Tales from the road(show)
The ultimate roadshow partner delivers smart solutions for potential hiccups before they become a problem. Having one go-to person who you can trust, like production manager Nigel Mintern from AV1, ensures a smooth process from start to finish.
Puzzle masters
“The biggest hurdle for a roadshow is logistics,” says Nigel Mintern. “Recently, a client had allocated just one week for their keynote speaker in Australia and we had to get the roadshow staged in five cities within seven days. That involved transporting everything around the country. “After they give us the brief, we do all the problem-solving for our clients. We’re their one point of contact so they don’t have to juggle multiple suppliers in each location – just the one person they know and trust.”
Big dreamers
“Pretty much anything is possible,” says Nigel. “Of course, budget is one consideration but thinking ahead is also crucial. We produced an event in New Zealand where we had a lot of live foliage as a backdrop. We used a custombuilt structure with moisturised foam pads to keep the plants looking good for the duration of the four-day event. “We’ve done events where the entire conference room has been furnished with small tables and chairs to create a café-style ambience. And for something technically tricky, we livestreamed a DJ in a hot-air balloon, filmed with drones. Obviously safety was our premium concern for that one but each event has its unique challenges and opportunities and we’re always on the lookout for both.”
Quick thinkers
“One time, we were in the hotel having dinner the night before a roadshow and noticed our clients going by with a trolley, looking flustered,” he says. “They were doing a room-drop of gifts for delegates and the hotel didn’t have the staff to do it. We joined in so they could get it done. We’re here to help clients achieve their big-picture objectives, not just look after the AV. “Another time, three days out from an event in Vietnam, the awards dinner unexpectedly had to move venues. We’d spent months custom-building a set for this venue but we then needed to move it into the ballroom space, where the conference was held that day. We had three hours to make the room look completely different. “Every event planner knows to expect the unexpected. But who you have by your side when those hiccups happen is what counts.”
Is that something businesses don’t do enough when they make mistakes – do the analysis that you do so much of in sport?
IT: Personal analysis becomes important for anyone. If you have the opportunity to reflect on your individual performance and you’re given the flexibility to do that, you can improve rather than think a mistake is going to cost you your career. That mistake may be the next billion-dollar idea within your organisation! When we look at the startups making money, they’re people who’ve had a go, taken risks and failed before. We need to keep our minds open.
Should difficulty always offer an opportunity for growth?
KS: Out of losses and difficult circumstances you can create positives for everybody in the organisation. We [Essendon] lost the 1983 grand final in a record loss against the mighty Hawks. When you’re inside a very difficult problem – whether it’s a global financial crisis or banking or football – it’s about having the guts and courage to trim the rosebush and go straight to the next opportunity. At the halfway mark in that match, I said, “I’m going to put all the kids in the middle, goal to goal, to find out if we’ve got anything out of this.” Obviously, I was going to get called in by the board. But my view was: if you’re in difficult circumstances, find out how good you might get to be with the talent you’ve got in your organisation. The next season, we won the 1984 premiership against Hawthorn. Out of a frustrating period of difficulty, we won a grand final that we were never expected to win.