Most production quotes are impossible to compare, and not because suppliers are hiding anything. Each one has simply guessed differently about what you actually want. A brief that removes the guesswork gets you three quotes for the same event, instead of three quotes for three different events.
Here is what a production company needs from you, and why each item changes the final price.
1. The outcome, not the shopping list
"We need a stage, two screens and a sound system" tells a supplier what to price, but not whether the event will work. "We are announcing a new regional structure to 200 staff, and we need the announcement moment to land" is different, because it tells them what the stage is for. It also lets them tell you when your shopping list is wrong.
Start with the outcome: the equipment list is the answer, not the question.
2. Audience number, and how they sit
Two hundred people in rows, two hundred at round tables and two hundred standing need three different rooms. Round tables (rounds) eat floor area and push the stage back. A standing crowd changes both the sound coverage and the sightlines, meaning what people can see from where they stand. Rows are the most efficient use of space, though they are the least social.
Give the number and the format together. If you do not know the format yet, say so, because that is useful information too.
3. Whether the venue is confirmed
With a confirmed venue, a supplier can price against real ceiling heights, real power and a real load-in. With an unconfirmed venue, they price against assumptions and add extra margin for the risk. If you are still shortlisting, name the venues on the list, and a good production company will tell you which one will cost less to build in.
4. The run of show, even in rough form
The run of show is the order of everything that happens at the event. You do not need a scripted minute-by-minute plan, only the shape: doors open at this time, welcome, two speakers, a film, an award moment, dinner, close. Every item in that list has a technical consequence. An award moment needs a way on and off the stage, a film needs proper playback and sound rather than a presentation laptop, and dinner needs the lighting to change.
5. Who is providing content, and how ready it is
Content means slides, films, logo animations, walk-on music and lower thirds (the name captions on screen). Say what already exists, what is being made, and who is making it. The most common cause of a bad rehearsal is content that arrives on the day in a format nobody tested.
Agree a content deadline in the brief itself, since it is the cheapest single thing you can do to protect the event.
6. The constraints you already know about
Every organisation has some. A sponsor logo may have to appear at a certain size, or a CEO may refuse to use a handheld microphone. A guest may arrive late but still need to be introduced, and a brand guideline may not allow coloured lighting on the logo. None of these are problems if they are in the brief, while all of them become problems if they come up at rehearsal.
7. A budget range
Clients hold this item back more than any other, and it costs them the most. Without a range, a supplier has to guess at your ambition. If they guess high, you think they are expensive; if they guess low, you think they lack imagination.
Sharing a range does not weaken your position. It keeps the proposal focused on what is achievable and moves the conversation to what you get for your money.
8. How the decision is made, and by when
Say who signs off, how many rounds of review there will be, and when you need to be in the venue. Production has a lead time that is not negotiable, because fabrication, freight, crew booking and venue access are all linked in a chain. A supplier who knows your decision date can tell you honestly whether your event date is still reachable.
What should you get back from a production company?
You should get back a proposal worth comparing, and it will show you four things: an approach to the outcome you described, and a technical scope you can read without being technical. It will also have a crew and schedule, and a cost breakdown with the assumptions written down. If the assumptions are missing, ask for them, because that is where the variance between quotes actually lives.
The three briefs that cause the most trouble
- The equipment list with no context. You get exactly what you asked for, including the parts that were wrong.
- The brief with no budget and no date. Every supplier answers a different question, and none of the answers can be compared.
- The brief that comes as a forwarded email chain. Decisions are buried in the replies, and not everyone works from the same version.
Half a page with a clear structure is better than ten pages of email thread.
If you are writing a brief now, our event production and corporate event management pages show the scope we usually cover. That may help you decide what to put in yours. Two of the items above have their own guides: the venue questions that decide your budget and, for a stand instead of a stage, the decisions to make before exhibition stand design.
No comments yet.