It’s official: a European monarch has agreed to be the keynote speaker at your next major corporate event. You’re elated.
You quickly begin preparations to “class up” the event. The venue must be immaculate and in top working condition. The sound system and lighting have to be perfect. The food? You’ll use the best caterer money can buy. Accommodations? Only the finest will do.
That all sounds great. Now, what about all the little details you’ve forgotten?
If you knew what these details were, you’d surely address them right away. But if this is your first time working with a major dignitary, it’s highly likely you’ll overlook something.
Maybe it will only be a minor detail that largely escapes notice. Then again, maybe it will be something that causes embarrassment for you and your company.
The Royal Pillow and Why It Matters
When you’re expecting royalty in your audience, you’ll want everything to be brilliantly produced and executed—right down to the placement of the Royal Pillow.
“Wait….the Royal Pillow?” you may be thinking. Exactly. Let me explain.
For an event Legend Productions recently produced in the United Kingdom, HRH Prince Charles was one of the guest speakers. A speaker of that magnitude ramps up the energy of any event. Everyone involved with event production wants to do their job that much better, and probably feels a bit more stressed out about getting all the details right.
For Legend Productions, though, it was just another day at the office—another chance to bring our “A” game just as we always do.
Because we’d dealt with royalty before and had done our homework, we knew that Prince Charles wouldn’t be sitting directly on any chair we placed on the stage. A member of his protocol office would be placing a pillow on the chair first. This was just another detail we had to keep in mind as we visualized the flow of the event.
There were also considerations such as allowing enough time for security personnel to sweep the room for potential threats. Protocols for standing and sitting. Protocols for introducing the Prince. And how to deploy the cleared photographers so that they would be able to capture an appropriate number of photos without compromising the dignity or security of the event.
Details, details, details. They matter so much in corporate event planning. And they matter even more when it’s Prince Charles taking the stage. You don’t want to see the pillow guy tripping over the videographer’s tripod. You want the whole experience to be seamless for everyone present.
We’ll Keep Peace Between All Your Moving Pieces
At Legend Productions, we do feel a bit more excited when it’s Prince Charles taking the stage at a corporate event—but it sure doesn’t faze us. We’ve planned corporate events that featured Hollywood’s leading men and ladies. Sitting members of U.S. Congress. Presidential candidates. First Ladies. Sports stars. Rock and roll legends. And just about every other manner of celebrity you can think of.
We know from experience that when you choose to work with this level of celebrity, there will be plenty more details to take care of. Far more people involved. Much more PR at stake.
We’ve been through it all countless times. And we’ve nailed the execution just as many times. So if you’re planning a corporate event with some high-profile guests and want to work with a partner who can keep peace between the pieces, drop us a line.
