We have been producing events as a company for more than ten years, The combined experience of our staff amounts to close to 40-50 years. We understand that not everybody will contact an event production company directly and for those of you who think you’re up to the task; we have listed our top ten tips for producing an event.
- Due Diligence. Without any doubt, this is the absolute key to successful production management. You should always try to visualise everything that should be happening during your planned event. In your head an on paper walk through the entire event from the beginning to the end in your head, always include when and where your guests and performers will be going and moving to. If there is a possibility that something can go wrong, then you need to address this straight away, because no matter how many checklists you create, there is always room for error. Ask for advice from somebody else about what they think.
- Always allow a good amount of time for setup. This is most commonly where inexperience causes disasters. There are just too many moving parts that can get off-track if people are required to work within time constraints. It is far better to be early, ready and signed off than running a sound check while your guests are entering the venue. It’s unprofessional and it’s not what your guests expect to witness so don’t let it happen.
- Ensure that staging equipment and power supplies are adequate, meet safety requirements and are assembled well before the rest of the sound and lighting enters the equation. The last thing any event production needs is for technicians and decorators to be tripping over venue staff or hired staff trying to put a stage in place or waiting for power that should have been installed hours ago. It’s a huge safety risk and can also frustrate your staff. Frustrated or angry staff is avoided. The smoother the equipment is assembled the better it is for everybody, As per the aforementioned, it goes a long way to ensuring a successful event for everybody involved.
- Always keep yourself updated and have a firm schedule of setup, an event running order, and launch. Stick to all of the schedules and ensure that all of the people involved with the event production are on the distribution list. This includes venue staff, performers, all technical people, and of course, your client. Keeping everybody involved in every step of the process means there are no possibilities for confusion which can lead to disasters creeping in. Transparency is efficiency.
- Know all of the shows requirements and technical requests for your suppliers and performers. This could include everything from stage layouts, sound and lighting requirements, to dressing room demands. Be aware that not every request can be fulfilled but always have an agreeable alternative, Some performers may require certain lighting or that their own sound men manage their performance. It’s absolutely paramount that every person involved is aware and is agreeable. Some requests cannot be fulfilled. But as long as everybody is kept in the loop you can avoid a last minute ruckus
- Ensure that there are adequate dressing rooms available that provide everything your performer requires. Some performers may want to dress right next to the stage. Ensure there are no safety concerns involved with this. Safety is and should be your absolute priority. Some people may not be happy with you doing it, but at the end of the day, a safe event goes a long way to give everybody peace of mind.
- Ensure you have adequate and capable stage management in place to run the show. In addition, ensure that adequate communication equipment is available for the stage managers. The best kind is wireless headset equipment like Clearcom which enables you to talk and listen without anyone else hearing the conversation and to move about the venue freely and still be in communication.
- Rehearse your show whenever possible. Even the smallest show can benefit from some kind of quick run-through. If the show and event are complex, plan for at least a pre-event talk-through with the key participants, including venue staff, performers, sound and lighting techs, and client.
- Have contingencies in place for any unavoidable changes. Know how to react and what you will do before they happen. This goes along with anticipation but is the last and unfortunately very important step. For example, know how to compensate for a performer who is late or does not show up. Having a plan just may save you from disaster. Try to see through the rough spots and keep smiling.
- Last but not least, you can use an experienced individual or company that is conversant with the production of complex events if you feel you are in over your head. This will save you so much stress and time. Most companies including ourselves have the staff expertise and experience with dealing with all types of events and the safety know how and willingness to provide exactly what is required at an effective cost.