Your Corporate Event Production Guide on ‘What Matters Most?’

Corporate event production can be anything from a conference to a PR launch, an exhibition to a gala dinner, a sales meeting to a training event.

They each have different needs, different outcomes and different venues, but what remains the same is they are all professional events – intended to make a great impression, relay an important message and target a certain audience.

So with this in mind, what matters most when planning a corporate event?

Proper Planning Comes First

There’s no doubt about it, at the crux of this corporate event production guide is proper planning. You can have the most exceptional set, merchandise, entertainment, slide show, or lighting, but if it’s not delivered in a professional manner, then all your hard work is open for criticism.

At The Production People, we stand by the 5 ‘P’ rule: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

It’s an age old phrase that we all know, but in our line of business, when there are no second takes, we stand by the 5 ‘P’ rule through and through.

Engage a Professional Event Team

The secret formula to this corporate event production guide starts at the very beginning.

As a technical production company that works with a range of corporate clients, our involvement ideally begins before the venue has been chosen.

The reason is, not all venues are suitable for the client’s desired results. On face value it may look great, but it takes a professional technician to assess whether the space, layout, network and cable routes are suitable. We look at what each venue offers and assess how it will impact on the production budget. For example, will that venue require more kit, extra rigging, more build days or is access a major issue?

Ultimately, the key is to involve the technical event production company first. Get them on board and they will recce the venue, discuss your plans for the itinerary, seating layout, lighting, set, stage, projection, screens, catering and more.

Consider the technical production company part of your professional event team. They are the practical brain that will bring your vision to life.

Choose a Reliable, Responsible & Professional Technical Production Company

We’ve already touched on the importance of proper planning when it comes to technical event production. However, choosing a reliable, responsible and professional technical company is key to the success of your corporate event production.

Our advise will always be to choose a technical event partner, who understands corporate event production. It’s a specialist area – one that TPP have refined over 20 years.

Conference production in particular requires specialists support. When the information being shared by the keynote speaker is of the utmost importance, you need to ensure the focus is on the subject. You cannot risk distractions caused by poor audio, interfering camerawork, bad lighting, poor visibility or an unsynchronised presentation.

As a technical production company that has experience in finance and pharmaceutical conferences, we know that the technical production should complement the subject, not dominate the attention of the audience.

A Great Technical Crew are Essential to TPPs Corporate Event Production Guide

Having an excellent technical crew makes all the difference to your corporate event production. What you might not know is which crew you need, so here’s a summary:

• Lighting Technician for set and stage lighting installation and rigging.
• Lighting Board Op/ Designer for creating the look of your event.
• Production Manager is the client’s main point of contact for all-things technical.
• Rigger creates the truss framework, installs stands and hoists for mounting / hanging AV equipment.
• Audio Technician manages the sound output of all the mics and background music.
• Set Builder takes care of all the carpentry and oversees the build of the physical set and stage.
• Floor Manager is for events that are filmed. They ensure everyone on the set knows what they are doing.
• Camera Operators are the camera crew for virtual and hybrid events.
• Vision Director is the person who oversees the video camera angles and ensures the lighting is set correct for different skin tones and set colours. They are ultimately the creative visionary for a filmed event.
• PowerPoint Operator ensures the presentation slides are in sync with the keynote speaker and that it is projected correctly.

Crew Numbers

The number of crew depends on the size and specification of your event. For example, smaller events sometimes use a technical crew who have versatile skills and can fulfil two or three roles. While larger events demand a larger crew to ensure the installation happens within the allocated time. When there is less time and higher specification, the crew numbers will increase.

Set Design & Audience Engagement Go Hand In Hand

Set design is crucial to not only engaging your audience, but also managing the practical needs of your event.

Sets are used for conferences, exhibitions, PR launches, award ceremonies, fashion shows. In fact pretty much every live corporate event has some form of set.

2 in 1: Technical Production & Set Design

By using a technical production company that also does sets, you can kill several birds with one stone. They will be able to:

• Design the set and stage.
• Specify all of the technical equipment to meet the brief and budget.
• Carry out all of the recces.
• Liaise as one with the wider event team.

Using Set Design to Engage Your Audience

When it comes to the set design, it must be reflective of the company branding and the key messages. There are several creative ways of doing this:

• Lighting can reflect the brand colours and shapes.
• Moving lights and special effects create an atmosphere and add theatre to your event.
• Projecting graphics onto the set at opportune moments throughout the event can hammer home your key messages.

Practical Considerations

In a practical sense, conference set design in particular, needs to deliver all of the following:

• A clear view of the presentation for in-person and virtual audience.
• Adequate space and seating for the keynote speaker and panel.
• Screens need to be situated around the room for optimum viewing.
• Clear lighting so that you can see the presenter and panel accurately.

Filming and Streaming Are Standard Requirements for Many Corporate Events

Not everyone will be able to attend your event in-person, especially if some of the audience are travelling overseas. However, you can still make the content accessible online. This is called a virtual and hybrid event. Virtual events are solely online, while hybrid events have a combination of online and in-person audiences.

When is Streaming Neccessary?

Before allocating budget to filming and streaming, think about the relevance of the content.

• Is it critical that the audience engage in the content in order to fulfil their job?
• Do they need to stay up-to-date with this information?

If the answer is ‘Yes’ then lets’ talk about filming and streaming.

What is Involved in Streaming an Event?

Aside from the usual event production needs, filming your event for a live stream will require:

• A secure streaming platform that meets the needs of your corporate event production. For example, some platforms offer breakout areas, access to simultaneous speakers, live online audience participation.
• Professional filming equipment and crew, who will need to be made aware of the proceedings for the conference or event.
• Broadcast lighting. This is very different to normal event lighting, as it lights the speaker and the set specifically for broadcast.
• Streaming Operator who can ensure the stream goes to plan.
• 4G back-up system which takes over seamlessly should the existing internet fail during a live stream.
• Laptop for accepting questions and comments from your online audience, plus an operator.

There’s More Advise on Streaming Events Here

You can read more on our insight pages about:

Top tips for planning a virtual corporate event

Guide to seamless hybrid event technical production

How much do virtual events cost?

Guide to producing a virtual event

This Was Your Corporate Event Production Guide from TPP

Thank you for reading our Corporate Event Production Guide on What Matters Most? You’ll note, there has been a heavy focus on technical production and set design. That’s because this is our specialist area. So, if you’re planning a corporate event or need conference design, please get in touch via our contact form.