Thinking Inside the Box

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A client came to us this year wanting to shake up their corporate awards program. They were looking for ways to refresh the typical “grip and grin” photo ops and long company descriptions being read as the company representative slowly makes his or her way to the stage. It was time for a new look! Enter TCG Events. Ready to shake things up and add new and engaging elements, we were ready to pull out all the stops.

Then came the challenge: no budget increase.

The current budget was stretched to the max and managed to the penny. Giving this event an overhaul was going to be a stroke of creative genius, not a bought solution.

After hours of looking at the event backwards and forwards, inside and out, and forcing ourselves to think outside the box, we found our solution.  It was time to think inside the box.  Instead of taking down all the parameters, we put up the parameters. There were only so many elements that we could play with that were not cost prohibitive: room orientation, staging (provided at no charge by the facility) and program flow. By narrowing down our options it became clear that the answer was in the staging. Rather than creating the typical rectangular stage in the front of the room we would use the stage decks to create a runway in the middle of the room with seating tables on either side of the runway. With energetic runway music pumping in the background, alternating MCEEs called the (58) award winners to the stage. To quicken the pace, company descriptions were read as the winners walked the runway. At the end of the runway they received their award and had an opportunity to strike a pose at the step and repeat.

No typical square stage, no time lost in getting on and off the stage, no awkward grip and grins – just a high energy program that was loads of fun.

Next time you find yourself in such a predicament, try thinking inside the box for a change.

Entertainment Rider… Do You Really Need It?

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Every entertainer comes with a rider – a list of hospitality and technical criteria for their performance. Typically, the bigger the name the bigger the demands.

The first key to negotiating a rider is to thoroughly read the entire document. Some acts and managers have been known to add items just to see if you have read the document in its entirety. We have come across the comical addition of tube socks from a very well know national act.

Dressing room requests are important to any musical act and can be as specific as room temperature and air quality as this can affect their voice. Accommodations are also very important. Some entertainers will travel under an alias that will be denoted in the rider. We once had an entertainer whom we booked under an alias and then they were upset we had changed her name. But it came from her rider; we didn’t make it up.

Most riders will have alcohol requests. Some are more extravagant than others like demands for four bottles of Cristal or an over abundance of alcohol. You want to limit the amount of alcohol the performer has before the event to avoid a potentially sloppy act.

No matter how crazy the demands are, keeping any entertainer happy before their performance is key. You want them to be comfortable and relaxed so they can perform at their best and help make your event a success. Whether you end up with a diva or an angel, the show must go on!