7 Questions To Ask When Choosing Your Next Event Agency
By Ellena Wilson
Small-scale events where you don’t mind riding solo and being on hand to make sure your event runs smoothly are doable at a 10-person scale, potentially even a 15-person scale, dependant on the number of elements involved. However, as attendee numbers grow, so do the logistics, risks and expectations. Larger-scale events like corporate conferences, day festivals, executive galas, and client incentive travel warrant the potential need for a trusted and experienced event management company.
Unfortunately for first-time clients, you might get wrapped up in the promises of an events agency after seeing their stylish pitch deck, concept designs or even chemistry when designing your bespoke event, only for the day to arrive and your events team to have overpromised and underdelivered. The planning stage should give you enough time to ask the most important questions before selecting your event agency.
1. “Can you show some previous event examples similar events you’ve created?”
If an event agency prioritises 20-person corporate retreats with little experience in larger scale, say 150-person incentive travel, you may find yourself going with a different agency. Different event formats require different experience and expertise.
For you: They will include a specific case study section within their pitch deck, with (hopefully) multiple examples of the event type you’re aiming for with the clients prompt and flair they added.
Not for you: Pitch Decks that ‘do it all’. If you’ve asked for a services pitch deck, this is great! If you’ve asked for a proposal deck for a 300-person conference in the UK, then this is not the team for you…
You’re looking for a specific pitch deck, not one filled with stock imagery and catchy slogans for how they can morph to whatever.
Your events agency should include a case study that shows:
- Past references from recent clients
- What were the clients’ objectives?
- In what ways was it successful?
- How did the client and guests receive the event?
These pillars work directly with transposing visions and dreams into reality. Now that this article has explained the difference between event planning and event production, it is quintessential that the Event Production process is understood.
2. "Who will be our project manager day-to-day?"
It’s very normal for your project manager to be accompanied by their founding partners or superiors on the proposal day.
For you: Your account/project manager will be presenting the pitch deck, delivering clear organisational charts and service levels. Happy to book in bi-weekly teams/zoom calls to give you frequent updates from a friendly face. Your project manager will also introduce themselves as your main point of contact.
Not for you: Hesitation to give a direct line of contact, phone, or email. Does not give a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for your communication response times. Your event agency keeps swapping your project manager, assistants without communicating why- they don’t even send an ‘Out of Office’ if they’re away for two weeks and haven’t even handed your event over for cover… You must know your main point of contact, as without them, the event starts to become a scary thought, when as the client you should be relaxed and excited.
TOP TIP: A lot of companies have lost the importance of phone and video calls. A face behind the name and emails is so important when 80% of email senders expect their tone to be correctly received; in reality, recipients only convey and interpret an email correctly 56% of the time.
Scheduling regular calls can kickstart your planning process, which skips hours of email waiting times. This is particularly important when overseas suppliers are involved in the planning.
3. "Could you walk me through the pricing model?"
If your project manager cannot be completely upfront about their management costs, this is a cause for concern. In the early planning stages, you should state your budget; your planner will then try to accommodate all your expectations within this budget. Your event agency will explain where every penny is going to in the budget. A quality agency won’t just say how much it costs but choose opportunities to maximise value without compromising attendee experience.
For you: Your agency openly discloses the management fee – regardless of whether it’s a flat management fee or a percentage, hourly or even a hybrid model. The perfect event planner will outline every cost and explain their fee. For example, at Red Blaze, if you’re after venue sourcing with no on-site assistance or planning help, your event planner would’ve recommended you this free service.
Not for you: Your event planner hasn’t outlined their contingency plan. These funds cover unforeseen on-the-day costs. Not budgeting for on-site changes significantly increases the closing price. Your event planner also hasn’t broken down the package costs for you.
4. "What exactly will you provide as my events agency?"
As the client, only you know the level of support you need for your event. Asking your events agency the question above feels obvious after the previous question, but ultimately, one of the biggest frustrations you’ll experience as the client is unexpected cost or, consequently, unexpected responsibilities. If your event team in the planning stage promised everything you could ever need but, due to a misunderstanding of a budget cut, cut your on-site support. You’ll be left managing a 70-person event solo. Asking this question clears up what responsibilities you’ll have as opposed to your event management team.
For you: Can provide specific and detailed accounts of how they’ll support you throughout the planning process and on the day. You should be able to ask for a full list providing all your agency’s services and their extent.
What to check for?
- The consultation process.
- The event strategy in the planning process and on the day.
- Do they offer venue sourcing?
- Supplier management.
- Concept designs and theming examples.
- What does the post-event process look like?
- If they offer on-site event management, if so, what does this look like?
- Can they offer marketing and in-house promotion, or is this done through your team?
- How does the attendee’s registration process work?
Not for you: They’ve overpromised and underdelivered. If your event team cannot provide the necessary details, your event will not succeed. Your events agency would say that all guests will be fully registered only to forget allergens, who’s going and when they’re arriving as they thought your team would oversee that. Or they’ve not organised transport to the event as they were under the impression the attendees would make their own way there.
5. "What steps can we take to make this event sustainable rather than greenwashing?"
Sustainability has become a major priority for organisations and attendees alike. If this aligns with your company, then you should make every possible attempt for a sustainable event. Sustainability is more accessible than ever and tends to meet comparable price points to non-sustainable events. The intention behind sustainable initiatives must be genuine, and the way to tell if your agency is genuine about an eco-friendly event is that it will result in strategic decision-making throughout the full process. Ask about previous CSR activities, their policy, future goals and their carbon footprint usage.
It could be your team are focussing on one area of sustainability. If it’s the catering, here are some conscious, sustainable recommendations:
Manchester Sustainable Catering: Impact Catering
Midlands (Solihull, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Midlands) Sustainable Catering: Gourmet Foods
London Sustainable Catering: Social Pantry
Cotswolds Sustainable Catering: The Season Kitchen
Vegan catering is requested by 40% of event attendees in the UK, so ensure you know your attendees’ dietary preferences or restrictions. Entrusting a sustainable caterer who can cater to all needs is important as you’re recognising every person. It’s common in the events industry that many caterers will not be informed of dietary requirements and will turn up with no gluten-free buns. Your guests shouldn’t have to compromise on food because of a misinformed caterer.
Alternatively, your team could be requesting a sustainable activity or excursion on your incentive trip. If so, we’d recommend a CSR activity.
Corporate Social Responsibility Activity:
When asking your event agency, ‘what steps can we take to make this event sustainable?’ a CSR activity is the most engaging activity you can choose for your guests. At Red Blaze, we know a CSR activity is the best way to connect your team to the real message. If you’re travelling, it is a perfect way to make a positive impact on local communities.
For you: Your events agency follows the Sustainable Events Guide and meets your sustainability requests, collaborating with like-minded vendors, caterers, venues and choosing eco-friendly activities.
Not for you: States that they care for sustainability but in the planning process make no effort to showcase any sustainable choices.
6. "What different activities do you offer compared to other agencies?"
If your company do a yearly corporate retreat, certain activities start to feel repetitive, and your team are left drained and not united, from another repetitive retreat. Or if your yearly incentive is to the same destination as every year, the motivation leaves you wishing that your boss spent the reward on a cash prize. When choosing an events agency, it’s easy to focus on budgets, venues, and coordination but the experience you tailor for your attendees is what determines the ultimate success. This is why, regardless of what event you’re hosting, whether it is corporate retreats, corporate retreats, incentive travel, a work festival, a teambuilding day or an exhibition, you must know what makes your event agency stand out.
- Do they rely on standard packages and reuse, or do they create bespoke experiences?
- Are the activities one-size fits all or are they tailored to your brands objectives and even themes?
- Are the activities inclusive and suitable for a range of activity levels?
The events agency that is best suited to you would be able to explain the reasoning behind their recommendations. Why their choices best represent your brand and how they align with your event intentions.
For you: Bespoke proposal presentations that reflect all you’ve asked for and, if it cannot be achieved, a tailored substitute. Your events agency should also explain the reasoning behind why they chose the destination, the activity, the entertainment, the venue. The events manager should be able to explain why the event coincides with your priorities.
Not for you: The event agency that isn’t for you has no creative flair for the event. It feels as though they googled “Top 10 things to do” and copied this information onto a repurposed slideshow. The event agency for you is the one that makes your event bespoke; this is what will get meaningful engagement and deliver measurable outcomes for attendees and organisers alike.
7. "How do you manage the unexpected challenges and delays?"
No matter how meticulously an event is planned, anything could happen that is out of you and your event agencies’ hands. This is why it is of the utmost importance to choose the right agency.
When choosing your agency, ask for an example of an event where things perhaps didn’t go as planned. Any agency can sing their praises and ignore any mistakes or incidents, but you need to know you can count on your agency to turn the event around. At Red Blaze, we have a blog detailing some of these ‘tales of the unexpected’. Read more here. By asking an example of what’s gone wrong, they can then, in detail, explain what happened but more importantly, what they did to fix it.
In an ideal world, severe weather, last-minute cancellations, transport disruptions and technical failures would be controllable, but because they’re not, it’s down to your event management team to have contingency plans in place for anything that could happen.
For you: Identifies all potential risks before the event. Understands and pre-emptively knows how to manage anything on-site. Demonstrates a proactive response to unexpected challenges and has the confidence to manage and resolve any issues. Your event agency will have a continuous dedication to improvement, detailing what event could have been better and why, and what they would do differently. The true strength of a proactive agency is not just fixing things when something goes array, but the attendees never noticing.
Not for you: Crumbles under pressure; this then distracts them from quick-thinking and problem-solving solutions. If your agency can’t provide guides and advice, it causes severe delays to the actual event date; sometimes you need an event manager to advise the best option if you cannot decide.
An event agency isn’t just about finding a team that can organise an event, it’s about selecting a partner who can and will represent your brand, manage and, explain all the budget and shape the experience for you and your attendees long after the event has ended. Your trusted partner in the planning process will give you deadlines and guide you towards the best event that reflects all your intentions. Established, experienced agencies will not shy away from these questions, they’ll welcome them to display their knowledge and expertise. You’re not choosing a supplier; you’re choosing an extension of your team and brand.
Ultimately, selecting your events agency is more important than choosing anything else within the event planning process. By choosing the right events agency for you, you won’t have to worry about whether you’ve chosen the right venue, destination or activities as the agency would have only put the best forward to you. Think Red Blaze could be your dedicated events partner? Get in touch below!
