Check out these 5 tips to help event techs stand out in the live events industry.
Everyone has their idea of what ‘level up’ means. More success, more fulfillment, social relevance - it can be anything. For us, it has always boiled down to a combination of all these factors, plus the enjoyment that comes from doing a challenging job well.
Positivity is the one thing that we always need in an unpredictable industry. Crew members interact directly with clients, and their employers need to be assured of their willingness to put their best foot forward, put their employers in a good light, take whatever comes, and make the best of it.
Perhaps dependability goes hand-in-hand with positivity because putting your best foot forward includes doing what you’ve promised to deliver. There's a lot of opportunity out there and not a lot of folks that are available to take those opportunities. So just being optimistic and showing results make a real difference.
A close second is being talented at what they’re doing. This depends on choosing the right profession for yourself because event company techs know they’re signing up for a chaotic and tough industry.
Choosing the right gigs as a freelancer or the right company for full-time employees is just as important. Organizations have reputations, and “it's important to pick the reputation that you want to carry because you have one, whether you like it or not, it's just, you know, we all strive to have a good reputation, but you know, you brought up something interesting many times, it's the end client, who's making decisions.”
Experience and opportunities help, but both employer and employee need to have a really strong work ethic to bring the best out of each other.
🎧 Related: How To Advance Your Events Career Through Education & Training
Creating strong work ethics becomes easier when you build relationships with focus and intention.
Crew members are a fragmented lot. Sometimes, you are stuck with one team for months only to never see them again after the concert; you may end up working together forever. It is part of the chaos we were discussing earlier. It’s simpler for full-time employees to build a sense of community with all their colleagues but freelance techs need to forge connections with intentionality.
And the truth is that every industry member is a colleague and (if we may) a family member of sorts. Letting team members know how important they are and appreciating their presence helps in building camaraderie, even if it’s only a weekend concert. Teams should operate like show families, with open, honest communication, respect, and preparedness.
If someone is doing what you aspire to do one day, you have to take the initiative, go over to them, and discuss the possibilities of them being a mentor to you. Access to these talented people is part of the perks of running a gig alongside them. An aspiring surgeon or violinist may have no truck with the greats in their field, but the magic of events is you might find yourself working alongside your idol any day of the week.
Don't be afraid to ask them if they would be willing to mentor you, ask them if they would even be willing to let you shadow them from time to time at your own expense, of course, but just, you know, tag along with them. Take notes. See how they're interacting with the clients, see what tools they have, see what questions they ask, offer to buy them a coffee or drink at the bar after the show that day, and just pick their brain.
As working professionals, we need to listen to others, ask for help whenever necessary, and go beyond the job description.
A mistake you have to avoid is burning bridges. You may be working with a team you’ve just met and you might never meet them again. But you also might. Allowing one bad experience to manipulate your perspective of this industry is incorrect.
Today’s production assistant is tomorrow’s producer, with the power to decide if your experience and abilities are good enough to book you for the next gig. Just like in any other industry, perseverance in the face of odds counts for a lot.
The key word is having respect for yourself, your job, and your employer. The whole world just survived something unprecedented, and this is a good time to sit back and look at how far the events industry has come. Perhaps we should be grateful to simply be able to work again, and elated to be given the chance to level up our events careers.
We know better now, and we should be able to do better. Young (and not-so-young) tech professionals with expertise and hustle can change the way clients view this industry. And along with a dazzling career, you will have built yourself something very precious: authentic relationships for life.
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