"It is our collaborative efforts that produce successful meetings and memorable events,” he continues. "When we truly understand what common message or theme that a stakeholder or client needs to convey, we can only then provide our best consultation.”
"At IMS Audio Visual, we pride ourselves on conducting an 'Expectation Evaluation' (EE) and a 'FIND' interview with each client before we enter into tech- nical talk. The EE, as we term it, is a propri- etary online survey that we developed and send to the appropriate parties to help us get a better knowledge of their past history and desired future with regard to a gathering of any kind. It encompasses areas where they may have had mixed results in the past, problems they must avoid, and specific focuses where they desire improvement or creativity,” observes Cataldi.
"When we have completed and reviewed the EE, we conduct a 'FIND' interview (Facts, Issues, Needs and Dreams),” he con- tinues. "Pre-planning is just that, knowing what the facts are and the issues that our partners are faced with when communi- cating to an audience... Understanding what is most important to them both pro- fessionally and personally helps us to accomplish their goals... Our organization believes that when a partner shares with us their dream, we are now personally invested in supporting them. Building a strong, trusted, personal relationship pre- meeting, in my opinion, is the key to elud- ing the stress of mistakes overlooked on site.”
"There is an old saying,” Cataldi continues. "It goes, 'good, fast, cheap.' You can have any two you want, but not all three. If you want good and fast, it will not come cheap... Our industry has evolved over the years and our clients have a much better understanding of what a credible produc- tion support partner has to offer. They respect our professional expertise and value our experience. I think the saying should be, 'great, on time, and fair.’ When your selected partner has the resources, takes the time to build a personal relation- ship, and takes the responsibility entrust- ed in them to you and your organization, you ultimately achieve positive results.”
64 May June 2012
Wildemann also advises against making technology decisions based solely on price alone. "Even if an equipment list is identical, there is no such thing as 'apples- to-apples.’ The experience,
expertise,
approach, professionalism, understanding of their role in the process and many other intangible qualities are what will ensure, or derail, the success of your event. Finding a partner who truly is invested in your success is far more valuable than comparing the price of one piece of equipment versus another.”
Danielle Peluzzo, assistant production manager at Clear Sound, Inc., says that audio is one crucial element of an event that is frequently disregarded during plan- ning process. "Most people don't realize how important it is until they've had a bad experience. Sometimes in the planning process you can get kind of 'swept away' with how the event is going to look... it can often become easy to forget about how your event is going to sound. Of course, I am more than happy to accommodate the last minute calls, but if you include your AV company in the planning process, we can alleviate some of that stress and actu- ally design a system specifically for your event. After all, what is the point of having that A-list celebrity speaker at your next fundraiser gala event if your guests cannot hear what he or she has to say?”
"Most of our clients are audio and lighting novices, so they rely heavily on us to deter- mine what equipment will best suit their needs,” Peluzzo adds. "Of course they have a basic idea, but ultimately it is up to us to make sure that we have all of the proper equipment to support the event. That said, the best advice I can give is to tell your audio-visual and lighting provider exactly what you want... If you feel inspired by something you saw online or at an event that you previously attended, then send your lighting designer a picture. Be as clear as possible, and tell us what is impor- tant to you so we can recreate that vision for your event.”
In addition, it also is important to fully con- sider all of a venue's rules and restrictions before signing a contract,
notes
Wildemann. He says not doing so can lead to added stress, cost and confusion. Just a few of the important questions he suggests
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