Do you have a long-term contract with your event supplier? Peter Cook, general manager, L H Woodhouse, asks whether those that don’t can afford to carry the risk
I know that it’s stating the obvious – but 2012 is set to be a busy year. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, combined with another series of events (do I really need to mention them?) have resulted in a jam-packed schedule.
The impact of these two major one-off events has resulted in many of the annual outdoor events and shows moving from their traditional “slot” in the calendar. Most of these events occupy the same slot every year, and work around each other to ensure that audiences are able to attend all events.
This way of planning ensures that contractors can cater for them all too. Many events use the same hire equipment and contractors can schedule the same crew and equipment to move from one event to another. But there are only so many weekends during the summer and, in 2012, many of these events now clash.
These clashes not only result in potentially fewer visitors; they seriously impact on the hire industry. Many contractors are finding that two or more clients are now holding events on the same dates.
So if hire equipment is in demand, which customer do you service first? If both organisers have signed long-term contracts then it’s up to the contractor to solve any supply duplications amicably, but if one event has a long-term contract, whilst a second hasn’t, then it could be to the latter’s detriment.
The recession has seen some organisers declaring it’s a “buyers market”, pushing prices down, not committing to contractors until the last minute or even giving business to less skilled and safety conscious contractors. The organisers that work with contractors – viewing them as essential partners and taking a long-term approach – will now reap the benefits of their commitment and the long-term contracts which they very wisely signed.
Let’s just hope that the 2012 full event calendar is successful for our industry as a whole and that pro-active organisers reap the benefits of their established relationships with recognised, safety accredited contractors with skilled and experienced installation teams. For those organisers that did not, perhaps they will now consider the future benefits of longer-term commitments – it’s their own events at risk if they don’t.
Stand Out is a must-read for the active buyer in the events marketplace. Boasting a circulation of 12,700 every issue, Stand Out is a trade magazine providing organisers, marketeers, agencies, local authorities and not-for-profit organisations with the information you need to make your event stand out from the competition.
RESPONSE FROM MARK MOWER, PINNACLE CREW, TO STAND OUT PIECE BY PETER COOK
I agree with what Peter Cook says in his column in the February issue of Stand Out, that organisers who view contractors as essential suppliers will reap the benefits in 2012. However, equally there are things contractors can do to ensure that client companies remain happy in 2012 and continue to use our services in 2013 and beyond.
In my view, the most important action we can take is to communicate with client companies. We need to forewarn them of the busiest times, support them and encourage them to provide briefs well in advance. We need to be realistic, and give them the opportunity to be realistic too in their expectations of what can be done, in what timeframes and with the correct numbers of personnel.
They need to understand that crew are one of the most important resources in the events industry, and the appointment of a crewing company cannot be left to chance.
We know, for example, that demand for event “savvy” crew will increase by 60 to 70 per cent as this year progresses.
Even though we already have a staff of 250 on our books, we have been actively gearing up to fulfil the extra demand in 2012, and all sensible suppliers should be doing the same.
As well as recruiting the correct candidates and providing them with the correct training – including the various health and safety accreditations required by the Olympics – this means giving them the all-important experience that they will need to perform a good job.
The eyes of the world will be on Britain this year and scrutinising what we do. It’s therefore more important than ever to have the correct suppliers working on an event – and that means client companies should be doing research now to ensure that they will be working with a reputable supplier.