Saturday, April 6, 2013

BMX Stunt Shows and Business Block Parties


Need a BMX Bike Stunt Team to Perform a BMX Stunt Show for Your Business Block Party, Event, Festival, or Venue?

As rough economic times have fallen on most people and business owners alike, of which, consumers and business owners are now utilizing a myriad of resourceful and creative methods of saving and making money. Local business owners, large business owners, and big corporations are all continuously searching for inexpensive ideas to further promote their business, brand, products, or services.

Recently, local business owners and business owners alike have been getting very creative with marketing and advertising strategies for their businesses and have recently started to use BMX bike stunt teams for extreme stunt shows at business block parties and customer appreciation days. This concept is becoming more and more popular as it is a much cheaper method of attracting more traffic and attention for multiple businesses, while splitting the costs of the business block parties across the multiple businesses taking part in the said events.

Some businesses have found this method of cost cutting, cross promotion, a very effective means of advertising and marketing in a tight economy and on a low budget. The old saying - "Scratch My back, and I will Scratch yours", has quite frankly, fast become a very popular concept once again for people, consumers, and business owners alike.

Business owners have also been getting very creative in how they plan, execute, market, and advertise these business block parties. Once again the idea is to save money, in hopes of making more money. That being said, business owners have been inviting radio stations, TV stations, Media Outlets, Newspapers, non profits, other business owners, donations from other business owners for ad/marketing spaces (banners, shirts, giveaways, brochures, sales materials), restaurants and chefs, special guests, kids entertainment (bounce houses, games, face painting, clowns, cartoon characters...), bands, and maybe some extreme entertainment from BMX bike stunt teams or extreme stunt teams.

In essence, the basis for any business block party is to have something that appeals to as many different types of people as possible.

How to Plan A Business Block Party

Planning a venue or event can sometimes seem like a very daunting task. The fact that your business may just get that extra exposure it needs and at a cheap price may be worth the effort for not only one event, but numerous venues and events to come. Listed below are some general steps to follow when you are planning a local business block party.Brainstorm by yourself and then with other business owners. Get creative.


  • Find other businesses to come to event or sponsor/donate at event in exchange for shout outs over PA systems (radio,TV, and newspaper possibly as well)

  • banners hung and ads hung or displayed, sales and promotional material handed out...

  • Organize all information, businesses involved, materials needed, place to hold event, any required permits and paperwork, and marketing and advertising information.

  • Lay out a definitive plan of action and plan of action/to do lists for people and businesses involved in the event/venue.

  • Contact any non profits that may want to participate in the event as well. Such as blood banks, mobile pet non profits, book drives, schools, boy scouts / girl scouts, churches and other religious institutes, food drives and shelters, so on and so forth. These non profits may just help in getting the additional media exposure your business block party needs, best of all, it should be free.

  • Contact newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations to come out to the event to participate or cover the event.

  • Start the marketing and advertising campaigns at least a month prior to your event or venue. Leverage direct marketing and advertising, internet advertising and internet marketing, and mobile marketing and mobile advertising for maximum integration and exposure for any and all events and venues.

  • Start getting materials, businesses, services, entertainment in order and organized for the event. Make checklists, take inventory, micro manage, and communicate with all parties involved.

  • Finalize all details, confirm businesses and services, confirm entertainment and catering (or food), confirm non profits, and confirm media outlets. Check that all materials have been purchased and are ready for the actual event or venue.

Execution of a local block party event

If the event is set up, managed, and executed properly; the businesses involved should have nothing but a great time and hopefully a prosperous one to. Keep in mind that even if a business owner does not make on red cent, they have actually achieved more than they may understand. Using a business block party provides exposure, brand exposure, business image exposure, offline foot traffic, online web traffic and web exposure, possibly new leads and sales, and most importantly word of mouth advertising from people who actually went to the event.

So as you can see and hopefully understand, a business owners success is not always measured by the amount of money they make in any one given day, but more so how effectively they market and advertise their business while setting themselves up for future success. The trick of it is weathering the current economic conditions amongst the many other hardships of owning a business these days.

Need help with marketing and advertising of your business block party, special event, or corporate event?

The Three Levels of Planning


There are three levels of strategic planning: Corporate, business, and functional. Strategy may be planned at each level, but the plans for every level of an organization should align to insure maximum unity of effort. Without alignment, departments and functions will be working at cross-purposes, and the overall corporate strategy will be less effective. Here is how strategist view each of the three levels of strategic planning:

Corporate level: Planning at this level should provide overall strategic direction for an organization, sometimes referred to as the "grand strategy." This is a concise statement of the general direction which senior leadership intends to undertake to accomplish their stated mission or vision. Corporate level strategy is usually decided by the CEO and the Board of Directors although other senior leaders will often contribute to the strategy formulation. Strategic options at the corporate level will likely require a commitment of a significant portion of the firm's resources over an extended period, and the results will have a significant impact on the future health of the organization. Strategic planning at this level will usually include a robust analysis and identification of several strategic options based on the assumed future operating environment. In a multi-business firm, careful consideration will be given to the overall core competencies of the firm and where the boundaries lie between corporate and business level responsibilities.

Business level: Each business within an organization will develop a strategy to support the overall business within its specific industry. Business level strategy is reflects the current position of the firm within its industry, and identifies how the available resources can be applied to improve the position of the firm in relation to its competitors. There are a variety of ways that businesses will compete, but more often than not it is based on the USP (unique selling proposition) of the firm which distinguishes the company and its products from other competitors. If there are no differences between one firm's products or services from other competitors, then the product or service becomes a commodity. Competition among firms that offer commodities is usually rooted in price competition, and the low-cost providers usually take over. On the other hand, businesses that distinguish themselves can compete on their unique selling proposition. If they can successfully demonstrate why they are different and how that difference can provide a better level of service or quality product, then the business can command a higher margin for the premium service or product. This is the "value" added by the firm, and the business strategy should focus on how the firm adds value.

Functional level: Functional level describes support functions of a business: Finance, Marketing, Manufacturing, and Human Resources are a few examples of the functional level. Strategies at this level should be defined to support the overall business and corporate level strategies. If the functional level leaders can describe their activities and goals in relation to the business or corporate levels, then everyone in the organization will be aligned and as such contribute to the overall goals and objectives for the organization. So for example, functional leaders for IT or HR must ask if the strategies for their functions match and support the overall strategic direction of the businesses they support or of the overall firm itself.

The best strategic planners understand how important it is for a firm to have alignment among the corporate, business, and functional levels of strategy. The overall corporate level strategies will not be effective if the supporting business and functional level strategies are inconsistent with the overall strategic intent of the senior leaders. Thus, it is not only important to pick the right strategy for the corporate level, but also equally important to make sure that the business and functional level strategies support the overall grand strategy for the organization.

Note to Self: Become Event Planner


There is a voice in your head saying, "Become an event planner." It has been there for a while now. It won't go away. You have been ignoring it for one simple reason: you're not sure how one goes about pursing a career in event planning anyway. The answer - as with so many things in life - is to break it down into smaller steps.

Step #1

Draw up a list of event planning courses in your area. Many community colleges near you offer a training program that will soothe in no time that voice in your head that encourages you, begs you to become and event planner.

Step #2

Phone the schools on your list. Find out if they offer campus tours or open houses.

Step #3

Visit the schools featured on your list. Take a notebook or smart phone with you so that you can jot down your impressions of each campus. Ideally, you should speak to:

  • someone in administration

  • teachers

  • students, past and present.

When you are visiting schools, make a note of how long the commute takes. Can you get to the school on public transit? Will you need to drive? This can have a big impact on the school you choose.

Step #4

Apply to the school of your choice. With a little luck, you will be accepted.

Step #5

Throw yourself into your studies! Most event planning courses are short - just one or two years long - so students must be prepared to make the most out of the short time.

What kind of courses will you be taking to, as the voice says, "become event planner"?

  • how to co-ordinate events

  • how to manage a tour

  • how to manage venues

  • basics of graphic design

  • event planning software

  • budgeting

  • managing risk

Step #6

You should also try to get some real-life experience to bolster your CV when you graduate. You can:

  • do a co-op course

  • work as an intern

  • volunteer to organize a fundraiser for a non-profit

  • organize an event for your family

Step #7

When you graduate, be sure to use the career placement services at the school of your choice to ease your transition into the working world. Remember that your teachers are valuable resources. A recommendation letter from a teacher who knows you well may help you land your first job, finally silencing that "Become event planner" voice in your head for good. Next step: find an aspiring event planner to mentor!

Team Building Motivation and Leadership


Inspire and promote conversation with traditional promotional printable board games, or personalized classic board game like custom logo printed chess sets or checkers. If your company creates strategic solutions, then why not leave a promotional chess set with your prospect?

Traveling becomes easier with promotional travel games and custom imprinted electronic games. Corporate event planners, realtors and travel agencies can benefit from logo imprinted travel games.

Many hours of enjoyment can come from imprinted promotional flying discs or personalized Frisbees. Your company name will be soaring high these promotional Frisbee discs and other customized toys. Promotional and personalized outdoor games make good promotional community event items. Corporate event planners, Realtors and travel agencies can benefit from logo imprinted outdoor games.

Promotional decision maker puzzles is just the right promotional custom logo puzzles. So roll the action dice during your next brainstorming session and choose imprinting your logo on promotional games.

Many hours of enjoyment can come from imprinted promotional toys like promotional trucks and vans with your company logo promoting your services.

Keep the stress down with logo imprinted stress toys. See our selection of personalized stress balls, bricks, cars, people and other custom logo imprinted stress toys.

Stress building blocks are a great team building game for any employee up to executive management.

Involving employees at work means more involvement and an atmosphere of value, empowering them to make decisions and become more involved. Few people really know how to create team involvement and really allow an employee to be given credit for good decisions or ideas. Team building can have long lasting positive effect on a business. Take your team to new heights with these promotional team building products.

Top 6 2012 Holiday Event Planning Tips


Chilly weather says it all; the holiday season is just around the corner, and you can't wait for the parties & holiday events to start. It's fun to be an attendee at these holiday events or parties, but when you are the organizer, the picture is hectic. You have every reason to be stressed out with looming deadlines and limited budgets. Gloomy economic climate and reduced corporate spending are dampers to your plan. Well, here are the top 6 2012 holiday event planning tips, to trim costs and elevate ROI for your forthcoming events and parties:

1. Restaurants As Party Venues: You've got to admit that hosting holiday events at popular hotels in this peak season is actually an expensive proposal. Why not consider your friendly neighborhood restaurant which will probably offer you a fantastic deal, will have lower pricing points, recommend various themes with efficient staff. Most of these restaurants are already decorated for the holidays, thus will largely reduce your venue d矇cor costs further.

2. Host the Parties in January: Hosting parties in January are a new trend and they are equally enjoyable for your attendees. Dates are easier to book and venues are more affordable, as it's just after the holiday season. Companies and event planners like you should shift the focus from 'end-of-the' to 'beginning of a great year' theme. Clients are going to appreciate it as well; everyone will have something to look forward to in the new year.

3. Party During the Day: In 80% of the cases, lunch menus are less expensive than dinner spreads at popular eateries, especially during the holiday season. Attendees would also find it more comfortable to attend them, as compared to 'time crunched nights and weekends'.

4. Why not party at work? - You can also host corporate parties at the office venue, department wise, that would reduce the requirement of additional organizational resources for a large gathering. Employees would relish the break; in fact partying at your workplace holds a different charm altogether.

5. Customized Menus- Generally standard menus by popular caterers are more expensive than a customized buffet. It is easier to plan and control costs if you choose the menu personally, instead of relying on caterers. Alternatively, copy the menu of a recommended chef by requesting your caterer to suggest similar, affordable alternatives.

6. Online Holiday Event Registration- Avoid using manual registrations and payment management systems that are costly and error prone. Avail of the leading online event registration software to invite, register and accept payments, that's also convenient for your attendees.

Following these simple tips would help you to get much more out of your limited budget and would also reduce the extent of manual paperwork. Here's a lucky toast to your rocking holiday events and parties this session!

Friday, April 5, 2013

Top Ten Corporate Hospitality Events for 2011


Corporate Hospitality is an ideal way to entertain guests and if you are thinking of entertaining at one of the major sporting events throughout the UK this year, why not read on to see our list of top 10 events to entertain guests at...

1. British Grand Prix Corporate Hospitality - The F1 British Grand Prix makes a welcome return to Silverstone this year for what promises to be another exhilarating event in the motor racing calendar. Enjoy the glamour and excitement with our official Silverstone Trackside hospitality, as Sebastian Vettel returns to the track as World Champion.

2. England Cricket Corporate Hospitality - With an array of modern facilities offering first class official cricket hospitality for one day internationals and Twenty20 internationals and of course the test series throughout the season, you can be guaranteed a fantastic day for you and your clients. The most popular venues are Lord's, The Oval and Trent Bridge.

3. FA Premier League Corporate Hospitality - Football is without a doubt, the most popular sport in the UK. The competition is fierce and the atmosphere is electric. This combination is perfect for hosting a corporate event or providing client entertainment that will leave a lasting impression.

4. The Grand National - The Grand National is one of the most famous and prestigious horse races in the world and ranks as one of the highlights of the entire sporting year. The race captures the imagination of millions, and consistently produces thrilling finishes as horse and rider try to conquer the mighty Aintree fences.

5. The Open Championships Corporate Hospitality - The Open Championship will return to Kent and Royal St George's Golf Club in July 2011, the only venue in southern England for golf's most prestigious major championship. It is a wonderful venue from a visitor's point of view due to the layout of the course and the many natural vantage points affording great views of the action.

6. The AEGON Championships Corporate Hospitality - June in London is a time when attention turns to tennis. The most prestigious men's grass court tournament in the UK begins and has been a highlight of the summer sporting season for over three decades.

7. RBS 6 Nations - The Six Nations Tournament remains one of the finest International Rugby competitions in the world. For the first time ever, the Six Nations will kick off on a Friday night when England play Wales on Friday 4th February 2011. Martin Johnson's men will then take on Italy, France and Scotland at home, before ending the tournament away to Ireland, who returns to Lansdowne Road at the new Aviva Stadium.

8. Royal Ascot Corporate Hospitality - The five days of Royal Ascot are not only the centerpiece of the British social calendar, but also host to the world's greatest race meeting. Attracting enormous international appeal and is attended every year by almost 300,000 people with race goers coming from over 100 different countries.

9. Wimbledon Corporate Hospitality - Wimbledon is without a doubt the definitive tennis experience and the main 'Grand Slam' event. For two highly anticipated weeks in the summer, close to a half million spectators will travel to Wimbledon to attend Wimbledon 2011. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships offer a superb setting for corporate hospitality with a unique atmosphere combined with the spectacle of the competition, it transcends all expectations.

10. Cheltenham Racecourse Corporate Hospitality - The Cheltenham National Hunt Festival is widely regarded as one of the greatest jump meetings in the world. Featuring the famous Gold Cup, the four day festival offers an excellent opportunity for entertaining your clients with Corporate Hospitality at one of the Countries most prestigious events.

Event Planning Checklist


Being in charge of planning your companies next corporate event can be a daunting task, not to mention put untold pressures on your shoulders. It is very important to have a event planning checklist so that your event can go off without a hitch.

One of the first steps is to start gathering data on all of the details that you hope to accomplish. One of the first forms of information that you will need is the number of guests that will be in attendance. To allow yourself to get a more accurate count, think about sending out RSVP invitations well in advance.

Will there be food served at your event, and will it be a sit down type dinner or more of a buffet style type of food service. Will there be any events that will take place.. (ie. bands, themes, or presentations).

Once the pertinent data is collected, it will allow you to move forward with the party planning process. After gathering the data the next step is to create a event planning checklist, that you will be able to review on a regular basis and check things off as they are accomplished.

Being in charge of planning you need to make it a point to keep in constant contact with your vendors, such as catering, photographers, service staff, florists and entertainment. The characteristics of a good planner is a person who excels at their profession and understands what it means to be a team leader.

The next thing to think about when planning for the big event is a location, depending on the number of guests that you will have will determine where the event will be held. Some common choices for corporate events are hotel ballrooms, resorts, restaurants, or large event tents. One important thing when choosing your location is to always estimate up on the number of guests, it is much better to be too big than too small.

Another important aspect of event planning is the food and beverages. Will you need to hire a caterer. If it is a smaller event you could possibly get away with preparing the food yourself, although if you are the chief planner it might be better to outsource this job. Buffets are always a big hit with a medium sized crowd, and sit down dinners with service staff make for an elegant feel.

Another aspect of the party planning process is entertainment. There are many types of entertainment to consider for your corporate event such as magicians, jugglers, hypnotists or live bands. The look and feel of what type of atmosphere you are trying to create can make a big determination on what type of entertainment you select.

Great planning and preparation is the key to a event that will be a success, however ensuring that you have addressed every aspect of the planning process can be an exhausting task. To keep yourself from overlooking anything it is important that you prepare a good event planning checklist.

As always there will be things that will go wrong, although unless you tell anyone your guests will probably never even notice, do not stress about it, and just mark it off as a lesson learned. Have fun and enjoy the benefits of all of your hard work, and know that your guests will walk away having a great time and lasting memories of an event that was well executed.

Best Event Management Software That Make Your Life Easier


When it comes to organising your next event, selection of the conference venues is only a small part of the preparation. You need to think about registration procedures, marketing your event beforehand, managing payment processing, providing information and answering questions from potential attendees and updating an event calendar possibly on an interactive website.

The organisational list seems endless, and the tasks involved in each element of the program require great attention to detail and careful anticipation of any problems that may arise. These days, with the complexity and technicalities of organising a large event, event management software can provide an easy solution or leased go part of the way to alleviating the problems which face organisers.

Choosing the best event management software however is not easy task, especially given the fact that organisers may not have the opportunity to see the software in operation beforehand. That's why it is important to take some time out and evaluate the software well in advance before making any decisions.

One of the best things you can do is to consult with previews users and obtain a review of how the software assisted them and what problems they experienced. It may mean you have to attend several training sessions to familiarise yourself with any software package before putting it into practice.

Let's take a look at some of the top software packages on offer today.


  • Cvent. Event management software needs to be tailored to your individual requirements so it's important to look for a package that has an all in one approach. This particular suite can assist you in every element of organisation including registration procedures, e-mail marketing campaigns, secure online payment processing, housing and travel management, budget management, custom websites, workflow management, on-site functionality and event reporting to name a few. It is evident that the software is appropriate for large-scale events but can also be utilised to run online webinars as well.

  • ManagEvent. If you are looking for a general project management solution, then this software may be what you are looking for. Before you decide whether the software is appropriate, you can sign up for a free webinar where you will be able to see the software in operation for yourself. It also comes with a 60 day guarantee and a string of testimonials to ease your concerns. Other users have commented positively on the contact management side of this software and the ease with which projects can be managed. It takes advantage of carefully designed templates to import project information and to automatically enable fast communication; all important elements for efficient event management.

  • Event Software. Event Software has been providing facility and event management software for over 21 years. One of the best selling features this company has to offer is its previous experience in running all types of events including convention centres, performing arts, universities, museums as well as small to medium businesses. Reviewers applaud the technical support this company provides, and the large range of modules allows you to update websites, provide instant communication methods and track budgets on demand.

If you want to make certain that your conference venues are well attended and can be carried out within your budget, you should check out which software is right for you.

Top Tips on Planning a Grand Corporate Event


Organizing grand events constitutes a significant part of the business strategy of the major corporate houses. Hence, they should be planned well to avoid any last minute issues. Many corporate houses hire event managers to plan out these events. Some tips of corporate event planning are shared here, so that you can have a good idea about how to plan your next event.

Corporate events such as meetings, seminars, and conferences are usually organized to discuss vital objectives of the company. Hence, it is imperative to plan these properly, as inadequacy in event planning can lead to mismanagement. Besides, it can also create bad impression on the attendees, who are likely to be to be your potential clients or sponsors in the long run. Hence, you must try to take care of all those minute things, which help to create a positive impression on your attendees.

To make a corporate event successful, some entertainment needs to be included in it. There is no strict rule stating that official gatherings should always be formal. Instead, engaging the audience through minute details is more important and steps should be taken to perform that.

The corporate event planner should be aware about the clients' requirements. Experienced planners can suggest you the most appropriate venue for the event, manage the staff required, ensure the meal is of high quality, and confirm amount of food necessary for the guests. However, a lot of corporate organizations rely on event management software to plan out their program. Doing it online can help you save the money spent on hiring professional event planners. Moreover, you can reduce your back-office workload, while ensuring a safe registration and payment transaction for the event.

Corporate events offer you direct exposure to the target audience. Hence, you should focus on things that reflect your corporation's qualities as a professional, reliable, and innovative organization. Make sure that the events you have organized are of high quality and creative. Besides, they need good planning and proper execution. In fact, such events are vital to create a public image of your organization.

Provide adequate time in planning your event, depending on its type and size. You should invest enough time in:

-簫 Selecting venues and suppliers
-簫 Submitting order forms
-簫 Issuing corporate invitations to the existing and new clients

Start your corporate event planning today with an experienced team of professional event managers who can help you with their expertise in online event registration software.

Facing Problems While Managing Events? Here's the Planner's Guide


Organizations situated around the world host events to strengthen the bond with their existing customers and build up networks with their target audience. Social events as they are popularly known is really very important for companies as they work towards developing trust and greater confidence of potential consumers in their brand, organization and namely their products and services. Managing events is as crucial as planning one. Event planners need to hire people to work in different areas, manage inventories, look into logistical requirements, and book a venue if it's a large scale social event. Even after years of experience, many event organizers face problems in managing events successfully. It is here that an event planner's guide can be of great help. Let's see how!

Prepare Your Event Checklist

You should create a checklist for all the essential areas where you need to work upon whilst planning the event. A week before the event, ensure you recheck everything; from invitations to ordered supplies. In case you find discrepancies, you will have time to fix the issues. Also, make note of the things that may go wrong on the D-day and develop backup plans to avert the crisis.

Invite People Early On

While you book the event venue and start hiring staff, it is important to keep the invitation aspect in mind and not miss out on sending an invite to any important dignitaries whose presence is expected. Make a note of the people you have invited and the names of those who still await your invitation card. A faster way of inviting guests is via emails. If you want to convey the same message to all, just a design single email and send it out as a bulk message. You save on time and manual labor. Moreover, you can free yourself from doing any paperwork since you can now generate electronic invitations.

Arrive Early at Your Conference or Event

Get all your team members to arrive at the event venue early. In case any changes are required to be made, it can be done easily before the arrival of the guests. Keep a meeting room ready and summon the staff to sort out problems, if any.

Hang Up Signs for Easily Locating the Event Venue

You should post signs directing guests and suppliers to the event site. Absence of any signs may create confusion regarding locating the place. Hanging up visible signs makes it clear to event attendees easily locate the route to your event venue from the nearest bus stop or train station.

Welcoming the Guests

Choose 3 to 4 team members to welcome the guests cordially and show them to their allocated places. After they get settled in, ask them if they need something; perhaps a glass of water to wrench their thirst. These little gestures go a long way in making the attendees happy and eager to participate more in your events.

What Free Services Are Available When You Use A CVB?


If you're not familiar with how Convention and Visitors Bureaus work and the kinds of complimentary services they offer to meeting planners, then this article is for you! One of the main reasons CVBs exist is to bring tourism, meetings, conventions and events to their destinations, so that means your business is very important to them! As a result, CVBs will do whatever they can to not only bring your meeting to their destination but also support its success.

Think of a CVB as your go-to advocate, one who is there to help coordinate your efforts on your behalf and help you find the perfect fit in meeting spaces, hotels and services. Because they're funded by a combination of factors, including hotel occupancy taxes, CVBs are able to offer a host of services and support before, during and after events, including pre-convention planning, program and registration assistance, attendance building and event publicity and promotion. Although freebies can depend on the bureau and size of a meeting or event, by working closely with a CVB, you'll not only save time and money, you'll also free up your energy to focus on really crucial things, like negotiating the best rates and making your meeting a success!

Here's the rundown on some of the free services many CVBs are now offering to help you plan and pull off a fabulous event.

Destination Expertise:

Along with a vested interest in bringing meetings and events of all shapes and sizes to their destinations, CVBs are experts when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of their cities. With their unbiased knowledge and unique destination perspective, CVBs have the expertise to guide planners in the right direction and help them make faster, more educated decisions.

But nothing beats experiencing a destination first-hand, so many CVBs offer complimentary familiarization (FAM) tours and guided site inspections. These hosted excursions allow planners to gain a better understanding of what a destination has to offer, including accommodations, meetings and convention spaces, activities and attractions. Some bureaus, such as the Tucson Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, also offer customized trips for individual planners.


"If they have a piece of business that would fit into Tucson, we'll fly a planner out so they can experience the destination," says Richard Vaughan, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Metro Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau. "You choose the date, we set up all your site inspections, give you customized attention and take you around to the hotels customized to your needs."


RFP Gathering and Site Selection:

CVBs can also be an invaluable resource and partner in helping you select the right hotel and meeting spaces. Because they have extensive knowledge about the properties and venues within their destinations, they can do the legwork for you by sending out your RFPs to those that best meet your criteria. This not only saves you from having to contact each individual property on your own but also helps you save more time by narrowing down the selection process.


"Certainly we can do site selection for them," says David DuBois, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau. "If they have a 300-room group for four nights and it's a sales meeting, we'll narrow it down the number of hotels based upon their specs. If they have an exhibit need, that narrows it down even further because they want to be next to the convention center. We review their specs and see if there's a fit and then we show the meeting planner the property or properties that would fit their needs."


Connections With Vendors:

Besides helping you find the best match in hotels and meeting spaces, CVBs can also gather information and provide referrals for important local resources, including airport, transportation, city services, florists, speakers and recreational activities. If the CVB is a membership-funded organization, they can provide you with a list of members and work as a go-between with vendors that fit your needs.


"When we meet with the planner we discuss their specific requirements and educate them about what's available," says Vaughan. "That way the leads are targeted, it's a focused communication channel and planners aren't inundated with calls (from vendors)."


Attendee Marketing:

CVBs have a vested interest in the success of your event. After all, if you have a positive experience, won't you be more likely to come back? That's why offering free pre-event attendance promotion and program coordination to planners makes good business sense for CVBs. Besides producing customized presentations, news and press releases and email blasts on your event's behalf, many CVBs are also able to create custom web pages, provide you with promotional materials and assist in pre- and post-stay itinerary planning.

Since attracting robust event participation is in a CVB's best interest, bureaus such as the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Bureau offer cutting-edge attendance promotion programs as a complementary service for their larger events.


"We have a host of attendance promotion activities for larger types of shows," says Chris Meyer, LVCVA vice president of sales. "The most popular one is our convention call program. The show organizer provides us with a list, it's given to our call center and we engage with attendees and encourage them to register for the event. It's been a very successful program."


Make the CVB Connection:

Although every bureau may differ slightly in the kinds of services they can offer for free, CVBs are nonetheless an invaluable resource that planners should make a point of leveraging. After all, one of their main jobs is to provide you with the expertise, services and support you need so you can do what you do best: execute a stellar meeting!


"Certainly the primary mission for all DMOs is to be the primary ambassador and advocate for the meeting planner that will represent them throughout the whole community," says Vaughan. "It allows them to use a lot less time and effort to find a vendor or additional assistance, they have one point of central contact and they have a designated person that's their destination advocate for all their meetings needs."

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Current Trends in Event Promotion and Marketing Strategy


Promotion is the key to an event's success. Without an effective promotional campaign, it is difficult to reap maximum benefits from organizing events. Moreover, with a surge of online promotion, social media is gradually starting to occupy the center of everyone's attention. Corporate events and tradeshows nowadays are extremely dependent on online marketing and promotional strategies. However, it should be kept in mind that traditional strategy of face-to-face marketing has not yet lost its ground. It is important to remember that personal connection and networking still has a place outside of Facebook and Twitter.

This article is going to discuss the current marketing trends of organizations adopting marketing strategies to host a successful event.

1. Companies are making wise investments: At present, organizations are looking for ways by which they can ensure that their investment of time and expense delivers back in a proper way. The focus here is on quality, not quantity. Hence, when it's time to decide your target attendees, make sure that invitations are sent to the best of people who can help you in maximizing your ROI.

2. Attendees want real information: Keep in mind that your target attendees are looking for practical information about your event. Hence, while carrying on with your promotion campaigns ensure that you are offering quality and substance; not just 2 days of sales pitches. It is better to deliver engaging, interactive displays, innovative product exhibits, unique and valuable information, not taking into consideration the mode of marketing, online and offline.

3. Use of dynamic, interactive displays: Using audio/visual element for an event's promotion has now become a ruling trend. You can add these to your exhibit's environment but make sure that you do not go for an all glitz and glamour look and discard substance along the way. Engaging your audience and delivering your message can be accomplished through innovative custom trade show displays or adding interactive components to your exhibit.

4. Use of social media for promotion: With the surge of social networking, event promotion strategy has achieved a new dimension. Harnessing the power of social media, organizers now can promote their events at relatively low costs resulting in potentially high returns. In fact, social networking is the best way to bring in qualified attendees.

5. Compact and powerful branding: Keep in mind that branding is an integral part of a successful event promotion strategy. Hence, your brand message has to be essentially powerful, so that it can have the desired impact on the audience within a short span of time. Make sure that the communication is short, simple and powerful.

Nowadays, target audiences become more selective and organizations are working incessantly on realizing high-ROI initiatives. As a result, organizations are trying to customize marketing communication strategies to achieve the favorable results.

What to Look for in a Corporate Catering Service


Events are now becoming an almost daily part of our lives whether it is a corporate, wedding or social event. If can be difficult to manage a large event when a number of guests are expected without taking advantage of a professional and reliable catering service. They not only take away a lot of the stress that comes with preparing the food for the big day but also help save you time by doing a lot of the preparation and organizing.

Searching for a corporate catering service isn't a very difficult. Just doing a simple search online should return a wide variety of companies offering this particular type of service in the local area. However it is important to carefully vet each of the individual providers to ensure you will be partnering with high-quality caterers. Some of the steps to find a reliable company include -

The first course of action to creating a delicious menu for a buffet, luncheon, or diner includes getting in contact with the most promising catering companies from the initial online search. If using a catering service for a special event it is worth putting in the time and effort to visit each of the companies in person so that you're able to see the quality of the food on offer and taste actual samples. This allows you to the see the different providers at work and the way the service might well be provided for you. It is also important to consider the varied tastes of guests so make certain that the catering service is flexible enough in their approach to create an all-round menu.

Also, look for a catering service which is able to provide a wide-range of personalized services besides the preparing the actual food, which might consist of such extras as waiters and waitresses, floral decoration, air conditioning, collapsible furniture and carpeting.

It will also benefit if the corporate caterers travel to any location to personally set everything up for the special event. This gives the peace of mind in knowing that you will have someone arriving on the day to prepare the food and seating. For instance, for an outdoor banquet, the service provider might assist with outdoor settings, such as organizing the party marquee, heater and even decorative features for extra beauty.

Whether it is for team building parties or wedding receptions, a corporate catering service can offer a complete range of services which are tailored specifically to a person's particular requirements to ensure nothing goes wrong on the special day.

Hotel Negotiating - Flexibility in Sales Contracts is Always to Your Advantage


Would you be willing to be flexible to get better rates or a better room block pattern when you start negotiating with your hotel sales contact? The answer hopefully will be "Yes."

In meeting and event planning, flexibility can give you more options when dealing with a sales manager.

An example of this would be a meeting planner asking asking for 50 rooms in a specific month and date. He tells the sales manager that his Board of Directors wants rooms in Atlanta September 19 - 21. The sales manager is thinking to himself "I have 50 rooms left which is easy to sell. If this meeting planner can only book September 19 - 21, I won't have to offer a special rate." So, the sales manager offers 50 rooms and quotes a rate of $250.00. He knew the Board of Directors could not move their group to alternative dates where he might be able to offer special rates.

The meeting planner has just given up most of his negotiating power because he does not have the flexibility to change dates. He had strict orders from his Board of Directors to only negotiate for a set of dates that would fit the Board schedule.

Now, consider that just maybe the sales manager has the same block or pattern of rooms available a week or two later and would love to offer lower rates in order to get the business. What would it be worth for both parties to make this work?

However, the sales manager is happy because he fills up his hotel at the rate he wanted and the meeting planner has given his Board of Directors the dates they wanted. It's a partial win for both, but the attendees coming to the meeting will pay for it with higher room rates.

Flexibility can be everything when negotiating. If you have it, then you have the advantage and that advantage can mean better rates, more available rooms, a better room block pattern, more complimentary rooms, a comp suite or possibly better food prices.

To really become an event planner, always keep flexibility in mind. So, your answer to the question that was first mentioned should be "Yes". Be flexible, keep your options open and you will get a contract that is more in your favor.

Planning Extraordinary Corporate Events


When planning a corporate event, choosing a unique location may be the solution to creating the perfect ambiance for your company function. Are you looking for a themed environment? Do you want a hip, trend-setting location? Will ocean views inspire your team? Maybe a historical setting with elegance and charm will fit the bill?

When planning your next event, consider some of the creative options your city has to offer.

Museums

Museums are one of the well-kept secrets in the event planning industry. With built-in themes, you can surround your guests with sports memorabilia, classic cars, airplanes and spacecraft, magnificent aquariums, science exhibits and many other historical elements. Most museums have a preferred list of professional caterers that can create a magical event that incorporates the venue, food, beverage, decor and many other elements.

Entertainment Venues

If a fun experience is ideal for your next sales meeting, teambuilding event or party, consider having your event at a location that has the entertainment built in. Treat your employees to stock car racing or flight simulators followed by a day of meetings. There's nothing like some head-to-head video game combat to get the adrenaline and creativity flowing. Bowling with your team or conducting a cooking class together can foster the feelings of camaraderie. Hold your annual sales meeting at a vineyard and then go wine tasting. Most of these locations not only include the entertainment element, but also have ample function space to conduct productive sessions or host a reception.

Yachts

Coastal communities are known for their incredible ocean views. Why not maximize them by hosting your next event on a yacht? With varying capacities available, yachts can host everything from intimate, exclusive gatherings to full-blown parties with hundreds of guests. The experienced catering teams are able to customize an event to meet your needs and create a one-of-a-kind affair. 

Historical Sites

With many sites to choose from, selecting a historical site is a great way to go back in time. Many classic locations have undergone renovations to modernize their amenities while still maintaining their timeless appearance and charm. Historical sites are often non-profit organizations as well so you can feel good about selecting them as an ideal setting. Sites can include historic mansions and buildings, naval bases, antique ferry boats and more.

Nightclubs

Nightclubs are not just for the twenty-something set any more. Companies who are looking to "knock the socks off" their employees and clients will love the cutting-edge backdrop that nightclubs can provide. State-of -the art lighting, decor and audio visual equipment are trademarks of these trend-setting clubs. Most have a dedicated event staff that can handle all of the details for your event and customize it to your needs.

Social Media and Wedding Planning Ideas


The web is creating smaller and smaller worlds via social media and event planning companies. I met Noa Gafni of Webutantes by an article someone mentioned on either Twitter or Linkedin. I can't remember it's getting so confusing. Anyway, the article was about wedding planning ideas.

In particular, this article was a mini- wedding planning guide and provided wedding planning ideas and resources. What caught my eye though was the resource discussion because they were listed for people who are on a budget and cannot afford wedding coordinators.

I then used my acquired internet skills and tracked Noa down for the pitch. She loved the idea of budgets but instead of adding to the already mentioned wedding planning ideas she posted, she requested an article on how to throw a cocktail party on a budget. That topic was right up my alley and I sent her information that included advice and links for invitations, music and food. I even included a menu that was easy-to-make. Many of the helpful tips I used in the article are based upon my experience working for other event planning companies as well as my own.

A funny note here, I thought my internet skills were pretty up-to-date but paled in comparison to Noa's. She edited my article and listed links to music and invitation websites that were more current. Then again, I am still learning this medium; she is well-versed and experienced in social media.

The menu I provided got me to venture out beyond my known sources since the recipes were from various sites. These recipes are great easy-to-make appetizers such as red-salmon dip, mushroom rolls, sun dried tomato and olive tapenade bruschetta. I also provided some new recipes too. The honey lemon chicken skewers with vegetables and the mini-peppermint cheesecakes with chocolate chips were two new recipes I researched for the article. What I liked about these two hors d'oeuvres were that they fit right into my mantra - make it simple, fast and delicious.

Again, it all comes down to the internet and event planning companies and how we are all connected via the web. Until next time, remember to make it simple fun and delicious and be a guest at your own event!

Company Holiday Parties Are Back!


Most companies prepare holiday parties for their people every year. If you are part of the committee that prepares these events, then you would agree that it becomes more and more difficult every time. You may be running out of new ideas and people would not exactly want to attend similarly themed parties without new gimmicks. There are a lot of ideas that you could use to have that company holiday party entertainment for your colleagues.

A very good way to provide company holiday party entertainment is through having interactive activities. Having game shows and other friendly competitions is a good avenue for your people to interact in a fun and exciting way. Not only that, activities like these will promote camaraderie and even teamwork. More audience involvement means more enjoyment.

Aside from interactive activities, having variety acts is a good option as well. Variety acts performers such as magicians, hypnotists, and mentalists provide the classic way of entertaining people. You might be thinking "are these performers clich矇?" Not really. A lot of the classic variety acts have twists and more and more tricks are being presented. Just remember to choose what is most appropriate for your audience, or what you think will interest them the most. Hiring the most suitable ones will give mind boggling presentations that will definitely provide company holiday party entertainment.

Make them laugh. Of course, almost everybody will agree with the fact that entertainment is best provided by funny entertainment. Seeing the people laugh through the night is obvious evidence that they have been indeed entertained. Let comedians crack the jokes, or let them witness funny acts. Laughter is still the best way to party, right?

What is the importance of having an effective company holiday party entertainment anyway? Aside from the obvious which is to make the event fun, giving the audience good entertainment will stimulate them to interact more with their colleagues. Of course, they do work in the same environment and have common corporate responsibilities and concerns, but giving them a break from that and just letting them enjoy and just chat with everyone about anything is a good way to relax. Everyone needs a break, and a good holiday party is a good one. Another reason why entertainment is vital in holiday parties is to invite more people to attend. If you only serve food, and just play music, or even have a similar form of entertainment for years, that would make your people lose interest and if they do, do not be surprised if less and less people attend your holiday parties. What will holiday parties be if only a few of your colleagues will attend?

Tips have been provided and the main reasons why you must have entertainment in these events have been given. You see, company holiday party entertainment is important if you want to host a holiday party that many would attend to and would talk about.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Key Safety and Security Planning Tips for Successful International Corporate Events


Post-financial crisis has seen many companies and sponsors return to the international events scene with renewed enthusiasm, evident by increased volume, along with a whole new generation of offerings from providers in the sector. However, despite many internal, mature risk management processes, the majority of international events still continue to present an Achilles heel when it comes to business travel health, safety and security.

Despite the fact the event may be held offsite or away from the usual place of employment, it still does not discharge a company from their usual duty of care or workplace health and safety obligations.

When it comes to international corporate events, meetings, incentives, conferences and gatherings, here is what every planner needs to know to ensure a successful, safe and secure event. In this article you will learn the most important safety and security planning tips starting with location, activities, emergency planning, monitoring and communications. By the end of this article you will have a rapid evaluation criteria and consistent, safe approach to ensure all your international corporate events run smoothly and prevent the majority of avoidable incidents that ruin otherwise great gatherings and corporate events.

Location Selection

Too many planners leap to an ideal location and then attempt to force all the solutions and planning solutions around this ideal destination. The best location must meet the requirements for an enjoyable, successful and functional site for all the planned activities but also provide for all the support needs such as routine medical, reliable transport, secure locations and safe environments. Any location that fails these initial criteria will only amplify any emergency situation and likely result in a higher overall risk to all involved.

While the initial location is important, it is just as important to evaluate all the activities needed for the event and identify any and all social activities that will take place in conjunction with the event.

International Corporate Events

Activity Focused

Corporate meetings, incentives, conferences, and events can be high activity situations with lots of people coming and going along with information sharing and enjoyment opportunities. Therefore all proposed and possible activities must be considered and included in the final plan. This should include everything from arrivals, reception; check in, conference events, networking, social/entertainment, sightseeing, ground transport, shopping, internal travel and departures.

It is paramount that all activities available be considered in the chosen location, not just those provided on the official program as attendees or accompanying partners/families always seek out alternate options, with a high potential for emergency situations outside the traditional plans.

A commonly overlooked element is parallel or simultaneous events and activities. Other company functions, public holidays, climate changes, religious festivals and even internal company events such as product launches or press releases need to be considered and how they will impact the running of the event along with any altered threat or emergency planning concerns.

Only after all the activities, internal and external to the event, have been identified and mapped out can you progress to the emergency management and planning stage.

Emergency Planning First

This may seem counter intuitive but in my experience it is the far superior approach. With a set location and a list of activities you can now start to create broad and detailed emergency planning sessions. The reason this is a better approach is that you do not want to discover areas that require minor or major treatment solutions late in the budget, promotion, and management or confirmation cycles. For example, if you discovered that the local medical services were routinely overwhelmed on a weekend due to peak tourist activity in your chosen location, you would need to either reconsider the location as a plausible option or include onsite medical support as part of your budget and risk mitigation solution. Especially when you consider in your planning the impact and support demands should you have a group emergency such as food poisoning or the collapse of a viewers stand.

With an emergency support plan in place first, almost all your routine concerns and considerations will be itemized for completion. Rooms, transport, ushers, communications, medical, security, service providers and many more will have been considered and prioritized in the planning stage and now await procurement and confirmation in a far more organized sequence by the planning team. These services and requirements in the emergency plan, almost always have a routine and day-to-day requirement anyway, and both cost efficiencies and planning time can be reduced considerably.

No plan or assumptions are ever one hundred percent accurate; therefore a system for continued monitoring and review is also mandatory to ensure success.

Continued Monitoring

Change is inevitable, especially if your event was scoped and planned weeks or months in advance. Therefore a reliable and effective system is required to identify and manage change in accordance to the priority required by the altered outcome.

Dedicated systems and resources, often already present as part of the overall event administration, needs to be harnessed to support the inevitable change management issues. Timings, resources, weather, personnel and services are all likely to alter in some shape or form prior to or during your ideal plan. Clearly defined information requirements, lines of communication, prioritization of response and follow up procedures need to be in place and communicated to those affected or influential to the process. This should be supported with an appropriate vehicle in which to share information such as email, SMS, radios, blogs, bulletin boards and so on.

The more information you collect, the more you have to process but the better informed you will be when making routine and emergency decisions.

Information, Information and more information

Plan to capture and access as much information as possible when managing successful corporate events. Too few planners and event managers appreciate or successfully capture and process routine information that could dramatically improve the efficiency and productivity of an event but also prove pivotal to emergency situations.

Consider well in advance how to store and access information. The right information should be accessible in the easiest possible way by those that need it and the coordination and evaluation of all input should be ongoing. Flight schedules, media events, meals, contact numbers, agendas, weather activity, emergency services, support resources, capabilities, response times, preparation time, cost, expertise, and all other requirements must be pre-prepared, captured and managed throughout the event. All this information should not die with the event's conclusion but provide a template for future events and even return options for routine and extra ordinary business activity.

With all this preparation, it is almost criminal that too few prepare their attendees adequately in advance with pre-arrival preparations.

Pre-Arrival Preparations For Greater Corporate Event Safety and Security

With all the preparation and information activity up to this point, it remains illogical why so much of it is then not shared with attendees and planners. A centralized body of knowledge in which elements can be extracted to provide and prepare attendees is neither difficult nor indulgent.

Group pre-arrival guides, information and key updates should be delivered in a "readable" or "digestible" format to all those likely to attend and support the event. This channel and focus group should be regularly updated with the most salient points regularly until the completion of the event.

A more focused demographic such as organizers, supporters, families, technical personnel, alternate language groups, men, first time travellers/visitors, women and mixed national or cultural groups should be isolated and communicated to with more specific and relevant content. This is not just in the form of a general "goodies bag" that seem to dominate a lot of these events and are rarely read or retained by the majority of attendees. Any further segmentation such as those with dietary restrictions, medical conditions and so on should also be catered for and engaged. Event providers and suppliers could learn a lot in distinguishing themselves from the general market by providing this as part of the attraction and delivery offering. All this does not need to be the sole responsibility of the attending company but could easily be provided by the host facility/entity. Don't forget, this is a two way street also with many social media platforms available for rapid and widespread distribution should attendees seek to share their opinion, dissatisfaction or even during a crisis. Therefore, channel monitoring is also advisable.

Routine and continued updates should be available that could easily be altered to include priority/emergency information updates should the need arise. Prior development and regular use of any communication platform will only enhance the success and engagement of the event.

Communications For Corporate Event Security

Event planners and managers are almost spoilt by choice with the various means and mediums for communications. The consolidation and consistency of message is the challenge, along with ensuring segmentation of both content and receiver. Facebook, YouTube, SMS, email, blog, website and numerous other social media platforms are all viable means for two-way communication. Planners should have already identified in their emergency planning what local options, limitations or nuances prevail and the best or most reliable for the task.

Regular and enjoyable communications are never a burden but frequent, irrelevant communications puts any emergency communication at risk as users may have already dismissed or blocked specific channels due to abuse. This must also be collaborated with all aspects and planners of the event.

Like all the afore mentioned elements, these systems don't run by themselves. They need supervision and constant management throughout the lifecycle of the event and should not be shutdown or turned off until the event is officially complete and all attendees under care are safely on their way back to their point of origin.

Continued Management

It is not the plans that are important, it is the planning. Continued management and monitoring is a close second. All events, locations and activities require care and management to ensure they go as close as can be reasonably expected to plan.

Continued management is a team event and not solely dependent upon one or two individuals. Succession planning and redundancies should have been identified in the emergency-planning phase to prevent the vulnerability presented when one or two key people are unavailable momentarily or for extended periods.

Each stage, action and even event should be reviewed and analyzed for opportunities to improve the process or identify overlooked aspects.

Conclusion

When it comes to international corporate events, meetings, incentives, conferences and gatherings, these are the key health, safety and security points that every planner needs to know to ensure a successful, safe and secure event. You now have the most important safety and security planning tips starting with location, activities, emergency planning, monitoring and communications. Use this as a reference and checklist to ensure you have an evaluation criteria and consistent, safe approach to ensure all your international corporate events run smoothly and prevent the majority of avoidable incidents that ruin otherwise great gatherings and corporate events.

Event Planners and Organizers: How to Get Those RSVP's to Actually Show Up at Your Event


If you're in charge of luncheons, seminars, trainings, referral groups or leads clubs, you know that getting people to show up is the hard part. Never mind that "showing up is 90% of success." You are competing against family, work, fatigue and the precious leisure time that we're all left with at the end of the day. Your members and audience RSVP with the best of intentions. They even pay in advance and put it on their calendar. But there are so many ways that they can go astray the day of.

After hosting more than 1,200 events over the last 7 years, I've learned a few things about getting people to show up. Here are a number of tried and true strategies that have worked for me:

Charge and Refund
This works well if you've got an event that you want to put on for free, but you need to have a firm idea of how many are coming. Or you've got limited space and you want to make sure the real go-getters get those spots. Charge a small amount that must be paid in advance to secure a seat. Then refund their money when they show up at the door. Call it a "Refundable Seat Deposit" and make sure they understand that they have to attend to get it back. Anyone who doesn't show up forfeits their deposit and you have a little bit to offset expenses.

Reminder Phone Calls
You can sit down and make them yourself, hire a virtual executive assistant, get your mature kids to do it, or even use an automated phone messaging service. However you do it, a personal reminder call will increase your attendance. Emails can be ignored or lost in the shuffle, but a voice on the other end of the phone or in the message queue makes a bigger impact.

Guilt
If you're serving lunch or paying for a room, remind your attendees that you as the organizer get charged whether they show up or not. Nothing like laying a small guilt trip on someone to get them to stay committed. If they have to cancel, at least they can do it with enough time for you to make adjustments. An amendment to this is to let them know that there are no refunds, but they can send someone else in their place. It's always important to have "buns in seats" even if they weren't the original person.

These are a few of the strategies I have used over the years. When you add them to other ideas like building momentum and delivering more than promised, your events will be anticipated and well-attended.

Cloud Based Event Registration Software: Helps Organizers to Overcome Challenges


Until recently, conducting events meant a hard task for most organizers. Sometimes in spite of strategic planning and proper thinking, things would not happen as expected. Right from managing registration forms, to processing payments to event promotion, every step involved some challenges. Recruiting external staff at times proved to be an insufficient support system to manage such large data volumes. Such was the situation when event organizers had to go through real test of time. Today, with the introduction of Cloud-based event registration software has enabled them to overcome some of these key issues. Let me now show you how:

Replacing Manual Registration with Online Registration

Initially managing event registration was a challenge in itself. It brought along with it, the hassles of manually distributing registration forms and its subsequent submission process. The immense workload sometimes led to data mismanagement and data loss. The switch to the online registration platform has visibly simplified the process of registration to a large extent. The web based registration service has automated the entire process of form creation, submission and procession thereby resulting in minimal manual errors. Unlike manual registration, the service remains available 24 hours thereby allowing prospective attendees to register at any time, from any location. Group registration is also facilitated by this service via a single transaction.

Opting for Online Payments

The time consuming process of en-cashing paper checks is eliminated by the online payment service. The automated process of payment management relieves the organizers from the tiresome battles of making phone calls to attendees for data re-verification. Here, the interested participants can pay online via their credit/ debit cards or reputed payment gateways like PayPal which come embedded with the system. The platform also gives organizers to create their separate merchant account where they can accept payments directly. What they need to take care is the security of the payment management system. A PCI compliance and SSL certification will however ensure the high levels security.

Adopting Cost Effective Promotional Means

Initially, event organizers only had to carry out promotional activities via printed mediums. This not only involved substantial cost but also required much of their attention. The Cloud-based event registration interface has however transformed the promotional activity phase completely. It facilitated organizers with a social media connector tool that enabled them to easily promote their event on various networking sites. Besides, they can also resort to the email marketing tool to carry out email campaigns to spread the word about the event.

Automatic Management of Waitlist

Keeping track of the waitlist requires meticulous attention to the number of registrations on a daily basis. Data loss prevented organizers from filling in the seats in case of last minute cancellations. This greatly hampered the event participation figures. However, this is not so, in case with online registration. The software comes equipped with a waitlist manager tool that helps organizers to easily keep a tab on the waitlist attendees. Moreover, it also helps in automatically filling up seats that cropped up out of last minute cancellations thus ensuring maximum attendance.

These are some of the challenges which an event organizer can overcome by resorting to the Cloud-based event registration software.

Corporate Event Management


Corporate event management involves managing various corporate events that can be a special media event, an internal event or event open to the public such as a fundraising gala. They are usually managed by a professional planner whose specialty is corporate events. An experienced event planner has the expertise to research and plan a successful event from start to finish.

Some of the common examples of corporate events are launching a product, road show, galas and media event with corporate sponsorship. The events are managed according to their respective nature, keeping in mind the aim of the event, the audience to be reached and the content of the message to be transferred.

Launching a new consumer product is a good example of what a planner does to manage this type of corporate event. Launching a product involves consumer conviction as an ultimate goal. The customer has to be convinced to buy the product by using innovative ideas. A corporate event manager might set up a convention to launch the product. This would involve planning all pre-convention meetings, working with graphic artists, writers and printers for all printed materials, choosing a location for the convention, selecting food and entertainment, etc.

The basic requirement for managing a corporate event is a step-by-step disciplined to see through various tasks from start to finish. There are many corporate event management companies offering professional services. They will work with the company contact one-on-one to make sure all of the needs and wishes of the company are met when putting together an event.

Become a Top Wedding Planner - Wedding Portfolio Do's and Don'ts


As a new wedding planner, you'll need to create a portfolio of your wedding planning experiences so you can show potential clients what you have done.

Here are some Do's and Don'ts for putting together your first one:

DO's


  • Invest in an attractive, high-quality photo album or binder. Remember this is a representation of your work, make it impressive.

  • Make sure you use clear, sharp, high-quality photographs taken with a digital camera, not a cell phone. Cell phone photographs are often too grainy when they are printed.

  • Take the time to attractively organize the photographs on each page of your portfolio.

  • Let the brides and grooms whose photos you use know they will appear in your portfolio.

  • Be ready to talk about the photographs and other information you decide to place in your portfolio; for example, favors you created, worksheets you use for planning, etc. Practice what you'll say and remember to highlight the benefits of working with you.

DON'Ts


  • Worry if some of the photos are from weddings you planned for free.

  • Use photographs of anything you didn't do yourself. If things you didn't handle are in the photos, for instance, centerpieces that you didn't design, give appropriate credit.

  • Include photographs from other types of events that you plan. For instance, don't feature photos from corporate events and children's parties, stay focused on selling the benefits of your wedding planning services.

  • Just hand the portfolio to someone to let them look at it themselves. Review pages with them and tell the story behind each picture. If you show your timelines and worksheets, talk about how your clients benefited from your highly-organized system of planning weddings.

  • Make up testimonials! (Yes, I've seen this.) Ask former clients, even those whose weddings you did for free, to give you testimonials that you can quote in all of your marketing materials, and ask them if they would be willing to be references.

Remember to bring your portfolio to your first meetings with potential clients and wedding vendors whom you want to add to your network. And don't be afraid to brag a little about the fabulous benefits your clients get when they hire you to plan their weddings.

How to Prepare Corporate Events


Corporate entertainment events are those events which a company or organization hold for their clients, staff or shareholders; it is a good way in cementing business relations. They can be for a large audience like conventions or smaller ones like retreats. Many corporate events in Toronto usually happen once or twice in a year.

Most companies go to extreme lengths to make these events as memorable as possible. There are different ways that can be employed to make an event successful.

The most common are where companies hire event organizers or corporate booking agencies. Companies mostly hire a whole agency that covers all the things that can make a corporate event successful, ceremonious, while others choose to hire individuals rather than a whole agency, which they most likely, cannot do without other activities, depending on the event size and the sponsors' objective. Most agencies in Toronto cover aspects like food, sports and games, hotel bookings and so on. When a company hires an individual to cover their event, they mostly go for comedians or a DJ who can also double up as a Master of Ceremony (MC).

DJ's are especially the most common sort after 'commodities' in corporate entertainment events in Toronto. Most companies hire the services of a good DJ who doubles up as an MC who can keep the crowd alive. A good DJ reads the mood of the audience and can know when the crowd is low or up-beat. Most Toronto DJ's have websites so that companies can get them easily and even make payments through the internet.

Even if a company is holding a team building event, it has become increasingly important to hire a DJ to judge the mood of the audience. Like most other event agencies, the services of a DJ should be hired in advance, with a down payment, so as not to collide with another event that the DJ may have, to agree on the price and to also prepare adequately. A company that goes for an event agency has many choices to look at. Most of these agencies offer sporting facilities like a golf course, bowling alley, a soccer pitch and others.

If the event is lasting for a weekend, these can be good as one will play one sport for one day and the next day another sport. There can also be an event whereby a corporate member or a client or a shareholder, can come with his or her family members where there is a special location for children to engage in their own fun and games. Corporate entertainment has proved to be a lucrative business in Toronto.

Corporate entertainment events have been on the rise in recent days with some of the agencies offering corporate entertainment services also offering wedding and birthday parties. So whether it is an agency running a corporate function, or individuals like comedians and DJ's, there should be the need to stress that the event should be as vibrant as possible, with as few hitches as possible.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Event Planning Training - Gathering Prospects Before Becoming an Event Planner


Perfection is very important for all of us; we want to be perfect in every field of life. People have realized the significance of a professional and literate event planner. If you enter the industry of event planning after undergoing event planning training; you will be recognized as a professional planner. Event planning training has become very essential for all those who want to make a career in this industry.

Planning and visualizing an event beforehand can offer you many benefits and this way you can achieve perfection in your job. The ability to visualize and plan the event before hand can be obtained through event planning training.

You have to consider different scenarios and aspects before you plan an event. An event coordinator's job is very tedious as he has to stay in contact with everyone associated with the event. He has to be in touch with those responsible for preparing food, decorate the setting, and lightening of the venue. The remaining part of the event is controlled by a planner.

To develop into a successful event planner you should have excellent leadership and supervision skills. While you are planning an event you have to lead different people working on different areas of the event. You should have control over the entire event; planning should be done before hand so you can lead during the event. You should have confidence in your decisions and you should have the ability to take on this responsibility. Some people say leaders are born; I believe that event planning training can create leaders.

Working environment should be very friendly and one should know how to work as a team. Such working conditions will keep your workers contented; you have to give respect to your subordinates in order to get good results. You workers will put extra energy to make the event a successful one.

?To become a successful occasion planner you should have the ability to manage time. You should keep a strict watch on the arrangements; you should have backup generators in working conditions if your event requires lighting. The quality and availability of the food should be checked personally. Food is one thing that can turn your entire event into a success or a failure.

You must be thinking that earlier this job used to be very simple. Events were not given a lot of importance, but now time has changed. Companies and even individuals are very meticulous about their events. This is why it has now become a part of the service industry. Now you can think about pursuing a career in this profession.

Selecting Rodeo Awards: Your Options for a Successful Event


People participate in sporting events, such as the rodeo, for the love of the sport. But that doesn't mean that they don't want or deserve recognition for their skills and accomplishments. As the event planner, you have a lot of available options to choose from for your award ceremony.

Belt Buckles

Shiny silver belt buckles are the quintessential rodeo award. Rodeo winners are instantly recognizable by their beautiful silver buckles, heralding their accomplishments. These buckles are beautifully handcrafted by skilled silversmiths, with intricate designs embossed, engraved, or inlaid on each plate buckle. The motif on each buckle can be personalized to the exact image and message that you choose. Popular buckle motifs include animals like horses or eagles, stars, western scenes, and detailed patterns. Buckles made for awards often feature the name of the event, the sport, and the year, so that the recipient can display it like a trophy.

Banners and Ribbons

Another very common form of awards for rodeo events is banners and ribbons. Large woven banners, often with a beautiful thick fringe, are great for commemorating large accomplishments, such as a signature event or a team competition. Teams especially love these because they can be displayed in their clubhouse, meeting room, or stable. Ribbons can range from small simple printed ribbons to large elaborate ones with beautiful rosettes. All of these items can be found in any color, and can be printed with any text you choose.

Saddles and Tack

Not all awards have to be purely decorative. Some professional rodeo events reward their winners with elaborate trophy saddles, elegant tack equipment for the horses, or handcrafted saddle silver. These make excellent awards because they are useful, and can be used every day - reminding the winner every day of his or her accomplishments.

Gear Bags and Shirts

Another useful category of award can be found in gear bags, totes, or items of clothing. Specialized bags for rodeo equipment are always in demand, and can easily be personalized with an embroidered logo or wording. Shirts are a popular memento for all kinds of events. Denim or khaki work shirts are popular with working cowboys, and everybody loves a good t-shirt.

Jewelry

Still useful, but more decorative, are jewelry options. Any winner, especially women, will love to receive a commemorative ring, bracelet, earrings, or necklace pendant. Handcrafted silver jewelry can be customized to suit your event, your winner, and your budget. More useful objects such as keychains, decorative knives, or money clips are also a good option to consider.

Trophies, Plaques, and Certificates

Of course, let's not forget traditional award types. Trophies are available in many sizes, and can easily be customized to suit your needs. People and groups alike both love to display a case of their shining trophies. Plaques, made of glass, acrylic, or wood, can be made for display on a wall or on a flat surface such as a shelf or desk. These are great for people who have an office, such as a team coordinator, coach, or manager. Similar to plaques, an engraved certificate, in a nice frame, is appropriate for any recipient and sure to be appreciated.

Event planning is a stressful process, full of difficult decisions and intricate details. Don't let the awards for your event fall through the cracks - let your trophy shop or silversmith help you make the right selections for a successful rodeo.

5 Tips to Choosing the Perfect Purse for Any Event


Choosing the perfect purse can sometimes be as difficult as choosing the outfit itself. To make your selection (and life) easier, I've listed a few tips to make shopping a breeze.

1. Purpose

When choosing a purse, always think of the type of event that you will be attending. For weddings, dinners, and proms, your requirements will be different from that for a conference, meeting, or lunch with a client. It is important to always shop with a purpose in mind to ensure your selection is suitable to your event.

2. Size

The size of your purse is extremely important depending on the event you're attending. A tote might be more appropriate for a day out with girlfriends, while a small clutch is more suitable for a wedding or evening event. Will you be dancing all night? Then smaller is always better.

3. Colour

Choosing a purse colour is fairly easy if your outfit is already selected. If this is not the case, then go for neutral colours. These go great with almost anything, and will blend flawlessly with the rest of your closet. If your event is on the fancier side something shiny or sparkly never hurts. Gold and silver are perfect accents to little black dresses; Just think red carpet! While all these are true, let's not forget the real star here; Colour. For the ladies who like to take it up a notch, selecting a purse with a pop of colour is guaranteed to keep all eyes on you. Spot a fuchsia clutch that is just begging to be bought? Go for it! Bright colours are great for spring and summer, and pairs well with neutral toned clothing.

4. Compartments

Personally a purse with at least one small interior pocket is a must-have. It is the perfect place for storing business cards and contact numbers I collect during my daily interactions. Select a purse that is functional for your event. Think of what items you will be taking with you, and if your selection will be able to store all these items. For example, if you are a busy event planner, a small purse with one compartment would not be your best selection for an event you're hosting.

5. Details

Pay attention to external details on purses when shopping. A purse with lots of external hardware might not work well for a clean, classy, business look, but pairs well with jeans and a blazer for a casual lunch. Take note of the extras!

Remember, an outfit is as perfect as its accessories, so do not be shy to experiment.

Until next time Purse-a-holics!

From my purse to yours...
Jody-Ann

7 Key Points For An Event Planning Checklist


An event planning checklist is extremely important when it comes to organizing a baby shower. If you are in charge of hosting, there are many details so an event planning checklist is definitely the way to go.

About six weeks before the baby shower, start planning the event and details so you the last minute is not a rush situation. On your even planning checklist for the shower, you can:

1. Find a suitable location for the baby shower

2. Choose a date for this special event

3. Make up a guest list so you know how many people are invited and you do not miss anyone

4. Select the baby shower invitations

5. Plan the menu so you can prepare the food ahead of time

6. Select a baby shower theme such as teddy bears

7. Games should be decided upon

About two or three weeks before the shower, you should put on your event planning checklist the following:

- Mail out the baby shower invitations

- Make your final choices and test your food menu

- Purchase the materials for decorating

- If you are making a baby shower cake, find a great recipe or if not, order your cake

- If you are having party favors, make them now

You are on event planning checklist countdown now at one week before the baby shower. If the shower is held in a hall, or somewhere else, double-check the reservations. Make sure you not only have the final guest list but also have enough seating for all the guests. Buy and wrap gifts you are giving for the shower.

The day before the shower set up any table and seating needed, decorate, purchase the beverages and set out any supplies. Finally, on the day of the shower, your even planning checklist should have: pick up any food or cakes ordered, put out food, set out a notebook for listing gifts and enjoy the party.

An event planning checklist is extremely important for special events, and should be given top priority before getting started with any occasion.

The Importance of Marquee Set Ups at Corporate Events


These days, it is quite common to find marquees used at various corporate events. From product launches to re branding, marquees are used at various corporate events. Marquees, in simple terms, refer to the mobile warehouses that are used by companies to showcase their different products. The consumers get a sight of the new products and their varied applications. In recent times, marquees have undergone a lot of change in terms of their appearance and size. Companies now have the flexibility to modify their marquees as per their requirements. This is enabling them to keep the marquees compact.

For several years, companies did not focus much on their marquees. They treated the marquees as tents that could be put up at any event. With time, this notion has undergone significant change. Marquees are no longer neglected and special attention is paid on making them more appealing and attractive. The main factor that has led to this change is shift in consumer's perception. Several studies have found that consumers are more likely to get attracted to products put up at a decent marquee. As a result, companies are ensuring that their marquees stand apart in the clutter.

These days, a large number of companies are focusing on creating well equipped marquees. Some of these marquees may have a full seating area, a catering area or even a dance floor. Instead of spending many hours and dollars on designing the marquee, several companies are hiring professionals who come with years of experience. These professionals offer their inputs to make the marquees innovative and appealing. You can find information about these professionals at various web directories and yellow pages. It is always advisable to opt for these professionals at least some time in advance to prepare the marquees at a cost effective price.

Why Member Based Organizations Are Opting For Online Solutions?


With internet becoming a part of our day to day life, increasing number of people are converting to online solutions to make their tasks easier. Be it buying airline tickets to completing a course, everything can now be done with the mere click of a button. In this era, when online solutions are such a craze why should member based organizations remain on the back foot? The recent trend has however shown that an increasing number of member based organizations like clubs and associations are opting for online solutions to effectively streamline their attendee management, dues collection and fundraising campaigns.

The community based online member management solution allows associations to strategically and logically channelize their activities and purpose to the stakeholders. At the same time, the member management service reduces your back office work load significantly and permits you to save on substantial time and money. Let me give you a brief overview of the benefits that this online service offers:

Enhanced Member Management

The online member management solution gives you improved member management facilities by bringing to you various membership options like platinum, gold, silver, annual, monthly, trial etc. Besides it also facilitates members with quantity as well as percentage based discounts along with member specific pricing. Since the data is stored in a central database it involves easy renewals and editing. The online service also helps in easy communication with the members via email.

Ensures Effective Dues Collection

Organizations can collect their payments online. The extreme security of the payment norms protects the organizers against any fraudulent transactions. Individuals can make payments through multiple ways including both the online and offline modes. They can either make their payments either through multiple credit cards or through various payment gateways. Along with that, the service also helps you to keep track of the centralized data from time to time.

Creation of a Secure Private Community

The web based service also allows organizations to create private community for members, community, constituents and registrants. This helps organizers to stay in touch and pool resources. Creation of a private and secure community also allows you to share information in an efficient manner and thereby maintain a strong bonding. Organizers can also create separate Private Social Network for online networking and collaboration thereby giving them an edge to enhance mass awareness for their activities.

The online member management service adopted by various organizations helps to effectively take care of the fundamentals of dues collection as well as member management. It thus gives you a chance to improve your communication and member service.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Corporate Communication Strategy


An effective corporate communication strategy comprises of internal and external communication, establishing good lines of communication between management, employees, suppliers, stakeholders, investors, customers and many other communication groups. The three variables in an effective corporate communications strategy include defining the organisation's overall strategy for communication, analysing the relevant constituencies, and delivering messages appropriately.

Internal Communication

Internal communications is a function responsible for the effective communication of information or a message within an organisation. The key elements of an effective internal communications strategy include;

• Employee communication -
A process of passing a message to an employee and receiving a message from the employee (This could be via print, electronic, visual, verbal etc. Communication channels)

• Internal events -
Corporate events held for employees such as training seminars etc.

• Internal communication Channels -
E.g. Emails, intranet and Employee handbook

Top managers use internal communication to improve morale between management and employees, to inform employees of internal changes, to increase employee understanding and to change employee behaviour.

External Communication

External communications is the exchange of information and messages between an organisation and an audience outside its formal structure. The key elements of an effective external communications strategy include;

• Corporate brand management-
The management of the organisation as a brand; Corporate Identity

• E-communications
Online methods such as company website, email, Social Media

• Media Management -
Management of media such as press using Public Relations as a method of maintaining public image (press releases, press kits and social media)

• External events -
E.g. Community events hosted by the organisation, Sponsorship of events, conferences etc.

• Marketing management -
Management of communication via marketing channel such as advertising and direct mail

Theory

The Communication Theory indicates various elements - Essentially, when the sender or corporate organisation wants to put a message across to a defined audience, the sender will initially 'encode' the core message in an appropriate manner to apply to this particular audience. The message itself should be what the sender / organisation wants to transmit to an audience. There are many different channels to announce a message such as corporate events, e-communication, Public Relations and many more. A message will be 'decoded' in numerous ways depending on the individual receiver. This should be taken into consideration when 'encoding' a clear, concise and targeted message. Feedback will take on the form of many different responses depending on the message and the receiver; such responses include anything from a general awareness to a physical action. Noise reflects any activity which may influence or distort the communication process.

Conclusion

Communication strategies should be revised regularly. It is also important to measure the success of internal and external communication strategies, ensuring the 'message' is correct and the appropriate lines of communication have been established between management, employees, suppliers, stakeholders, investors, and customers. By doing so, effective communication can be easily achieved and managed.