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Do You Want Order Takers or Problem Solvers? – The Value of the Right Event Producer

We have all seen them, well intentioned operations folks that do everything exactly as a client requests or the procedures dictate, no questions asked. Everybody like someone who follows instructions exactly, right? Well, not exactly. My Dad often used a common phrase for this: “Like Lemmings to the sea”, he would say, shaking his head.

Our job as Business Event professionals is to look out for our clients’ interests, even when they don’t know they need it. It keeps the lemmings from running over the cliff. The value of a problem solver as an Event Producer is that she will let a client know why what they are requested is not the best idea, and have a replacement plan ready that would accomplish the goal.

An avid fan of the original “Law and Order,” our Senior Event Producer, Sarah Howard, dreamed of being an Assistant District Attorney when she was growing up. While her district attorney career pursuit didn’t quite come to fruition, her talents for taking on opportunities (those things that pop up in the daily life of an Event Producer) is certainly her forte. Her problem-solving passion ties back to those original career aspirations.

It’s a common occurrence to think your world just crumbled as a planner. There will always be things that pop up or your stakeholder just changed direction and you must make it happen. Having the right DMC partner in a destination will not only ease the burden of the unexpected, but that Event Producer can pull strings to make what you thought was impossible happen. A standard answer from Sarah will always be: “Let’s figure it out.” Her attitude comes from years of experience and working with well vetted suppliers who trust her as much as she trusts them. Having confidence that you can find a solution is the key to taking on the unknown.

How many times have you booked a tour or an event and at the last minute got asked to move the time up 30 minutes? If you booked a tour through a tour company and needed to adjust the start time, you would likely get an unfavorable response. But leveraging the relationships someone like Sarah has with her partners makes all the difference in the world if that tour needs to move times on the fly. Or what happens when your boss wants a parade at the drop of the hat, but the deadline for permits has long passed? Or there’s the event that encompasses 15 different stakeholders, multiple transportation companies and requires taking hold of the communication with competition to make it all happen. Someone like Sarah who is respected among suppliers and partners in the New Orleans hospitality industry is experienced in leveraging relationships and navigating through the red tape. She will keep your lemmings from the cliff!

Working with a trusted partner, like PRA New Orleans, is priceless. To learn more, read our client testimonials on http://www.nolameetings.com/about-us/.