“Are the streaming links all set up?”
“Have all the recorded session videos been uploaded?”
“How about adding some animations to the opening of each session?”
As virtual and hybrid event planning has recently become the new normal, it can seem overwhelming and disastrous to think of tackling all these questions on your own. It’s especially true when you don’t have experience or the event is very complicated. This is when hiring a specialized event production company, specifically one that offers virtual and hybrid planning, might be taken into consideration. To decide whether an event production company is suitable for your event, you want to understand what they bring to the table, and what are some places to pay attention to.
Whova is hosting a series of fireside chats with event production companies. If you are a Whova’s customer, please request your account manager to join Whova’s Organizer Community to join the fireside chats to ask questions live or watch the recorded videos.
What Are Event Production Companies?
Event production companies, both those who handle in-person logistics and virtual or hybrid options, can range from specializing in small sales meetings to large week-long events and more. Companies tailored to large events can handle coordinating and planning basics from registration to the more difficult tasks of arranging audio, visual elements, staging, required props, and even design elements to really “wow” your crowd.
What Can Event Production Companies Bring to the Table?
Event planning companies can help promote your upcoming event by utilizing their staff to deliver top-notch messaging, elevated brand awareness, and seamless organization needed for an event to go off without a hitch. They also handle the technical and design logistics needed to bring your event full circle. So, what can a hybrid and virtual event planning company add to your attendee’s experience while bringing a fresh perspective to your next event?
“We set up all the session streaming links, record videos if it’s not live, and add music, voice-overs, animations to add excitement. We also do agenda creation, speaker management, community management, sending announcements, exhibitor/career fair setup…” (from Whova Fireside Chat)
Brian Ferrel
- Additional Expertise – You may know your company and objectives best, but event production companies are extremely specialized in their craft, and once they have a mutual understanding of your goals, they can add a new outlook on a strategy to tackle your unique needs. Depending on the scale of your event, find a company with a level of knowledge tailored to your needs. For example, when hosting an online or hybrid event, audio and video are especially important. These companies will be highly knowledgeable in advice in the areas you need, kicking off both small, personable experiences and hosting and executing large-scale events. Working with a virtual or hybrid event planning company can help add practical solutions that fit inside your budget, make sense for your purpose, and more.
- Content Development & Delivery- Content, content, content! Did we emphasize that enough? The success of your event weighs heavily not only on the quality of your content but the strategy behind the delivery. From promotional email campaigns and videos to speeches and presentations, the content delivered should always be tailored to serve a purpose to your attendees. Specialized event planning companies often bring a content development member or team to the table to help execute this important piece of the puzzle, which can also be handled inside a carefully designed virtual and hybrid planning application.
- Communication & Data– Communication between your attendees and your event begins far before the event kick-off and should last months, to a year afterward. Pre and post-event conversations are key in starting and maintaining a relationship with those who attend your event. This can be done in numerous ways, typically involving the technology of an app that most, if not all, specialized event planning companies should execute with your event. Communication goes hand in hand with your data collection. It’s important to know the success of your event and goals that were or were not met, to better prepare for future planning. Tracking attendance, engagement, and more can be done in an app, making this information easily available to you.
What to Know When Hiring an Event Production Company
- Technology – Today, application usage at events is presumed, if not expected, to be available to attendees. A specialized app such as Whova can create a personal experience, send immediate updates and changes, host schedules and programming, and keep your guests connected. You can also get real-time analytics on your event as a host.
- What to offload – It’s very important to plan ahead what tasks to delegate to the event production company. For example, do you want to let the company handle every aspect, or only handle the streaming setup? Many companies give different price according to the level of workload. In addition, this decision is critical when coordinating with the company and not leave some important tasks unhandled by any party.
- Cost – Knowing the upfront cost, any added charges that you may accrue, and be responsible for, as well as how costs are structured are important when creating your event budget. Costs will differ and be dependent on the type of virtual event you are hosting. This can be determined once you know if you are having a short presentation or a multiple-day event with tracks and scheduling.
- Experience – Not only is it important to know how long a company has been in the event planning business, but how long have they been producing and executing in the specialized need you are looking for? How many events similar to the one you are looking to host have they successfully kicked off? Experienced planning companies will have a portfolio of examples.
- Logistics – Are you looking for a full-service company that will handle all logistics? It is critical to know what is included with the company and what needs to be sourced on your own. Discuss audio, web streaming, staging, and design elements as well as transportation of any rental equipment, gear, and materials. Having everything handled with a specialized contact person can alleviate additional stress and create a seamless experience across all avenues.
- Bonus: does the company organize events themselves? – It’s simple to understand: if the company itself is an event organizer, it will understand your pain much more easily.
Please make sure you consider all these points before looking for the perfect event production company to help host your next virtual or hybrid event. With proper preparation before looking for a company to work with, it provides the ability to have any questions mapped out upfront and clear goals established.
Technologies Used by the Production Companies
Many event production companies choose Whova as their #1 event management platform. It eases the setup for virtual and hybrid events, and brings the attendees with an engaging and interactive experience just like in-person events, if not better. To see how it works for your event, please request a 1-1 demo here: