Organizing a Successful Trade Show With Event Registration Software

Trade shows are complex events organized on a relatively large scale. Many exhibitors mostly from a particular industry and its related sectors actively participate in a trade show and attend the multiple sub events that are hosted simultaneously within the main event. The visitor profiles also vary greatly at such occasions. While some events mainly draw sales and marketing professionals, there are segments that are essentially thronged by people from the Research and Development fields too. Top honchos also make frequent appearances at these shows to keep a tab on the latest industry happenings. To organize such multi-dimensional events it is imperative for the event organizers to take the help of the advanced event registration solutions.

Trade show registration and payment management:

The planning procedure for organizing a trade show starts months ahead or sometimes even a year in advance. A lot of ground work is needed to host such an event successfully. Professional planners who are assigned to organize a trade show deem is necessary to come up with an entire website dedicated solely to the event. They create multiple online event registration forms for various conferences, seminars, discussion sessions, product launch parties, and dinners; details of these sub events are published on the website. On availing the Cloud based event registration and payment software, creating such forms becomes faster and easier as it comprises of easy-to-customize, pre-built templates of forms.

Industry insiders who are mostly well aware of the timing of announcement of such trade shows visit the particular website, and sign up for the event/events they are interested in as soon registrations is open to them. With the forms being available on the internet 24/7, they can register at any time, any part of the world. They can also make payment via multiple online payment gateways that are supported by the event management solution. Trade show organizers can track payments made online in real-time using the software. The important attendee data is securely stored in a centralized database such as Salesforce CRM that comes integrated with the event registration solution.

Once the trade show or any of its sub event/events is/are sold out, waitlists are made available on the website to let prospective visitors sign up for other sub events or similar events that are in the pipeline. Many of these waitlisted registrants are accommodated later on as and when there are cancellations. Communication and collaborations in all these cases are done effectively by using the bulk email messaging engine of the event management solution. Online promotion of the fair is also taken care of by the software application using the social media connector.

Onsite registration in a trade show

Onsite management is crucial for organizing a trade show. To regulate onsite registrations, several self registration kiosks are set up at various points in the trade show venue. Staff members are equipped with advanced technology solutions to help delegates check-in, in a hassle-free manner. The attendees are allowed to sign up for the event and pay via credit cards on the spot.

The delegates are mostly provided with the bar coded name badges. They either bring the printed copies of the badges to swipe them for easy check-in at the venue, or get them printed on site. The staff members who are equipped with Smartphones or iPods have the "Check-n Service" or "Lead Retrieval Service" incorporated within their mobile devices. Instead of using expensive third party scanning devices they simply use these systems to collect attendee information. All these services and much more help in a great way to make a trade show immensely successful.

What Are the Advantages of Online Auctions?

Going on a shopping spree sitting in the comfort of your home is an attractive prospect. Many people find online shopping to be a convenient experience. Businesses too are finding online operations a profitable option since they are getting a good number of customers buying different items from a variety of locations worldwide. Online auctioning too has become quite popular simply because people now get to bid virtually without traveling to the actual venue where the on-site auction would take place.

Let's discuss the advantages of online auctions from the bidder and seller point of view.

Benefits to a Bidder

No Geographical Constraints

No longer can you miss out the opportunity of not participating in an auction just because you are located far away from the bidding venue. With online auctions, you get the scope to bid and buy your favorite items from any place across the globe. Shipping expenses may or may not be applicable and you get the item(s) within a set time frame delivered at your doorstep.

No Time Barrier

You get to bid at any period of time, 24/7 without facing any form of time constraints as it used to be the case during live, offline auctions. An online auction website can be entered at any time during the day or at night; hence it is pretty easy for you to place a bid on any item sitting at home or at a friend's place miles away from the auctioneer.

Buy Items Not Available In Your Country

Many people like bidding online just because they get to purchase goods and services not easily available in their own country. People are able to browse through numerous products on sale and decide on which items to bid on.

Benefits to a Seller

Profitable Business Option

In case of online auctioning, the global audience gets the opportunity to bid on an item of their choice. Hence, it automatically increases traffic to the auction website plus also leads to increased and quick sale of diverse products.

Increased Promotion of Auction Items

Almost all auctioneers use social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to inform and invite potential customers to participate in such online events. In this way, social networks lead to a rise in the number of attendees plus results in high ROI. Promoting on various social web platforms is quite cost-effective since Facebook, and such other popular websites allow anybody to create an account for free. You get to reach out to the maximum people through these social media websites in turn increasing your brand credibility.

Instant Online Transactions

Sellers can easily collect the price of the purchased items quite instantly via online payment methods. Customers send money using their credit cards or through PayPal and such other standard payment gateways. Hence, online auctioning leads to safe and secure transfer of payments online without the hassle of manually collecting payments from individual buyers.

Wedding Planning Marketing - Q&A on Sales

What's the most effective way to advertise a wedding planning business?
 
First, be clear about exactly the type of services you want to offer and the type of clients that you want to work with. Calling yourself a wedding planner means different things to different people. Do you want to specialize in high-end expensive weddings for a select few? Perhaps you'd rather target the less expensive but larger middle-class market?
 
Think about being a specialist. You could specialize in creating and planning exotic destination weddings like tropical resorts or other interesting locations. Perhaps you could specialize in certain ethnic or religious ceremonies.
 
Where's the best place to advertise wedding planning services?
 
Before you advertise, get clear about whom your ideal client is and what services you want to provide.

Should I advertise online?
 
No doubt today's bride is shopping online when it comes to selecting goods and services for her wedding. Obviously, you want to be online so that customers can find you. If you don't have a website it is very hard for clients to accept you as being a competent professional. So yes, you definitely need a website.
 
Should I advertise on wedding directories like TheKnot.com?
 
That depends on the market you wish to serve. If you know for a fact that your ideal clients are searching on wedding websites for vendors then yes, absolutely advertise there. But do your homework first.
 
Make sure that your online presence includes a plan to convert website visitors into sales leads. If all you're doing is sending visitors from your directory listing to your website home page, you are not doing an effective job. You need to send visitors to a specific landing page that will engage them and encourage them to contact you.
 
How do I get more leads from my website?
 
After you get website traffic, you need to convert those visitors into leads. Ideally you want them to call or email you, but brides just starting to shop around are likely to leave your page without doing wither. That's why you must offer an incentive for the bride to give you her contact information. Offer to send her a free book on wedding planning, a free PDF report or a discount coupon package worth hundreds of dollars off of services from a number of vendors that you work with. When give the bride a good reason to give you her e-mail address she will. Make your special offer enticing enough and you'll have plenty of leads.
 
There's lots of ways to attract leading clients online without spending a whole bunch of money. Right now you can download a free copy of more clients now for free. This report will show you how to use 10 breakthrough tools to attract qualified clients. This is a limited time offer download your copy now.

The Life of an Event Planner - Dealing With Difficult Clients

Clients are the lifeblood of any business and in a perfect world, they are pleasant, kind and respectful people but in the real world, some are often "challenging", a euphemistic word for the acronym PITA ("Pain in the A$$")!!

A very good friend of mine, also an event planner, bought me a gift to set on my desk, a little pottery jar that said "Ashes of Problem Clients". In less than ten seconds after receiving it, the ashes of several clients came to mind and I became inspired to write about my experience as an event planner.

I have been in the hospitality business for thirty-nine years; twenty-five of which have been in event planning. After I planned my first event, I was hooked. I loved the creative aspect of planning a function, the excitement of meeting people from all over the world, working without outside vendors and entertainers, and arranging corporate dinners, receptions, themed productions and social functions.

Obviously the ultimate goal of an event planner is to exceed, or at the very least, meet the client's expectations by helping them to create a successful event and a memorable experience, and in addition to client satisfaction, you hope for repeat business or a referral for future business.

When clients act controlling and try to micro-manage the situation, I honestly do try to see their point of view no matter how unreasonable the demand or how irrational the request. I like to give the benefit of the doubt while trying to convince myself some clients have no idea how complicated they are making things but I also take into consideration that perhaps they are nervous or fearful because this is the first event they have tried to plan, although not many clients will admit that, or maybe their boss is pressuring them to make the event spectacular while threatening them with losing their job, time off, a bonus or a raise.

As an event planner, we've all experienced client horror stories and dealing with difficult and demanding clients comes with the territory but often times so does a migraine and an upset stomach; loss of sleep, non-productive stress and large quantities of aspirin and antacids, and for me, a few glasses of wine or a couple shots of Patron, after the event of course!

During the planning stages of an event, some clients will ask you what you think and then interrupt you as you start to answer, some try to involve you in a plethora of plots and plans and undermining schemes, and some expect you to be able to make your room or the venue bigger or smaller depending upon their requirements. After the details have been finalized and the contract has been signed, many times clients still try to make last minute changes. Some arrive shortly before the doors are to open and expect you to be able to rearrange the set up or add items to the menu, and some don't understand that if more guests show than what was originally contracted for, why they have to pay for them. I had a client who guaranteed 200 people for a reception but in fact over 300 showed. My client was confused as to why she had to pay the overage since "there was plenty of food and plenty of booze on the bar".

An event planner wears many hats. Depending on the client, some expect you to be a psychologist, a referee, a babysitter or a negotiator while others have little respect for your expertise or what works best in your venue even though you've produced thousands of events. They are critical of everything, and think we as event planners are being unreasonable and uncompromising if they don't get what they want. They snub your ideas and suggestions yet when they get complimented from the boss or one of their guests, of course it was totally their idea.

Don't misunderstand, I have had some wonderful clients over the years but I actually believe I have learned more from the challenging personality types such as the perfectionists, the nit-pickers, and the egotists to name a few.

High-Maintenance Clients
I have a client whom I have been working with for years. I should be used to her selective hearing, her frequent outbursts and her drama queen antics but when she calls and texts me after hours or on the weekends several months before her event to ask something like, "Do you think the sun is going to be an issue in May before 5:00 PM, it gets exhausting. She e-mails me incessantly with "Urgent!!!" in the subject line. She schedules appointments, then cancels, reschedules or shows up late. During the meeting, a good portion of it is spent talking or texting her assistant, her mother or her dog groomer. She comes up with ideas, finalizes them and then changes her mind. She must have the tiniest bladder on the planet because she's always sprinting to the bathroom or outside for "a little air" or a cigarette or three. No wonder she has to go to the bathroom every ten minutes; she needs her coffee or tea or water continually replenished, and sometimes even a "turkey club on whole wheat with light mayo" or a "grilled chicken Caesar salad with fat-free dressing on the side". She loves the little pampering we "provide"; we are so "accommodating". This client owns her own company and it is quite successful. She likes to host a client appreciation party each year yet she never has "much" in her budget and she expects little extras to be included at no additional charge. Once she asked if I would "throw in" the bar, not hard liquor, just beer and wine as if the cost of beer and wine was no big deal. I gave her the following analogy that I thought she could relate to, "Let's say I'm in Bloomingdales and I see a beautiful dress that I simply must have. I ask the sales person if she could 'throw in' some shoes to match". She processed that for a few seconds and said, "Ohhhh, I see your point" but I wonder if she did because later she asked me to "throw in" the dessert. The only thing I wanted to "throw" was her, right out the window.

The Attention-Seeking Client
I have an attention-seeker client who works for a party planning company. Whenever he has an audience, he likes to take the opportunity to berate the staff with his rants and barrage of expletives. For this particular event, he wanted floor length tablecloths but unfortunately my linen vendor only had two sizes of linens; one that was too short and one that was too long. My mangers and I opted for the shorter cloth because the longer cloths had so much extra fabric that we anticipated them becoming a liability with guests tripping and falling into each other. When my client walked into the room for the final walk-through, two hours late mind you, and saw the short cloths, he said, "I am coming unglued". He ripped one cloth off a table as the staff stood paralyzed with their eyes and mouths wide open while everything they had just set on the table tumbled to the floor. He turned to me with blazing eyes and I swear I saw little pitchforks in the center. He raised his voice so high it could have broken glass as he screamed, "This is your fault Madame! If you were going to change to a shorter cloth, you should have called me for my permission". I did and he would have known that had he answered his phone or bothered to check his voice mail. Any seasoned event planner knows that the key is to try and diffuse a hostile situation before it spirals out of control. I tried explaining my thought process hoping he would agree but he put up his hand in a dismissive manner and waived it at me and yelled, "Silence". I assured him that I could have the linen changed out and the tables reset in less than thirty minutes. "I don't have time for this", he said even though we had five hours until the event. He plopped down into the nearest chair and yelled, "Someone bring me a bottled water, a glass of ice and lime on the side".

It's times like this when I wish I owned the place so I could finally say those two little words that I so often think inside my head. No, not those two words but these two words: "Get out!" Obviously you cannot change someone else's behavior but I did make it clear to him that while I would do everything within my power to make him happy, what I would not do was allow him to continue to speak to me, or the staff, in a rude and disrespectful manner. After the event, my client informed me that his client was thrilled, "Darling, you did a fabulous job and I'm so sorry I was a bit testy! Please forgive me. Your staff must think I'm a pain in the neck". Not the body part I was thinking of!

The Know-It-All Client
Know-it all clients are often arrogant, opinionated and believe they know it all simply because they have either planned their sister's bridal shower, their parent's 50th anniversary or their child's first birthday party. They become self-proclaimed experts. I had a bride who scheduled an appointment with me to discuss having her wedding reception at the restaurant. She arrived with her maid-of-honor, who incidentally planned her own wedding after she watched "The Wedding Planner" so "JLo" did all the talking and of course she knew absolutely everything. She knew where she could get a "bigger, more delicious cake" for the same price I quoted, "cheaper flowers" and a "less expensive" Deejay. She talked over me, interrupted me and treated me as if this was the first wedding I had ever planned. The icing on the proverbial wedding cake so to speak was when she assumed they could bring in their own food and beverages. She was shocked when I explained that if they wanted the reception at the restaurant, we would be providing all the food and beverages. I often think about that bride and wonder how her reception turned out. The maid-of-honor thought either her backyard or the church hall was much more "suitable, not to mention cheaper" since they could bring in their own "food and stuff"!

Client-Come-Lately
I have a travel agent/event planner who booked a group from Europe for a sit down dinner from 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM. The first two hours was scheduled for the dinner and the last hour a variety of entertainers were to perform various singing, dancing and magic acts. At 8:45 PM, the client and her guests were nowhere to be found. I called her hotel, her cell and the bus company who was transporting them from the hotel to the restaurant. My client did not answer the phone in her room or her cell and the bus company told me they brought the group back from their tour "hours ago". Even though my Chef and Manager on Duty were panicking, believing they might not show, I knew at some point the group would make their way to the restaurant because we had been paid in full and the entertainment company had received a hefty deposit. Shortly after 10:00 PM, the guests arrived. When I asked my client about the delay, she said she tried phoning me around 5:00 PM but she "just couldn't get through". Apparently her clients did not want to eat at 8:00 PM as she contracted; they were used to eating later. I explained to my client that she would be charged for three extra hours of labor since she was two hours late and the party would need to be extended until 1:00 AM. The entertainment director told her he too would have additional charges. She became hysterical. She had not budgeted for extra labor charges and it wasn't her fault if she couldn't get through to me, it was her mobile phone. I explained that even if she had been able to get through, changing the start time three hours prior to the contractual start of the party was not acceptable and if she wanted the dinner and the show to go on, she would have to agree to the additional labor charges. I also reminded her that these types of situations were outlined in the Conditions of the Contract but some clients do not read the fine print before they sign on the dotted line. Even though she has since booked three more events with me, during her tantrum, she vowed never to book at my venue again due to my "unwillingness to compromise".

Another client booked a small two-hour reception. I created a menu, sent her a contract it, she signed it and paid a deposit. On the day of the event, my floor manager told me the function was going to be a "piece of cake" and insisted I take the night off. An hour after the reception was supposed to start, that same manger called me at home to say my client was a "no call/no show". He pulled the contract and my client signed for that date and time. He was not able to reach him on his cell but left a message. I too called and left a message. Three hours later my client called and said, "Please don't tell me I booked the party for tonight?" He actually wanted it for the next day. I was able to accommodate him since we had no other functions booked however, when I explained that he would have to pay for the labor that had been scheduled and the food that had already been prepped for the wrong night, he became indignant. He said since it was his mistake, the extra charges would have to come out of his pocket, that he was going to be "in a whole lot of trouble" and he didn't "appreciate the fact that I was imposing these charges on him since it was an honest mistake". I told him that while I sympathized with his predicament, if I didn't get compensation, I was going to be "in a whole lot of trouble". Even though I agreed to split the difference, he still was not happy and refused to speak to me the next night at his event.

The Narcissist
The only thing worse than a rude and obnoxious client is another rude and obnoxious client! There is a certain breed of clients who think they are your only clients. They have little or no respect for your time. They think you are supposed to be available 24/7 and that you have unlimited resources at your disposal. A client set up a site inspection with me at 8:00 AM on a Monday. She confirmed the date and time twice after setting it up, the last of which was on my first Sunday off in one month. Fifteen minutes before she was due to arrive, she called and said, "Hi, I'm in a taxi driving right by your place. I'm switching plans". Apparently she broke a nail and the manicurist at the salon in the hotel she was staying at was not in on Mondays so she was headed to another salon at another hotel for the repair. "So I can't get to you until 2:00 PM because I have other places to site, and then a lunch so I'm moving you to 3:00 PM". I apologized and explained that I had a site inspection with another client at that time and asked if she could wait until 4:00 PM. She told me that I was causing her a "real inconvenience", that if I could not accommodate her at 4:00 PM, she would be forced to book elsewhere since she couldn't possibly book with me sight unseen. She called me the following year asking if I remembered her. Really? She requested a site inspection and proceeded to tell me how displeased she was with her last party and how difficult the catering manager had been. She asked that I check availability but unfortunately and sadly and hip-hip hooray, I was already booked on the day that she needed. As she slammed the phone down, I heard her say, "Whatever"! I never like to turn down a piece of business but I am certain that if she calls me again, "third time's a charm" will not be the case for her!

The Egotist
I have had many memorable clients by one of my 'favorites" was the client of a local party planner her scheduled a final walk-through two days prior to the event. Even though I had met with this client twice before, she could not seem to remember my name. She said, "You must think me terrible but I have forgotten your name", and this was our second meeting and we had been talking for nearly thirty minutes. Hello?! It's not like my name is Scheherazade. It's Kate, a very short, one-syllable 4-letter word. But knowing my name didn't make a difference, she still insisted on directing her questions and her little underhanded comments to the party planner, referring to me as "her" and "she"; that is, when she bothered to acknowledge that I was actually in the room. "I hate to be a pest", she said, "But do you think she can remove those extra ropes and stanchions if we don't need them? And why are there so many extra tables and chairs in the room, this isn't how I want the room set". I reminded her that her event was not for two days and the room was set for an event that evening.

After she changed the start time, the color of the linens, the placement for her speaker and the buffet, for the third time, she got up with a jolt, ran to the middle of the room and stood there with her eyes closed, one hand on her head and the other on her stomach as if she were channeling Frank Lloyd Wright. After a few seconds, she exclaimed, "No, no, no this room is all wrong, this is not what I envisioned". Apparently she just wasn't "feeling the room". In fact, what she was feeling was "frustrated" and "claustrophobic". She swung around and opened her eyes wide and glared into mine and said, "What about you 'Kathy', aren't you feeling frustrated and claustrophobic?" Yes, I thought, but not from the room! In a matter of seconds we went from the original set up of round tables to rectangle tables because after all, "rectangle tables are much more conducive to a dining atmosphere" whereas the rounds seemed "banquety" to her and that's not what she "envisioned". Her "vision" and her "goal" were to have the room "feel comfortable, relaxed and spread out" and oh how she wished the room was bigger but she "supposed there was nothing that could be done about that". Mean while the room seats 250 people and her guarantee was for 100. I sat quietly taking deep breaths and wishing my life away, wishing for it to be two days later at 10:00 PM which would mark the end of her event. As she got up to leave, she put her hand on my arm and baby-talked, "I hope you don't think I am too much of an ass pain" and giggled and snorted uncontrollably. Oh, I thought to myself, that's not what I'm thinking at all! Then she said to the party planner, "Can you tell Ka-Ka-Ka Katie to make sure the carpet is vacuumed".

So it's the day of the event and standing outside the door is "Cruella Deville" in all her glory. I cannot put into writing the thoughts and fantasies that started running rampant through my mind; it just wouldn't be lady-like. I looked at the banquet captain and said, "It's show time. Your worst nightmare is about to walk through the door. If you need me, I'll be at the bar"!

Off-Premise Caterer - Delivering Delicious Food

If you are planning an event and want to hire a professional to handle the food service, an off-premise caterer may have the solution you need. Not only will you and your guests be delivered excellent food at the location of your choice, the professionals at the catering company can provide additional services that will make your event a success such as full service drop off and pick up, photography services, and technology services.

Having quality food for your event is very important, but that is not even enough to make your special occasion a success. Even though you and your guests can be supplied with a full menu that will satisfy any taste buds, if you are in need of an off-premise caterer, other aspects of the event are equally as important. You can call on this full service catering company for additional services such as a selection of adult friendly beverages in addition to many non-alcoholic drinks. This catering service may even be able to decorate your event by arranging flowers and plants at your location. Inquire if the catering service can arrange for any equipment rentals you include:

• Transportation services
• Security
• Valet parking
• Corporate gifts
• Entertainment

You can call and schedule a consultation with the catering service and a professional coordinator can find out about your needs, which range from service to equipment. When you allow an off premise caterer to provide you with catering services, you can have all of your arrangements made for you and which can relieve most of the stress of planning your event. All you will need to do is show up at your event location and enjoy yourself.

If you need an off-premise caterer for a party, wedding, or business luncheon, there are professional catering companies that can make your event exactly the way you want it. These companies have the skill and experience of transporting and setting up a wide range of food selections. The catering consultants can help you make menu selections for your special occasion and may even be able to accommodate your special requests.

Call a professional catering company to find out about the services they offer or you can visit their website to get detailed information. This one-stop catering service has the skill, knowledge and expertise to give you exactly what you want. You can get off-premise caterer for good food, good entertainment, and top notch catering services.

Corporate Sponsors Want To Give You Money For Your Project

Company Sponsorship Programs Can Finance You!

Do you have a dream or project that you cannot move on because of money? Instead of just giving up or waiting for "some day" when you do have more money, you may be able to get help today! In exchange for a little good will, many companies are quite willing to sponsor a variety of projects. If you do not take advantage of corporate sponsorship, then you could be missing out on a simple financial solution that many others are already taking advantage of!

Companies donate money for many different things. Amateur athletes, professional sporting events, research projects, travel, and education are just a few examples. This is not a loan, that you have to pay back. It is, basically, free money, that companies donate in return for a little publicity and good will. Enjoy your dream of promoting an amateur folk music festival or a professional tennis match with the help of corporate checks!

Money For Team or Individual Sports

Teams and individuals obtain corporate money to help sponsor athletics, for instance. Long distance bicycle racers, student soccer teams, and figure skaters are examples of athletes who take advantage of sponsorship money. Companies provide money for training, uniforms, travel, and more. Instead of a team sponsorship, perhaps you would like to host a local golf or tennis match. Perhaps you want the match to raise funds for a charity, or even to make profit for yourself. Either way, companies will sponsor these type of events.

You have certainly seen race cars with corporate names on them. That is because the companies "sponsor" the cars. But you do not have to be world famous to obtain a sponsor. Many local and amateur organizations can find willing donors.

Fund Your Next Event

You do not need to hold an athletic event to obtain a sponsor. You could hold a local music festival, beauty pageant, or talent contest! Again, some groups hold these events to fund their activities or raise money for charity. However, some people make a full time living by promoting and organizing events. Imagine, making a living by doing what you really love, and by getting companies to sponsor you! You can learn how to attract eager corporate sponsors, even if you have never done it before!

Money For Education

Many companies provide money for education, and these are called educational sponsorships. The companies may use this sponsorship to promote good will for their business, or perhaps they hope to help train future employees. You can learn how to stay in school, courtesy of a corporate sponsorship. Again, this is donor money, and it is not a loan that you have to pay back! It is often fairly simple to apply for these programs, and the process is already in place to help people just like you if you know how to look for it!

Do Not Give Up On Your Big Idea

A lack of seed money should not make you give up on your dreams or great ideas. Potential authors have found money to fund their books. Scholars find money to finance their research studies. Marathon runners find money to train and travel to their next event. You can step up for sponsor money too!

The Best Corporate Team Building Activity - Deadly Effective, Simple, Yet Most Underrated Method

Forget about the fancy corporate message that nobody but the top managers can understand...

It's so simple yet deadly effective...

If you want to build the No. 1 team in your organization, especially in a corporate setting, this might be the most important article you are about to read.

I know you might have overlooked one of the most EFFECTIVE methods.

... you do not need a fancy corporate trainer.
... you do not need Franklin Covey manual.

Do you know what it is?

It's POTLUCK!

Do this every week: Every week, set a day when your team gets together and have a potluck. If you cannot afford to do this, try holding the lunch every other week.

Pretty soon, you will see other teams in your organization wishing they belonged to your team. It's the food that brings people together... Everyone could smell and breathe your good food aroma when they walk by your cubicles.

I know you think it's "silly" and beneath some of your dignified, trained approach to conformity. Really? You don't think your employees yawn when they're attending a "workshop"?

Ask yourself this - What's the point of Team Building anyway? It's to bring teammates together and your job as a leader to get people excited assigning different tasks.

Tip: My experience shows Mexican Burrito potluck and Sandwich themes have outranked in popularity.

IF YOU HAVE THE GUTS to do even something bigger, but want to hold it as ONE TIME event for your organization, don't just hold a team potluck, but do department wide or the corporate wide potluck.

Then watch hundreds and thousands of people smile and see how they express their love for food and for the event.

Heck, do yourself a favor and let your local news station know you're inviting their reporter for this fun event to demonstrate how lucky these employees are working for your organization. Let the reporter know she and the crew are invited to join (FREE food!).

Send them an email saying with the title - "XYZ Company Holds A Company Wide, All Employees Involved, 1500 Dish Potluck For Corporate Team Building Event" or something in this fashion.

EVEN BETTER: Tie in a good cause or charity into the event to make it newsworthy and worthwhile spreading.

Do you know why this works? Because it's different - it's not "the usual corporate training" your team is used to having to attend. It breaks the usual pattern of what people expect at team building event and the initiative catches them off guard.

They will talk about this event. How different and fun to have the widely spontaneous "let's do company-wide potluck!" initiative. Talk about something different and that's what's going to give a relief to the often too conformed, overworked employees.

Now go implement. Be different from all other teams or companies. Do something different to show you care about your project and want to make a difference.

All About the Basics of Event Management Jobs

Browsing over many job search sites can bring about a good number of event management jobs all over the place. Although they entail seemingly simple tasks of efficiently handling the specific event at hand, the entire responsibility actually involves a wide pool of work to do. The world of event management actually revolves around the application the technicalities of project management in the creation, development and implementation of festivals, conferences and other kinds of social events. There is presently a growing events industry worldwide, making this a great opportunity for people who are into the task by heart.

Event management technically works to study the brand, determine the specific audience, come up with a concept that fits the event, plan logistics and thoroughly coordinate the different aspects of the whole event. The end goal is a completely flawless execution of the event being proposed. In addition to these, an assessment is done at the end of the event to see if all details are done they way they should be.

In the present market for event managements, a wide pool of events awaits anyone who is interested to take the task. The events come in various sizes that can be as small and private as a dinner date for two or between businesspeople or as large as the Olympics itself. From this, we can easily recognize the fact that the size does not matter. With the event management jobs present today, it is all focused on making the whole event push through despite the number of individuals included, the weather and all other variables that can easily promote or deter the success of it all.

For companies and corporations all over the world, event management has become a strategic and effective tool for both marketing and communications purposes. The numerous events they can invest on include product launching and press conferences. These are all designed to reach out to the consumers and offer them what they can possibly make use of. Since freelancing and outsourcing are both becoming such a famous fad, the need for a specific event manager within the organization has lessened over time. There are certain organizations that offer complete event management services that can be hired based on the company's need for professional help in such undertaking.

An event manager bears the greatest form of responsibility in the planning and execution of the whole event. In the end, this is also the individual who ends up with the greatest amount of credits in monetary form and the likes. For an individual to succeed in this field, knowledge and skills in the creative, technical and social aspects of an event are essential. Since this individual deals with the design and production as well as in the logistics and client service, there is a need for a well-rounded and multi-dimensional personality in order to do all the necessary parts of the job and still maintain one's level of sanity.

At one look, event management jobs are a piece of cake. Going through it successfully though involves a lot of hard work and a good amount of patience.

Online Registration Analytics Tips For Event Planners - Improve Your Form With Time to Complete

So how do you find out what your time to complete is? A few of the leading edge online registration software packages now provide integrated analytics reports with their standard registration package. However, if you don't currently use a system like this, or are locked into a restrictive contract with another company, then you may be able to implement a free tracking program like Google Analytics to help you determine your time to complete. But the easiest way to get this information is to use an event registration company that has already done the work for you to give you the right stats.

What you really want to know is how long the entire process takes (introduction to confirmation) as well as how much each page of the form contributes to the total time. This is one of the great advantages that web forms have over paper forms: you can virtually be sitting over your registrants' shoulders watching their progress through the form.

Once you know the total average time to completion you can use it immediately to help increase completed registrations. By adding a line to your introductory page stating that "Registration Takes Only X Minutes" you can help your registrants better plan their time. This in turn will make them more likely to commit a specific block of time to your registration process.

The next step you should take is to break the registration process down into the specific components. This will help you to identify where there are specific sticking points within your registration process that can be improved. Are registrants spending 15 minutes on your lodging page? Maybe you can pare down the options a bit. Are they looking at the pricing options for an inordinate amount of time? Maybe you should look into providing more or less options so that they don't need to work around your system.

Finding out how long it takes your registrants to complete your form gives you great insight into where you can make improvements, and can also make your registrants more comfortable with the registration process. Putting it all together makes great improvements in your form.

How to Increase Your Online Class Attendance - Using Class Management Solution

Organizing an online class and maximizing the number of attendees is not always a simple job. You will need to consider several aspects for making your program appealing and attractive that can earn you higher attendees. The class management solution, can offer you the best services, if you are looking for effective ways to increase the online class attendance.

The One stop solution for increasing number of attendees:

As technology has made the world smaller and intact, online services are on great demand, which saves both time as well as efforts. The class management solution offers online access to registration, 24x7 where aspiring students, interested in your class or program can register anytime and from any location, just using internet connection. This ultimately will help in increasing the attendance rates.

Once you are done with the sign up process, the next step is to make the registration page eye-catching and appealing. The solution allows you to create customized registration page, where you can add up logos and images pertaining to the organization and the course or program. This will give your registration page a new look and feel, which will help you in drawing the attention of interested students.

The payment options offered by the solution is also very convenient, as the students can pay the registration fees, in real time, using credit cards, PayPal, wire transfers and such other gateways. As the payment system offers high quality security for processing transactions, registrant will feel satisfied in sharing credit card and other important details. Often due to payment complexities and security issues, interested students turn way from a particular class or program. But you can avoid all these situations, employing the solution and can generate potential attendees to your class.

The solution helps you in promoting your class in the various social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+, which will help you in increasing the popularity of the class. As a significant portion of the young generation is active in these social sites, it can be a powerful and influential platform, for promoting your class and increasing your attendee list. By creating accounts on all these popular social sites and updating informative contents, blogs, videos, pictures about your organization and the class session conducted previously, you can publicize your class to millions of users and promote it extensively.

Apart from the promotional activities that can help you in earning both higher attendees and ROI, the class management solution also play a vital role in making your class more effective and interactive, offering various other added services.

The Best Melbourne Conference Venues

As an international business centre, Melbourne is often host to exhibitions, expos, conferences and corporate events. The choice of conference centres in Melbourne is extensive and ranges from small boutique hotels with function rooms right through to huge purpose built exhibition centres. Each of these venues has a different combination of facilities and services, different capacities and different price points. Choosing the right Melbourne conference venue will depend on the size and style of the event.

Large Melbourne Conference Centres

The award winning Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is the first '6 star green star' environmentally rated convention centre in the world and is a leader in innovation and sustainability. The huge purpose built convention centre boasts 52 meeting rooms, a grand banquet room, a 466 seat auditorium and 30,000 square metres of exhibition space. The world class food and wine have won awards and the technology is state of the art. Although, the MCEC is capable of hosting the largest of exhibitions or events, they also cater for small to medium meetings and conferences in their flexible meeting rooms. Located just 5 minutes from the Melbourne CBD and overlooking picturesque Albert Park Lake, the Sebel Albert Park Melbourne is a Melbourne hotel offering an excellent Melbourne conference venue and a large flexible event space. The Sebel also has the added advantage of on-site accommodation in its 242 stylish and contemporary guest rooms. The Grand Ballroom has a capacity of 1400 cocktail style or 900 for a banquet, while rooms such as the Lake Rooms are suited for small meetings boardroom style, for 10 or less. The Sebel provides specialist event planners to help planning and organisation run smoothly for corporate events.

Small to Medium Melbourne Conference Venues

The list of hotels offering conference and function rooms in Melbourne is endless, although the standard can vary dramatically. The Langham Hotel in Melbourne CBD is one of the best luxury hotels offering conference and meeting facilities in Melbourne. The hotel itself is 5 star and boasts outstanding accommodation in a central location. The conference centre houses 16 flexible meeting rooms suitable for as few as 6 or less delegates or up to a maximum of 400 guests reception style. The Langham was awarded the annual MICE hotel award (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) at the HM Magazine Hotel & Accommodation Excellence Awards 2011. The outstanding facilities and excellent service will ensure a corporate event to remember. The Como Melbourne Hotel is another centrally located Melbourne hotel offering excellent Melbourne conference centre facilities. The Como is a sophisticated 5 star boutique style hotel and its meeting rooms reflect this style. Located in the trendy South Yarra region, the Como specialises in contemporary functions and has the audio visual and technology to reflect this. The hotel has 107 contemporary guest rooms, an indoor/outdoor heated pool with retractable roof, gymnasium, sauna and spa. Little extras such as a complimentary daily newspaper, signature Como rubber duck and dry cleaning and laundry services make the conference experience an enjoyable one.

There are numerous other excellent conference centres in Melbourne, although the four mentioned above are tried and tested and excel in all areas from services and facilities to accommodation and location. A tour of the hotel and facilities is always the best way to determine the suitability of a venue for your needs.

Successful Event Planning Tips

Throwing a party or hosting an event may sound like an easy job but careful planning is required to ensure that your event is a success. Business owners especially need to maximize their dollars when hosting an event. It is advised that you consider hiring the professional services of an event planner. An event planner has expertise and knowledge in event planning and management and often can negotiate on your behalf with vendors such as caterers, photographers and florists to obtain a less expensive price since they have established relationships with the vendors.

You may think that hiring an event planner is an added expense but consider this: an event planner can relieve the stress of event planning by handling everything from the event conception to the execution. Imagine what you could do with the time you save in making phone calls, freeing up your staff, researching prices, picking up items, faxing information, setting up tables, greeting guests, etc.

Since your company's reputation may be at stake, it is critical that you select an event planner you can trust. Ask for references or ask to see photos from their event portfolio.

If you decide to take on this heavy task yourself, first identify the purpose of the event and align it with a specific marketing objective. You should have a "crystal clear" vision of the event in your head. The next step is to define your target audience. Consider what their interests are when selecting music, food, themes and invitations and be mindful of special dietary requirements or seating accommodations.

Take full advantage of your event by utilizing signage, press releases, photos, guest books or advertising to promote your event. Be sure and invite as many customers as possible and be prepared for extra guests who failed to RSVP. If you have a limited budget, you may want to partner with another business or ask for donations from area businesses.

Remember, your image should be conveyed at each step in the event planning process. Special events offer potential for future business, contracts and publicity. Understanding what you want to gain and how your event can help your objective will help determine the frequency of your events and the budget you should allot to such events. Events can double as a marketing tool if executed correctly.

Last but not least, have fun! Your tone and attitude will set the mood for the entire event.

Custom Printed Dry Erase Boards With Graphics

The hottest new thing in the dry erase board industry - custom printed whiteboards. These white boards are made using a specialized dry erase surface, a specialized ink and paper and heat fused into the surface of the board. These boards are of exceptional quality and made entirely in the USA. Variable data like room numbers and phone numbers for hospital patient room boards are not a problem. Available sizes range from 8" x 11" to 4' x 8' and full color or black and white printing available. These custom printed marker boards are either magnetic or non-magnetic and aluminum or wood framed.

Another why of using this custom printed board is for premium quality white board calendars and planners used in schools and businesses for scheduling. You can often find some that will add a free personalized header to your dry erase calendar at no additional charge. Marker board calendars come in sizes from 2' x 3' to 4' x 8' and available as magnetic or non-magnetic whiteboards. These premium dry erase calendars will last a lifetime and will not fade, ghost or stain like some calendars. White board calendars are available in black or silver aluminum framing or beautiful wood frames including oak, cherry, or black painted. All of the magnetic white board calendars come with free magnets including Jan-Dec and 1-31 numbers and also have many other accessories and accessory kits available for planning and scheduling. Grid and lines and permanent printed and available as horizontal line boards, vertical line boards, 1x1 grid, 1x2 grid, and many more. Standard calendars and planners are available as well as custom designed white board calendars.

Another option is marker board calendars with accessory kits including magnets, markers, and erasers. Standard calendars are 1 month, 2 month, 3 month, 4 month, 6 month and 12 month. Also available are white board schedule planners, dry erase board in and out planners, event planners, and much more. These custom designed white boards are long lasting and affordable. Graphic artists can assist with the creation of your custom printed dry erase board that will help make the process a breeze. Another product is custom printed marker boards for hospital and patient rooms, manufacturing, sports and recreation, classroom math and music boards, and much more. Whatever type of custom printed dry erase board that you need, whether it be simple or complex, they can help make it. Check it out for more details.

Business Event Planning - 5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Business Event Planning

Business event planning can be difficult if care isn't initially taken. We will be covering 5 major pitfalls to avoid during your business event planning task. You will not only need to be concerned with all of the major details about your upcoming corporate or business affair, but be sure and take detailed notes on any problems that you run across so that you'll be able to deal with them more effectively in planning your next business meeting.

Don't Get Overwhelmed

The very first thing that you need to remember is not to get overwhelmed with the details. If the affair in question seems to be getting larger and larger and more complicated in scope than originally intended, slow down and backup.

Think back to the original scope of the business event planning and try to get back to basics. It can be a challenging task to plan a business function, but with an initial detailed task list, it can make keeping on track much easier in the sort and the long run.

You will need to have your priorities documented on paper, items such as the overall theme of the corporate or business function, decorations, food, catering (type of menu, as well as costs per person involved), various supplies, and of course, the overall budget that you have to work with.

Depending on the scope of your business event planning and the affair itself, you may need an assistant to aid you.

Don't be shy about delegating less important tasks to an assistant or even multiple assistants for more mundane tasks that you need not be bothered with, such as general "fetching", picking up supplies, tables, chairs, decorations and etc... at the various suppliers. This will leave the most important details of the gathering to you, as it should be.

Screen Your Caterer

The next pitfall in setting up a successful function is the food. More than likely, your business event planning will make use of a catering company. If this step of your event isn't executed properly, you could have a disaster on your hands. Unfortunately, you are depending upon an outside company for this task. But you can easily screen the catering company that you have chosen.

Do this by asking for at least three references from clients that have had similar sized functions to yours, not only ask for references, but contact the references. Ask about timeliness of the caterer, were they on schedule?, were they professional?, did they provide the required amount of food for the affair?, was the food of high quality and taste? as well as did they come in on budget?

Signed Contracts - You Bet!

Thirdly. Be sure and get a signed contract whenever you are contracting out services to outside companies. This will ensure that you will be able to create a budget and not go over that budget. When you have a contract, there are usually no surprises. That's what contracts are for. Be sure and set the dates and times when the services will be needed with a firm price for services rendered.

Budget, Smudget - You Better have One

Fourth. Be certain to set up an operating budget in advance of even beginning your business event planning. Generally speaking, you will have some idea what your company has allocated for this function. Maybe even an exact figure, if they've allocated $7,000 for your company event, start budgeting for a $6,000 function. Trust me when I tell you, it will always cost more than you think. This way, you are giving yourself a bit of a buffer. Planning for the $6,000 event, more than likely, you will easily meet the desired goal of $7.000 or less.

You're Not Finished Yet

Fifth. Don't relax too soon. Many times business event planning you will schedule and plan the affair months in advance and think that everything is under control. Taking it easy up until the day or so before the event. Invariably, one of your outside contractors will not be able to deliver and you'll be left scrambling to replace them hours before the event. Be sure an make contact with all of your vendors at least a week before your big get together and make sure everybody is on the same page.

Business Event Planning Doesn't Have To Be Hard

Keep these 5 possible pitfalls in mind when business event planning and things will go much smoother than you could imagine.

Looking For the Best - Factors to Evaluate When Choosing Event Venues

It cannot be stressed enough how important the event venue is for your party or celebration. And just like anything else, when choosing from the several event venues available out there, you need to consider certain factors to determine whether a particular venue is indeed the right one for you. Considering these factors are important, needless to say, since they will determine or can determine the success of your event. These factors are the same for all types of events. It does not matter whether you are looking for corporate event venues or for wedding-these factors are the same for every type of event, although these are very basic. There are other considerations, to be sure, but these are the standards. Here are the some factors you should evaluate when choosing an event venue:

1. Budget. The budget shouldn't be your only consideration when choosing an event venue, but it is as important as the other factors for evaluation. After all, how can you hold an event in a venue you cannot afford? More than considering the actual price of the event venue, you should ask for the payment options of the venue, the additional and complimentary services the venue provider can give, as well as other additional costs you might have you shoulder. Payment option is an important factor here since this will enable you to afford the event venue due to their generous and considerate payment plans. The idea here is to get your money's worth. More than the price, you need to get good service for your money.

2. Facilities and amenities. First of all, you need to assess the condition of the venue's facilities. Is the décor and the paint of the venue superb, passable, or would need work (in which case, the only work you have to do is leave the venue and look for a new one). Is the lighting in the venue adequate, and it does allow lighting manipulation when needed (especially for special effects for particular events)? Is the event venue visually pleasing, or are there any obstructions that might become an eyesore during the event? Are there sufficient restrooms for your guests and are there any hospitals, clinics, and medical service centers nearby? As for the amenities, make sure the venue allows certain leeway for banners and other signage that bears information. Also, for corporate event venues, does the site have an information desk, meeting rooms, and business centers? For wedding event weddings, does the venue offer a private room for the newlywed where they can change their attires for the festivities?

3. Equipment. And then there's the equipment. Make sure the event venue has certain equipment that you might need. Although you can always procure your own materials, it is best if the venue can provide these necessary items. For instance, for corporate events, the site should have Internet access, LCD projectors, microphones, and other similar equipment and services. The equipment depends on the type of event venue you are looking for, of course.

Event Management Companies

Event Management industry is the fastest growing industry in India and all over the world. Event management companies offer number of skillful and professional event management services. Companies provide cost-effective services for managing your all events and parties.

Event Planner companies provide you all professional services and provide you services for handling all sort of events, weddings, conferences, conventions, corporate or private parties, exhibitions, expositions, seminars, trade shows, concerts etc. Companies plan and organize the events based on the theme of your event. An event can have any theme. It may be private, on a small level or on a corporate or organizational level. They have a team of professional planners and decorators who have knowledge in every aspect of event management from budgets to acknowledgments.

An Event Planner company provide you all planning from start to end, whether it comes to venue decision, decorations, food arrangements and promotion of your event. A professional event planner will always discuss with you everything regarding your budget and requirements. They can provide you good suggestions and will provide you choices about venue and other details. Event planners will always provide you best suggestions with your decided budgets and choice. This way, you can focus your attention more on your business, rather than wasting your time and energy on a subject that you are not familiar with.

Some professional event management companies offer a free venue finding service. This way you will save time for searching the venues. Companies keep all the details about venues and vendors in their records. This way they can easily contact them and as a regular customer they get services on reasonable prices and ultimately offer you some reasonable prices.

Your job is only to find the best event management company for your event who will provide you quality services and will make all the arrangements within your decided budget.

Event Photography - If You Enjoy Parties and Photography, Here's a Free Guide to Earning From It!

If you are considering becoming an Event Photographer this guide may be useful. I spent a long time researching all the kit needed to be a successful Event photographer, testing and costing carefully. It's all current gear available now so it's up to date unlike some of the guides I read.

I've been on training courses and I've done quite a few different Events now, so this is to help others avoid some of the common mistakes. This guide to Event photography is based on my personal experience and you are welcome to reproduce it as long as you credit this article with the website address

I do recommend anyone interested in Event photography going on the excellent training course supplied by Systems Insight, speak to Mike Orr, Stuart or Darren at systems insight. I've also found the Event Photographers Society really useful.

It is divided into sections as follows:

1, Camera Equipment needed for Event Photographers;
2. Lighting equipment for Event Photography;
3. Printers for Instant Event Photos;
4. Mitsubishi Click system for Event Photography;
5. Green Screen Event Photography;
6. Starting an Event Photography Business.

1. Camera Equipment for Event Photographers.

You don't NEED the latest high-end professional DSLR with pro glass lenses to shoot an event! It's nice to have good kit but that should be a given for any Pro Photographer. In reality the customer at a football tournament, school prom or black tie event doesn't care what kit you have as long as the results are good, and you don't want to be carrying a heavy camera with fragile glass in an environment that is often boisterous and busy!

You don't need to shoot huge resolution RAW files and won't have time to post process or mess about with hundreds of settings.You are aiming to get a sharp, vibrant and well lit photograph of enough resolution to print at your final output size. Concentrate on making the people look great!

I do recommend a wireless work flow which I cover later, and again you need the files to be small enough to send quickly. I use a Nikon D700 but that's only because I have one for Property photography as I need the full frame and low light capabilities.

I shoot jpg at just medium resolution for most events, and use a Sigma 24-70mm HSM lens so I can quickly zoom between individuals and groups. A Nikon D40 with a kit lens will do just as well. and I always carry one as a backup. It also takes my Nikon flashguns and is much lighter than a D700.

It is important to have a backup camera, I've even made do with a Nikon Coolpix P6000 when my D700 was being used pitch side at a Cricket Event. With proper lighting (see lighting section) I got almost identical results shooting people in front of a green screen. You must have at least one fully charged spare battery for each camera at an event, a couple of spare and preformatted memory cards, and spare batteries for your flashguns. I use the new Duracell rechargeables for the flashguns as they stay

So don't go mad on the camera kit, it will get bashed around at an event! As for settings, indoors I shoot at around f7.1 to f8 for groups so I get good depth of field, I use shutter speeds of around 125 to get sharp shots as I don't like a tripod, too restrictive, and I use ISO 400 to get enough sensitivity. White balance is easy on a Nikon, see lighting but the flash setting will do. For individuals and couples I open up to around f5 and shoot full length, head and shoulders and a close-up. Outdoors events are more dependent on the available light and the lens.

One tip, using a wireless transmitter to send the images straight to your PC, Mac or Click system avoids the pitfall of people (the ladies mainly) wanting to see each shot on the back of the camera as you take it! That gets them through quicker and lets your team at the workstation show the images properly at full size. I do actually keep the images stored in the camera as a backup though in case the wireless system stops working.

Another tip, if you are shooting groups at a School Prom or Corporate event, take a stepladder! If you get above them and shoot down it changes the angles and stops the people at the front looking much larger than those at the back! This lets you squeeze bigger groups in as well, especially useful if you are shooting in front of a green screen at an event.

Also, if you ever get a large group of girls at a School Prom or Sweet Sixteen event, take LOTS of shots! It is very hard to get a single photo where every girl is happy with how she looks, guys really are not as fussy. The girls will buy the photo that they look best in.

We tend to charge the standard rate £10 per shoot including a 6x9 mounted photograph, but do offer incentives for groups such as discounting copies of the same photograph, or offering 3 for the price of 2 if they are different shots that need processing.

2. Lighting Equipment for Event Photography

I don't use studio lighting for indoor events! Initially I used the standard large softbox above the camera and shot in front of a grey, back or white backdrop. But that's boring and old hat nowadays, the lighting is very flat and there is always the risk of people tripping over cables and the hassle of finding a nearby power socket.

At School proms, Bar-Mitzvahs and especially Sweet Sixteen parties it gets very busy and although we carry full insurance I don't want a heavy studio light falling on a guest. It's the same at Corporate events and Black Tie dinners, there's usually a huge rush after dinner for photos and even a taped down light can get pulled over by an inebriated partygoer!

So now I use a Nikon SB-900 on the camera with the wide-angle flap down and the soft diffuser fitted. This controls two other Nikon SB-600's also with the wide-angle flaps down using Nikon's excellent CLS lighting system. The two SB-600's are mounted on sturdy but portable stands and shoot through white umbrellas for lovely soft lighting.

At an Event you don't want to be messing around changing lighting when you have queues, but this setup is flexible and light enough to be safe to move quickly if you need to. The Nikon system lets me control the brightness of each flash directly from the camera without having to touch the lights.

As we use Green Screen backdrops at most events to add effects and digital backgrounds, I have to ensure the backdrop is evenly lit to avoid problems when chromakeying out the green. By mounting the umbrellas high up at either side and shooting through them, the green (or blue) backdrop gets evenly lit where it matters. The guests get a nice flattering lighting setup which I can easily adjust for large groups or closeups. I

I shoot on full manual with the on camera flash at about 1/32 power to give a little fill light, but mainly to trigger the two mounted lights. These are usually on about 1/8th power which is plenty! Recyling is very fast and I've never had to change batteries yet at an event, although I have charged spares on hand.

If I get a large group like a football or cricket team at a sporting event I can quickly move the two sidelights back and up the power.If it quietens down and we get a guest who wants some special shots, the lights can be moved so one acts as a keylight and one as a fill for classic Rembrandt lighting. We have professional makeover software running on the workstations so can enhance pictures quickly if someone wants portfolio shots.

The SB-900 on the camera can also be removed and used as a slave for hair lighting or other effects, triggered by the on canera flash. So we can do a three light setup easily! White balance is crucial, on Nikon cameras just stand where the subjects will be, set the white balance to "pre" then hold down the wb button for three seconds. When the display flashes, point the camera back between the lights and shoot. If it says "good" in the display, you are set to go. If not, try shooting again straight at one of the sb600, it will work!

The real beauty of this system is that it all fits in one calumet rolling case and is easily portable! It is very flexible for other types of photography. These flashguns are just as powerful as studio lights, and we even carry Fong diffusers and softboxes just in case we get a chance to do some glamour photography. (and yes, you can book us for private shoots!)

3. Printers for Instant Event Photos.

I used to to run a large independent company selling calibrated colour printers, scanners and displays into the corporate design market and previously worked with Canon, Xerox, Mitsubishi and Tektronix as a colour consultant. So choosing the best Event printers was an interesting exercise!

Inkjets and colour lasers were instantly dismissed as I needed portability, reliability and photographic quality. Plus I needed to know exactly what each print would cost. An inkjet will produce the quality with a bit of tweaking but will never match the quality, speed or durability of a dedicated dye-sublimation printer.

I don't believe in compatible inks as I've seen first hand the amount of R&D that goes into a manufacturers own ink. So ink-jet prints are going to be too expensive for event printing. Lasers are fast but lacking in colour quality, and extremely tricky to transport. After testing all the current offerings I decided on the Mitsubishi 9550 DW linked to the Mitsubishi Click system as our basic workhorse for producing large 9 x 6 inch photographs.

As I use a full frame camera this is exactly the size the camera shoots at, so no cropping needed! The photographs are fast and very accurate thanks to the dedicated colour profiling we use supplied by Systems Insight and fine-tuned by me!

The dye-sub process basically involves heating the ink on a ribbon until it turns into a gas and sublimates into the special paper. This is a true continuous tone process so the colour gamut is much wider than other processes, giving smooth and accurate skin tones with no dot patterns.

You can actually roll a photograph up and stand it in a pint of coke, leave it for hours and then wipe dry without any signs of running or fading, as demonstrated on the training course by Stuart! These photographs really won't fade and are fingerprint proof thanks to the special coating. They will last longer than any other photograph!

The fixed cost per photograph allows us to offer discounted pricing for pre-paid events like weddings or school proms as we know exactly what our costs will be per photo regardless of how much of each colour is used.

But we also offer a unique digital make-over service for events using a very special PC with professional retouching software so needed a printer we could connect directly. And we wanted to be able to offer instant 12" x 10" photos and other large sizes for Sporting Events like football and cricket events where team shots are popular.

So we decided on the larger format Mitsubishi as well as we have now found out it also works on the Click! Consumables for the Mitsubishi Event printers are readily available and therefore discounted prices help bring the costs down. Some of the more obscure brands like Shinko and Olmec are often tricky to source.

We are happy with the speed, quality and reliability of our printers, but more importantly, our customers love the results.

4. Mitsubishi Click System for Event Photographers.

My background is in colour technology as mentioned, but prior to that I was a DEC system manager, I have a HND in Computer Science and am a qualified programmer. Yes, I'm old enough to have done all that and spent 7 years in the Army controlling Artlillery fire by computers and by slide rules and log books when those systems were taken out.

So I'm probably more of a technical geek than most photographers. So why did I choose a dedicated turnkey solution for producing event photographs rather than use my expertise in PC and Mac solutions?

Laziness really, why re-invent the wheel! I quickly realised that to make any money at all in Event Photography you have to produce very good photographs to a very high standard very quickly! Work flow is very important. Initially I was either going to use a big 27" Mac with a studio display for quality to handle all the incoming pictures, or go down the Windows 7 route with a couple of fast Sony Vaio AW notebooks with their gorgeous Adobe RGB 18" monitors, with either system linked to a dye-sub or two.

But once I started looking at the workflow and software required I realised the Mitsubishi Click would cover all the bases. Yes, I could run either system quickly and use dedicated green screen software and professional retouching software to produce stunning results. But then who would take the photos? I needed a system that was streamlined and simple to use so I could train others to use it.

My first event was a corporate Xmas dinner and the only person available to do the green screen effects, printing, mounting and sales was my wife! The Click system is very straightforward, you set up a new event and pictures are sent wirelessly from the photographer. Selecting them by just touching the screen allows for full screen previews, once the customers have decided which photographs they want it is quite easy to drop in a green screen background and print, all by touch!

Camera cards and CD's can be easily read or burnt, multiple printers are supported and the whole system runs smoothly and look very professional. We've even had customers connect their own cameras or mobile phones by bluetooth and print their own photos! My wife managed well on our first event, and we had over thirty satisfied customers that evening, in a very short period of about 2 hours from when the meal ended to going home.

Many purchased multiple photos, with different backdrops and effects, but she handled it all while I took the shots. Now we have more trained assistants as it did wear her out a bit:) But I still wanted the flexibility and power to use more specialised green screen software to drop in overlays and fine tune some of the more tricky effects.

So with a bit of help from the techies at System Insight I worked out how to access the system directly, and underneath the smooth software front end is a powerful windows PC. So now if we get a really special request (like "put me in the Oval Office with President Obama") I can jump in and alt tab to Photokey or Portrait pro running in the background! And yes, you can print directy to the dedicated 9550DW by dropping jobs straight into the queue, email for details:)

You can also boost the processor speed, add more RAM, put in a HDMI graphics card to support external displays, even change out the motherboard if you are brave enough and don't mind voiding your warranty!

I'd recommend this system to anyone starting out, and would also recommend you buy it from Stuart or Darren at Systems Insight as they know the system well!

5. Green Screen Event Photography

To be successful in Event Photography as in any business you need a key differentiator, something to make you unique. We all provide basically the same service, photographing people having a good time and offering prints or downloads. Some specialise in niche markets like weddings or school photographs, or certain types of events like Equestrian or Motorcycling. I chose Green Screen Event Photography for a variety of reasons.

I like the portability of our lighting system and didn't want to spoil that by having to carry around various huge coloured backdrops for different occasions. I find it boring having dozens of people shot the same way, and I'm sure most people who go to events are getting fed up of the same bluey grey backdrop, or the "ultra modern" white or black high or low key shoot.

I want to have fun at an event and want the guests to experience something new. So we shoot everyone in front of a blue or more usually a green screen and then our special software can replace that colour with any of our 2500 digital backgrounds! This gives us the flexibility to add classy studio backdrops to Black Tie and Corporate Events, and lets us choose appropriate colours to enhance what the guests are wearing.

For School proms and Sweet Sixteens we can get the guests flying through space, on stage with their favourite rock bands or in the latest movies. Bar and Bat-Mitzvahs are great fun as we can transport the guests anywhere in the world, and for all events we offer free personalised overlays and designs so the event is memorable and unique.

The secret to Chromakey Event Photography is keeping the workflow fast! If you offer a guest 2500 choices, expect a huge queue or a lot of disapointed people. We tend to design 10 choices for each event and will print an example of each so they can decide before we shoot. That way if they are going to be posing alongside a Twilight Vampire or on the dance floor with John Travolta, they can strike an appropriate pose! It does slow things down having to add backdrops but we prefer the interaction and the guests enjoy the experience.

It's not all about getting them shot and printed to us, some event companies work like a slaughterhouse concentrating on quantity rather than quality, that's what the auto cameras at theme parks are for, we would rather spend a little time earning our money!

We prefer green screens to blue screens as less people wear the actual shade of green we use. Blue clothing, eyes and jewellery are more common and can cause probems unless you know how to mask out those areas. We use very special green screen material now, direct from the film studios. This is a special white backed material that absorbs light and glows evenly. Ordinary green muslin will reflect light and cause problems especially with very blonde hair. Contact me for details, it's twice the price but worth it!

Don't worry about evenly lighting the backdrop as many claim, that will just cause more spill and you need more lights power and cabling! You can't get your guests the recommended 10-12 feet away at an event, which you need to if you light the backdrop! Imagine if you were shooting a group and they all had to be 12 feet in front of the cloth!, how big would it need to be! Using pro software lets you quickly adjust for spill and reflected green light.

The trick is to light the people not the backdrop, that should only appear in the gaps anyway and if you have a light enough green it will work. Less is more, light from the sides and above so any shadows are still green and they will disappear.We use overlays and backgrounds to get realistic Magazine covers and special effects.

People don't notice that usually the models on magazines go in front of the title heading but behind the informative text! And watch out for copyrights, design your own magazine covers that are similar but not identical, you can buy these from the USA as overlays..PNG files are best but won't work on the Click, you need to do what we do and switch.

The President Obama shot is a good example, He is in the background, the guests are dropped in on top, then the desk is added as an overlay in front.

6. Starting an Event Photography Business.

Don't believe some of the salesmen out there who claim it's a licence to print money! That is their job and they do it well, but like any business you need to really work at it. Most pro photographers woudn't dream of doing a photoshoot AND supplying a framed large photograph for a tenner! And don't think just because you get a booking at a black tie event for example with 100 people that you are going to sell 100 photos!

30% of those people won't even want a photo taken! That's just the way it is. There won't be many single people wanting a photo on their own, and there's always a large group who want just one shot of all of them, but will buy additional copies at a discounted rate. That leaves the couples, so that brings you down to around five singles, a large group and twenty couples.

You will earn about £300 at an event of this size. Ok, that's a small event but just about possible for two people to cover so that's only one assistant to pay. Then there is the cost of the prints, mounts and bags, travelling costs, insurance costs not to mention an hour to setup and an hour to pack down plus sometimes many hours of waiting for a dinner speech to end.

Don't forget the website you need, the adverts to get bookings, the expense of all the gear, marketing your website, the admin and post production work to get the images online. The usual business costs of stationery, phone bills, promotional gear and all the insurance.

Also remember there are a lot of excellent photographers out there, and anyone can buy a good camera, lens, and a fast printer and go out and do this. The big companies will already have the big events sewn up, So you need to use your contacts, ask around, advertise and promote. Offer to do some small events free for the practice, but still charge the going rate. Even if you only sell 10 shoots in a night, the experience is invaluable before you tackle a busy event.

Once you get a booking, splash out on some pop up banners showing what you do, flyers and business cards. When you get there and setup, take a few test shots of the bar staff, waitresses and event organisers to test everything. Frame these up and give them out as gifts, asking them to show the guests! Great advertising! Get the DJ to tell guests where you are and what you are doing. Work the tables if it's quiet. Above all enjoy it and be polite and professional as you are representing us all!

That's enough secrets revealed for now, if anyone wants to ask any questions feel free. This is just my opinions and experience so far, I'll add more as I get time. If you find this at all useful, please tell others, I'm not charging to write all this, nor am I selling anything, but links to my site will really be appreciated, or a mention in any blogs etc. Cheers, Paul Harrison

Methods of Presenting Ideas at a Corporate Event

Wouldn't it be wonderful to develop your own style for presentations? You can and you should. We may not all be Steve Jobs when it comes to charming a crowd but we can learn some lessons from him.

The magic of Jobs was that he created a simple style of presentation that perfectly suited him and his product. He simply took the stage and presented his product. He didn't even need to dress up!

Here's what I take from his lesson and from sitting in way too many halls listening to dull presentations:

1. Know yourself. Think about your style and your comfort level. When are you at your best? Ask those who have to listen to you when they find you the most compelling.


2. Know your company. Think about the basic mission of your organization. Jobs created a company that beautifully married the best in design with the best in technology. His "stage set" and his presence personified that.


3. Know your product or service. Be proud of what you do/make and be prepared to share that with the audience.


4. Use props only when they add. Jobs unveiled an amazing technological advance. OK, we can't all do that. But don't fall back on PowerPoint. Explore other ways of showing and sharing.


5. If you do project your presentation, make it good and professional. Where the idea that ordinary folks could create great PowerPoint presentations came from, I don't know. They can't. Treat a presentation like any other professional marketing piece. Have it designed.


6. Practice. Practice again. Get really good and speaking and telling your story first. Then practice with your props. Get help if you need it.

Now let's explore some good presentation ideas.

Start strong. Enter ready to grab attention. Carry something (relevant). Give a rousing greeting. Say something funny (only if you can pull it off). Barbara Corcoran, the New York real estate giant, started a talk by revealing something quite personal about how she got started in business. She had our attention!

Look good. Wear what you are comfortable wearing. Don't change your style or wear new clothes. If you need reading glasses, have them at the ready.

Get comfortable. Stand still, move around, perch on a stool. It doesn't matter as long as you are comfortable doing it. You'll find out in your practice which works best for you.

Don't bore them. Deliver your message and leave it at that. Better that they'd love to know more than that they heard too much.

Wow them. Remember Steve Jobs, he only took to the stage when he had something great to say and show. Do the same.

Ideas For Using Bulk Floating Candles While Decorating For Events

When an event such as a wedding, anniversary celebration, family gathering, or corporate festivity occurs in the evening or after dark, the whimsical luminescence of floating candles can add elegance and mystery. There are many shapes, colors, sizes, and scents available for floating candles, and the containers for the water can be as imaginative as the event warrants. The most popular color and style of floating candles is white and round. In many cases the light reflects off of the water in glass bowls the best, and by placing several bulk floating Luminarias in the bowl, the multiple flickering flames add mystery to the evening.

Bulk Floating Luminarias can be used in conjunction with other floating objects in the container. For instance, flowers, mirrors inserted in Styrofoam, glass balls, and function specific items like tiny umbrellas or wedding bells for bridal receptions have been used. The bottom of a glass container can be filled with glass beads or pebbles to give the illusion of depth. The effect is an overall combination of fire and water and glittering lights.

Containers for floating candles can be tailored to the event. From pools, ponds and hot tubs, down to the size of a single martini glass, containers for floating Luminarias can be selected for the appropriate effect. The large scale of a pool filled with hundreds of floating Luminarias can cast a magical quality over the event, particularly when it is paired with inspired background music. Decorations and lights around the pool add to the illusion of romance. Some bulk floating Luminarias also contain citronella that smells wonderful and helps discourage mosquitoes.

Bulk floating Luminarias placed in smaller containers such as centerpiece bowls, fish bowls, vases, or pitchers can help strike up conversation at corporate events and functions. The addition of colored water can really make the candles stand out, and can carry the color theme of the event through to the centerpiece.

Another idea is to use battery powered submergible tea lights which illuminate with different colors, and can be fixed in various depths of the container for an even different effect. These are sure to get the conversation going!

Client Vision Meetings - The First Step in Planning A Corporate Event

Before you begin to make arrangements for food, entertainment and transportation for your event, it is important that you take time to speak with your event planners about your ideas and goals for the day. Client vision meetings are an opportunity for the client and planners to sit down together and discuss what the expectations are for the day, as well as ideas on how to accomplish those goals. This meeting helps the planners generate a framework and design for the upcoming event.

If you have ever planned a corporate meeting or event, you know what a big task it can be. There are so many details to take care of that often, people can lose sight of what the true purpose of the event is. This is why it is so important to take time with your event planner to discuss what your vision for the day is and identify the goals you hope to accomplish with your event. A clear understanding of what you hope to accomplish and what the main purpose of the gathering is will allow your event planner to create a dynamic function that will meet or exceed your expectations.

Unlike social gatherings or parties, corporate events are typically held for a specific reason. Many events have the single purpose to educate a group of people about news and innovations in their industry. Conferences and seminars are often held for an educational purpose. Many times, the group will meet as a whole and then break off into smaller groups for more in depth training. Facilitating this type of event takes organization and a lot of planning to make sure that all of your guests are where they need to be and all aspects of the day run smoothly and efficiently.

Another reason that corporations sponsor events may be to promote camaraderie and teamwork among their staff. Team building activities are quite popular as managers and staff work together to become more of a cohesive group. These events are often informational as well as enjoyable for the entire staff. Planning and coordinating meaningful activities can be a big job.

Businesses will often host events as a means for promoting goodwill to their customers. Customer appreciation events allow corporations the opportunity to thank all of their customers for the support they have received over the years. Businesses need to plan activities and entertainment that will delight their customers and show how much they value their loyalty.

No matter what type of event you want to host, take time to identify the specific goals that you want to achieve. With this guidance, your event planners can design a meaningful gathering that will meet those goals. After all, if you are going to devote time, money and manpower to a corporate meeting or function, you want to make sure that it will be beneficial to your business as a whole. You also want to be sure that it will be a worthwhile experience for all of your guests. Client vision meetings are a good opportunity to determine what needs to be done to meet your goals and expectations.

The New OTC Markets Pink Alternative Reporting Standard Guidelines

OTC Markets recently implemented changes to the OTC Markets Disclosure Guidelines for issuers quoted with the "OTC Pink Current" information tier. These changes became effective on January 3, 2013.

Under the revised, "OTC Pink Alternative Reporting Standards", issuers who provide financial statements audited by an accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB") are not required to provide an attorney opinion letter. This revision will have minimal impact for issuers complying with the OTC Pink Alternative Reporting Standard since most pink sheet issuers cannot afford the costs or time commitment associated with obtaining an audit from a PCAOB registered accounting firm.

Another revision to the OTC Pink Alternative Reporting Standards eliminates the requirement that issuers provide quarterly attorney opinion letters. Under the revised OTC Pink Alternative Reporting Standard, issuers must only provide an attorney opinion letter when filing their annual report. For issuers, this revision may reduce costs associated with obtaining attorney opinion letters but will have little impact on the investing public. As demonstrated by the string of recent SEC enforcement cases involving lawyers, attorneys fail in their role as the gatekeepers for OTC Markets disclosures. These recent cases demonstrate that many securities attorneys not only fail to comply with the securities laws but also fail to comply with the OTC Markets Disclosure Guidelines and state bar authorities when rendering attorney opinion letters for viewing by the public at large.

The OTC Markets Disclosure Guidelines continue to have an absolute requirement that issuers report within four days of their occurrence, material events. This requirement is similar to that imposed on SEC reporting issuers to report material events on Form 8-K.

Under OTC Markets Disclosure Guidelines, material corporate events that must be reported include:

* Entry or termination of a material definitive agreement (this includes agreements involving convertible securities);

* Completion of acquisition or disposition of assets, including but not limited to transactions involving reverse mergers;

* Creation of a direct financial obligation or an obligation under an off-balance sheet arrangement of an issuer;

* Triggering events that accelerate or increase a direct financial obligation or an obligation under an off-balance sheet arrangement;

* Costs associated with exit or disposal activities

* Material Impairments;

* Sales of equity securities;

* Material modification to rights of security holders;

* Changes in issuer's certifying accountant;

* Non-reliance on previously issued financial statements or a related audit report or completed interim review;

* Changes in control of issuer;

* Departure of directors or principal officers; election of directors; appointment of principal officers;

* Amendments to the issuers articles of incorporation or bylaws;

Changes in the issuers fiscal year end;

* Amendments to the issuer's code of ethics, or waiver of a provision of the foregoing; and

* Other events the issuer considers to be of importance.

The OTC Markets website cautions issuers and shareholders about the duty to provide current information.

"Federal securities laws, such as Rules 10b-5 and 15c2-11 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") as well as Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"), and state Blue Sky laws, require issuers to provide adequate current information to the public markets... Persons with knowledge of such events would be considered to be in possession of material nonpublic information and may not buy or sell the issuer's securities until or unless such information is made public."

Any issuer quoted on the OTC Markets should consult with qualified legal counsel concerning the disclosures required by federal and state securities laws.

For more information about this article please visit http://www.securitieslawyer101.com

Wedding Planning Business Marketing - Motivating Word of Mouth

Walt Disney said, "Do what you do so well that people can't resist telling others about you." Your success as a wedding planner depends upon your ability to please your clients with outstanding service.

Repeat business. As a wedding planner you are at a disadvantage in that you really can't hope to get repeat business. Hopefully your clients will not need a second wedding soon.   That's why developing word-of-mouth business is so critical.

Everything you do in your business should be aimed at wowing your clients. Give them something to talk about.

Fun. The event professional who makes planning a wedding fun and easy is the wedding planner who will have an endless stream of preferred clients. New planners often think they have to act serious and professional in order to win over clients. Remember, planning a wedding should be a joyous and fun experience. More experienced planners may be more relaxed and confident but fail to communicate enthusiasm. The bride-to-be wants to work with people who are just as excited as she is.

Easy. Run your wedding planning practice so that you alleviate all stress from the bride. You want your client to tell the world how easy it was to plan her big day because of you.

Professional. It's completely possible to be fun, easy-going and thoroughly professional. The combination of these three traits is the signature of an expert planner.

Cost-effective. When the wedding is over and your client is back in town invite her to lunch for a review of your services. Your aim here is to show her how much money you saved her and how many potential disasters you averted because of your expertise. The best thing a bride can say about you to her friends is that your services more than paid for themselves. By documenting your expert ability at negotiating low rates with various event vendors demonstrate your value. Make sure the bride understands how valuable your services are and how cost-effectively are relative to the savings you generate.

Succeeding in this business requires a commitment to excellence.  While word of mouth marketing is cost-effective, it is not the fastest way to grow your business. You must have systems in place that generate a constant flow of new wedding leads. Be sure to learn how to market your services online.