THE CONTEXT 

Event Concept is a creative event agency and production company. Seamlessly blending agency thinking and production company doing. Delivering extraordinary events and everlasting experiences. 

Their scale and expertise mean they are experienced operators in an extraordinary range of places around the world. From landmark occasions in buildings that have stood for a thousand years, to pop-up experiences that can happen anywhere in minutes. They are trusted internationally to deliver live, virtual and hybrid events that leave nothing behind except a lasting impression.

THE CHALLENGE

Event Concept’s operation involves many departments, each with their own different focus and speciality, this complexity and scale of  operation can pose significant challenges. EC has been organically growing their data capabilities, however, they recognised that to further enhance data utilisation across the business they needed guidance to evaluate their current practices and establish a data strategy that would further enhance efficiency for years to come.

Event Concept wanted to review a few areas of the business:

• Data Utilisation: Event Concept wanted to ensure that it had clear best practices to improve data utilisation. Understanding how to strategically leverage data to drive efficiency and enhance decision-making was a primary goal, as well as evaluating what was working and what could be improved within the business.

• Communication and Coordination: With numerous teams working across different functions, ensuring effective communication has always been essential to maintaining smooth operations and avoiding costly errors.

• Operational Efficiency: The agency aimed to use data to further streamline its processes, particularly  sales order processing, managing equipment, crew deployment, and logistics. The goal was to build on their established systems to achieve even greater precision and efficiency..

• Sustainability: As sustainability has become a crucial focus with their 2030 pledge, Event Concept aimed to enhance its environmental impact reporting by better optimising their data management, which will allow them to better measure success in years to come. 

THE SOLUTION

Event Concept partnered with MDTS to address these challenges through a comprehensive, data-centric approach. The collaboration with MDTS involved several critical steps:

• Survey and Discussion: MDTS conducted an in-depth survey and engaged in detailed discussions with Richard and his team. The survey included thought-provoking questions that challenged the team to evaluate their existing practices and identify areas for improvement. “This process was eye-opening, made us think  deeper into how we use and manage our data” says Richard Purcell.

• Data Maturity Assessment: Based on the survey results and discussions, MDTS produced a comprehensive report that highlighted Event Concept’s data maturity. The report provided feedback on current practices, identified gaps, and offered recommendations for improving data strategy and team structure. Key themes included data quality, governance, data architecture and tools.

• Strategic Insights: The assessment provided actionable insights into data management practices, enabling Event Concept to align its data strategy with broader business objectives. This included recommendations on optimising data collection, improving data quality & governance, and structuring the data team to support strategic goals.

THE SUCCESS

The collaboration with MDTS led to the implementation of several key initiatives:

• Strategic Alignment: Insights from MDTS helped align Event Concept’s data strategy with its business objectives. This ensured that data utilisation was focused on enhancing efficiency, supporting sustainability initiatives, and driving long-term success.

• Actionable Insight: MDTS’s recommendations meant that the team were able to make key decisions and actions based on their data. Through MDTS they were able to enhance their data best practices. 

• Ongoing Evaluation: The team adopted a continuous evaluation process, regularly refining their data practices based on the feedback and best practices provided by MDTS. This ongoing assessment ensured that the company remained agile and responsive to new challenges and opportunities.

• Long-term Value: The guidance and observations from MDTS will have lasting impact on Event Concept’s data utilisation, improving their data quality and governance will allow them to continue to grow and build on best practices moving forward.  

For Richard Purcell, the experience of working with MDTS, and specifically with Kris, was transformative. 

“Kris facilitated open and honest discussions about the business, creating a trustworthy environment where I felt comfortable discussing challenges and exploring new ideas without judgment. This openness was crucial in identifying and addressing core issues.

The insight from someone outside of our industry was invaluable. Kris’s expertise in data best practices, combined with his ability to relate these practices to our specific needs, provided me with fresh perspectives and actionable advice.”

CONCLUSION

The engagement with MDTS empowered Event Concept to further unlock the value of their data, driving more visibility and efficiency.. By providing a detailed assessment and actionable insights, MDTS helped Event Concept align its data strategy with business objectives, enhance operational efficiency, and further reduce environmental impact. The collaboration validated existing practices while highlighting areas for improvement, offering a balanced perspective that boosted the team’s confidence and strategic thinking. The insights and best practices provided by MDTS solidified the foundation for the agency’s future growth and success, ensuring that Event Concept remains an industry leader.