You spend months, maybe years, painstakingly orchestrating every detail of an exciting experience which transports your audience to another place. Magic happens and then “Poof!” your event is over. You are left with a distant memory and a mess to clean up. When you think about it, much of what goes on before, during, and sometimes after an event contains the elements of a successful movie.  For busy event planners, the production of a movie may seem more like a distraction than part of a strategic focus. However, there are several advantages to creating a movie around your event, provided it is produced with specific objectives in mind.

Here are 10 reasons why you should give serious consideration to producing a movie on the subject of your event:

​1. Share the Vision
Movies are exceptionally good at conveying the complex ideas associated with your event. They shine a spotlight on its theme and help viewers to anticipate the experience they will gain as a result of their attendance.

2. Communicating Values
A movie puts prospective attendees in touch with your organization and its presenters. Your values are quickly and effectively portrayed through action, emotion, and even symbolism. Words, alone, typically fall short of a movie’s ability to capture the breadth and depth of your organization’s purpose, especially the intangible qualities which often matter most.

3. Preserving History
What better way than a movie to capture, convey, and hold a pivotal moment in time? There are turning points in the histories of events you and your organization produce. They contain treasures created by the individuals who were part of them. Preserving those moments in time ensures their value will last into the future.

4. Attracting Customers
Events communicate the values, culture, and impact your organization makes. By showing viewers how your organization feels about them, you influence the way they feel about your organization. Promoting your event through a movie will amplify your communication efforts, solidify relationships with existing customers, and attract newcomers in a friendly and inviting way.

5. Obtaining Perspective
Movies are able to explain why events play out in a certain way. They can answer questions more compellingly and with greater detail. A movie assists newcomers in appreciating the nuances which led up to your event. Furthermore, it brings viewers up to speed on important background information that builds toward the excitement ahead.

6. Engaging Your Team
Remember the last time you read the credits at the end of a movie? It can take a lot of people to produce a movie. There are many roles and interactions built into it. The good news is you don’t need to hire a professional movie crew to produce your event’s movie. Digital technology has removed many of the once prohibitive and expensive production barriers, making it feasible for even novices to pursue. Thus, producing a movie can be an effective way to organize your people around a project they can collectively own and value.

Consider the fact that there are many occasions where capturing a clip is something which can only be done behind the scenes, by your own crew, perhaps during a planning session or while setting the stage for the big production. Likely, there are people within your organization who are willing to help and eager to exercise their movie-making talents.

7. Making and Supporting a Claim
If your company intends to lead the market, then it’s essential the people in your organization believe your claim and their ability to fulfill it. Movies are an effective way to make an impression and shape thoughts and behaviors around it. Done well, your movie will inspire beliefs consistent with those portrayed at your event. It will also help the people in your organization take responsibility and live up to the reputation your event projected.

8. Celebrating Success
Have you ever reached a milestone and then failed to acknowledge it? If so, then you know how difficult it is to pick up and proceed any further. There’s a spiritual rejuvenation which occurs with the celebration of success—both during an event and afterward when it is seen in a movie. Your event’s movie ideally includes shots taken both in front of and behind the scenes, which enables the celebration to continue and, thus, inspires people to move forward and excel.

9. Educating Your Audience and Employees
Your movie may capture demonstrations on video as an efficient means of showing “how-to” perform certain tasks. Additionally, it can communicate abstract concepts and philosophies. A good movie aligns your audience and staff by shining a light on ideal behaviors and winning performances. It can also illustrate scenarios to help viewers anticipate and know what to expect from your organization and team.

10. Raising the Bar
Imagine for a moment you produced your event’s first movie, and it’s a smashing hit! Your team enjoyed the experience of working on it together as they gained a deeper appreciation of their organization and each other. It is surprising how the essence of your event was captured and preserved so well. Viewers are being immersed in your organization’s brand promise and culture. Meanwhile, your sales staff is receiving excellent feedback from the viewers and discovering valuable opportunities for new business.

The question now becomes, “What’s next?” Are you going to be a successful producer of a one-hit wonder, or will you plan a movie sequel to your event next year? Will you use clips from your existing movie to serve as a trailer for future events? Will you share moments of the experience     through social media? Your movie is a snapshot in time. It was fun to create, informative, and useful for customers and employees alike. At some point in the future, maybe next year, there’ll be new stories to tell, products and technologies to update, as well as, victories and successes to share. The more you make use of your movie-making resources, the more they will serve you.

With a little guidance and time management, you can plan your movie production around your current work schedule and operations. You can use clips of it to build anticipation and promote your event throughout the planning and production phases. After your event is complete, you can capture audience reactions and combine your clips with scenes from the event itself for a mini documentary.

The sooner you begin, the easier time you’ll have incorporating your movie-making activities into your event planning and production schedule. For more information on the production process, you may wish to download my whitepaper on making your own Mission, Vision and [Brand] Promise (MVP) movie. The whitepaper contains step-by-step instructions for movie creation along with the outcomes you may expect. (https://ql392-729fd9.pages.infusionsoft.net/)

As an event planner, you are no stranger to show business. Once you’ve tried moviemaking for yourself, you’ll soon discover it has earned a permanent place in your event-planning toolkit.

Linda Ruhland, MBA, is a speaker, writer, and business success strategist skilled in problem-solving, performance improvement, and goal achievement. She consults with owners and their management teams throughout the country, helping them leverage their innovative and collaborative power to grow their businesses and navigate change. Ruhland uses her 30 years in corporate and small business, along with her diverse education in management and the arts, to present thought-provoking conversations that stimulate innovative thinking in leadership. She is the author of “Amazing Workplace: Creating the Conditions that Inspire Success.” Her company, Spirit of Success LLC, provides collaborative learning solutions and facilitates the business creation process. She may be reached at Linda@SpiritOfBusinessSuccess.com