Who makes virtual events tick? Episode 4

21 August 2020

 

With the continuing shift into virtual and hybrid events, the CMS team think it is a great time to take you on a tour behind the scenes to introduce you to the people in the roles that make these events happen. The roles on a virtual or hybrid event are a little different to those at a live event, look at how we do it.

EPISODE FOUR: THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Episode Four: THE EXECUTIVE/EVENT PRODUCER with Michael Chard
Customer: MYOB
Date: July 2020
Location: StudioCMS, Melbourne

Michael joined the team in 2019 as our Event Producer-Sport. Whilst his specialty is Sports Presentation, his 11+ years of event management experience and skills have transferred directly into the virtual events world as an Executive Producer.

“…with my extensive event management background, it’s been a great experience and opportunity to work with some of our other staff in the Media and Production team to learn the whole other side of our business…. And look at how to put on a TV SHOW…”

With a love for sports and how important they are in our communities; Michael was drawn to events management so that he could get in behind the scenes to plan and organise how game days and events roll out to the fans. His passion for events planning and his focus on customer service is what has seen him thrive as one of our Executive Producers during this shift into the virtual events world.

Michael loves working closely with our customers to assist them in crossing the bridge from live events to virtual events. He is a big believer in providing a smooth customer experience and brings his event versatility and can-do attitude to each event.

What do Executive Producers do?

The executive producer traditionally supervises the content creation and the financial aspects of the production. In film production they usually provide the funding – but in our virtual events world they maintain and manage the event budget.

The Executive Producer oversees the full production and is the conduit between the production crew and creative crew, and is the main customer liaison throughout the project.

EP’s have to be able to work quickly and make snap decisions, keep the logistics and planning of the show on track, run production meetings, distribute tasks to crews, interpret customer requirements, corral content and schedule the entire show.

The EP also delivers all of the on-set and green room requirements for the talent and the customers during the live production.

Sometimes the EP will take on various assistance roles on the day of the virtual event to fill any gaps. They are well-placed to do this as they, above everyone, have a wide and deep view of how the show will unfold.

Michael has all the skills to enable him to keep on top of the demanding schedule of the EP, he is organised, friendly, down-to-earth, calm and makes our customers feel at ease.

Stay tuned for Episode Five: The Vision Production Team

Don’t let the technology scare you. Just make sure you have the right partners on board that you can trust to deliver your event to the level of professionalism you desire. Big or small, CMS does them all. So, if you need some advice or assistance with your next virtual or hybrid event, give us a call.