“You Get What You Pay For”…. This was the title of an article given to me long ago by a friend/engineer back in 2009 – when we had our stock/economic crisis of 2009. I’ve kept that article all these years to remind myself of its importance. In the article, it discusses people you lead, examples of quality individuals and the price points of vendors who produce live events.
Recently, I came across a show picture from just a few years ago, and I was reminded of the article. This picture above was a simple event I sold while working for a former employer. The technicians setting up in that moment laughed, as this was the decision to ‘make the projector work’. Their solution was the first bad impression the client experienced when they came into the room. Both leadership of the production company and the tech’s were ok with the grand concept – but the client and I were not. In fact, my client utter those painful words, ‘what other corners have been cut’.
The right solution, a lens bracket was only 20 min. away from the venue, round trip. Even if one was not available, in a pinch, they could have addressed it in a better way. Leadership from my company said, ‘it’s only a meeting’… this did not solve the problem as 300+ people most of which would walk past, including their management team. In the end the problem was taken care of by myself, but not before the client second guessed our trust. From the clients position they felt devalued and so did I.
Creating a relationship with vendors/partners who have your back is invaluable. They can make you and your company look great, even if your event has a lower budget. In reality, their standards should exceed yours.
Consider who you work with – what standards do they have and why? Are they in-line with your beliefs? Will they execute your event without having to be monitored frequently? At Audience Engagement Group we’re making time to nurture our partner relationships both when it’s going well and when something isn’t right. Ultimately guiding our clients to have better and smarter events. What event professional wants to be pulled off point to deal with standards that should already be in place? Don’t babysit.
In short, what do you want to experience? What do you want your audience to experience?