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If you are producing special events in New York, it’s often a team effort. As producer, you need to build a top-notch team of qualified professionals to help you create and attain your vision and event goals. From caterers to florists, furniture rentals and entertainment, one of the top experts you should immediately add to your team is a qualified, full-service technical event production company.
Technical Event Production in NYC
So how do you narrow the field of potential contenders for your team? In a market like New York and New Jersey, there are many candidates, some more qualified than others. You can look in trade magazines, the Yellow Pages or on the many special event planning resource websites, and you’re sure to come up with a pretty extensive list. The next step is to begin to ask vendors, venues and colleagues for recommendations to narrow your search.
You’ll probably hear the same five company names come up and this is where to focus your search. You’ll need to vet these five candidates. Of course, you should look at capabilities, price and experience, but let’s explore some important questions to ask when vetting companies for technical event production in NYC.
How long have you been in the industry?
Longevity is a fairly good indicator of ability, although you’ll want to dig deeper. Chances are, if a company can survive for a decade or longer providing technical event production in NYC, they’ll possess a decent knowledge of the technology and have the experience you’ll need to pull off your event.
A good company will predate the current inventory of computerized lighting and sound technology and have a strong understanding of the “traditional” approach, including pre-computerized equipment and techniques. While computerized technology has made the technical event production industry able to create more magic with less gear, the fact is that many productions still need a strong traditional approach in certain areas like lighting and sound.
What clients have you worked with?
This is another great way to determine if your companies are a good fit. If the company you’re vetting has extensive experience providing wedding event production in NYC, and you’re doing a B2B trade show, it should become obvious that they may not have the experience you’re seeking.
Look at their client list. Have they worked with major corporations on trade events or have they worked with smaller corporations on lesser events? Do they have experience working with major rock artists or have they never set foot in a club or arena? Look closely and make sure they have a track record with the type of event you’re planning, have worked with clients of similar size and have experience with larger, more established clients and events.
What equipment do you use?
A company providing full-service technical event production in NYC should have an inventory that encompasses everything you will need for your event. This should include sound, lighting, video, staging as well as the staff and technicians to set-up, operate and tear down your event. If you need a particular piece of gear and it’s not in their inventory, they should be able to easily source that gear.
In the event your venue has some of the equipment you’ll need, a good company will be able to supplement the in-house systems and work with the existing gear. Always make sure that any company you’re considering has both traditional and newer computerized technology available and the creativity, talent and expertise to operate it.
Do you provide both equipment and operation?
It’s important to know if you are simply renting equipment for your event, using house gear or supplementing an existing system and who will be expected to provide technicians. If you’re renting gear, does your technical event production company have trained staff in-house that comes with the gear?
A special event is a large endeavor full of detailed tasks. You will have your hands full delegating and performing all of the details. Make sure your full-service technical event company is truly full-service and can fully staff your event as well as provide the equipment!
Can you provide examples of your work and current references?
Any company that is serious and has been in business for any length of time will have promotional videos or a photographic portfolio of their most impressive work that they can share with you. You also should ask for and receive a current list of references you can call and ask about their service.
Who will I work with?
Ideally, the company you choose will build a team to staff your event and you’ll work with minimal points of contact, such as either an account manager, production manager or production assistant. It’s important to have a single number to call when you need information, something done or an emergency to fix. You don’t want to be waiting for returned calls or dealing with five different people about the technical needs of your event.
Have you ever worked an event like mine before?
Again, this goes to experience. Anyone qualified for technical event production in NYC will have years of experience working on hundreds of events of every type. They will have worked events just like yours, understand the possible issues that may arise and have the gear, knowledge, creativity, talent and expertise to design systems to match your creative vision, audience demographics, event theme and overall goals of the event.
What does it cost?
Finally, you should get an accurate estimate of the costs surrounding your event before you sign on. A good company will provide you a detailed proposal to review before you pay a dime. With so many factors to consider when drafting a proposal for an event, it makes sense to go with a full-service company that can handle all of the technical needs of your event including sound, lighting, video, staging, load-in, set-up, staffing and loading out after the event.
Building your team, and especially vetting and arranging your technical event production in NYC is an important part of pulling off a successful event. Ask the right questions, listen closely to the answers and make sure that your company philosophies mesh well and you’ll be successful.
There are many qualified companies providing technical event production in NYC. The good ones will stand out and come with a reputation making them easy to find. You want to build a relationship that is more about working together as partners or a team as opposed to working with a hired gun. The market leaders understand this and will openly and honestly answer every question you ask. Start and end your search with the right questions!
