The client is the cornerstone of the briefing, which, in turn, lays the foundations for an event. It is then up to the agency to make the most of this inventory of needs and wishes, or even to influence it to secure the success of the event. Let us brief you... on the ideal briefing.
The briefing is the essential foundation on which we build a successful event communication campaign that wields the right impact. Whatever the event, the briefing can take different forms, tailored to the client:
- A summary document;
- A detailed PowerPoint presentation;
- A pitch before several agency representatives;
- One-to-one meetings with each agency; Etc.
The whole point of this briefing for the event communication agency is to obtain answers to all the essential questions, from the philosophy and the purpose of the event to the budget. Indeed, all the information collected will rub off on the quality of the proposal/recommendation that the agency will present to the client. At VO, we have developed a working method based on several solid principles to make the briefing as efficient as possible.
A team of two allocated to each briefing.
Whether the client's briefing is collective or not, we usually send two agency representatives along. An experienced member of staff and a junior so that he/she can benefit from this instructive exercise (we attach a lot of importance to the human capital when organizing our events). The senior employee will draw up the recommendation and oversee the project from A to Z. They will also vouch for the consistency and loyalty of the customer relationship and pass on the information in good time to the production teams. We do not believe in a piecemeal response.
Be pro-active at the briefing.
Like it or not, the briefing is already a crucial point in the selling process. And the last thing an event agency should be is passive. It isn’t enough just to scribble down a few notes while you listen. You have to be pro-active, position yourself by asking the right questions, and score points.
Don’t forget your checklist
To make sure that every question has been asked, the team goes along equipped with a standard VO document, a sort of checklist or reminder of the essential information to bring back at the end of this information phase. Among them are: Why this event? Who is the target audience? What are the messages to be conveyed? What are the expected results? What type of venue? Etc. Some answers are more difficult to obtain, like the budget, especially as the new trend is to give no target! At VO, we always try to get at least an approximate range. The level of creativity depends on it.
Our dream? To reinvent the briefing!
Efficiency, dialogue, and proactivity are the priorities of the VO approach at the start of any client briefing. Our dream? To reinvent the briefing! In concrete terms, this would turn the event agency into a consultant, and not just a mere executor of wishes. We could, for example, organize a Creative Agile Lab directly with the client in order to come up with the blueprint of the event of their dreams. This would be a win-win situation for everyone, in terms of time, inventiveness, and originality. Because standing out from the crowd also means changing the forms of collaboration and the creative process between the agency and the client.
