How to win work from event companies
Event companies own very little and hire in almost everything, so a planner with a full calendar books the same handful of suppliers again and again. Here is how they choose those suppliers and how to become one of them.
Who they are
This page is about the businesses that put on events for other businesses: corporate event agencies, conference organisers, independent event planners and production companies. Their work is conferences, product launches, awards nights, staff parties, expos and brand activations. Most are small teams with a director, a few producers or event managers and a list of freelancers they call in when it gets busy.
What makes them a good buyer is that they hold very little themselves. A production company may own its sound and lighting gear, but nearly everyone else on the day is hired in, from the furniture and the catering to the photographer, the cleaners and the security. The event company signs the client, writes the run sheet and then books suppliers to deliver each piece of it.
They are different from the people who run private celebrations, which is covered on the wedding planners page, and from the places that host events, covered on the venues page. With an event company you are working for a business that answers to another business, and their reputation with that client is riding on you turning up on time.
What they’ll ask a new supplier for
- Your ABN and business details
- Public liability insurance, with a certificate of currency that covers the event dates including bump-in and bump-out
- Workers’ compensation cover where you have workers
- A risk assessment for your part of the job, especially for set-up and pack-down
- Safe work method statements where your work is high risk, such as rigging or working at height
- Evidence your equipment is safe and maintained, such as test and tag records for electrical gear
- Your licence where the work needs one, such as a security firm licence or an electrical licence
What they buy, and what they pass on
Audio visual, lighting and staging
Screens, microphones, lighting rigs and stages. Production companies do some of this in-house and still hire in extra crew and gear for big jobs.
Furniture and equipment hire
Lounges, bar leaners, marquees, staging, linen and crockery. Booked per event and delivered and collected around the bump-in and bump-out.
Photography and video
Event coverage, speaker shots, headshots on the day and short highlight videos the client can post afterwards.
Flowers, styling and signage
Table arrangements, foyer pieces, printed signage, banners and branded walls. Often ordered late because the client keeps changing the details.
Cleaning and waste
A clean before the doors open, a crew on during the event, and the overnight clean after bump-out so the space is handed back on time.
Security and crowd control
Door staff, bag checks and overnight guarding of gear that has been left on site. Security work is licensed, and each state and territory has its own rules and regulator.
Temporary power and electrical work
Power for stalls, food vans and lighting at outdoor events, which falls to a licensed electrician.
How they choose who to use
Turning up when the run sheet says
Bump-in and bump-out windows are tight and often shared with other suppliers. Being early and finished on time matters more than almost anything else.
Paperwork they don’t have to chase
A producer juggling twenty suppliers remembers the one whose insurance and risk assessment arrived without a reminder.
Coping with late changes
Numbers, times and layouts change in the last week. A supplier who adjusts without fuss gets the next booking.
Looking right in front of their client
Your crew is on show at someone else’s event, so clean uniforms, quiet work and good manners with guests count.
Quick, clear quotes
Event companies often quote their own client fast, which means they need your price fast and in a form they can mark up and pass on.
Getting on their list
Most event companies keep a short list of trusted suppliers for each category, often two or three names, and they use the first one until that supplier is booked out or lets them down. It is rarely a formal panel. The list lives in the producer's phone and gets passed around the office, which is why one good job with one producer can spread through a whole agency.
The onboarding is where they slow down. Under work health and safety law the event organiser is responsible for the safety of workers, volunteers and the public at the event, and SafeWork NSW's events guide says organisers should check a contractor's competence, training, licences and equipment before they appoint them. The same guide treats bump-in and bump-out as a part of the event that needs its own planning, because that is when the trucks, trolleys and ladders are all moving at once. So expect to be asked for a risk assessment that covers how you get in, set up and get out.
Insurance gets checked closely too. Councils that host events on their land often set a minimum, and the City of Boroondara, for example, asks contractors and stallholders for a $20 million public liability certificate and tells organisers to check it covers the bump-in and bump-out dates. Venues may also keep their own approved supplier lists, so ask the event company early whether the venue restricts who can come in. The guide to preferred supplier lists goes through how to put a supplier pack together.
How to approach them
Find the event companies working near you
Look for corporate event agencies, conference organisers and production companies in your city, and check their recent work to see what kind of events they run.
Write to a producer or event manager
The person who books suppliers is usually a producer or operations lead, not the director. If the team is listed, pick the person whose events suit you.
Offer to be the backup
They already have someone. What they don’t have is a second name for the busy weeks before Christmas or the night their regular supplier is booked.
Send your documents before you’re asked
Have your certificate of currency, risk assessment and any licences ready to attach, so the first booking can happen quickly.
Treat the first job as the audition
Small, last-minute jobs are how most suppliers get in. Do one well, send a short note afterwards, and you are likely to be called again.
A first email that works
Hi Josh, I run a small cleaning crew on the Gold Coast and a lot of our work is late finishes, mostly resets and bump-out cleans after conferences and launches. I know you’ll already have people you use. I’m writing in case you ever need a backup crew on a busy night, or someone who can start at 11pm and have the room handed back by morning. Our insurance and a risk assessment for bump-out work are ready to send whenever it suits. Would it help if I sent them through so you’ve got us on file? Thanks, Dana If you’d rather not hear from me, just reply and say so.
An example only. The business is made up.
Mistakes that cost the work
Going around the event company to their client
The client belongs to the agency. Handing your card to the client on the night is the fastest way to never be booked again.
Quoting without the run sheet
Access times, loading dock rules and lift sizes change the job. Ask for the run sheet and the venue’s rules before you price it.
Insurance that doesn’t cover the dates
A certificate that expires before bump-out, or that doesn’t cover the kind of work you’re doing, can stop you being let on site.
Businesses that work with event companies
Part of Sell to businesses. See every kind of business we write to on Who buys from you.
Questions people ask
Should I approach the event company or the venue?
Both can work, but they buy differently. The event company books suppliers for each event it runs at any venue, while a venue keeps its own list for events held there. Many suppliers end up working through both.
The venue has insurance, so do I need my own?
Yes. Each business at the event has its own duties for the safety of its workers and the public, so expect the event company, the venue or the council to ask for your own current certificate of currency.
How do I get the first booking?
Usually by being available when their regular supplier isn’t. Make it easy to say yes: documents ready, a clear price and a quick reply when they call.
Can I put the event on my website or social media?
Ask first. Many corporate clients don’t want their event shared, and the event company will want to approve anything that names their client.
What if the run sheet changes on the day?
It often does. Agree up front how extra hours or late changes will be charged, so a long night doesn’t turn into a dispute.
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