Production Priorities

Often event planners have a fairly consistent set of questions on their mind: I have a limited budget, yet I need AV — how do I set priorities in my budget? If I want lighting, sound, video, staging and decor, should I just give each part of the production a smaller piece to make sure I get some of everything?

STEP ONE: TALKING MONEY

When setting the budget for production, your first call should be to a producer or production manager you trust. You can also call two different production companies to get a good sense of what your money will get you.

In turn, the first things we will ask you are: “What is the event budget? How many people are coming? Where is it? Is there a theme?”

I realize that some planners are reluctant to get into budget discussions this early. But you absolutely need to. Why? Because some production companies specialize in large-scale events and some in intimate gatherings. Some do both and need to get a sense of which an event will be, whom to assign within their companies, and what resources to provide. More.