Top 5 tips for choosing the right event agency

What is an event agency?

An event agency is an organisation that specialises in the planning and execution of various types of events for individuals and businesses. Some of the things that event agencies may manage include corporate events, event production, employee meetings and product launches.

The main advantage of event management agencies is their experience and expertise in the field. Not only do they bring a high level of creativity and attention to detail to event planning, but they will also be familiar with the latest industry trends, ensuring that the perfect event is executed to meet your objectives and impress your delegates.

The benefits of using an event agency

They are experienced professionals

A key benefit of working with an event agency to deliver or organise an event is that they are composed of a range of individuals who create a collective experience.  

While every event is unique, the range of perspectives within the best event agencies often means that they have encountered a similar event or brief in the past. This experience enables them to understand what strategies work and what don't.

Moreover, collective experience means that the people in the delivery team are likely to specialise in an aspect of event planning whether that's production, content delivery, or guest management.

They are passionate and creative

If you have been tasked with organising an event, the likelihood is that it is not an everyday endeavour for you. This may leave you feeling overwhelmed and wondering where to even begin.

However, by enlisting the services of an event management agency you are able to benefit from a fresh perspective, industry insights and expertise.

Event agencies design, organise and execute events on a regular basis which means that they possess the expertise needed to transform your vision into a reality. Most importantly, they ensure that your objectives are met and your delegates are left inspired - leaving you to get on with the things that you do best.

They seamlessly deliver events

Event management agencies will use their various in-house services to meticulously plan and execute your event.

As part of their planning, they will conduct thorough risk assessments and create contingency plans. This not only ensures that the event is delivered seamlessly, but it also means that they can preemptively tackle any potential challenges and create alternative courses of action.

The best event management agencies also have a rich network of global suppliers and strong existing relationships. These established partnerships enable them to secure the best possible arrangements for your event, enabling for efficient event organisation.

How to choose the right event agency

Assessing an event agency's stability and creative approach is easier than evaluating its delivery and logistics credentials.

Whilst it should go without saying that a live event agency should always be able to deliver and be operationally seamless and professional, this is more challenging to establish when working with a new partner.

However, what remains critical is that you build operational trust quickly. This ensures that, there will be maximum time to focus on how you'll achieve the event objectives, inspire your audience and deliver a successful event.

To help you select a reliable partner, here are our top 5 things to consider in order to choose the right event agency.

1. Assess their in-house capabilities

To choose the right event management agency it is important to find out how their team is structured and what aspects of their work they carry out in-house

Understanding an agency's in-house capabilities allows you to assess whether they are able to meet your requirements. While it is perfectly acceptable for event agencies to delegate certain tasks externally, maintaining trust in them can become more of a challenge when outsourcing is involved. This is because even if you trust the agency, you may not be able to extend this level of trust to the external suppliers.

At BI WORLDWIDE, our approach is rooted in behavioural economics. We continuously assess both independent and academic behavioural research, along with our own findings, and apply these insights to our event designs to drive measurable results. These results are then delivered through a wide variety of in-house skills, ranging from solution design and content delivery to guest management.

2. Ensure they have quality processes in place

In order to choose the right event management agency for you, it is important to assess an agency’s crisis management and contingency planning processes. By doing this assessment, you can gain the assurance that they have everything in place to not only organise and execute a memorable event, but also to address any potential issues that might arise.

At BI WORLDWIDE, our ISO 9001 accreditation demonstrates our commitment to providing high-quality services to our clients. Additionally, our CX3 project management approach enables us to align with you and create a tailored solution that not only delivers extraordinary service but also achieves your business objectives.

When choosing an event management agency, it is important to assess whether they have the processes in place to address unforeseen circumstances. The right event partner will have the ability or plans in place to deal with unforeseen events.

The profound impact that Covid had on society has shown the importance of crisis management and contingency planning. Our 9-point planning approach makes sure we research, inform, make recommendations, and plan at all stages. In March 2020, this enabled us to act fast to safeguard our delegates and return them home safely, as well as on occasions when we've seen air strikes, inclement weather, delegate illness on-site, and many other challenges.

3.Meet the delivery team

In the world of event management, relationships are key. 

When you need to make that late-night call to ask a question, you need to know that you have a good enough relationship with your delivery team so they will pick up your call. For this reason, in order to choose the right events management event for you, it is important that you have met the delivery team and have a sense of trust in them

At BI WORLDWIDE, we don't send in the sales team to sell you the dream and then parachute the delivery team in once we've won the work. You'll meet the key team throughout the briefing and pitch stage, and we'll ensure they're part of the team that generates the ideas and develops the solutions, so they understand what we're delivering. By meeting your team you can establish the trust that they're operationally up to speed.

4. Assess whether they are a good cultural fit

When choosing an event management agency, wider organisational values should hold as much significance as operational excellence.

An agency’s culture can profoundly impact how they understand your brief and organisation. When evaluating an event agency’s values, you should assess the things which matter to you. For instance, if sustainability is a priority, assess their ESG strategies and credentials; if wellbeing matters, look for signals they proactively support the mental health of their employees and foster a positive workplace culture. By assessing their credentials, you can see whether the agency shares your perspectives.

At BI WORLDWIDE, we are proud to have over 20 staff trained in mental health first aid as well as dedicated teams focused on wider employee wellbeing and culture strategies and initiatives to drive positive changes throughout the organisation. Our approach allows us to present creative event ideas while promoting the wellbeing of all those involved. 

This means that when working with us, you can be assured that we will find the right solution together and you won't need to remind us of these important factors throughout the lifecycle of a project.

5. Look for a strategic partner

When in the process of selecting the right event management agency, it is important to look for a strategic partner that can not only maximise on your ROI and ROO, but also make your event more than just a moment in time.

Whether it’s in the pre-activity or post-activity phase, you should focus on finding a strategic partner that can provide a range of services. By working with an event agency who offers a wide range of solutions, you can ensure that your event is part of a wider, multi-faceted strategic solution. This integration can amplify the impact of your event, extend the reach beyond your event delegates, and create lasting business results.

At BI WORLDWIDE, our expertise extends beyond event design and management. We offer multiple services that inspire people and drive performance improvement, including employee recognition, sales incentives, and rewards. This means we can help clients meet their objectives in multiple ways, increasing the effectiveness of our solutions and building stronger partnerships.