Do you think a bigger event is necessarily better? HNO Productions is one of the event production companies hired for Miami Marathon & Half Marathon weekend. We provide a lot of the audio, visuals, and entertainment services for the Health & Fitness Expo. We service the start line of the Tropical 5K with full audio and entertainment. And on the big day, we handle all the special effects, entertainment, and their needs, from the start line to the post race festivities.
The event at its’ peak attracts 25,000 participants with thousands of spectators. The Tropical 5K is also a few thousand registrants, which typically happens on the morning before the main event. The expo is probably just as massive in attendance as the marathon and half-marathon, but spread out throughout a larger timeframe, two full days usually. This means there are not as many people in attendance at the same time.
Is a Bigger Event Necessarily Better Using Past vs. Present
Back when we started with the Miami Marathon & Half Marathon, the race was not nearly as big as it is today. The Miami Marathon & Half Marathon in those days was barely 8,000 participants. The race was much more manageable with those numbers. Back then we still performed a lot of the same functions, but at a much smaller scale. As an example, there was not nearly the amount of entertainment on the course that we provide today. As the race grew, so did our responsibilities.
One of the major differences that affects us today versus back then is the size of our staff. We hire our core team as we always have, but now we also hire additional people. This personnel that we hire have their own duties and responsibilities, but it also gives us flexibility if a situation was to arise. So the question still stands, is a bigger event necessarily better?
2020 Life Time Miami Marathon & Half-Marathon
During the 2020 Life Time Miami Marathon & Half Marathon, we had an audio technician that was not able to make it to his location the morning of the event. Fortunately, we had a technician in one of our course delivery trucks. His team was making a few deliveries to some entertainment areas on the course. Once they finished with the deliveries, we had him rerouted to help us with the situation. The technician was able to arrive at the spot, setup the audio, and have music playing for the runners.
After a few hours into the event, everything took its course. The event ran the way it was suppose to. We did have a couple of other hiccups throughout the day, but nothing that our strategy was not able to quickly resolve. From out perspective during the event, the logistical strategy was extremely successful.
There was no better feeling once the event was over, knowing that all the hard work had paid off. We look back to the race weekend last year in 2020 and know we made over 20,000 people happy with the production that was created. Despite the challenges encountered, the outcome was definitely gratifying and exhilarating.
In conclusion, a bigger event is necessarily better for us. We are willing to face the challenges in order to reap the benefits. Even if we need to spend a little out of our own budget to add some safe guards in the process. And this is why we keep coming back!