by Victor Georgescu

When we draw the coordinates of an event, together with its main beneficiaries, we negotiate a lot of aspects of the event, from the location, catering or the technical rider, to decoration elements, activities, the agenda or the concept of the event. Therefore, we notice every time the fact that events are complex systems, with many “moving parts”, many of them right up to the last moment.

Many times in event management, the difference is made by the project team, as well as their collaborative relationships with the main partners involved in the event (representatives of the location, catering, technical, etc.), but also the relationship with the client’s representatives. In this system, each party wants to maximize the benefit obtained, for example: the location wants to include in the offer as many services as possible; catering seeks to grow in quantity rather than in variety; the client needs as many impact elements as possible; the technique promotes as many lights as possible, etc. It is the duty of the project team to coordinate all these pressures in favor of the client.

Taking into account all these “moving parts”, it can often lead to the conversation about supplementing the budget for the event. In this conversation, it is usual for the client’s representatives to question this need and to negotiate either the inclusion of extra elements in the existing budget, or finding other solutions to fit within the budget. The role of the project team is to balance all the interests present in the organization of the event and to communicate as clearly as possible to the client the impact of each decision.

We have had several occasions in which the benefits of a constructive conversation that causes the need for extra-budget for the realization of the intended event have been confirmed. Sometimes, these conversations help everyone involved to better understand what the event’s objectives are, to prioritize the really important elements and to communicate more clearly. Other times, even if they are rarer, these conversations give rise to unconventional solutions in which “more is obtained with less”.

The extra effort of the project team, on the other hand, is “used” all this time. Not only by finding (or at least by searching) the best customized solutions, but also by the long-term management of all partners. It is a common case that certain event organization agencies obtain preferential quotes from other suppliers, as a result of the quality relationship between the two parties. All these factors influence (even directly) the budget of an event, being included in the extra effort of the project team.

Organization agencies of truly valuable events must, in principle, give the extra effort necessary to maximize the impact, this being visible and appreciated by customers. At the same time, we encourage constructive negotiations when the extra-budget problem arises, but it is also important for clients to understand the value they are buying with a certain budget.