You're more capable than you think.
EVENT PLANNING IS JUST...
a lot sometimes.
You know what's gotta get done.
There's the BEO. Registration.
The signage. The branding.
The signature cocktail.
The room rates.
The evening entertainment.
someone relevant but affordable...
nothing problematic.
oh gawd remember last year?!
The SWAG orders.
The minimum spend...
the list.
goes on.
btw this is before factoring in the seemingly endless mountain of "to-do"s that aren't annual-event-related but somehow keep crawling to the tippy top of your self-imposed monday board.
amazing job keeping an ever-evolving program technically adept and excellent!
...and WHAT ABOUT A/V?
– the event planner who knows he can lean on me to make sure alllllll the event tech is on. point.
Chances are you're no stranger to the in-house tech manager shooting you a quick intro email, promising collaborative partnership and *~DeLiVeReD ReSuLtS~*
at great rates.
but you've seen this movie before.
Internet speeds lag but are astronomically expensive
The video screens look a lot flimsier in person than they did in the pitch deck they sent
The lights on the black velour fabric behind them just look...watered down
The microphones kinda POP (???) from time to time but only when your CEO's on stage
*screaming internally*
...and while none of these things are showstoppers per se, they're annoying...
Especially when you look around the room and can't help wondering if you're the only one who notices just how "MEH" everything feels.
again.
that's fine, you think to yourself.
I'll use this to back up my request for more money to spend on next year's event.
then we can have that jaw-dropping screen.
that beautiful, branded set.
microphones that sound like *chef's kiss*
but is it really the budget?
I mean, of course it is. But is it really, though?
or does in-house a/v just feel like the path of least-resistance?
While you're working with the marketing team to design badges and "come see me speak!" promos, they can decide exactly what equipment you'll need for the general session and the breakouts.
that's what you need from them.
you straight-up do not speak that language.
The thing is: in-house A/V companies are set up to *~deliver solutions~* that maximize the return on the investments they've already made in their equipment while keeping costs low.
...what that means for your company's renowned annual event?
An EXPENSIVE A/V bill +
technicians that seem to be SPREAD WAY TOO THIN +
a sub-par looking, sounding, FEELING general session.
how do you get around this?
How do you maneuver negotiations and
get. what. you. paid for?
especially when words like "Pa system"
and "video switchers" sound like a foreign language you don't have time to learn.
well. hello
I'm Brandon pane.
And I’ve spent years–decades, really–in the trenches with event managers like you, listing out every last “nice-to-have” for their upcoming program
(including that RANDOM, LAST-MINUTE-ADD from... who?
Tony? In sales? Okay, yeah. We can work that in.)
then translate it to:
a/v equipment that can do the most
with your sacred marketing dollars,
Just like you know exactly how many hotel rooms still need to be claimed to get that extra 5% group discount,
when buses need to arrive and depart for the evening off-sites,
and that guacamole in *THAT QUANTITY* requires a certain amount of lemon juice to stay green on the buffet line for 90 whole minutes and, if you don’t taste-test it at the site visit, you’ll NEVER hear the end of it from the newly-hired CTO who had the best guac at that one hotel years ago and, “why can’t we have our event there instead”...
and you'll get exactly what you pay for.
Because even though I know who to call to kick everything up a notch－
audio peeps that haven’t popped a mic since the early otts,
video pros that know how to make the white lectern look truly white on camera,
and lighting designers that can flood the set with your brand colors, but not in away that looks rave-y
－I simply make the introductions. If you like 'em, you hire 'em!
highly specialized technicians
that will (I promise) have you rolling with laughter in the lobby bar after a long but solid day of rehearsals,
…I know exactly how to tighten a program schedule in a way that keeps attendees engaged throughout the day,
when an A/V manager isn’t being forthright with cost estimates,
what we can do to smooth out the transitions between presenters on stage,
and how many lights we can safely hang on those metal bars in the ceiling without risking anyone’s safety.
That's because I don't ever pocket a percentage of services that－ultimately－ you are paying for.
it also means you can see
where
every. single. dollar goes
and happy attendees, speakers, and execs
who feel inclined to casually drop a, "this one felt way better than last year," on your cheese plate at the closing reception..
and since there aren't any sneaky profit margins, you get more money to build your event.
quick example →
THIS IS HOW I BUILD MY TEAM.
And this is how we'll work together for a better event in every sense of the word.
5%
$32,000.00
of a
thAT sneaky margin
internet bill (also, yikes.)
You carried the day through THREE performances and TWO general sessions in an intense environment.
Your ability to stay calm and answer questions with a genteel solution was remarkable.
$1,600.00
is a total of
aka: the extra column wrap, nicer badgeS, custom lanyards...
– LINLE F.
My friend and colleague plus THEEEE go-to event planner for uber-private and super high-end corporate, destination meetings.
so. If you are
done deciphering
deceptive a/v
quotes that
only deliver
mediocre results
AND READY for nothing but GREEN ON YOUR MONDAY BOARD
humming real life's "send me an angel"
but for overworked marketing managers.
– ANDY N.
SEASONED CMO AND APPROVER OF (MOST OF) MY “LET’S-SPEND-SOME-OF-THE-MARKETING-BUDGET-ON-THIS” SUGGESTIONS WHILE PLANNING FIRSTUP’S ANNUAL ATTUNE SUMMIT
Full transparency, I am a one-person operation who’s all about keeping it simple. So your message will go straight to the top of my everyday inbox.
No sneaky redirects.
No kitschy, tasteless auto-replies.
And absolutely no “you-said-no-but-i-
Added-you-anyway”
Mailing lists.
I don't even have a mailing list 🤷🏼♂️
You can expect a helpful, forward-moving email back from me within 48 hours.
If we jive, we’ll begin our brain-dump slash deep-dive “what if we did THIS?!” process from there.