As an event producer working in the competitive New York market, you will need to gather an effective team to help you build your production. One of the most valuable team members you can add is a technical event production company in NYC. Working with a full-service company that can handle all of the technical aspects of your event will free up your time and allow you to focus your energy on the myriad of details that need to be addressed in order to carry out a successful production.
So, how do you find great technical event production companies in NYC? What should you look for and what questions should you ask when vetting and interviewing potential candidates? Let’s look at five of the key aspects to look for, and questions to ask, when you’re doing your due diligence.
Experience
Because every event comes with its own unique set of challenges, nothing is more important than working with technical event production companies who have years of experience. An experienced company will know the venues in the market and the idiosyncrasies of them. They will have an understanding of exactly what you need to make your event a success and will have learned this from working on other similar events.
Seasoned technical event production companies will have the knowledge and flexibility to address any sudden issues that may arise during your event. Anything can happen during a live event, and having an experienced crew on hand can often resolve issues before they ever become apparent to your or your guests.
Because they have dealt with hundreds or even thousands of clients, experienced technical event production companies in NYC will understand the importance of clear communication. They will have the experience necessary to help you realize your creative vision and the knowledge to translate your creative ideas into action using sound, lighting, video, staging and creative design. Nothing beats working with a company that has the knowledge, experience, and understanding of exactly what goes into being part of a successful event!
Full-Service Capabilities
To create the magic an event needs to stand out and delight your audience requires a combination of technical equipment across various disciplines in order to be successful. Sound, staging, lighting, special effects and video are often all critical to producing an event. If you work with individual contractors for each specific area it can create communications issues, strain your budget and even cause your event to lack continuity and cohesion.
Full-service technical event production companies in NYC can handle every aspect of your production from sound and lighting to staging, special effects and video when needed. By working with a single company, you’ll have one point person within the company and piece of mind that your event will have a cohesive look and feel. Each department of a full-service company will specialize in their area of expertise, but will have experience working with their team members across all technical lines. Because you are working with a single contractor, you’ll have only one invoice to pay and a good company will work closely with you to budget your money wisely. You’ll also enjoy the economies of scale and they will work hard to allocate funds properly to keep your costs within your budget.
References
The final sentence of every interview should be “Do you have any references I can call?” Any technical event production companies in NYC that can’t or won’t supply you with references should be a pass. It’s important to know what they are capable of, how they are to work with and what types of events they’ve been a part of.
Make sure any references you’re given include at least one from a former client who has done an event similar to yours. While many technical event production companies will have a wide range of experience, some may specialize in certain types of events like weddings or trade shows. The worst thing that can happen to your event is hiring technical event production companies in NYC that have little or no experience with an event like yours. Make sure they have relevant references and check them.
Equipment / Inventory
Full-service technical event production companies in NYC should have an extensive inventory of sound, lighting, staging and video equipment. You want to work with a company that can provide all of the latest technology to realize your creative vision and meet your event goals.
Technology is constantly changing and evolving. Lighting technology has changed immensely in the past decade. Computerized lighting boards and state-of-the-art LED fixtures have expanded the range of what is possible to achieve with event lighting. Sound reinforcement has embraced digital mixing consoles and wireless microphones, video has become high definition and projection technology has become increasingly detailed. It’s important to work with a company that is aware of and fluent in the latest technologies and their creative use.
When interviewing potential technical event production companies in NYC, make sure that if you need a specific piece of equipment that they can accommodate. A good company will be able to source it for you if it’s not in their inventory or will come up with a viable alternative. Either way they will be able to provide a solution.
Staff
Full-service technical event production companies in NYC should have a full complement of staff members, including crews, to load-in and set-up staging, lighting, rigging and sound gear, technicians and engineers to operate the equipment and, if needed, production managers to run the event.
They should be large enough to build a team to staff the technical side of your event and their team members should have the experience and knowledge to produce the magic to make your event shine! A good team will know each member’s strengths and will have worked on multiple events together. Your team should possess the knowledge to operate the gear and have the experience to deal with any of the artist’s technical requests, as well as answer any questions you may have throughout your working relationship.
When you’re putting your event team together, make sure to do your due diligence! Ask questions, get references and make sure you find a company that shares your creative vision and can produce the magic to truly make your event stand out from the competition.
As one of the leading full-service technical event production companies in the New York and New Jersey market, BML-Blackbird has been producing events for over four decades! From intimate weddings to nationally broadcast NFL Halftime extravaganzas, BML-Blackbird has the knowledge and experience to make your next event a spectacular success. If you’re looking for a technical event production company to add to your team with the knowledge, experience and passion to make your event truly special, give us a call!