One of the most common questions we receive is, “What’s the right time to contract an AV partner for an upcoming live event?”.
It’s a fair question. At One Way Event Productions, we love when meeting planners or agencies approach us 2 to 3 months in advance of their event. This timeline allows us to work closely with our clients, making recommendations for their event and ensuring that any gear required is reserved well in advance. This kind of advance notice decreases the risk of last minute equipment shortages and avoids overbookings. It also allows us to not only avoid labor shortages that can occur during peak event seasons, but to lock down the technical talent that we believe will be the best fit for the specific program.
This kind of lead time results in the best outcome – and the best experiences, as meeting planners feel more at ease leading up their events. However, we know that this kind of timeframe isn’t always possible – and lately, it isn’t even probable. Events are being booked later, timelines are getting shorter, attendees aren’t confirming their participation as early; the list goes on and on. These late in the game requests have become a trend that isn’t going away. And because this trend isn’t inside of our control, the meeting planner’s control, or even within the control of the organizations producing the events, it’s often impossible to avoid contracting an audio visual company as early as we’d recommend.
When scrambling for an event production company without much notice, many meeting planners think they’ll need to settle for something that is “good enough.” While it’s true that shorter time frames often come with more limitations, we are firm believers that a condensed planning schedule doesn’t mean the quality of your event should suffer. In fact, we believe thoroughly planned and perfectly executed events are not only possible but should be expected, regardless of the timeline.
Keep reading to learn more about last-minute requests and how the meeting planner and audio visual company can achieve the best possible outcome.
What is a short time frame?
There is such a broad range of size and scope for live events – which means there isn’t just one answer for what a short planning time frame is. A shareholder meeting with 50 attendees in a conference room, while still requiring professional audio-visual assistance, won’t need nearly as much equipment or as many technicians as a sales meeting with 5,000+ attendees with several general sessions, simultaneous breakout rooms, and leadership meetings. The amount of equipment, onsite production support, and planning required for each is different, so the ideal amount of lead time varies as well.
For a smaller event, a 1-2-week time frame for planning would be considered short, whereas 1-2-months would be a short time frame for large-scale events.
Last-minute events.
Of course, 1 month in advance is certainly not the shortest time frame we see for a large-scale event, and we certainly have received less than a week’s notice for smaller ones. In fact, these short time frames have become very commonplace, especially during peak event seasons.
One of these busy seasons in New York happens during September each year when the United Nations General Assembly takes place. With so many dignitaries from around the world in town, organizations decide to host events with very little lead time. When you factor in the demands of other events taking place at the same time – like New York Fashion Week – and with as little as a week to a few days of notice, finding both venues and vendors to support their meetings can be very stressful for meeting planners.
All this is to say, what is considered “last-minute” is certainly relative, and the amount of time leading up to the event can have a greater impact depending on the time of year.
The Right Approach.
Any reputable audio visual production partner will take last-minute requests just as seriously as ones on a traditional timeline, and because of this, the process for planning the event shouldn’t change much. Every component of the process is important to the success and quality of the event, so while an AV company will need to operate on a faster timeline and move with more urgency, they shouldn’t skip any steps.
Of course, in order to move quickly and ensure access to the right equipment and talent needed to fulfill these requests, some adjustments will be made to the way the process is approached and what resources are used.
Pre-planning whenever possible.
As we said earlier, last-minute events are common. When AV partners anticipate that last-minute requests will come in, they’re able to structure their planning process to ensure they have the bandwidth to handle them without negatively impacting any pre-scheduled events.
This is possible only when the events that are contracted on a more traditional timeline are thoroughly planned well in advance. Details are confirmed as soon as possible, equipment is allocated, and talent is reserved early on so that every detail is buttoned up with plenty of time to spare. By the time the event is 4 weeks out from load-in, every detail is locked into place. Tweaks may still need to be made as the event draws closer, but the changes are easier to navigate.
This is beneficial to events planned on traditional timelines because the meeting planners can align with their audio visual team early on. Everybody is on the same page and is able to breathe easier, confident that everything is handled and accounted for. It’s equally beneficial to planners booking an event with a shorter time frame, as their preferred AV partner will have the ability to give their event the attention it needs.
A reliable network.
Most AV providers have a large warehouse full of equipment, and presumably source the gear for most of their events from their own stock. However, when there are multiple last-minute requests, such as during the meetings that pop up in connection with the UN General Assembly, stock levels on equipment can dwindle, not leaving as many options.
A well connected audio visual company combats this by utilizing trusted partners, many of whom are located in different areas and aren’t subjected to the same busy seasons.
If a specific piece of equipment isn’t available in the market, the AV team knows how to leverage their partners and trusted suppliers so that last-minute events don’t have to compromise on what they’re looking for.
Just as important as the equipment is the people who operate it. It’s important that an event production agency has full-time technicians in addition to a curated list of trusted, vetted freelancers who they work with frequently, are highly experienced, and can integrate seamlessly with their team. Having a deep bench of freelance technicians allows AV providers to support several overlapping events with talent that is knowledgeable, calm under pressure, and professional.
Anticipating common requests.
If the idea of a 3-week or 1-week turnaround time is surprising, how would you feel about requests that have less than 24-hour’s notice?
Believe it or not, it’s not unexpected for a call to come in during the evening to ask if production support can be provided to a 9am press conference the next morning. Requests like these can be incredibly stressful for an AV team, and many may not be scaled to take on such quick timelines. However, for teams that are experienced with this kind of event, systems are often put in place to handle them more easily.
For our team, this meant prepping equipment ahead of time. We found that many of these events requested similar setups, so we decided to have the necessary equipment, should it be available, prepared and packed at all times. Now when a request comes in at 8pm for 9am press conference, all our team has to do is move the equipment into a truck and drive to the event’s location.
Different AV companies have different methods for handling these incredibly last-minute but common requests, but the key to reducing stress on both the AV team and the meeting planners is to anticipate them.
Ensuring results can be delivered before saying yes.
While many teams believe in saying yes first and figuring out how (and sometimes if) they can deliver later, top AV partners have a different philosophy. Highly regarded companies have developed their reputations for a reason – they deliver exactly what the client is expecting, everytime. They never put themselves in a position where they over promise and under deliver, and only take on a request when they’ve confirmed they’ll be able to provide the correct equipment, trusted talent, and a calm environment onsite.
It’s incredibly rare that a team with as many partners and resources, as well as a trusted process, as OWEP to get a request we can’t fulfill – but it does happen. When we agree to take on an event, regardless of the timeline, we already know we’ll be able to deliver a well planned and perfectly executed event.
How Meeting Planners Can Streamline the Process.
It goes without saying that time is of the essence when it comes to last-minute requests – and we know the closer to the event we are, the more stressful the process can be for meeting planners and production teams alike! Luckily, there are a few ways meeting planners can help to streamline the planning process.
A clear scope of work.
A clear scope of work is always helpful, but it is instrumental when it comes to last-minute requests.
For an audio visual partner, the perfect client is one that has a clear end goal in mind. AV companies like to think of events in terms of outcomes, and knowing what the ideal outcome looks like for a client allows the AV team to know what they’re working towards.
This clear scope of work is always helpful, but it becomes instrumental when it comes to last-minute requests. That isn’t to say that a full equipment list is needed, but having basic information, suggestions about what the team is looking for, and understanding the meeting’s goals will allow us to make a plan.
The more details an AV team has and the more clarity that is provided, the faster they can move.
A defined budget.
While events with longer lead times will often go through several budget iterations, making changes to the setup, equipment list, and onsite technician needs as they continue to define the scope, there simply isn’t time for so much back and forth when we’re working on a condensed timeline.
It’s important that the AV provider knows exactly what an organization is willing to spend so that they know if their goals can realistically be accomplished and if the scope is financially feasible.
Of course, most event production companies want to serve the event team as best they can. If there is a certain amount of money the organization is able to spend, but would prefer to stay at a lower price point, let your AV partner know! More often than not, they’ll do what they can to reach your ideal target by making suggestions that may help reduce the overall spend.
Understanding the budget early on allows everyone involved to come to an agreement faster and more efficiently so details can be locked in.
A “Yes” Company.
No matter the weather, the postman delivers. No matter what’s happening in the circus tent, the show must go on. And no matter how late in the game a request comes in, high quality AV partnership should be an expectation, not a goal. When an audio visual company partners with a meeting planner or organization on an event, they should uphold the same high production standards and quality, regardless of what the turnaround time is. When the OWEP team signs an event contract, it’s a guarantee that we’ll deliver a thoroughly planned and perfectly executed event, every time.