Why You Should Hire An Event Production Company For Your Virtual Event

You already know the value of working with an event production partner on your live events. 

You have seen the benefits of the time you and your team have gained back.

You appreciate the creative solutions your event production partner brings to the table and love the way they seem to just get you and get your brand.

Fast-forward to current times and you have been asked to pivot your company’s annual (user conference, sales kickoff, shareholders meeting, product launch, roadshow, or fill-in-the-blank) to a virtual platform. You no longer need to coordinate travel, accommodations, or food & beverage. Your time isn’t spread thin between managing multiple breakout tracks or rehearsals while your welcome reception is happening. You will be in one place the whole time to manage this event with perceivably less distractions.   So, you got this! It’s new, and a little scary, but there is so much less coordination and you are a badass who can master the how to’s of event planning.  Right?

Have you made it to this point or maybe beyond? Perhaps you have gotten as far as picking your virtual platform and wondering why the heck the Account Manager has basically fallen off the face of the earth since you signed the contract. Soon you will realize this project is very likely going to balloon out of your bandwidth in order to be unique and engaging, or you are going to have to make concessions on the quality of the experience to meet the launch deadline.  At this point, you may be asking yourself, “Why didn’t I bring on my Event Production partner to assist with this?!” Don’t worry, you are not alone! We have spoken to many current and prospective clients who have faced these same realizations and challenges. Their bandwidth is being stretched beyond their comfort zone. This is a brand new set of skills they need to learn along with balancing their regular responsibilities. With all of this extra work they have taken on, their other work is suffering.

We are here to remind you that you need to hire an experienced event production partner to help you navigate through this journey! We know you like details and real-life examples and you will likely have to sell this idea up the ladder to your Execs. Experienced event production companies come at a cost and most likely your team didn’t budget for one for a virtual event. Here is a list of the overall event logistics we took off our client’s plate for our latest virtual conference totaling hundreds of hours spread across 7 producers:

• Concepting

  • Storyboard

  • Agenda

  • Guest journey & experience

• Virtual Platform 

  • Sourcing

  • Demos

  • Contracting

  • Build Out (several iterations)

  • Management

  • Troubleshooting

• Communication 

  • Guest Communication Plan concept to execution

  • Backend (production) Communication Plan

  • Platforms for communication

  • Drafting emails, texts, and escalation hierarchies

  • Troubleshooting for delivery through many different servers and systems

  • Day of Implementation 

  • Moderation of all outward & inward comms during the show

• Safety & Security

  • Virtual Security testing & monitoring

  • On-site filming protocols for COVID

  • COVID Testing

• Registration

  • Invitation

  • Follow up

  • Ticketing

  • Customer Service

• Entertainment - 7 different activations

  • Sourcing

  • Demos

  • Customization

  • Rehearsals

  • Technical consultation with the Platform

  • Day of wrangling & management

• Audio Visual & Production

  • Sourcing and building out a studio space

  • Sourcing and hiring each technical position

  • Speaker technical equipment shipping & installation

  • Speaker rehearsals and tech consultation

  • In-studio scheduling

  • Production & Speaker meals

  • Show Flow

  • Run of Show

  • Show calling

  • Live editing

  • All things related to broadcasting

• Finance

  • Negotiations

  • Billing

  • Payments

  • Refunds

  • Final wrap up

So, while you may not have meals, decor, or travel & accommodations to deal with for your next virtual event...that list is still mighty long! You may want to ask yourself:

• Do you have the time & the bandwidth to dedicate to these tasks? 

• Does your team or support have the knowledge to navigate this new terrain? 

• Is your time really best spent learning these new skills?

• Are you willing to give up on the quality of the experience your audience has grown to expect from your company? 

• Could and should your time be better spent on content and/or revenue generation?

These are the questions we are asking when presented with the hurdles our clients are now experiencing. What are your answers? 

Instead of experiencing a higher level of anxiety after reading this blog, just reach out to us at Bash Creative! We will bring the same calm and confidence into your life JUST like we did when we were meeting live.

Bash Creative is an event planning company that specializes in incredible gatherings that go beyond just great design. We’re known for teasing out smart goals for your event and serve up a stylish execution that will keep your guests buzzing. Located in San Francisco, but often found in New York, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, and beyond.