In these economic times, expectations of suppliers at public events are steadily rising. Everyone is expecting value for money, hiring fewer crew and lead times are getting shorter. But, I believe there are factors that clients can look for in suppliers that show that they operate professionally, go that extra mile and meet expectations.
At Pinnacle we never forget that clients are paying for a managed service and should not have to spend time chasing crew to get the job done. Crew therefore need to be self-motivated, and team leaders should be professional and trained in how to lead an effective crew.
We have learnt that it all starts with the process of interviewing prospective crew members. We find that putting together a successful crewing team is as much about personality, self-belief and pride, as anything else.
Of course, crew have to have a willingness to learn. As well as the obvious health and safety training, crew must understand what clients expect of them. At Pinnacle we achieve this by working with clients to provide training into the various disciplines – such as staging, lighting, AV, power – that are encountered at public events. This enables clients to rely on crew to do so much more than merely carry heavy kit.
In addition, regular client contact and feedback should form part of crew evaluation. We organise on-site management visits and have account managers who constantly keep in touch with their clients.
Taken together, the result of proper training and client feedback is consistency of crew quality, and client confidence that even when things go wrong the crewing company will come up trumps every time.
Heath Freeman
Managing Director
Pinnacle Crew
For full version of this feature go to www.eventmagazine.co.uk