How an event runs
Five stages. The contracting arrangement is settled at stage two, before anything is committed.
Brief and realistic numbers
What the event is for and how many will genuinely attend. Every contract is sized against that figure, so an optimistic one is expensive rather than merely hopeful.
Supplier selection and contracting
We recommend, negotiate and prepare the agreements. You sign them directly with each supplier. This is the stage that distinguishes the arrangement and it takes slightly longer than a consolidated approach.
Planning and run sheet
A full schedule with timings, responsibilities and supplier contacts, held by you as well as by us throughout.
Delivery
On-site management through build, event and breakdown, with your suppliers managed by us on your behalf.
Reconciliation
Every supplier invoice checked against the agreed budget and reported to you, with variances explained including where we caused them.
What this costs us
We are easy to replace, deliberately. Every structural decision keeps your supplier relationships portable, which removes the switching cost most agencies depend on for retention.
We forgo commission entirely. Venue and supplier commission is a substantial and largely invisible income line in this industry and we accept none of it.
Our fee is exposed. Invoiced separately and visible beside supplier costs rather than absorbed into a single consolidated figure.
Contracting takes longer. Several agreements signed by your legal or procurement team is more work at the outset than one agency contract.
Frequently asked
Why would we want several supplier contracts?
Because they are yours. If you change agency, you keep every relationship and every trading history. The alternative is rebuilding your supplier base, which is the main reason clients stay with agencies they have outgrown.
Is that not more administration for us?
Somewhat. Several invoices rather than one. We prepare the schedule and reconcile everything, but the payments are yours to make and the visibility is the trade.
Do you take commission from venues?
None, from venues, caterers, production companies or staffing agencies, in either direction.
How is your fee calculated?
A fixed fee against scope, agreed in advance and invoiced separately. Never a percentage of spend.
What happens if we leave you?
You keep every supplier relationship, every contract and the run sheets. A transition takes a fortnight rather than a year.
Who holds the permits?
You do, in your name, along with the insurance arrangements, which matters for exactly the same reason.
Can you run an annual programme?
Yes, quoted annually, with the roster built in your name across the year so the programme survives an agency change.
Do you work in Manhattan?
Regularly, alongside Westchester and Fairfield County. Union and venue rules differ substantially and we plan for the specific venue rather than the region.