I am often asked, “What exactly is an event company? What goes into an event?” Well, I can begin by saying that there is no such thing as a “normal” day at Keith Watson Events — every day has its own set of challenges and rewards. The guests at any event see only the finished product of many weeks — or months — of planning. Below are just a few of the “behind the scenes” activities that happen each day at our company.
Client Meetings
Without client meetings, we have no business! We love meeting with our clients and assisting them with the overall design and budgeting process for their event. We gather as much information as possible about our clients and the vision and purpose behind each event during our initial meeting, which enables us to focus on the most important components.
The Design Process
Once we have met with the client and have an understanding of what we need to achieve, our design team convenes to discuss the overall “look and feel” of the event. We create a collaborative exercise between the salesperson, the design team and the production team utilizing the experience, talent and creativity from each department. We want to be sure we are presenting ideas to clients that match their visions while also maximizing their budgets. We always try to “think outside the box” for clients so they have multiple exciting options to choose from.
Generating contracts
Once all the design elements have been established and the various components of the event are decided (venue, caterer, entertainment, valet parking, etc.), we generate a comprehensive contract complete with descriptions of services and the budgeted value of each service for the client to review.
Creating an internal timeline
As the coordinator of the event, we work with the client to create their timeline of months leading up to and an hour-by-hour timeline for the day of the event. Each timeline is custom to the client and varies in complexity in proportion to the size of the event. This also holds true for our internal timeline, which helps us stay organized and execute our productions efficiently. We take into consideration elements such as the time of year for the event and how it affects flower stability, travel times, schedules for loading and unloading delivery vehicles, location of the venue and staff needs throughout the day, flower arranging, setting of décor elements, lighting and special effects configuration, coordinating entertainment and vendors…the list goes on.
Production Meetings
At our weekly production meetings, we discuss the outcomes of events held the previous week, making note of any challenges or improvements for the future. We then talk through all details of upcoming events. Each event is assigned a production manager prior to the meeting, so they come prepared to discuss all aspects of their prospective events. Production team members are then allocated among the week’s events depending on the scope of event production itself — not necessarily the guest count!
Day of the Event
Carefully orchestrated chaos ensues.
Back at the Studio
Unloading trucks well after midnight is a regular task for our staff, as there are many key components to our business. The décor rentals are restocked on their respective shelves right away when possible. In order to sustain the high quality of our linens, we must begin the sorting process immediately for damaged or soiled cloth, and cleaning operations run throughout the week. Often, however, time must be taken on the day(s) following each event to affirm the quality of our rentals so that each component is organized and available for future productions.
These are just some of the “behind the scenes” scenarios we fulfill on a daily basis. Our goal is to always provide our clients and their guests with a personalized experience that continues to build our reputation of excellence. We could not achieve the quality of work we do without an outstanding team; each member of our management team is an expert in the field and has a great working knowledge concerning the many aspects of the event industry, allowing us to offer a full range of services for any event. I am fortunate and grateful to have each and every one of our incredible team members by my side at Keith Watson Events.