Corporate Event Planning and Design Tips

When it comes to corporate event planning, size really does matter. What this means is that the number of people involved plays in heavily in so many of the decisions that have to be made. For instance, if your planning for a small corporate event involving say, 100 people or less then you can opt to hold it in a local hotels banquet chambers and simply let them cater it from their kitchen.

The Hot New Trend In Corporate Event Entertainment Options

Of course this doesn't solve the problem of entertainment and today corporate event entertainment choices run the gamut. The hot new trend in corporate event entertainment is interactive entertainment thats written, arranged and produced to instill some positive message or training of sorts. Comedy skits that delve into customer relations issues, fire walking that build courage and self confidence etc.

Entertainment Events Designed To Instill Courage In the Work Place

Believe it or not, some corporate events today now even include sky diving as a way to teach employees how to break through fear barriers. One would like to hope that an entertainment event of this type would be optional for those in attendance. Even so, these types of adrenaline boosting entertainment events seem to be growing in popularity and believe it or not, some guests love them!

Welcome To Environmentally Sound Entertainment

On the lighter and much safer side is the rapidly growing trend in "greening up" corporate events. Now don't worry, this doesn't mean that you will have your guests munching on alfalfa sprouts as they move from one recycling bin to the next. Rather, these additions to corporate events can and usually are more of an educational experience.

When It Comes To Today's Business - Green Is Good PR

You see, unless you've been living on another planet for the last decade then you should know that when it comes to corporate PR today, "green is good". Any green for that matter. So where do you suppose is the best place to let the managers and the public know that your outfit is at least "thinking green"? Your guessed it! At a corporate event. Hey! Don't forget to invite the reporter from the local paper who covers the "local events beat".

Great Entertainment and a Great Learning Experience

Of course this would involve the use of the very latest in carbon friendly "stuff" such as recycled paper and plastic products. But they also usually include one or more experts demonstrating the very latest in energy conservation technology that can be applied to the business your in. If it sounds boring or mundane, its not because they tend to bring along only the most fascinating, relevant and most readily applicable gadgets and information.

Here's Something you Probably Haven't Thought Of!

What about getting in touch with one of one of those "Freetrade people" that can come to your event and host a Freetrade "mini-shopping bazaar" and even serve Freetrade refreshments like pesticide free coffee and teas. In case you didn't know, Freetrade is an International marketing certification program that allows producers and marketers of ethically and environmentally sound products to use their logo for verification. Its the latest thing in green, socially conscious product marketing and its spreading like wildfire.

Holiday Event Planning Software: Have a Look!

Have you already started planning your holiday party this year or are you still thinking of planning one? There have been severe cut-downs in this economic downturn and the high inflation rates are not helping the case either. Parties are expensive affairs. Hence, organizations have brutally reduced their budgets only to accommodate the most important customers, key stakeholders at such events. Moreover, the basic administrative functions covering registration, payment processing, inviting, and marketing also involve huge investments. Additional manpower is needed to manage such areas. To minimize spending and maximize ROI, a number of companies are using the event planning software these days. Holiday event planning software is easy to use and involves no extra investments.

Registration Anytime

Online holiday event planning solutions comes embedded with a registration software that lets you create and publish multiple forms online. It increases your chances of getting a higher number of party attendees because of having a constant online presence; anyone from any region of the world can access your form without any hassle! Online holiday event registration forms can be accessed, 24/7 and you can easily monitor the registration status with just a few clicks of your computer mouse.

Instant Payments Sending and Receiving

Just as it becomes easier for event registrants to transfer the registration fees online; it becomes an effortless task for you to receive those payments instantly. Thus, people sitting at home, at work or on the move can transfer funds using their credit cards, through wire transferring service or by using payment gateways as acceptable by the event organizers. Online payments processing is quick, easy to track, and quite secure.

Send Invitations minus Paper

You can easily send hundreds of invitations to the would-be guests without even using a single sheet of paper. This can be made possible through the usage of an online emailing service. Holiday event planning software has this integrated feature which enables you to spend less while ensuring everyone on your guest list is invited cordially.

Promote Your Events on a Global Scale

Before the emergence of the 'World Wide Web', no one ever thought of reaching out to the global audience. There were no such concepts like social media tools, websites, blogs, and wikis. Today, event marketing professionals can easily attract the attention of the locals as well as those living overseas posting their events information on social media and similar other web platforms.

With online marketing applications, you don't need any marketing team to manage postings on Facebook, Twitter, etc. The application automatically publishes all current and future event news, updates, registration details, and photos on different social media sites simultaneously.

Event Management Company Promotes Your Events in a Unique Way

From planning to execution, you will need the right event staff that has the skill and the experience to offer you the results you need. You may not have readily assembled staff and it will definitely take you a lot of time trying to figure out how you can get the right event staffing.

Event management companies come handy to ensure that your event is successful. They are specialists in the fields and understand whatever is needed to register high levels of success. There are instances where high level of skill and planning is needed which many companies and individuals don't have. This necessitates that a professional event management company comes in to offer the service.

There are so many things that event management companies do. They can handle the planning from scratch and carry on until they execute the task. The companies handle media attention and also help in making sure that the tickets to the event, if any are sold to as many people as possible. It's a great experience working with professional event staffing company since it offers you readily assembled team of people to work on your projects at reasonable charges.

There are some more roles that event management companies do. They ensure that they send out the invitations to all the people concerned and handle all the communication regarding the function. They ensure that they pass the information to the required number as conveniently as possible hence helping you save cost and time. They help guarantee that your event will be successful.

After hiring an event management company, they will provide you with timely updates on the progress they have made. They keep you updated of all the developments concerning the work done and what's expected to be done.

If the event you are preparing for involves cash collection, the event management company will ensure that every thing is done. All the stationary used will be met by the company. You will pay a fixed cost to the event management company as their professional fees. They help deliver successful results always.

To ensure that your event is organized successfully, event management companies carry out their research and identify how the task can be done in a more practical approach. They help identify what exactly can be done to enable you achieve success.They use their expertise to provide you with what you could not otherwise be able to achieve. You can review the success achieved and help offer the necessary suggestions that will help achieve the goals of your event.

Event management companies use custom named emails to communicate with the target audience. They make it possible to achieve the highest level of participation possible from the target audience.

How Do Personal Events and Business Meetings Differ?

What is the difference between a business and personal event? Plenty! I will focus on three different type of events and how they differ from multiple prospectives including focus, planning time, and budgeting.

Let's think about a wedding. Probably the largest segment of the event meeting services market and they are practically recession proof. People continue to get married even in tough times. However, the focus of the wedding are the BRIDE and GROOM, FOOD, and ENTERTAINMENT.

Next, let's think about personal parties. These consist of special birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, anniversary celebrations, and holiday get together. The focus of these events is THE ONE BEING HONORED, FOOD, and BEVERAGE. When trying to get unique ideas and decorations about personal parties, I recommend you go to Party411.

Lastly, think about business or organizational events. These celebrations can be large or small but generally consist of grand openings, number of years in business celebrations, training, retreats, company parties, and non-profit fundraisers. The focus of these events are THE ATTENDEE, FOOD, and LOCATION (City and Venue).

To see questions and answers about various types of events and how to plan for them, I would recommend going to MerchantCircle and Eventective Forum. If you are apart of an event meeting services or conference services organization, I recommend you belong to some of the great LinkedIn groups and ask your questions there.

For a wedding or party, you might consider the following audio visual:

• Presentation Services Audio Visual, including Projector Rental to highlight a photo, video, or blended show of the bride and groom or honoree


• Sound and Light Rental for Entertainment and to add pizazz to your event

For a business or organizational event, you might consider the following corporate audio visual:

• Computer Kiosk


• Powerpoint Presentation Equipment including Projector Rental


• Rent iPad or Tablet PC


• Wireless Audience Response System

Planning Corporate Events Using the 5 W's

Many organizations plan events yearly or for special occasions, such as anniversaries or for holidays. These events may be highly successful or they could turn out as a flop when it comes to meeting the goal for holding the event. Event success can often be determined by appropriate planning and decision making. To aid in the success of future events, below are five questions to consider when planning an event.

1. 
   Why should an event be held? This question helps to determine goals, possible outcomes, and establish an overall theme for the event. Once the purpose of the event is established, a budget must be determined to pay for the event and travel costs must be considered as well. Knowing the event budget and goals before continuing with planning will help to keep the event within the desired scope. Never lose sight of the event goal even if the budget does not allow for everything, there may be acceptable alternatives, so brainstorm along the way to meet all the event requirements.


2. 
   What needs to happen at the event? Asking this and brainstorming answers is the first step in creating an agenda for the day(s) of activity. The next step would be developing a project plan for event assignments that include pre and post tasks as well as at the event actions. Will there be speakers, announcements, videos, presentations, exhibits, meals, breaks, recognition or award ceremonies, team-building, fun interactive activities, break out training, or discussion sessions? Determine is any particular equipment pr room set-ups may be necessary to facilitate portions of the event. Decide what type of print materials may need to be available for the event then begin putting that together and arranging appropriate copies and communications.


3. 
   Who should be invited to the event? Is it for a particular department, a set of executives, one or more work teams, individuals who achieved something, or the entire company? Would this event be something to consider inviting key or potential customers and vendors to? Consider whether a keynote speaker or other special speakers should be part of the event. Also whether people with special skills such as event planners, coordinators, moderators, or facilitators are needed for the success of the event or if this can be done in-house. If someone with speaker or special skills is needed determine how arrangements for them get made and how this might this impact the budget. Also decide what communications need to be sent to those attending and working at the event plus what follow-up is required and when deadlines should be.


4. 
   When would be the best date(s) and times for holding the event? Determine the length of tine required to accomplish the events goals, and then select three preferred date options to allow for finding a location. The event may be a half day, full day, or over several days. Advance planning makes it more likely to get the perfect location for the event during the preferred time period. As soon as the date is set, start sending communications to potential attendees so they can put it on their calendar. Then continue sending monthly reminders with new tidbits about the event to maintain their interest in attending. Be sure to send a final date/time/location reminder two to five business days before the event.


5. 
   Where is the event to be held? After determining the happenings and attendance, a location that meets all the needs plus catering options can be selected. Consider whether the event should be held in the local area if it is a short time period and where most attendees are located. Be sure to consider travel requirements and communicate any special instructions for getting to location for locals and others outside the area. If the event is multiple days and the selected location is away from the work area, after-hours activities or entertainment may also need to be considered. Before selecting a location, also determine if some activities are to be done outside or if everything will be done indoors.

To make an organizational event successful, whether it is for a special occasion or a yearly event, start with the five questions above when planning. These questions and associated planning should increase the chances of an event successfully meeting the organization's goal instead of being a flop where people after the event did not know why they spent their valuable time there.

What to Look For Before Hiring a Comedian For a Corporate Event

If you're planning on hiring a comedian for your next corporate event or party there are a lot of things that you need to consider to ensure that the show will be a success. You can't just blindly thumb through the phone book and pick the first comedian that you see advertised, you have to do a good deal of research to ensure that the comedian that you hire will put on a show that will be funny to your particular audience. A poor performance by the entertainment of the event can make the entire event a flop, but choosing someone who tries to entertain the audience with humor that may offend some of your employees could result in a much worse scenario than just a bad party - that's why you need to make sure that the comedian you hire puts on the kind of show that your employees will respond to.

Here are some of the many things to consider before hiring a comedian, or any form of entertainment, for your next corporate event:

Who is in the Audience?

Your co-workers and employees are the reason that you are throwing your corporate event, without them you wouldn't be having anything to celebrate - you most likely wouldn't have a business at all, so it's crucial that you examine your audience as a whole and make sure that nothing in the hired artist's performance will offend anyone sitting in the audience.

Some basics to stay away from are: profanity, religion, race and sex. All of these can be very touchy topics that shouldn't be brought up in the workplace, so they shouldn't be brought up in an event help for the people in the workplace either. You can't, and shouldn't, know everything about all of your employees private lives - any one of these topics focused on in any manner could create a really uncomfortable situation for one or several of your valued employees. It's safe to assume that if a topic shouldn't be addressed at the workplace, than it shouldn't be addressed by the entertainment at a corporate event either.

The Track Record of the Performer

Just as you don't want to hire a comedian that will touch on subjects that could offend some of your employees, you also don't want to hire a comedian with no experience in this type of atmosphere. Working the stage at a corporate event and working the stage at an open microphone night at a seedy bar are two completely different things - that's not to say that a comedian who performs at clubs and bars can't successfully perform at a corporate event, but you want someone with proof of success in these types of events.

The comedian you are considering should be able to provide any number of references of parties and events that they have performed at. It won't take you more than a few minutes to check some of those corporate references to see exactly how the comedian that you are considering performed. A good reference from another or several other, corporate events will give you a good idea whether the comedian you are considering can perform well in the event that you are holding.

You want your corporate event to be a smashing success, something that all of your employees truly enjoy and will talk about favorably for the foreseeable future. You want everyone to laugh and have a good time without any chance of anyone feeling uncomfortable or being offended. The way to ensure this is to do your research and hire a comedian who is funny and clean and who has a good track record with several other corporate event performances under his or her belt.

Tips, Trends, Savings

"Couples want to give their guests a great meal and memorable experience so they are still ordering nice entrees and wouldn't dream of cutting out the cake," says Katie Grace, Director of Catering for the Grand Hotel Minneapolis. When it comes to saving money at the reception, brides and grooms are opting to limit the open bar.

"It is nice to offer guests complimentary beverages, however, one can still host a memorable event without doing so," Grace continued. "Many brides are hosting just one hour of open bar, a champagne toast and/or wine with dinner, and a cash bar is available for the rest of the evening. Most wedding guests do not mind paying for their own alcoholic beverages." This move can save thousands of dollars without sacrificing the quality of the event.

What to tip your vendors

Your vendors are responsible for making your wedding day great and many couples wonder what the standard is for tipping vendors and who normally gets a tip.

Catering Coordinator: Most couples aren't aware that their catering contact doesn't get any of the mandatory gratuity tagged onto their bill. They do a lot of work for you, so it is really nice to thank them with a gratuity. Standard gratuity ranges from $50 to $2,500, but the average is $100-$300.

Wedding DJs: Your DJ is working hard for your gratuity and typically the majority of their compensation comes from a tip. Fifteen to twenty percent of the show price is standard.

Hair and makeup: Just like if you were to go to a salon, your hair and makeup artists do expect a tip. The standard amount is 18-20% of your service price.

Photography: Unlike DJs and hair and makeup artists, photographers do not rely on a tip as their compensation. However, most couples do tend to tip their photographer. The typical tip for photography is anywhere from $100-$1000 per event. Some couples prefer to wait and see their photos before giving their photographer a tip.

Videography: Five to fifteen percent of the service price. They get tipped less than photographers, but they definitely deserve it. Some couples do wait until they see their video.

Event Planner: Typically event planners see 10-15% of the price as a gratuity. If you have hired a planner, you know how invaluable they are to your wedding success!

Officiant: Fifty to $200 is the standard gratuity for your officiant.

Transportation: Fifteen to twenty percent of the price. They also rely heavily on tips for compensation and many transportation companies automatically add gratuity on to the package price.

Florist: It is not typical to tip your florist. However, if you have extensive floral, a small gratuity would be appreciated.

Cake: No gratuity necessary.

Photo Booth: Fifty to $100 is the average tip.