WHAT YOUR EVENT AGENCY SHOULD ASK YOU

WHY USE AN EVENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY?

At a recent networking event I was asked ‘what does an event management agency do that the client team can’t do themselves?’

The answer is simple; experience.

Professional event managers will have organised hundreds if not thousands of events. They will have a deep understanding of the many facets of an event that need planning, and have experienced the very many things that can go wrong before, during and after the event.

Their knowledge and expertise in this area, often coming from personal experiences, means they know which questions to ask at the outset to design an event that aligns with the overall purpose and objectives, to understand what can be achieved in the time frame/budget and to determine what challenge the event could face and how we can prepare to face it.

Similar to the diagnosis of a doctor, architect or, dare I say, a bank manager, an event manager will take time at the first meeting to ask questions to understand the purpose of your event, whether you have an event idea in mind and what you need them to help you with.

SEVEN QUESTIONS YOUR EVENT AGENCY SHOULD ASK YOU

The conversation got me thinking, what should a potential client expect me to ask them before deciding to appoint me to manage their important event?

• Firstly, why they are proposing to host an event? What is the events purpose?
• Who is the event for? Who is the audience?
• What are the key messages and what do you want your audience to do or feel during and after the event?

The answers to the above questions create the ‘event landscape’. An outline picture of what the planned event will look and feel like. The landscape can now be developed, adding detail and colour to continue the painting analogy.

• How many people will attend the event, what is the event format and duration and what would be the preferred location?
• Has this event or an event similar been hosted before by the client organisation?
• Who are the decision makers and stakeholders that need consulting in the development of the event?
• And as a final question for the initial diagnosis; what will success look and feel like?