More and more organizations are leaning on the expertise of event production companies to host successful events. Why is that? Because companies are continuing to recognize the importance of quality events for their prospective employees, current team members, and valued customers.
While there are several event production companies out there (Reimagined Experiences being one of them), not all companies are created equal, and it’s crucial to know what to look for when hiring an event production company.
In this blog, we’re sharing 5 key event planning questions you should ask before launching your next event.
Importance of Events
Events are not reserved for one type of organization. Large and small corporations, nonprofits, and professional associations alike can all benefit from successful event planning.
Benefits of Successful Events for Corporations
- Better employee engagement
- Boosts in morale
- Increased company visibility
- Stronger employee recruitment and retention
Benefits of Successful Events for Nonprofits
- Increased reach and awareness
- Enhanced donor relationships
- Improved fundraising success
Benefits of Successful Events for Professional Associations
- Increased reach and participation
- Better brand recognition
- Strengthened trust and authority
Events are more than just a fun social time. They can truly support your company’s strategic goals and improve outcomes. But to make the most of your investment in an event production company, you’ll want to ensure you’ve selected the right team for the job. Read on to learn more about how to go about interviewing potential collaborators.
Questions to Ask Event Production Companies
Before you hire any company to do a job, you must first interview them. When you launch an event without interviewing an event production company, you run the risk of selecting a company that isn’t equipped to handle varying audience sizes, technology nuances, or last-minute changes in logistics.
Regardless of the type of organization you’re part of, asking intentional questions of prospective event production companies can save you a lot of money and headache. Here are the 5 questions we recommend asking:
How Do You Program Events?
The key to a successful event is tailoring the content for a specific audience. Event content is not one size fits all. It’s important to remember that events are about what your audience wants, not what you as an organization prefer. Ask the event production company how they plan to gather this information so that your audience can resonate and engage with the event. Will they interview attendees or do market research? At Reimagined Experiences, our process always begins with an Audience Insight Inquiry. We use the information gathered to shape your upcoming event so it’s customized to your specific audience.
What Event Tools Do You Use?
In today’s market, it’s imperative that your events incorporate plenty of interactive elements. It’s not enough to just through some text and a few images into a slideshow; audiences want to engage with the content. On that same note, every event should include a virtual component – it’s one of our top virtual events best practices. The platform used to host your event must also be robust and feel like a true production; audiences want to feel like you put effort into planning the event. Two-dimensional tiles on a Zoom screen are a thing of the past.
How Do You Manage the Event Budget?
It’s no secret that good events cost money. And identifying the budget is one of the main things you need to do when outlining your event objectives. Planning a successful event is great, but it’s even better when you identify a budget and the event production company sticks to it. Be sure to ask the company to share specific examples of a time they’ve had to get creative to stay on budget for a client. While you’ll want to give yourself some cushion for unexpected expenses (roughly 20% of the budget), hiring a company that is agile and creative is essential.
Do You Have Good Vendor Contacts?
Event production companies outsource a lot of their tasks to vendors, which is to be expected. That said, it’s important that the company you choose has good partnerships with quality vendors. Ask the company if they can share a list of their most commonly used vendors so that you can take some time to do your own research. Choosing an event production company that works with professional vendors will ensure the entire event gels together and feels cohesive.
How Do You Measure the Success of an Event?
Once an event has ended and everyone has gone home, there’s still work to be done. After all the planning and research, you want to hear from your audience afterward so you can continue to offer them quality engagement. Ask the event production company if they have any processes in place to survey attendees to gather feedback and suggestions. This information will provide useful intel that will help shape future events and lets your audience know your company cares about their experience. At Reimagined Experiences, we facilitate an Audience Feedback Inquiry to do just that.
Save this List of Event Planning Questions
Event production companies play a key role in bringing events to life for companies across the globe. While interviewing prospective companies does take some extra effort on the front end, you’ll thank yourself at the end of the day. Jot down these questions and remember to ask them the next time you’re in the market for an event production company:
- How do you program events?
- What event tools do you use?
- How do you manage the event budget?
- Do you have good vendor contacts?
- How do you measure the success of an event?
We’re happy to provide our answers to all 5 of these questions and any other questions you may have regarding your upcoming event! Schedule your FREE 30-minute discovery call with our team today!
