4 step strategy to successfully working
with your events agency
Although technology is doing everything possible to raise our expectations when it comes to corporate events, nervous economies are doing everything possible to shrink budgets – with events and marketing managers positioned somewhere in the middle.
Anyone who’s tried to organise and successfully execute a corporate event in-house will have soon realised the value of using a specialised events agency, but the relationship between your internal team and a supplier isn’t always plain sailing.
As deadlines, budgets and at times patience, get thinner in the run up to an event, a great synergy between you and your events management supplier is vital and is the secret to a stress-free experience. Here’s our expert’s four step
strategy to building a harmonious relationship with your external events team, ensuring they achieve your objectives in a way that’s right for you and your team:
1. Set ways of working
As part of your early discussions with any events management agency, be explicit about how your organisation works and which forms of communication work best for you. It might be tempting to assume that ‘email is fine’ and everything else will work itself out, but it’s useful to set up regular update calls to keep the volume of emails to a minimum.
Striking the right balance when it comes to communication is key; too little communication and it’s easy to feel nervous or even suspicious, whereas too much communication can feel exasperating and like you’re hand-holding. Take inspiration from the way your organisation communicates internally and go from there.
2. Honest, open communication
Speaking of communication, it’s important to actually do it. One of the challenges that comes with working with any kind of agency is keeping them up-to-date with changes as they happen – something that’s incredibly easy to do with the colleagues that you see in the office every day, but less so with those outside of it.
It’s also important to be honest with your events management agency. You don’t have to divulge your deepest, darkest secrets, but if you have concerns about your event, a significant personnel change happens during the run-up or something isn’t quite working for you then it’s much more beneficial to the success of your event if you speak up sooner rather than later.
3. Share strategic objectives
Although a corporate events agency should be well-versed in clients’ objectives for their events, it’s good practice to provide the context for your objectives so that your chosen agency can get a clearer picture of what’s really important for your organisation – and can then identify how they are able to add value.
It’s also a good idea to share how this event fits into your overall marketing, sales or communication strategy – providing clarity on ‘the bigger picture’ will enable your events agency to provide you with a much more tailored service.
4. Be open to feedback/challenges
Although working with a corporate events agency should never be challenging, an agency that’s focused on providing you with maximum value won’t be afraid to query your event plan or concept and, importantly, suggest alternatives – provided you’re open to it.
Of course, you are the expert in your sector and best understand your audience, however it’s possible to be ‘too close’ to an industry, meaning that you might be missing out on an innovative idea that will make your event memorable for all of the right reasons.
