Meetings and Events are distinguished in that they require a live audience and frequently must house that audience over one or more nights. Meetings and Events may also require the production of other media, such as Videos, CD-ROMs, DVDs, Websites, Print and Foreign Language Translations or Tradeshow Exhibits. We cordially invite you to explore the Pre-Production pages for Video, CD-ROM, DVD and Website, Print, Foreign Language, or Tradeshow Exhibits , if any of these media are required in your meeting or event.
The pre-production of these media is primarily concerned with the efficient acquisition, comfort and motivation of the live audience as they experience a "themed message." These concerns are usually addressed in client-vendor meetings whose end result is a four part document: Theme, Acquisition of Audience, Agenda, and Call To Action.The theme of the meeting derives from your purpose. For instance, if your company is doing well and you want to take the sales force to higher levels, you may want a "Let's Go Higher" theme. If you're in a slump and want to break it, "The Comeback" will be your theme. If you're company has just acquired another, or you're going global, "Let's Get Together" might be the theme. A little careful rhought will lead you to the conclusion that there aren't that many basic themes, so it's relatively easy to communicate to your vendor the general thrust of your meeting.

After setting the theme, the client and vendor must choose a "creative expression" of the theme that is appropriate to the client's business and objectives. There are an infinite number of creative expressions for any theme, and that's where the level of creativity in your vendor becomes important. Once the theme and creative expression of the event is locked, the vendor can proceed with building an effective agenda.

For meetings and events, acquisition begins with obtaining a list of possible attendees. The vendor must determine if the client will supply the list or if the list must be generated by the vendor by research or by purchasing a database list. The method of invitation will then be determined and may include printed invitations, emailed invitations with or without graphics and animation, posters, telemarketing or broadcast advertising. At some point, an estimate of the attendance must be made upon which all extenuating costs will be determined.

The Agenda that will determine what the audience sees, hears and does while occupied by our event. Using a simple (but very large) calendar, the Producer begins to build the agenda at the point where guests depart for the meeting and ends when the guests arrive at home. Clients do not always request such complete, door-to-door service, but excellence in meetings can only be achieved by planning the event from the guest's point of view and guests judge the event the same way as they judge a vacation, as a door-to-door experience.

The agenda, when complete, will include all logisitcal elements, events, show personnel requirements, rental equipment, hotel requirements, meals and beverage allocations, transportation, gifts and emergency contingencies such as first aid and backup power.

The Call To Action is the least considered part of a meeting. It's hard to convince meeting and event sponsors that work continues even after the audience goes home. Like the head of a comet, the meeting itself should be the head, with a "tail effect" that trails on until the next meeting. Call to Action issues include thoughts on how the meeting Closing can motivate actions and what those actions should be. People who did not make it to the meeting and members of the company, perhaps those overseas, should be attended to with recordings, CD-ROMs and foreign language versions of the meeting's key points. Consider setting up and intranet chat room or forum for meeting attendees to remain in contact throughout the year.

Once the agenda is designed and approved by the client, it passes to the Show Producer who supervises the creation of meeting elements and reservation of facilities and talent. This process may require several meetings with the client to resolve various logistic issues, but this is time well spent. Any question or problem that can be addressed in pre-production is a contingency cost element eliminated in production. Production can only begin when all necessary assets and the logistics for acquiring the assets are known.

For example, the work of the Producer will reveal how many hotel rooms, meals and meeting rooms are required and for how many days. The Producer, working within the allocated budget, will also hire crews, actors, artists and media producers to fill all the requirements of the agenda with exciting, yet economical features that make the meeting unique, memorable and on budget.

Sometimes, a Show Producer will discover some item that drives the cost of the production higher than the allowable budget. If so, the Producer must resolve the issue by inventing a creative solution that satisfies the client, asking for an adjustment to the Agenda, a budget increase or a combination of all of the above. Such instances are rare, however, since most experienced Producers know how to work a show within budget.

Now consider all of the variables of a meeting; the need for hotel rooms, a video, a big name recording artist, five simultaneous breakout sessions, PowerPoint presentations that always get changed at the last minute, power requirements, weather, and you have an idea of the complexity of achieving a faultless performance makes every visitor feel like royalty, especially when the weather sours or the airline goes on strike!

When all elements are close to completion, the Producer calls a final Pre-Production ("pre-pro") meeting between all key creative people and the client.

At the pre-pro, the Producer takes all parties, step-by-step through the agenda, assuring his team that each element contributes to the theme and purpose of the meeting. Any complications, impossibilities, quesions and compromises to resolve all issues are made at this time. The pre-pro is the most important meeting in the production process and is intended to eliminate any unpredictable elements in the tasks ahead. Shortly after the pre-pro, many expensive people and tools will go into action. In spite of the fact Murphy's law might apply at any time, a good pre-pro will minimize the effects of chaos!

The Pre-Production phase of the project is now complete and we're ready to start Production of the Meeting or Event. Production of the Tradeshow.