The Ways of an Event Planner

Have you ever been to an amazing party or celebration? Have you noticed how everything fits together like a puzzle and that the hard work of the host can be seen because everyone is having an excellent time? Every time I go to an event that is put together excellently, I really enjoy it. The smiles on people faces and casual conversation really strike me in a special way. It is as if the host has put everything together to make everyone come together. Socializing is the only way we know how to live, and if you want to be the center of a social circle you need to plan event.

Hosting such celebrations takes a lot of work and it is hard to do it by yourself. There are many event planners that will help you sort through this problem. The best ones that I have heard of are in the Bay Area. If you live there, make sure to check it out. Since the Bay Area is a hectic place of companies, crowds and pleasure, it makes sense that there are so many people and companies that are willing to help you. These Event Planner Bay Area Companies can help you set up the most perfect night. They will help you chose a venue from high class places to casual and relaxed venues. Also, event planners know how to organize these events.

Event planners in the Bay Area know how to handle all type of events. They can arrange parties because they are extremely well trained. They can also help you out with your baby showers or even birthday celebrations. One of the things Bay Area event planners are used to doing is planning for major companies that are booming with business. A lot of huge companies are located in the Bay Area which is better known as the Silicon Valley. So, if you have any huge business parties or conferences to host, the Bay Area is the place for you. An party planner in the bay area will help your business grow and become more productive by loosening up your employees. You can all enjoy a semi-formal dinner with calming lights and cool music in a romantic setting. All your employees can bring their families and socialize. This would be a great way to gain solidarity within the company.

There are many things that they have to be careful and it is really tough to be an event planner. You have to be very good with organized things and knowing where everything is and the status of the project. You have to have lots of connections and know many different places so your customer can chose the place that fits them the best. You also have to be able to identity what will be best for your customer. If you think you can handle all of this, you should look into become an event planner.

Promotional Office Gifts For Corporate Events

Corporate events are the now the norm of the day, what with product launches and signing of deals or mergers. It becomes very important for companies and organizations to market their products in the correct manner for maximum profits, and this includes the awareness among the clients or your partners to know what your organization is all about. On the other hand, just distributing free samples of your company product is not a very good move either since your marketing strategies may look too desperate, turning your clients wary. On such occasions, proper promotional gifts play a key role.

Below, some popular promotional gifts are discussed:

Business Card Cases: They are perfect promotional office gifts for both male and female clients. These are a necessary item, and often one uses a two or three sets of business cards as the locations of different head offices may differ, especially if the company is huge with branches spread over more than one country.They come in leather and metal finish, and both are very sleek in designing. You can also choose one with a calculator combo. Another is the Automatic Expanding Case, which is a bit expensive but you can operate this with just a touch of a button.

Travel Electronics and Adapters: Wireless MP3 with Internet Stereo Speaker and Headset is very good for those who are on the move and travel long distances for business purposes. It's an excellent way to keep oneself engaged. Same goes for Noise Cancellation Headphones. Another is the Airline and Auto Power Adaptor or the Universal Travel Adaptor to keep your cell and laptop always charged while on the move. Luggage Security Proximeters keeps luggage safe with their in-built alarm system.

PDA Cases and Wallets: There are loads of designs and materials to choose from in this category. There are the conventional leather ones and the sleek ones with metal finish. They are multifunctional and you can choose from a number of brands and looks to suit the mood of the occasion and the profile of the clients. The same goes for folders and electronic notepads.

Computer Accessories: These can be quite expensive, but are the ultimate tech gadgets and perfect for promotional items. One of them is a webcam with internet phone set in EVA zipped travel pouch. This comes in very handy for communication while on the move and you can also carry on video-conferences for a limited time period. Another is the internet phone with hands-free facilities. Another perfect item would be the optical mouse with a transparent case, enabling the user to personalize it according to his choice.

Corporate events hold a lot of significance for any business organization, and the right gift can work wonders for its advancement.

Six Key Factors in Planning a Successful Holiday or Year-End Event

So you have the responsibility to put together the company holiday or year-end party. Below are some things you may wish to consider as you go about planning this festive event.

First, look at last year's numbers. How many people came to the holiday event? How much money did you spend on food, beverage, entertainment, audio visual, and location? If it is all broken down, great! Plan accordingly and get the budget approved prior to planning the event.

Second, what can be improved from last year? What did the employees think of the event? What was great and what was flawed? I attended a formal corporate holiday event and the temperature in the room was 60 degrees! While I was freezing in my sleeveless dress, I noticed many other women were as well. I attended an event the year following where the music was so loud the employees could not socialize unless they screamed or spoke into each other's ears. In both cases, people left early and it definitely impacted the "fun" factor.

Third, who is going to be invited to this event and what is the purpose? Is this an employee only celebration? Employees and significant others? Families? Clients? Determine exactly who will be invited to your holiday party and the purpose. Is it to recognize and appreciate your staff? Your clients? Both?

Fourth, determine where you want to hold the event. In order to save money, many companies hold the event at their location. However, take into consideration the total attendance and plan accordingly.

Fifth, what kind of food and beverage are you offering? Is this going to be a sit down affair or just appetizers? What about alcohol?

Sixth, what can you do to kick it up a notch? One thing to consider is expanding the budget by renting audio visual equipment. There are many ways to make your event more special and visually appealing. Below are some suggestions to consider:

繚 Music or Entertainment: Should you have it? Should it be live or recorded? Background music or for dance party atmosphere? How many hours? There are many choices in this arena, so carefully exam your budget. A couple of inexpensive but fun options may be: a Karaoke machine if you think your attendees might like to sing or putting together great music on an iPod and renting a sound system to amplify the music.

繚 Microphone and Stage: If you are having a large event and want to make several announcements or give out year-end awards, a microphone and stage is very important so everyone can hear and see the celebration.

繚 Light Equipment Rental: Lighting can create warm and inviting ambiance at the party. It can be used to spotlight someone getting an award. Dance floor lighting can provide more fun while your attendees are on the floor!

繚 Projector and Screen Rental: PowerPoint presentation equipment can be used as "A Year in Review" tool highlighting photos, video clips, and significant events and people that have made a difference. These types of presentations are often welcoming to the attendees.

Event Planning Ideas - Make It A Gunny Bag Of Funny Stuff!

You may start your event planning with a mountain of event ideas, but there will come that moment when you hit a wall - when you just can't think of anything appropriate. In those times when your mind goes blank, try some of these tips for generating event ideas for your event.

1. Take a Big Break - If you can't come up with anything new or interesting, you may need to get away from your event planning session. Step away and do something out of character to change your mental state and spark your creative juices. Maybe a day at the spa, complete with massage and facial, is just the thing you need to refresh and replenish a sluggish event planning brain. Take a day-trip to a local landmark or nature preserve. Get away. Breathe. Exercise. Meet your friends for lunch or a movie. Clear your mind, and new creative event ideas will flood in.

2. Do Something Social - Sometimes we get in a terrible rut. Day after day - to work to home then back again. One way to refresh your event planning is to have some rich social contact. Do something different with your family or friends. While you're out, ask them what they think. Remember, two (or more) heads are usually better than one. Use social time to make your companions a sounding board for your old event ideas. They may be able to help you improve what you thought was a bad idea with a new pair of eyes. Keep an open mind when they offer suggestions - you're not the only one around with event planning skills.

3. Try some Brainstorming - One way businesses generate new event ideas is to brainstorm. Several people sit down together and throw out ideas. No one can make judgments about someone else's suggestions. Nothing is too stupid or silly. It all goes down on the list. You can try your own version of brainstorming when event planning. Find a quiet spot, sit down with pen and pad, and simply write down every idea that comes to mind. Don't second-guess yourself or form opinions, just write. Remember, in this case, quantity is better than quality. Just get as much as you can down on paper so that you can consider each idea's merits later on.

4. Try Some Physical Activity - When your blood is flowing and your heart is pumping, your brain is more active. If you get stuck and frustrated, try some exercise. Go for a walk, do some pushups, or clean the kitchen. You may have event ideas while you're active that you wouldn't have had otherwise. After a little healthy exercise, you may be able to look at things in a different light.

5. Sleep on It - Sleep is a naturally healing, restorative process. And during sleep, the subconscious mind works overtime. If you are overwhelmed, try to take a short nap. You may be surprised at the great event ideas that will spring forth from a rested mind. If your hard event planning work has allowed you to become exhausted, make a point of getting a good night's sleep before you try again to generate event ideas. A tired brain has tired ideas. Give yourself a better chance of creative thinking by resting.

6. Seek event ideas from Other Sources - One creative way to have creative ideas is to feed your brain before you sleep. Plant some subconscious ideas by watching an hour of television or going to a movie before you go to bed. Flip channels so that you don't get involved in the story - just look for great event ideas. Then sleep on it. Your sleeping mind will recombine and recreate what it has taken in. Give it a shot. You can't lose, and you may have some of your most interesting event ideas this way.

7. Go Surfing - If television or the movies aren't good enough event planning fodder, try surfing the internet. Search for party-theme tips or read articles on great parties. Find some blogs on relevant topics and see what you can glean from this fertile field. Cast a wide net by doing searches for very simple one-word concepts like "party," "entertainment," or "games." Get a bit more selective using short phrases like "best party ideas," "theme party," or "event activity." You can even search for concepts only loosely-related to event idea planning. Try a search for "great vacations," "cruise ships," "vacation tours," or "public speakers." Anything that will open your mind to new concepts will help you generate more event planning ideas.

8. Do an Informal Survey or Poll - If you've truly run out of event ideas, you can approach others in some novel ways to generate ideas. Tell people you're conducting a poll and ask them questions like

- What's your favorite social activity?
- What does your family do to have fun together?
- When was your favorite party? What did you do?
- Who's the best party host or hostess you've ever known? Why?
- In your opinion, What makes a party great?

You may be surprised at the responses you'll get, and your questions may start conversations that lead to new interesting ideas for your event. At the very least, you get to know your friends and family better by showing interest in their opinions.

Role Of Event Management Companies

Event management companies, the name itself is suggestive of the work it does i.e. a paid company that does all the work of organizing and event planning. It takes up all the responsibility of handling the minutest details that an event requires. With a bunch of skilled professionals they provide you with the best service at your footstep in your provided budget. The event companies are not at all specific when it comes to event planning or organizing. They organize a variety of events like wedding, exhibitions, seminars, conferences, expositions, trade shows, galas and even birthday parties. These day by day growing and progressing event companies do take in note the way you want to get things done and organize the whole event according using their perfection and skills to make it as special as they can.

REASONS TO PREFER AN EVENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY

REDUCTION OF STRESS: People are often under this misconception that event planners won't respect their ideas and needs. But that's not a true story. Event planners take into consideration the demands and needs of their host and work to provide him/her with all the facilities in the allotted budget. Overall the host just has to look into the progress of the work, thereby reducing his stress.

PROPER PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT: There's no denial to the fact that event management companies owing to their experience and skilled workers manage to organize the whole event smoothly. They help people who find it a burden to organize a party and bring out the best in the allotted price using their creativity.

HANDLING PETTY JOBS: the event planners even handles petty jobs like lighting, decoration, catering etc. with their innovative ideas they make a simple place look like a wonderland. They even choose the best location to match the feel of the whole event.

WAYS TO CHOOSE AN EVENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY

TAKE OUT THE MAXIMUM DETAILS: in this 21st century the best way out to search for an event management company is the "internet". But the host should take care to get out each and every detail about the genuineness of the company and whether their offices exist or not. They should ask their friends for assistance or any person who have availed their service.

QUOTES: Ask for quotes from the event management company as it is one way to go through their packages and analyze which one is better than the other.

CHECK THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES: one thing that all hosts think of is to get the best out from the event management companies and to do that you must look into all the facilities and prospects the company claims to provide. Check the venue, catering facility, lightening arrangements etc for your satisfaction as well as to be on a safer side.

COMPLAINT LIST: Avoid trusting a company with a bad track record or complain list. Do not make compromises with your event and immediately go in for another event management company.

Event Management 101 - Managing Your Event

The fundamentals of Event Management involve learning the intricacies of systems like supply chain, food, and emergency management. It also involves event registration and security. These components power this complex social business machine.

Facility Management

Perform site inspection to make sure environmental service requirements can be met. Timing between groups must allow for initial setup and closing clean up.

Industry standards for floor space are required by law. Try to obtain a facility that has abundant mass transit to and from airports and hotels. Discounts may be used to encourage smooth wrapping up of financial obligations.

Emergency Management

Applying effective emergency management for Mass Crowd Events is regulated by government agencies and can be out-sourced to companies with experience dealing with the risks involved and are trained to provide a safe environment.

Listing emergency information in appropriate places at your event can help reduce confusion and prevent emergencies.

Food Management

Communicate location and availability of food. Decide whether to charge for meals - it rarely affects attendance. Appropriate cuisine, cleanliness, health and safety measures must be accounted for. References must be verified if using a caterer. Dividing your budget by expected number of guests, supplies, equipment and clean up costs will result in your being sufficiently prepared.

Event Security

Attendees are confident and relaxed when they see ticket taking, crowd control, door monitoring, ushering, and staff that is working barricaded areas, etc.

Adequate staffing, supervision, advance planning of security strategies and thoughtful emergency preparedness are all components to ensuring the well being of participants at your events. All this and a little common sense constitutes a well organized event.

Successful event management is about rolling with the punches. Although no two events will ever be the same, learning from one's mistakes by keeping a report of names, locations, invoices, number of participants, final costs of each element of the process, copies of marketing materials, lists of competent staff and volunteers, suppliers, goals and objectives met, etc. will all serve as valuable ammunition towards your next event. The more organized your final report, the better head start you will have for future events.

Why Wedding Planners Need to Do Bridal Fairs

Whenever I participate in the Bridal Fair I always have other planners asking me- "was it worth it?" The simple answer is yes but I can tell you that it's not just what you do at the fair but it's what you do afterwards that makes the fair worth it.

Here are 4 tips for maximizing your Bridal Fair investment:

1. Create A Great, Showstopping Booth- Even if they're not giving out an award make sure your booth stands out. You want your booth to resonate with your target bride so that she stops by. It also shows other wedding vendors that you're playing a bigger game and that can mean more referrals.

2. In person and Online Attention- We always take a ton of pictures of our booth because it's not just the people who notice you in person that you want to impress but you want to leverage EVERYTHING that you do so that means tweeting and face-booking like crazy about your participation in a Bridal Fair. That way even if brides aren't there they are taking notice of the splash you're making.

3. Build Your List- Bridal Fairs are the best way to build your list. I always give out my free report and have brides sign up to receive it via email and then later they get my ezine. This follow up is crucial and makes the difference between getting business post fair and not.

4. Make Genuine Connections- Yes we live in an online world and it's important to market online (you know I believe in that) but it's also important to have some face time with engaged couples and to make a connection with them. Brides and grooms come to these shows seeking answers and as a wedding planner, you have lots of them. Really listen to what their needs are and suggest how you can help them. We take appointment bookings right there at our booth and are busy in the weeks post fair with interviews.

Bridal Fairs are fantastic for wedding planners to participate in. It's a great way to build your list and get noticed. I personally love the networking we get to do with other vendors as it's great to see them outside of a wedding and reconnect. Bridal Fairs can be extremely profitable but you need to make sure you have all your marketing materials and your strategy aligned before you take the plunge.

Waking Up to a New Day at Infor

Infor, the third-largest provider of business application software with 70,000 customers and annual revenues estimated at nearly $2 billion (USD), is reinventing itself under the direction of new chief executive officer (CEO) Charles Phillips, who joined the company from Oracle in October 2010. Observers agree that Phillips has his work cut out to build a strong challenger to giants SAP and Oracle, given Infor's checkered past. But observers also agree that if anyone can transform Infor, it's Phillips, whose track record at Oracle was stellar.

A Look at the Beginning
Founded in 2002, Infor has developed a reputation over the years as the "place where ERP systems go to retire," as a result of dozens of hit-and-miss acquisitions. Despite its reputation, Infor actually started out as a neatly run company. Infor was frugal, paying less than two times revenue for acquisitions. It also added significant maintenance revenue streams and aggressively controlled its costs. As a result, the company enjoyed a strong cash flow and ability to pay down whatever debt it had.

However, Infor's disciplined approach began to go off track with the acquisitions of MAPICS (2005), GEAC (2006), SSA Global (2006), andWorkbrain (2007), which generally came with higher price tags but also brought a host of product quality issues, questionable management practices, and cultural challenges.

For example, SSA Global may have doubled Infor's size but it caused major heartburn and indigestion. The overall fit of the two companies was hampered by SSA's legacy management issues and certain practices that alienated customers, including those on IBM System i. In addition, the performance-draining practices that ensued among Infor and SSA exacerbated the situation. For instance, product teams got into turf wars, and the overall company goal seemed to be to subordinate growth and innovation, stop enhancing many products, and squeeze maintenance revenues from the increasingly agitated customer base.

Continued Transition and Confusion
In the late 2000s, customers were not pleased to be "nickeled and dimed" for hardly any new differentiating functionality from Infor, and neither were partners, who may have received much better treatment from the previously independent companies.

Next, the pressures of the 2008 recession led to numerous restructurings at Infor, with both quiet and not-so-quiet management departures. When cost containment and headcount cuts followed, product development inevitably suffered, and many industry observers doubted that the company could ever recover, especially without a focus on product innovation.

Infor's management attempted to achieve a breakthrough with a distinct value proposition, but it was without lasting effects. Even a marketing campaign touting how Infor was not like the "Big ERP" guys fell flat.

Meanwhile, product direction meandered. At first, Infor's ambitious Open SOA platform strategy was to do everything itself based on open standards, but that strategy was soon abandoned because it consumed too much time and financial resources. Then in 2009-10, Infor modified its platform strategy and declared Microsoft technologies as the preferred (which has since changed again). Of course, each failed attempt or abandoned initiative led to another wave of departures and more muddling through.

The Arrival of Charles Phillips
In late 2010, Infor CEO Jim Schaper found a successor who seemed fit for Infor's next phase. Indeed, former Oracle president Charles Phillips had orchestrated and overseen Oracle's growth from about $10 billion in the mid-2000s to more than $35 billion today. Phillips was at the center of blockbuster acquisitions, such as PeopleSoft, Siebel Systems, Sun Microsystems,BEA Systems, and Retek. He was also at the center of the Oracle Fusion Applications (OFA) convergence strategy and has probably seen what works and what doesn't in that major (and still ongoing) feat at the software giant.

With him, Phillips brought along other Oracle seasoned executives, most notably Duncan Angove, current president of Infor. At Oracle, Angove set up and ran full profit-and-loss operations for Oracle Retail, Oracle's first industry global business unit. Oracle Retail became the largest and number one provider of software to the retail industry (read more).

In addition, Pam Murphy, now corporate senior vice president (VP) of operations, has an extensive background in field sales and consulting operations. During her 11-year tenure at Oracle, she was responsible for a variety of operational and financial functions. Murphy has deep operational experience in global organizations and has worked in Europe and America in a variety of roles. Prior to Oracle, Murphy worked at Andersen Consulting and Arthur Andersen.

Stephan Scholl, now executive VP of global field operations, runs Infor sales, consulting, alliances, and channels globally. Scholl was general manager of the Utilities Global Business Unit at Oracle where he was responsible for sales, development, and marketing for the vertical. He was instrumental in generating significant growth for Oracle and a leader of the company's successful Green Strategy. Prior to that, Stephan ran Oracle's North American consulting group, the company's largest organization. Before Oracle, Scholl was in consulting and sales management roles at PeopleSoft.

In the spirit of innovation, Infor announced in November 2011 a relocation of its headquarters to New York City, now planned to open in the autumn of 2012. The new office will feature an Innovation Center where software engineers and graphic designers will focus on building out Infor10's intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), and lead the integration of social applications into the enterprise.

This move reflects a big shift in development strategy and even political power within Infor, which can only be a good thing. By tapping into the New York City creative mindset and potentially the financial community, Phillips can use the new Innovation Center to help drive Infor10 to become a leading-edge solution.

Infor's newly espoused strategy outlines a product-driven company with services for a complete application, containing localization, analytics, integration, industry-specific content, social media, and mobility. To back up that strategy, the company is making significant investments in product development, with more than 500 software engineers added in 2011 and announced plans to hire an additional 75 developers in its New York Innovation Center.

In 2011, Infor reportedly shipped 69 new products (e.g., Infor10 Sales and Operations Planning), 1,904 new features, and 2,001 customer enhancement requests-an increase of more than 70 percent from the previous year. Infor10 Financials Business (SunSystems), the company's global financial management system (FMS) saw a major new release in 2011, and was reviewed in Business Intelligence software solutions.

Blueprint for the Future: Infor10
Over the course of its history, Infor has acquired more than 40 companies, with more or less strategic importance. The company's latest strategy includes a common UI, analytics, reporting, workflow, event management, master data management(MDM), localizations, mobility, and packaged integration for all of its applications. Rather than having each product line development team work on these functions, a dedicated central team attending to all Infor applications works on each of these functions. The objective is to enable software from multiple acquisitions to function like one big application as much as possible.

To that end, in the fall of 2011, Infor unveiled Infor10, its next-generation enterprise software, which offers an enhanced user experience and industry-specific functionality. As indicated earlier, on the front end, Infor10 Workspace, which incorporates Microsoft SharePoint, provides customers with a single sign-on, common navigation, and common look and feel across multiple applications. Infor10 Workspace is designed to deliver a consumer-like user experience and change the way the average enterprise user has traditionally done his or her work. The UI unifies and presents all relevant information for each user on one screen, including role-based workflows, task and alerts, in-context business intelligence (BI), event management, social media collaboration, consumer-like search capabilities, and business activity streams.

ION: The Infor10 Workhorse
The Infor10 ION Suite is at the heart of Infor10. As a lightweight middleware technology, ION connects and integrates Infor and non-Infor applications, storing information in a common format and repository called Business Vault. ION allows information that flows among applications, analytics, and social media streams to be accessed by users from their desktops, laptops, or mobile devices.

ION software provides middleware (and open-source enterprise service bus [ESB]) for cross-application integration, workflow automation, machine-to-machine business process management (BPM), and shared data reporting. The tool thus enables new and existing Infor and non-Infor applications to work as a holistic solution, helping to create streamlined workflows and end-to-end business processes, while considering system performance speed and upgrades. It uses standard XML business document for data transfer.

ION Suite is a new generation of business middleware that is lighter weight, less technically demanding to implement, and built on open standards. It is designed to meet the needs of the business, and the needs of the chief information officer (CIO) in containing information technology (IT) costs. But there's more to ION Suite than just easy-to-use connectivity. With ION Suite, businesses get common reporting and analysis, workflow, and business monitoring with one, consistent architecture. In addition, ION Suite uses event-driven architecture (EDA), so it proactively pushes data, work activities, and exception notifications to users. Users don't need to go to the system to get the information they need-ION Suite makes sure the information comes straight to them.

What it Does
ION Suite includes the following four services that are easy to install and configure:

1. ION Connect-Allows applications to operate together easily, enabling the seamless execution of business processes, and allowing for quickly bringing new partners and customers onboard, as well as reusing business functionality to realize a quick return on investment (ROI).
o Easy setup. Infor applications operate with a standard business language so ION Suite setup is easy. Businesses don't need to do any translation or mapping-two of the biggest integration challenges.
o Easy operations. For those companies running a portion of their business in the cloud, ION Suite can exchange data working in a hybrid model. Companies don't need a second, separate integration stack to maintain this hybrid environment.
o Easy connections. ION Suite includes a library of "connectors" to integrate to third-party applications, so businesses can quickly integrate non-Infor apps into their system.

2. ION Business Vault-A single, optimized, unbreakable business repository where ION Suite stores enterprise data. This unifying source for all the data that flows through ION Suite makes it a robust platform for reporting, BI, and analytics.
o Up-to-date data. The Business Vault uses an event-driven model for synchronization, so that data is synchronized as soon as a transaction occurs in the originating system.
o Easier search. Enterprise search is easier, as data resides in one place-so there's no need for a business to index their transactional systems.
o Better reporting. The Business Vault features a master data reference for better reporting and integrations scenarios.

3. ION Event Management-Allows users to monitor the status of tasks in relation to promised completion or established service level agreements (SLAs), and automatically receive alerts about exceptions and potential non-compliance.
o Make the rules. ION Event Management detects exceptions based on business rules that users define. Notifications and alerts can be triggered by Event Management and directed to the appropriate users with ION Workflow. Also, ION can detect exceptions within a single source system.
o Detect non-events. Event Management can also detect non-events-things that should have happened, but didn't-for example, a shipment to an important customer that missed its due date or time. Sales or Operations Management can be immediately alerted, so they can address the business issue.
o Provide better service. Event Management can also be used to monitor SLAs, so businesses can meet their performance levels and maintain good customer service.

4. ION Workflow-Allows for directing work activities, events, and business documents to any user so that business processes can be executed quickly and accurately.
o Create quickly. Workflow modeling is graphical and based on Business Process Management Notation (BPMN 2.0) standard. This makes it easy to create even complex workflows, and know that they'll work across applications.
o Automate approvals. Allows for creation of simple to more sophisticated workflows to automate document routing and approvals across departments and office locations worldwide.
o Manage centrally. All tasks and alerts generated by Event Management and Workflow are managed through the Tasklist, which features an Activity Stream-based UI. And because ION Tasklist can run stand-alone or in a portal, users can work the way they want to work. Infor will be adding support for mobile and tablet devices at a later time to enhance flexibility.

The Infor10 release also provides flexible deployment options, including the Infor10 CloudSuite platform (formerly Infor24), to increase business speed and agility. Customers can run their entire solution on Infor10 CloudSuite or can keep core enterprise systems on premises, while running other applications or services in the cloud. The Infor10 CloudSuite platform features a unified user experience and security, and enables two-tiered, hybrid cloud and on-premises deployments. Whether customers access functionality from a software-as-a-service (SaaS; cloud) model or on-premises deployment, they should get the same functionality and look and feel. The only difference is in how users connect to core applications. Customers can even move from one deployment model to another, as the same application code is used for all deployment models.

The Infor10 Motion Platform
For the cloud and mobility, Infor recently launched Infor10 Motion applications to provide fast and reliable connections to back-office systems, regardless of location, through smartphones and tablets, such as the Apple iPhone and iPad. The idea is to accelerate productivity and help users work smarter and faster. Infor10 Motion is built with a loosely coupled architecture on the Infor10 ION framework, meaning that Infor10 Motion applications can plug into different back-office systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), expense management, and supply chain management(SCM).

Unlike the tightly packaged solutions on the market today, which often require customers to buy more products in the hopes of extending solutions, Infor10 Motion provides native rich applications that leverage the data that already exists in enterprise deployments. Security is built into Infor10 Motion to help address the threat of theft and data loss, allowing customers to retain control over critical business data.

Infor10 Motion applications take into account differences between devices, such as tablets versus smartphones. Because it is core product independent, Infor10 Motion is able to adopt a consistent user experience across back-office applications. Infor10 Motion applications are further differentiated by being "app aware," which means that they enhance the user experience by detecting when another app on the device could provide additional functionality, including consumer apps that would work in the context of the enterprise. An example of this is the Infor10 Road Warrior app, which incorporates Skype and FaceTime within a customer's contact record so salespeople can more seamlessly access consumer collaboration tools.

Infor10 Motion is cloud based, and the Infor10 Motion App Manager (IMAM) provides a single location for companies to deploy Infor10 Motion applications quickly within their existing IT infrastructure. In contrast, many other mobile platforms require an add-on solution to centralize the effort of multiple deployments. Once a company has gained access to IMAM, it is ready to begin using Infor10 Motion applications. IMAM also allows managers to determine which users have access to specific information and to be able to change those settings at any point.

Infor has immediately made available two applications-one is Infor10 Road Warrior, a mobile CRM application with embedded BI. Infor10 Road Warrior empowers sales productivity by sending mobile alerts, approvals, and tasks-allowing users to make decisions faster and turn what was previously considered downtime into a tool to outpace the competition. This connectivity is coupled with embedded BI to provide an overview of data-heavy screens, helping users make sense of data more rapidly, highlight problems at a glance, and compare current and historical order volume-reducing the amount of time spent searching for information (including voice recognition).

The other application is Infor10 ION ActivityDeck, which helps solve critical problems that arise when users are on the road and have no visibility into pressing issues going on in the office. ION ActivityDeck provides users with the ability to remain connected to the back office so they are able to respond to important tasks, receive real-time alerts, and approve pending requests-keeping the business in motion. Similar in function to Twitter, ION ActivityDeck provides the ability to define filters based on almost anything, helping users address questions before they become issues.

Infor10 Road Warrior and Infor10 ION ActivityDeck are available for secure installation through the Apple iTunes Store. Additional Infor10 Motion applications are expected this year and will serve a variety of critical office functions, such as creating orders or quotes, approving expense reports, and reviewing key business metrics from anywhere.

The Infor10 Motion mobility platform, which is based on Java and some open-source tools, could be used by even Infor's ancient ERP solutions, as those apps are already available in the cloud. In contrast, the Infor10 Workspace UI cannot be deployed until the old ERP system is Web enabled. Workspace is a shell, aiming to unite Infor's multiple products into a solution using their existing UI. Motion is about creating consistent UIs that draw from style and technology for a consistent (solution) approach. For more intricate mobility tasks in the field service and asset intensive industries, Infor has established relationships with Blue Dotand ClickSoftware.

It's About Industry Focus, After All
ION software also makes it possible to connect the rich functionality of leading ERP and best-of-breed solutions from Infor and affiliate Lawson Software for specific industries. Infor10 suites are targeted for aerospace and defense; automotive; chemicals and life sciences; distribution; equipment; fashion; food and beverage; health care; high tech; hospitality; industrial manufacturing; and the public sector.

Infor10 is nothing like a converged (single-code) uber-suite of applications, as seen with OFA or Epicor 9. Namely, all major Infor ERP products remain on their tracks and codes, and are just rebranded, e.g., Infor ERP LN is now Infor10 ERP Enterprise,SyteLine is Infor10 ERP Business, VISUAL is Infor10 ERP Express, Adage is Infor10 ERP Process Business, and so on and so forth. As LN, VISUAL, SyteLine, and Adage still have large install base and development teams, and most of the heads of development or technology are from these platforms, these products have been selected as horizontal discrete or process ERP platforms, depending on the customer size. Lawson and other industry-specific ERP products in Infor's arsenal will be deployed within Infor10 industry solutions.

Through its acquisition of SSA Global in 2006, Infor acquired the PLM8 solutions for discrete manufacturing (which came from the former Baan ERP system). On the process manufacturing side, Infor acquired Formation Systems in 2005, which became the company's Optiva PLM process solution set. Today, within Infor10, both discrete and process product lifecycle management(PLM) solutions have become Infor10 PLM Discrete and Infor10 PLM Process, respectively. Via acquisitions of former Geacand Lawson, Infor also gained fashion and apparel PLM solutions (a future TEC article will zoom in on all of the Infor PLM products). The Infor10 enterprise suite also includes industry-specific enterprise asset management (EAM) solutions (from former Datastream) and SCM solutions (from multiple acquisitions).

With Infor10 as the strategy, all these products on diverse technologies will be able to leverage ION, CloudSuite apps (as they become available), and Workspace for new user experience. Workspace has also borrowed some enhancements from Lawson Smart Office (i.e., mashups), and it looks modern, with all the social (Infor10 ION Pulse is a Tweetdeck-like application for alerts and feeds), mobile, open (in terms of interconnectivity) themes, etc. Companies need to be on the latest two versions of Infor ERP and/or EAM products to be eligible for free downloads and for Infor10 compatibility. Companies with older product instances can get these pieces for a fee, as well as their maintenance contracts reinstated.

Stellar 2011 Results
After the first full year with new strategy and management team and major investments in industry-specific business applications, Infor was able to report accelerated growth in licenses, subscriptions, support, margins, innovation, and customers. In early January 2012, Infor reported 17 percent license growth for the 12 months ended November 2011. The company also reported 16 percent organic license growth for its second fiscal quarter, which ended November 2011. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margins improved to 27 percent, and new customer additions and support subscriptions accelerated. Growth in Infor's core ERP business in the second fiscal quarter was up 25 percent over the previous year.

Infor (including Lawson, especially in its health care stronghold) added more than 2,500 new customers in 2011 and expanded its relationship with more than 12,000 existing customers. Infor also saw growth in support and consulting, with more than 500 customers re-engaged with Infor for support. New or existing customers that made significant investments in Infor products in 2011 include Ferrari, BAE Systems Military Air and Information, Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc., Grief, and Liberty Mutual.

The EAM business continues to grow at a healthy rate, as many of the aforementioned large customers are still rolling out additional plants. Many legacy ERP customers on System i are continuing to add (implement) modules or roll out implementations to other plants. PLM was another product line with stellar growth in 2011. A great portion of new sales came via the reinvigorated channel, Infor Partner Network (IPN), which saw many new deals for SyteLine, SunSystems, and VISUAL. Infor ERP LN continues to lead in terms of existing install base and also does well with new license revenues, albeit outside the United States (where negative sentiments dating back to 15 years ago [and former Baan Company's wrongdoings] still linger).

Getting Cozy with salesforce.com
While Microsoft and IBM remain solid technology partners for obvious reasons, in 2011 Infor partnered with salesforce.com, a leader in enterprise cloud computing, to offer three new Inforce applications. These Force.com-based solutions by Infor bring the power of the back office to the front office, and throughout the social enterprise-to help customers collaborate and drive growth. In addition, salesforce.com made a multi-million dollar investment in Infor as part of the agreement (and Infor's endorsement of Force.com).

The three new Infor-salesforce apps, dubbed Inforce apps, have a strong focus on collaboration. The first one, Inforce Everywhere, brings ERP data into Salesforce solutions and offers a 360-view of invoice, contacts, quotes, shipments receivables, orders, and return merchandise authorizations (RMAs). The application offers
• a way for salesforce.com users to view orders from Infor ERP applications,
• access to customer information and transactions from the Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud,
• connection to ION, Infor's standard integration platform, and
• integration to Salesforce Chatter to make data more social.

Inforce Everywhere also gives Infor's current 600 channel partners the ability to resell bundled Salesforce CRM products. Meanwhile, Inforce Order Management will offer a comprehensive quote, order, and proposal management application built on Force.com, and will integrate with Salesforce CRM to give Sales Cloud and Service Cloud users a view of pricing and availability. Finally, Inforce Marketing will leverage the Infor10 CRM Enterprise (Epiphany) recommendation engine for global marketing automation technology that includes inbound and outbound campaign management and lead maturation.

Given that Epiphany is a CRM solution for large customers, Infor now has a plausible CRM solution strategy for small to medium businesses (SMBs)-i.e., start with an outstanding, proven, well-respected CRM solution for SMBs and develop functionality and integration for Infor customers. This should make Infor more competitive in new deals, while filling a big functional gap would eliminate the need to replace an existing Infor ERP system. This partnership is badly needed by both Infor and salesforce.com in their fight against SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft.

As in the case for Infor10 Motion apps, many more applications on Force.com are on the horizon. For example, Inforce Marketing will be a new application designed to offer optional integration to Epiphany for inbound marketing execution for those customers for whom it makes sense and for those who desire that level of advanced marketing. As the Inforce solutions will be inherently cloud based, they will ultimately be part of Infor10 CloudSuite.

Looking Behind the Numbers
In conclusion, it is difficult to dispute Phillips' statement:
As we look to the future, 2012 will be just as exciting for Infor. We have a strong, motivated team, a market looking for new alternatives, and a customer-centric strategy that is working well and generating growth.

In the past, Infor's strategy appeared to focus on managing the acquisitions as "cash cows" for profitable service and maintenance revenues, with only the necessary investments in product development. Now, with new management and a product strategy that includes several common utilities that allow the multiple acquisitions to function as a more coherent solution, Infor has become vibrant. In addition, its applications focus on specific vertical industry solutions with services and support.
Without trying to rain on Infor's parade, we might want to note here that, during their best days, combined "Old" Infor, SSA Global, and Lawson Software revenues were much larger than current "New" Infor's revenues, which still indicates a loss of market share to SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics. Also, maintenance and services still remain the biggest revenue sources, but growth for new licenses is nonetheless encouraging and refreshing.

If SAP is moving to in-memory databases (SAP HANA), analytics (BusinessObjects), and mobility (Sybase), Microsoft Dynamics leverages its parent's ubiquitous technology, and Oracle is a one-stop-shop from hardware to applications, what then is Infor known for? Even though Infor's new strategy is indisputably better than the old one, is it a game changer?

Well, Infor is talking industry-specific software that is deeper and yet cheaper to roll out. By focusing on standards-based integration, ION is easier and cheaper than Oracle Fusion Middleware (OFM) or SAP NetWeaver. At a large enterprise, SAP or Oracle might still win out the new deals owing to their brand recognition, but at a SMB prospect or existing Infor customer, Infor has a good shot owing to deep industry-specific solutions that are easy to demo and implement and/or not that easy to replace with another solution. The Syteline, LN, LX, SX.e, Adage, as well as Lawson S3 and M3 ERP solutions have vertical depth or the ability to have division-specific configurations that roll up into a corporate umbrella. SAP still struggles with this requirement, while Oracle is not universally focused on manufacturing industries.

As the cost of migration is high, few companies that buy into ERP system standardization companywide will achieve an ROI with SAP or Oracle. In fact, some of the biggest SAP shops may use SAP financials centrally, but plants or divisions still run on Infor ERP. SAP HANA is a cool concept, but at this stage it is unclear as to how many enterprises, especially midsized ones, really need HANA. Infor can counter with deeper functions such as in Infor10 Advanced Planning and Infor10 Advanced Schedulingfor process industries.

Trust but Verify
While, in general, the Infor10 "upgrade, integrate, and sell more modules" strategy is sound and compelling, the "trust but verify" attitude is needed when treating ION as some universal integration and messaging panacea. In one press release, Soma Somasundaram, Infor's head of global product development said:
We say ION is unbreakable architecture because extensions don't break during upgrades.

Well, the question is: Does ION work out of the box for most Infor products and most customers? (An estimated 60-70 percent of current Infor ERP users are on obsolete or unsupported releases.) If it does work for a particular advanced Infor ERP product (say, LN or SyteLine), will it allow it to integrate with all of Infor's products (let alone to non-Infor legacy products)? If ION still requires users to configure each solution set and support multiple underlying infrastructures (Oracle, Microsoft Windows, IBM System i, Progress OpenEdge, even the arcane Ingress OpenRoad), one should be a bit more cautious about using strong sounding words such as "unbreakable."

We have repeatedly heard of how hard it is to integrate ERP systems with other enterprise solutions. With service-oriented architecture (SOA), we really started to see the issues come up with MDM, SOA governance (transaction integrity), and overlapping or conflicting application rules. For example, inventory allocations in ERP, warehouse management system (WMS), and SCM typically have different logic, and one has to use the least common denominator approach (i.e., with the lowest overlap). Namely, to deal with likely application conflicts in the industry packs in the following case of allocations:
• Infor10 Advanced Planning does inventory cost-based and some key attribute-based optimization as soft allocations across all orders and lots.
• Infor10 Advanced Scheduling does soft allocations to optimized throughput (by schedule conflict) as soft allocations.
• Infor10 ERP Process Business (Adage) does hard allocations by First In, First Out (FIFO) to the sub-lot level (this does not change-no matter what the other apps do).
• Infor10 Supply Chain Execution offers the following:
o Transportation management and warehouse management combined into a single solution on a single database
o Powerful tools to help you achieve advanced supply chain collaboration
o Built-in best-practice management to improve supply chain performance

Not only does each system have some overlapping features, but also their logic is not consistent. How can one turn on/off features as required? For some companies, Advanced Planning is the best place for allocations, while for others it's Adage, etc. As a response, Infor says that Infor10 Workspace is aware of all of the applications that are installed and operational. The system can be used to prevent users from running overlapping planning applications (or any other kind of overlapping application). This is really no different than what Infor does today when a customer decides to run an advanced planning and scheduling (APS) application instead of the built-in planning function of the ERP Software system - except that this has now become built-in capability rather than an implementation decision.

Quinceanera Party Planning - 5 Secrets For Having a Dream Celebration

Spending time upfront with the planning of your celebration is what will make the difference between having a great celebration and taking the risk of having an unexpected nightmare occurring at the last minute. The planning and follow through is what can save you lots of money and prevent unnecessary mistakes. If you are like most families you probably have been thinking about how much money you will have to spend on your celebration for a long time.

It is best to start your planning for the Quinceanera celebration as early as possible. If the date for your celebration is during peak wedding season you will have trouble reserving a venue and other prime vendors. If this is so you will need to plan and reserve space and contract with vendors at least one year ahead of time. If your date is off season then you will have a much easier time reserving a venue and contracting with prime vendors. Plus everything will cost you less money.

Step 1.

You will need to have a small family meeting to start. It is best to schedule a meeting when everyone is relaxed and not having to run off. The first meeting should be a meeting where everyone shares ideas and the budget. It should be an open discussion with out any criticism. The meeting is to get things out in the open. During the first meeting develop an outline of the ideas for everyone to think about and maybe perform some research before the second meeting. Suggestion of Items to be discussed at the first meeting:

Date of the celebration.

The budget. This is the approximate amount of money you plan on pending on the celebration.

The approximate number of guests to be invited.

The list of possible contributing sponsors and the amount they will contribute.

Possible venues and where the mass or religious ceremony would be held.

Decide who will contact the sponsors.

Decide if you want to hire a party/event planner. The more organized you are the less you will have to pay a party/event planner.

Step 2.

If you have a sponsor who is going to contribute a major amount of money toward the Quinceanera Celebration and they are easy to work with. It is recommended, if possible to invite them to the second meeting.

At the second meeting all the major areas should be addressed and a schedule planned for checking out venues, the church and any other major vendors such as musicians and photographers.

Step 3.

After you have checked out the different venues and other vendors and the approximate cost of each. Contact your sponsors and obtain a commitment for their sponsorship.

Step 4.

Write up your guest list. Schedule and put on your calendar to send out, save the date, announcements to the guests you are inviting. It is customary to let your guests know as early as possible when you are having your celebration. If the date of your celebration is during the summer or during a major holiday you should send the announcement out as early as you want. The norm during non-peak travel times is three to six months ahead of the Quinceanera celebration.

Step. 5.

More decisions that need to be addressed:

Are you going to have a Corte de Honor? If so how many will you have in your Corte?

Who do you want to invite to be in your Corte?

What colors and theme do you want for the reception?

Start to sign contracts with the vendors.

You will find if you keep all your flyers, records, receipts in a safe place it will make the planning process much easier and less stressful. Being organized is one of the secrets to having a dream Quinceanera celebration.

It is a good idea to use a Quinceanera planning workbook. It will help you keep track of all the details, appointments and financial records and contacts in one place. If you start out with a good foundation to work with the entire planning process will be a great bonding experience for the entire family. Everyone will be able to share every planning step along the way with smile.

Corporate Clothing Promotes Brand Awareness at Corporate Events

Everywhere you look, people are wearing corporate embroidered and printed clothing. Hotels, banks, supermarkets and fast food restaurants all use promotional clothing very successfully to promote brand awareness and to help you the customer know who is employed by their company.

Corporate clothing is also an excellent way to promote brand awareness at corporate events. The most obvious way to use promotional clothing is to have your staff wear clothing with your logo embroidered on the front. The most popular clothing available is the T-shirt and polo shirt. T-shirts are the less expensive of the two and are good for companies and organisations that have a lot of staff to clothe. Polo shorts are usually slightly more expensive but look great when worn on the stand at trade shows and conferences. In addition to these two best sellers you can go all out and purchase the whole outfit. Shoes, trousers, lanyard and caps are all available to be embroidered or printed to assist you in giving your next corporate event the look you desire.

Another way to promote brand awareness through corporate clothing is to offer T-shirts, polo shirt and caps as a giveaway. Everyone love a free shirt or cap. When they go home and wear the shirt or cap embroidered with your logo they are essentially offering you free advertising space.

All good promotional gift suppliers should be able to supply you with information about the clothing they supply. Do not be afraid to ask for samples as it is often nice to compare the quality of different products. If you tell your business gift supplier what your budget is, they should be able to suggest the clothing that best meets your requirements.

Getting the Most From Your Motivational Speaker - Eight Tips For Event Planners

A top-notch event planner is a talented illusionist, transforming months of planning and stressful heat-of-the-moment decision-making into what seems like a seamless and effortless event. The right motivational speaker is a magician of sorts, too, casting a lasting spell over audience members and making them see the world--and their capacity to change it--with new eyes.

The end result may be magic, but the steps to get there are pretty practical, says Rich Libner, president of MCP Speakers. Having spent more than 20 years arranging appearances of motivational speakers across Canada and the U.S., Libner knows from experience that the key to creating a magical event is careful planning, expert guidance and clear communication.

Looking to make some magic at your next motivational speaker event? Cast your own spell with these eight steps.

1) Start early
The sooner you start your motivational speaker search, the more likely you are to find a speaker who is available and fits your bill, both in terms of quality and price. Ideally, you should start your planning 12 to 18 months before the big day, but successful events can be run with six months of lead time. Depending on the size and structure of your organization, you may need to allocate time to internal approval of your speaker choice--make sure you build this step into your timeline.

2) Do your homework
Before starting your search for a speaker, make sure you lay the groundwork for success. Assemble a knowledgeable team. Establish clear goals for the event. Ensure you have buy-in from the top levels of your organization. Know your budget. And identify the qualities you're looking for in a motivational speaker. MCP Speakers, for example, represents adversity speakers, creativity and innovation speakers, goals and achievement speakers, success speakers, life balance speakers and more. Use a consultative approach that will result in concrete expectations for the event as a whole and the role of your motivational speaker in particular.

3) Seek expert advice
A speakers bureau is a key partner for event planners, says Libner. "We both want the same outcome--a standing ovation."

Look for a speakers bureau with years of experience and a diverse selection of speakers who specialize in motivating audiences. MCP Speakers, for example, represents two-time Olympian and four-time Paralympian Jeff Adams, who tailors his message about overcoming adversity in sports to audiences ranging from business executives to youth. Libner also represents Susan Ershler, motivational speaker and co-author of Together on Top of the World: The Remarkable Story of the First Couple to Climb the Fabled Seven Summits. Ershler inspires audiences with her success as an executive at Fortune 500 companies and as a mountain climber who trained on her lunch hours by climbing stairs with a 40-pound pack on her back.

A speakers bureau will help you select an appropriate speaker based on your desired outcomes and within your budget. You will have access to speaker bios, reviews and videos of performances, as well as the bureau's direct experience of working with different performers.

No event planner likes surprises. The bureau becomes an important part of your event planning team, providing support once the speaker has been booked--including travel and audio-visual requirements--and even on the day of the event, if a speaker is forced to cancel due to illness or travel delays. According to Libner, a good speakers bureau always has a backup plan.

4) Communicate directly with the speaker
A credible speakers bureau will facilitate your early interactions with your motivational speaker. Tell your speaker about your expectations and goals. What do you want the motivational speaker to contribute? What are the key messages you want emphasized? What do you know of the audience? What else is happening at the event and how does the motivational speaker fit into the plan?

5) Get it in writing
Make sure everyone is literally on the same page--confirm your understandings with the executive team of your organization, the speakers bureau and the speaker in written form. Summarize important points, dates, deadlines and other information. Get confirmation that everyone has seen the document and agrees with its contents. This is where a speakers bureau can help, adds Libner. MCP Speakers, for example, gets all parties to sign a formal contract.

6) Treat your speaker well
A happy speaker is a helpful speaker, so treat your motivational speaker with respect and kindness. No one likes to feel like a hot potato so identify someone from your event planning team early in your process to be your speaker liaison, responsible for communicating with the speaker and greeting her when she arrives.

Keep your speaker in the loop about any changes to the event program or venue. Let her proof her bio and synopsis if you've altered it. Little touches can make a big difference. For example, leave a small gift and all the details about the event in the speaker's hotel room if she will be arriving a day early. Arrange for the speaker's transportation to the venue or provide detailed instructions and a designated place to park. Ask well in advance about the speaker's expectations and requirements for the venue. Is a "green room" required? If so, what amenities are needed? At a minimum there should be refreshments, a mirror and a copy of the event program.

7) Be prepared
Generate a checklist of phone numbers, including your speakers bureau, and circulate it to all members of the event team ahead of time. Ensure you have functioning A/V equipment and a technician. Arrive early at the event to troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

8) Evaluate the outcomes
There's always something valuable to learn from an event, so make sure you do some form of post-event evaluation. You can speak informally with key people who were involved, including your motivational speaker, to determine what went well and what could be improved in the future. You can also create a formal speaker evaluation sheet which you collect from the audience following the event. Compile the results of your evaluation in a report so that you or another event planner can access the recommendations in the future. After all, you want to ensure the magic happens next time around, too.

Time Management, Event Control and Life Management

In most of my Time Management Seminars, I open with the question, "What is TIME?' Most people respond with irrelevant explanations about the fourth dimension - irrelevant because time management is not about the fourth dimension and quantum physics. Many people tell me things like, "time is difficult to control," or "time is a very valuable resource." Some people talk of the value of time in terms of wages earned or interest accrued. Almost all agree that time is something everyone needs more of. That still does not explain what time is!

Here is my definition: Time is the medium within which events can occur and which separates events. Think about it. If it weren't for time, all events would be squeezed into a single moment, from the Big Bang through the present second and beyond. If it weren't for time, there would be no events. Time is what transforms the static world into a vibrant, lively, dynamic world.

By the definition above, I can measure time:

• From an event, e.g. 13.6 billion years since the Big Bang, 2 millennia since the birth of Christ, about 13 centuries since Mohamed retreated to Medina, about 6 decades since the last global war ended, or my age given as the time since my birth, etc.


• To an event, e.g. number of days until Tax Day, Election Day, or Christmas, or the launch of a new product, etc.


• Between occurrences of similar events, e.g. Halley's Comet visits us every 76 years, or the US President is elected every 4 years, etc.


• During an event (the duration of an event), e.g. human gestation is 9 months, the moon wanes and waxes in 29 days, etc.


• I can also measure an event in time or measure the frequency of an event within a fixed amount of time, e.g. the normal heart beats 72 times per minute at rest.

The definition allows to address the issue of time management in an objective light. We really do not have any control over time. Time is handed to us by the movement of the heavens. We cannot create or destroy time, nor can we control the flow of time unless we created a time machine. Time is the great equalizer since Prince and pauper alike only get 24 hours or 1440 minutes or 86400 seconds in every day. The only control over time that man can exercise is when a new calendar gets adopted. For example, the Julian calendar was adopted by a decree from Julius Caesar, and the Gregorian Reform was adopted by a Papal Bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII. The first decree added 35 days to the year 46 B.C., and the second took away 10 days from 1582 A.D.

I can manage my life better if I control the events in my life. I can control the events in my life in two ways - controlling which events occur in my life and deciding how long each one of them is going to take. In my opinion, time management should address both of these aspects, and more! The first part, controlling event mix, is the traditional view of time management. It consists of making lists of things to do, pruning and prioritizing the list, and successively tackling the item of highest priority. The second part, controlling event duration, is little known but of equal or greater importance. It addresses efficiency and expediency. Peter Drucker had said that effectiveness is doing the right thing and efficiency is doing things right. True time management controls event mix and event duration so that you can do the right things in the right manner.

How to Choose Your Perfect Corporate Events Venue

If you're in the process of choosing a corporate events venue, then you'll definitely want to get it right.

Here's what you need to think about.

1. You'll want to know who for and how many people the event is for. You don't want to book something unsuitable for your guests. It's also important to remember that the event isn't for you, so don't just book somewhere you want to go to or something that you'd like to do.

2. You'll need to establish what sort of event or entertainment you want for your guests. Maybe you'll take them to go karting, or to a golf tournament or perhaps they'd prefer a day at the races with fantastic racing hospitality?.

3. You might also have a particular date in mind, or maybe you'll prefer to find the venue first, and then set the date. Once you know the date, remember to let all the guests know, so that that have plenty of time to rearrange work schedules and sort out childcare.

4. Once you know what sort of event you're considering, you'll need to determine whereabouts in the country you'll hold it. if you have local clients, then you'll want somewhere near you, if you're a national company, then perhaps you'll need to be somewhere central, to make it easier for guests to get to as they don't have to travel as far.

5. You might want to think about arranging transport for your guests. Perhaps they'll need to come to your office or premises first, and then be taken to the venue, or maybe you'll want to meet them there.

6. It's a good idea to offer accommodation, so that people who have travelled far don't have to miss most of the event by having to travel back the same day.

7. Meals and refreshments will also be another important factor that you'll need to think about. You'll need to make sure that everything's included, otherwise your guests will have to pay for their own drinks, which won't look very good.

8. Entertainment is something that you'll need to consider. You won't want your guests to get bored at any time, so there will always need to be something for them to do.

9. It's essential that your guests have a fun time, and that it is better than a day at work. You'll have the opportunity to spend some time with your clients, hopefully generate some business and reassure your existing clients that you do care about them.

10. The cost of hiring the corporate events venue, and the rest of the days entertainment and food shouldn't be the main factor. You'll want to make sure that everyone has a good time, and that your clients are happy. Can you really put a cost on that?

Now you know what to look for, you'll be able to choose the perfect corporate events venue for you and your guests.

Volunteers Need - How To Organize An Outdoor Movie Event

If you have not planned your own outdoor movie event, what goes on behind the scenes is probably a mystery for you. A ton of work goes into planning one of these events and making it a success. People are needed to perform various jobs that are essential for outdoor movie events. Let's look at the many people needed behind the scenes at an outdoor movie event.

Parking Attendants
Finding a place to park will be the first concern for guests. If your venue has a small parking lot and you are expecting a large crowd, you might need parking attendants to assist guests with parking. If your parking area is a field, for example, you might need parking attendants to direct guests to where they should park so that all of the guests will be able to fit into the limited parking area.

Greeters
Depending on the type of event, greeters might be desired to welcome guests as they enter the venue. Church events typically feature greeters, but you might utilize a greeter at other types of events as well.

Activities Coordinators
Are you planning any activities to kick off your event and keep guests busy as they wait for the movie start time? If you are planning on having activities such as a bounce house or face painting, you will need staff to organize and supervise the activities.

Concession Workers
Will you have a concession stand at your event? You will need people for several jobs related to the concession stand. You will need concession stand workers to purchase food for the event, and sell food during the event. Concession stand workers might also obtain food donations from local businesses and restaurants.

Clean-up crew
Don't forget about clean-up. Most of your staff will be focused on guests: welcoming them, helping them park, and organizing food sales and activities. A clean-up crew is there to make sure the venue stays clean, and everything gets cleaned up following the outdoor movie event. The clean-up crew provides essential services such as putting out trash pails, emptying the pails as needed throughout the night, and cleaning up after the event.

A great outdoor movie event will seem smooth and effortless to guests, but organizers know better. In order to create a simple, fun outdoor movie event for guests, a lot of work must be done before, during and after the event, and a lot of people are needed to make it all happen.

Why You Should Look For a Turnkey Wedding Website for Sale

Brides-to-be everywhere are constantly looking for help when it comes to planning their weddings. With a turnkey wedding website, you can offer these brides the assistance that they need while still turning a great profit for yourself. There are a lot of benefits to finding a turnkey wedding website for sale instead of building your own from the ground up. Building a website is expensive, since you often have to hire a web designer, and it can take a long time to tweak your website until it is ready for business. You can get to work making money immediately, if you find a good turnkey website for sale that is designed for wedding-related marketing and sales.

There are tons of affiliate programs out there that you can get involved in if you want to make money with your online wedding website. Bridal wear is always a big deal for brides of all ages, shapes and sizes, and offering tons of options through affiliate advertisements and banners can help these women to find the wedding dress of their dreams while providing you with a decent commission. You can also promote formal wear for the rest of the bridal party as well as shoes, accessories and jewelry.

Soon-to-be brides are not the only ones who will find your turnkey wedding website useful. Professional event and wedding planners will also purchase items from your website if you have the right options. Consider working as an affiliate for companies that sell decorations, tableware and other items that can be used for wedding purposes. You can even work with florists in order to earn a commission, and wedding planners everywhere will purchase items through your links if you find the best deals and the highest-quality products for the events that they plan.

If you own a bridal wear shop, wedding catering business, wedding supply store or other business that is related to the wedding industry, you are really missing out if you do not have a website. Not only can you use your turnkey wedding website to make an online profit through affiliate marketing and advertisements, but it is also the perfect outlet for advertising your own business and establishing yourself as an authority on the subject.

Another way to bring in plenty of cash through your wedding website is to sell advertising space. Since wedding-related searches are very popular all over the world, you might be surprised by just how much even text ads and small banners can bring in. Google AdSense is one good program to go through, but there are other advertising opportunities out there for bridal websites.

Whether you are looking to promote your business, are considering a career as a wedding planner or are thinking of opening your own wedding-related business or if you simply want to run a fun and helpful website for brides and wedding-related professionals that will also bring in a nice income, you should look for a turnkey wedding website for sale in order to get started today.

Boost Your Workforce's Morale

With many countries seeking financial help and many businesses struggling to survive due to the uncertain economic climate it's no wonder that unemployment rates are beginning to rise steadily. Words such as 'unemployment' 'redundancy' and 'pay freeze' are regularly banded around the media which will no doubt start to worry some employees.

If you own a business and have found that you have had to cut back costs and put pay freezes in place to help protect your future then you may have found that you staff's morale has dipped slightly. This is to be expected, however there are steps to take to try and combat negativity within the workplace.

There are some really good companies who offer affordable team building and corporate event packages which are designed to invoke enthusiasm and boost staff morale. Team building events have come a very long way over the past decade and they are no longer 'embarrassing' and 'cringeworthy'. A company local to me offer a wide range of different team building activities from 'office sports days' to 'treasure hunts' and 'food-themed team events'.

A day out of the office can really help to get your employees communicating and working together to improve a whole range of skills that can be brought into the office. Although you may have to pay out a small fee to pay for the event itself you are sure to reap the rewards afterwards, as after all, a happy workforce is a hard-working workforce.

Events such as treasure hunts are designed to test your employees team work and problem-solving skills as they will find themselves working closely to solve puzzles and clues. Some of the events which are more closely-related to sports will test your employees communication skills as they will have to encourage their team mates during the various tasks.

Other events can be more energetic, such as dance themed courses which will provide light relief and laughter for all of your staff.

You may just want to reward your staff for all of the hard work that they have put into your company so far this year, in which case you may want to look at organising a small company party, dinner, or quiz night. Some team building companies will even arrange an annual prize party in which you can really highlight the great work that your staff have put into the company throughout the year.

Whatever you decide you'll find that even the smallest team building event will go a long way in motivating and inspiring your workforce during these uncertain times.

The Importance of Corporate Entertainment

Corporate entertainment is not an excuse to have a good party on the company budget; it's an essential tool for any business in the modern world. Done correctly, and with the right levels of attention to detail, it is an opportunity to engage with new clients, reward the loyalty of current clients and forge relationships.

When developing your budgets and strategies for corporate entertainment you should factor in the benefits that these opportunities will have to your bottom line. The value of networking cannot be underestimated. Spending some time with your clients, both new and old, will help to build trust and empathy. These qualities will further enhance your business dealings and relationships.

Developing loyalty in your client base is particularly vital in the current economic climate. Prospective clients want to know that you will look after their interests and that your existing base is both loyal and steady, it gives an excellent impression. A well designed corporate event will facilitate communication and discussion between you and your clients so as to bring greater depth to your relationships.

Using a well established and respectable organisation to achieve the ultimate event is also essential. You want to hire a company that will deliver a seamless product so you don't need to spend time worrying about the details. Instead, you are free to use the opportunity to your own advantage.

An organisation that boasts well trained staff and facilitators will ensure that any problems or mishaps are quickly dealt with and that all factors surrounding your event move to an exact timetable. You don't want to have starving clients as the dinner is two hours late, or perhaps discover that your sound system doesn't work as the guest speaker steps up to the podium.

Corporate events are not only for developing client relationships, though. They can also be used to improve the morale, loyalty and focus of your staff. A well timed event that has staff mingling with all corporate tiers and learning new things about themselves, and others, can have a profound impact on your company. Happy staff are productive staff and a well designed event can deliver superb results.

These events can be scheduled for evenings, weekends, mid-week breaks and more. You can create two days of team building activities along with social engagements and entertainment. These can also include internal refresher courses to keep staff up to date with policies and new improvements. A reward system could also be put into effect to support staff that go the extra mile.

Overall, a solid corporate entertainment strategy has the potential to remarkably improve your bottom line. It is an investment in people, and what those people can bring to your business. You can brand each event in your corporate colours, develop internal strategies, network and explore new ideas. In short, it is an essential tool for any organisation.

Event Planning Training - How To Start Your Own Event Planning Business

Today event planners play a major role in every aspect of life. The reason is that people are incapable of organizing their own event and they rely on them. The world has advanced so much that it is necessary for the businesses to organizing various events in order to maintain a good image of their firms and to increase the sales of their products through marketing. On the other hand, people want to organize so many types of event in their personal lives and without the help of event planners they cannot do so.

Therefore it has become a very flourishing business in which people earn a great deal of money. If you are interested in event planning then it is the best time to start your own business. No matter how deteriorated the economic conditions of the world have become, different firms are still organizing various conferences because they have to keep marketing their products, satisfy clients and staff by providing banquets and conventions. They do not have enough time to make the arrangements themselves therefore they want event planners to do this job. Hence, you can earn great deal of profits.

However, you need proper event planning training before starting a business of your own. You need to be highly organized and energetic to become an event planner as this profession requires a lot of dedication. The good part is that there is no start up cost to start this business, as long as you have a computer, 24/7 internet facility, stationary and telephone you can do pretty well.

The first and the foremost thing that you have to do are to gain as much knowledge as you can about how events are organized in your area. This information can be easily found over the internet and in abundance. Event planning training is also given by many reputable institutions that will be very helpful for you. These institutions offer short courses and certificates in different kinds of event planning that can be completed in a short period of time.

After you have obtained event planning training then the next step is to find vendors and make friendly relations with them. An event does not only need an event planner but it also needs reliable services like catering, lighting, decorations etc. On the other hand they will also help in attracting more clients.

The last part is to advertise your business. Even in this aspect, you do not have to spend a lot of money because your event planning training will be enough to impress the consumers. Make pamphlets and banners which tell all the benefits that your firm will provide, the certificates that you have acquired, the dedication that you will show in working with others and your contact information.

Slowly you will start making customers and then you can think about increasing your staff.

Charity Event Tips: Publicizing Charity Events

Once the plan for an event is in motion, planners must worry about how they will reach attendees and prospective attendees to be present at their charity's next big fundraiser. The most effective event planners know that modern event-goers are glued to computer and cell phone screens. That is why a survey which asks for event goers' preferred means of event notifications shows that Email and word of mouth are the most effective means for reaching out.

The survey mentioned above proves that email is clearly the most effective and cost efficient way to reach a large constituency quickly. But it also shows word of mouth as the second most effective way, proving that human interaction and personal connections play a vital role in convincing people to attend events. However, you still have more options if you include Facebook and Twitter, two online social networking sites that are steadily expanding every year. Facebook and Twitter are the third and fourth most effective means of communication according to the survey.

Invest a little time. Since more than 81% of the survey's respondents said that Facebook is effective and 32.8% said that Twitter is effective, there is no reason your charity should not be on these sites! Since they are free of charge, set up pages, groups, and accounts today for your organization as well as for all your upcoming events. Extend invitations to all your board and committee members. Be sure to ask them to turn right around and invite their own sets of contacts to join. Also, invite any attendees from previous years' events rosters. Expanding your prospective charitable event attendee network has never been easier.

Almost instantly, you'll leverage two of the most popular and effective Internet networking tools to shore up your base, promote your events, and inform people about the good work your organization does. And if you continue to send out emails and spread excitement for your charity and its events by word of mouth, you'll be in great shape for your next event. Check out the benefits of Facebook pages for organizations by looking at marketing tools available on different websites and even online ticketing websites. Join the group and you will receive frequent event updates, be able to look at various picture albums, and communicate with other charities or event goers in minutes!

Event Planning and Organizing

Holding events truly does involve a lot of work done. Starting from day one of planning down to the main event itself, everything must be in place. To accomplish a demanding task as such, there are certain protocols to take in mind.

The first thing an event needs is a planner who is in charge of every department the event entails. The planner should be the one who decides on how to make ends meet with the client's preferences and their expertise. Moreover, they also must ensure that everything must be right on schedule.

Depending on the size of the event, the event planner must have teams with designated managers. These teams are going to be the event's main needs. Commonly, these are the most needed departments on certain events.

Sounds and Lights Committee

Every event needs a sound and light system most especially if it involves a performance. For concerts and speakership occasions, sound and light engineers are needed to configure the acoustic capacity of the place of the event. Now for small scale events, sounds and lights definitely add up to the mood of a successful happening.

Stage Setup

Stage rentals are useful for large events. If ever you need a stage, it's best to hire people who can set it up without any complications. The stage setup team must be coordinated with the lights setup. Usually, stage providers come along with light setup experts so the work would be easier and lesser of a hassle.

Security Crew

To ensure the safety of the crowd, you must be able to provide a security crew that would stay in charge until the end of the event. Along with this are the guards, bouncers and medics who will stay on top of things if ever problems and complications arise.

Caterer

A must have whenever there's an event that involves dining. The caterer must be able to deliver the right amount of food for the number of guests not to mention it should be clean and of high quality. Along with this, the service must involve waiters who will assist with the servings, depending on what the client orders. An optional choice would be to hire a mobile bar on the event as well.

Decorations Staff

For an extra flair on themed events, decorators would be a huge help. From the little details such as centre pieces, banners, balloons etc. up to the whole theme of the event, the decorations gives a whole new meaning to the occasion where people can remember.

For a fruitful event planning and organisation, it's best to find a location where everyone can coordinate accordingly. A great place to brainstorm and share ideas are cosy and sleek meeting rooms that are fully equipped with the gadgets you need. With service providers who are offering meeting room rentals for an affordable fee per hour, this would be able to cross out a huge chunk of the hassle and work in the making.

6 Crucial Ways to Organize Brain-Friendly Events

According to neuroscientists, online technology has remodeled our brain structure. What this means is that we are losing the habit of concentrating on one story and doing multiple activities at the same time. For example, chatting with friends or business colleges, sharing files and folders, browsing though websites, seeing images, etc. are some facets of general multi-tasking scenario on a daily basis. Thus, considering the current mindset of people today, organizers should plan brain-friendly events to increase guest-attendee interaction and engagement.

Now, let's see how you can organize a brain-friendly event in the best possible way.

Meet the Demands of the Attendees

As an event planner, you should organize a meeting or a conference to satisfy the needs of your guests/attendees. Remember they come to attend your event with a purpose in mind; to fulfill their quest. It is your responsibility to arrange a meeting that is easy to understand and directly relates to their interests. It should not be that the experience differs from the message leading to brain exhaustion.

Do Your Attendees Know the End-result?

Before beginning a conference or a seminar, ensure that the attendees are informed of the outcome of such an event. It then becomes convenient for participants to relate to the same and in the process clear out chances of confusion.

Create Opportunities for Participation

It is necessary to engage participants with the ongoing meeting or training session. There should be enhanced interaction amongst attendees and the speakers to propagate improved understanding of the concepts and thought processes. In this way, the brain will function more actively and lead to better decision-making and meet the required business objectives.

Avoid Distraction of Any Kind

It is of utmost significance to avoid any kind of natural or man-made distraction to smoothly run an event. Ensure lighting is up to the expected standards to brighten up the whole room or area. Similarly, loud noise can divert the attention of the attendees and can spoil their alertness. Moreover, room color, placing of plants, etc. also can help in creating brain-friendly events. Thus, you should be aware of such factors to make your event a grand success.

Use Technologies to Meet Your Needs

Try to use the best technologies to meet your business goals. For example, verbal communication can be one-way while introducing slide shows and presentations with appealing texts and images can boost the brain.

Provide Break-out Sessions

Think of a situation where you sit for 8 long hours listening to lectures without moving anywhere or taking a break. Now, it is bound to drain off your energy and lead to "brain fog". It can be a similar case in meetings or conferences without a break-out session. Your attendees are bound to get tired and bored without any kind of movement. Hence, you should introduce break-out sessions at regular intervals to provide energy and clarity to the brain.

5 Reasons Why a Meeting Planner Should Utilize a Funny Motivational Speaker at a Meeting

Ever thought about retaining the services of a funny motivational speaker for a meeting or conference? Meeting planners understand the importance of making sure that their events provide information to their audience. But what about inspiration, as well fun? Isn't inspiration and having fun a component of helping people achieve more?

Let's consider 5 reasons why a meeting or event planner should utilize a funny motivational speaker at a meeting:

Reason #1 - First and foremost, a funny motivational speaker delivers a "mental break" in a way that no video, skit or slide show could ever provide. Whether your group consists of sales reps, employees, executives or customers, the goal of any meeting or conference is to share important content with that group and persuade them to do something (i.e.: improve productivity, increase sales, enhance safety, invest in your products, etc.). Yet how much information, statistics, and power points can people take in, before they reach "overload" status? By providing a presenter that offers a fun, interactive, and inspiring program, you give your group a "mental break," which allows for any content that you have shared with them to "sink in," as well as the opportunity to provide more messaging to a now relaxed and attentive audience.

Reason #2 - Every group needs to hear that despite all the challenges they are facing and changes they may incur, that they will be able to handle them. Every industry has challenges and few are not undergoing massive changes. One of several consequences to challenges and changes is that people become nervous, angry, fearful or stressed. A funny motivational speaker - who is good at what he or she does - can not only provide ideas and strategies to help your group gain insight to many of these feelings and emotions, but also, through the use of humor, "take the bite" out of tough situations. As Mark Twain once said, "Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place." No matter what your group might be going through, humor and inspiration can aid your group in dealing with their challenges.

Reason #3 - Every meeting includes the aspect of networking. When your group enjoys a speaker, they will talk about it throughout the meeting, as well as share it with others when they go back to their office. Achieving that kind of "mind share" after your meeting is over - is magic... that's gold! However, if you just offer the same old thing - boring speaker after speaker, power points and stats, videos, cocktails, a casino night, food, etc. - then your event just blends in with all the other meetings your guests have attended. By offering something fun and unique, you give your guests something they'll remember and talk about.

Reason #4 - Most motivational speakers customize their presentation, so that it makes sense to your group. This aids you in providing needed information from an "outside party," which provides a higher level of impact than hearing similar information from "one of your own." Additionally, the speaker is able to reinforce specific messages that you want your group to hear. For example, as an entertaining motivational speaker, I am able to reinforce my client's key messages through demonstrations of mind reading and ESP, as well as clean humor and audience participation. Another example may be a juggler who uses juggling as a metaphor to deal with life's challenges. In either example, not only are key messages reinforced, but they are also presented in a unique and fun way.

Reason #5 - Finally, most entertaining and motivational speakers are reasonably priced. You don't need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a celebrity. You, also, don't need to hire a speaker's agency or use an agent. Just do a search for entertaining motivational speakers on the internet, watch demo videos available online, view the testimonials and directly call the speaker.

Take a look at all of those reasons and appraise them. Do you agree that a strong case can be made for hiring a funny motivational speaker for your next meeting?

Photo Booth Hire For Weddings, Parties, Corporate Events, And More

Any party, wedding, or special event requires some degree of planning beforehand. Obviously some require more than others, such as weddings, for instance. During your planning and preparation stage you will need to think about all sorts of things, from the rings to the entertainment for your guests. Weddings usually have a diversity of ages that attend, with some being older and others younger, so providing proper or suitable entertainment can prove to be a bit of a daunting prospect. After all, you naturally want all of your guests to have a wonderful time celebrating your special day with you.

The Internet is a wonderful resource for finding entertainment ideas. By literally just clicking a page you can be presented with a seemingly unlimited supply of ideas. A popular addition to the lists of ideas has got to be photo booth hire. Over the last few years they have enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity in many parts of the world, both for private, informal functions, to formal or even corporate events.

You might be wondering why you should hire a photo booth in the first place, considering that most people have mobile phones that sport cameras, so there is never a shortage of photos. However, photo booths offer more than a mere camera can. Also, photo booths cannot replace a photographer and really should not be seen as a substitute by any stretch of the imagination. If you are planning a wedding, you should still hire a professional photographer, because photo booths are more for entertainment purposes.

When you are looking to hire a photo booth it is advisable to always book one that uses a high-resolution camera, and will provide you and your guests with fun, entertainment, and good quality service. It is important to understand that not all booths are created equal, so look for one that is large enough to accommodate more than just one person. Also, the appearance of the booth is another deciding factor to consider, because some look much like the booths one may find in a shopping mall, for instance, while others follow a particular design or theme. Of course, the photo booth that you hire for your event will not be a coin operated one, and your guests will only need to push a button in order to have their photographs taken and produced instantly.

Most photo booth hire vendors also go one step further in that they will provide their clients with additional accessories and extras, such as various kinds of props and even silly and fun costumes. These help to create great and entertaining photo opportunities. Sometimes these accessories and extras are available as an additional option, but very often they are included in the price of the package.

The booth is usually accompanied by an attendant who will ensure that it is operating properly. However, when it comes to actually using the booth, well this is up to you and your guests. Invariably the prints are available in different shapes, colors and designs. Naturally you cannot hire a photo booth without considering the prints it produces. Some vendors will also offer a feature that will allow the photos to be personalized in some way; however you will need to clarify this with the vendor of your choice in advance.