The Importance of Collaboration to Produce a Successful Event

No two events are alike. They take place in different venues, have different stage setups, use different content and have different goals and objectives. Because of this, the production process leading up to the event can vary – but there is one thing that is true, regardless of any event specifications. The key to producing any event successfully is collaboration.

When all parties involved in the event communicate thoroughly and effectively, they find that not only does the event production process go more smoothly, but they are also able to build a deeper foundation of trust and dive more deeply into the creative vision for an event. With each conversation, a new layer of the event or messaging is uncovered, giving the entire event more potential to wow attendees.

Who needs to collaborate

In an ideal world, everybody working on the event will collaborate consistently, both internally and externally.

Internally, the client must communicate, not only with others involved in planning the event, but with any major stakeholders or key speakers. This allows them to fully understand the goals of everyone involved, and share any findings that could make an impact on the creative design of the event with the production team.

Additionally, the event production team must communicate internally. Prior to arriving onsite at the event, everyone, from the production managers to the show callers to the technicians, needs to have a thorough understanding of what is taking place during the event, what the expectations are and what their role is. This allows the opportunity to anticipate the unexpected.

However, the type of collaboration we believe has the biggest impact on an event is between the event production team and the client producing the event. This kind of collaboration is so important for three key reasons: it builds trusts, improves logistics and enhances the creative vision.

Building trust

The event production partner and client being able to trust each other makes a huge difference throughout the lifecycle of the event. When the client trusts their partner, they’ll listen to their recommendations, take their advice seriously and trust that the guidance they are being given is in their best interest. Meanwhile, the production partner will feel confident that the client is giving them all of the information they need to make the event a success.

Working closely together, being honest with one another and committing to a partnership allows this trust to be built.

Improving logistics

While it’s true that collaborating during the production process allows you to look past the nuts and bolts of the event, the nuts and bolts still matter! 

The event production process is full of details – sizes for screens, specs for event equipment, detailed rehearsal, set up and crew schedules, safety precautions, electrical requirements… the list goes on and on! Every seemingly minor detail is crucial to the success of the event.

Communicating and collaborating ensures that everybody is on the same page about each and every detail, allowing easily preventable issues to be circumvented altogether.

Enhancing the creative vision

Possibly the greatest benefit of collaboration is the impact it has on the creative vision for the event. We can be told the location for an event, what equipment the client would like to see and get a basic understanding of the run of the show, but without ongoing, collaborative conversations, we may be missing some important details that help us really understand what the client is looking for.

Imagine asking an architect to design a four-bed, two-bathroom house, but giving no further information. If the architect doesn’t ask any questions about what style you like or what layouts work best for your needs, you may get lucky and get the perfect home – but they also may end up creating something in a style you don’t like or a layout that you never would have picked.

Now, imagine giving that same set of instructions to five different architects. Each one would likely come back with a different design – and still, none of them could really fit what you’ve envisioned. 

In this scenario, should the person hiring the architect have given more information? Absolutely. But the architect should have also asked more questions and dug deeper into what their client was really looking for. Not only would they have been able to design something that fit the vision they had, but they may have even uncovered information that allowed them to share a unique idea that perfectly fits their needs.

We find that new clients are often surprised by the number of questions we ask early in the event production process, but we think it is the key to getting at the heart of the event. Having these conversations early on allows us to creatively design the event with the client, making adjustments as we need to along the way.

Defining good collaboration

Collaboration looks different based on the needs for each and every event, but we believe that good collaboration is a commitment to working together. It starts at the beginning of the event production process so that we can take the necessary time to build a cohesive, creative plan, without being limited by the timeline. We are able to identify what opportunities we may have, as well as what challenges we may face, so that if any problem does need to be addressed, we’re able to fully understand the impact of it before offering a solution.

Collaboration is more than a quick call or occasionally exchanging emails. It allows everyone to put their best foot forward at each stage of the production process. It allows for more knowledge and transparency. It’s a commitment to working together, and makes not only the event more exciting, but the process leading up to it more enjoyable.

Are you ready to start collaborating on your next event? Contact us to start the event production process for your upcoming event! Email [email protected] or call us at (204) 226-5565