Event Production: Staging the Impossible?

A successful event isn't just about immaculate linens, beautiful decorations and good food. What does that matter if those attending don't remember the event?

According to Gary Bias, executive producer of Columbus, Ohio-based EventCo Productions, all that's left at the end of an event is ROI, pictures and memories.

“All of those things had better be good,” Bias added.

Several event planners spoke to Tradeshow Week about what memorable corporate events they've staged and what goes into their services.

“One of the wildest things we have done for a client is recreate a scene from Indiana Jones for the launch of a new product,” said Cynthia Richards, president of Toronto-based Event Spectrum. “We had large snakes, lions and tigers from a local zoo. It was fabulous. It became wilder when, behind the scenes, we discovered the lions and tigers had somehow gotten out of their cages; this was in a very large hotel. We had to put the hotel on lock-down and ensure all participants were accounted for.”

Jeff Enloe, president and owner of North Hills, Calif.-based Enloe Productions, said he's been in the event production business for 28 years, and one of the most memorable events took place when he'd only been producing events for seven years.

“The compliment of a lifetime was the words of Frank Sinatra ... requesting my presence on stage during the rehearsal,” Enloe said. “... In front of the orchestra and everyone in the ballroom, he thanked me and said, 'Kid, you're on your way.'”

Many times, it's the bill for the event that's of concern to the planners' clients.

But, Bias said, his events come in every price range.

“It depends on what a client's willing to pay for,” he added.

He's put on events that cost $2 million, Bias said, but he also produced a very special one for a couple hundred dollars: a private dinner for two where his client proposed marriage.

Those who attended the opening night party this year in Las Vegas for the Meeting Planners Intl.'s World Education Congress – with a sushi bar made of ice– might be surprised to learn the price tag.

“That event was well over a million dollars,” said Denise Rapuano, account executive with Las Vegas-based LT Eventions. “It was quite an extravaganza.”

The company partnered with Las Vegas-based Encore Productions to have projections on interactive walls, Rapuano said. For instance, if the walls showed a scene with snow, snow would fall during the event, she added.

All of that took time, but what happens when a client wants to throw an event with only a couple weeks to prepare?

No worries, said the event planners. They've all done it.

“It's as short as two days, and the most is three months,” Enloe said. “Average time is about two to three weeks, (but) I do not wish to encourage this thinking or planning time lines.”

Bias said EventCo once had to put an event for 500 people together for a presidential candidate where he had eight hours advance notice.

Rapuano said people still are booking events, and LT Eventions already has scheduled several for next year.

“We do a lot of our events on the fly,” she added. “Sometimes they're booked six months in advance, but most of the time it's the day before.”