The 5 Things (of Many!) That Attendees Don’t See (But Are Critical to Any Event’s Success)

Our clients (and by extension, their attendees) often only see an event’s end result—the perfectly laid-out dining room, the engaging stage design, or the thought-provoking breakout sessions.

But to get to that final ta-da takes a lot of behind-the-scenes effort that never shows up in social media pics or recaps. Think detailed timelines, vendor wrangling, and back-up plans B, C, and D. We’re the wizard behind the curtain, so to speak, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

It’s after we complete The Discovery Phase with our clients and nail down important details like event objectives, budget, and theme that we really get to work.

For an experience to look and feel intentional and effortless, our team puts in countless hours of planning, preparation, and provisioning long before the actual event takes place. Here’s an inside look at some of the key factors that go into our production thought process.

Timelines

As with any project, creating and enforcing a detailed timeline is crucial to making sure everything runs smoothly before, during, and after an event. This is where our Event Overview documents come into play!

We create two major timelines that cover the project from start to finish. The first is the Workback Schedule, which is a comprehensive, chronological checklist outlining tasks, deadlines, and project milestones—from initial planning to post-event wrap-up. Clients have full access to this schedule, which is a living document. To address literally every second of the event execution, we create a Minute-by-Minute timeline, which, depending on the type of event, could include information such as exact load-in times and rehearsals, as well as all the details about on-site action such as F&B, speaker and VIP arrivals, and post-event load-out.

While establishing these timelines is important, sticking to them is key. Our team closely monitors the action in advance to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Vendor Management

Bringing on the best vendors who provide elements like AV, scenic execution, catering, and onsite staffing are the pieces of our event puzzle that need to fit together perfectly. And it’s something our team tackles immediately, as part of the early stages of the production process. We view our vendors as an extension of our team.

This involves researching, contacting, bidding out, and negotiating with potential suppliers, then hiring them and coordinating schedules, and ultimately working with them on site and even post event. It takes a lot of careful coordination to ensure that all vendor specifics are addressed, and that the timeline for the order of operations onsite adds up. For example, rigging (aka anything in the air) typically has to happen first, and then tables would have to be placed before they can be decorated, and so on.

Content Creation

Most events, especially conferences, require a lot of copy in many different forms, including on-screen content such as presentation slides and video scripts. In partnership with a client, we devise content that fits their needs and objectives, while keeping it engaging and entertaining for the attendees.

This includes dealing with last-minute onsite changes, with the help of dedicated team members. For example, did a major news event just happen that you need to address? Did a speaker call out sick? Or was there an update to the transportation situation? We are able to communicate this information to attendees in an efficient and timely manner while onsite.

Backup Planning

“Plan for the best, prepare for the worst.” It’s a motto that many event production professionals live by… because you just never know! Luckily, expecting the unexpected is our superpower. And our always-robust backup plans ensure continuity in the face of abrupt disruptions.

At Sequence, our Emergency Preparedness Guide breaks down how to plan for possible scenarios before an event and what to do if certain situations arise. It includes details on how to handle evacuations, unruly guest behavior, power outages, active shooter incidents, natural disasters, ICE encounters, and severe weather. In particular, when coming up with a full weather contingency plan, we define the conditions (i.e. wind speed, chance of rain) that will trigger specific actions, such as switching to a backup venue.

The documentation also ensures that the client and our team are on the same page when it comes to responding to emergencies.

Post-Event Evaluation

The chairs may have been cleared and the tables packed up, but our job is far from over. Now comes the event debrief. This is when we uncover what could have been better, what went right, and how we can better serve our client in the future.

This step can include sending surveys to attendees to get their feedback and analyzing metrics such as registration numbers, attendance rate, social media mentions, or leads generated, then reporting our findings to the client.

During the production process, we also set post-event expectations. For example, when do they want photo selects or video edits? Should we compose recap emails? Knowing this information ahead of time allows us to offer a complete experience.

While these tasks are only the tip of the iceberg, hopefully you have a better understanding of some of the behind-the-scenes goings-on that don’t always show up on the front end of an event, but are extremely important to the success of it.

At Sequence, every detail behind the scenes is just as intentional as what your attendees experience on the day of. Interested in bringing that same care to your next event? Let's connect!