A battle royale.

I’m a big fan of whatever it is we do for a living.
Events, brand experiences, experience marketing.
Whatever you want to call it, if you’re doing it, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s fascinating.
But what’s really got me thinking at the moment is the shifting  ...er, lets call it ‘tension’, between the delivery arm of the industry and the content creation part.
So which is the most important?
Well, one of the strengths of what we do is our ability to produce the media through which we work.
Kind of like being your own Rupert Murdoch, but without all that troublesome Leveson business.
That ability to stay on top when it comes to production is vital. 
It keeps us connected to the audience, it allows us to bring in the latest technologies, and it gives the client absolute editorial control on the day. 
Then there’s the brand consistency, reputation, and all those other important things. 
But content creation is really the heart of the experience, isn't it?
I’ve said it before, content is king.
Not only is it the purpose of the event, but it has a life before and after the event. 
Done right, it lives forever on-line, amplifying the message and extending the reach of the campaign.
And I think we can all agree that it’s exciting to be part of an industry that really produces results.
At the moment so far so good, you can be in one camp or the other and do a great job for your clients, wherever you happen to pitch your tent.
But here’s the thing…
Recently, three clients have asked me roughly the same question: “If we were to allocate additional funds to the activity we’re planning, where would you spend it?”
You may choose to advise your client to spend it on the production, by improving the sound or the image or the lighting. 
But would the audience even notice the negligible difference?
You may tell your client to spend it on increasing the content of the event. 
Use video and guest speakers, or maybe even capture the whole event on film so it can be disseminated, expanded and amplified. 
But wouldn’t you (and they) like to know what was achieved through this event?
Surely, the best way to derive value from that discretionary extra budget is to measure the results? 
And by ‘measurement’, I’m not talking about the venue facilities or the temperature of the coffee.
I’m talking about hard metrics, sales, contacts generated.
I was recently asked (during my last lecture tour) if the shrinking of the event industry over the last couple of years, especially with regard to events for the financial community, was down to perception that running events would look like frivolous spending and that perception would reflect badly on the brand.
My answer was no, it wasn't about "perception" it was down to us as an industry not having a consistent methodology for measuring results and effectiveness.
The advertising industry realised a long time ago that, if you can't measure effectiveness, there’s no long-term future for the campaign or indeed industry.
If we can’t point to an event and with hard data prove that it drove sales, increased awareness, encouraged consideration and promoted trial, then "perception" is going to get us every time and quite frankly we deserve to have our events cancelled.
So, back to my original question. 
What’s more important, content or production?
No conferring, answers on a post card.