The day has come you need to head on to the world wide web and source the ideal event company for your spectacular event. Where do I start, What do I ask, How much information should I provide? Read on and hopefully we can keep you right.
Unfortunately not all quotes will be detailed so we are going to share some details that will make things a lot less complicated for you.
We suggest spending a little bit of time writing a basic brief about your event that will help potential suppliers provide an accurate quote. A basic description of your event is better than no description, we very often receive enquiries to quote with no more information than ” We are having a conference and need a quote” Your brief does not need to be overly complex but we suggest including the following points.
- Date of the event
- Venue
- Timings of the event
- Number of people you expect to attend the event
- A description of what equipment you think you will need for example ” Our conference will have approx 300 people attending and we shall require a stage with some form of stage set along with two projection screens for the audience to view. We shall also require a sound system so our presenters can be heard along with a technician to operate the equipment for us.
Questions…Questions….Questions
You may ask yourself, “Why am I asking all these questions, surely its the event company’s job to worry about this?” – in some ways you are right but not all event companies will check the finer details and its all to easy to forget the details. You will save yourself a lot of potential expense and headaches by taking the extra few minutes to ask these questions to ensure you have an amazing event.
Can you recommend equipment to make our event run more smoothly?
If you are looking for your event company to fit the quote within your budget this may sometimes mean optional but useful equipment if left out of the quote. An a example of this is many events don’t think of having a comfort monitor on stage and a remote clicker to advance slides. These simple items make it so much easier for speakers to present an effective presentation, but the lowest quote may have left these items out unless you specifically ask for them.
Different equipment between quotes
As you may be receiving multiple quotes do not be afraid to ask the events company to explain differences between specific pieces of equipment, they should be able to do this in simple layman terms that you are able to understand. This is a very important point as there are often several ways of achieving the same end result with Audio Visual equipment and the difference in price can be significant. Now and again companies will use this opportunity to talk down the competition.
How much power do you need?
For most small to medium events the plug sockets within the venue are normally adequate. On larger events your event company may require additional power in the form of 3 phase power which may not be available depending on the venue. Further to this some venues will charge you an additional fee to use 3 phase power so it is important to clarify this with both the venue and your events supplier.
Does this quote match the technical riders of the booked acts?
If you are booking entertainment or any kind of performance at your event there is a strong possibility that they may have a rider (technical requirements for their performance). Riders serve a purpose although at times they can be a little ridiculous. When booking your performers it is important to ascertain whether the riders are negotiable or not, you can relay this information to the event company when asking for a quote.
All too often riders are not considered and become an issue to all parties concerned. Specific riders can add significant cost to your event and therefore need careful consideration. All to often acts are booked contracts are signed and you are financially committed, this is not a good time to realise you need to find more budget to fulfil the acts technical rider.
What is the format of your content? Powerpoint or Keynote? High definition or Standard definition?
The devil is in the detail and this is probably the most overlooked part of events. You don’t want to spend hours preparing amazing content in 4:3 format to find out your event company is using 16:9 widescreen projection. If your not sure what the content format will be discuss this with the event company as you can always send a note to your speakers asking them to provide their content in the preferred format.
Access to the venue
Ask how much time the event company requires to setup and dismantle all of the equipment. This is a really important point that most people forget and this information needs to be shared with the venue. You may possibly need to book the venue for a longer period than you expected. You could face additional costs from the events company for extra crew to meet the venues timescales or possibly extra charges from the venue for not clearing the room in time.
Payment
From the off its important to clarify when the event company expect payment. Every company operates in different ways however if you do not have an account with them you may be expected to pay in full before the event. Clarifying payment terms from the beginning is important so that you can budget for it and it will save any uncomfortable conversations over money closer to your event.
Conclusion
The above list is not exhaustive but will hopefully get you off to a good start with any potential suppliers. Most companies do not charge for advice and are open to discussing your event and helping in anyway they can. We hope you have a great event and thank you for reading our blog.