Pitching is our daily business. Passion, lifeblood and enthusiasm for our ideas – because we love what we do. Creativity at its best! But how does a successful pitch work? What makes a good pitch briefing? And which no-gos should be avoided? The blog post tells you about the essentials of pitching.
As everyone on the service provider or agency side knows, the more precisely a pitch briefing is formulated, the fewer ambiguities arise and the more specifically the service provider can prepare the pitch. We set high standards for ourselves and the quality of our work. Pitch documents and presentations are customised and tailored precisely to the client’s needs and the project in question.
A good pitch briefing is therefore essential – it sets the quality standard and also serves as a business card for the company.
The following points are a guideline for a clean briefing and form a solid basis for the pitch phase for all pitch parties.
Event goal
Event message
Event format
Budget framework
Time and place, if known
Expectations of the service provider
Brand and branding guidelines
Milestones and timings for submissions and decisions
Another advantage: If there has already been a similar event or suitable references are available, these should definitely be included. It is also helpful to list specific exclusions or undesirable elements directly in order to avoid misunderstandings.
A pitch should be formulated in a clear and structured way – and not degenerate into 20 never-ending pages where no-one can keep track in the end.
In our Radar podcast, episode 18 “Pitches”, Sandhya, Concepter, and Malik, Stage Director at Habegger, shed light on the topic from other perspectives.
A sensitive but crucial topic for every successful pitch: the budget. A pitch briefing without a clear budget is like a bottomless pit. Especially if the service provider does not yet know the client, there is an increased risk that the proposed idea will either be too small or too big – and therefore will not meet the client’s expectations or will not go in the desired direction. A clear budget framework provides orientation and prevents misunderstandings.
Preparing a pitch requires a considerable amount of effort in-house for every service provider and every agency. The rough concept is often already well advanced when the pitch presentation or pitch document is created. Unfortunately, a pitch fee, which can also be offset against the contract won, is still not common practice these days as a sign of appreciation for the participating service providers. The pitch submissions provide each company with valuable expertise and creative ideas that contribute to further development.
Expo Event, the Swiss industry association for live communication, has been referring to pitch guidelines for clients since 2012.
We pitch often, and our pitch teams always go full throttle. Every pitch we win is a highlight for us, but we also gain valuable insights and learn from the pitches we lose. In addition to creativity and unique ideas, you also need a clear structure to get a pitch off the ground successfully. A key factor here is the pitch lead, who manages the project and ensures that everything runs smoothly.
Why do companies pitch? What does this mean for the service provider? And what are the expectations? How is pitching done at Habegger? Sandhya and Malik take a detailed look at the topic of pitches and talk about their day-to-day project work and their experiences.
Do you have an event project on your desk, but still have no idea in which direction it should go? Then our offer is for you: THINK TANK.
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