Event Planning and Production

“Production" refers to a different career path that is directly related to event planning.

Production companies manage some of the most visible, and exciting, elements of a meeting, event, or show; the staging, entertainment, videos, lighting, sound, stage effects, and so on. They are the people who sit backstage or in the back of a ballroom, behind large tables overflowing with computers, soundboards, and a whole lot of cables.

There are just as many elements and related jobs to production as there are to events and meetings, including (but not limited to):

• Producer: the person who directs all the other people into doing their part at the right time during the live show; also (usually) the creative genius behind the theme or show concept.
• Technical Director, Audio Tech, and Graphics Designer: all work on the audio visual parts of the show, from sound, to videos, to slideshows, and beyond.
• Lighting Techs: Manage the lighting and special lighting effects.
• Stage Designers: design and create the sets and staging.
• Stage Manager: handles the entertainment or presenters backstage.
• Cameramen: Shoot the live shots of the show, usually for the i-mag screens (the large screens on a stage)
• Spotlight Techs

The more high-profile examples of high-end production would include the Oscars and other awards shows, concerts of any size, and usually anything involving a stage and/or entertainment. In corporate event planning, production companies usually manage meetings that have high-end stage sets and complex presentations and presenters. If it's a smaller meeting with just a basic podium and riser, there won't be a production company involved at all, only an AV tech.

As you can imagine, the lines between event planner and producers can easily be blurred, and vary among each event.

It is an industry that is always changing with updates in technology and creative concepts, and is never the same show twice. If you have a creative streak combined with technology know-how, production could prove to be your dream career.

Click here to continue on to "Career Planning," where you can learn how to maximize your networking options and find your first job in production.

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