The PartnerVendor Approach is a technique AVFX has developed over many years for integrating with other vendors in order to find a better way of working together. It’s characterized by openness to listening and a willingness to work collaboratively without taking sides or pointing fingers. AVFX employees internalize these techniques.
The following testimonial illustrates the nature of the PartnerVendor process. It was a product launch in which AVFX was added, late in the game to a trade show booth team that was far along in their planning. Introducing new personalities into an existing team initially caused anxiety and confusion about roles that had been established years before.
Dahlgren Creative was hired to do what the client called “the biggest launch in the company’s history.” Patty Dahlgren agreed to talk with us about her experience.
“We had been told that the client had longstanding vendor relationships with a lighting company, an exhibit builder, and an AV services company they’ve worked with for years and loved desperately. We had to make sure everybody plays well together. I’d never heard of PartnerVendor relationships before, but this project was critical to us and the client. I don’t think that even your client understood why we were bringing in AVFX, but in the end, they were really glad we did.”
We first became part of the team 3 months out from this very, very big job.
“Pretty much all the work, all the lighting grids, everything had already been figured out. We were essentially inserted into the project by being hired to produce the largest launch in the company’s history only a few months before the launch. There were some really big challenging things that the client was anxious about.”
When Steve Halling and Brad Lowery from AVFX joined the existing team, the other vendors slowly realized that AVFX was not there to take business from them but rather to facilitate and enhance the relationships through mediation, negotiation, and compromise.
“They met Steve, and they met Brad, and they saw how methodical, and how technical, and how calm they were. I think that was how they came to be considered part of the team. At first, the client, the agency, and the vendors didn’t understand why we needed AVFX, since the roles were already filled. Now, I think they would insist on having them back again.
The PartnerVendor thing was a brilliant solution for us. We didn’t have the ability to bring in our own AV company, so Steve and Brad worked with them closely to coordinate efforts. They made things happen, and that made us look good. Steve took care of issues quietly, behind the scenes and when problems came up, it helped a lot to have him there.”
When we asked if the client knew what was happening behind the scenes, Patty answered very candidly.
“I think by the end of the project, and our client understood the PartnerVendor thing without knowing that your approach had a name. They understood because they saw everyone working together. AVFX was the glue that made this project happen.”
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