I’ve had a break for a couple of weeks. One, because it’s good to sometimes, and two, as I was away for a significant Birthday. I’ll leave you to guess which one.
Bringing in an event agency should make your life easier, not harder. You’re buying in expertise, capacity, and experience that you don’t have internally, or simply don’t have enough of. But like any partnership, the results you get are heavily influenced by how you show up as a client. I’ve seen brilliant agency client relationships deliver exceptional events and commercial outcomes, and I’ve also seen others stall, not because the agency wasn’t capable, but because the relationship never quite clicked into gear.
So here are 5 key points to consider:
Start with a high quality brief
If you want to get real value from your event agency, it starts with the brief. This is where many projects quietly go wrong. A vague brief leads to vague outcomes, whereas a strong brief gives your agency something solid to build from. That means being clear on what success looks like, what matters most to you, and what constraints exist. Whether your focus is revenue growth, brand positioning, or member engagement, you need to say it. And on budget, holding this back doesn’t create leverage, it creates inefficiency. A realistic range allows your agency to design something that fits, rather than something that has to be reworked later. You’ll get better ideas, faster.
Be responsive during onboarding
Once you’ve appointed your agency, responsiveness during onboarding makes a significant difference. The early stages of working together are where momentum is either built or lost. Your agency is trying to get up to speed quickly, learning about your organisation, your audience, and your ways of working. They need access to information, people, systems, and context. Every delayed answer or missing piece of information slows that process down. If you’re responsive, onboarding accelerates, and if onboarding accelerates, delivery improves. It’s a simple cause and effect, but it’s often underestimated.
Be open to creativity
Being open to creativity is another key factor. You’ve outsourced for a reason, and it’s unlikely to be to receive the same ideas you’ve been running for the last five years. Good agencies bring perspective. They see what’s working across multiple clients, sectors, and formats, and that’s where a lot of their value sits. That doesn’t mean every new idea is right for you, but if everything gets pulled back to “how we’ve always done it”, you’re not really using your agency, you’re just outsourcing delivery. Giving them space to think can unlock ideas that genuinely move your event forward.
Be honest, and be open to challenge
Honest feedback is equally important, and it works both ways. If something isn’t right, say it early, clearly, and constructively. Letting issues drift rarely improves the outcome and usually creates
more work later. At the same time, be prepared to be challenged. A good agency won’t just agree with you, they’ll bring their own perspective and experience. That might feel uncomfortable at times, but it’s often where the best outcomes are found. You don’t need a “yes” partner, you need a thinking partner who is invested in getting the right result.
Pay your invoices on time
Finally, pay your invoices on time. It sounds basic, but it matters more than most people realise. Agencies are often SMEs and cash flow is real. Paying on time, or even early where possible, builds trust and goodwill very quickly. It also means your agency can focus on delivering great work, rather than chasing payments. If you want your agency to go the extra mile, this is one of the simplest ways to enable it.
At its best, the relationship between an organisation and its event agency is a genuine partnership. When both sides are clear, responsive, open, and respectful of each other’s role, the results can be exceptional. If it’s not quite working, it’s worth asking an honest question. Is it really the agency, or is there something in how you’re working together that needs to change? Because when you get it right, a great agency doesn’t just deliver your event, it helps you grow it.