The importance of choosing the right suppliers for a successful event

When organising an event, you have to take into account many elements that are key to its success and that often contribute to the challenging, delicate process of building customer loyalty. The choice of staff and partners, in particular, is fundamental.
There are two factors that we have to provide clients who commission an event: firstly, a well-organized and well-lit space, featuring everything necessary for the type of service required; secondly, trained, professional and competent staff who know how to support and manage guests.

The partners

There are many variables to take into account when choosing partners: speed, precision, flexibility, price and, above all, reliability.
No matter how many different scenarios you anticipate during the organisational stage, often just before the chosen day or in the course of setting up the event something unexpected happens, a sudden change of plan, and this is when we event planners find ourselves having to do the impossible with a narrow time frame, entirely relying on those who we have chosen as companions on our adventure.
There is one watchword: reliability. Surrounding ourselves with people who share our ethical beliefs and professionalism enables us not only to work well and calmly, but also to create a synergy that makes a positive impression on the customer.
Last year, while we were preparing for a major event in Milan, one of the main sponsors, after the work had been completed, looked at his stand and observed that something was missing, a detail to lend a touch of elegance and make his space stand out. We had been working on the details since day one and we naturally noticed his perplexed expression, so we approached him, ready to bring a smile to his face again. The missing detail was not challenging: it was simply that the colour of the stand was very similar to the flooring, which made it less striking. So what did we do? We decided to lay down some carpet! This was easier said than done because the carpet that we had available was not the right colour and it was a very different size. However, our supplier then came to the rescue with the rationale that “prevention is better than a cure”. They informed us that they had some neutral-coloured carpet in stock: problem solved; customer and sponsor satisfied!

But is it always possible to choose your partners?

Unfortunately not. Actually, we should mention the other side of the coin: exclusive contracts.

It is customary for certain facilities or services to stipulate conditions that bind organizers to turning to one company rather than another.
This involves a great deal of risk since, on the one hand, you have to start from scratch, creating a new relationship, while on the other hand, it is sometimes the case, as has happened in the past, that you have to deal with suppliers that are inadequate for your requirements and the type of event.
While it can be relatively easy to establish a new working relationship, even if only temporarily, the situation becomes more complicated when you are faced with people who are unprofessional or used to working in less demanding contexts with basic requirements.

Is there a way out of this kind of situation?

There is, but it takes a lot of patience, inspections and e-mails, not to mention endless phone calls.
If a supplier deviates from an organizer’s instructions, it is up to the organizer to remedy the situation and get them back on the right track as much as possible.
In our lengthy experience, we have had to correct the mise-en-place, which had technical errors that were easy to solve; to change the cover of certain chairs ruined by use; to fix a photowall canvas that was badly positioned and had some bubbles (once again we would like to thank one of our

trusted partners, which took action in another case, saving the situation); to have some stairs covered with carpet that had escaped the notice of the external supplier during the site inspection, and so on.
Unfortunate situations which, during the already stressful stage of setting everything up, only add more pressure, situations that the customer and guests must never and should never notice, situations that are often resolved thanks to the collaboration and versatility of our partners, who are always ready to come to our rescue.

In the second part of this article, as mentioned in the introduction, we will discuss the equally delicate subject of choosing staff.

Article by Francesca Carbone