15 Ways To Build A Kick Ass Corporate Meeting Production Company

15 Ways To Build A Kick Ass Corporate Meeting Production Company

I am currently sitting at the control desk for a week long project where we are doing all the meeting production plus video production for our client.    This is a particularly challenging client who shoots for perfection onsite. The main challenge is the CEO makes many of the decisions the day of the meeting. This is kindling to start little spot fires of budget overages and stress but we contain the fires and find solutions.   As all of this is going on, the first thought that comes to mind is oh crap we could have done this weeks ago.   Looking for blame seems to be the answer as the long hours take their toll on everyone’s patience.   But, as I looked around at my core team they were unfazed. They rolled with it and pushed forward to make it a perfect show. (Like a duck to the client. Smooth above the water – but underneath their legs were paddling furiously)
For the fires we found solutions, and the client never even saw any smoke. Love that I helped build a kick ass production company that can work under this kind  of pressure flawlessly.
1) It is all about attitude and using your teams strengths to the fullest.
2) Build a strong Team.  Start with a great event producers, then build your cohesive, creative teams.
3) Size does not matter anymore. Resources do.  Obviously, the Internet has changed on how many companies do business. You can now hang your shingle on a web page not a building.
4) Remember business is hard. Simply put, if it isn’t hard you aren’t trying hard enough.
5) Take as many shots as you can. I still follow my coach Peter McCoy who told me when I was a kid playing for #1 AYSO soccer team The Hurricanes. Pulling me aside during a game he said. “Mike, The more times you shoot the more times you score.”   This is something I have used my whole life, to start scoring more goals, baskets, friends, girls, and for the past few years, more clients.
6) Build a family. The company I came from before starting Grass Shack Events & Media build a great company family. When the talk of how great the old days was the  constant topic I  knew it was time to move on to the next stage and start Grass Shack Events & Media.
7) Success happens in stages overall.  Overnight successes rarely happen.  Shoot for stages. Your drive will be the success of your business.
Vision. Work with your clients vision. Don’t let your own agenda get in the way of the clients vision. Solve their obstacles, provide solutions, and uniquely push their message to their audience. That’s why corporate meeting production companies and video production companies exist.
9) Help everyone.  I mean everyone. Competitors, resources,  everyone you can. One of the video editors we have here is a new guy. But this new editor thanked me. When he moved to San Francisco a few years back he called me and told me I gave him some names to talk to to find work.
10) Figure out what do you do and do it better than everyone else. Obsess that your company
Keep planning. When you stop planning you aren’t pushing
11) Perception- Perception in business it’s almost everything.  Obsess on how you want your company to be perceived and drive that perception.
12) Commit- Commit to goals. Tell others this commitment. You will be amazed after telling others how much faster you will accomplish them.
13) Credit- Start working on it now. Talk to your banks small business representative. Corporate shows are expensive and large companies procurement departments are slow as molasses.
14) Insurance- shop for insurance to cover your events. Some hotels try to get clients to use in house AV by having the production companies show proof of 1 million to 2 million dollars of coverage. And protect yourself and your crews.
15) Website. You need a place for people to find you and a place to send people to find out more about you.

As we work through this last General Session for today and do final preparations for tonight’s award dinner I again think about that first even and how Grass Shack Events & Media has evolved into such a great, fun company to work with and for.

Can you think of anything I missed in my list?  Love to add to it.

Please email me if you want to work with us on your next sales meeting or product launch!

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