This is a topic that many event planners deal with. It’s something that many have come to accept as part of the event industry. It’s also something that can be avoided. What is this mystical concept???

Prioritization

In the event planning world, we typically find that our service is one of the last things planned for a Client’s event. However, when planning an event, our type of service should be one of the first things that should be planned.

I’ll be talking about two different types of events - the party and the meeting.

Let’s start with the Party.

When planning a party, things that typically get planned first are: the venue, the food, the theme, the decorations, door prizes, and finally - the entertainment. While this is typical when planning a party, it sometimes isn’t the best way to plan. Coming from an entertainment background, I would plan the entertainment first. Here’s why…

If the venue is booked first, by the time you get to the entertainment, you may have limited choices. First, because it may be too late in the game to find what you’re looking for. Second, because the venue may have restrictions on the type of entertainment you want. The two main restrictions I’m referring to are lack of proper space (staging, ceiling height, etc.) and lack of power requirements.

Certain venues may not have what is required to have the type of entertainment you want. For example, if you are looking to hire a 5 piece band but the venue only has an 8 foot stage, this would pose a problem. If you wanted to hire a disc jockey with night club lighting and large video screens, but the venue only had 10 amp circuits, the DJ may not be able to use his system. If you wanted to bring in a game show, and the room was set to capacity, it may restrict the type of show we could do because of the lack of space required for the show. When choosing a venue, take into consideration what type of entertainment you are going to have.

The food at a party is important, because you want to make sure the meal is good and everyone has their fill. However, keep in mind the entertainment before you choose the meals for your guests. Most of your party budget will be spent on the food, but you don’t have to go overboard. Many times people get swept away by the food and then realize that there’s not much left over for entertainment. Too many times we have heard, “Well, we only have $XXXX left because we spent $75 or more per plate for food.” If the entertainment was planned first, not only could you get exactly what you wanted, but you could then take a look at the menus and still choose a good, economical meal for your guests. In the end, your guests will remember the entertainment much more than they will remember what they had for dinner.

Theme & Decorations are always fun. Sometimes you want the party to have a theme, and sometimes just some fun decorations are nice. There are so many ways to plan for economical decorations. Paper decorations, floral decorations, attractive centerpieces, chair coverings, table cloths, balloons, and so much more. Keep in mind that no matter how much you invest in the decorations - in the end, your guests are more likely to remember the entertainment vs the color of a chair cover.

Let’s look at an example…

Let’s say you have a budget of $20,000 for your party. You have 200 people attending. You find a great dinner plate for $75 per person. Grand total for food $15,000. That leaves $5,000 for decorations and entertainment. If you figure decorations cost an average of $10 per person, that’s $2,000. There’s $3,000 left. Suppose that everyone gets some type of small prize at a cost of $5 per person. Now there’s $2,000 left. You definitely want to have some bigger prizes, so you get three TV’s at $500 each. There’s $500 left for entertainment and any miscellaneous things you may have forgotten.

Unfortunately, $500 doesn’t get you entertainment that’s very high quality, so your options are limited. In the end, anything you find for $500 many end up presenting people with something less than memorable, so your entire $20,000 is gone and your guests had a less than average time. When something like this happens, it can leave a lasting negative impression that may affect attendance and appreciation down the road.

Let’s revisit this scenario when planning the entertainment first. Let’s say you decide to do a game show (ok, here’s the shameless plug part). You choose a game show that costs $7,500 (all-inclusive with A/V). That leaves $12,500. You find a nice dinner presentation for $40 per plate. That leaves $4,500. Because this is at a newer venue, you decide to save money on decorations and just have a nice themed centerpiece (which can also double as a prize) at each table. With 25 tables, you spend $50 each on these - $1,250 total. You still have $3,250 to spend on additional prizes for the game show. Even if you still give out a small $5 gift to each person that attended, you have $2,250 left over. With a game show as the entertainment, there are a number of ways to creatively distribute that money to your guests.

With a scenario like this, there are many more winners in the audience. They still had a very nice meal, and you were able to offer them outstanding entertainment. Your guests had a great time, as everyone got to participate within their own comfort level, and they leave feeling full, happy, and appreciated. They can’t wait until next year’s party!

Game Show America has been performing at parties for over 12 years. From our experience the main goal at every party is to ensure that everyone has a good time. With this being the goal, we suggest that the entertainment be planned first. Then, if there are any specific requirements, you can make sure your venue has these in place so you don’t limit yourself later. Unfortunately, entertainment has become an afterthought for some, when in reality, it should be the most important part because of your goal - for everyone to have a good time.

If you have any questions on planning your party, please feel free to email us (events@gsapro.com) or call our office (608) 356-2869. OUR GOAL is to make sure that you achieve YOUR GOAL.

Stay tuned for part two…The Meeting.

You may be asking, “Why would you want to post anything about your competition on your blog?”

The answer is simple…

We are comfortable talking about our competition. We know that they are out there. We know they do similar things. We also realize that YOU know they are out there. If you’ve found Game Show America’s Blog, we are confident that you’ve done enough research to realize that there are a few other game show production companies out there that at first glance, look like they do the same thing as Game Show America.

I won’t mention them by name (because if you haven’t found them, that’s OK…). I also won’t badmouth them either. All of the game show companies out there are unique. Each company does its own thing, has its own style of website, different marketing strategies, different game shows, etc. Obviously though, you already know this because you have most likely seen their websites and/or talked with them on the phone.

So the short answer is - YES, Game Show America has some competition. But that’s a good thing. It keeps us on our toes to make sure we’re still the leader in the industry. We’ve found that some of our competition has used GSA as a model for their business. That’s flattering. So instead of talking about what our competition doesn’t do, let’s focus on what Game Show America does well.

GSA was one of the first game show companies to hit the web. Starting in 1996, it took until 2001 to grow into the high-end corporate event market. Up until 1996, I was an English Teacher during the week and a DJ on weekends. I left all of that behind to focus on being the best game show company in the country. It all started with a game show called “Buzz!” - which I made in my garage (FYI - Apple and Microsoft started in garages too).

Over the years, I have grown Game Show America into the largest independent game show production company in the United States. And as the years have gone on, other entrepreneurs have seen the success of GSA and found that it’s possible to make money by playing games. Hence, I see more competition each year.

What’s very satisfying though is that Game Show America was one of the first - a pioneer. We took a huge risk diving into a niche market that wasn’t completely tested. In effect, Game Show America has helped pave the way for the competition. It’s become easier for them to get noticed. It’s definitely flattering to see other companies attempting to duplicate what we’ve created. This is where Game Show America stands out.

One thing that is common with all game show companies is that we all offer similar games (shows that look like their popular TV counterparts are productions you may see companies showcase on their websites). The difference with Game Show America is the level of production and the attention to detail that we provide for your game show. The game show can be simple or elaborate. We have network caliber sets that can transform your event into a real game show studio. We have game shows to fit most budgets.

The level of interaction on most of our shows is 100%. We offer wireless audience response keypads to allow your entire group to play along. We currently have the technology to allow over 3,000 people to participate in a single show.

Game Show America has some of the best hosts in the business. Matt and Scottie host many of the corporate and casino shows produced by GSA. For clients who prefer a celebrity, GSA works recommend Ross Shafer (Match Game), John O’Hurley (Family Feud), or Alan Thicke (Second Honeymoon). The difference with GSA is that we do go through any agents for our celebrity hosts. We have worked with them, we know them, and we can call them directly.

Our creative department is what truly sets Game Show America apart. We are able to offer each client a completetly unique game show experience. Yes, we can do “off the shelf” games. However, we have a dedicated development department that can create virtually anything you can think of. We can design custom game show software, electronics, graphics, and set pieces to make your game show completely unique. In fact, the software and graphics we use for all of our productions is developed in-house and is proprietary to Game Show America. That means that no-one else has it.

All of our games have crisp, clean graphics; smooth animation; sound effects; original music; and all the game play you’d expect from a real TV game show. When you choose Game Show America for your event, our shows offer an experience that’s just like being on a real Hollywood Game Show set.

When you call us about your event, we’ll talk about what we do best. We want to hear all about your event so we can provide you with the best service possible.

So to get back to my competition - I want to thank them for being there. They keep us on our game.

Game Show America - often imitated - never duplicated. Thanks for playing!

When calling GSA for a game show, there are many factors that must be considered before quoting an accurate price. Remember first that we want to help you! Our goal is to provide you with everything you need to make your event a success. We don’t want to offer too little or too much. In order to find that perfect balance, there are a few things we need to know about you and your event. Here are some initial questions that you can prepare answers for when calling GSA:

1) What is the date of the event? (If we aren’t available, then there is no need to go any further)

2) Where is the event being held? (City, State, Venue - GSA has no geographic boundaries - we travel everywhere)

3) How many people in the audience? (This is important in determining the best game for the group)

4) Do you want the show 100% interactive? (Also important in determining the best game)

5) What are the goals of your event? (Is this for training, entertainment, teambuilding, etc.)

6) Is there a certain game you are interested in? (We use this as a guide for your expectations)

7) Are you an event planner or an end-client? (If you are a planner, are we able to talk with the end client?)

8) If you are an event planner, do we represent you or can we represent ourselves? (We never want to step on toes)

9) Your approximate budget for this specific part of your event (We have productions to fit a wide range of budgets)

10) Will A/V be provided? (We can provide a turnkey production for most events)

11) If YES to #10…Is the A/V being provided by the hotel or an outside production company?

11) What is the size of the room? (Each show has different space requirements)

12) Do you have a stage? (A stage is suggested for larger groups)

13) What type of questions would you like? (We can incorporate your content into the production)

14) What is the demographic makeup of your group? (We want to understand our audience)

There will be a few more questions that we will need to ask, but these are the main things that we need to know before we can quote you an accurate price. With our quotes, we prepare a formal proposal and email it to you in a PDF format. Our proposals typically have a two week acceptance period.

With shows where we have to travel, we quote a price for the show, and itemize travel and hotel costs separately. Oftentimes, our clients will pre-pay for our hotel accommodations. Some productions require us to drive the set to the venue, so there is a flat rate for transportation. For productions where we need to fly in, we can book the airfare and bill you back or you can have your own travel agency book the airfare for us.

Again, each production is different - with unique locations, unique people, and unique challenges. We want to personalize your experience with GSA and give you 100% of our attention for your event. Over the past 12 years, we have worked with some exceptional companies (end-clients, event planners, and production companies). Many of those companies are repeat clients. Our clients know the attention to detail that GSA provides for each production. We love what we do - and we couldn’t do what we do without you.

Thank you to all of our clients - past, present, and future. We look forward to working with you on your next event!