A Guide to Planning Your Event Pre-Recording Sessions

Why Having Customer Cooperation is Crucial for Pre-Records

The next few years in the events industry are going to be really exciting because of all the different kinds of events that are going to be put on. You can still expect to see virtual events happening, you can expect to start seeing live events to come back, and then you can also expect to see a combination of the two with hybrid events. With that being said, pre-recording content is going to be more important than ever. 

As a meeting planner, having a plan and customer cooperation is crucial for having a successful pre-recording session. Too often with virtual events, pre-recordings are rushed and not well thought out, which leads to re-doing it several times and taking up time and money which can be better used preparing for the event. Working together, this effort can be improved and the experience for both the presenters and the production teams will be fun and rewarding. Keep on reading to learn more about customer cooperation and some of Clarity’s tips that will help you along the way! 

Tips: Achieving successful customer cooperation

Before we get into how to manage your presenters and how to have successful pre-recording sessions, we want to start with talking about our tips for successful customer cooperation, because that’s where it all starts. 

1. The more communication with your presenters, the better. You might feel apprehensive about being stern with them, but laying out the process in advance and getting buy in with your presenters will make your life much easier come game time.
2. If the pre-records don’t look good, reschedule it. Your presenters might not want to reschedule, but stay firm and don’t let it slide.
3. Trust your AV partner to recommend the right technology for pre-records and don’t cut corners!
4. If pre-recording is the way to go, invest the same time you would as if it were a live event. 
5. Take the small amount of time to do it well and right the first time, don’t half-ass it. 
6. Keep in mind the cost impact of doing it right the first time and paying once vs. paying double because you didn’t do it right and have to do it again. 

Preparation: How meeting planners can successfully manage presenters in both live and virtual environments 

Managing presenters can be tricky, but having to manage presenters in different environments is even trickier, so being prepared is important. When it comes to virtual presenters, they may be busy, at home, or at work. There is a possibility that presenters might have a lot of interruptions and might not understand the importance of investing enough preparation time in advance. We have seen situations where virtual presenters are not “in the zone” and pre-recorded presentations for virtual events are just another item on the presenter to-do list. This needs to change and it needs to be made a priority!  

Managing live presenters is a little different because they go through a process to get to the event itself. They have to travel, fly to the location, check-in the hotel, and then show up for rehearsals. This entire process is mentally preparing the presenter days in advance, even if they don’t realize it. Then, once rehearsals kick off at a live event, everyone involved is in the same room. This is different from the virtual environment because they are away from most distractions you’d find at home or in the office. At this point, these live presenters are “in the zone” because the environment and process getting there require it! 

Execution: Key factors to conducting successful pre-recording presentations

When meeting planners align with their production partner on executing a communication plan for the presenters, you automatically get many different benefits: 

1. You have a clear timeline to capture recording as well as an understanding of how appointments will be scheduled. 
2. Your production partner will explain the technology being used and what content is acceptable for the presenter. 
3. Your production partner will explain expectations for the presenter in advance. 
4. You will work together to meet deadlines. If deadlines are not met, it’s important to include room in your budget for the increased cost to accommodate for cancellations or missed appointments. 

Allocate enough time to complete tech checks and capture a quality recording

1. Don’t rush this part! Take your time and get a quality recording. Taking your time on the front end is worth it in the long run. 
2. Allow for retakes, just in case. Like we said earlier, if they don’t look great, redo them. By allowing time for retakes, you will feel less stress and be more willing to do the retake.   

Take your production partners advice when it comes to technology

1. Your production partner has the experience and expertise to offer you the right technology for the job. This is not the place to take short-cuts. They are recommending a certain webcam, light, and mic to get the highest production quality. 
2. If your production partner will be sending out a presenter kit, you may consider sending something fun with it to make your presenter smile or even include a gift. A few ideas of some things you can send are a swag bag, water bottle, mask, etc. 

That's Why it's Important to Have Customer Cooperation With Pre-Records

There you have it! Why having a plan and customer cooperation is so important for meeting planners. Pre-recorded content isn’t going anywhere, so be prepared to know how to make the most of it and how to make sure it’s as successful as possible. Give us a call today to talk about your upcoming events, whether they are virtual, live, or hybrid!