Laura Hunt — Event Producer

Before doors open, do a full run-through and ask yourself:

• Would I know where to go?
• Would I feel welcomed or confused?
• Where would I naturally go if I needed help?

As producers, we see logistics. Attendees feel the experience. Taking a few minutes to shift your perspective can change everything.

1. Find the bottleneck before your guests do.
Parking. Registration. Coffee. Elevators. Every event has one. Your job is to identify it before it becomes a line of frustrated attendees.

2. Leave one person free to solve problems.
Every event has surprises. If every team member is locked into a task, who handles the unexpected? Keep one person flexible and available. They often become the MVP of the day.

3. Listen to what guests ask each other.
Attendees will often ask one another questions before they ask staff. If you keep hearing the same question, you've found a communication gap.

The best event professionals aren't just managing an event. They're paying attention to what everyone else misses.

Before doors open, sit in the furthest corner of the room.

• Can you hear the speaker?
• Can you see the screen?
• Can you read the slides?

VIPs usually get the best experience. The real test is whether the person in the least desirable seat still has a great one. Sometimes the best event feedback doesn't come from a survey. It comes from sitting where your attendees sit.

1. The event is won in the office.
What happens on-site is just the execution. The real work happens in the planning conversations, the details, and the decisions your team makes long before anyone walks through the door.

2. Get aligned early or fix it later.
If roles, expectations, and communication aren't clear upfront, event day becomes a series of small recoveries instead of a smooth experience.

3. Create one source of truth.
When details live in 5 different places, that's where mistakes are made. Keep timelines, roles, updates, and key decisions in one shared place so everyone is working from the same page.

Planning might feel chaotic, and events are almost always a little messy behind the scenes. But when the team is aligned, communicating, and working from the same page, the experience can still feel seamless to everyone in the room.

During an event, don't just stay glued to the ROS. Watch what's actually happening in the space. Read the room.

• Where are people naturally gathering?
• Is the energy where it should be?
• Are there any bottlenecks or confusion points?
• Do attendees look lost or unsure?

The plan lives on paper. The truth lives in the room. Real time awareness leads to real time improvement.

1. Build a run of show that's actually usable, not just pretty.

2. Assign ownership for everything. If everyone owns it, no one does.

3. Always have a backup plan… then one more.

The goal isn't perfection. It's control in the chaos. And trust me, there will always be chaos.

I believe in technology, and I'm a big believer in using it well. I use digital tools constantly, and I genuinely value how much they can streamline planning, communication, and execution.

But when event day arrives, my clipboard is still coming with me.

No matter how many systems I learn, certifications I earn, or upgraded devices I use, I have never fully let go of hard copies. WiFi can go down. Batteries can die. Screens can freeze at the worst possible moment. And when things are moving fast, some old school tools stay relevant for a reason. They work.

For me, a printed backup is not outdated. It is part of being prepared. And yes, mine has always lived on a clipboard.

1. Protect the first 10 minutes.
The first 10 minutes shape the entire guest experience. Make sure check-in is smooth, signage is obvious, and people instantly know they're in the right place.

2. Set the tone on purpose.
Music, lighting, layout, and small details like organized seating or simple refreshments don't just fill space. They tell people what kind of experience they just walked into.

3. Create clarity at every touchpoint.
From registration to seating to what happens next, clarity removes friction and helps people settle in fast.

Small details don't stay small once the doors open.