Corralling the Chaos: Recent Episodes
Angela Alea
Corralling The Chaos is a weekly podcast for companies and crew professionals in the event industry. We pull back the curtain to talk publicly about the things event professionals worry about privately. We’re asking the tough questions so we can give you the answers you need. And nothing is off-limits.
This podcast is hosted by Angela Alea, President and Chief Revenue Officer at LASSO.
Huong Nguyen, CEO of Shiloh Events, shares insider tips on aligning events with client goals. Learn how she measures qualitative and quantitative ROI to guide clients in making informed, budget-conscious decisions about event formats and activities.
Guest Information 🎙️
Huong Nguyen, CEO & Founder of Shiloh Events
Shiloh Events
Joining us today is Clay Sifford, CEO and Founder of LASSO. We examine the inventory and logistics challenges faced by event companies, exploring obstacles like lengthy proposals and unreliable brokers that hinder efficiency.
We'll also discuss the importance of accurate, onsite progress tracking and address privacy regulations and cyberthreats. Our conversation dives into legacy systems, cloud migration, customer satisfaction, trucking and broker issues, and the ongoing quest to streamline logistics.
In this episode, Angela dives into the hidden costs of workers' comp and shares four important questions to ask yourself that could be eating into your margin by 2-3 points.
5-minute Assessment:
1. What is your experience mod?
An experience mod is basically what is your rating relative to others in the industry.
2. What is your loss ratio?
Calculate your loss ratio by dividing what you've paid out in claims by the premiums that you've been paying out.
3. What is the 4-digit workers' comp code?
Hint: the events industry workers' comp code is 9154
4. Are you paying workers' comp on hours not worked, but paid?
It's important to start tracking hours worked versus hours paid. Jump to [00:04:01] for an example.
Nicole Carson, the director of event production at Warner Music Group, joins us on this episode of Corralling the Chaos, bringing nearly two decades of experience in the entertainment industry to share her valuable insights and expertise on executing high-stakes events. Nicole and Angela dive into the unique challenges of managing musical events, covering topics such as balancing the artist and audience experience, implementing non-negotiable safety measures, addressing crew burnout, and effectively managing budgets.
Seth Macchi, CEO of LEMG, explores the challenges and opportunities within the event production industry. He sheds light on the importance of prioritizing people for business growth in this field. Drawing from his own experiences, Seth emphasizes the crucial role of valuing and caring for employees within companies. He provides valuable insights into the industry's needs and recommends involving the team in the planning process to foster growth and achieve success.
Jeremy Elliott, General Manager at PSI, dives into the lesser-known challenges confronted by Canadian production companies compared to their American counterparts. He highlights the significance of work-life balance, the value of building and maintaining industry relationships and what it takes for a young event tech to succeed in the industry.
On this episode of Corralling the Chaos, guest host Jess Cook speaks with Sierra Thompson, VP of Business Development at Evntiv., about the importance of the moment of impact in events. Sierra emphasizes the value of connecting attendees to the mission and creating an immersive experience. They discuss the post-pandemic era and the rise of hybrid events, as well as the potential of AI technology to maximize human potential.
What to expect...
🎞 National Crew Appreciation Week highlights & recap
🎖 Category winners announced ($250 each)
💸 $2,500 Grand Prize winner announced
🎁 Prize drawings throughout the call
Here's What We're Talking About 💬
· Intentional success and why it’s hard for event professionals who didn’t set out to start a business.
· Why this industry is full of accidental entrepreneurs.
· What the number one issue is for event business owners right now.
· Why we have to push forward when our tendency is to look backward.
· How to identify a bad client.
· How we’ve taught our clients how to treat us.
· The difference between a quote and a proposal.
· The reason we have discounts in our industry and why it undervalues us.
· The problem with discounts in the live events industry.
· What the biggest opportunity is for our industry is right now.
· What we can do as an industry to put ourselves on the map for investment dollars.
Here's What We're Talking About:
- Why no one is upset about getting overtime at 8 hours vs. 10.
- How embracing change can help us progress as an industry.
- Why holding onto the "this is how it's always been done" mentality” is costing you.
- Why sometimes daily overtime doesn’t mean you’re making more money.
- Why we need to start asking the right questions when it comes to daily overtime vs. weekly.
- Why your old way of thinking is standing in your way.
Here's What We're Talking About
· Marriage and making decisions together to let your partner have buy-in.
· Putting your family first and how to include them in the process.
· The importance of health, meal breaks, and keeping a healthy weight while traveling.
· The sustainability of events for the crew that makes events happen.
· The show must go on, but not to your own detriment or to the detriment of the people we love.
· The importance of a family system/schedule. (Tip: Create a shared family calendar!)
· Using technology to stay present with your family while away.
· Figuring out what your non-negotiables are for your family.
· Creating a sense of consistency while living in a hotel.
· Creating habits that help the transition back home smoother.
Here's What We're Talking About
· Marriage and making decisions together to let your partner have buy-in.
· Putting your family first and how to include them in the process.
· The importance of health, meal breaks, and keeping a healthy weight while traveling.
· The sustainability of events for the crew that makes events happen.
· The show must go on, but not to your own detriment or to the detriment of the people we love.
· The importance of a family system/schedule. (Tip: Create a shared family calendar!)
· Using technology to stay present with your family while away.
· Figuring out what your non-negotiables are for your family.
· Creating a sense of consistency while living in a hotel.
· Creating habits that help the transition back home smoother.
Event companies, listen in as Angela Alea teaches you how you can save time, money and angst by going through the Perfect Customer Profile exercise in this episode of Corralling The Chaos.
It's no secret the events industry is changing. Trying to supply enough people for the increase in events is a very real challenge for our industry right now.
What we're talking about:
1. The importance of industry relationships now more than ever.
2. A pattern of crews not showing up to the job.
3. Why too much lead time can actually be a bad thing.
4. Companies giving little to no lead time in a high demand low supply market.
5. Crew personnel being treated poorly at the show site due to high levels of stress.
For more information on Susan Conner:
Susan Conner is a Labor Coordinator at Fuse Technical Group. She spent 9 years doing the same at VER.
She was married to a freelance tech for 11 years and understands life from that side. She also loves puzzles and mysteries, which is really what we solve every day!
For more information on Aaron Merkin: Aaron is a founding partner and Director of Operations. He devises and directs our internal processes, working to create and implement business solutions that keep us on the cutting edge of the industry. Clients, vendors and partners rely on Aaron for strategic consultation on logistics, information management and team communication. His pre-event planning helps save valuable human, financial and temporal resources. With 20 years of experience in Event Production, Aaron has a big-picture vision and an eye for detail. He holds a regents diploma from Stuyvesant High School, a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Oberlin College, is a multi-instrumentalist, visual artist, and self-proclaimed logicist. Born and raised on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Aaron currently resides with his wife Sharyn, their son Max, and their dog, Taco, in Fairmount, Philadelphia.
WHAT IS NATIONAL CREW APPRECIATION WEEK?
November 7th- 11th will be a single week out of the year for the events industry to show its appreciation for the people who make the events we know and love possible!
From sporting events and corporate events to concerts and festivals, and everything in between, we want to celebrate event professionals every day for a week!
We're going behind the curtain to shine the spotlight on the men and women who are the unsung superheroes of live events.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
Each day of the week, we are asking event companies to publicly share stories, highlighting the incredible crew that makes their events successful.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
We're looking to reward some of the amazing behind-the-scenes crew and we need your help!
Each time you publicly celebrate and appreciate crew personnel, that person(s) will be entered to win various cash awards and prizes.
For their name to be entered each post must contain:
-
NationalCrewAppreciationWeek
- Tag their name (for group photos tag each person)
- Share how they excel in one of the five areas outlined below.
Each person nominated will be entered to win one of the following:
⭐️ ⭐️ $2,500 Grand Prize! ⭐️ ⭐️
Multiple winners will receive:
❏ $250-$1000 cash 💰
❏ AirPods 🎶
❏ Gift cards 🛍️
❏ A variety of swag items 😎
It's time to get to think about how you can celebrate your crew!
Tag a crew member on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram that you appreciate using the hashtag #NationalCrewAppreciationWeek and share why that individual is most deserving of one of the prize categories.
Learn more: https://mpcrew.lasso.io/national-crew-appreciation-week-2022
If you want to grow in the world of live events, a combination of good relationships and in demand skill sets are essential to building a successful career.
In today's episode we speak with Omar Colom of Evolve Technology and AV Educate about his never ending quest to build both his skills and his community and the opportunities that are available for ambitious techs who are willing to learn.
Main Topics:
- Advancing your career through education
- Training resources for freelancers
- The importance of mentors
- The future of live events education
In today's episode we peel back the layers of a hotly debated topic in our industry: the pros and cons of being classified as a w2 or 1099 worker. For decades we've operated in a space where 1099 seemed to be the only logical choice for freelance talent, but with the introduction of laws like AB5 in California and increased scrutiny of payment practices in the industry as a whole, you may want to re-examine your stance on the subject. Listen closely as Angela breaks it all down.
Key Topics:
- The IRS & Department of Labor
- Employee Protections
- Taxes and writeoffs
- Unemployment
The impact of the pandemic was devastating to a wide variety of businesses in 2020, but the live events industry and those we partner with were some of the hardest hit. Yet because of the behind the scenes nature of our businesses, many people, including those in the government were unaware of our plight.
In today’s episode we speak with Nancy Shaffer and Dwayne Thomas of the Live Events Coalition, a non profit organization speaking out and advocating on behalf of the live events industry, about what they’ve been doing for the last 2 years to bring awareness to the difficulties that our industry faces.
Topics Covered:
- Why The Live Events Industry is Invisible
- The Reality of Covid Losses
- What Advocacy Looks Like
- Preparing for the Next Big Thing
In today's episode we speak with Michelle Smith, a veteran labor coordinator, who has worked with some of the largest companies in the live events industry, including LASSO.
We dive deep to get her best advice for techs on how to market and promote themselves + best pratices for show site conduct and building relationships. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or brand new to the industry, there's plenty to learn in this value packed episode.
Topics Covered:
- Technical Skills vs. Customer Service
- Fair Treatment for Techs
- Building Your Reputation
- How to Upskill as a Freelance Tech
In today's episode we discuss the impact and implications of California Assembly Bill 5 on the events industry.
This bill, which forces companies to re-classify contractors as employees, was originally intended to regulate companies that hire gig workers in large numbers like Lyft, Uber and Door Dash. Unfortunately, it's also forced production companies, av labor companies and many others to drastically change how they operate.
Today we dive deep on what that means for those of us doing shows in California.
Key Topics:
- What is AB5?
- Who does AB5 apply to?
- How can we continue to operate in a cost effective and compliant manner?
- What are the penalties for non-compliance?
Today Angela welcomes Dave Jenson, Jonathan Roffel & Karl Becker. Saddle up as our guests share from their years of expertise to unveil their sales best practices. Along the journey, you will gain some valuable strategies and find tools to help you maximize the revenue for your companies.
Key Topics:
- Changes in the Sales Process.
- Don't Copy & Paste the RFP from last year.
- The balance, the Buy-In, and Being Responsive
- The Right Techs at Right Time
-
NoMoreDiscounts and Knowing Your Numbers
Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and before you join us again, Comment below if you are “Managing” or “Maximizing” your revenues.
COVID has given the events industry a do over and we need to seize this opportunity to make some badly needed changes. In today's episode, we identify and discuss 5 missed opportunities that most companies in our industry are guilty of and what we can do about it.
After listening to this week's episode, share a comment about which of one of the 5 missed opportunities you will address in your business.
Key Takeaways:
- 5 Missed Opportunities That Need To Be Addressed Immediately
- What 68% of companies have in common
- Leading customers
- What to do with last minute requests
- Why You Need to Collect Payment Sooner
This week join our host, Angela Alea, as she introduces you to two special guests, Mel Baglio and Bob Solsbak. Mel and Bob are two transparent and tested leaders in the events and entertainment industry who understand what it means to corral the chaos. It takes professionalism to make progress, tune in and hear it from the pros.
Main Topics:
- Why is There a Lack of Professionalism?
- The No Jerk Rule
- When to Invest in Training
- The Only Way to Learn
- Don’t Treat People like Freelancers
One of the issues we constantly run into in the live events industry is that there are no real "Industry Standards" or universal codes of conduct.
But there should be.
In this week's episode join our host, Angela Alea, as she explores the Code of the West, a set of unwritten rules from cowboy culture that might just hold some of the answers we're looking for.
Topics Discussed:
-
Being Tough vs. Being Fair
-
Riding for the Brand
-
Some Things Are Not For Sale
-
Know Where to Draw the Line.
In this week's episode our host Angela Alea invites to the platform a very special guest, Clay Sifford, the CEO and Founder of LASSO. He has 25+ years of experience in the events and entertainment industry and he shares great insight from our industry’s past, present and future.
Main Topics:
-
Observing & experiencing the chaos
-
Understanding the change needed in our industry
-
Lasso's market research (Over 350 interviews!)
-
Casting a light on the industries weaknesses
-
Creating value and investing
We hope you enjoy this episode. To stay connected be sure to subscribe and share this episode with a friend or colleague.
Welcome to Corralling The Chaos with Lasso.
In this episode you will meet our host, Angela Alea, the President and Chief Revenue Officer at LASSO, as she leads our audience on a mission to set order to chaos in the events and entertainment industry.
So many people have no clue what it takes to do well in our industry. We know what it takes. However, with all the great things we get to experience behind the scenes, we understand that there are several areas that we can improve. We have the best teammates and together we can replace resentment with understanding and burnout with bold solutions that can simplify our lives as we teach others around us the intricacies of what we do.
Key Topics:
- No Standardization
- Lack of Connection
- Underserved Industry