Some companies will be glad to see the back of 2020. There's no doubting that it's been a tough year for the events industry and so many others. However, we are not an event production company to sit still. We view the challenges presented by COVID-19 as an opportunity to innovate, develop new services, and step up for our clients where needed.
That's not something that many event equipment hire companies are going to be in a position to do moving forwards into 2021. So the question to you is, will you stick by a supplier offering the same old things? Will they be able to withstand the pressures of the most challenging winter trading conditions on record? Or is it time for you to start the new year by making a much-needed change?
Audio Visual Hire – London-Based Companies Set to Be Tested Through Winter
While there's no question that many industries are suffering from the adverse economic impact of the pandemic, for many of you, it's going to be a case of "the show must go on." What that means is that you're soon going to have to decide on who you're going to be relying on moving forward for your event production needs.
You need to choose a company that you know you can call upon; no matter how difficult things get concerning the economy. Situations are changing on an almost daily basis, and you'll need to have an events partner on board who can remain agile enough to cope with those demands.
Over the next six months, the winter will test some of those companies who are either unwilling or unable to adapt to the new situation in which we all find ourselves. As an event organiser, you can't afford to have your event equipment hire supplier let you down or renege on promises when the going gets tough.
Here at On Tour Events, we've spent the autumn preparing ourselves for the leaner winter months at changed our operations to become as flexible as possible. Rather than feeling sorry for ourselves, we've gone back to the drawing board with a number of our services to reduce lead times across the board. It's a move that gives us a competitive advantage both today and long into a future where COVID-19 no longer dominates the world.
Of course, without the necessary finances in place, it doesn't matter how quick, flexible or agile we are. That's why we've taken the steps required to ensure that we can continue to operate without any revenue (which is extremely unlikely) right through to the summer of next year.
What that means for you, our events partner, is that you have a cast-iron guarantee that we aren't going to let you down. You can rest assured that come what may, On Tour Events will be here, ready and waiting to supply and oversee (if necessary) all of your event production needs. Such a promise is not something many event production companies can offer you at this moment in time.
But pandemic or not, you may also be using these unprecedented times as a chance for your company or organisation to review your current supplier relationships.
Inertia is the Enemy of Successful Events
While taking stock of 2020, it may be a good idea to pause and reevaluate your AV supplier relationship. Ask yourself when was the last time they were proactive with their service offerings to you? Has the relationship become stale?
One of the tell-tale signs that it's time to make a change is if you host annual events that have barely changed for several years. It's easy to become set in your ways and fall into a pattern of repeating what has worked well in the past. However, times move on, trends change, and if your AV company haven't offered you anything new in the last few years, they could be directly contributing to the slow decline of the reputation of your event.
Companies that host events are dynamic too. Maybe your budget has changed, but the offers from your event services supplier have remained largely the same due to a lack of alternative inventory. Perhaps every time you voice a desire to change the format of your event, you're talked around into accepting the dogma "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
We accept that once you've found a good company and you've built up an excellent working relationship change can be difficult. But if it's got to the point where your AV supplier seems to know your events better than you do, then it's probably time to introduce some fresh blood and new perspectives.
If you stand still in the events industry, you get left behind. Events that become repetitive, boring, and dull will turn off your attendees. Put it this way, if your event is the same year in, year out, what is the point of your guests returning? Where's the intrigue? Where's the anticipation? If your attendees know what they're getting in advance, they'll stop coming. It's as simple as that.
Here at On Tour Events, we're acutely aware that now, more than ever before, we need to help our clients adapt and evolve their event concepts so that they can take place in a COVID-secure environment.
With that in mind, let's use this space to tell you about our activities and innovations over the past few months to meet the new demands of the event industry.
On Tour Events Continues to Innovate in the Face of the Pandemic
When the pandemic first struck, we were in the middle of a tour on the continent of Europe providing stage hire and related event production services to a number of large-cap music festivals. But once their cancellations fell like dominoes, we quickly rallied around at our headquarters in London to devise a new strategy moving forward.
We changed vast swathes of our business in a mere matter of weeks. We retrained every staff member so that they understood the new COVID-secure working protocols, ordered and supplied the necessary PPE, and started expanding our service offering to meet the changing demands of the events industry.
We were put into action almost straight away, tasked with designing and delivering a fully-equipped festival stage for one of this summer's socially-distanced music festivals. We were placed in charge of everything, from creating the mini-stage "pods" for the audience to overseeing the lighting, sound, and a monstrous LED video wall backdrop. Our lead time for an entire festival? Just six weeks. It's one of our proudest achievements to date.
But we haven't rested on our laurels, content with merely redesigning how we deliver existing services, we've added new ones too. We were one of the first event equipment hire companies to spot the potential for marquees to extend the usable space at a venue. We invested in several designs, and have already provided them to several events.
For many proceedings, the marquees they hired afforded protection from the elements to outdoor events that had to be moved outside. For others, they extended the floor space of events that were struggling to maintain indoor social distancing. You could say that they offer the best of both worlds, and we were only too happy to move mountains to supply them to our grateful clients.
We've also made a sizeable investment into expanding our arsenal of LED video panels. We realise that LED screens are going to play critical roles in outdoor events moving forwards and so we've pre-empted that bump in demand by increasing our inventory of high-definition, low-pixel-pitch LED screens. We've already supplied those new screens to many outdoor cinema companies, and we are expecting to continue those relationships for most, if not all, of 2021.
Again, all of these rapid transformations, investments, and expansion of event services have taken place at a time when other providers are restricting what they offer to the clients. We're proud that being proactive is part of our company's DNA, and it's something we will continue to do no matter how challenging conditions become.
Which Events On Tour Events Supply Event Equipment Hire Associated Services to?
If you're thinking of making a change with your event production or AV supplier, you may be wondering if we are a good fit for your organisation and the type of events you host. The truth of the matter is our client base is incredibly varied. We're now pushing 2,000 successful events since inception, and we've pretty much covered the whole gamut. But it's worth getting into a little more detail to illustrate just how broad we go.
We started life in the corporate events and conference sector, and we continue to have one of the best reputations after well over 20 years of service within this sector. We are the preferred AV suppliers for many London and Surrey-based venues, and we've used our knowledge within this niche to expand into several additional domains.
One of those domains is exhibitions and trade shows. We work with clients on both sides of the equation, kitting out venues with all of the necessary AV equipment as well as designing custom and modular exhibition stands and sets for clients launching new products. Awards shows and gala dinners are another area of strength for us. We've even delivered contracts for national award ceremonies in prominent London venues such as the O2, for example.
Wedding events are another one of our fortes, and we've been lucky enough to deliver some of the most prestigious and exclusive wedding events both in the UK and on the continent in our time. Lastly, we do a lot of work in the outdoor events industry, providing staging, rigging, trusses, and all manner of event equipment hire services for music concerts, music festivals, community events, village fêtes, you name it! If your event needs a stage, we can design, deliver, and build it without breaking a sweat.
In essence, no matter what the particular style or nature of your event, it's likely that we can help in some way shape or form. If you need professional sound, lighting, stage, set, or LED screen equipment, we've got you covered.
Why Choose On Tour Events as Your 2021 Events Partner?
No one knows what the dying embers of 2020 may hold for the world. Who knows, maybe there could be a breakthrough in rapid testing or a vaccine that allow us to return to normality. However, what we do know is that you'll need an events partner standing by your side that can be both proactive and rapidly adapt to each situation as they unfold.
Regardless of the current world events, perhaps 2021 is the year to try something new. Maybe your events have become a touch stale, and you need a fresh perspective to inject a little bit more life into them. Who better than an outfit such as ourselves with a number of events already successfully pulled off in a post-COVID world?
Better yet, one of our most significant differentiating factors is that we stock everything (yes everything!) in-house. We don't need the help of any third-party to design or deliver your event, and we certainly don't "sub" any equipment or personnel in to help pull them off. We provide you with one point of contact for ALL of your event's technical production needs, from AV equipment, stage hire, and on-site support during your event, we are a genuine one-stop solution.
If you need to switch to a proactive event production company that you can rely on no matter what, then On Tour Events is the business partner you need. Why not give us a call for a quick chat to touch base and tell us about your events scheduled for 2021 and beyond? We'd love to hear about what you've got planned.
On Tour Events: Technical Audio Visual Event Services London
OFFICE & WAREHOUSE:
+PHONE: 020 8058 0093
+MONDAY - FRIDAY 08:00 - 20:00
+EMAIL: INFO@ONTOUREVENTS.CO.UK
+POST: Office 108 Belgrove House Belgrove Street, London, WC1H8AA
+FACEBOOK.COM/EVENTPRODUCTIONHIRE
+TWITTER.COM/ONTOUREVENTS
+INSTAGRAM.COM/ONTOUREVENTS
+Google My Busniuess Page & Reviews https://www.google.com/maps?cid=11919891004926379003
