In the shadow of massive cranes building a new Nissan Stadium fit for a Super Bowl and removing the elaborate stage erected on the current field for CMA Fest, Club Ichi circled the planners in Nashville for some real talk about the state of producing events.
For those who have not attended one of Liz Lathan, Nicole Osibodu and David T. Stevens’ unconferences, let me paint a picture of a spontaneous think tank. Attendees gather for an evening of hugs and how-do-you-dos, in this case at Category 10 rooftop serenaded by a local musician (because Nashville). Armed with colored sticky notes and Sharpies, they share their biggest problems and the solutions they have found. After a round of drinks (including the option of a featured mocktail) and dinner, the team retreats to match up the common topics and the solution-holders to lead discussions the next day.
Respect for the EventProf Role
Topics included “trials and tribulations of running a biz,” “getting sales to do what you want” and “getting a seat at the table.”
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When the topic turned to why the meeting planner life is often depicted as so hard on social media, the overwhelming pressures named were not the fact that they are planning for unpredictable humans who have diverse needs and emergencies, dealing with extreme weather or even rising prices. Meeting professionals were exasperated because they wanted to be treated like, well, professionals.
“You hired me as the expert and then you treat me like I’m nothing,” said Virsitour CEO Debbie Garcia. The lack of respect and communication of critical information makes doing the job difficult to say the least. And, at the end of the day, the event organizers gathered in the Nissan Club Lounge agreed they just want to produce the best product but need respect and tools to do so.
Joel Tillirson, vice president of events with TRUE Network Advisors, may have said it best. “You have to have that trust to be able to be a changemaker.” That is the case whether you are a freelancer or an in-house corporate or association event manager.
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Stevens suggested calling or emailing the CEO or executive leader depending on the size of the company to pitch ideas if a manager is gatekeeping the events team. “Ask for a meeting or a lunch to build a relationship and share stats about the impact effective meetings can make compared to ones that don’t innovate and change,” he said.
“It’s a bit bold, but you have to shoot your shot and if they choose to go the other way, that’s their decision but at least they will know you aren’t a party planner.”
When meeting professionals have a voice at the table and are heard, they can be more effective, and the long hours, unpredictability and negotiations are just part of the journey to that joy of impacting human lives.
“As events become more important with AI making people not trust anything online, your events are going to be the differentiator in the business,” Stevens said.
Lathan seconded the idea of telling a story that positions events as business builders. “Make sure events are known as the ‘P,’ not the ‘L,’ in the profit and loss columns,” she said.
GGarcia,who is an event professional, owns a tech startup, is the mother of two children and is pursuing her MBA, shared her secrets for balancing the challenges of long to-do lists. She leverages productivity tools, including AI, and schedules strategic power hours and me-time for massages after every event. “I put it in my calendar.”
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To put the work in perspective, Curt Jenkins, a touring production manager for the portion of the 95,000-fan CMA Fest that took place where the NFL Titans play, took a few minutes to talk about the logistics behind the 52nd running of the music festival.
The high-security operation entails multiple stages, premium television rights and a small, but mighty team. The four people tasked with moving the operation to the new stadium have already started planning for 2027. When showtime gets closer, freelancers and local labor vendors, AV teams, caterers and production assistants come in. Two stage managers handle the artists, who bring their own teams.
To protect the artists, the site locks down with their trailers in a secured perimeter. That makes any last-minute changes cchallenging,as trucks can’t come in if there are last-minute changes. “It’s part of the joy of working live events,” Jenkins said.
