At the Friday December 3rd performance of Spider-Man on Broadway, one of the producers walked out on stage in jeans before the show and spoke to the enormous packed-house crowd, welcoming us and providing us with an overview of what we might expect.

Given that this production, the most expensive in Broadway history, has suffered a widely publicized set of challenges, none of what the producer had to say was a surprise.

But his move was brilliant. He was affable, honest, warm…and he explained that this was the 4th preview of a few dozen between now and Jan 11.  While most shows have the opportunity to work out kinks in out-of-town runs, he explained, the Spider-Man team had decided to do this developmental process here in front of all of us.

He warned us that there might be mishaps and hoped we might bear with them and enjoy the show. When he was done, the audience offered up a very warm round of applause. We were eager to see the show and oddly, eager to be patient through mistakes.

We felt privileged.

No doubt, the show still had significant problems ranging from technical snags to story structure, but our expectations had been set.

How can you properly set the expectations for your event – and speak from the heart? Being unprepared is never an excuse, but Spider-Man’s mishaps are not due to lack of preparedness, but to an ambitious and awe-inspiring goal of blasting through Broadway boundaries and trying something vastly new.

If you, your friend, or your company is trying something new, don’t they deserve a break?

Set the expectations, set the proper Through Line with all things considered, and you might find yourself experiencing an amazing supportive and forgiving crowd, in spite of your forthcoming mishaps.