ways of working

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Presentation & Procurement Departments

Regardless of whether or not our client actually has a procurement department, please work as if they do.  Procurement managers are professional Negotiators.  

Be prepared when meeting with clients, as these encounters can significantly influence the trajectory of our business relationships. Entering these meetings unprepared can leave us vulnerable to unfavorable negotiations, undermining our perceived value, and potentially result in contracts that are financially or operationally detrimental. Procurement people are skilled negotiators with a focus on cost-efficiency and risk management. Without a well-defined strategy, comprehensive understanding of our scopes, and readiness to articulate and defend our pricing and terms, we risk conceding more than necessary and compromising the integrity and profitability of our services. Thorough preparation is critical.

Contractors & Freelancers 

• Here’s a link to send all contractors & freelancers that will help them get onboarded & answer all the usual questions in one place. 

• Supplier Contract template.

Dealing with 3rd Parties:

Supplier Agreement – Google Sheets

Anyone we hire (Independent Contractor, Corporate Entity) must return a signed supplier agreement AND a W9 form.  

FYI - please share this link with Vendors so you don’t get hit up with a ton of insane questions. 

Negotiations:

It's a common and acceptable practice to negotiate with suppliers & vendors.  Honestly, it's sometimes like trying to buy a fake Rolex on the street.  When a vendor presents us with a costly estimate, its generally understood that there is room for negotiation.  We have been able to secure Venues at ½ the proposed price, and catering for ⅓ off in the past.  To NOT negotiate is simply leaving our client’s money on the table and will almost always lead to budget overages.  It also makes us a target for “easy money” to these suppliers. Over time, we will need to sever our relationships with these vendors because we’ve trained them to overcharge.  When we talk about treating the client’s money like it's our own, this is a critical part of the production process.  Pay a fair price for services - but don’t be a target.

Contracts:

Contracts for Venues, Caterers, AV companies, or any 3rd party MUST be shared with the business manager AND Mandy for review. 

Event Production Best Practices & Procedures

We do have some specific ways of working in regards to event production that you should become familiar with.  

Live events come with a lot of moving parts & X-factors which means that if anything goes sideways at any point, and we find ourselves in an emergency situation, we need to be at the top of our games to deal with it in the most effective way possible.  Overall, the Executive Producer on the event is responsible for anticipating such things and implementing protocols and procedures.  These are BASELINE procedures & practices.

Safety:

NOTE:  NONE of this is negotiable.  Regardless of compliance legality, we, as event producers, are only interested in doing things at the highest level of efficacy and integrity.  One injury or (God forbid) death at one of our events will be something none of us would ever live down, and I really don’t care if it costs a bit more to do things right.  If something isn’t in the budget and you feel you might not be able to provide the highest level of safety to our guests, you are empowered to spend what you need to spend. Just bring it to the Executive Producer’s attention & we’ll deal with the expense.  Clients will ALWAYS agree with this policy.  We value people over profits.  

On-site Sobriety & Preparedness:  At any stage of producing on-site live events, anyone or any 3rd party that represents Overkill and our clients may not be under the influence of alcohol or any psychoactive substances.  This is a zero-tolerance policy.

Security:

For an event where alcohol is being served, have a procedure in place to deal with intoxicated guests. 

Intoxicated Guests:

All bartenders are, of course, required to be certified – which means that they are supposed to be trained to cut off guests who show signs of intoxication.  That said, it doesn’t always happen - especially at events where alcohol is complementary and there are multiple bars present.  It's important to have a plan for how to deal with intoxicated guests.  It should be talked about thoroughly and discussed with the client and signed off on PRIOR to the event.  Side note:  Make sure to also deal with the possibility that one of the intoxicated guests might be a VIP or an employee of the client.   There are NO acceptable scenarios where it would be ok to allow a guest to drive home showing any signs of intoxication.  Plan accordingly.  Every Member of our Staff should be well versed in what to do in case this happens.  

Medical Emergencies:

All live events must have an appropriate number of licensed EMT on site, ready to deal with any medical emergency ranging from acute illness, food allergy attacks, etc.  EVERY Overkill Employee should be introduced to the security officers and the EMTs on-site and we should be completely prepared to deal with any & all emergencies as a team. 

Catering:

Any KNOWN allergens for passed or catered food should have a warning sign posted clearly next to the food.  Work with the caterer to review the menu thoroughly.  

Fire :

• Work with the venue to review fire safety, fire extinguishers, exits, etc.

• At any moment during ANY live marketing event, we may be visited by a fire inspector.  ALL props must be fireproofed.  This is NOT negotiable.  Copied of Fire proofing certificates must be clearly inserted into the Production Book.  Until we update this doc, use THESE guidelines as gospel.

• Work with the venue to get rubber-stamp approval from all necessary parties on floor-plans, and production set-up / run of show.  Make sure we are keeping fire exits clear and unobstructed.  Etc. 

• Make sure we are compliant with all fire safety codes.  It's good practice to get ahead of these things by working with the local fire department PRIOR to the event. 

• Run through practice scenarios for what to do incase of a fire inspection. They can be nerve rattling and absolutely lead to an event shut down if we are not prepared.  

Crowd Control:

Have a plan for EVERYTHING.  That’s all I’ll say for now, but plan for every scenario where Crowds might cause issues. 

ON-SITE EVENT MANAGEMENT:  Ok, so in the 400 years I have been working events, one constant I’ve always been frustrated by is trying to communicate our own team once doors have opened.  Communication is key - and I’ve never seen it NOT broken.  So, here’s how we’re going to fix it.  

Each event will be assigned an Event Project Manager.  This person will be stationed in the production office and should never leave.  Their responsibility is to make sure they have a plan for how to deal with EVERY FORESEEABLE problem or need through efficient communication with all key team members and on-site vendors.  

How that plays out is this:  If you see that there’s an area that’s overflowing with dirty glassware & dishes, you just text / or radio the EPM, and they will start a ticket to deal with the problem.  They will contact the head of catering & confirm that the problem has been rectified.  So you don’t have to go running around asking “does anyone have eyes on catering”?  Its onto the next thing… You see a drunk person that needs to be dealt with, same thing… the EPM will contact the head of security & dispatch someone to the scene.  This is how fire departments, police precincts, and medical dispatch units operate because its the most efficient way to make things happen quickly.