Don’t you all have events that have gone horribly wrong? I will state that communication and info exchange are often lacking when things go bad.
This event below actually happened with a third-party agency client that I’ve worked with as a vendor for many years, and this one went *unbelievably* bad. I received my job instructions on this email, and is there any surprise that there were problems arising from it? Amazingly, my pay was actually docked because I could not follow some very poor directions. Has that ever happened to you? Ever gotten a very poorly-crafted job assignment that is supposed to give you everything, but doesn’t?
Job Instructions Too Jumbled
This client gave me a paragraph of scattered information, which led to severe problems at the event. Though I had been at that exact location before several times, it was too difficult getting into the exact place ready to work, when I was frantically trying to wade through the jumble of scattered job info. When you have an important client, it’d be best to take special care to make sure that every vendor gets help to be in the right place at the right time.
Unclear Email Title
Unclear email titles may not be given appropriate attention by the vendor, or may be completely ignored. Short titles like “upcoming job” or “next gig” will not be able to be distinguished from the daily flood in the email box. Be very clear on what/when/how details, such as “Gig Details, Company Name, Sat Dec 20, San Francisco, 11-2 pm” etc. Providing search terms within the title will help your vendor find the email and be prepared to arrive when and where they should.
Vague Paragraph Format
Job assignments are better understood if information is bulleted out. Crammed and jumbled information is confusing at the very least, and the vendor must re-read it several times to get what they need. Paragraphs can easily have too much random comments and insignificant info that gets in the way. Information that is sectioned out by bullets and separated by relevance can be easily understood.
No Exact Location
Ok, this gets me frustrated just remembering this situation. A main address of a 100-acre campus does not tell me where to arrive. What’s missing? Exact details are the crucial parts to follow. “Arrive at the back entrance by the catering trucks” or “Meet us at the large sign by the main entrance” are good examples. Contacts are often hard to reach by mobile phone in those moments.
No Parking Info
Any information given is better than no information given when it comes to parking. All events are different, but parking info can be critical to vendors. Locating parking on a very crowded corporate campus and walking a half mile while schlepping supplies does not help any vendor get to where they need to be on time. When vendors have a time crunch beforehand, lack of clarity on parking can bring problems and can easily spell “disaster” for all involved with an event.
Lack of Contracts
Event planners and coordinators should be asking vendors to sign contracts, instead of just using vague emails. A casual approach like “Hey, just show up here” might not be the best plan in providing services to important clientele. Contracts between planners and vendors bring a strong work ethic to the event, as well as clear understanding between parties. Planners who don’t use vendor contracts and agreed terms are taking risks that could impact their clientele.
Solutions?
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As an event planner/manager, it’s your responsibility and your duty to extrapolate well-articulated information from “the client”. In this case your client seems to be an event agency which makes you a third party supplier with poor instructions. I’m a firm believer in actual human contact – there is no place for email Comms only in the events industry. My only advise is this- you’re only as good as your last event – if the brief is vague, then don’t take on the job/work/event = no one blames bad Comms for poor service delivery at an event – only poor service.
Hello there, thank you for your comments.
Yes, I agree that email-only communications doesn’t serve anyone well – but I don’t think that habit is going away anytime soon. I receive job assignments and other agreements a couple times a month for certain planners/coordinators who only deal with email and not actual human contact over the phone. It’s the world we live in.
I don’t disagree with your thoughts on human contact and phone communication. In the situation of my event-gone-bad, I did immediately discuss the details over the phone after getting a poor email. Considering the source, the event agency took a minimal approach to working things out. I don’t ever agree with a supplier making things happen without the support of the event manager – those are the cases where things don’t end up well.
However, as you see, I am advocating a better solution than loosely-together job instructions that are from a cluttered email. I am advocating a fully-formatted mobile event manager that holds all related details between parties, can require the necessary info, and quickly create the job assignment in a very clean and consistent format.
I suggest having a solid foundation of communication which comes from a mobile app and not poorly constructed emails.
Your job if your not clear to ask questions and get it right. I have never had that happen and its 22 years later!
As a Wedding Officiant in Ontario, Canada, I have a checklist that is CRUCIAL for a legal well-planned wedding ceremony. If there is any problem with having a personal meeting, I send the checklist requesting the info that I need. It took a few weddings to know what was necessary, but the checklist is a good way to not forget to ask ALL the right questions.
Kathleen, I agree that it takes many real-life run-throughs to get it right. After doing real jobs and learning the hard way, we often get it right. It is amazing that after all the years we’ve all been running our operations, that we still learn by experience each day.
I do also find that checklists are good, but I appreciate app software that runs through those requirements and double-checks through them. It’s fantastic to have a system that tells you what needs to be done next.
Thanks for your comments.
First rule, if you don’t know and you need to, find out even if it means annoying the event manager or whoever your supplying to. Play on you being thick, it doesn’t matter. Never rely on guesswork as you will come off second best. As someone who has worked on the big stuff and the small, be 200% sure of things, double check and if you really can’t get the information out of your client be sure they know their arse (ass) is on the line too by ignoring you. You don’t have to be rude or threatening just professional.
Hi there!
I think that the trouble lies (as Graham mentioned) with the client being a third party event management company. Third party management companie bring a host of problems to the table. They not only fully understand your needs, they do not understand their client’s needs. I think there should be a novel method of event management. I would not say that my expertise lies in event management per say, but I am an expert in the realm of HR and I do know that the event staffing agencies have a long list of problems too. I think I could shed some light (no pun intended) on that if you would like.
Best,
Eropa