Tips to Creating Effective and Memorable Team Building Events

In the late 1980's, when large companies began to feel the heat of fierce competition, they started looking for ways to increase productivity of their workforce. They soon found out that while individual excellence was the key to success in the past, team excellence was the way of the future. They began to organize time away from the workplace for teams to participate in events that were specially planned, designed and executed to promote team spirit. Thus, team building events were born.

Team building events are recreational and entertaining, but they are more than fun activities. They are held to meet certain fundamental objectives. In order to meet these objectives, team building events must be planned carefully and conducted professionally. That is why businesses often partner with successful team building and corporate event companies to meet and fulfill event requirements. However, if you are hosting a team building event, here are a few tips to help you make it effective and successful.

There are thousands of activities to choose from. Team building events could be held indoors or outdoors; they could be mental or physical; they could be simple or complex. The kind of activity you choose plays an important role in the success of the event. The right activity is one in which every member can contribute equally. No one should be reduced to the role of the spectator. You could take your team to the cinemas or you could all go river rafting. The activity must be chosen keeping the following in mind:

- Cost

- Goal of the event

- Physical condition of team members

- Location of the activity

- Size of the team.

Determine the budget allotted for the team building event. This is vital because everything - from the kind of activity to its location - depends on how much spending money you have. If you decide to take the team to a far away location, you have to factor in expenses such as food and accommodation too. This might be a costly proposition and your budget may not always allow such an event. That said, it must be remembered that great team building events are almost always held away from the workplace because employees feel more relaxed away from campus.

If possible, do not organize the team building event on the weekend or during holidays. It is essential that the company runs these events 'on the house', so to speak. Employees should not be forced to participate in team building events on their time off. Instead, try to involve team members. The best way to give teams the activity they love is to ask them what they want. A survey can help you pick the best activities, ideal location and games. When the members of the team contribute towards organizing the event, there is a greater sense of commitment and common purpose. Also, there is a palpable sense of excitement within the team.

Chosen activities must align themselves with the values and principles of the company because members need to come back and reinforce what they have learnt by putting it into practice at the workplace. Activities must not be too hard to too competitive. This could be counterproductive.

Mix people from different functional groups. The event should ideally offer an opportunity to mingle with and build relationships with everyone, even those outside the primary team. This introduces an element of diversity and prevents the formation of buddy gangs within the company. It also destroys prototypes and improves understanding between teams within the same organization.

Team building events typically consist of a number of activities and games, starting off with an ice-breaker and moving on to more complex activities. Examples of some activities you can include are quiz activities, mystery events, treasure hunting events, tour events and gourmet events.

Canadian Outback Adventures & Events provides successful and soon-to-be-successful companies with a unique suite of innovative corporate team building events, group activities, training and education programs, all designed to build camaraderie, boost morale, and enhance productivity. Our events are executed throughout Canada and North America and are designed and implemented with extraordinary attention to detail.

Women in the Corporate Events Industry

Women working in the Corporate Events Industry typically have one of the most demanding and potentially rewarding careers and I hope to illustrate this point in my following article. I was very surprised to learn recently from my mother, who runs a small recruitment agency, that a vast majority of the graduates she meets these days (which tend to be female) see the Corporate Events Industry as the ideal workplace for them. The general view of the events industry is that it is quite glamorous and mostly about parties, so I can well understand why starry-eyed graduates, fresh from the cosseted world of academia, would see working in events as the ideal vocation. But it is not just recent graduates that see the events industry as mostly non-stop parties. Often when meeting people for the first time and talking about the work I do, they seem to have the same perception of the events industry as being about nothing but wall-to-wall fun. Definitely there can be a lot of fun however, in my experience the events industry can be downright intensive labour, even if very rewarding. Also, another point to make is that the events industry tends to be mostly female. I am not sure why that is and it is the possible topic for another article!

Some of the most challenging events that I have been involved with, have definitely proved to yield the biggest "feel good factor" that I have ever experienced in my working life. For example, I was directly involved with the management of an event for 900 employees at their corporate headquarters. As part of the management team on this event, I attended the original sales meeting where we pitched our tailor-made event to the company. The sales meetings alone, before we were awarded with the contract, were quite a challenge but definitely enjoyable as my colleague and I could see the client begin to trust us and confirm that we would be the chosen company to facilitate their team building event. I was involved in overseeing every aspect of this event, from the original design of the event, to selecting the best facilitators for the event deciding on the team building activities, to driving kit to the venue on the day at some outrageous hour and lastly being on hand during the actual event to "troubleshoot". There was a great deal of work involved, let me tell you. I still have a filing cabinet drawer full of correspondence regarding this particular event. But the end result was utterly marvellous and our team, along with our key client contacts involved in managing the event with us, were practically in tears of joy at the highly successful grand finale of the event. What a job well done and tremendous sense of accomplishment. So that is just one example of the sheer work and great rewards that can be found in the events industry. There are many more examples that I can think of, most of them tend to be on a somewhat smaller scale but the above example will give you some idea of what can be expected in the events industry.

Most events begin with the initial enquiry from the client with a set of criteria. It is up to us as the team building professionals to interpret the client's criteria for their team building event and often what the client starts out with thinking they need is far from what the actually do require. It definitely takes a lot of questions and answers to find the "perfect fit" for a client. It is possible that this is one of the reasons why the industry tends to be mostly female as generally speaking, women tend to be better listeners and more empathetic with the clients. There are of course, many successful men in the industry but from my experience it is definitely dominated by women. (By the way, a few of my male colleagues are going to have words with me after they read this article!) I would also like to point out that women's innate ability to "multi task" is a definite plus and requirement for success in the industry. Well I had better sign off and leave you in peace. Before I do, I would like you to consider the super hot Polo advert of the two dancers set to rap music, you know the one? If you notice, it is definitely the girl that makes that ad what it is, even though it does obviously need the guy. So there you have it, just like the events industry: Tough. Beautiful.

Coach Hire - Best For Corporate Events

Generally, corporate firms offer outing opportunity to their staff as a reward for the achievements made by them from time to time. As these outings are fun filled, they not only act as a reward for their past performances, but they can also act as a motivation to the staff to maintain utmost perfection in the coming days as well. For making the outing of their staff further enjoyable and convenient, they can make use of coach hire services.

Generally, corporate firms have their own buses, but when it comes to outings, they will be in need of larger vehicles in such a way that a large group of their staff can travel in the same vehicle. Since coaches have a number of seats, this requirement of firms can be rightly met many times. Above all, they will have better facility as compared to the buses of the corporate firms. Even, some of the hiring service providers is having double decker buses so large group of people can travel easily by that. Above all, as the drivers working for these organizations are experienced, safe travel of the staff can be ensured for corporate firms.

When hiring a company, it is better to ensure whether the driver has the required license and insurance and all other particulars with him for ensuring the safe travel of the staff particularly during a fun-filled outing during which they will be focusing more on enjoyment, rather than on their safety. Here, the employer will have to remember that in the event of any accidents due to rash driving or improper driving, he will be losing not only his talented staff pool, but will also have to meet the expense of paying a large amount of rupees to their family members. Also, when a professional hiring service is obtained, the staff will also feel happy about the effort made by their employer in offering them a comfortable, safe and fullfleged outing services, which in turn will have a positive impact on the performance of the driver and the staff.

Since this sort of service is being offered by a number of service providers, it is better to get coach hire quote from different service providers, before deciding on the company to be selected. Most of these service providers are offering coach hire quotes through online form available in their websites and therefore obtaining quotes is also easier.

Hiring a Marquee Or Party Tent

Hiring a Marquee or Party Tent for your special event is becoming increasingly popular around the world; this article is going to talk about where to start when planning your party and the do's and don'ts of hiring a marquee or party tent.

Do I need a Party Tent or a Marquee?

This can lead to confusion depending on where you live in the world. The definition of both is the same; a large and often sumptuous tent, in the UK and Australia a large tent used for functions is often called a marquee where as in America it is called a party tent or simply a wedding tent.

Time of the year

With modern flooring and heating systems, the time of the year is no longer an issue when hiring a marquee or party tent. Most marquee hire companies will either include heaters with their marquee hire package or will charge a small hire fee; however it is always a good idea to double check the hirer offers this service when planning a party in the winter months.

What Type of Tent?

The most popular marquee is a frame marquee; this is a good option as it does not require any additional space for guy ropes, and so as long as you have the required space for the marquee it will fit into the site. The traditional marquee or the modern tension tent can look a little bit better but they usually require an additional one metre for guy ropes.

What size marquee do I require?

Any good Marquee hire company will know exactly what size you will require by asking your a few quick questions, so before speaking to your local marquee hire company think about the answers to the following questions: - How many people do I wish to accommodate? Are the guests formally seated at tables or is it a buffet with occasional tables? Is it standing or seating only? Do I need a service / catering tent? Am I having a DJ and a dance floor? Do I require space for an initial reception area?

Questions which you should ask your hirer

The first thing to mention when contacting your marquee hirer is where and when your wedding, event or party will take place. This is to make sure than they have availability on that date and that they cover your area.

After this, you should ask their advice on what size you will require the marquee to be. You do not want a party where the tent is too crowded or where it feels empty, so size does matter when hiring a marquee. Some marquee hirers will send you a recommended layout plan along with your quote, this is often very useful when planning your wedding or party tent but do not be afraid to tell them if you feel the layout or size is wrong, after all it is your special day and they will know that everyone has different requirements.

Always ask if there are any additional costs and what is not included in the price, this could be tax or travel expenses etc. Also be sure to ask about what kind of deposit they require. Usually most marquee hire companies will include all this information in the quote, be wary of any hirer which doesn't.

Make sure you ask about what kind of insurance your hirer holds, they should always have some kind of liability insurance especially if they are providing the power for your event.

Ask about power in your marquee, do they provide this free of charge? For larger events it is a very important consideration; bands, lighting and catering can often require a lot of power and your event could be ruined if the power fails. Most marquee companies will use qualified electricians to connect power to your party tent but it is always wise to check first. For larger events it may even be wise to rent a backup generator.

I hope that this information has made the planning of your party, wedding or event a little bit easier.

How to Start an Event Planning Business

Through the communication benefits, networking opportunities, and educational components of regular corporate events and conventions, it becomes quite evident that businesses and organizations rely on their regular events. Hosting and attending meetings and conventions is ingrained in our culture. It's just the way we do things.

So, how can you benefit from this as an event planner?

It's very evident that a great deal of organized planning must go into each and every event-no matter if it's large or even just a gathering of a few. The opportunity today is prime for those thinking about starting their own event planning businesses.

Consider the facts for a minute:

• Even in today's constricted economy, businesses and other organizations are still holding just as many meetings and conventions. The scale might be slightly toned-down, but the events are still taking place.

• So many conventions, dinners, banquets, and other events revolve around profits. There should be little surprise in the fact that businesses continue to host events of all scale for this very reason. Conventions make them money, hosting that dinner for clients increases customer loyalty-regardless of the concept, so often it's a profitable arrangement for those holding the event. They want to get it right and need someone to make it happen without a hitch!

• As so many corporations and organizations have downsized their roster of employees-and very often those in charge of organizing and planning events-they are now obliged to outsource their event planning needs.

• If you happen to be a recent victim of the layoffs or downsizing mentioned above, it's definitely worth considering all of the options available to you now. Things might seem discouraging at the present moment, but for those thinking about starting a small business-like an event planning business, for example-the time is actually pretty good to do so. After all, some of the most successful businesses of recent times have been launched during economic downturns.

How do you actually start an event planning business?

If you're the go-getter type-someone who is organized with great people skills-then launching a new event planning career could very well be right up your alley. The other really bright side of the road here is that there are practically no start up costs involved with starting an event planning business. As long as you have a phone, computer, transportation, and plenty of ambitious spirit, the barriers to entry are slim to none.

Where to begin? First and foremost, you'll need to learn the ropes about starting a business in your unique locality. Spend a weekend at the local library or bookstore doing a little background research on the requirements. Order some basic business cards online. Pick up an accounting ledger from your local office supply store. Just remember, keep it simple; it definitely doesn't have to be complicated.

There's no need to spend a fortune on fancy business software or make any other high ticket business expenditures right away. This is because the more time and energy you spend on actually making the phone calls, following up with leads, and actually making sales for your new event planning service, the less need you'll find for all of the extra stuff that just eats up your budget and time.

All you really need to drive a successful event planning business right now is yourself and the bare essentials. The extras (like expensive event planning software) can definitely come later after you've landed a few deals and covered a few inaugural events. You'll certainly appreciate having waited until you've had the opportunity to hash out exactly what you'll need.

Speaking of clients-what better place to start your business development than with your previous or existing colleagues and clients. If the time is right to do so, then by all means, get the good work out there that you are an event planning expert and that you are in business. Make some phone calls and spread the word. Your existing professional friends and contacts will likely be the catalyst that helps you drive your first few event planning gigs. And from there, it only gets easier.

What types of events should you specialize in?

The scope of events you can specialize in is practically unlimited. There's no need to stick exclusively with professional event opportunities. For example, these are all different occasions that could benefit from your event planning expertise:

• Birthday Parties
• Weddings
• Rehearsals
• Educational Conferences
• Civic Events
• Reunions
• Anniversary Celebrations
• Trade Shows
• Retirement Parties
• Political Rallies
• Dinners
• Social Mixers
• Theme Parties
• Fundraising Events
• The sky is the limit!

In today's overstressed world, for so many, the thought of trying to put together, plan, and host that next big event that's coming up is simply more than they can possibly take on right now. Fortunately, the help is out there-it's you! Starting an event planning business might just be your opportunity of a lifetime.

7 Tips In Creating Publicity For Corporate Events

Organising corporate events can be exciting and interesting but simultaneously stressful and nerve-racking. This is especially true when corporate event managers are faced with a dilemma in balancing the need to create an enjoyable and beneficial event, and at the same time entrusted with the responsibility to create publicity for it.

Nevertheless, if the right approach is used, creating publicity for corporate events will become an easier task to manage. The following tips will provide you with an insight on some of the best practices used in creating publicity.

1. It's always a good idea to work in a team, and delegate the task of creating publicity to a particular team member. This way, you won't be caught up in the legwork, but rather be involved from an event manager perspective. Your responsibility then is to make decisions and guide others in getting things done for you.

2. Selecting the right person to delegate this task to is also an important factor in making your event a success. It is essential for this person to possess the necessary contacts with media companies, such as television stations and newspapers, way before the event kicks off.

3. Use short copywriting for direct mailers or newspaper advertisements. Good editing and good writing go hand-in-hand to create impact for your publicity pieces. Also, thick information packs are out of the question, unless specifically requested by the recipient.

4. Try not to use copywriting that may be a tad too creative or flowery. Your audience has no time trying to figure out your message, and it is best that you send them something direct and concise.

5. Although it may be common sense to include a contact number or an email address in your publicity pieces, you may be surprised that many corporate event organisers actually overlook this. Keep this in mind so that you can be contacted for further information.

6. No one wants to read outdated information. That is why your press releases should be kept as relevant and up to date as possible.

7. Always stick with the truth when you are answering questions from the media, or holding a press conference. Many corporate event managers tend to exaggerate and end up presenting an event that falls short of expectations.

How to Begin Arranging a Corporate Hospitality Event

Great corporate hospitality is about providing a unique experience for your clients. A corporate hospitality event, if approached and planned properly, can enable you to build trust and rapport, which is the cornerstone of all business success.

But it doesn't happen by magic. Corporate Hospitality does not provide some miracle cure that guarantees clients will re-new a contract or invest in a new product. For it to deliver great results, you need to avoid the mistakes that most many companies make when looking to arrange a corporate hospitality event. You must begin by defining exactly what you want, both for your clients and the event itself.

Having the 'idea' to give clients a good day out is the easy part, after all the benefits are obvious:

• Quality Time - you can get to know your clients away from a business environment and share memorable and exciting experiences with them. Through this experience, you have the opportunity to discover things in common and see what they are like 'off-duty'.


• Create Loyalty - you are demonstrating that you value them highly. Your willingness to invest in a high profile hospitality event reflects your gratitude for the business they do with you and a desire to thank them.


• Networking - you have the chance to meet other members of the team and widen your circle of influence. The occasion may also give you and your clients the chance to network with other like-minded individuals and companies.


• Competitor Differentiation - you are demonstrating that you think differently about your customers compared to some of your competitors. This is especially true if you have the right attitude and approach.

But these benefits are, in themselves, not enough. You want a tangible outcome as result of your investment. And you are only going to get that if you apply the rules and approach it with the right mindset.

It's important, for example, to gain an understanding of your clients and their interests. Find out what their hobbies are, and then have a think about the types of events or sports packages which might interest them the most. If you can, try and find out the specifics of what they enjoy. For example, you may find you have a client who is interested in football; ideally you could also find out which teams (and even players) they are most enthused about. This will give you a greater understanding of your clients, and enable you to choose a corporate hospitality package or event best suited to them.

Finding out what interests your clients is a crucial first step in arranging a corporate hospitality event. By determining what interests them the most, you are on your way to arranging a corporate hospitality event which will be a resounding success in improving your business networking and relationships.

Lanyards With Company Logos As a Great Marketing Tool

A lanyard with your company logo has become a familiar fixture at most corporate conventions these days. This ubiquitous tool has become the mainstay of every corporate event. It is an attractive colorfully designed cord that is used to attach items such as ID cards, keys and USB cards.

These badge holders come in many different styles and can be made from materials such as nylon, cotton or polyester. They can be trimmed with wooden or plastic beads and a hot new item is the trendy bling style with sparkling rhinestones that spell out your logo and can be added to your woven cords.

In recent years so many unusual designs and colors have been used to make a seemingly dull woven cord look more stylish and perfect for today's quick paced world. This once humble cord can now be found sporting names of corporations, schools, sporting teams, social media events and much more. This will be the first item your event planner will order and the first thing your attendees will be handed. Some companies have even accepted the use of this cord as part of their personnel uniform. When walking through the lobby of a hotel or convention center, you will be struck by the variety of these cords around all the necks of the conventioneers.

This cord may look like a very simple item, but companies have learned how to get the maximum benefit out of this product With the advances in printing technology it has now become possible for a lanyard to be printed with the name, logo and design of your company. Employees using lanyards with logos of their companies have become a common sight in the corporate world. Companies have realized that aside from the practical purpose that it serves in terms of holding the IDs or USB cards of their employees, it can also transmit a message of corporate identity.

Even students and schools have caught up with the craze of using it as a means of proper identification. Most schools these days have encouraged their students to use it for displaying their ID cards. A lanyard holding an ID can be imprinted with the school name and logo, making identification even easier.

Given the rise in popularity of lanyards, companies have cashed in on the craze by designing their own with their company name woven into it. Companies usually distribute them with their company name or logo during trade shows and corporate events to employees or potential customers. A good looking well designed woven cord with your company logo can also serve as badge holders for trade shows, making it more convenient for potential clients to identify your company representatives.

These cords come in so many varieties, multi-color, solid, camouflage or tie dye. They can be re-cycled with various hook designs such as pull reel for added strength, split rings, break-a-way safety release, lobster claw hook or swivel clip. They could be woven of micro weave soft plastic or ribbed polyester. Attachments can be clear vinyl holders, attached 2 color multiple ink pens, soft vinyl pouches or key chains.

Companies looking for suppliers of such cords with corporate name or logo need not look far. The Internet is a great resource for online suppliers of lanyards printed with corporate names and logos. Online suppliers can give companies a wide range of choices when it comes to designing and printing them, thereby creating a look that is unique to that company.

Unleashing the Power of Internet to Find Corporate Events Organiser

As the outsourcing buzz continues spreading, more and more organizations are seeing the light in it, and making a decision to outsource their 'non-core' functions - things which are best done by the folks who specialize in doing them - so that they can concentrate on their 'core' business, as we always put it. And in line with outsourcing non core functions, if you are an Irish firm organizing a given corporate event, or an organization outside Ireland considering taking an upcoming corporate event (like a 'company out' or a 'fun day') to Ireland, then chances are that you will soon be shopping for a firm specializing in organizing corporate events in Ireland, because attempting to do that yourself could leave you with 'burnt fingers.' After all, the firms that specialize in organizing corporate events in Ireland have that as their core business and they are therefore more likely to know efficient ways of going about it (as a function of their experience, at least) than you could ever do.

Opinion on whether the Internet is the best place to go shopping for the ideal Irish corporate events organizer might be divided, but there is no denying that the Internet does make for free flow of information regarding what each of the events organizers in Ireland has to offer, and leveraging on this information availed to you through the power of the Internet increases the chances of your event ending up in the hands of the ideal Irish corporate events organizer.

Now in days gone by, looking for anything through the Internet was an arduous activity, as the search engines we had in the past were really clumsy. To find anything really, one needed to cram and remember the web addresses, also called URLs of the various firms they were considering in their search and manually type in the internet address of each firm and compare it with the others to finally get to the best. Thankfully the Internet search engages have progressively refined their techniques over the years, to an extent where you can now access the websites of all corporate events organizers in Ireland by entering the simple search term 'corporate events Ireland' in your favorite search engine.

A search term like 'corporate events Ireland' is likely to give you tons of hits, so many in fact, that you could get overwhelmed. To mitigate this overwhelm factor for which the Internet is often blamed, you could consider refining your search to something more manageable like 'team building Ireland' if the corporate event you have in mind is a team building excursion, or to consider an even more refined search term like 'offroad driving Ireland' if the exact team building activity you intent to engage in as part of your team building corporate event in Ireland is offroad driving. Generally, the more refined your Internet search, the easier a time you will have in shifting through the results it yields and from them working out who could be the ideal provider for the service you are looking for could be.

Reduce and Reuse - Eco-Event Planning

Stop the noise. One of the underlying themes behind the recent trend of sustainability is the call to de-clutter and simplify as much as possible. The call to reduce the flow of useless information, both verbal and written, belongs at the core of any green or eco-friendly event planning strategy. The justification for this can be easily witnessed whenever someone says, "We always do it this way." The new era of sustainable event planning is one that hails innovation and clarity of purpose. If something must be done, be sure to do it with as little spending as possible, produce as little waste as is manageable, consume little energy, and, for goodness sake, ensure it has strategic priority. You'll see what I mean. Keep reading.

When I think about the sustainability of an event, I like to think about the reoccurring ones as they're the most likely to have a stable audience. When an event happens at regular intervals, monthly or yearly, there's a unique opportunity to plan in such a way that you're engaging the new attendees and re-connecting with the returning ones. The event plan should take full advantage of the fact that you're not starting from scratch all the time. There are countless examples but for now try this on for size: All signage should be reusable. Stop making single-use signs. If the signs are branded that's fine but ideally a sign could be used for more than one event. Don't bother with putting a date on the sign; if they're people at the event they already know what day it is. If you need to put a bunch of content on it then do it up on a printed page so it can be removed. When it comes to sponsors, have a separate sign for their logos or, even better, find ways to recognize sponsors without signage. Now, let's not forget that the materials used to make the sign should also be recyclable (I'm so done with corrugated plastic and vinyl lettering).

Now, let's use this sponsor sign scenario to revisit the noise issue. Think back a few years. Yep, that's right... 1999 is a good place to start. Brand recognition and logo positioning were everything. Companies paid big bucks to have their logo splashed on everything in order to get as many impression counts as possible. We do not live in that era anymore. Sponsorships are more about strategic alliances, partnerships, and, ultimately, relationships. A gigantic smorgasbord of sponsor logos communicates none of these values. When wanting to highlight sponsors, keep it verbal or, at least, digital. Shy away from stacking logos on pages or signs because all it does is decrease the impact of any one logo and homogenize the contributions. I know that most planners like to assign metal categories, like platinum, gold, and silver, and that the bigger the logo the more love the company gave; but come on... let's get with the times.

Let's talk paper. Most brochures, flyers, info sheets, PowerPoint notes, and program guides are absolutely useless and are of no value whatsoever to event attendees. When an event includes the spoken and/or written word (which is pretty much every event with the exception of parties and maybe street mime) the gathering should have valuable content that communicated with purpose. It used to be that printing on recycled or post-consumer paper was the latest thing; that's now the bare minimum. What's trendy, in my books, is no printing at all. Another case in point is the program guide. What's wrong with a program guide you ask? In most cases, it's redundant, as the content has already been published online. Republishing a website in print format is a total waste of time and money. Event planners need to organize events in such a way that attendees don't depend on printed material. The cunning use of LCD projection or announcements is a start, or making a website viewable via a mobile device; these are ways to stop the printing press in its tracks. For a small conference you could easily save $5,000 by not designing and printing a program guide. If you're worried about hanging people out to dry, set up some computer kiosks in the lobby with the event website as the home page (or as the desktop screen saver or wallpaper showing the schedule).

The rise of the eco-conscious event industry has been much slower than one would hope. Events are by and large still grossly wasteful and the planners who bring it all together are often ill-equipped or inadequately empowered when it comes to making the decisions necessary to bring sustainable practices to their event project. When I say "your father's eco-friendly event," I mean that there's already old school eco-planning and we should not fool ourselves in thinking that we're doing something good by doing the basics. The basics are not good enough anymore. Blue bins, bottle recycling, name badge drop boxes, printing on 10%post consumer paper, or even reusable trade show bags are not bad in of them selves they just don't make an event sustainable. Single-use items are major waste makers; just because you recycle them doesn't actually account for a whole lot. Oh, and don't get me started on branded gift bags!

Cut out the junk and simplify.

Event Planning Careers - How To Start An Event Planning Business

Do you daydream about starting an event planning business? Well, today it is one the most highly paid profession. Event planning careers are gaining awareness with the speed of the wind and people find them so interesting. Whether you want to organize small events or big events if your foundation is strong then you can make every event successful.

Introduction:

Many families and corporations do not have enough time, to arrange their events, that is why they seek help from event planners. These planners can perform their duty well enough to satisfy the hosts completely as they have all the resources and proficiencies.

The event planning careers have many areas of specialization. Some are birthday parties, wedding, funerals, business meetings etc. People can choose in whichever they have interest.

An event manager has to plan an occasion according to the requirements of the client. Sometimes, the client has a tight budget or less time span to make the event come alive so the event manager should be trained enough to manage all of that.

Investment:

Although there is not much cash needed in the beginning of this business, however, it will be a good idea if you have plenty back-up cash that can cover the cost of some parts of the event in case something goes wrong.

The things important for this job are skills and quickness. Various institutions are offering courses regarding event management. You can acquire them and enhance your skills. Through these courses, you will get education and training in this field so you will have a strong portfolio. The other thing is that you have to be systematic. Usually the events take place on holidays or in evenings so you need to have high stamina and be multi-tasking so that you can handle everything efficiently.

Marketing your business:

Once you have gained some experience in event planning careers then you need to market your business so that you can get a hold of clients. Start creating banners and business cards. Later on, you can advertise your business in yellow pages or newspapers.

Networking:

Event planners need to have good connections with other services like caterers, decorators, power supply etc so that they can quickly make the arrangements of the event and indulge in bigger projects.

Conclusion:

These are some simple steps, through which you can start your very own event-planning business. Event planning careers are very fruitful and there importance is going to increase more in future.

Commercial Catering Supplies

There are many Commercial Catering Suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

There are many commercial catering suppliers on the web who can supply all different types of catering products and services. Their goal is to provide caterers, corporate event planners, wedding planners, outdoor sporting events and political events at different levels, with everything they need to run a smooth and professional catering operation. Most commercial catering companies source the best quality products from all over the world and offer them at very reasonable prices.

Some commercial catering suppliers carry all the major catering industry name brands, and in addition to catering supplies, they also sell high quality catering equipment including:

繚 Food processors

繚 Refrigerators

繚 Induction ranges

繚 Convection ovens

繚 Slicers

繚 Warming cabinets

繚 Different type of cook tops

繚 Freezers and commercial refrigerators

Many commercial catering suppliers will often supply speciality products such as:

繚 Chafers

繚 Display trays

繚 Coffee urns

繚 Ice moulds

繚 Linens in a wide range of assorted shapes and sizes

Very many other related items are available such as products which are used in food transportation, and some of these items will include:

繚 Insulated pan carriers

繚 Insulated bags

繚 Utility carts

繚 Various types of food containers in a wide range of colours and sizes

Other catering accessories that caterers can stock up affordably include; fry pans, chef knives and sheet pans. Disposable goods for the catering industry include; foam cups, foam hinged containers, disposable foil pans, service Clingfilm and aluminium foil.

Important Stages to Planning, Promoting, and Executing a Memorable Event

This article will guide you through the stages to successfully; Plan, Promote, and Execute a Memorable Event. Use this guide to host events of all sizes.

1. Determine the Type of Event You will Like to Host: Will it be a Private, Public, or Corporate function?

2. Define the Objective You Wish to Accomplish with the Event: Will you be promoting a product, service, or raising awareness?

3. Identify the Target Audience that Will Benefit from Your Event: Are you just inviting your friends and family, or are you inviting people with specific interests?

4. Decide on a Date and Time for the Event: Depending on the size and type of event, it is important to ensure that your event does not take place on the same day or weekend as a popular event. Your audience can only be at one place at a time.

5. Consider Locations and Types of Setting to Host the Event: Depending on the season, and type of event you are hosting, you should consider the most effective setting to host the event, Indoors or Outdoors. If you choose to host it indoors, how much space will you need? Is a Banquet Hall sufficient or do you require a Convention Center. If you choose to host it outdoors, you will need to find a large open field that suits the objective of your event. Public Schools and Parks are ideal locations to host outdoor events, be sure to contact your city officials for permit details.

6. Consider Partnering with Local Businesses and Organizations for Sponsorship Support: Many business and organizations are happy to contribute to the success of your event, through donations of monies, volunteers and/or equipment. Encourage larger contribution from a sponsor by promoting the sponsor's name and logo in your event's promotion materials, based on the size of contribution. Small contributions might only display a sponsor's logo, while larger contributions might earn a sponsor front page exposure, and/or business details in the event brochure.

7. Create an Event Budget: A budget is an essential component to the success of your event. A written and organized budget will keep you on track and keep you within your financial limits. Most sponsors might request a copy of the event budget, to ensure that their contribution is being used effectively.

8. Determine Deadlines: Make a time-line that outlines the progression of the planning stages. Define the responsibilities of each individual involved in the planning process. Who will be responsible for booking the venue, renting event supplies, contacting sponsors and so on? Ensure that you give clear instruction to all those involved in the planning process, in order to avoid confusion, duplication of effort and most importantly waste of resources.

9. Create an Event Program: Outline how the event will progress, from start to finish. This can be accomplished using printed programs given to each guest at the beginning of the event, or simply announced at the introduction.

10. Special Guest(s): Often the presence of an important person or group at your event will increase the number of guests in attendance. Politicians, Celebrities, Athletes, and Industry Experts are great for encouraging a greater guest turnout; however they could be quite costly to book. Many will appear at no charge if they support the objective of the event.

11. Equipment: After you have determined where to host the event, it is important to consider whether the necessary equipment will be supplied by the venue or you will need to rent them. If you choose to host your event indoors, you will need to consider renting various items such as; Chairs, Tables, Linens, and etc, to accommodate your guests. If it is an outdoor event, depending on the season of course, a function under a rented tent will shelter you and your guests from the elements while enjoying the outdoors. Renting a tent and all the necessary equipment to host an outdoor event is quite simply. A reputable party rental company can guide you through the renting process and advise you on the type of structure to suit your event.

12. Awards: Determine whether your event will have an awards portion, if so who will be making the presentation and who will be receiving it. Ensure that the recipient is on the guest list, and remains oblivious to the fact.

13. Event Promotion: There are many methods in which you can employ when promoting your event. Press Release, Print Advertising, Web Advertising, Classified Advertising, Face Book Advertising, and Word of Mouth are all effective methods to promote your event. Decide which method is appropriate for your event, and who will be responsible to disseminate the details. Also who will be responsible to handle public inquires and media relations.

14. Execute: It's the day of the event, and you are calm and relaxed because everything goes as planned. All necessary supplies have arrived on schedule, the venue is full of guests and everyone is having a good time. Your event is one to be remembered and your guests are looking forward to the next one.

15. Quick Note: Ensure that you take into consideration these special items if needed; Food, Music, Decorations, Flowers, Photography/Video, Clean Up and so on. Also remember to take photos throughout the event, these could be used to promote the event if it happens to be an annual occasion, or simply for memory.

Fundraiser Planning Made Easy

Planning a fundraiser will likely never be a simple task, but there are ways to make the job much easier. The list of tasks that need to be completed will definitely not be a short one, but with a little help and a few tools, you will find yourself checking things off of your list quicker than you expected. The first thing you want to get done is determine which tasks have top priority.

Obviously finding a venue to hold the fundraiser, finding a caterer to provide food for the fundraiser, and hiring staff to attend to the guests are all high priority duties to be completed, but much more must be done. Three tips in particular can help you to make your fundraiser planning process much easier.

1. Choose a venue that can be set up early. If it is at all possible, find a venue that either is not used often or that can be set up early. Or ask the venue you are going to use if they have some sort of storage, so you can bring in supplies ahead of time.

This way you can get as much set up as possible before the fundraising event rolls around. At the very minimum you may be able to get your supplies there and organized, so it will at least be easier to set up on the day of the event.

2. Hire a catering service that will handle everything. While some event planners will hire a catering service that handles the main course and then hire another service to cater the cocktail portion, it may be better to hire one service to do both. One advantage of having one catering company handle everything is limiting miscommunications. The event will seem much more put together when you hire the same company.

This way the food and decorating that goes along with the food preparation will be tied in together. Also, the manager of the company will have a better handle on the timing of each portion of the fundraising event when handing both the cocktail hour and the main course. Things will likely go much smoother this way.

3. Communicate with caterers and other important players with conferencing. Aside from the caterers, there will be a number of other important players involved in planning your fundraising event. Who those people are is not really what is important. What is important is planning a conference calling meeting with these individuals to be sure every detail has been attended to.

Conference calling is easy and downloading a conference calling program is even easier. You will have no trouble finding a free conference calling program online, and it will not take that long to download either. Simply schedule the conference call and download the conferencing program in advance, and then use it to finalize all of your last minute fundraiser details with everyone involved.

Fundraising may be difficult work, but there is no doubt it is also very rewarding. Planning ahead, smart planning, and using conference calling can make the experience even more rewarding in the end.

Commercial Photography And Its Uses

The work of skilled photographers can have many commercial uses. From corporate brochures and reports to architectural firm marketing to sales, there exist many avenues requiring the use of high-quality color photography.

Corporate photography

Many corporations, especially large, publicly held firms, produce annual reports describing their business efforts and dealings to shareholders. These reports can be enhanced by high-quality color portraiture of major members of the company, or shots of a department or business team in action.

Other companies use corporate photography for marketing brochures to give to current or prospective clients, or to pass out at job interviews or at recruiting events. In these instances, the company or corporation should be portrayed in the best possible fashion. Many individuals recognize stock images, and they are viewed in graphic design and layout circles as dull and unimaginative choices. Companies come across as modern and forward-thinking when they use creative, original photographs in their marketing literature and brochures.

It can cost a bit more, initially, to use a professional corporate photographer for company marketing literature or for a corporate report - but the payoffs to spending a bit of cash can be immense. Talented and experienced corporate photographers can devise new ways to depict a company's activities and set that company apart from competitors. They might use unique shots or compositions of several images to show people at work, or might portray a team having fun or participating in charity events. Some corporate photographers focus exclusively on team member and managerial head shots, intended to be used in brochures or on company Web sites.

Architectural and interiors photography

The artful depiction of architectural interiors and exteriors is an art in itself. Here, too, corporate photographers can make major differences in the way buildings, office parks, new construction, and interiors of all kinds are portrayed.

Good lighting is a critical component of a successful interior or exterior photograph - and different scenarios or building designs might require different types of lighting conditions. For example, a modern, bright white office building designed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright is likely to require a different set of lighting conditions and different photographic angles than a Gothic mansion might. Similarly, photographs of college dormitories or student facilities for a university brochure should look very different from pictures of a kitchen-and-bathroom remodeling project.

Architectural photography has a variety of uses. Pictures of office buildings can be placed in company reports or can be used in a book or magazine to visually describe a workplace. Pictures of homes can be used by development firms, real estate brokers, or community planners to show living spaces for sale or rent. Pictures of church, cathedral, or synagogue interiors are useful for religious newsletters, event planning companies, and community newsletters or newspapers. And, photographs of industrial plants and factories can be useful in safety brochures or reports, business magazines and newsletters, or OSHA documents.

As is the case with corporate photography, these images can be used in-house, or can be taken to professional design firms to create finished pieces. Some photographers also finish their own photographs, using tools like Adobe Photoshop to enhance and correct hue, saturation, sharpness, and other pictorial elements.

Aerial and landscape photography

Many professional photographers make careers out of photographing scenes and scenarios outdoors. This requires a different approach and technique than architectural, interior, or corporate photography does.

Aerial photographs are typically taken from great heights. This means that the cameras used for this type of picture-taking cannot be supported by tripods or other traditional means. Aerial cameras might instead be supported by helicopters, blimps, airplanes, or other structures able to travel to great heights. The photographer must be skilled at his or her craft, because framing the picture requires consideration of altitude and picture angle to achieve correct perspective. This type of picture-taking has a wide variety of uses. For example, the resulting photos might be used to make maps or to stitch together illustrations of an area's topography and major elevations. This type of photograph can also be useful in real estate advertising and in brokerage firms to show how neighborhoods are laid out.

Landscape photography also requires knowledge of perspective, proportion, and horizon lines. Professionals who concentrate in this field have the knowledge and tenacity to work outdoors in many different sorts of weather conditions. If conditions are inclement, they have the dedication to re-schedule shoots - or, to make the weather elements work in their favor. If you have ever seen a breathtaking picture of a violent thunderstorm on a beach or a tornado ripping across the plains, you are viewing the talent of a skilled professional landscape photographer.

Professional landscape shots might include trees, windmills, animals, insects, plants, or flowers. The more elements a landscape contains, the more complex a photo can become. Professionals understand how to achieve compositional balance while taking these pictures. The colors of nature can be vibrant, even overpowering - and true professionals know how to make these colors look lush, breathtaking, and inviting.

Professional photographers skilled at portraying landscapes, topographies, buildings, and interiors are invaluable assets to corporations, businesses, non-profits, and designers. A perfectly captured picture from one of these professionals is a treasure.

Avoid the Craziness of Planning Your Wedding or Event - Hire a Professional!

If you're starting to feel the stress of planning for your big event, celebration, or wedding, it may be time to start considering a professional event planner or wedding planner. These experts specialize in making your event go off perfectly, and they have the resources and know-how to make sure every single detail is just right.

Many people have said that even after an amazing event, they wish they would have saved themselves the stress and hired an event planner. Sometimes the person in charge of a wedding or celebration is so busy taking care of all the details that they never get to actually enjoy the party! Working with an event planner or wedding planner takes all the stress off your shoulders so that you can enjoy the perfect celebration without any of the frustration.

If your event has more than a handful of guests, it's a good time to think about whether or not you should hire a professional planner. There are countless reasons to work with an expert, and the biggest reason can often be that it completely removes the stress you have to go through to create the perfect celebration. Another popular reason why people hire an event planner or wedding planner is budget. These experts know where to find a good deal and how to make your celebration look like a million bucks no matter what your budget is. Because event and wedding planners work with many suppliers and stock rooms in the area, they have access to a huge variety of decorations, foods, furniture, service professionals, and entertainment options. When you work with an expert, you're getting access to a vast wealth of options to make your special day something to remember.

People often ask 'should you hire an event planner for a small to medium size event?' The answer is always yes! An event with just a dozen people can cause you so much stress that you'd almost rather return your RSVP! When you work with an event planner or wedding planner, you simply tell them what you want and let them handle every important detail. Your professional event planner can take care of everything from d矇cor and entertainment to catering and event staff. They can customize every single part of your special day to make sure it's a perfect event for you and for all of your guests.

Now you might think you don't want to spend the extra money it takes to hire a planner but in the long run it will save you costly mistakes you may make as well as reliving you of the stress it takes to plan and produce a great event.

Working with an event planner or wedding planner is the best way to celebrate in style without any of the stress. Your guests will be impressed from beginning to end, and you'll actually get to enjoy the special day! Now is a great time to find out all of the reasons you should hire a planner, and learn more about what they can do to make your special day a complete success.

What Is Event Planning Certification?

What is event planning certification? This question comes into many people's minds that are interested in event planning and want to adopt this as a career. Actually earlier people would not prefer to get education in this subject but later with the passage of time they have realized its importance and value of event management planning certification. It is really a very good opportunity for those who have know-how about this field and a little bit experience about the event planning with out having any professional education or who have done basic courses in this subject.

You can very easily get event planning certification if you have talent and skills. There are many organizations and companies that offer the certification. Requirement for entering a certification program vary by organizations but the common thing is they all require professional experience. The time of experience differs between the program for example some may require 2 to 3 years experience and some may ask for much more; it depends on the type of the program.

Applicants are given preparation courses by the organizations that are granting the certification. These courses may be offered online as a self study format or at planned workshops; it depends on you what type you choose. Preparation is done through the text books about the event management and planning and it consists of planning techniques, procedures and quizzes.

After completion of the preparation program, the applicants can take the scheduled exam; they just need to pay the registration fee before that. Most of the exams are given online for this certification.

Earlier it was considered that event planning certification is a short cut to get the education in this field but it is really not true. It is the way to recognize your talent and skills and experience in the world of event planning. Now it has become important to get certified in this field because you can get more job opportunities by getting certified by a well reputed organization. You may be very good at planning the events and have experience of arranging the events but if you give your talent recognition by a good company, you will find much difference in your career weather you are into a job or running your own business.

So if you have not taken any professional education or degree, you have an opportunity to get event planning certification, and give your talent recognition.

Students Gain Experience Through Movie Night Planning

Great teachers are always looking for new, engaging ways to help students learn. Giving students real life responsibilities that allow them to apply what they are learning in the classroom and learn even more about the subject is an excellent strategy to be used in addition to traditional teaching methods. Movie nights held at schools are becoming increasingly popular because of the way they create a sense of community in the school and provide students with a safe opportunity to have fun with friends. Why not give a group of students the responsibility of planning a movie night? Here is how students can gain experience and benefit academically with movie night planning.

Students will gain valuable marketing and communication skills while selling sponsorship for the event. There are many ways to pay for a movie event, including selling tickets and finding sponsors from the community. Students in charge of finding sponsors will need to approach local businesses to solicit sponsorship. Once the sponsors are found, students with graphic art skills can create simple presentations to thank the sponsors and provide advertisement.

In addition to attracting sponsors, students will need to attract an audience through marketing. Students should be encouraged to be creative and use many marketing tactics to bring a crowd to the event. Students can hang posters around the school, hand out flyers and request time during school announcements to speak about the event. If there is a school newspaper, the event could be advertised there.

Paying for the event and attracting a crowd are both essential pieces of the movie night planning puzzle, but the event will not be possible without considering the demographics and choosing an appropriate movie. Encourage students to think carefully about exactly which students they are going to focus on getting to this event. Do the students want to get incoming freshmen there? Is the event for upperclassmen nearing the end of their high school years? Teach students an important lesson about demographics and marketing by making sure they have clear goals and a plan in mind. Students can use surveys of the target audience as well as current movie popularity statistics to choose the best movie for the event.

There is also the important matter of basic logistics. Where will the students get the equipment for the event? The success of the movie night hinges upon finding and hiring a reliable and high quality equipment provider, and this requires time and research.

Food is also important at a movie event. Students can choose to charge admission to the event that includes food, set up a concession stand, or use a combination of both tactics and include food with admission and sell extras like drinks, movie candy and popcorn at a concession stand. The students will be responsible for choosing the best foods for the event, renting any necessary equipment such as a popcorn machine, running the concession stand on movie night, and cleaning up after the event.

Many movie events feature other types of entertainment in addition to the movie. Students should be encouraged or required to plan extras such as door prizes or other giveaways.

Hosting a movie night event at your school provides a wonderful and memorable experience for students. Why not take advantage of this opportunity, though, and make it a valuable learning experience? Students who attend a movie night event probably do not realize how much goes into planning this type of event and making it a success. High school students will be highly invested in the success of their event since their friends will probably be attending. Give students a unique chance to learn and apply valuable marketing, economics and communication skills by assigning the task of movie night planning to a group of your students.

Event Planning Using Social Media

Social Media presents a fantastic boon to anyone planning an event, whether it's large or small, online or off. Below are tips for what to do to promote the event, what to do during the event, and post-event activities. Follow these bits of advice, and you will attract new and very engaged prospects as well as build loyalty with your current customers and clients.

Pre-Event Promotion
* Create a website, a single web-page, or blog as your anchor for the event. You will be sending all of your links to this URL.
* Use Meetup.com Ð if yours will be a live event. Meetup.com is a fantastic site that can be searched by location and subject category and will help build attendance.
* Use Twitter, and Tweet frequently and consistently. Six weeks in advance, you might Tweet 2 or 3 times per week; as you get closer to the event, Tweet several times a day; on the day before your event, really increase the frequency. Be sure to vary your Tweets, always talking about different aspects of the very valuable content of your event.
* Blog about your event, with at least 2-3 posts before event. Talk about the speakers, topics and overall content, and how it will benefit the attendees.
* Create "Events" within LinkedIn and Facebook. Email as many of your connections as you are allowed initially, and then email them again closer to the actual date.
* Post the event in the Discussions section of all of your relevant groups in LinkedIn, and on the discussion section as well as the wall in Facebook. Update those walls frequently with more info on the event to keep readers' interest.
* Use event-announcement sites like Eventbrite.com, Eventful.com, and Upcoming.yahoo.com to promote your date/time.

Engage participants during the event
* Have the keynote speaker or kick-off speaker incorporate references to the Twitter hashtags, Facebook page, and blog for the event.
* At the event itself, use the signage and printed program to promote Social Media aspect of the event.
* Set up an event-specific blog or wiki (Ning) for posting while the event is going on (this would be different from your blog or promotional pages)
* Create a Twitter hashtag to aggregate comments and engage attendees with each other.
* Be sure to cover the event with live blogging, Tweeting, video, and podcasts from the event floor. You may want to consider hiring an outside resource just that purpose.
* Get feedback throughout - be sure to engage with all social media posts and comments soon after they appear, to create a true dialog with the attendees.

Post the event
* Remember your sales training; the secret is in the follow-up. Be sure to contact all registrants with follow-up offers for downloads, white papers, podcasts, special offers on speakers' books. Anything to keep attendees interested and engaged.
* Invite registrants to sign up for your company's Facebook page, to register for your blog, sign up for your newsletter, connect on Twitter, anything to keep the connection ongoing.
* A month after the event, follow up multiple times to keep those leads warm!

Follow through on all stages of the event with strategic and creative use of Social Media, and your event will be well-attended and talked about for months afterwards.

Advantages of Hiring a Corporate Comedian For an Event

Laughter as we all know is a great therapy. There is nothing better than laughter to diffuse the stress, break ice between people and cheer up the overall mood at a gathering. A corporate comedian specializes in the art of making people laugh. Almost all corporate events have attendees who are intelligent, educated, refined in manners and conscious of others' feeling. Hence a clean comedian who can appeal to the sense of humor of the employees and employers present at an event is the best bet for making the event a memorable one.

Award ceremonies, lunch and dinner banquets, felicitations, annual meetings, releases and conferences are corporate events that demand some entertainment that helps the attendees relax. On the other hand it shouldn't be too distracting or distasteful. For example, it would be a bad idea to have a rock gig between meetings involving top brass of a company.

A corporate comedian can adapt to the audience's taste pulling out performances that are contemporary and view the political, economical and social scenario from a lighter and humorous side. A corporate comedian can conjure a clean comic act without hurting the sentiments of anyone. Cheap comments, irresponsible remarks and sarcastic quips at different groups of society can often be dangerous given the composition of the audience is diverse and one cannot be sure about their inclinations or backgrounds.

A good comedian can carry the entire burden of an evening on his shoulder without the organizers having to worry about audio visual systems, artists, makeup, costumes, stage and lighting etc. as is the case for general entertainment events. A corporate comedian can leave the audience roaring in laughter, thus keeping them involved and feel part of the whole event. Most entertainment events let the audience drift off into their own thoughts which is not what the organizers would want, especially if there is an agenda for the gathering and alertness and focus of the audience is required for it.

There are many shows like Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show etc. which feature popular comedians. The way they talk and pull out witty remarks at their own will is very much what they do as part of a corporate comedy gig. The brand of comedy that a comedian presents is refreshing and innovative, with a tangential and humorous perspective of incidents, remarks and actions of celebrities that have received public attention. The wit and sensible humor also speak a lot about the refined taste of an audience that might help impress the guests and potential clientele too.

How To - Event Planners, Wedding Coordinators

Wedding coordinators are available to orchestrate the varied details associated with a successful Michigan wedding and reception. The cost of a coordinator varies greatly and depends largely on the amount of time spent on your wedding.

How to Tips for Event Planners

By using articles and expert advice, you can handle the wedding preliminaries yourself, but it is still wise to use event planners to help keep your wedding day organized. A coordinator can smooth the wedding day's progression and so help provide the relaxed and enjoyable day you desire. A relative or close friend may be able to do the wedding day coordinating for you. Many churches have wedding hostesses who know about church facilities and policies.

How to Tips for Wedding Coordinators

- Acquaint yourself with the ceremony site.

- Discuss with the bride and groom any wedding policies of the ceremony site.

- Be available to assist the bride and groom by answering questions, offering suggestions, and having names of available resources for services.

- Be as organized as possible, with all wedding day information in one place.

- As you assist the bridal couple in planning their big day, know the following;

(1) Who will be giving the bride away?

(2) Will the bridal couple be having a double-ring ceremony? Who will have the rings?

(3) Will the officiant provide the wording for the vows, or will the bride and groom be writing their own?

(4) Will communion (the Eucharist) be observed? Who will participate?

(5) Will the lighting of the unity candle be included?

(6) What other special observances will be a part of the outdoor Michigan ceremony?

(7) Who will have the marriage license? When and where will it be signed?

(8) Will the bridal couple have a receiving line? If so, where? Who will be involved?

(9) Who will be responsible for cleaning out the bride's dressing room? The grooms dressing room?

(10) Who will be responsible for audio and/or videotapes of the ceremony? of the reception?

(11) If a pre-ceremony buffet is to be served at the ceremony site, who will be responsible for setup? Serving? Cleanup?

(12) Where will the reception be? How soon will it follow the ceremony?

(13) Who will be responsible for taking the guest book to the reception? To whose home afterward?

(14) Who will be responsible for transporting the gifts from the ceremony site? from the reception site? To whose house?

- Confirm your arrival time for both the rehearsal and ceremony with the custodian of the facility (or other designated person). This time should be early enough to accomplish any necessary advance preparations: unlocking doors, setting up equipment and accessories, turning on lights, heating or air conditioning, etc.

- Confirm with the bride the arrival times of the bridal party, the brides and grooms parents, and grandparents, special others, the officiants, musicians, florist, photographer, DJ, etc. On the wedding day be available to greet each one, to answer any questions, and to give any last-minute instructions.

- At the rehearsal, review the wedding day arrival times with the participants who's to be where and when - and indicate to them the importance of being on time.

- If possible, have all the decisions concerning the ceremony made prior to the rehearsal. If any unexpected changes do occur, they should quickly be addressed to the bride.

- Make certain that each of the ushers receives a list of his responsibilities at the ceremony site. Also, take time at the rehearsal to demonstrate exactly how they are to usher, and allow them to practice. Don't assume they already know what to do.

- As the wedding coordinator you will probably be responsible for collecting any fees or honorariums from the bride and groom. These may be disbursed either at the rehearsal, before the ceremony, or after the reception, as previously indicated by the recipients.

- Determine how many seats (or pews) need to be reserved for special seating, and who will be sitting where.

- Before the florist leaves the premises on the wedding day, count the bouquets, boutonni癡res, and corsages to make certain all the needed flowers are there.

- Know when and where the photographer will be taking pictures.

- When an aisle runner is being used, make certain it has been firmly pinned and taped in place. Tape the end of the runner down once it has been pulled up the aisle to keep it taut.

- If the facility is not equipped with a signaling system, a small flashlight may be used to cue the musicians for the start of the processional and for any other special timing needs.

- Be prepared for possible emergencies with a special bag that includes these items: aspirin, breath mints, clear nail polish, emery boards, facial tissues, hair spray, iron, sanitary napkins, scissors, sewing kit, spot remover, static spray, and straight and safety pins.

- Another bag may contain: pins (for flowers and for pinning the aisle runner in place), small flashlight (for signaling musicians), hair dryer (for hair needs and candle wax removal), masking tape (for marking the positions of the bridal party), matches or lighter (for lighting candles or candle lighters), measuring tape (for locating positions of the bridal party), scotch tape (for taping gift cards to packages), black ink pens (for signing the marriage license).

How to Make Your Event Memorable

Crystal was looking forward to this weekend. Her company had given her the task of organizing this year's big corporate meeting and the event was nearing. Many of Crystal's colleagues had sarcastically commented on "How lucky she was to be stuck with the enviable job of organizing this year's corporate drudgery", but Crystal was excited. She was determined to make this year's meeting a bit different and memorable; an event, she felt, would change the attitude and atmosphere where she worked.

People are...People

If you are taking the time to read this, you are probably much like Crystal. The people you work around are no different than any other workplace; they dread going to organizational gatherings. Your fellow employees (or those who work for your clients) can't stand the idea of being stuck in meeting rooms all day then forced to mingle and network with people they don't know while knowing they will eventually be forced to listen to that same old speech that has been given for the past 5 years. Blah, Blah, Blah! In all fairness, who does want to go to a boring corporate event? Nobody! (well, maybe there are a few we know)

What makes an event Memorable?

Back a few years ago I worked for a company as a marketing director, while I was there, the company experienced a tough financial run. As the holidays neared, it was obvious there would be no bonuses for anyone; the money just wasn't there. The small holiday gathering, which was initially planned to take place at a local hotel, had to be cancelled. The CEO of the company walked around the building like the Grinch himself telling all the employees "There won't be a Christmas this year. We don't have any money so there is no party" I immediately called a meeting of all employees and put together an in office gathering which each person contributed some sort of food dish to. What occurred that day is memorable, the uplifting, internal and external human emotion of the people that gathered in spite of the grumpy CEO. What makes an event memorable? The feeling of good will and excitement!

How To Make Your Events Memorable

How will you make your next sales retreat, association meeting or corporate function an event your guests will always remember? The answer is quite simple...make it unique, fun and exciting, offer outstanding and interesting forms of entertainment!

This is why Crystal was so excited about the corporate event she planned. For years her company had a dinner and then a DJ that hung around and played music for a few hours. Some of her co-workers would sit at their tables talking business and having cocktails while most would just leave, go to the bar or retire for the night to their hotel rooms. Crystal wanted to "keep the group together" while still being able to craftily offer up her boss's corporate message. She had something really different and special planned...

Initially, Crystal worried, (like many planners) concerned about hiring entertainment for their functions. She was justifiably concerned that the material covered by the act she hired would not be corporate friendly and appropriate.

She had the considered a magician and worried that he would be pulling quarters from behind the guests ears and making bad jokes. Juggling would be cool, but how long would that keep the attention of the guests and is a flame throwing baton act really completely safe? Since it was an indoor event she felt that would not work. Crystal had been to boring events and had previous experiences with an unprofessional performer as well as horror stories from colleagues.

However, she knew it was important to keep in mind that the right entertainment would add tremendous value to her event and make it a fun, memorable positive function.

The right entertainment gets your group involved, working together as a cohesive team. It will get them laughing and feeling good about the event you carefully planned. Quite possibly, the most important thing that providing the right entertainment will do for you is allow you to creatively relay your events message to your group.

When creating a positive event with entertainment, it is important to remember the following:

1. The entertainment should be corporate friendly. The performance should be clean and free of inappropriate comments.

2. Your guests should not be humiliated in any way, shape or form.

3. The act should have good intent. Getting your audience laughing together is a wonderful thing, but the laughter should not be at the expense of others.

4. The entertainment you hire should be novel and creative. No one wants to see the same thing they have seen before! You want to bring your audience something that is new, something which to hold their interest.

Keeping these four things in mind, as Crystal did, you can make your next event a memorable function that not only succeeds in entertaining your audience, but if you decide, can also support your events message and objectives! What s great return on your investment!

Russ Clarke is President of RLO Productions LLC. RLO Productions provides outstanding entertainment for corporate events with the Russ Clarke Comedy Hypnosis Show. Russ can be contacted at 866-570-3544.

Are You Making These Costly Mistakes At Your Events?

It's easy to make costly mistakes at your live events. Most time, you make these mistakes and you're not even aware that they might be costing you money... and probably some good will with your attendees.

Recently, an event promoter asked for the volume of the music to be really cranked up during break. The idea was that people would be inspired to move around and that the loud music would really get their juices flowing and the excitement up.

Admittedly, one of the challenges at events is keeping them fun and the participants motivated, but setting the volume of your music to blast your attendee's eardrums is not going to accomplish that.

In fact, the results of this idea were more damaging than improving. The volume of the music was so loud that people couldn't hear themselves think. There was a lot of complaining going on and many people left the room to relieve the headache they suddenly developed. They also left the room so they could talk to and network with the other attendees who were there that they wanted to share ideas with. They were forced to go out into the hallway to have their conversations so they could hear each other without yelling at each other.

What is the purpose of the event you are hosting? When you went through months of marketing campaigns, when you coordinated the food and beverage services for your event, when you hired the event planner, you were investing in your event. The point of any investment is to profit and have a positive return on that investment. That's one of the reasons for hosting your own events.

You make money at your events by having other speakers present from the front of the room, selling books and having other material available for your attendees to purchase. Part of the success or failure of this is in how you have the room setup.

So, if everyone's out in the hallway, escaping the overbearing, loud music, they aren't talking to your speakers. They're not looking at the books and material you have available and they're not making purchases that get you a positive return on investment. All of this because you made one little mistake... that could have been avoided.

At all live events, you want the attendees to mingle. You want them to ask your staff questions, you want them to go to the back sales table, where your materials are, and you certainly want them to invest in it.

If you're chasing them out with blaring music, you won't accomplish this goal - plain and simple.

You want to really consider every aspect of your events that might be keeping people from buying and investing in their further education with you. Consider what it takes to keep your guests in the meeting room and you leaving without that money in your pocket.

You can host an event that is upbeat, fun, motivates your guests and allows you to also walk away with a nice profit for your efforts.

Event Planning Course - Learn How to Plan the Order of Events at A Wedding Reception

Event planning and management has emerged as a major professional field since past recent years. Ranging from a casual everyday small conference up to a big formal occasion like a wedding, everything is planned. Surely a bright future is waiting for you if you take up some authorized and certified Event Planning Courses. These courses are of short duration and will enable you to manage every kind event like weddings, concerts, birthdays, conferences and much more. Though every different event has different fundamental requirements, you will successfully fulfill all criteria of every variety of occasions once you take these courses.

When you're assigned the task of arranging everything for a wedding ceremony, you are headed by a large variety of tasks from the bridal dress selection and inviting all guests up to the best video and photography arrangements of the event. Thus Event Planning Course is necessary to accurately visualize and strategically plan all phases of the ceremony.

When a family appoints you for their wedding ceremony, they expect you to manage everything and that's what Event Planning courses teach you. By availing Event Planning Course, when you're taught about wedding planning it includes the following criteria:

1. Usually you're appointed a week before the wedding. Try to know the family and their traditional values in as much short duration as you can. Then you can plan and select everything according to their taste. Take the bride and groom to the best bridal dress shop in town keeping in mind that the dresses aren't much costly and the price can be adjusted well in budget. Don't make the family feel degraded by taking them to a very high brand shop which they can't afford.

2. Appoint a reliable tailor for stitching the bridal dress on time and exactly according to the couple's wish, in case the bride has selected an unstitched material for her wedding.

3. Take a thorough look on the guest list and make sure twice or thrice that you don't miss out inviting someone. Guide the family to select an attractive invitation card. Always keep the budget in mind as told by the family.

4. Selection of the location must be among your priorities. You must make reservation of the locality at least four days before the event. If it is a high budget wedding, make the booking at some exotic five stars. Even if the budget of the family is low, try your best to find a genuine and stunning location which the family will love. If you have some sources, book a ship for the wedding at cheaper prices and you will definitely win many appreciations. When booking a location always keep in mind the convenience of all the guests for reaching that place.

How to Plan for Successful Corporate Events

Planning for a company or corporate events is always helpful for the company's employees. This can serve as a bonding time for all the employees and their colleagues as well as having fun with their bosses in a much more casual setting. Employees always look for a company party at mid-year or at the end of the year. By being closer to your employees and talking to them directly at parties, this can boost their work morale and appreciate your show of concern for them.

Another good purpose for holding corporate events is when you are trying to get an important client on boards your company or a celebration of a new partnership or joint venture. Your partner company will also greatly appreciate this. But how do you successfully plan for corporate events? You may start by knowing what the nature of the event is about. Is it a summer party, a Christmas party, or a celebration of a successful business contract? Knowing what type of party you will be organizing will help you know what things you will need to be planning for.

Second is to ask your superior about the budget for the company event you are planning for. You cannot really make a move unless the budget has been decided on. Most of the time, if the company is holding a once in a year party, they will be willing to give a higher budget than usual so you won't have a hard time sourcing for suppliers anymore.

Next is to plan the place where you will hold the corporate event. It would be helpful in knowing how many guests you will be having early on just to make sure that the venue will be able to hold all the guests invited. You don't want to cram all your guests in a small place and you don't want to get a very spacious space where everyone will scatter out. Reserving for venues will need to be done several months away to ensure availability.

Fourth is to decide on your caterer. Deciding on the food to be served is critical. If you are having a corporate event to seal a deal, you don't want to be serving your business clients with mediocre tasting food right? So it's very important that you choose the caterer wisely. You will also need to decide if a sit down menu setup or a buffet style menu will be better for the corporate event you are planning for.

Now that the budget, venue and caterers are already done, it is now time to consider the invitations, decorations and corporate giveaways. Since you are holding a company party, you can send an electronic invitation to all their e-mail addresses. This way you can reach everyone in the company in no time. You can arrange to make special invitations for guest outside the company. Corporate giveaways are one of the things employees look forward to and you shouldn't really give out cheap giveaways for all their efforts in your company. Give something functional that they can use every day so they can appreciate it more. Corporate events are not really hard to plan just as long as you follow these simple steps.

Comparing Tent Rental Proposals

When planning an event that requires a tent, people will often request proposals from several tent rental suppliers. When comparing these proposals, it's important to consider all the elements of the proposal and not just the price. Would you compare the prices from different car dealerships without knowing what car they were selling? The quoted price can also end up being very different than your eventual bill and the services and structures you receive can represent a very different value proposition. Here are a few elements you should consider.

The structure you are renting can be brand new or used. If the tent is used, make sure the condition of the fabric is specified so you receive a structure that is compatible with your expectations. A tent that is used, but in excellent condition, will look much different than one that is rated as fair or grade B. Also, ensure that the tent rental company is supplying you with a clean tent since some providers may not clean their equipment after every event.

Standard side wall heights vary by tent renal company. Some tent rental companies use a 7 ft. standard sidewall while other use 8 ft. Larger tents look and perform best with even taller side walls. Insufficient sidewall height can make a structure look cramped and doesn't provide enough air flow for larger tents. Make sure the side wall height is specified and comparable.

Sometimes, tent rental companies will use multiple tents to provide the square footage specified in the proposal. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but for some events, this can mean working around the securing structures of the tents in what would otherwise be usable event space. Check that the number of tents and the tent styles are specified in your proposal. This will help you avoid last minute adjustments to work around wires and stakes or weighting systems inside your tent.

Rental periods can vary widely among tent rental companies. Depending on the size of the tent, some companies may provide you several days on either side of the event period to allow for installation and removal flexibility. Other companies may have very little flexibility and charge fees for early installation or late removal, regardless of the reason. Make sure you understand any extra fees associated with the rental period terms and exceptions to their contracts or proposals.

Events seldom function perfectly and how you respond to the minor and sometime major mishaps can have a big impact on your event. Occasionally, you will need the services of personnel from your tent rental company. Your agreement should specify the availability of tent rental company personnel during your event and if they have 24 hour emergency service. Responsiveness to your urgent needs is part of the service a tent rental company should provide, so ensure it is documented and that you are aware of any charges associated with that service.

It can also be very important to know how much appropriate replacement inventory your tent rental company has available. Sometimes having a suitable replacement tent, in case of a setback, can prevent you from having to cancel your event.

Insurance is always an important consideration when dealing with, installation crews, large structures and many guests. Request certificates of insurance for workers' compensation and liability coverage and compare all coverage amounts, terms and limitations. Make sure you are satisfied with the coverage and note any differences between the providers. You could end up being responsible for any shortfalls in coverage if an accident occurs.

Take the time to read and compare the terms and conditions in the fine print. It will contain many important provisions that will affect your service and determine your final bill. There can be a great deal of variation in these legal stipulations. If you find something you don't like, ask that it be altered.

A recurring theme in this discussion is ensuring that all important considerations are documented in your agreement. If it isn't included, ask that it be included. And, provide each tent rental company with the same comprehensive information for their proposal submission. If they begin with the same information, they are likely to be much closer to presenting comparable proposals which means fewer significant differences for you to resolve.

The proposal price is very important. However, it may not be the final price and could include some risks and service limitations that make you uncomfortable. Take the time to fully understand and compare your tent rental proposals and make the choice that is best for you.