Everyone assumes I'll run our event. I know we need a producer. I just don't know how to say that to my boss.
That's a hard spot to be in. You can see the event needs a specialist, you already have a full-time job, and you'd have to say so to the person who assumed you'd handle it.
Asking for a producer protects the event and your role in it. You stay the point person and the bridge between your boss, your team, and the producer. The producer leads the production. Your boss gets an event built to enroll, and you get to do your best work in it.
In their words
Teams who were in your seat
From hosts and team members we've produced events with.
“This has been the most organized we've been for an event yet. A mission-critical piece is freeing John entirely, aside from the major decisions with me.”
“Christina, Josh and I did all the planning. The three of us were pulled in so many different directions that half the things we planned didn't happen. We're never doing something like this again without a coordinator.”
“I work lots of events all over the world, and every time I do an event that Shay is running, the difference is night and day. The way the team works, the way everyone knows what their job is. It really translates to profit.”
Who does what
You stay the bridge. The producer leads.
This is the picture to put in front of your boss. Nothing about your role shrinks. The production moves to someone whose whole job it is.
You keep
- Point person for your boss and the producer
- The voice of your brand, your clients, and your team
- Routing decisions to your boss and getting answers back
- Your list, your registration, and your attendee relationships
- Knowing what's happening at every stage, without carrying all of it
The producer leads
- Venue sourcing, contracts, and negotiation
- Budget, deposits, and payment schedules
- A run of show built around the offer
- AV, vendors, and on-site staffing
- Ticket tracking and attendance forecasts
- Leading the crew on show day, and the debrief after
Your pitch kit
What to say, ready to copy
Fill in the brackets and send it, or use it as notes for the conversation.
The one-sentence version
Say this first. It puts the event's results ahead of your workload.
The message to your boss
Works as an email or a Slack message.
Three things your boss cares about
Lead with these in the conversation, in this order.
If your boss pushes back
Short answers to the questions you'll hear
“Can't you just handle it?”
I can keep it all connected. Negotiating venue contracts, building the run of show, and leading a crew on show day is a separate job. I don't want our event to be the place I learn it.
“Isn't that a lot of money?”
Their fee usually equals one or two enrollments in our program. They also negotiate the contracts, and on one recent event the savings were more than their fee.
“Will we lose control of our event?”
No. You make the big decisions, and I stay your point person. The producer runs production and keeps us both updated.
“Why not a cheaper planner?”
A planner books the room. A producer builds the event around the offer and tracks the numbers that predict how many people enroll.
The math
Numbers to bring to the conversation
Bosses say yes to numbers faster than to workload. Lead with what the event can produce and what it can save. Your capacity is the third reason, after those two.
From a real room
Coaching community event
The savings covered more than the fee
$238,098 in contracted revenue. We cut breakfast by $18 a person for 180 people over two days, and saved on outside AV, hotel internet, hotel power, and the VIP dinner. Those savings alone were more than our fee.
Before the conversation
Run your event's numbers and bring them with you
The enrollment rate starts lower than what our past rooms have done. Move the sliders to match your offer.
If our fee equals one or two enrollments, that's , which is . This is an illustration, not a quote or a promise. For a full projection, use the Event Revenue Calculator.
The cost of waiting
What staying put costs
If you say yes to leading it, the event lands on top of your real job. Your boss ends up answering logistics questions in the weeks they should spend preparing to teach.
Another way in
Start with a smaller ask
If full production feels like too big an ask, start with one piece. Venue sourcing and contract negotiation, or a run-of-show review, is an easier first yes, and your boss gets to see how we work.
Bring your boss to a Strategy Call
Book a time and invite your boss. We'll walk through the event, the offer, and what a producer would take off both of your plates. You'll leave with a clear picture of the split.
Results shown come from past client events. They are not typical and not a promise. Your results depend on your offer, your audience, your list, and your follow-through. Client names are shortened for privacy. Some cost and planning-time figures are estimates and are marked as such.