There Goes The Neighborhood - Producing Residential Events

Few events are as difficult to plan and execute as those taking place in “residential areas” (such as street festivals, sporting tournaments, and political/social advocacy events). Beyond the logistical difficulties of access and resources, there's the delicate issue of dealing with the residents themselves, who may not be thrilled with the inconvenience your event may created. However, if you keep the following steps in mind, you'll minimize a number of potentially dicey issues down the line.

1. 
   

   Make sure anyone who may be affected by your event is notified. Never rely on the city to do so. Even in the best cases, they'll only be able to offer an overview of what to expect, and in the worst will neglect to do much of anything in the way of community outreach. Since this event is a physical manifestation of your company (and will shape public opinion regarding it), you owe it to yourself to take the lead.

   
   


2. 
   

   Be proactive – create mailers, organize an information session, canvas door-to-door...the method itself is less important than getting information out into the community early. Once you have your plan in place, THEN invite your local government representatives to take part. If they see that you have matters under control, they're more likely to step in for you when you need assistance (and more importantly, will stay clear when you don't).

   
   


3. 
   

   Offer them an opportunity to contribute to the planning process. After all, no one knows the neighborhood as well as its residents. Traffic patterns, parking issues, and access areas are most easily identified by those who have the most exposure to them. More importantly, there's no better way to gain buy-in and minimize complaints than to offer them a “stake” in it's execution The benefits of this cannot be overstated.

   
   


4. 
   

   Respond to their concerns – Even if your local government grants you access to a particular area, you are still a “guest”. If the residents express a concern about anything, don't simply brush it off, or worse, have them take it up with the local government. Work with them to solve the problem as quickly and amicably as possible. Aside from simply being the right thing to do, it's self serving – once disgruntled neighbor can quickly rally an angry mob if they feel they've been slighted.

   
   

For assistance and advice in executing your event in a residential area, schedule your consultation with Sytelabs today.

The Benefit of Less

Two concerts, one venue, and one very important lesson regarding event production:

Concert #1 – Legendary D.C. Hardcore band famous for doing things their own way. A $6 ticket, no light show whatsoever, and a stage so bare you could see the ventilation ducts on the back of the stage wall. Sound system was marginal at best, but sufficient for its purposes. End result – 2 hours of sweating, mind-blowing performance and a iconic status confirmed.

Concert #2 – Underground Hip-Shock band from Detroit with a similarly independent ethos. $30 ticket, massive light and sound rig, actors in costume, a mountain of fake gore, the works. End result – based on reviews and overheard conversations, one big collective sigh.

Which show do you think people are still talking about?

The argument has little to do with the music itself...there is no accounting for individual taste, and since each show sold equally well, it's essentially a direct comparison on all fronts (show promotion, ticket accessibility, etc).. So what was it that concert #1 had that concert #2 was lacking? A focus on the core of the business.

Concert #2 sounded alright, and the performance was up to par, but amongst all of the visual noise did the message (in this case, the music) break through? Judging by the reaction I witnessed, not enough to create a truly lasting memory.

When it comes to events, if you give your audience a quality product, they'll gladly overlook any “flash” that you can't provide. Keeping the focus on the essence of the product is the highest form of respect you can offer your audience. It tells them that you trust their capacity to identify value, and aren't trying to compensate for inferior performance with layers of sensory distraction.

So if you're on a limited budget, forgo those extra “stage lights” and invest a bit more in your core message. Even if you can afford it all, be careful to ensure you're not masking your real value with pretty packaging your audience can't open. Sometimes its best to lay it bare under blinding white lights