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2020
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Discovery Sessions: The Secret Weapon In Event Planning and Management
When planning an event, its success depends on attention to detail. Discovery sessions play a key role in event planning and management. Here’s why.
The Secret Weapon In Event Planning and Management

Organising, managing and delivering an event is a big project. And like most big projects, it goes through natural stages of planning and preparation.

But in event planning, the natural temptation is to start somewhere towards the end: wanting to choose an awesome invite design and a killer setlist you want to give the DJ.

But planning an event this way would be like going on a road trip without checking your oil and water. Without taking care of the fundamentals, you risk running into disaster.

A Discovery Session is your chance to review and define the small details that are crucial to the success of your event.

What Is A Discovery Session?

By now, you should have had an initial project brief with your suppliers (for us, we call them Vision sessions). Those initial briefings set the destination. The Discovery session is a chance to draw the map, understanding exactly how we're all going to get there.

Ideally at the end of a Discovery session we want to understand:

  • The scope of work required
  • Any limitations presented by the venue or environment, and how they can be overcome
  • How the budget can best be allocated
  • A clear timeframe for delivery
  • Defined roles and responsibilities

Every company will have a slightly different way of running their Discovery sessions. But when it comes to event planning and management, here are some of the fundamentals that should be covered.

Site Visits

We consider this a crucial part of successful event management. It's impossible to plan a successful event or immersive experience without first knowing the intricacies of the location where it will be taking place.

For us, it means visiting your venue and finding out everything there is to know about the event, the location, and the gear we'll need. Then we'll sit down and sketch out what can be achieved with the budget and timeframe.

When exploring the environment, we will be relentless. We'll often be asking ourselves: Where can we conceal the projectors? What angles can we work with? What gear is required to make this experience a reality? It's during the Discovery that we find out exactly what's possible.

Every venue, every site is a chance to deliver something new and unique. It's a challenge and an opportunity that true event professionals should embrace.

Setting the timeline and budget

The date and budget of your event will be a major factor in the scope of work that's possible. Most event companies will be able to scale their projects to suit the available costs and timeframes. It's during the Discovery session that we can set expectations around the scope of work and how it will be delivered on time and on budget.

Understanding How Different Suppliers Will Work Together

When planning an event, it's common for companies to have to accommodate and collaborate with other suppliers involved in its delivery.

At Hype, we're often working with different venues and their preferred event suppliers. It's during the Discovery session that we'll understand who is responsible for what, and how we're all going to collaborate. The best events are a collaborative process between passionate experts who are all willing to work together.

A well organised Discovery session can be make or break to your event's success. It's a chance to work out the small details that can be the difference between a good event, and a mind-blowing one.

Hype Entertainment is Wellington's leading audio visual and event production company. Since 2011 we've been mesmerising audiences around New Zealand with fully immersive experiences that dazzle, delight and entertain. Check out some of our projects and Contact Us to find out how we can make your event an experience.

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