Planning Marquee Hire Events

There are many things to consider when organising and planning a marquee hire event, such as sending invites, marketing and promotion, location hire for the marquee itself, caterers, seating and carpeting, flower arrangers and audio and lighting equipment. But the main thing to be aware of is to be prepared to book the marquee hire some months before the date of the actual event itself.

This is mainly because of the high demand for marquees, particularly in the warmer months of the year, typically early May through to late September. With so many people organising weddings, sporting calendar events, garden parties and corporate events in the summer months, you may find that you have to plan to book as early as the year before to avoid disappointment.

 
Marquee Hire Event Location

For those businesses which have ample space within their grounds or indeed a large car-park, choosing where to erect the marquee is less of a problem. But for those smaller companies without adequate space for a marquee on their premises, finding a marquee hire venue is more time consuming and more importantly costly.

If you are a business which is hosting a corporate hospitality event or a promotional event for a new product line then, ideally you want the location of the corporate marquee to be as close to your business as possible.

There are many reasons for this, most notably to keep costs down from transporting members of staff, products, promotional displays and audio/video equipment to and from the marquee hire event venue.

Also if you wish to show potential investors around your company premises after or during the course of the corporate event, then the closer your marquee event can be to your business or factory, the better.
 

In addition, you may find that guests to a corporate event tend to be impressed some what, if you as a company can organise and host a corporate event on-site themselves. This is vital to encouraging potential new interest in your company from guests and helps create a good image of your organisation.

A company which organises its own corporate events and marquee hire and can host events on-site, is seen as a modern, well organised and forward thinking. This in turn may help you stand out from the crowd, beating competitors for investment, having the edge is vital in business nowadays.

Marquee Hire Services

If you are a company which wants to host a corporate marquee hire event, but haven't got the infrastructure in place to organise an event, then there are company which specialise in just that. Corporate event planning service companies can either take care of the planning and organisation of the whole marquee hire event or work in partnership with a representative from your company. The sorts of things that corporate event planning companies provide as part of their service are things such as like:

 

• Catering suppliers & licensed bar hire


• Transportation of staff


• Limousine hire for guests & local dignitaries


• Marquee interior design / event themes


• Audio, visual equipment


• Staging and sectioned-off areas for cloakrooms, changing areas, etc


• Dining & lounge seating and other marquee furniture


• Portaloos and on-site security for larger events

 

Additional Marquee Hire Event Services

Corporate event planning companies also offer additional marquee hire event related services such as team building games and exercises, event video-recording services. As well as the booking of live music and or speakers and organising local press coverage for your event.
 

Some marquee hire companies nowadays offer corporate event planning services as well as event management services, to enable them to offer the whole event planning package.

Motivating the De-Motivated - A Guide to Corporate Team Building

In 2006, research conducted by UK based HR Management Company Right Management revealed that in comparison to six other industrialised nations, the British workforce was the least motivated, with less than a third of the sample stating that they felt fully engaged and fulfilled at work. This shocking statistic translates per annum throughout the UK, into billions of pounds of lost revenue. Now consider the huge economic downturn since the research was first published and it is safe to assume that this issue will not have improved significantly since. So what is the best way that you can ensure that your business doesn't suffer with a de motivated and dispirited work force?

The answer is quite simple, corporate team building.

The activities are specifically designed to increase team cohesion, communication and confidence, to nurture the feeling of working together to achieve a shared goal and to enable workers to realise that all members of the team have an important part to play in achieving that goal. All of these attributes are equally desirable in the workplace and the research behind these events shows that a team who takes part in a company team building activity, is able to then translate these attributes successfully into the workplace.

What kind of events can be organised?

The answer whatever you feel would be most enjoyable and effective for your team. Companies such as Chillisauce can organise a huge variety of activities, from a simple treasure hunt, or a murder mystery evening, through to the more traditional activities such as raft building and 100 team challenges (a form of problem solving) as well as more adrenaline pumping activities that include activities as diverse as tank and military vehicle driving, circus skills and survival and commando training.

There are a growing number of team building activities now based on popular television series, such as The Krypton Factor, The Crystal Maze, Dragons Den, The Apprentice, Strictly Come Dancing or Its A Knockout, ensuring that any workforce is able to find an activity that is suited to the budget of the company in question as well as the catering to the specific demands of the workforce in question.

Team building activities have many positive effects on a team. It can lead to building leadership skills within your team; it can improve communication between team members and thus make a team more effective. It can increase self confidence within a group, team members can learn how to negotiate more successfully, they will improve their judgement on matters and the talent within a team can be optimised all leading to an improvement in productivity and profitability.

With many specialist companies now dedicated to providing businesses with a expansive variety of team building events at a price that suits all budgets. Given the current economic situation and the de-motivated British workforce, the question you need to ask is not if your business can afford to arrange a corporate team building event, but can it afford not to?

Planning an Important Event

Whether your event is a conference, wedding, party or celebration of some sort, there are some serious considerations to make and aspects to plan. More than likely with a wedding you will need a year or so just for planning the event alone. For most events the considerations are fairly open standard i.e. most events will require a venue, catering, entertainment and some sort of general organisation for the big day itself. In this sense there is an industry that is growing quite largely in the UK and it is the event management industry. Hiring an event manager can be the difference between a successful event and a non successful event.

Let's face it event managers are in this profession for a reason and have a vast amount of experience with small to super large occasions that they should be able to cater for all your needs without any problems. An event management company will essentially be able to take care of every aspect of your event from catering to security guards if the need arises. Just imagine trying to organise your wedding over a year's time and the considerations you have to make like:

• Photographers
• Invites
• Numbers
• Seating plans
• Flowers
• Music
• Food
• Clothing

Realistically there is only so much one person can do and depending on how busy you actually are on a daily basis you may not have the time for all these shenanigans. Hiring a company to take care of all this responsibility and headache for you may be the best decision you ever make, because in addition to the actual organising you will have the added benefit of utilising the many contacts an events firm will have. Again remember they do this all the time so if you want an ice sculpture to make a red carpet entrance on your event then they could more than likely make it happen.

You may also require staff for on the day, as for example who are you planning on getting to serve your guests the food and drinks you are supplying whether it's a wedding or conference. Do you want your own guests to fend for themselves? Highly unlikely as this will get out of control by the minute. Take your time considering an events company, it is not a decision to be made lightly and you should consider all options.

Event Planning From The Onset

While many organizations continue to plan and organize their own events, conferences, meetings and conventions, an increasing number in recent years have decided to hire professional event planners/ organizers. While each organization must decide for itself whether it is better off planning and organizing its events in-house (either through use of paid staff, paid staff and volunteers combined, or volunteer only) or using outside professional assistance, once an organization hires an event professional, it is essential to perform certain basic steps to optimize the possibility for success.

1. The organization's event chair person or committee must begin the process by interviewing possible candidates to hire for the event. The candidates should be asked what they would do differently, and why it would be advantageous to hire them rather than doing everything in- house. These individuals must explain how they would save monies, including everything from negotiations to other ideas, as well as what they might to manage and enhance the events revenue flow.

2. Once the event professional is hired, he must sit down with the organization and get specifics from the organization. What are some of the mandated events or parts of events that must be maintained? What has been well received in the past, and what has not? Does the organization have a budget prepared for this event? Are there any budgets from previous year's events? What known and/ or mandated events, "freebies" or "comps," etc. should you know about? An event professional should not proceed any further in this process until everything is spelled out in detail, a workable budget is outlined and agreed to, agreement is made as to who makes which decisions, etc.

3. The event professional should handle all negotiations from the onset. Many events success or failure is almost predetermined by how well or poorly negotiations are handled, and how complete and detailed negotiations are.

4. The organization must provide a comprehensive list of volunteers for the event. The event planner must meet early on with these people, and motivate them to his vision for what would make this event successful and great.

5. There must be a clear cut chain of command that is agreed to. Exactly what items the event planner will and will not have final say regarding must be mutually agreed to. Specifically, which individual or individuals will have authority of specific areas must be understood, and honored by both the organization and the planner.

6. The event planner must create early on, a detailed flow sheet, with specifications and assignments. In the best scenario, the event planner should be the "point" person on all Food and Beverage discussions, and should have just one person from the organization as the "go to" person, in order to streamline and optimize the process.

7. The methodology to assure clear cut communications must be "ironed out" from the onset. It is essential that everyone is "on the same page."

A quality, professional event planner should save an organization time, hassle, expense, and discomfort, as well as enhance the quality of the event, assure all details are well coordinated, and "pay for himself" with the savings, suggestions, etc. he makes. An organization must do its due diligence from the onset to assure they go with the event professional best suited for their needs.

Preparing Your Business Case For a Corporate Event

Be clear on your objectives

First thing is first, be clear on why you are holding the event, and what the objectives are. When you think about it in business terms, your event is a means to an end result - make sure you know what that result should be before you start planning, otherwise it is easy to get caught up in the logistics of planning and forget what you are aiming to achieve!

Cost implications

Now that you have set clear objectives on what you want your event to achieve, the next thing to do is set a budget. Even if it is only an estimation, it will give you a good indication of the type of event you will be able to plan. This is essential for suppliers so that they can pitch suggestions within your budget. It will also make your life easier when you come to present the proposed event to the management of your company - you don't want to over or under estimate the importance of the event, especially as the event will reflect on the organisation.

Choose a venue

Choosing a venue for your event could be the easiest or hardest decision of the whole event management process! The number of guests you intend to invite will have the biggest impact on your venue decision. If you have large numbers there will be a limited amount of places that can accommodate you. Equally if it is a small event, you will have to seek out more intimate venues. Either way, book a venue well in advance of the event to ensure availability, and always think about its location - is it easy for your guest to get to? Are there reliable transport links and accommodation close by? You will find more advice on choosing the right venue for your event here.

Style for your target audience

Choose a style and format for the event that meets your objectives and appeals to those who will be attending. For example if the event is an opportunity for staff to let down their hair and celebrate a successful year of business, then you'll want something fun for them to enjoy. Perhaps a theme with lively entertainment and a relaxed atmosphere. Or on the other hand if you are organising a conference, your delegates might require a simply and clean style which has a comfortable working environment with available refreshments. Think about the type of people who will be attending and what they will expect to achieve from the event.

Planning and allowing enough time

Planning an event is a very time consuming process. A well received and successful event is a result of a great deal of devoted time, thought and attention to detail. Many people don't realise just how much of their time it will take up until they are well into the planning stages. If you are one of the many who's time is extremely precious, you might want to consider the use of an event management company to deal with all or certain elements of the event, to allow you to get on with doing your job.

Choosing suppliers

Choosing suppliers for an event can sometimes be a bit of a minefield. You never really know what they are going to be like until the event - and by then it's too late! Take the time to research different suppliers, finding our their track record. Ask them for testimonials from other clients to ensure that they will delivery the quality that you expect. The choice of suppliers in the events industry is extensive, but remember, as with anything you buy, if it appears cheap, the chances are you will be sacrificing either quality, service or choice - sometimes all three!

Schedule

Be organised and put together a detailed running order of how the event will run and brief everyone involved in the production of the event. This involves everyone from your venue, caterers, AV technicians to members of your company who have an active role in the event for example, keynote speakers, presenters etc.

Results

One of the most frequent questions that event planners are asked when pitching an event to their superiors is, 'what is the benefit of having this event?' In order to justify the spend on your event, you must be able to answer this question with confidence! Go back to your initial objectives and look at how you can measure their success. Was it to increase awareness of the company? Promote a particular brand? To reward employees? If you can measure the fulfillment of the objectives then you have proof of the success of the event. Give an indication of what you expect the results to be considering the budget etc that you have been given.

Events Insurance Explained

If you are holding a special event of any type which involves people outside your immediate family, home or business premises, you will require an events insurance policy to cover your liability to others and any property that may be used for the event.

Events insurance is a type of specialist commercial insurance that is usually sold as a policy package of liability, property and cancellation cover options.

Cover is available for individuals or companies who are either organisers or participants in the event. Nearly every type of event is catered for including sporting events, club meetings, fetes and fairs, festivals, exhibitions, parties and anniversaries, weddings and special events.

All polices will offer a minimum basic cover of public liability insurance which protects the event organisers against any costs or damages awarded, resulting from being sued for injury or loss to third-party members of the public. This includes claims from the event's attendees.

In the United Kingdom the minimum level of public liability cover offered is one million pounds, which can be raised up to five million for large events.

If an organiser is arranging an event where a licence is required from the police or local authority, such as a street party or gathering in public, the usual minimum requirement is two millions pounds of cover.

Unless you are Superman it is highly likely that you will employ people to help contribute to, run or organise the event. Even if these people are unpaid, it is still a legal requirement that the event organiser has employers liability insurance cover in force to protect against claims from workers and helpers who may be injured.

All events insurance policies include options for both types of liability cover for organisers, participants, performers and exhibitors.

A popular option for which an event insurance policy provides cover is that of event cancellation. This covers the costs of having to abandon, cancel or postpone the event due to unforeseen circumstances. For example a policy will cover cancellation if caterers fail to provide food, entertainers or performers do not show, your staff are unable to attend or even if the venue has become unavailable or double booked.

An expensive additional cancellation cover against extreme bad weather for outdoor events, called 'pluvious' cover, may be available for certain types of event such as weddings at certain times of the year.

The third type of cover offered by events policies is that of property cover. This is insured on an indemnity basis where the organiser declares the replacement value of property used for the event. This could be cover for anything that is hired in, such as marquees or dinner services, or against damage to property loaned or leased for a day, such as a local village hall.

Event Planning - Best Way To Plan Your Events

There was a time when event planning was not a professional industry and people used to plan their events themselves. But now the event planning industry has taken all the worries off people and providing the facility of making their events well managed and more memorable. Many people who want perfection in their events prefer to hire professional event planner. Event planning is a vast industry; it covers many areas such as wedding planning, business meetings, seminars, parties, cruises, field trips, award ceremonies and even children's birthday parties. But there are some people who do not get satisfied with other's work and do not hand over their arrangement to anyone else and do it on their own. So if you are one of them and planning your event then you should carryout a lot of research on event planning so that you avoid making any mistake and let your event go successful. If you keep these important points in your mind you would plan your event in a smooth manner.

Time; it is the most important point to remember in event planning; before planning an event, decide the final date and make sure you have at least two months for the preparation for the event. You can organize the event better if you have more time as there are many things you have to arrange for example venue, food, music, guest list, budget, interior appoint services etc.

Whether your function is indoor or outdoor, discuss the date of the event with the owner of the venue at least one month before whether it is available on that date and make sure that if there would be need of changes you would be able to do them.

Many event planning services can help by providing free consultation or suggestions; they can be very beneficial for you to make arrangements.

Budget is also one of the most important points to plan any event; you have to do arrangements within the budget. So plan a budget and make all arrangements keep it in mind. Make a list of all the required things for the event and inquire about their rates in the market; you will get to know the prices of your required things even on the internet. Keep spare money with you as you might need it for unexpected expenses.

Checklist; make a checklist for your event. Keep checking it often and make sure all the work is being done accordingly.

Keep these things in mind while event planning any and let your event go smoothly. But the best is to get a professional do it for you.