Live Events Will Return
If you’ve kept up with our blog or social media over the past several months, you’re probably already aware that we’ve been producing some pretty incredible virtual gatherings as a means to keep the spread of COVID-19 at a minimum. In truth, we can’t be sure when we’ll be able to start hosting live events again. However, at the moment, we are getting a lot of calls for 2022 and certainly hope the situation improves to the point where we can get back to live event celebrations by the end of this year. When we started getting these calls, we needed to take a refresher course on our live event process! So, we thought it was time to share a little more about the way we design and produce live events for our clients! We anticipate aspects of live events will begin to creep back into events slowly as this year goes by.
The Event Design Process
When we are selected to plan a live event, the first thing we like to do is define the event goals and the vision via a phone or video call. During this initial meeting we establish the scope of the services and make sure we are a good fit for your event. Providing photos relevant to your vision during this process will help us zero in on the look and feel of your event, so we can ‘get inside your head’ and deliver the results you are expecting. Our team prepares a retainer agreement that outlines the services and products we have agreed to provide and presents it to our clients for execution and a retainer. Once that is behind us, we get to work!
We start designing your event after a site visit and executing an initial floorplan to scale. We prepare and present you with a vision or what we call, mood boards. These boards include the tangible event elements we have selected for your event and include photos of these elements to tell the story of what your gathering could look and feel like. We often pair this presentation with an in studio visit to share suggested linens, colors, papers and table top décor. After discussing the different elements that we have suggested with our clients, we take this feedback and prepare a final revision of the items selected, along with an estimate of all the event rentals. We secure them for you and ask that you put a deposit on them to hold them for your event.
Details for Your Event
About then, our graphics team will begin designing all the amazing details to match your vision. We might have already begun with your logo design, or you save the dates. Now it is time to move on to the event invitations, the seating cards, custom menus, programs, signs, wall projections, floor monograms and more. This is when your event really begins to take shape.
Working with Your Caterer and Venue
It is so important that our clients see us as the glue that holds their events together. All the vendors need to know that they are accommodated and will be able to perform their contract and that the things they require to do so will be taken care of. That is the job of the event planner. We will make sure the loading dock is open, the tables your vendor needs to set up on are there, and that the timeline took them into consideration. There are hundreds of emails that go back and forth to execute a tight production schedule that flows seamlessly on your event day.
Rentals for Your Event
While we have quite a bit of décor rentals in our warehouse, we often supplement them with large warehouses full of chairs, linens, lighting, and specialty furniture. While we are designing your event, we are looking at these warehouses of inventory, getting the best pricing and putting items on hold for you. We can collect photos of everything or take you on a tour to select décor items by hand! Of course, we formally present all of these costs to our clients and make final selections based on what they can’t live without. The cost for décor rentals will include the fees for trucking, labor, and delivery.
The Big Day
Our team, as the producer, is the first to arrive on the day of our parties to oversee the placement of the tables, chairs and all the rentals and installations. We are responsible for the floor plan and documentation necessary to communicate when and where everything is installed and when it is returned. We also work with venues to make sure we are given set up/breakdown times and loading dock permission.
When the celebration begins, we usually are behind the scenes making sure everything is unfolding the way we designed it all along. This will include moving around decor, instructing any entertainment and working closely with your coordinator at the venue. Pricing for this is typically settled once we know the size of our crew and the expected duration of the gathering.
Book Your Live or Virtual Event with Innovative Party Planners!
Innovative Party Planners is your resource for event design and planning in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Virginia. To learn more about our event planning services and how we can help make your event one of a kind, contact us by clicking here or call (410) 998-9999.