We hired an event person before and it didn't go well. I'm not doing that again.
Being let down by the person who was supposed to carry the event is exhausting. You probably ended up doing their job and yours, under pressure, in front of your clients.
Ask a different set of questions this time. Who leads, who decides, what gets tracked, and what happens when something breaks on site. You should have those answers before you sign, from anyone you hire, including us.
In their words
Hosts who felt the same way
From clients and partners we've produced events with.
“It's not like when you hire somebody and you're still leading it. You, yourself lead it.”
“I've probably put on 25, 30 events and really struggled with feeling like people had my back. We just wrapped up our three-day event and it was the first time the only thing I thought about was how I could deliver to the people who came.”
“I've worked with a lot of meeting planners. I've done events for 20 years. None of the meeting planners I've ever worked with in the past have ever done that. She actually is focused on the outcome for you financially, not just the experience.”
The production, phase by phase
What you should see from any producer
Tap a phase to see what we do and what stays with you.
We map who should be in the room, what they need to believe before the offer, and when it comes. This is the conversion architecture of the event.
Your side: One strategy session. Approve the plan.We send RFPs to several hotels, bring you a short list, and negotiate the contract: attrition, food and beverage minimums, AV, and room-block audits. One line removed from one venue contract saved a client $15,000.
Your side: Pick from the short list.Every line item, every deposit date, and the payment plans venues and vendors will usually accept. You know when money is due before it's due.
Your side: Approve the budget.A ticket tracking sheet that separates tickets sold, people likely to come, and confirmed attendees. We flag a gap early, while there's still time to close it.
Your side: Your list, your marketing, your invitations.A minute-by-minute run of show built around the offer. AV, vendors, a speaker liaison, and clear roles for your team.
Your side: Review it and rehearse.We lead your team on site, handle what comes up, and keep you on time, fed, and grounded.
Your side: Be on stage. Eat lunch.We review buying units, enrollment rate, and stay rate, and set the follow-up plan for people who didn't enroll in the room.
Your side: Make the follow-up calls.
The math
Six questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Who leads my team on site, and do I have to manage you?
- Show me how you track ticket sales and attendance.
- How do you handle attrition clauses and room-block audits?
- Who builds the run of show around my offer?
- What happens when a vendor drops the week of the event?
- What does the debrief look like, and what will I learn from it?
We'll answer every one of these on a Strategy Call. Ask them of anyone else you're considering, too.
From a real room
Long-term clients
Hosts who come back
Our longest relationships run for years. One host produced events with us six years in a row. Another came back for a second event six months after the first, and has kept us on since.
“I've been partnering with Shay and her team year after year. They've consistently been available, responsive, reliable, and most of all, trustworthy. They are a true, true partner.”
The cost of waiting
What staying put costs
One bad experience can keep you out of the room for years. Those are years of enrollments your offer was built for.
Another way in
Maybe it isn't a full production yet
Rebuild trust one piece at a time. Hire us for venue sourcing or a run-of-show review first, and see how we work before you hand over a whole event.
Let's look at your room together
On an Event Strategy Call we'll walk through your offer, your audience, and what an event could produce for you. If it isn't the right move yet, we'll tell you.
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.