Executive summary – With more than 20 years experience, Stage America’s clients appreciate the production partnership. Our typical client manages their own content in conjunction with our creative and technical team.

Clients expect us to manage the venue, the vendors and the on-site production, including planning, move in, rehearsals and calling the show.

Here is an outline of the partnership through the process. Of course every client’s needs are different, and our ability to produce “to the budget” is well respected.

• Venue – joint Stage America and client collaboration:
  • Agreement to proceed between client and Stage America with terms outlined and approved – concurrent with venue selection but minimum 6 months in advance of event
  • Milestone calendar approved – dates for all key decision and delivery points
  • Region decision – domestic, foreign, region
  • First cut on attendance expectations
  • Seating preference (rounds, classroom, theater)
  • Calculate space required
  • Site inspections – select likely venues before contracting
    • Venue selection- vendors (Experient, Helms Briscoe ) have excellent resources and will do this process at no charge to client. Their fee is paid by the successful venue in the form of a commission. All aspects of space needs and schedule monitored by vendor from start to final venue invoice.
  • Venue selection – best choice
    • Contract negotiations to include all costs anticipated for engineering, AV and other departments
    • Reject fees for using outside AV, required complementary single mic and house sound system per room, lecterns, risers, tables, linens, air conditioning, power consumption, corkage fees of any kind
    • Use of space – floor plans, rigging, breakout rooms, catering, stages, dressing rooms, production offices, registration
    • Avoid other simultaneous events during your event that compete for space
  • Venue contract approved – generally 6 months to 2 years in advance
  • Technical meeting – venue engineering, AV, catering, setup
  • Rules and regulations – union, work hours, loading dock access, house rules, security
    • Define which charges will be direct billed by venue to client due to contractual requirements
  • Communication – line of reporting with venue defined
  • Pre-con – prior to move in to confirm details
  • Event move in – schedule deliveries, crew and disciplines
  • Event
  • Event move out – schedule deliveries, crew and disciplines
  • Review charges - in a timely manner

• Vendors – Stage America responsibility:
  • Scope of work document approved
  • Production schedule – on site schedule for all venue activities
    • Client review and approval
  • Design specs – room layouts, CAD drawings, fire marshal approvals
    • Client review and approval
  • Engineering specs – projection, video, switching, cameras, lighting, rigging, audio design
  • Probable vendors – known and discovered
  • Project chart approved and monitored
  • Bid process – separate to each discipline, communicate requirements, review competency and negotiate costs and schedules
    • Equipment
    • Crew – leads for each discipline (Stage America staff), with support staff as needed from equipment vendors, labor pools, or union shops
    • Transportation – local and regional including client materials
    • Insurance – venue and client requirements, permits and insurance certificates
  • Production budget presented to client and invoice for 80% approved – 90 days in advance of event
  • Contracting – selecting vendors
  • Deposits – 50 – 80% deposits due
  • Review/production meetings – phone, video conference and email progress reports
  • Shipping to venue – coordinate loading dock and loaders

• Content – client responsibility:
  • Single client point of contact for content
    • Resources defined – internal and external
    • Stage America contact person
  • Define audience – who will attend
    • Internal
    • External
  • Specific event objectives – annual, reward/incentive, other
  • Event theme – unifying statement/graphic that will allow content, graphics and theme treatment in invitations, badges, handouts and on screen
  • Outline content – broad topics and time allotted for presentations and breakout meetings
  • Presenters – assigned by availability, knowledge, appropriateness to audience and responsibility
  • Refine outline for approval – with each presenter
    • Agree on timeline for each step
  • Script narrative – by presenter - not to be read, but to be used to further refine the message, ensure compliance with objectives, confirm facts and intent as well as estimate time required to present
  • Approve narrative – group meeting
  • Creative storyboards – creative team not presenter
  • Presenter approvals – pre production
  • Begin production – graphics, video, skits, props, support materials
  • Presenter approvals – post production
  • Final media creation
  • Approve show flow from Stage America team
  • Speech coach – Ray Franklin
  • Rehearsals off site (with Stage America staff)
    • As team
    • In  order with executive audience
  • Travel – presenters and corporate support staff
  • On site rehearsals – see production schedule
  • Show - followed by standing ovations!
  • Review – no more than two weeks from end of event – should be on initial calendar agreed to by all stakeholders
  • Set expectations for next event

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