can I get a cue to cue or show flow document to use as my guideline in planning the run of the show? The minutiae of pulling off the perfectly organized event is daunting. And here is where professional production management companies shine. Your show flow, or cue to cue, doc will tell you everything from what time X is walking up on stage to what slide will be on the monitor he walks up. Oh, what music will be playing you ask? That’s there too. And what lighting will be lit, when, how, and by who? That too. Great event production companies take care of the nitty-gritty details that make your event run like a well-oiled machine.
- Can you tell me the latest technology and trends in Event Production? Find yourself an event production company that stays up to date and can give you a feel for what’s going on in your market. A good indicator is if they have a blog with helpful articles. They don’t have to be bleeding edge – most budgets won’t take that. But staying up to date does tend to indicate those on the more innovative end of the spectrum. And after all, you’re looking for a company that can help you produce experiences that will wow your audience!
