Live event production companies spend a lot of time and money finding and hiring the best AV freelancers for their events. Without the right tools, it’s likely that you’ll spend more than necessary, and that can impact your ability to manage your risks and maximize your profits over time. One way to overcome the challenges of producing live events is to invest in an AV freelance management system.

Here at Mertzcrew, we’ve focused on creating freelance management software that simplifies event production, providing easy-to-use tools that can save time and help with cost reduction. With that in mind, here are eight benefits and risks of investing in an AV freelance management system.

What Are the Benefits of Investing in an AV Freelance Management System?

There are many ways in which investing in an AV freelancer management system can benefit your live event production company. Here are five to consider.

#1: Cost Reduction

Best practices for managing freelancers include cost-saving opportunities that can help you to maximize your profits. With the right AV freelancer management system, you can do the following things:

• Reduce administrative costs and overhead costs by minimizing the time you spend finding, hiring, and onboarding the most skilled AV freelancers for your live events.
• Reduce overall AV freelancer costs with efficient scheduling and time management.
• Reduce the risk of indirect costs such as lawsuits and disputes.
• Improve the accuracy of your budgeting and forecasting.

#2: Improved Efficiency and Productivity

Another key benefit of investing in software to manage the independent contractors you hire is that it can improve both productivity and efficiency.

For example, the right freelance management system can automate repetitive tasks that take your employees’ time away from more important work and can eat into your profits. For example, you can use software to schedule freelancers’ time, track their availability, and maintain accurate records of their insurance and contracts.

#3: Saving Time

The most valuable thing your live event production company puts into planning and executing events is your time, including time for you and your employees as well as the skilled AV freelancers you hire.

Using the right freelance management solution can help you save time on all fronts. By streamlining administrative tasks, you can free your employees up to do other work. You can also reduce the risk of overscheduling freelancers by creating accurate event rosters and schedules.

#4: Access to a Wider Talent Pool

One of the biggest challenges in live event production is finding the right skilled AV freelancers in your event location. Choosing an AV freelancer management system like Mertzcrew makes it easy to get access to a large pool of qualified and talented freelancers.

With Mertzcrew, you’ll get access to our extensive database of AV freelancers with a diverse range of skills and expertise. You can identify freelance talent even in secondary live event cities such as Austin and Salt Lake City, where talent is available but may be more difficult to find than it would be in major cities like New York or Los Angeles.

#5: Improved Communication

Finally, the right crew management solution can improve your communication before, during, and after live events. You won’t need to worry that your independent contractors aren’t dialed in to your needs because you’ll be able to communicate with them quickly and easily.

Communication is essential for a successful event because it allows you and your crew to stay in touch, address issues as they arise, and deliver seamless and memorable events that your clients will love.

Potential Limitations of an AV Freelance Management System

When you’re researching AV freelance management systems, it’s important to consider the potential limitations in each system and seek a solution that has as few limitations as possible. Here are three limitations to keep in mind when choosing a freelance management system for your company.

#1: Initial Investment and Implementation Challenges

The first potential limitation to keep in mind when shopping for an AV freelancer management system is your initial investment and any challenges related to implementation. There are risks associated with improper implementation and it’s important to understand the costs and the potential return on investment as it relates to your risks.

One of the challenges associated with live event production is onboarding freelancers, making sure that each person you hire has a compliant contract and the proper insurance coverage. Mertzcrew is the only AV freelancer management system that can help you find skilled AV freelancers wherever your events take place and help you find insurance for freelancers who need it.

Equally as important in the implementation is the availability of robust customer support. You’ll need help getting your employees trained and get through the learning curve for new software as quickly as possible. At Mertzcrew, we provide concierge service during onboarding to make sure that you and your staff get the training and support you need to get up and running quickly. We provide ongoing support, too, so you’ll always have the help you need, when you need it.

Finally, you’ll need to make sure that your new crew management software integrates with your existing systems. Our ongoing and professional support will help you with software integrations and implementations at every step along the way.

#2: Dependence on Technology

The second potential limitation you should consider is what it will mean for your live event production company to be reliant on technology for managing freelancers.

Two of the biggest potential issues are system downtime and technical glitches. While these things should be rare, the most important thing is to be confident that you’ll be able to get technical support when you need it.

At Mertzcrew, our customer success team is based in the United States and can be contacted at any time through our platform. We understand the importance of proper support, so we work hard to keep our system up and running and available to you around the clock. 

Before you invest in any freelancer management system, you’ll need to make sure that the company providing it has a track record of reliability and dependability. You can do that by reading customer reviews online before you commit to a solution.

#3: Security and Confidentiality Concerns

When you’re working on behalf of a client, it’s essential to keep their concerns at the front of your mind. That means you’ll need to explore potential risks related to data security and confidentiality and ask about the measures that can be taken to mitigate those risks. Here are some of the potential risks that you should ask about before you invest in a solution.

#4 Privacy Related to Freelancers

You already have a list of approved AV freelancers, and you’re not prepared to share that list with your competitors. That means one of the biggest privacy concerns is making sure your network of freelancers is not visible to other companies in the database. 

At Mertzcrew, any new freelancers you invite are not visible to other users. While our clients have access to our database, they won’t have access to yours.

#5 Data and Proprietary Information

You might like to think that any company providing an AV freelancer management system would make it a priority to protect their clients’ proprietary information both on their system and when referencing clients directly or indirectly in their marketing. Sadly, that’s not always the case.

At Mertzcrew, it’s our mission to protect our clients in every way possible. We have top-of-the-line security and we’ll never use your information in our marketing without express permission from you.

Mitigating Risks and Overcoming Limitations

Choosing the right AV freelancer management system can help you to mitigate the risks associated with live event production for both you and your client. With the right solution, you can overcome most of the limitations that can be inherent in crew management software, too.

Here are some tips to help you choose the right AV freelancer management system for your company and its needs:

• Research multiple companies and engage in thorough due diligence. You’ll want to review the company’s website and social media, as well as reading online reviews. You should talk to other companies and ask your freelancers about the freelancer management software they’ve used and which option they think is the best.
• Ask about production insurance and freelance insurance. Remember, Mertzcrew is the only company that can help you obtain the necessary insurance to help with the risk management process.
• Ask how the systems you’re considering help with AV freelancer contracts. Having compliant contracts will minimize your risks and any risks to your clients—and with the right system, such as Mertzcrew, it’s easy to create and track contracts for all your freelancers. Robust and compliant contracts protect everyone involved in live event production, including you, your freelancers, and your clients.
• Sending out invoices should be an easy and intuitive process. Freelancers should be able to log their time and submit invoices quickly, and you should be able to verify and pay them just as easily.

Mertzcrew can help you to mitigate all of these risks. We’re happy to talk to you about any special challenges your live event production company faces and work with you to mitigate your risks and maximize your profits.

Minimize Your Risks with Mertzcrew

Now that you understand the benefits and risks of investing in an AV freelance management system, it’s time to take the next step and evaluate your options. Ideally, you want a system that makes it easy to manage your risks, support your freelancers, and deliver spectacular events that will wow your clients.

Are you ready to meet the AV freelancer management software you’ve been waiting for? Mertzcrew is here to help! Click here to read about our solutions and book your free demo today.