How We Do It: Event Production
The Synchronicity Team is in the midst of an exciting fall event production season! You know life is good when we end up wearing ‘tape bracelets’ for the day. Photo by: Tideway Creative
[Image description: Four fists, each adorned with a roll of tape, are converging in a unifying gesture, symbolizing their readiness to unite and get $#!t done. In the background, a coffee table is set with commonly used tools, including clipboards, a measuring tape, and a pen.]
Once the big day arrives and it’s time to go through with your actual event, the magic really begins. You’ve set your goals, you’ve spent time dreaming up magical event moments and the powerful content you want to share, you’ve carefully built your plans, and you’ve reminded and reconfirmed with everyone once, twice, even three times. Now it’s time to check everything off your packing list and welcome your vendors and volunteers onsite to set up for the big day!
We love to say “the proof is in the pudding,” and we often find that moment of emotional proof when the event has wrapped up, guests have departed, your load-out is complete and the final members of your team are leaving the venue. The joyful satisfaction of a job well done, hearty ‘goodbyes’ and hugs, and feeling a part of a community knit together even more strongly by the magic they just experienced together, should overwhelm you.
But, before you can reach that ultimate moment, you’ve navigated Event Production … a wonderful time of stairs and ramps and loading dock bays, wheels and ladders and scissor lifts, tents and canopies, cables and cords, tables and linens, boxes and crates and bins, clips and zip ties, check-in flow, badges, flowers, projectors and screens, cards and envelopes, stage directions, rsvp lists, video cues, microphones, script pages, clipboards, gobos, spotlights, up-lights, posters and easels, costume changes, cameras, flashlights, safety pins and sewing kits, traffic signs, blisters and band-aids, snacks, packing tape, gaff tape, blue tape, scotch tape, spike tape, charged and recharged batteries, backstage conversations, announcements, last-minute adjustments, and standing ovations.
It’s fair to say that if you don’t absolutely LOVE and feel confident and comfortable with event production work, you’re going to want support on your production day(s). If we’re working together, here are some roles your Synchronicity team members may play on your event day: Event Manager, Stage Manager (cueing talent), Stage Tech Cueing (cueing A/V elements), Volunteer Manager, Decor Installation Lead. We perform these roles with confidence resulting from the hundreds of events in our rearview mirror, along with wisdom gained from all the lessons and proven practices we’ve learned along the way. We also bring context from all the conversations we’ve been part of with your team (throughout the strategy, design, and planning process), so that when we see the opportunity for a quick pivot during production, we can take action smoothly and with an understanding of the values and priorities behind your event.
The tools we created during the planning process (floor plan, packing list, run of show, script) help us navigate through the logistics of production day. And, sometimes more important than logistics - the relationships we’ve built along the way help us navigate your team through All The Feels. Hard emotional situations can arise, as the pressure of an event can bring staff members or volunteers (or sometimes even guests) into big feelings. Our team knows how to prevent and defuse stressful situations while keeping the show on the road and holding your goals and priorities in our hearts.
That wraps up our little mini-series of “How We Do It” blog posts. Having read this series about the things we do - STRATEGY, DESIGN, PLANNING and PRODUCTION - we hope you can understand how deeply our team loves this work.
We currently have event dates open throughout 2024, and we’d love to meet your team and figure out if we should be working together on your next event!
Please keep in touch.
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