Saturday, June 15, 2013

Why Should You Hire an Event Planner?


With all the DIY (Do It Yourself) advice out there, why hire someone else to do what you can do yourself? The two most important reasons some choose to hire a planner is because, (1) They don't have the time to plan and (2) They don't know where to begin. Planning an event is very time-consuming and it can also be stressful. Knowing how to pull a perfect event requires some knowledge of the best way to go about creating that "perfect event". Because it's the job of an event planner to make the time to plan and create an event to be remembered, hiring a planner is usually the best stress-free choice. Still not convince? Here are some additional reasons why you should hire an event /wedding planner.

(1) When you hire an event planner you actually save time and money. A planner will help you budget your expenses.

(2) You can now enjoy your event worry and stress free, because someone is there taking care of even the littlest details.

(3) A planner will assist in creating and choosing themes, layout, arrangements for music, venues, flowers, etc. While you just sit there and okay everything. Now who doesn't want that kind of position?

(4) A planner is concern only with what YOU want for your event. You are paying an event planner to assist you in all aspect of your event and you are the planner's concern. Who couldn't use special attention?

(5) A planner will keep you organize and will provide guidance regarding your venues and vendor choices.

Overall, an event planner will guide and assist you in a step by step process for your event to be successful and entertaining. So don't fear the cost of hiring an event planner.

6 Reasons Why Event Planners Need A Website For Each Of Their Events


Individuals or companies often find they lack the expertise and time to plan an event themselves, therefore they hire a professional to take care of all their event needs. Using a planning professional eliminates the stress of booking and organizing. There are so many event planners out there to help arrange a couples dream wedding, a bar mitzvah, a reunion or any other milestone occasion. By providing your clients with their own website dedicated solely to their event, you are offering them something new and differentiating yourself. This will get clients to choose your service over that of your competitors.

Here are 6 reasons and advantages of having a website for each of your client's events:

1. Easier to manage and stay organized

As a planner, the key to being successful while having to plan numerous events simultaneously, is to stay organized. Nowadays, building a website is so easy to do and you can use similar website layouts for multiple events. No longer will you have to run from one client to another carrying books and writing everything down as all information can be easily integrated onto the website.

2. Convenience

By having a website specific for each clients event, everything pertaining to the particular client is in one place - on the website. You just simply have to type in the domain name created for that event, and all the information is right in front of you. This is convenient for both you and the client, as information can be easily collected, updated and disseminated. From the website, you can see the how things are progressing, what still needs to be done, and whether or not you are keeping to the predetermined budget.

3. Save time and money

You no longer have to worry about mailing and printing costs as invitations, RSVPs and thank you notes can all be sent online. You can reduce your marketing costs by promoting your event by connecting your social networking sites with your event website for everyone to see.

4. Differentiate yourself

Clients will choose a service provider that offers them something new and unique to simplify their lives. Developing a website for each of your clients events is a means to differentiate yourself from competitors and increase the scope of your business. Utilizing a website is an advantageous and attractive addition for you and your clients.

5. Increase breadth of services offered

If you are planning a corporate or fundraising event, you can offer the client an event website with integrated e-commerce and fundraising elements, such as online registration and online donation acceptance. This will allow you to tap into a brand new market as it will greatly appeal to those arranging corporate events and fundraisers. This can essentially change your whole business as you can now provide additional services and solutions to existing and new clients.

6. Make more money

By offering the ability to take care of absolutely everything related to your clients event - from planning, booking, decorating, invitations, and online fundraising - is an added value. Not only will this bring in more clients, but also higher profit as you can charge more for the additional services being provided.

Planning An Employee Recognition Event: Corporate Executive Gifts, Food And More


Saying thank you to employees is one of the most important things that smart business owners do. While simply saying thanks goes a long way towards making employees feel appreciated, there are other ways that businesses can show their appreciation. If you're thinking of recognizing employees with a fun event, consider these important steps.

Deciding On A Venue

A venue doesn't have to be fancy to show employees that you appreciate what they're doing for you. If you're short on money, consider having your event in your own office. If you have a conference room, you can decorate it with tablecloths, centerpieces, and other personal touches.

If you have a little extra room in your budget, consider having your event in a local hotel. Hotels are often well versed in events like this and they'll be able to take care of everything for you. You could also call around to local restaurants. Many times, restaurants have a designated room that's available for parties or other events. You may have to pay a small fee, but if you're going to be ordering food and drinks, some venues will allow you to use their room for free.

Selecting A Personalized Executive Gift For Everyone

At the get-together, make sure you give employees a token of appreciation. There are a number of corporate executive gifts available, so it's possible to give unique executive gifts to each employee. Some corporate executive gifts include plaques, crystal clocks, pens, and watches. If possible, try to choose a personalized executive gift for each person instead of giving everyone the same thing. Choosing unique executive gifts that fit in with the reason you're recognizing each person will go a long way towards making them feel appreciated.

Some reasons for recognition include best team, MVP, best customer service, perfect attendance, and employee of the year. If you're looking to give a personalized executive gift to everyone, consider small awards and lighthearted categories like best decorated workspace and other fun categories.

Choosing Food

No event is complete without food! The type of food you need is determined by the time of day you're having your party. If you're planning something in the middle of the day, try to feed employees lunch. Something that takes place in the middle of the afternoon can probably just offer light appetizers or desserts. If you're thinking of an evening event, consider a full meal with either a dinner buffet or waiters that come around to serve a sit-down meal.

Don't Forget The Entertainment

Entertainment can be as simple as having some of the managers getting up to perform a work-related skit, but many companies choose to hire either a humorous motivational speaker or a stand-up comedian to perform. Music is also important, but if you're on a budget, you can create a playlist on an MP3 player and simply hook it up to the sound system. Music should be loud enough to hear, but not so loud that employees are unable to talk to each other.

Most importantly, make your event fun! If employees go into the venue dreading it or expecting it to be boring, they won't want to participate. Whether you're giving big unique executive gifts like crystal awards or smaller items like imprinted pens, remember that it's important to show your appreciation all year round. Doing this will help improve employee morale and create a better workplace environment even after your event is over.

Event Planning and Productions


You have your live event in Minneapolis all planned out. You know that it was a lot of hard work getting every last detail together. All of the business meetings with your team for all of the final preparations. Getting a person or two to do their own little part, while others on the team did their assignment to bring everything together was a colossal undertaking.

Your special Minneapolis live event production is to be seen by thousands of people. You want to make sure your Minneapolis live event production is recorded without a single flaw. You will make sure you hire someone who can record your event with the best equipment. You want to make sure everyone can see a clear picture as well as be able to hear every last word that is spoken at this function.

Hire a company that will edit out parts of the live event production that does not need to be seen again. Make sure you hire a company that knows what they are doing so that you get the best of the final product that you can.

Use a high quality product through the company you work with so that you may edit the video yourself down the road if you need to.

If your special event or production needs to be seen around the world, make sure the company you work with has knowledge about streaming video or satellite uplink.

When Minneapolis event planning and productions are in order, let the company get to know you and what your live event is all about. The company should really listen to your needs. The company should not try to completely change what you are looking for when planning an event. After all, you are in charge and you know what it is you want. If the company listens, it will get exactly what you want--done.

Minneapolis event planning and productions can be a breeze with the right company helping you. One that uses a 4 camera flypack for maximum results. A company that knows how to get distinct shots with the cameras. A company that knows how to write for you and your event. You may know what it is you want, but need help with the writing. Work with a company that has phenomenal experience in writing to get your point across.

Festive Party - Office Event Planning


You want to create a festive party for the end of the year as a thank you for your group of employees and managers who have helped to keep your business running for these methods. Now, the question is, how can you pull it all off? Perhaps your budget is not huge or you may not have any idea what the company employees would actually want to do. The following are a few tips to help you to plan a successful event that is not only a success but also incorporates your company's goals.

Establish Goals

What do you want this festive party to actually include? Here are a few things to think about.

1. Do you want your employees to receive awards for their stellar performance?

2. Are you hoping to just get everyone together to say thank you to them?

3. Are you using this as a sales or motivational event?

The fact is, you need to know what you plan to accomplish by hosting the event before you actually get started in the planning of it. You can do this quite easily through just knowing what your goals are and organizing them.

Get things in Place

There are several things that you have to get in place as soon as possible, to ensure that your group has all of the necessary resources and information available to them. Here are some plans to help you with this as well.

1. Pick a location. Try to do something that is outside the actual office setting.

2. Choose food for the event, since this is almost always included

3. Invest in music, decoration, and gifts, favors or awards for your staff if you plan to give them out.

Now that you have these items in place, there are a few things to think about outside of them. Most importantly, you want to choose to have a company Christmas party that will suit everyone's needs. So, consider a time and place that works for everyone. If you will host it after hours, ensure you and your staff can make it then, or host it during normal working hours so that everyone can get there. You also want to ensure that everyone is able to communicate, network and build relationships. You may want to make it somewhat of a team building exercise by incorporating games that force people to work together.

There are many aspects to planning a successful party for your work family. That is a good way to look at them, too, as a family. That way, your company Christmas party will be the ideal way to bring everyone together to celebrate or just to say thank you to them for all the hard work they do for your business throughout the year.

The Benefits of a Wedding Planner


"Do I Really Need A Wedding Planner?"

That's a question many brides ask themselves. In the past, wedding planners were thought of as an extravagant "extra", meant only for the wealthy. Today a wedding planner has become more of a necessity. Many couples are so busy with work and other aspects of life that they need someone to help them plan their special day. A wedding planner can ease your stress and also save your sanity! Using one will allow you to enjoy the engagement period leading up to the wedding day.

There are many reasons to use a full service wedding planner, or at a minimum, a day-of coordinator. Here are just a few of those reasons:

Day-of coordinator - so you can enjoy the day...not work it!!!

A day-of coordinator is an invaluable asset to your event. You've done all of the planning up to this point and want to enjoy it. Without her, you will end up working at your wedding!

A Day-Of Coordinator will...

Be there to direct the rehearsal so that the bride and groom know what to do and when to do it, the bridesmaids and groomsmen know their duties, the parents know when to walk down the aisle, and the ushers know who to seat and where.

Confirm with all vendors the week before the wedding to make sure they know where to be and when to be there, and to confirm any outstanding balance. The coordinator will often deliver the final payments to vendors on the wedding day.

Keep a list of all vendor contacts and phone numbers in case of emergency (for example...the cake is to be there at 1:00 and it's 1:30 and no cake...it's happened).

Create schedules for everyone to keep the day running smoothly and on time:

-Bridesmaids: when to be at the hairdresser to get their hair/make-up done

-Groomsmen: when they need to be dressed so they can have pre-ceremony pictures taken

-Parents: when to be lined up at the back of the church/room

-Vendors: so they know the order of the day

Create a detailed timeline of events for the day so the DJ/band know when to start the dances (first dance, Father/Daughter dance, Mother/Son dance, etc.), when to do the cake cutting, and more. She will let the DJ/band know what songs you definitely want played - and those you don't (like the Chicken Dance).

Let the DJ/band know the order to announce the bridal party and how to pronounce all names correctly. Nobody wants to be announced at a wedding reception with a mangled pronunciation of their name!

Help pin on boutonnieres and corsages, which is an often missed detail. Minutes before the wedding everyone is running around scrambling to pin them on! The coordinator will ensure that boutonnieres and corsages go on the left lapel or wrist (because that is closest to your heart).

Keep a copy of the seating chart and assist people who can't find their tables.

Keep a copy of the photo list to make sure that the photographer doesn't miss any must-have pictures. And speaking of photos... she will make sure that the necessary people stick around after the ceremony to get their pictures taken. You'd be surprised how often people wander off and can't be found for a picture!

Have on hand a wedding day emergency kit containing things you would never think of (like WD40 - you'd be surprised by all it does), sewing kit (in case of rips or tears), oil blotters (for that shiny face) and much, much more!

Please note: many couples think that since their reception venue has a wedding coordinator that they don't need to hire one. The venue coordinator is a great asset to have, after all, the more people working on your wedding the better! However, when you hire your own day-of coordinator she will work with ALL of your vendors, she will work out the timeline for the day's events, as well as work out the logistics for what you want. She will be at the rehearsal to direct everyone. She'll be your go to person for anything you need on your special day.

Full service wedding planner - so you can enjoy the engagement period!

Wouldn't you like to enjoy the time leading up to the "big day"? A full service wedding planner will allow you to relax by helping with every aspect of your wedding. In addition to all of the things a day-of coordinator does, she has existing relationships with vendors, from photographers to florists and more. She knows who's good and who isn't. Choosing vendors that your planner has built relationships with will save you time. She already knows the quality of vendors and won't direct you to someone who does poor work.

A Full-Service Wedding Planner will...

Help you create a budget. Who knows better how much wedding vendors and items cost than a professional planner?

Save you money. She often has a network of vendors and can get you discounts or freebies added to the contract. The wedding planner represents your best interests.

Negotiate with vendors. Many people are not comfortable with "haggling". Wedding planners are; that's their job. They will negotiate with vendors to get you the best pricing and deal possible.

Have access to a wealth of knowledge and creativity. She has planned other weddings, read tons of bridal books and magazines, taken planning courses, knows what works and what doesn't.

Give advice on etiquette. This would include how to word invitations and place cards, how to seat people, and more.

Be up to date on current style trends. Wedding planners are often fashion "addicts," staying current on style trends. They can give you ideas on colors, favors, place cards, flowers and more. Whether you want a very unique wedding or a more traditional wedding, your planner can give you ideas and show you how to make it one that people will remember for years to come.

Act as your advocate, counselor and friend. She will be there to give you advice, she will listen when you need to vent about the parents insisting you invite all of their friends (it will happen), when you and your fiance argue about the centerpieces, or when your bridesmaids decide they don't like the dresses you pick...

It's worth repeating: a wedding planner can ease your stress and save your sanity! You will find this service an invaluable asset to have when planning - and enjoying - your wedding.

Friday, June 14, 2013

How to Become an Event Planner - Home Based Business


If you are looking to fire your boss while using your organizational and interpersonal skills, event planning is for you. The current state of the economy is the perfect time to embrace your entrepreneurial spirit and own your own business. The event planning industry is growing by leaps and bounds and proving very profitable for entrepreneurs. This article shows you how to become an event planner which is an ideal home based business.

If you have decided to stop putting money in someone else's pocket in a regular 9 to 5 job from which you derive no fulfillment, going into business for yourself is the way to go. Event planning as an at home job is a great option for the creative individual with excellent interpersonal skills. A lot goes into planning an event and you must be up to the challenge.

There are various types of events that need an event planner such as corporate events, weddings including the currently popular destination weddings, birthday party, bar mitzvah, as well as other party planning.

You can specialize in one area such as corporate events or offer your services for any event. Here are a few points to note before you get into the event planning business.

1. Skills and Abilities

Most event planners do not have college degrees although event planning degrees are available at some colleges. Most event planners will take a few classes to help them with some of the aspects of owning a business such as marketing, management, etc. You still may want to get certified just to offer some credibility to clients and potential clients.

Most event planners entered the business because they have great organizational skills and are great with people. They may have assisted someone else with some aspect of planning for a party and discovered that they have a skill in this area. If you are not very organized, there is certainly software that can help with organization.

2. Volunteer

If you are uncertain whether this is an area that you could excel in, volunteer to help a friend, family member or charity looking for party planning help. See how you like it before you decide to become an event planner.

3. Register the Event Planning Business

It is important to register the business to avoid any legal issues. The additional benefit of registering is that there are certain tax advantages for a home based businesses that you could use.

4. Professionalism

To be taken seriously in the industry, you must present yourself in a professional manner starting with your appearance. The way we are dressed is usually the first thing people notice about us. If unsure, consult an image consultant and get help.

All your correspondence with clients or vendors whether electronic or print, should be on your company letterhead. Most businesses have an online presence so this should be one of your marketing strategies.

Join local networking groups to help you spread the word about your business so that you can get referrals.

Your local chamber of commerce will provide guidance and are a great resource for starting your small business. There may even be opportunities for obtaining small business loans to help you with start up capital that you may need.

The success of this business is entirely dependent on your skills and abilities as well as your perseverance during tough times. The event planning industry is very profitable and continues to be and has the potential of making you financially free while doing something that you love and ensuring that people enjoy themselves at the events that you plan.

Top Five Mistakes Made by Event Planners


In the event planning world, it is safe to say that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, but it's even safer to say that in terms of those downfalls with events that many of them are common among event planners. When planning the ideal event for a client, many planners overlook most of the crucial elements in planning that eventually by the time the event comes around the corner comes back to haunt them. Here is a list of the Top Five Mistakes made by Event Planners that should be faced early on or can be avoided easily.

1. "We went over-budget in planning our event"
When planning an event that is expected to be one remembered for many years to come, it can be guaranteed that an event that memorable won't come cheap. At many times though, when clients insist on having certain elements but are working with a certain budget, more than the amount set aside to pay for the event will be spent. To work within budget, research potential, cheaper alternatives for elements of the event. This will still give your clients the experience they envision for their event in most cases and will cause fewer problems in the long run.

2. "As a planner, I didn't do all that was asked of me"
As an event planner, with so many things to secure and manage in planning for an event, it's a common pitfall to forget at least one or two of your goals when making the event all that the client wants it to be. In order to avoid this from happening, make and carry with you a checklist of things to do. It wouldn't hurt either to put some of the smaller work on a few assistants too.

3. "We picked the wrong location for our event"
When picking a location for an event, especially one where many pictures will be taken or many people will be there, it's so important to pick a place that is ideal to the event being planned and the other parts of it. It is common for an event to be booked at a location that either is too small, has bad lighting, or has not much to do with what you are planning. Touring locations instead of settling for the first place that sounds decent allows for this to not be a problem when planning your event.

4. "We chose the wrong speaker/entertainer for our event"
When deciding who to hire for a speaker or entertainer for your event, many people choose someone based solely on who they are fame wise or what they may have seen them do once before. The common mistake with doing this is that people of higher stature, no matter who they may be, are just like us and to go along with my earlier motto, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Make sure that when finding a speaker or entertainer for your event that they have plenty of experience and knowledge in their profession, view more than just a few samples of their past works, and be sure to try meeting with your speaker or entertainer at least once before your event to make sure they are prepared and are exactly what you want and need.

5. "I did not advertise my event properly"
There are times when planning an event that all the details but deciding who to invite and sending out proper invites and advertisements are looked over the most. As a result, advertising and inviting can be pushed to one of the last things to do before the event and this won't allow for as big of a crowd as you may like. It is best to set aside advertising and sending invites out as one of your first event planning objectives. This gives invitees the chance to plan ahead and mark their calendars, therefore guaranteeing a larger turnout for your event.

Event planning can be a smooth process with the proper planning and assessment of all objectives. Giving enough time to plan the event and to keep tabs on all the key elements will not only guarantee your clients to be happy, it will also leave you satisfied with your work.

Leadership and Strategic Planning -- They're Inseparable


I find it interesting, and a little amusing, to ask employees why they come to work. I usually hear of a paycheck or the threat of getting fired, so I rephrase my question to ask what they do to further the company's mission and goals. Mostly, I get blank stares. However, when I repeat this exercise with organizational leaders, and get the same sort of response, it quickly loses its humor.

I am amazed and appalled at how many leaders do not understand the importance of a good plan, and how essential it is to make sure their subordinates know the plan and understand their part in it. When I took leadership of an inventory management function that served an aviation operation, I received answers to my questions that emphasized the requirement to keep the warehouse stocked and make sure data processing was accurate and timely. These were internal concerns that while important, had little to do with the actual mission and helped to explain why the leaders in the aviation operation expressed concern to me that my section was not very friendly to their needs. I sat down with my subordinate leaders to develop a strategic plan. We carefully reviewed our mission -- without the aviation operation we supported we'd have no mission -- developed a mission statement, and set goals that focused us on supporting that mission. The change was dramatic. Relations with our primary customer improved as our new focus helped them better meet their mission.

So, what's a good plan? There are numerous examples of strategic plans available but there are a few things that must be included in a successful plan.

1. Vision and mission. The senior leader is responsible to ensure everyone knows his or her vision and the organization's mission. Be brutally honest. If your mission is to make money producing widgets, say so. Companies that have tried to emphasize their community involvement or environmental concerns have found that, while important, these things are not what pay the bills.

2. Make sure everyone knows the company's values. This is vital. Most people have similar values but it's important to ensure everyone in the company knows what leadership expects. In 1982, corporate values allowed Johnson & Johnson to react quickly to the fatal poisoning of Tylenol consumers. Though it was determined the tainted Tylenol was a criminal action by someone unrelated to the company, Johnson & Johnson recalled the product and introduced new packaging to prevent recurrence. That response cost millions, and may have saved the company.

3. Take a serious look at the things that are in your way. Put them in three categories. First, things you control. Fix those things! Fast! Second are issues that are causing problems but you may only partially control. Do everything you can to fix these issues, then move them to the third category; things you can't control. You can't fix these things so make sure your leadership team is aware of them and do your best to shield your workers. Don't forget them though. In time, you may be able to move some of them to the first category and fix them.

4. Create goals and objectives that are realistic. Goals are distinct actions that focus your leadership team on improving your business. Fight the temptation to define goals that merely address what's already being done. Look into the future. What do you need to do to position your business for future success? Each goal should have two or three objectives. These are the actual steps that will ensure the goal is accomplished. Goals and objectives must be realistic, reasonable, and measurable. That doesn't mean you have to create a bunch of graphs and charts. Sometimes that's necessary, but not always. Yes or no is a measurement, and maybe all that's required. Make a specific person accountable for each goal and objective with a specific deadline or there will never be completion.

The next step is where leadership and planning come together. Leaders must communicate the plan to the rest of the organization. Each individual must have at least a rudimentary understanding of the plan and, most importantly, know how they support the plan's mission and goals. I've seen organizations with detailed strategic plans that are not communicated well. The plans might as well not exist as the leaders have failed in their responsibility to make sure their subordinates know why they are important to the overall mission. Often they don't even know the mission. How do leaders expect their subordinates to implement a plan they aren't familiar with? How will leaders excel if they don't completely understand the plan?

Leadership can happen with or without a plan, but great leadership requires a plan.

Order Wholesale Trophies or Engraved Personalized Gifts for Sports Awards, Corporate Events and More


Shop online to get the best deal on engraved personalized gifts and wholesale trophies for a variety of events. Engraving allows you to add a personalized touch to wholesale trophies, awards and promotional products. Your recipients will display their trophies or engraved personalized gifts for years to come.

Trophies are the perfect way to recognize milestones and achievements for sports players of all ages. Whether you need trophies for one coach or an entire sports team, an online retailer offering wholesale trophies can make the process of customizing and ordering wholesale trophies affordable and hassle-free. Choose a retailer offering detailed, well-crafted wholesale trophies worthy of displaying for years. Your retailer's wholesale trophy website should provide online catalogues, and have the ability to overnight you catalogs to view full product listings. The site should include an option to message the retailer with your estimated order to request a quote for your event.

If you're looking to recognize the work or achievement of a teacher, employee or more, consider ordering personalized acrylic, crystal, glass or silver awards. These beautiful awards can be customized to fit any budget, and can be used for almost any occasion. Engrave with a person's name, company logo, meaningful quote, or whatever else you may have in mind. These engravable awards can be accented with additions such as different colored acrylic or wood trimming.

Engraved personalized gifts work well for multiple occasions, particularly for corporate events and for recognizing employee achievements. Order any number of useful gift items, including gold-plated brass keyrings, pen sets with engravable boxes or bases, desk clocks in a variety of finishes, or rosewood piano-finish jewelry boxes with laser engravable plates. Other common engraved personalized gifts include business card cases, picture frames and pocketknives. All engraved personalized gifts come in a variety of finishes, made of top quality materials. Order a set of business card cases with engravable leather tops, and gold plated cases, or picture frames with a beautiful piano finish and laser engravable brass plate. Order American Walnut quartz clocks, personalized with your employee, company name or more. Pocketknives feature wood or stainless steel finishes, and 11-function or 7-function varieties. Your recipients will appreciate receiving engraved personalized gifts and trophies for their hard work or achievements-these awards provide a since of accomplishment, and serve as keepsakes that last a lifetime.

Project Management - Event Chain Methodology


Event Chain Methodology is an uncertainty modeling and schedule network analysis technique focused on identifying and managing events and specific event chains that have an effect on schedules. This methodology assists in the mitigation of psychological heuristics and biases that may have a negative impact on the organization. It also helps to allow for the easy modeling of uncertainties that can appear in project scheduling. It is based on these principles.

The first is the probabilistic moment of risk. In real life, most activities do not continue indefinitely. They are, instead, performed on an individual basis and may not in any way relate to one another. Tasks are affected by external events that can occur anywhere within the process of their completion. Events can lead up to other events which then cause event chains to occur. They can have a significant effect on the outcome of the project. Quantitative analysis is used to come up with a cumulative effect of such even chains on the overall event schedule.

The single events or chains are those that have the most potential to affect the projects. The critical events or chains also have this type of potential. They can be determined by analysis.

It is also possible to track the events of a particular project. This can be accomplished even when a it is only partially completed and the data concerning duration, cost, and events that have occurred is available, it is still possible to refine information surrounding future events that could occur and this helps in the forecasting of the future performance of a particular project.

Event chain visualization is also used in project management. Here, events and event chains can be visualized with the aid of a diagram. This diagram is what is known as a Gantt chart. This enables leaders and other team members to view the information in a way that makes sense and depicts the data in a way that is easy to follow.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

5 Steps to Plan for a Successful Fundraising Event


Fundraising events are conducted with the sole aim to support a noble cause. For a novice it might appear to be a daunting task but with judicious solicitation of sponsors and enthusiastic planning all challenges can be effortlessly overcome. As fundraising events are mostly directed towards raising money, the most exigent task however remains is to convince donors and contributors, earning their trust to support for your cause. Logical thinking and proper planning will surely spell success for such events.

Here are some tips that will help you to successfully plan a fundraiser.

Working towards the Cause

All fundraising activities are targeted towards some cause. For instance, some are either conducted for the cause of helping flood victims or cancer patients or some are directed towards teaching underprivileged children. If you have planned to make your contributions towards a great cause like teaching then all you must make all provisions to execute it successfully. Depending upon the project you undertake it is necessary to decide on the venue, food and beverages, prizes for children etc. You can recruit additional volunteers to help you in your activities.

Adopting Means to Ease Out Donation Collection

Like other organizers you also have an expected amount in mind which you would like to raise via your fundraiser. But you will not take offence if the amount exceeds your anticipated amount. So you need to gear up everything to drive maximum support for your cause. In this era, when everything is technology driven, don't resort to means that are time consuming and complicated. To draw donor attention, you can however opt for Cloud-based software that eases the process of donation collection by allowing donors to make contributions either via credit/ debit cards or through standard payment gateways

Recognizing the Audience

Identifying the target audience is crucial to planning your fundraiser. So you first need to understand to which group of audience is your fundraiser targeted to. For instance, whether your fundraiser is for everyone in general or it is focused on any specific group like business people, parents, or young professionals.

Opting For Online Sponsorship page

Sponsorships are important for your events as it offsets your cost partially. Nowadays, you can have a dedicated page on your website to generate online sponsorships. Alternatively, investing in online fundraising system will additionally help you to do that. You simply need to enter the website, set up your page and send it to everyone you know. You can also post the link on your Face book page to keep reminding people about the sponsorships.

Extensive Event Promotion

You need to strategize on the ways you adopt to promote your fundraiser. The more the people come to know about your fundraiser, greater the chances of fund collection. An effective way to do so is through social media. These active social media platforms are the latest development which helps in creating a buzz about your fundraiser. You can spread your message through any of the networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or Linked In and connect with millions of like-minded users.

These are simple steps that you can follow to successfully plan your fundraiser.

Event Management


Event Management is the act of managing or organizing events or functions occurring at a particular place and time. Events range from festivals to team building sessions, rock concerts to training sessions. Event management requires proper consultation, planning and research. Conferences, galas, summer camps, day camps, sporting events, business events, meetings and university events are the most common events.

Event managers begin planning by booking an event at a particular location. They then plan for food and drink, entertainment, audiovisual needs, overnight accommodations for guests, tours and social programs and other support services. They will also help solicit sponsorships (especially for nonprofits), in order to help cover the cost of the event. A professional event manager will carrying out tasks flawlessly in an organized, disciplined way.

New technology has made an impact on event management, and has helped planners keep track of the many details that are involved in carrying out a successful event. This includes event-planning software that allows for f online registrations and sponsorship donation forms.

So whether you are a private individual, a company, or a government entity, you can save precious time and employ an event management company. This will allow you to take your mind off the event itself and focus on your day to day obligations. The event management company will consult with you a number of times to learn your desires and requirements, and they will also be able to offer a number of ideas. You choose how much control you want to hand over.

iPod Or Computer Wedding Event Planner


So you've decided on a DIY iPod wedding. It's a great way to save money and have control of your event. Now you get to have total control over the music and add your personal touch to your big day with an Ipod or your maybe your computer" Maybe you might want to use the worlds largest iPod docking station which I'll talk about later. Imagine no more Cheesy DJ or Bad music selections.

First let's talk about what your replacing... I'm a 30-year veteran DJ & I've seen it all. I'd much rather you hire me but the point here is how to DIY successfully. I'll show you just that. You have to remember not all DJ's are cheesy or play bad music. Sometimes DJ's get a bad rap because the client wanted the cheese and bad music played. Some DJ's can be cheesy on demand or quiet or somewhere in-between.

A good DJ will allow you the options and deliver exactly what you agreed to. When hiring a DJ you typically pay for experience & talent, a great DJ should comply with your every wish and if you're off base they should give good advice and still do what you ask. Things good DJ's do - Line up a wedding party for introductions, tell everyone where to go & when, introduce the bridal party with class and energy, introduce the 1st dance, invite the bride and father up to dance, invite the groom and mother up to dance, introduce the person giving the toast or toasts, intro the person saying a prayer, do cheesy things during dinner i.e. Glass banging invites, entice shy folks up to dance with silly dancing activities, host the cake cutting, garter removal and or announce garter/bouquet toss. and finally coordinate all these events with the venue and the photographer / videographer. If you're going to do this remember not to ask the venue staff to do the things a DJ would do for you. They have enough on their table. Pun intended.

Avoid hooking up your iPod and sound mixer/preamp to a hotels ceiling speaker system. That's even if they let you. It's very easy to blow it up and the repairs are quite expensive. Besides the sound is usually not very good anyway. More on the set up later.

Here's what you'll need to get started: (Everyone has different expectations) you have to decide what's important to you.

1. An iPod or a Lap top computer that plays your music, a Mixer / pre amp, speakers, stands, amplification, microphone, dj effect lights, up lighting, cables and connectors and a friend who knows how to set this stuff up. Oh there are two more options. Rent / borrow a DJ style sound system and have the friend set it up or there is also the option of renting the worlds largest iPod docking station which is basically a gigantic sound system in a box on wheels. It's plug and play and as long as you know how to operate your iPod you're good to go. You can rent this thing at iPodpartys.com , It comes with or without Video/slide show capabilities, with or without a DJ effect light and you can also play karaoke songs on it as it has a microphone attached. It's very cool and novel.

2. A friend or friends who won't mind pressing Play, Pause and possibly someone to make announcements. All who won't overindulge say or do the wrong things and ruin your day. (Microphone control is important)

3. A music/photo montage/video/karaoke selection session with your spouse 2B. Many iPods will allow all of those options.

4. Another session with your friends to add to what you've missed - and to eliminate the songs that may be cheesy in their opinion.

Planning the Cocktail hour

Make an iPod playlist for the cocktail hour.

Will the cocktail hour be in the same room as the reception? If not you'll need to either run an additional sound system (or giant iPod docking station), run a speaker from the set up in the reception room, set up the system in the cocktail room, break it down and reset the system in the reception area or just abandon the cocktail hour idea. I suggest background music for cocktails. Instrumentals work perfectly here. i.e. Non-High energy, mellow songs or even standards like Sinatra, soft rock etc. You may want to mix a little bit of medium energy in during the cocktail hour. You don't want to make to low energy. Make all playlists a bit longer than you would expect, as timing doesn't always go exactly as planned. Have fun with it, but remember that your guests are trying to talk during cocktails.

Dinner

Make a few playlists for dinner...

Playlist 1.

For during begin with a lower tempo and slowly build up the energy by increasing the speed of the music and the energy of the music as the meal moves along. Dinner is usually about 1 hour depending on if it's a buffet or a sit down. Sit-downs tend to be longer. You going to want to see people enjoying the music with feet taping and heads moving as dinner ends. Make your play-lists with extra songs, as it's typical for weddings to run late.

Announcements (If you're going to have them)

If you wish to have formal announcements select someone to act as the M.C. (Master of ceremonies) Have a script for the person/s you have chosen to make your announcements unless your comfortable with that person/s ability to adlib, not say anything that will offend anyone, use clear diction, hold the microphone close to the mouth without cupping it, not speak to long and have the ability to control the microphones use. You may wish the M.C to introduce the bridal party and then the bride & groom. Following this you have to decide when and if you want the following events to occur.

1st Dance, Father/Daughter dance, Mother/Son dance, Toast/s, blessing announcing of the cake cutting, garter removal and or announce garter/bouquet toss. The announcements should be warm, professional and fun. If the announcements are in anyway the slightest bit offensive sounding, it could ruin everyone's fun and the feel of your reception. I suggest you exercise extreme caution here, as this element is crucial and can make for a failed wedding reception if not executed properly. Have someone to operate the iPod for introduction music, as this would be difficult for the MC to do at the same time.

Dancing

Playlists for Dancing.

After or in between your events you may wish for your guests to dance. I suggest you make 2 playlists, one for fast music and the second for slow songs. This depends on how much you want the ipod operator to be involved and how much control you want over the dancing.. Your iPod operator should be familiar with its use. The operator should not be cutting songs off by accident while people are dancing, knowing where to find songs, how to avoid a long space between songs etc. Roughly estimate to play 4 to 6 fast ones and then 1 or 2 slow ones. You can repeat this process until the end of the reception or You can just make one playlist for a fully automated reception.

The order of the songs is important. You want to make sets of songs that build up in speed, beats per minute and intensity. When it gets to a climax, that's when you change to a different genre or go to a slow song. Watch out for songs with long boring introductions, especially long talking intros that will clear the dance floor. If you really want control over the music make many playlists with different types of music. You may want to set your ipod to crossfade. Remember that can cut off the end of songs that have a pronounced ending. Normalizing the sound on your iPod also makes for less high and low volume songs, which can be annoying.

Video and more

If your iPod has video capabilities you can have a slideshow presentation with music, have it scroll through photos of days gone by, scroll through photos of the ceremony. (Provided someone with a laptop can do this for you quickly or make it on a second iPod). Maybe play music videos or even some karaoke A wide screen projector and screen can be added to the giant iPod docking station, party / dancing lights, wireless microphone, they can even add larger sound or set you up to use your computer on there system. They also can rent you a full DJ rig with very powerful sound.

IPod Tips

Sound for dancing sounds better when it's closer to the dancing area. Have someone line up the guests for introductions and make sure whoever is being announced for whatever event is actually there. (Having M.I.A.'s looks bad and wastes time).

Have someone coordinate with the folks providing food service and camera/videographers. Nothing is worse than someone saying go get the food when it's not ready yet, announcing a toast when no beverage is available or having the 1st dance missed by the photographer or worse yet a missing spouse.

Have someone control the microphones use. If you have a free for all on the microphone you may get screaming, talking over songs, bad language or just way too much conversation by to many people that can hold up the events. Especially when alcohol is served.

When programming your music decide if you want to just please yourself or do you wish to also please your guests. Many times they expect the silly stuff to have fun. A musically themed event is nice for creating an atmosphere however it can be boring if not programmed with the guest's fun in mind.

If your going to pick people to do the announcements and music, choose people whom don't mind spending time away from the fun of the wedding. Don't you or your spouse try to run all this yourself. Remember it's YOUR day and you don't want to be stressed out or not remember / experience the joy of your wedding day.

Conclusion

If this seems all too much of a production, I'm available for a fee, in Orlando to make your announcements or I can just come out and professionally DJ the whole event for you. Just remember a reception is a PARTY. Have fun!

The Challenges of Event Planning


Event planning can include corporate events, weddings, concerts and shows. There are two basic ways in which planning and executing an event can be done. One is to do it yourself with the help of your fellow employees and friends, the other is to hire a company to do it.

Today there is a whole host of companies dedicated to this type of work. No matter who does it, planning a show is not something you want to rush into. It should be carefully thought out and done accordingly. It is possible to plan an event without the help of professionals provided certain guidelines are followed.

Business events are an important aspect for any type of business and it is the most common type of event or party. Corporate events are an important part of its success. This way, the employees will know what is going on with the company and it will keep them happy. No matter what type of event is being planned there are five basic guidelines that need to be followed. The first one is who is the event being planned for? This is when questions such as who will be attending need to be made very clear. If there are VIP's attending then hiring security personnel and photographers may be needed.

The next question should be what exactly is the event planned for? This is when questions regarding the theme of the party can be worked out. Events can be planned for two drastically different reasons. For example, a wedding party will have a completely different theme compared to a gun show. As a result the objects needed such as decorations and chairs will be completely different.

The next item on the list will be where is the event going to be held? This is a very crucial one which many people tend to overlook, only to find their event being held at a pig sty. The location of the event can either make or break the event. If you are hiring an event management company then make sure the location is chosen wisely. They may hold the venue at a place where it may be the cheapest for them. Therefore make this very clear at the beginning, before signing the contract.

The next item on the list concerns when or the exact date and time. The duration of the event should also be taken into account. For example, if the event is supposed to happen on the 6th of the month, and then make sure it is clear with both, the guests as well as people who are arranging the event.

There are instances where it will be arranged for the 6th or any other date for that matter, and the guest show up on the 7th instead! Last but least, the next question is, how is the event planning going to be done? This is when all the nitty gritty details get worked out. Questions such as how many chairs will be needed, food and menu, microphones and loud speakers, projectors for presentations, budget, transportation and decoration will be decided. The bottom line is that planning an event need not be a headache if some logical steps are followed.

Get the Best Value Out of Corporate Events


Corporate events imply not just investment of money. But it also signifies a significant amount of investment of time. In fact whenever, such event is organized at the corporate level, it takes up 1% of staff of the company's budget and total working hours.

There are certain outlines which need to be taken care of, when planning any such corporate events. These are some of the important features which is generally overlooked.

Objectives of the Events

It is important to be clear about the objectives when planning corporate events. These objectives should comply with the corporate goals. Thus the type of event that you host will be strongly influenced by the outcome of what you are trying to accomplish or achieve.

The objectives that the company is often trying to achieve is psychological. Hence it could either be something like trying to overcome departmental and internal barriers, or to reward an employee or a staff for some good work done. The main point is to realize whether the objective is a negative one or a positive one.

It is important to decide whether you are planning to build on the success in the past and thus reinforce much of the quality work that has already been done. Thus you can consider about rewarding the staff with some quality time away from the work floor.

This will not only motivate your staff to work hard but also provide them with some morale boosting time away from work.

The other main objective of corporate events is trying to get rid of the psychological barriers that leads to hindrance in communication. In such a case, you need to work with a completely different approach as you need to improve interaction between two people who do not normally interact.

Planning

After you have decided on your goal and general approach, you need to decide on the psychology of the event that you are planning to host. The psychology of the event needs as much planning as the logistics of activities, meals, accommodation, break times and transport does.

For instance through the corporate events you are planning to improve the management and employee relationship. One way of achieving this is by mixing them in groups at tables or during mealtimes. If you do not ensure that this happens more often then not, you will find them sitting with their own friends and colleagues. Thus you need to make an effort to ensure that they mix around as intended without it looking too contrived. This can be achieved by implementing the following methods like:


  • Let everyone know beforehand that they need to mix with each other

  • Introducing a formal seating plan

  • Making random sitting arrangements based on criteria like date of birth

  • making everyone to swap tables in between courses

You may have other ideas that you can implement and work on. You need to do prior planning for it as much as you would do when deciding something like wedding function venues.

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Event Management and How to Hold a Successful Ceremony Or Celebration


Events can come in many forms, and include product launches and press conferences attended by a few key representatives and journalists, right up to televised parties and award ceremonies that are attended by hundreds or thousands of celebrities and industry guests.

All kinds of events need to be managed, including corporate hospitality, company functions, Christmas parties, movie or theatre premieres, team-building away days, business lunches, drinks receptions, summer garden parties, street shows and art exhibitions.

Event management is the act of managing any one of these gatherings, at a specific time and place. All aspects of an event need to be managed, and include details such as choosing the right venue, producing invitations, arranging decor and catering.

Organising an event can also involve hiring any necessary staff such as entertainers, waiters, cleaners and security. Holding an event for a product, or to celebrate an occasion, sends a message that the product or occasion is important.

The work beings with choosing a location. If the people that are to be invited can reach the location easily, then they are arguably more likely to attend. Although a remote location might dissuade some invitees from attending, if it is an exclusive and unusual location - such as a stately home in the countryside - that might prove to be part of the event's attraction.

The venue must have the facilities needed, or be able to provide them. If it's something as simple as a press conference, then a podium, PA system and some chairs might be enough. If it is a New Year's Eve party for a thousand clubbers, then the venue will need DJ equipment, a cloak room, A VIP area, at least one bar and sufficient toilet facilities.

If the venue in question does not have the facilities your event requires, you will need to find a cost-effective way to have them installed temporarily.

If the event is launching or promoting a product, then branded decor will be a wise decision. Branding can go anywhere, from banners above a doorway, to logos on wristbands to promotional t-shirts.

Decor and branding provide the visual impact that helps to burn memories of an event into the minds of the attendees, long after the taste of the food, the words of the speaker or the sounds of the music have faded. This is especially true if press photographers might be present.

When providing refreshments, it is probably more appropriate to provide the likes of tea, coffee and water for a daytime function. A party at night is a different situation, and might require either a free bar, possibly sponsored by a drinks brand, or for the event organiser to pay for it. Something like a nightclub event is naturally exempt from this, as clubbers are used to having to pay for drinks.

If promoting a brand, consider sending the revellers home with a goody bag containing either samples of your product, items that contain your brand logo - or impressive designer freebies, if it is a particularly high-profile event.

Having the right Health and Safety documents and procedures are important to any event. A promoter should complete a risk assessment form, and have public liability insurance in place. The venue must also have the appropriate paperwork regarding safety measures, such as fire doors and information on capacity limits.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Casual Grace - Smart Beach Wedding Planning Make It All Look So Easy


There's nothing quite like the casual grace of a beach wedding. It often looks so effortless. At least, it does when it goes well. If not, it is easy to see what was missing - planning. It is planning that makes that casual grace possible in a beach wedding. Planning a wedding is difficult enough as it is. When you add distance to the mix, such as when planning a wedding at a fabulous destination like the Virgin Islands, things can become much more difficult to arrange and manage. It may be a good ideal to consider making use of a skilled professional that is local to the island chosen for the wedding.

Even a casual Virgin Islands beach wedding has a significant amount of planning involved in it. United States citizens don't need passports to go the U.S. Virgin Islands, but there are the standard marriage license documentation requirements to deal with, just like anywhere else. This is a process that experienced wedding event planners specializing in the Virgin Islands area suggest starting 30 days in advance in order to make sure there are no difficulties on the day of the wedding. And, that is just the first of the details to be managed successfully to ensure that the wedding day goes as smoothly as desired. A skilled planner, one well experienced in creating just the sort of magical event that everybody hopes their wedding will be, can be trusted to stay on top of all of those details.

Location is another important detail that a planner right in the Virgin Islands can help with. Full of important insider knowledge, such as which beaches tourists flock to and which are the sort the locals prefer, an event planner can assist in the selection of the wedding beach best suited to individual taste. Some couples enjoy the vibrancy of busy beaches, like the gorgeous white sand beach at Magens Bay. Others prefer a more secluded beach for the exchange of wedding vows, finding Smith Bay Beach to be more to their liking. Locals are more familiar with the subtle details as well, knowing which beaches are most beautiful at specific times of the day, such as sunrise or sunset. Because of its location on the western part of Saint Thomas, the beach at Brewers Bay is especially suitable for sunset weddings.

Working with a wedding planner to arrange a tropical island beach wedding that is as smooth and hassle-free as it is casual and graceful is a wonderfully simple way to make sure all of the details are right, from the choice of beach to the flavor of the wedding cake. A wedding day should be a magic event like no other, something as special and personal as marriage itself. Letting someone else deal with the more mundane event details allows the bride and groom to immerse themselves more fully in what is really important - enjoying the experience and significance of the wedding day to its fullest. Remember each special moment without having it clouded by the recollection of the efforts it took to achieve it. Leave the details to the wedding planner and enjoy the celebration.

Selling Catering and Event Services by Phone - Converting Inquiries Into Sales


Phone Skills That Book More Events

I got this question from a new marketing client of mine who founded of a new catering and event company after years of working for someone else.


I'm finally getting leads from the website! This week I got more job inquiries than I ever did before. Now my problem is selling them once they call me. How do you handle an incoming call from a prospective client who is thinking about hiring you? Thanks, L.T.   Here are a few tips I passed on to L.T. He reported back that he's much more relaxed and so far he's booked a $9,000 job using these ideas. I hope you have the same luck!

First and foremost you want to build rapport quickly. You want the caller to get a good feeling about you and your business. No, this isn't about "brown-nosing" or "sucking up" or "schmoozing." It's about attitude.

Some thoughts to consider before you pick up that phone ....

Attitude of Gratitude. Be happy that somebody is giving you the opportunity to serve them in a way that allows you to use your gifts and talents and make a profit. Don't act grateful ... BE grateful.

Attitude of Service. Be ready to help the caller in whatever way you can - even if that means sending the caller to your competition.

Attitude of Enthusiasm. When I coached L.T. we recorded some of his phone conversations (you can record your side of the call without getting permission) and he was shocked. He was trying to sound like a "business professional." He sounded as enthusiastic as a Department of Motor Vehicles employee on a Friday afternoon.

Unless you only cater at funerals and bankruptcy hearings most customers are enthusiastic about the event they're planning. They want to deal with a relaxed, confident and happy event professional.

The Most Important Person in the World.

Dale Carnegie taught us to "Make other people feel important - and do it sincerely." How do you do that? Ask questions that you really want the answers to and listen carefully to the answers. When was the last time you spoke to someone who really cared about your opinion? Didn't that make you feel great? Really try to understand what the client is saying - so few people do.

Care. Don't ask about a client's fishing trophy if you really don't care. That's cheap, insincere and transparent. My style of selling is strictly business - I don't talk about sports, the weather or how nice your tie is. When I meet you as a prospective client I always get right down to business - not my business - your business.

Prepare. I go into every meeting prepared - I don't ask questions that a professional should already know. If I'm trying to get a trade show account I know everything I can about the industry, the company, competition and their latest products. If I'm pursuing a sales incentive meeting I know the names and territories of the Sales Managers, the size of the sales force and the demographics of the attendees before I approach the buyer. Knowing what you're talking about goes much further than unctuous glad-handing.

How do you prepare for an unexpected telephone inquiry? Stop winging it!

Intake Form. Type up an intake form to capture all the information you'll need ... and include questions that your competition isn't asking.

High Value Questions. Make a list of smart questions that increase your understanding and improve your professional image. List questions that make the client say, "Wow, I'm so glad you asked me that - I didn't think of that!"

Major Sales Tip! Always ask the caller if they've ever hired or experienced a service like yours before. Then ask, "What did you like about it?" and "What didn't you like about it." Get the answers to these two questions and your callers will have told you exactly how to sell to them.

When L.T. asked a client what she didn't like about a previous caterer, the client said she didn't like the servers - they didn't look professional. L.T. emailed over photos and testimonials about of his wait staff . He got the job!

Objections. Start keeping track of all the objections you get on the phone ... and then prepare a presentation that preempts them. The best way to handle an objection is to structure your presentation so that they never become an issue - but be careful about preventing clients from voicing their legitimate concerns.

L.T. thought that by saying to callers, "Our prices aren't cheap - because we don't do cheap work and our clients only want the best," eliminated the price objection. It didn't - it made the caller feel too embarrassed from sharing price concerns - and made L.T. sound like a jerk!

Sales Script. No, you never want to read a sales script to a caller and end up sounding like a phony telemarketer ... but you do want to make sure you give the caller a great sounding presentation.

Here's how to write a great telephone sales script: Don't write it - speak it.

Record and transcribe yourself talking to clients. Listen to your recording with a colleague or coach and pick out the parts you feel do a great job selling your services. Transcribe those phrases - exactly as you spoke them - and create your "pitch." It will sound like you - but your best you!

Bowling Parties and Events


Bowling is fun and entertaining for families and friends or co-workers of companies and corporations. It can consist of entertaining, socializing and exercising while having fun.

Bowling parties can be to just get together for family and friends, but most are birthday parties for children. Most bowling centers have birthday party packages. The children can bowl and usually eat pizza. The party organizer can make theme invitations or purchase them and other party supplies from an online bowling party website. Favor bags are always a big hit with the guests. A bowling theme birthday cake would be appropriate. Very young children can still bowl because the lanes have bumpers ( they keep the ball from going in the channel or gutter). These type of birthday parties are fun entertainment for children of any age. If you go to a bowling center and see the excitement and enthusiasm of children while bowling, you will be convinced that a child's bowling birthday party will be a big hit and remembered for a long time.

Bowling birthday parties for adults are also in order. You can arrange with the bowling center to reserve some lanes for the party. You would, probably, be able to order food in advance from the snack bar, maybe pizza, to feed the guests.

Companies and corporations can organize bowling events for their employees or co-workers can plan different types of bowling events. Organizing teams for the event can be fun and entertaining because of the competition. These may be held to help co-workers to get to know each other and/or just to have fun together.

Whether you are going to have a birthday party for a person of any age or have a get together for co-workers, a bowling party will be fun and entertaining for all participants.

Other bowling events consist of local, state and national tournaments. No matter what average you have, bowling in a tournament is fun and you meet new bowlers. If the event is out of town, you and your team get to visit other cities and bowling centers and meet bowlers in other cities. Because most bowling tournaments use a handicap system and/or divisions based on your average, all bowlers are competitive in tournaments.

Bowling is a sport that is fun and entertaining for everyone. It can be for family time, friends nights out, birthday parties for all ages, company and corporation events and tournaments. Bowling is for all ages, skills and physical disabilities.

The Best Event Caterers in Sydney


Food catering is an art some caterers in Sydney have mastered it with perfection. There are some caterers in Sydney who serve the choicest dishes and menus and they are sure to make your day memorable for whatever reason you have hosted the party. Sydney has now become a popular destination for weddings and it is home to some of the largest conglomerates in the world who host a plethora of corporate events. As a result various gatherings are hosted all over the city and some of the best caterers in Sydney offer their services to this high profile event.

Amadeus Catering: Amadeus Catering has been an important name in the catering business and it caters to some of the elite and high profile events of Sydney. They also arrange for weddings, graduation parties, birthdays anniversaries and almost every occasion that you might want to celebrate. You can either choose from one of their customized packages or you may have an item and food list of your own and they are ready to indulge your preferences as they believe you should have everything that you want on your special occasion. They can recommend an assortment of wines and beverages to go with the different courses.

Amory Catering: Their area of service is generally in the greater Sydney area and extra charges are required if your desire their services somewhere else. But in the end it is worth it because it has one of the best services in Sydney. It was first established in 1932 and after so long in the business, it has everything to make your day a memorable one. They hold the Liquor License and the Gold License which means you can impress your guests with the choicest of wines from around the world. They boast of having catered in venues like Clark Island and Shark Island, The Rocks, Balmoral Beach and many exotic and high-profile venues.

Flavors Catering: They specialize in Event Catering ranging from corporate events to office functions to graduation or Christmas parties to jus about anything else. They specialize in serving the right kind of food depending upon the occasion so their menu consists of everything like finger food, breakfast boxes, gourmet salads, fresh fruits, cocktail bite combinations, BBQs - anything you wish for. They have their own line of beverages and special cocktail drinks which are sure to make your guests remember your celebration for a pretty long time.

Conference Organisers Take the Hassle Out of Organising a Perfect Event


Book a venue, send out a few invites, draft a programme and arrange for a speaker to turn up on the day. If only organising a conference was really that simple... In practice, even small conferences can involve hundreds of individual tasks - all of which must be completed on-time and within budget for a successful event. Planning even a modest conference can easily equate to a full-time job - and many of the skills involved are specialist ones. That's why, when faced with the challenge of arranging conferences, many managers turn to professional conference organisers to remove the hassle and complexity of conference organisation.

The benefits from hiring conference organisers

Appointing conference organisers can bring several important benefits:



  • Increased return on investment from your conference.

  • It frees your time for other business activities.

  • You can get better results with conference organisers.


  • Enjoy priceless peace of mind knowing your conference is in professional hands.

  • A successful conference boosts your reputation.

What services do professional conference organisers offer?

An experienced organiser should be able to handle all aspects of a conference - from delegate invites to post conference analysis. All you need to do is brief them and they'll do the rest. In some cases the organiser is also a venue operator. This can be a great help as it makes integration of the event organisation and the venue even smoother. Conference organisation services are typically grouped as follows:


  • Conference and event organisation and marketing

  • Delegate management

  • Speaker management

  • Finance management

  • Venue management

A smaller conference organiser may try to handle all these services with limited resource - maybe just the proprietor and a couple of assistants. Major companies, however, will have a multi-skilled team of qualified specialists (including Event Management graduates) who can be assigned to your project.

How to use your conference organiser

A good conference organisation business will offer a range of services from which you can mix and match specific support depending on your needs. Maybe you only need help with sourcing a keynote speaker? Or perhaps you want to unload the whole conference process onto your supplier? Either way, an adaptable conference event management firm will tailor a bespoke solution just for you - taking away the stress and strain of conference management, delivering a professional event and building your reputation as a conference organiser.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Enterprise Resource Planning - How ERP Systems Can Help Your Business


Businesses are constantly looking for ways to streamline their processes. The ability to unite the data from a range of business departments can work wonders in helping you plan your business processes going forward. Luckily, with the advances in computer technology this ability has become a reality. This article will highlight how ERP systems can help you plan your business.

Finance and accounting
One of the most important business areas to monitor is the finance department. You want to ensure you have a good overview of all the payments made to and from your business. ERP allows you to keep on top of your budgeting, cash management, receivables, payables, and more.

Customer relationship management
Probably the second most important consideration is the management of your customer relationships. After all, it is you customers that make your business what it is. With a good ERP system, you will be able to effortlessly manage your customer care and customer service strategies, as well as have a detailed insight into your sales and marketing strategies.

Manufacturing
Knowing exactly what goes into your manufacturing processes in terms of time and money will help you effectively plan and price your projects. With enterprise resource planning you can easily monitor workflow, the engineering process, and all of the associated costs that go into the manufacturing process.

Project management
As with manufacturing, knowing how your business currently handles its project management gives you a great insight into planning better strategies for the future. ERP systems allow you to keep an eye on all areas of project management, from the overall time taken through to all of the costing and billing associated with a particular project.

Human resources
Without efficient monitoring, your human resources department can eat unnecessary chunks out of your budget. By having an ERP system in place, you'll be able to monitor all of your HR processes, including training, recruitment, and payroll. You can use this data to help you plan your HR activity for the future.

Supply chain management
A good ERP system will allow you to keep an eye on all of those activities that happen around your business too. You can check up on purchasing, supplier scheduling, commissions, and all of your orders, helping you find ways to reduce your supply chain costs.

Access control and customisability
Finally, you can use enterprise resource planning systems to fully tailor your business processes. You can control who can access certain data sets and you can even use external programming companies to tweak your ERP so that it is in line with all of your business activities.

Using Event Software to Monitor & Analyse Your Event Success


Managing and organising events has always been a very time consuming and complex area. Given the backdrop of the current economic climate, event managers must now also ensure that the events they are running produce a high Return on Investment (ROI). The number of events being organised has dropped since the recession, and of those that are still taking place have seen a fall in delegate numbers. So analysing events and ensuring they have a fast and solid ROI is now more important than ever.

There are many ways of analysing event success, but first event managers must know why they are holding the event, and how they would class the event as a success:

o Why are we planning this event?
o Are you organising the event to increase sales?
o Trying to reposition or create awareness of a product or service?
o Are you simply hoping to raise visibility of your company?
o What are your event success criteria?
o What would you deem a successful event?

Once event managers understand why the event is taking place, they will have a better awareness of the metrics they must measure in order to evaluate its success.

One of the best ways of gathering information is by requesting feedback from the delegates themselves. This can be done in a variety of ways such as talking to them at the event, giving them a feedback card to complete at the end of the event, or calling them after the event to ask them their opinions. However, one of the most effective and efficient ways of amassing this information is by sending out tailored event feedback questionnaires via email, directly to delegates after the event. Email is a popular tool of choice for many event managers; it is fast, effective, inexpensive and a modern tool that the majority of people have access to.

Event managers can use event software to create the questionnaires online - built within their own website. An email is then automatically generated to ask the delegate to complete the questionnaire (a link will be provided in the email). This is an excellent way of gathering the information from delegates; because the form is online on your own website, the information can be automatically populated into your event software application, removing any form of manual data entry. The event software can also be integrated with your CRM platform, automatically updating this as well.

Asking delegates to go online to complete the questionnaire also means that they are directed back to your website. If your event was trying to sell a product or create brand awareness, you can use this opportunity to direct them to the relevant page on your site, boosting sales and conversions - helping to further increase the ROI.

Once you have gathered the feedback data, it is important that event managers are able to analyse it effectively. One of the common complaints from event organisers is that creating the post-event reports can often be more time consuming than organising the event in the first place!

This is where event software is able to help again. By automatically pulling in all the information gathered by the delegate feedback surveys, the event software not only removes the time involved in inputting the data, but it also means that reports can be generated with a click of a button. Managers can choose between standard reports or create fully customisable ones based on a particular event.

Event software reporting tools can also measure other event metrics such as

· Expense to Revenue Ratio (E:R)
· Conversion rate of invites sent vs. delegate registrations
· Delegate registrations vs. Attendance
· Delegate Lead Quality and Quantity
· Delegate Quality and Quantity
· Sales Cycle and Opportunities

Because event software uses the latest technology, all these reports can be created online, and can be split up or drilled down into, for a closer or more general view.

Using delegate feedback tools and reporting software can help make the analysis process faster and easier for event managers. However, using these applications independently from one another may cause conflictions and IT issues. The best way to apply event software to your event planning process is to invest in a full end-to-end event management software application. Event management solutions traditionally encompass online feedback and integrated reporting, but also offer a host of other event software tools:

· Website integration: Integrate your event software with your existing website without the need to re-design or re-brand
· Registration management: Create fully customisable online booking forms allowing you to capture the most relevant information from your delegates
· Email Marketing: Sophisticated, integrated & fully functional email marketing tool enabling organiser to send highly targeted email campaigns marketing to the relevant delegate audience
· Invitation Management: All-inclusive, easy to use, integrated invitation management tool
· Payment Processing: Providing a variety of options to allow your delegates to pay online securely
· Resource Management: Manage and allocate all resources through a comprehensive calendar feature, providing event managers with total control of all aspects of the event management process
· Badge Production: Produce individual delegate badges pre or during the event
· Survey & Feedback Tools: Integrated and automated feedback management tool, allowing event planners to action the opportunities from your events immediately
· Event Reporting: Determine the true ROI through powerful reporting and analysis suites, enabling event organisers to simply and quickly drill down to the data in just a matter of seconds

Using an all in one event management software provides the highest level of organisation and efficiency to event organisers. No longer do you need to manage all your event planning on a dozen different spreadsheets; using an all in one event software solution means you can automate many of your manual tasks and gain not only improvements in efficiency and control, but will benefit from a reduced cost of event planning; further increasing the ROI from your events.

Top 5 Questions Organizers Must Ask Before Holding a Fundraising Event


Fundraising events are organized with an aim of raising funds for supporting a noble cause. However, organizing a successful fundraiser involves a lot of responsibilities. Here, in this article, we have come up with five important aspects, which an organizer needs to address before holding any fundraiser.

How to Attract People to the Event

Attracting a large number of attendees to your event is extremely crucial to your fundraiser's success. The more you attract attendees, the more will be your chances to get donations. Hence, you must adopt effective promotional campaigns to spread your message to a larger audience. You can access the marketing capabilities of the event registration software in order to promote your events in no time. You can also provide updates on social media websites to reach out to a larger number of audiences. Try to be little creative with paper and digital invitations, if the budget allows you to do so.

How to Make People Donate

In recent times, a large number of organizers are turning toward online solutions for increasing participation as well as donations. The software offers the convenience of registration and payment processing, right from the comfort of home. With so many conveniences, you can encourage interested people to make generous donations, and that too, without any manual labor.

How to Choose a Perfect Venue

Choosing an appropriate venue is extremely crucial for organizing a successful fundraising event. If you have already scheduled a date for it, arranging a venue will be easier for you. You can check out the local halls and clubhouses that might be suitable for organizing the event. However, before selecting a site, you must visit the place personally. Check out, if the venue is appropriate for organizing a fundraising event. In addition, you also need to check if the site can accommodate the needs of your guests.

How to Attract Influential Sponsors and Celebrities

Non-profit fundraisers always try to attract celebrities or influential sponsors, in order to build up a potential base of sustainable donors. To do this, you have to approach these people directly. You can even invite these potential attendees to give a speech about your fundraising endeavor. It helps you build up your market presence, which, in the long run, comes in handy to attract more funds from long-term donors.

How to Get Good Volunteers

With a group of experienced volunteers, you can make your fundraising venture a grand success. Hence, you must put a great deal of effort in choosing your volunteers. While appointing them, check out if they have adequate experience in the same field. Considering their experience and forte, you can assign then specific roles and responsibilities.

Check out, if you have properly addressed these areas, before planning your next fundraising event.

Online Ticketing - Advantages of an Online Event Ticketing Software


It was not long ago when online ticketing was made possible. Today, it has become a necessity. From event management firms regularly organizing public events to individuals and businesses holding exclusive events with special appearances that are better off ticketed, online event ticketing software products have proved to be very useful for all. Online ticket selling has gone popular due to its advantages, which get conspicuous when we recall those days when tickets had to be sold through sales points located at different locations such as shopping centers, restaurants, etc. Let's have a look at what exactly online ticketing software offers:

Selling tickets on the internet using a software made for this purpose specially saves you the hassle of closing deals with public location managements/owners as well as the cost of stalls and the stall staff. Not to forget that if your event is going to have performances by someone with even a modest fan following in a country of 311,834,246 people (that's well over 311 million souls, according to the population clock of U.S. Census Bureau), there is likely to be quite a big queue at the stall, making it a bit inconvenient for your target audience to buy the tickets - something you wouldn't want to do.

At the same time, online ticketing allows you to reach every home and make it extremely convenient for your target audience to purchase the tickets.

Online event ticketing software are also a centralized system for seeing all statistics regarding your ticket sales such as the number of tickets sold, how many left, ticket sale earnings, etc, in one place - your computer screen.

Then there are some online ticketing software products that go extra mile to be of more advantage. They are the ones that come with Smarty Template Engine integrated in it. What the template engine does for the users of the software is it enables them to easily customize the layout and design of the event's online page in the software so that the event's ticket buying information and options be dynamically presented to the target audience. Then there are those online event ticketing software that contain the feature of inviting the event organizers to sell the tickets of their events online. This way the software's license holders not only earn by selling tickets to their own events but also earn money by getting a percentage from the sales of the event organizers that sell tickets of their own events via the user's copy of the software. Moreover, using ticketing software with this feature, venue owners can display the availability of their place online dynamically, increasing chances for getting their venue rented for a good fee and hopefully by the inviters of celebrity performers.

Ticketing software can also help greatly for selling tickets to multicultural events as some good ones have gone bilingual while few others support all those languages that have an installable language pack.

Online ticketing for events has reshaped the world of ticket buying and selling entirely. Its advantages are so weighty and compatible with today's fast-paced world that it will be a very apt decision of first-time event organizers to go the route of online ticketing.

Leaders And Event Planners Can't Please Everyone


Perhaps the first reality of leadership is that a leader is never able to please everyone. Tied for first place, however, should also be that a true leader must understand that he shouldn't even try to. Leadership is about taking actions that drive one's vision, and in doing so, a true leader must prioritize motivating others to follow and help take needed and timely actions in order to reach important goals. Great leaders realize that they must not concern themselves unduly about their personal popularity, but rather about doing what they feel needs to be done for the best of the organizations, and its membership in general. Leaders must view things from short- term, intermediate- term and long- term perspectives, and take all things into consideration when taking decisive, well thought out, timely action. Human nature and the dynamics of any group are such that one can never please everyone. Bill Cosby wrote, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

1. Let's take for example the decisions that need to be made by an event or conference coordinator. When certain events are run on a regular and/ or repeat/ cyclical basis, while the objective of the event and indeed the need for the event may remain nearly the same, certain change is often necessitated because of changing times, evolving needs, group dynamics, demographics, competitive forces, financial considerations, etc.

A true leader must understand the need to prioritize and to think outside the box, and maintain the integrity of the event, while making certain tweaks or alterations to enhance the event's attractiveness or possibility for success. Invariably, when this occurs, certain "regulars" to these events end up comparing it the "good old days," and it is impossible to please these individuals. A plan is generally ineffective if you pick and choose details rather than thoroughly plan all aspects and details based on needs, goals, objectives, finances, and the organization's present day needs and realities.

2. Organizers of fund raising events often find certain events extremely risky based on factors such as economic reality. Effective not- for- profit fund raising professionals and event planners must analyze things on a risk/ reward basis, and see what can be done to maximize their results and eventually get the greatest success. This often upsets certain individuals, who may have liked some of the features that needed to be changed. That factor, however, does not mean that the changes are not essential to make!

3. Event planners must manage their budgets carefully, and make sure that they get the most bang for the buck, and provide maximum perceived value. That means that certain changes might be needed, based on priorities, because tweaking often creates enhanced value. Obviously, some people will resist these changes.

4. Leaders of organizations need to periodically review their mission, and assure that it is evolved to reflect today's world. Organizations that lose relevancy generally cease to exist. Obviously, there are always some that resist any sort of change.

Organizations and their leaders must make often difficult decisions regarding how they operate, budget, communicate, etc. Effective leaders always understand they will not always be popular, but they must take essential timely decisions.

How to Organise Successful Corporate Events


Corporate events can be powerful tools in building relationships with clients, bonding staff and increasing morale. Here are 10 steps to help you organise a successful event.

1. First of all, you need to think about what the event is for. Is it a Christmas party? A leaving do? Is it a party for clients to celebrate or to say thank you? The nature of the party will help you choose the right venue.

2. Next, consider how many people you are likely to invite. If it's for staff, then this may be straightforward and you can probably guess what the final numbers will be, give or take a few.

3. You'll also want to consider the location you want the corporate party to be held in. You may want somewhere close to the office or where will be convenient for clients and other guests to get to.

4. Another thing to consider with the venue is whether you want food and what type of dining will be appropriate. Will you want a buffet or do you require a sit down meal?

5. Now you know what the party is for, the type of place you want, the size of the room you'll need, the location and what food will be required, you can start to scout some places out. You may want to do this by phone, the website or in person. However you do, make sure the venues you look at can provide the corporate event you need.

6. If you're happy with one of the venues, your next step should be to check availability. They will need to know the date you want to hold the party, how many people will be coming and your food requirements.

7. Providing that's all okay, you'll now want to secure the booking. Depending on the venue and the food situation, this may require a deposit or just a name.

8. You'll then want to send out invites to your guests. If it's staff, a simple email may suffice. Otherwise, you may want to send out printed invitations through the post.

9. Once you have final numbers, let the venue know and make sure all the guests know where to be and when.

10. It may be that you need to arrange transportation for the guests, in which case, you'll need to find a taxi, coach or mini-bus firm that can offer you competitive rates.

Corporate events offer fantastic opportunities to build relationships and celebrate successes. And, if you want help with your corporate event planning, the venue in question may be able to provide this for you.