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productionglue

Women in Events Q+A with Robyn Henry

By: Robyn Henry

01/14/2019

The women of productionglue share their industry insights and career advice.

What advice do you have for women pursuing a career in live events? 

I think for anyone; the biggest thing is to show initiative. Even if you don’t have all the skills or understand all the details, a little willingness goes a long way.

What three characteristics best describe a successful Senior Producer? 

1. Reframing problems into opportunities for creative solutions

2. Fostering a good pipeline of communication to everyone involved with a project

3. The ability to pay attention to BOTH the big picture and the small details

Describe your proudest moment at productionglue. Why was it special? 

Too many proud moments on individual projects, but in general I am most proud of our GREENglue initiative, which factors environmental sustainability into everything we do. Events are temporary by nature and could so easily end up in a landfill after, so it’s amazing to see us reverse that trend. For example, on an event in Mexico City, we filled the venue with potted trees for decor that were planted in a local community after the event. Onsite, we bring re-usable GREENglue water bottles for staff and crew which keep an average of 10 single-use water bottles per person out of a landfill. And in our office, we composted 2,010 lbs of food scraps in 2018 alone!

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far? 

To not let the little things, get to you, to trust in your team, and to take time to explain and train the next generation.


What are your hopes for our industry?

Over the last year, I heard consistent feedback from some of our dedicated freelances (in many different roles) that they really appreciate working with productionglue because we have so many women in leadership roles, and that has helped foster a positive work environment. I would like to see that trend continue. 

What do you enjoy most about being a Senior Producer? 
I have a few so giving you three options of answers: 

1. Digging into the creative process at the start of a project and seeing what kind of amazing experience we can curate. 

2. I spent so many years being the young person in the room that had to prove what they know and so it’s nice to reach the point of now being the senior trusted voice in the room. 

3. When I brief the Front of House Staff or the Stage Manage team onsite, and hand over months of careful planning to let the show come to life. 

What does true leadership mean to you? How do you embody leadership? 

Oftentimes I think Leadership is associated with being the loudest voice in the room, but true Leadership is quality, not volume.