Behind-the-scenes and process content

How to show the work behind your events, from planning and preparation to load-in and teardown, so clients understand what they are paying for. You will choose which process moments to share, apply a client trust test before posting, and plan a behind-the-scenes sequence for a single event.

Read the transcript

Behind-the-scenes and process content.

Clients see the finished room.

They do not see the six months of vendor calls, the 5 a.m. flower market run, the van packed in reverse order of setup, or the quiet fix when the cake stand arrived cracked.

Why process content sells.

Process content answers a question every client has but rarely asks: “Why does this cost what it costs?” A finished tablescape looks like a few hours of work.

A 20-second clip of linens being steamed, chargers polished and every place setting measured from the table edge shows the care and the hours behind it.

The moments worth showing.

Every event business has process moments with natural interest.

Map yours across the life of an event.

The client trust test.

Behind-the-scenes content carries a risk that finished-event content does not: you can show things that should never have been seen.

Clients hire you partly because they trust you with private information.

Formats that work.

Ten to fifteen short clips across an event day, from the morning coffee to the last box in the van.

A phone on a mini tripod in the corner during setup. Little effort, strong result.

Worked example: one Saturday, one sequence.

Lantern and Lane plans a 160-guest wedding at an Etobicoke banquet hall.

Marco writes a behind-the-scenes plan before the day: eight short clips and six photos, captured by whoever has a free minute, with a total budget of 20 minutes of capture on the day.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Identify the process moments in your service that make your value visible to clients
• Apply a client trust test so behind-the-scenes content never exposes private information or embarrasses anyone
• Plan a behind-the-scenes sequence for one event within a realistic time budget

Clients see the finished room. They do not see the six months of vendor calls, the 5 a.m. flower market run, the van packed in reverse order of setup, or the quiet fix when the cake stand arrived cracked. That invisible work is exactly what they are paying for, and it is the hardest part of your service to sell. Behind-the-scenes content makes it visible.

Why process content sells

Process content answers a question every client has but rarely asks: “Why does this cost what it costs?” A finished tablescape looks like a few hours of work. A 20-second clip of linens being steamed, chargers polished and every place setting measured from the table edge shows the care and the hours behind it.

It also reduces risk. A couple who has watched your team handle a downpour during load-in trusts you more with their own outdoor ceremony. A corporate buyer who sees your run sheet and your radio check believes you will run their awards night on time. And it builds familiarity: clients who have watched Priya work for months feel they already know her before the first call.

The moments worth showing

Every event business has process moments with natural interest. Map yours across the life of an event.

The best process content shows skill or judgment, not just activity. “Here is us loading the van” is mildly interesting. “Here is why we load the van in reverse order, so the first thing out is the first thing we need” teaches something and shows competence.

The client trust test

Behind-the-scenes content carries a risk that finished-event content does not: you can show things that should never have been seen. Clients hire you partly because they trust you with private information. Run every piece through this test before posting:

1. Does anything show a client’s name, address, budget, contract, guest list or seating chart? Look closely at whiteboards, laptop screens, clipboards and labels.
2. Would the client be comfortable seeing it? A design they have not yet seen, a private family moment or a mishap they did not know about all fail.
3. Does it show another vendor in a poor light? Never post a vendor’s mistake, even with their name hidden.
4. Does it show staff who have not agreed to appear?
5. Does it show anything unsafe, unhygienic or unprofessional that a future client would worry about?
6. Is it the right time? Hold most process content until after the event, so you never spoil a surprise.

If any answer is wrong, reshoot, crop or skip it. There will always be another moment. When you are unsure, show the client before you post. Most say yes, and they appreciate being asked.

Formats that work

• The day-in-the-life. Ten to fifteen short clips across an event day, from the morning coffee to the last box in the van.
• The time-lapse. A phone on a mini tripod in the corner during setup. Little effort, strong result.
• The explainer. One process step, shown and explained in 30 seconds: how you fold napkins for 200, how you test a wireless microphone, how you build a floral arch.
• What is in the kit. Your emergency kit, your bar setup, your magician’s case, laid out and explained.
• The fix. A problem and how you solved it, told with care. Only when the client is happy for it to be shared, and only when no one is blamed.
• The written version. A short blog post or newsletter section on how you plan a particular kind of event, with process photos.

Worked example: one Saturday, one sequence

Lantern & Lane plans a 160-guest wedding at an Etobicoke banquet hall. Marco writes a behind-the-scenes plan before the day: eight short clips and six photos, captured by whoever has a free minute, with a total budget of 20 minutes of capture on the day.

• Friday: the run sheet and the vendor confirmation calls, filmed from behind, no screens visible. 2 minutes.
• Saturday 9 a.m.: the emergency kit packed. 2 minutes.
• 11 a.m.: the vendor briefing at the hall, filmed wide and from behind. 3 minutes.
• 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.: a time-lapse of setup from the mini tripod. 2 minutes to place and collect.
• 4:30 p.m.: Priya walking the room with the venue coordinator. 3 minutes.
• During dinner: one clip of Priya cueing the speeches from the side, no guests’ faces. 3 minutes.
• Midnight: the room clearing, the last box in the van. 5 minutes.

The yield: one day-in-the-life reel, one time-lapse, one explainer about vendor briefings, three stories and six photos for later posts. That is about 12 pieces from 20 minutes on the day and about 90 minutes of editing on Monday. At 110 minutes for 12 pieces, each piece costs a little over 9 minutes of work.

Marco then spaces the pieces out. The time-lapse goes up on Tuesday, the day-in-the-life reel the following week once the couple has seen their photos, and the vendor-briefing explainer in the quiet weeks of January, when it reaches couples who are just starting to plan. Process content rarely goes stale, so there is no rush. The only content that must wait for permission is anything showing the couple, their families or their design before they have shared it themselves.

In Canada and the GTA

Client information in the background. Behind-the-scenes content is where private information most often leaks. Under PIPEDA, personal information is information about an identifiable individual, in any form, and organizations must protect it with safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity. A guest list visible on a laptop, a seating chart taped to a wall, a client’s name on a delivery label or a budget on a whiteboard are all personal information. Posting them without consent is a use the client would not reasonably expect. Before you film in your office, studio or kitchen, clear the frame of documents and turn screens away. The OPC’s PIPEDA summary sets out the principles, including safeguards and limiting use and disclosure.

Staff on camera and staff posts. Ask staff, contract servers and assistants before featuring them, and respect a no. Some have good reasons not to be identifiable online. Agree in advance what happens to content featuring someone who later leaves. If your staff post about your business on their own accounts, Ad Standards’ Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines treat employment as a material connection, and they suggest a disclosure such as #[Brand]Employee. The Competition Bureau also expects employees to disclose their connection when they review their employer. A short, friendly social media policy for staff, explaining when and how to disclose, avoids awkward conversations later. The Ad Standards disclosure guidelines list the labels that are and are not acceptable.

Venues, unions and backstage rules. Some GTA hotels, convention centres and theatres restrict filming in back-of-house areas, kitchens and loading docks, and some work with unionized stage labour whose members may not want to be filmed. Ask the venue coordinator before filming anywhere guests would not normally go. A clip of a hotel’s service corridor may seem harmless to you and breach the venue’s security policy.

Food and alcohol behind the scenes. Kitchen content is popular, but it shows exactly how you handle food. Make sure hair is tied back, gloves and hand-washing are visible where expected, and raw and cooked foods are clearly separate. Viewers include clients and, occasionally, inspectors. For licensed caterers, bars and venues, Ontario’s liquor advertising guidelines apply to promotion of liquor. Behind-the-bar content must not depict excessive consumption or appeal to people under the legal drinking age, and staff should not be shown drinking on shift.

Cultural and religious preparation. Some of the most compelling process moments in the GTA happen before cultural and religious celebrations: a mehndi artist at work, a tea ceremony set being arranged, a mandap being built, food prepared for a large family gathering. These moments belong to the family as much as to you. Ask the client specifically before filming them, and ask whether any part of the preparation is private or sacred. Some families are delighted to have their traditions shown with care; others are not, and the answer may differ between generations of the same family.

Put it in the contract. Your client contract’s marketing-use clause should mention behind-the-scenes photos and video as well as finished-event images, and give the client a simple way to opt out. Record any special instructions in the event file so that whoever is holding the phone on the day knows them.

Safety on screen. A clip of someone standing on the top step of a ladder to hang a chandelier, or rigging a heavy installation without proper equipment, is bad marketing even if nothing went wrong. Corporate buyers and venue managers watch for exactly this. Show safe practice, or do not show it at all.

The GTA rhythm. Behind-the-scenes content fills the quiet months. January to March is slow for many GTA event businesses, and it is the perfect time to show inventory repairs, menu development, new routines and studio work. Those months are also when many couples start booking for the following summer, so process content posted in winter reaches clients just as they are choosing.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the official sources or a lawyer for your situation.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet and complete it for your own business, using Lantern & Lane as the model where it helps. Keep it with your marketing plan. It takes about 10 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)