Live Event Production Customer Success Story: GoGather

Live Event Production Customer Success Story: GoGather

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and organizations faced numerous challenges in conducting their operations. One of the most significant obstacles in our industry was the ability to hold meetings, conferences, and other large events. An event planning client of ours, GoGather, dealt with many of these issues as well. Just like most of our live events, the pandemic had caused a company called Groundworks, a client of GoGather, to delay their meeting for years, but they were finally able to announce their big news: an employee stock option plan and return to in-person activities. 

The Goal

The client's main goal was to make a fun and impactful live event for their entire company, not just the management team. They wanted to bring in everyone, including those in manual labor positions who had never attended a big meeting like this before. 

Overcoming the Challenges

The event needed to be ready and set in a short amount of time, from Friday afternoon through Saturday. This would normally be fine but the show itself required 3-4 days of setup due to the event being jam packed with activities and sessions. The setup consisted of having a 200 ft truss and converged projectors with an oversized audio system. While the setup was big, it was completed efficiently due to the help of our expert team who are used to putting on these types of shows. The challenge was to ensure that each aspect of the event went smoothly. The event consisted of awards shows, dinners, keynotes, and even a celebrity guest, Mike Rowe from "Dirty Jobs" (the company primarily does foundation repair). 

Another challenge presented itself in the form of show calling. “Show-calling” is a term and/or role in audio-visual production. A show caller acts as a stage manager would in a theater production and directs the technical side of the show. It’s imperative that every event has a good show call, but the more fast paced your event becomes, the more difficult this job can be. The production team brought in show callers who wrote the script on the fly due to the fast-paced nature of the event. Having a show caller who works with the same production team often is key to ensuring a successful event and led to our team overcoming this challenge seamlessly. 

However, not everything went according to plan. The client's local vendor overestimated their ability to provide enough labor, which caused the decor to not be ready 45 minutes before doors opened. Thankfully, our head producer offered to help, and the Clarity team assisted with setting up decor where needed. While it was a simple kind gesture, the client appreciated the extra help and found it endearing.

Outlook on the Production

Despite the challenges, the event turned out to be spectacular. This is due to Clarity’s effort in bringing top-notch technicians that can be counted on to do their part and to work together for the production’s benefit. It was actually a blast and the clients/attendees really matched the energy of the production and made it feel like a concert. We actually tested the limits of the JBL VerTecs that we used for this event. This is a good note for next time, as we’ll bring even bigger speakers to give the audience more of that concert type of feel. 

After years of being a part, Groundworks successfully was able to bring their whole company together and celebrate their employees. The team's ability to adapt to last-minute changes and ability to work with the client's needs ensured that everyone had a great time.

Work With Clarity Experiences

Clarity wants to create lasting experiences for our clients and their attendees. We do this by producing an impactful audio-visual production experience to align with your vision and brand. Taking pride in not being your garden variety AV production company, our model focuses on our people and those people make your live event invaluable. It’s the sauce that makes Clarity the adventurous family you always wished you had. Let’s collaborate on your next event, and make it spectacular! Schedule a call below to get started on your next live event.