Being perfect is overrated. Often times when we are passionate about something, we put a lot of energy behind it-seeking perfection and continuous improvement. For whatever reason, despite our greatest intentions and no matter our experience the outcomes can be chaotic and disappointing. It is Ironic that in the eyes of our customers, these “mishaps” not only go unnoticed bur are often the most memorable moments.
By relying on creativity & competence, most events are done with minimal customer involvement. Performance based events can often involve more customer involvement as they have a vision in their head of what they want. On one occasion, the customer wanted a dramatic entry. Starting with being seen as a shadow walking behind the curtain and upon emergence a slow fade with a white Spot light-all being in time with the dramatic music. Everything went well until the spot light turned on and it was RED. Due to how the controls were set up it would have been impossible to change it white without looking like it was a mistake so we Ended up continuing. The reset of the show was filled with mild Feelings of frustration, and various thoughts like what will customer think and what can I do to avoid this next time. The initial annoyance expressed by the customer quickly subsided when the feedback being expressed focused on how amazing the entrance was- Specifically mentioning the red color over and over!
Setting up and mic’ing a band can mean different things. Depending on many factors there could be any where from 3-24 Channels (or more) of audio inputs. Ideally & if possible more microphones is always better, so that each instrument can be mixed and be Clearly heard through the speakers. It can be a lot of work and quite complex when you start to have 16 Channels+=. With complicity always increases the chance of things going wrong, like in the case of a band where we could not get the conga drum mics to work. Frustrated and annoyed We could not wait to get to a break so we could get up on stage and “Fix it”. That fix never came, to this day its not sure what the issue was. In The end it didn’t seem to matter, the Concert goers not only loved it in general but specifically the Conga drums!
As the years progressed there have been countless other examples lighting mishaps. Whether it be by improper programming, beam direction, or a faulty component, its not perfect. In all cases, however these mishaps went un noticed for the most part. In all cases The customers perception was completely opposite our perception.
In the early days it was common for the various mishaps to cause increase anxiety. After the many blab la bla…chill out benefit was the discovery that by focusing on the event from a customers perspective rather than my own Selfish “expert” perspective we are able to create even a more positive outcome.
By relying on creativity & competence, most events are done with minimal customer involvement. Performance based events can often involve more customer involvement as they have a vision in their head of what they want. On one occasion, the customer wanted a dramatic entry. Starting with being seen as a shadow walking behind the curtain and upon emergence a slow fade with a white Spot light-all being in time with the dramatic music. Everything went well until the spot light turned on and it was RED. Due to how the controls were set up it would have been impossible to change it white without looking like it was a mistake so we Ended up continuing. The reset of the show was filled with mild Feelings of frustration, and various thoughts like what will customer think and what can I do to avoid this next time. The initial annoyance expressed by the customer quickly subsided when the feedback being expressed focused on how amazing the entrance was- Specifically mentioning the red color over and over!
Setting up and mic’ing a band can mean different things. Depending on many factors there could be any where from 3-24 Channels (or more) of audio inputs. Ideally & if possible more microphones is always better, so that each instrument can be mixed and be Clearly heard through the speakers. It can be a lot of work and quite complex when you start to have 16 Channels+=. With complicity always increases the chance of things going wrong, like in the case of a band where we could not get the conga drum mics to work. Frustrated and annoyed We could not wait to get to a break so we could get up on stage and “Fix it”. That fix never came, to this day its not sure what the issue was. In The end it didn’t seem to matter, the Concert goers not only loved it in general but specifically the Conga drums!
As the years progressed there have been countless other examples lighting mishaps. Whether it be by improper programming, beam direction, or a faulty component, its not perfect. In all cases, however these mishaps went un noticed for the most part. In all cases The customers perception was completely opposite our perception.
In the early days it was common for the various mishaps to cause increase anxiety. After the many blab la bla…chill out benefit was the discovery that by focusing on the event from a customers perspective rather than my own Selfish “expert” perspective we are able to create even a more positive outcome.
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