Event Producers on Tech: Philip Dufour, Dufour & Company Productions

Event rookies who haven’t heard of Philip Dufour’s events slacked off with the basics. In the last 35 years, Philip was the mastermind behind many of DC’s best events. It all started with him being the first male Social Secretary to Vice President and Mrs. Gore.

“I love the industry,” says Philip Dufour and event lovers in turn must love Philip. He is one of the rare people with a balanced creative and rational talent, an asset for every event producer, especially in a town like Washington DC. “DC has so many events that only happen here - Inaugurals, State Dinners, State of the Unions. It’s not unusual to have a Supreme Court Justice, Senator or Cabinet Member at a dinner on any given day of the week,” says Philip.Guest lists in DC are amazing and the Obama Administration were golden years for event producers. Celebrities started to actually show up for fundraisers, glamour arrived in town, media reach became a metric, and Philip Dufour is at the heart of it. One of his annual highlights is the White House Correspondents Dinner in April, for which Dufour & Company Productions throws one of the big after parties.

Philip, why do you love working in events?

I love the detailed strategy and creative aspect, the energy of the people in the business, and helping variety of clients and causes achieve their goals.

What type of events do you typically work on?

A wide variety, from small non-profits to large corporations to public entities, to social parties.

“DC has so many events that only happen here - it’s not unusual to have a Supreme Court Justice, Senator or Cabinet Member at a dinner on any given day of the week."

When you started your career, there were no apps and mobile phones. How important did technology become over the past few years?

Very important - everything is tied to technology, from social media to invitations.

Are you an Android or an iPhone person?

iPhone.

What applications are you using to stay organized on event day?

zkipster, Event Farm, Social Tables, we like to use a combination.

Now for the rapid fire round! Tell us which application or service you’re using for:

Event registration: zkipster or Event Farm

‍Ticketing: Event Farm

‍Guest check-in, seating, name badges, staff and guest alerts: zkipster

‍Space/floor plan design: Social Tables

What applications are you using after your event to help you evaluate its success?

It’s always amazing to see events on social media through the perspective of a guest.

Finally, what piece of event tech can’t you live without?

My phone – it combines all the pieces of event tech we use into one. I can have a run of show and guest lists all on one device

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‍Photography:Dan Swartz