Corporate Event Management is What You Need For Your Christmas Party This Year

This year you probably want to plan a Christmas party with your office staff. However, it can be very demanding trying to wrap things up for Christmas as well as trying to plan a party for everyone. This is where corporate event management comes in. You can hire companies who will be able to take care of everything including all bookings and all you need to do is give them a guest list and their fee.

This makes things a lot easier and also allows you to concentrate on wrapping everything up before you go on your holidays for Christmas. Sometimes it's all a bit stressful at the end of a year and everyone can't wait to get away - however, having a Christmas party means there's always something to look forward to.

Everyone will have worked hard over the last year and it's important to reward your staff accordingly. A nice Christmas party will allow everyone to relax and unwind ready for Christmas. However, it's a good idea to plan your Christmas party to take place shortly before you finish work for the year - otherwise everyone will wind down too early making it hard to get things done when you're back at work.

Ideally you should plan the party to take place about two or three days before the end of the working year. This way you allow for a winding down atmosphere on the last couple of days and this can really help your staff get into the Christmas swing of things.

However, if you're finishing work a while before Christmas then you may want to think about having the party after you all finish work. This way you don't have to worry about a thing. Just be sure to find the right corporate event management company so that you don't even need to worry about that.

Take your time to have a look around online and ask around to see if anyone knows of a decent corporate event management company that they've dealt with before. Take your time and don't be afraid to spend quite a bit of money on your party this year - you've earned it!

Georgia International Convention Center

The Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) is Atlanta's newest and most accessible convention center. Located just two minutes from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport terminal, the facility is very convenient for convention attendees who are flying into town. The convention center is also convenient to the airport's Rental Car Center, MARTA transportation, and all of the airport area hotels. For those driving their own vehicles to town, the GICC has an abundance of onsite parking available at a flat rate, plus overflow lots across the street.

The conference center has a contemporary design and features 35 specially commissioned works of art inside. The artwork includes paintings, sculpture, glasswork and mobiles by local and internationally known artists. The roof design insures a quiet facility, even though it is so close to the airport. GICC is Atlanta's second largest convention center, with a total of 400,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The facility contains 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, 16,000 square feet of meeting space, 40,000 square feet of ballroom, and 12,000 square feet of executive suites. The Georgia International Convention Center has hosted all types of events including corporate meetings, trade shows, sporting events, concerts, film shoots, and banquets. The convention center can provide all the audiovisual and staging services necessary to support its events. Available equipment includes custom sound systems, wireless microphones, and speakers. Lighting systems, digital video cameras, LCD projectors, plasma displays, LCD monitors, and computers are also available. The facility has a full time security staff to monitor the building and its entrances.

Memorable meals will help make any event a success. Onsite catering is done from the convention center's 9,800 square foot state-of-the-art Culinary Arts Center, which can prepare a banquet for 4,000 guests. Caterer CulinAero creates top quality meals, using the freshest meats and locally grown organic produce. Event planners can choose from their standard menus or request a custom tailored menu.

ATL SkyTrain, a free light rail train, links the conference center to the airport in a two minute ride. Those taking MARTA can connect to the airport via SkyTrain, and then ride MARTA ten minutes to downtown Atlanta. The airport's Rental Car Center is also on the SkyTrain route. The GICC is located at 2000 Convention Center Concourse in College Park, Georgia. For driving directions, take I-85 to Exit 72, Camp Creek Parkway. Turn left at the first traffic light into Gateway Center, and the GICC is on the right.

Event Management Companies: How Various Pricing Models Can Impact and Enhance Your Business

If you're considering entering the realm of marketing convention and industry events, you probably already recognize that partnering with event management companies is a must. Front-running event management companies will work with you throughout the entire convention process; from exhibit design concepts through function execution and beyond, event management companies deliver focused marketing campaigns that can help you break away from the competitive pack, broaden the reach of your company's brand identity and extend your current consumer demographic pool.

Reputable Event Management Companies Should Offer Customized Service Plans

While there's no question that event management companies deliver an extensive range of features and benefits, many entrepreneurs considering breaking into the convention arena may still feel reluctant to use them. What's one of the most common reasons for not partnering with a professional firm? Anticipated costs. All too often, business owners assume that pairing with event management companies will incur exorbitant expenses that will outweigh the benefits or stretch their existing budgets too thin. However, this simply is not the case. Finding professional and reputable event management companies to partner with can quickly prove that these industry leaders offer customized service plans to ensure every client's needs and budget requirements are considered and met.

Different Pricing Options To Consider For Your Business

If you're currently considering using event management companies to help expand your promotional reach and reinforce your existing brand image, read on. Understanding various, customizable pricing options that qualified providers offer can help ensure you partner with the right vendor and make an informed decision for your organization. Various pricing models should include:

Rental Options: Renting gear and equipment often costs a fraction of purchasing the stand and accessories outright and can prove an ideal solution for organizations that are making an initial foray into the convention arena or that only exhibit a few times a year. You'll enjoy an extensive list of customization options and features that will rival even the most elaborate booths without the commitment of having to purchase the exhibit outright.

Lease To Own: Want to get a better gauge on whether trade show exhibits make sense for your organization, but don't want to rent for individual events indefinitely? A lease to own program may provide the perfect strategy for your business. After multiple functions, a reputable partner will offer a negotiated purchase price to help ensure you optimize your business' overall savings.

Outright Purchase: Industry experts suggest that it is more cost effective for businesses participating in three or more conventions annually to purchase their exhibits. While purchased exhibits and displays will incur fees for shipping and freight, over time this expense is offset from not having to pay rental fees for every function.

Still not sure which pricing model will work best for you? That's okay - qualified firms will be able to guide you through this critical decision process. A veteran provider will help you work out your planned function schedule, strategize exhibit style and design needed, and create a pricing model specifically personalized for your organization's own distinctive needs.

Which Cake Stand Do You Need?

Let's face it: any party---be it a simple children's birthday celebration or an extravagant wedding party---wouldn't be complete without a lovely cake, the most popular dessert of choice for festivities. Over the years, pastry chefs and bakers have creatively improved cakes in order to match them with a certain event theme, or make them unique in their own way. However, the beauty of these cakes don't always just rely on how they are designed, but also on how they are displayed, which is why one should also take into consideration the kind of cake stands that should be used with certain cakes or events.

Thanks to the genius of event planners and vendors nowadays, we are presented with a lot of new and different ways to display our cakes. There are lots of lovely cake stands which can easily be bought from department stores, and there are also those which can easily be made at home. Let's look at some of the more popular types of cake stands and determine when and how we can utilize them properly for an event.

Pedestal:Probably the most popular of all types, the pedestal cake stand is the type one would normally see in a caf矇 or bakery, or even a normal household. It has a pillar (usually around three to six inches long) which supports the main base (with a diameter that ranges from six to twelve inches) where the actual cake is placed. A domed variation of this type includes a clear glass dome that serves as a cover for the cake on display, which is a useful option for an outdoor celebration. This is usually the safest option when displaying wedding or birthday cakes, and is available in crystal, porcelain, and even wood.

Tiered / Pillared: Working with levels is a great idea when displaying cakes, especially if you want them to stand out among the other types of food or dessert present on your spread. To achieve this type of presentation, you will need either a tiered or pillared cake stand.

A tiered stand is pretty much like a pedestal cake stand but with more than one base where you can place cakes in, and is usually the best choice when cupcakes are involved. The bases gradually grow smaller as the stand grows taller, creating the illusion of a dessert tree or pyramid. Cupcakes are placed on the bigger bases, and a small actual cake is placed at the top-most base, or sometimes the entire stand is filled with just cupcakes. In place of cupcakes, petit-fours or other small pastries can also be displayed in this type of stand.

Meanwhile, a pillared stand could usually display around three small cakes at the same time, each on different levels. It consists of smaller versions of the pedestal cake stand, but grouped together in such a way that a stair-like effect is achieved. Having your child's first birthday party? Use a pillared cake stand to separate your baby's smash cake from the cake your guests are having.

Floating: The floating cake stand is a variation of the tiered stand, but with the supporting bars situated on only one side so that when the cakes are placed on the bases, it creates the illusion that they are actually floating. Ornate wedding or debutante cakes can be displayed beautifully in this type of stand, and as a practical note, there are now floating cake stands which can be disassembled for easy storage.

Plateau: A very basic stand, the cake plateau is something one could use at a simple housewarming party, or perhaps a regular family dinner. Usually made of silver or porcelain, it somewhat resembles a pedestal cake stand, but without the long pillar supporting it underneath. Sometimes though, it has three or four short "legs" that give it a small height advantage compared to the other dishes on the table.

These different cake stands can actually be used for any type of event when decorated accordingly, but you need to take three things into consideration: 1) the kind of event you're planning, 2) the kind of cake you're having for the event, and; 3) the 'look' you wish to achieve with your display. Once you figure these out, you will then get a clearer picture of what cake stand you need, and what you can do with it to achieve the look you are aiming for.

Good luck, and happy cake stand hunting!

How to Organize Conferences Within a Budget?

Companies organize conferences and meetings to interact with new customers, discuss plans and proposals, and resolve critical issues. Companies also host a number of seminars and corporate events to talk about their products and services and strengthen relationships with existing clients. Conferences are important for the growth of a company. However, looking at the present rough economical scenario, many organizations are finding it difficult to arrange these large-scale events within limited budgets.

The budget usually seems to surpass expenditure due to the various administrative tasks involved in event planning and execution phases. You have to decide everything from choosing the venue, inviting guests to the kind of food to be served during the conference. Then you have to allocate funds to implement such works. Now, the question is how you can reduce your spending on organizing a conference and similar such events.

With the passage of time, event management software's have being introduced in the market to make the management process smooth and hassle free. Such software's help in reducing manual tasks and makes conference planning much easier.

Starting with the registration process, event planners can use the integrated registration solution to create registration forms online. It takes only a few minutes to publish the forms via this software as well as edit the forms. Add your company logo or graphics as needed to meet your business goals. The major benefit of online registration software is generating forms to be quickly filled up and submitted online. So, there is really no need to spend money on office accessories such as: paper, pen, pencil, files, and folders, etc.

The payment collection process can also be made transparent and easier by using an online payment system. It allows you to accept payments via secured online payment gateway platforms besides allowing individuals to pay directly via their credit cards and PayPal. Conference organizers may additionally have the option to use their professional merchant accounts to let the registrants deposit funds there.

Planning an event also includes inviting guests. Emails have become very popular these days because of their convenient usage procedure and quick delivery. You can create multiple new emails simultaneously and send a single email to many people marking a copy to you. Emails can reach a person faster (in seconds) than a hardcopy letter via postal service or courier that takes hours and days to get delivered successfully. Event planners can save on a considerable portion of the allocated capital otherwise required to be invested in buying paper and pay for postage stamps.

Event promotion can also be smoothened and made cost-effective via online event promotion applications. They allow you to market products, services or events on a variety of social networking web platforms - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. It just takes a few minutes to create a profile page in any of these sites and post your events-related content, photos, and videos to let millions of users view it and develop an interest to attend your program. No installation or downloading charges are required to use any of these social media sites.

Advice For Event Planning

Planning for an event can be a really stressful affair. Most people who are assigned the task of planning usually tend to forget small but important things due to the stress. This is why it is important to systematically plan everything in order to make the event a success.

Never Plan Last Minute: Event planning requires a lot of work in order to make an event a true success. Assuring a venue can be very hard at times, so choose and book the one you like before it's taken. Only if you plan every aspect of the event will you be able to choose a venue that will suit all your requirements. This is why you need to plan way in advance, even before choosing the venue. If you are hiring an event company then you will need to find a venue that allows preparations one or two days in advance. This will lower the work and stress of the event company, and the charges will be considerably lower if you give them enough time to set up.

Setting a Date: If you are planning six months in advance, then you will need to check to see that the date you set is not on the same day as a national event. Check to see if the area the event is going to be held in has no program on the same date. Choosing the proper date is a very crucial for the success of the event.

Venue: Selection of a proper venue is another vital part of having a successful event. Venues can have different rules and timings, so you have to be careful while selecting your venue. Here are a few things that you must check before choosing your venue:

1. The first thing you got to check is if the venue has any curfews. If the venue is in a residential area then the curfew timings would be around 9.30pm. This will probably be too early for your guests, so it is always recommended that you find out what time you're allowed to have the event till.

2. In case you are hiring an event company, ask if the venue allows people to drop of the rentals a day earlier. Rental companies charge an extra fee if they are asked to deliver within two hours. Also check to see whether the venue allows adequate setup time. A big event will take around 8 hours to setup.

These are just a few pointers to help make your event planning easier and less stressful. Finding an experienced Bay Area Event Planner that offers rentals as well as venues will also help cat down a lot of effort.

Choosing your planning company.

Quinceanera Party Planning - 5 Secrets For Having a Dream Celebration

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

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

Step 1.

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

Date of the celebration.

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

The approximate number of guests to be invited.

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

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

Decide who will contact the sponsors.

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

Step 2.

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

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

Step 3.

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

Step 4.

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

Step. 5.

More decisions that need to be addressed:

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

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

What colors and theme do you want for the reception?

Start to sign contracts with the vendors.

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

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

How Organizations Can Be Benefitted From Online Event Management Solutions?

Planning is one of the most important aspects of organizing an event, as it can help to hold a successful program. Event planners can help you organize one or more successful events anytime, at your preferred location. However, they can also fix the venue of the event on your behalf. Besides, they look after the guests as well as arrange their meal.

However, there is also another great way of organizing successful events. Organizations can take the help of online event management solutions to manage all aspects of an event. The online event management solutions can reduce your administrative workload, expenses, and time considerably, helping you to do more important event-related tasks.

The web-based event management solutions come with the following advantages:

Instant Online Registration

Whether you are organizing a conference, meeting, or a seminar, the Cloud-based registration service enables easy-to-use, simple, and quick online registration for one or multiple events. People can access the registration pages from any part of the world 24x7. They just need to have a computer with an internet connection. Registrants can also update their registration page as and when required.
Customization of Registration Pages

The event organizing companies can customize their registration pages by using global settings. This helps them to find a theme to match the look and feel of their company website. They can even add their company logos and bar codes to promote their company during an event.

Communication Tools

The web-based event management solutions also offer a range of marketing tools, such as email and notification options. The emailing tool is likely to allow you send as many emails as necessary to your registrants before, during, or after an event. You can also notify your attendees about an event detail or give updates about a trade show or other programs by sending RSVPs, reminders, and so on.

Marketing Tools

The online event-based management solution also provides extremely easy-to-use, end-to-end marketing tools, such as promo codes, discount rules, and gift cards to increase participation level.

Payment Management

Most companies, especially the MNCs face a major problem in collecting and managing funds. It becomes really difficult for the corporations to collect and process payments coming from diverse fields and from different people. To give you relief from such a situation, the web-based event management application has brought in a safe and secure payment management service. This enables real-time authorization and processing of credit cards, POs, checks, and so on easily and conveniently. It also provides the option of using your own merchant account to pay for event tickets or funds of any kind.

Social Media and Wedding Planning Ideas

The web is creating smaller and smaller worlds via social media and event planning companies. I met Noa Gafni of Webutantes by an article someone mentioned on either Twitter or Linkedin. I can't remember it's getting so confusing. Anyway, the article was about wedding planning ideas.

In particular, this article was a mini- wedding planning guide and provided wedding planning ideas and resources. What caught my eye though was the resource discussion because they were listed for people who are on a budget and cannot afford wedding coordinators.

I then used my acquired internet skills and tracked Noa down for the pitch. She loved the idea of budgets but instead of adding to the already mentioned wedding planning ideas she posted, she requested an article on how to throw a cocktail party on a budget. That topic was right up my alley and I sent her information that included advice and links for invitations, music and food. I even included a menu that was easy-to-make. Many of the helpful tips I used in the article are based upon my experience working for other event planning companies as well as my own.

A funny note here, I thought my internet skills were pretty up-to-date but paled in comparison to Noa's. She edited my article and listed links to music and invitation websites that were more current. Then again, I am still learning this medium; she is well-versed and experienced in social media.

The menu I provided got me to venture out beyond my known sources since the recipes were from various sites. These recipes are great easy-to-make appetizers such as red-salmon dip, mushroom rolls, sun dried tomato and olive tapenade bruschetta. I also provided some new recipes too. The honey lemon chicken skewers with vegetables and the mini-peppermint cheesecakes with chocolate chips were two new recipes I researched for the article. What I liked about these two hors d'oeuvres were that they fit right into my mantra - make it simple, fast and delicious.

Again, it all comes down to the internet and event planning companies and how we are all connected via the web. Until next time, remember to make it simple fun and delicious and be a guest at your own event!

Hiring a Corporate Event Planner

Managers and other executives may hire a corporate event planner to organize a party, retreat, sales conference and meetings. Event planners have the ability to organize events that will leave the invited guests happy and satisfied. Some of the reasons why people should hire a corporate event planner include time consumption. Planning for a major event requires a person to take time making the necessary preparations. Most managers and executives rarely have the time to do this and this is why they opt to hire planners. In Toronto, people access the services of the planners via the internet or by looking through directories. Every planner possesses different organizing skills and they are creative in their own degree. Finding one who can comfortably organize large events is necessary because they have the experience and the necessary skills to make any event lively.

There are numerous things that a person should consider when organizing corporate events. Some of the things to plan for include seating and table arrangements, food service, hiring sound equipments, coordinating the entertainment, food catering and facility rentals. In Toronto, many skilled planners have the necessary qualifications to plan for such events though the uniqueness of their services depends on their sense of creativity. A corporate event planner operating in the city of Toronto, may ask the company to make down payments before they begin to make any arrangements. Subsequent to the event, they may complete the payments. The amount of money to pay depends on the number of services that the company requests. When planning for a small event, a management team should consider hiring a corporate event planner who mostly organizes large events.

Those that have perfected their organizing skills are likely to organize a fabulous event and the hiring company should put into consideration. After identifying a particular corporate event planner, the company should have a brainstorming session to decide on a number of things such as the mode of payments and the services to include in the event. The brainstorming session gives the planner a foundation to begin making the necessary arrangements. Event organizers in Toronto consider production services to be one of the most important factors when organizing corporate events. The lighting designs, theme generation, creative writing, staging, talent booking, speaker scheduling, décor design, emceeing, presentation design, show direction and special effects are some of the factors that differentiate corporate events from all the other events.

Commercial events require the planners to match the theme and the decor in order to create a specific mood. This explains the importance of working with the company that is hosting the vent. The company hosting the event should budget adequately to avoid running out of funds. By contacting the finance department, the company may be able to estimate the amount of money that they have at their disposal. In Toronto, such companies evaluate many event organizers to find one who offers the best value for their money. Money is one of the main assets that companies own and using it wrongly may result in bankruptcy.

Choosing a Limo Service for Special Events

If you like traditions, hire a limousine for your prom. For many folks traveling in a limousine is not a regular event, making prom night feel unique. You may never go wrong with a black stretch limousine pulling up your prom location.

The best thing of hiring a limousine is that it normally suit around eight people. It means that you can not only enjoy driving to prom with the friends, you also can share the expense eight ways. Don't forget to make booking in advance since you are not alone who want a limo for prom.

The problem to rent a limo is that you would probably pay per hour. It means you will pay for the limo the whole time you're in the prom, even though you may not be utilizing the vehicle at that time. Furthermore, the chauffeur expects you to leave the prom at a decided time period.

If you desire the journey to the prom to be really traditional, consider a classic car. A number of the same companies that rent out limousines also provide old-fashioned vehicles provided with a chauffeur. Hiring a classic car works out the same manner as booking a limo, but you will not be able to travel with all of your mates.

If you're looking for a more economical choice than hiring a limousine, or a more recent approach than a classic car, think about going for a sports car to the prom. As you will not require hiring a chauffeur, it will probably cost you less to get your hands on one. However, the majority of car rental providers would not rent to somebody under age 25, therefore you must be creative.

Have an elderly sibling or a parent hire the vehicle for you and act as driver, as only somebody old enough to meet the criteria for the rental can travel it without fine. On the plus side, both you and your date can chill in the back seat of the extremely awesome sports car and comment on how exciting the prom is going to be.

Another choice is to inquire around among friends who may have heard somebody with an excellent sports car who would assist you to rent it for the night. You will need to guarantee to take proper care of the car and confirm that you're insured to drive other's vehicles. And always make sure returning the vehicle with a full tank of fuel.

Planning a Memorable Event With a Forgettable Budget

In today's economy, many meeting planners feel that they have their hands tied. They want to create a memorable event for their attendees, but they know they have to be more mindful than ever of expenses. They also have to watch perception. So even if they stay under budget for their meeting, if attendees perceive the event to be filled with wasteful spending, then all their hard work will be criticized.

Unfortunately, the "entertainment" is often the area that people cut corners on during their planning. They perceive entertainment as a luxury item that they can eliminate or get for very cheap. In reality, your entertainment is the one thing you should never cut, no matter how meager your budget.

Why? Because the entertainment is what attendees will remember. It's what evokes emotions and memories in people. It's what brings people together and what ultimately strengthens your brand.

Essentially, your entertainment can be anything...a comedian, a motivational speaker, or anyone who adds value to your event. And yes, sometimes you hire an act for pure entertainment purposes only and not to deliver a message, but that entertainment must also match your company's image.

The bottom line is that people won't talk about the signs or the centerpieces after the event, but they will remember and tell stories about the entertainment, as that's what delivers the "wow" factor to any meeting. So whether you're planning an internal company meeting, an association trade show, or an event for the general public, be sure to use the following guidelines so you can create a memorable event...without breaking the bank.

1. Lock in your entertainment first.

Most people do this step backwards. They first decide on their location, food, centerpieces, promo items, etc. They then try to hire their entertainment with whatever money is left over. But if you're paying more for your cheese plate than for your entertainment, you're making a big mistake. Since your entertainment is what moves people to action, you need to make finding just the right person/act your first priority. You can always scale back your food or do simple centerpieces, because attendees really don't care about those things. They care about the message they walk away with-and that's what your entertainment provides.

2. Look for entertainment that is "self-contained."

If possible, hire a one-man/woman show as opposed to a band or group that requires several people to perform and to operate the sound. Aside from the fact that group entertainment typically costs more than a single person act, you also don't want to keep tabs on or worry about multiple people showing up and doing their job. A one-person show also goes a long way toward perception. Your audience will naturally assume a multi-person entertainment act is more expensive than a single person performing. Therefore, this is one simple way to get more bang for your buck...and a lot fewer headaches in the process.

3. Hire someone unique.

Rather than simply hire a "comedian" or a "speaker," get specific with what you really want. You likely want someone who can help you deliver a targeted message and who has a certain style that matches your company's image. Do your research to find that person. For example, if your company is fitness-oriented, you'd likely want someone who does high-energy performances rather than someone who is more subdued. When you spend the time to find an entertainer who can enhance your company's brand, you help create that "wow" factor for your audience.

Also remember that corporate entertainment is completely different from regular entertainment. An audience for a night club or cruise ship act will be much more relaxed than a business audience. Corporate people expect the entertainer to speak their language-to use acronyms and to name drop. They'll be much more critical of whoever is performing. Therefore, your goal is for attendees to say, "That entertainer was perfect for us."

4. Look for rising stars.

There are countless entertainers who are not household names (and who don't have the extravagant price tag attached with those names) but who will still do a fantastic job. These are your rising stars. Find these people and you'll look like a hero. Just because you can't afford to pay $20,000 for a well known performer doesn't mean you can't have a good show. Ask around, be specific in your searches, and you'll find the person who makes everyone say, "Wow! Where did you find this guy?"

5. Don't forget the MC.

A professional MC is an essential part of the event planning process. In fact, the MC could make or break your event. Whatever you do, don't allow the company "funny guy" to MC the event. Just because someone is funny at the water cooler doesn't mean he or she will do well on stage in front of hundreds (and possibly thousands) of people. Your MC is part of your entertainment budget, so you need to think about this role from the beginning. Who will be the best person to keep the evening or event flowing smoothly and who can connect with the audience? Get the right MC and your job during the event will be much easier.

A Lot of "Wow" for a Lot Less Money

While planning a meeting or event these days is a bit more difficult than it was just a few short years ago, you can still deliver a meaningful and memorable experience to your attendees without spending lavishly. The key is to focus on your entertainment. Hire the right person who can best deliver your message and move your audience to action, and you'll have an event that people will be talking about for years to come.

How to Develop a Good Succession Plan

The reality of business today is that many key executives and talented professionals are coming up to their retirement. In addition, because of the recent economic pressures many organisations have had to reorganise and re-size themselves, the consequences of which mean that the talent pool that would have been ready to step up into key roles are either not ready or no longer there. All of this represents serious implications for the business.

This issue doesn't just affect large organisations either. A survey conducted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), found that 30 per cent of small-business closures take place because of the lack of an effective succession plan, as many owners do not make sufficient arrangements in the event of their retirement.

To address this issue, companies need to integrate succession planning with their strategic business plans and view it as a long-term, continuous process.

The following highlights the key steps to successful succession planning.

1. Think strategically
Succession planning requires a strategic perspective. What are the things that might impact your organisation in the future? Will it grow and acquire other businesses, or is the market shrinking and therefore a different leadership approach may be needed? What 'type' of managers and business leaders will be needed in the future?

2. Understand key roles
Which roles in the organisation drive the majority of the business's value? Think broadly, and not just about traditional leadership roles, but consider specialist technical roles such as product or service development as they may be as equally important. Once this is complete it is a straightforward task to examine the age profiles of those currently in the key roles. How many of these will be retiring in the next 5 years? How many roles have 'ready now' successors? Answering these questions will give a view to the size of the task ahead.

3. Identify the requirements of the key roles
The requirements for the key roles need to be agreed. What are the key skills and capabilities needed for the roles? What specific experience will be needed, such as international or project experience. All key roles should have the necessary components for success clearly defined. These requirements can then be used to assess people into the role. either internally via a promotion or perhaps externally via recruitment.

4. Identify who your talent and potentials are
The mechanisms to identify and determine talent can range from subjective views of managers to objective means of assessment where candidates are assessed against the clearly defined criteria identified above. Whichever method is chosen it is important to understand who your potential business leaders of the future are.

5. Agree your succession strategy
Once the organisation knows:

- who is planned to retire when
- who are 'at risk' and may potentially leave the business and...
- who the potential talent is

Objective decisions can be made about how the key roles will be filled in the future. For example, does the business need to actively recruit and bring in new blood or can all the key roles be filled from within? Should the strategy be a balance of recruiting externally as well as promoting internally?

6. Define career paths for internal promotions
Once your succession strategy is clear, establishing career paths and the ability to describe the requirements for pursuing the path becomes easier. Creating effective career paths requires two components, knowing the requirements for the next level and creating clear plan of how to gain the necessary skills, behaviours and experience.

7. Manage successors through the performance management process
Succession planning should become a part of the organisation's performance management and career development processes. Regular performance discussions are important to collect evidence of how potential successors have demonstrated the performance expectations needed by the key positions. These discussions also provide the opportunity for managers to coach talent to ensure ongoing development and readiness.

8. Provide ongoing development
Managers should identify the development outcomes and actions that potential successors need. What are the specific learning expectations, new skills or behaviours that will be demonstrated as a result of their development? What actions need to be taken? Should the individual attend a course, undertake an assignment or new role or be coached? Focusing on developing specific skills can help shorten the learning curve necessary for success.

9. Monitor readiness and prepare the plan
Senior managers should meet at least annually to initially agree who the potential successors are for the key roles and to subsequently monitor their progress. Who is ready now to move to their next role? Is their evidence to suggest that any of the successors will not 'make the grade'? If not what needs to be done?

10. Ensure proper ownership
Succession planning needs to be owned by line managers and needs to be actively led by the Chief Executive or owner of the business for it to be successful. However, HR has a vital role in raising awareness, supporting and facilitating the process. This can range from compiling all the relevant information on potential candidates, keeping records of development and career progression and providing independent assessment techniques to identify potential.

None of the above steps needs to be made overly complex and most can be integrated across existing Human Resource systems. If your business does not focus on succession planning then the availability of talent for your key roles will be left to the fickle finger of fate. Surely the future success of your organisation is too important for that?

Choosing Corporate Invitations For Your Client Events

Whether you're opening a new business, celebrating a move or marking a milestone with your business, you'll want to make sure to pick the perfect corporate invitation to send to your clients and potential clients. Make sure you choose corporate invitations that suit your image and still convey the fun, festive feeling of a party.

Celebrating your new business or product
When making a debut with your new business or product make sure to choose a business invitation that will really make an impact. A 'new baby' invitation might be the right thing to grab your clients' attention and get a smile on their face. Not every corporate communication needs to be so serious. Take a chance with a fun, festive corporate invitation to introduce your new business or product.

Milestone events
Marking your successful years in business is not only an important milestone, but a reason to connect with new clients and re-connect with existing clients and colleagues. Celebrate your anniversary with a stylish party and hip corporate invitations. Not all business invitations need to be so buttoned-up. It's okay to inject some fun and style into your celebration. Your clients have come to count on a certain amount of professionalism, but a dash of color or style is okay for an anniversary celebration.

Client appreciation events
Many companies will take time to celebrate their clients and thank them for their business and loyalty. In this instance, choose a corporate invitation that conveys your heartfelt 'thank you' and also lets your clients know that this event is for specifically for them. Also, an event like this doesn't have to be a stuffy office affair. Treat your clients with a picnic in the park, a baseball game or a fun barbeque. Choose a business invitation that is professional but will still give your clients a hint at your fun side.

Moving into your new office
If you were moving into a new home, you would have a housewarming party, right? So if your business moves celebrate with an 'office warming.' Send a corporate invitation to your clients, potential clients and colleagues and you'll have a great client event celebrating your new space. Use this opportunity to thank your clients and to show off your space to new clients.

Corporate holiday event
Most businesses celebrate the end-of-year holidays with a holiday party for clients and employees. Make sure you choose corporate holiday invitations for your business that will dazzle your guests. The holidays can be a hectic time so get your get your invitations in the mail to your guests in plenty of time. Many companies also choose to skip the holiday hubbub and plan their holiday party for after the first of the year. Send a New Year's corporate invitation instead of a holiday invitation for something unique and fun for your clients.

No matter what your business is celebrating, make sure you have the right corporate invitation for you and your clients. You want to make a professional and elegant impression and still convey your company's special party side.

Challenges Facing Event Planners When Designing Their Event Plan

Event planning is a highly demanding task. Events become the charm of life when organized in an interesting and exploring style. To hold a successful event, good event planning is of key importance.

To plan a party might be simple, to plan a successful party that every guest can enjoy to the fullest, however, can be extremely challenging. This is because everybody has different personalities, needs, tastes and perhaps different expectations of the party: they might come to the party for different reasons. As it is challenging to cater for all tastes, it is equally challenging to plan an all-catering party. Events become the charm of life when organized in an interesting and exploring style. To hold a successful event, good event planning is of key importance. The following are three major challenges you will encounter in planning an activity.

1. There is always limited funding.
Except for a few rare occasions, most sponsors want to spend the least money to achieve the greatest effect of their activity. Therefore, you always have a limited funding at your disposal with which you are expected to make out a perfect plan for the activity. To deal with this challenge, you need to learn to give priorities to the factors that count the most in the activity. For example, if the activity is aimed at entertaining the guests, then accommodation and entertainment are the most important factors. Less important ones should be given less investment.

2. You can only guess the needs of the guests.
Every sponsor hopes that his or her activity will bring to his or her guests entertainment and inspiration. However, as there are many guests invited to an activity-in some cases there might be hundreds of guests-it can be extremely difficult for you to cater to the needs of every single guest. The best you can do, in such cases, is to talk to the sponsor and know as much about the guests as possible. Although at best you can only guess what the guests will expect of the event, at least you can have some clues to that by knowing more about them.

3. There is great stress in event planning.
Since you are the person who is responsible for the success of the activity, it is imaginable how much stress you will suffer from during the whole process which can only be released when the activity is finished. Therefore, before you set out to make plans for an activity, prepare yourself for the upcoming great stress.

Do You Need the Help of Professional San Diego, CA Event Planners?

Set The Perfect Mood With Experienced Caterers In San Diego

When searching for caterers in San Diego, you will find that there are many different options out there for you to choose from. Unfortunately, as is the case within any service industry, all San Diego, CA event planners are not created equally. So, before you decide upon any one caterer or event planner, identify your needs and your budget, do your research and choose wisely. The success of your event depends upon it!

It is important to take your time when selecting a caterer in San Diego. In doing so, you can be certain your special event will be simply perfect!

When selecting a caterer, many people only think about the quality of the food being provided. While food is certainly one of the most important factors to consider when hiring caterers in San Diego, there are many other things to consider as well. After all, a quality caterer will help set the mood for the entire event by helping you choose the right decor and the ideal venue for the occasion.

With the right San Diego, CA event planners, you can create an event that is...

oRomantic
oJoyous
oFestive
oBusinesslike
oCelebrity
oSolemn

The mood you want to set for your special event will depend upon the type of event you are hosting. Obviously, the mood you want for a wedding will be far different from the one you want for an employee appreciation dinner - which may also be different from what you need for a holiday celebration.

The right San Diego, Ca event planners will assess your needs and your event desires to select the location and setting that will make the event perfect. Choosing the right event planner will not only make planning your event easier - it will help ensure the success of your event.

With the help of professional caterers in San Diego, you can be certain to create the ideal setting for your special event - and have the event you've been dreaming of.

Fundraising Event Planning Checklist

There are thousands of approaches to raising funds. There isn't a single formula that works for everybody. To a great degree, the success of a fundraising event depends on the ability of the organizers to plan and be flexible enough to change aspects of their plans once needed. Regardless of the motives and reasons of event organizers, the fact still remains that the single most common denominator of all fundraising events is that they are aimed at producing profit. Therefore, it is important to be able to plan ever phase of the event vigorously. Detailed planning is difficult. Most especially in this difficult time, it's hard for people to shelf off any amount. This is the challenge faced by any fundraising event. There is no mythical formula that ensures success of any fundraising event. But there are commonalities in successful fundraising events that are worth investigating and implementing.

The following tips are discussed in hopes that it will provide valuable information in helping you plan your own fundraising event.

1. Know and set your goals: Planning starts with setting goals.
Before an effective plan is always goal in which all efforts are directed to. It helps when you are able to determine exactly what you want to achieve after the fundraising event ends. It doesn't only provide motivation for the people working on the event; it also provides a sense of purpose. Goals also help in keeping every activity in check. It will help determine which activities are necessary. Additionally, it points out what relevant options and alternatives the group can choose from when difficulties arise.

2. Meet with the team and Organize tasks
No one man team can ever conduct a successful fundraising event. In one way or another, you will be needing help from people who have different skills and areas of expertise. Therefore, it is important to solicit help from people who may not be necessarily skillful but willing and committed to the task they will be assigned to. Moreover, it is equally important to be able to identify which task needs to be accomplished first. In short, different tasks should be organized sequentially and systematically; which brings us to our next step.

3. Delegate tasks
Each member of the team must be given a task that they can handle. This is called proper delegation. Avoid delegating too much or too less of a task to members of the team. It is advisable to ask the members which tasks they prefer or they are more comfortable with. However, this is not true all the time. In some instances, some task will not be preferred by anyone in the team. Hence, it is important to remind the members that the possibility of being assigned to a task that they may not like is probable.

4. Evaluate Plan
Equally vital to the plan in itself, is its evaluation. In every aspect of the plan, it should always be evaluated. Asking yourselves questions like "Is the plan feasible?", "Does it coincide with the goal?" and "is it working?" will help you greatly in the evaluation of your plan. Evaluating the plan will help you determine which plans are in need of revision.

The checklist discussed above doesn't provide solutions to every problem that you might encounter during the planning phase of conducting your own fundraising event I, however, hope that in my own simple way could extend a little help to you fundraising event planning.

Designing Corporate Events Around Your Clients

Often a corporate event can be the difference between future business and losing a client. A successful event will promote your business and garner positive attention while not breaking your bottom line. Finding a company that has both experience in corporate events and the contacts to ensure your event runs as smoothly as planned can be as simple as just looking in the yellow book, but there is no guarantee that the company can provide the services you need. Often there is no second chance in the business market so making the right impression immediately can snag you more than just worldly praise.

Corporate events need to be fun as well as functional; it is well-known that clients who enjoy themselves will often have a better chance of signing on with your company. A corporate event needs to be tailored to your business by promoting its ethics, objectives and goals through the client's best interests. Trade shows, conferences and seminars take much planning and can take necessary administrative support away from your business when handled in-house. By hiring a corporate events company who has experience in the field you can keep your staff where they need to be while every detail is handled by professionals like yourselves. It wouldn't work so well if an event planner tried to negotiate mergers and acquisitions so to do you need a professional to navigate the event business and ensure your success.

Hiring the right company means finding an event planner that has experience. Reviews can give you a basic rundown of how a company does in general but past successes will be most evident in person. Other companies may have used them in the past, ask business associates who they use and how they feel about their service. If in doubt ask the company, they should be more than happy to provide many references and examples of their previous work. An expert planner will be able to visualize the event that fits your needs and budget as well as additional examples to suit your needs. Being able to customize your events to the smallest detail means being able to feel your event is personal for those attending and that extra touch can really make a difference.

A seasoned events company will also have many contacts in the industry already set up. Perhaps you need a kids entertainer for an employee appreciation day, or perhaps some form of light music for the evening. From caterers, to extra staff an events company can anticipate and cover all your needs. Knowing that you can trust your event planner in their choices means knowing they will be worth the added expense.

Events are held year round and corporations may not know who to turn to for their needs. Tough you might be worrying about the extra expense it is also a tax write off, and the business you might bring in with a properly orchestrated event can be well worth the speculation. A seasoned event planner can handle everything from the smallest seminar to the largest convention with style, finesse, and every guarantee that your event will be a roaring success!

Event Management - Tips on How to Make an Event Successful

Event planning or more often referred to as party planning may be as easy and as enjoyable as it may seem but there are several important considerations that should be done to make it a success. There is a lot of careful planning and contemplating that needs to be done. You need to decide on the venue depending on the theme of the party, catering to cover the food and beverage needs, entertainment and the overall program and so much more. But if you are living in Manchester, do not worry as there is a wide range of Event Management firms you can choose from.

It was not long ago when United Kingdom has opened its doors to event management and since then, the industry of event management in Manchester has grown bigger and bigger. Most people thought the event planning and event management are two of the easiest things to do but people in Manchester think otherwise. In fact, several event management Manchester companies have expressed their own definition of what event planning is all about. They believe that a well-planned party makes an event but a carefully planned one with the help of an event company can make a successful event happen.

People could no longer deny the important role that event managers play in the success of the occasion. These people have become professionals in party and event's planning because their experience in handling small to large occasions are indeed notable. They take care of every single details about the event and make you problem-free so that you can enjoy the party like you should be. Event management Manchester essentially covers all the aspects of your event from catering to security services if the need for it arises.

If you are thinking of getting married, you need to at least have a year to plan out everything. Some of the things that you need to organize to make sure that they all adhere to your overall theme and at the same time fit to your budget include photo and video coverage, invitations and RSVPs, program, seat plan in the wedding party, decorations and music.

The list just goes on and on. Without the help of an event organizer, you might just go crazy getting into one detail after the other. There is just so much to do and realistically speaking, it is not a job of just one person especially not the bride. However, if you decide to take the services of an expert if event management Manchester firm, you can give them all the responsibility and you can get rid of that headache. In addition to that, you also get to enjoy the numerous supplier contacts that these firms have allowing you to have more options so you could choose which ones can provide what you are looking for at the lowest possible price.

Any event in your life, whether it is your wedding or baptismal, deserves to be well-planned not only because it is a special day for you but because your guests deserve only the best. An event management Manchester firm can provide you help and there are several options to choose from.

High Profit Corporate Events to Book

Typically, I prefer to book performers for corporate events because I have found you spend the same amount time booking for these events as you would for a birthday party.

The profits are usually higher for these types of events and the clients are bit more sophisticated. Below are some ways to finding the events.

For this article corporate events pertain to all types of groups ranging from corporations to civic organizations.

1) Contact companies in your area.

Usually an employee from human resources, marketing, or the receptionist will handle the company's special event(s). When you speak the the person ask if they would like to receive information regarding entertainment for their special events and send them an email or brochure via mail. Do not try to sell them on your services on the initial call.

Companies that have events usually have holiday parties in December or company picnics from April to October. In some warmer climate areas, companies may hold outdoor events during the winter.

2) Cities and Municipalities

Lots of cities have holiday, Fall, and special day parades. Find out what your locale has or even other cities across the country.

3) Holidays

There are numerous holidays, religious and non-religious, where there are groups celebrating and needing entertainment. Some of them are:

* Christmas

* Saint Patrick's Day

* Fourth of July

* Halloween

* New Years Eve

* and many more

4) End of Year Events

Again, the list here is enormous if you live near a mid-size to large city. But, this business is so fluid you can book entertainment in any city even if you live in a rural area.

Many pools and homeowner associations plan end of the year parties right before school starts or during labor day weekend whichever comes first.

If you were to focus on 1, perhaps 2 of the above ideas, you would be able to sustain an business for a long time. These customers tend to be repeat, and when your contact person leaves to go to another company, they will take your information with them and also leave information behind for their replacement.

All it takes is action and a belief in yourself.

3 Social Media Strategies That Creates a Buzz for Your Event

You can now create a brand presence on various social media sites by undertaking an event marketing campaign. Nowadays, a majority of the event organizers opt for this strategy to make their events popular. To do that you need to create a buzz on the web. That is the only way you can reach out to a multitude of audience within limited time spans. Irrespective of the size, the style of presenting the event on various social media spectrums, help in shaping people's perceptions about the same. It is not just a platform to convey a message about an upcoming event but it adds to the credibility, corporate identity and brand.

Always being an active internet user is crucial to the success of a social media based event marketing campaign.. Be it any possible way like posting on the Facebook wall or being on the Hang Out section of Google+, every bit helps. Besides, it is also important to be a constant participant in online interactions and make friends. When you interact with your friends or partners online, your network becomes visible to them which further open the door for you to connect with hundreds and thousands of likeminded users.

Let me now outline some of the key strategies that you can consider to create that special buzz for your event:

Tagging People in Photos

Tagging people in photos helps your prospective attendees as well as their individual social circles and friends to see your events page. While doing so, you must make sure that the photos posted are of good quality. Hire a professional photographer to get quality pictures of your event. Ensure that the sizes of the photos are not too large and should not take much time to upload.

Using the Share Button

Make sure you post your promotional blogs with their related links on various social media networking sites like Facebook and Twitter with a click on the share button. This helps your event gain visibility. An increasing number of users actually come to know about your event through this viral marketing tactic.

Using Twitter Shout outs

You can trade Twitter shout out with coworkers, employees, contacts, friends and groups whom you follow. Using a shout-out gives your event increased exposure and brings you more followers. You can also hash tag your Twitter shout outs. This allows more people to take a notice of your announcements and read your message.

The marketing and advertising industries are constantly evolving so an event marketing campaign undertaken via social media is sure keep your company brand name and reputation in conversation.

Successful Event Planning

Successful Atlanta event planning starts by determining exactly what you need. Knowing how many people will be attending the event is a crucial piece of information. Sometimes that number is limited by the space you have available. And sometimes you're renting the space according to the number of people who will be attending. If you know there's a limit that can be helpful. At least you'll know that the size of the group can't go beyond a certain number.

Atlanta event planning is a little bit simpler when you know suddenly an extra hundred people won't show up. So if you're planning according to the size of a room, it's already going to be a little bit easier for you and you can breathe a sigh of relief. If the event is outside where the number of people could vary greatly, try to be sure to limit the amount of people who can attend anyway. Know the cap because no one can plan for any number of people; there has to be a limit.

Work very hard at your Atlanta affair planning to make sure there is a limit on the number of people who might show up. And then contact an Atlanta event rental company to help you with details like video equipment, audio equipment and various equipment for presentations.

Whether you're planning on showing a movie outdoors, making a sales pitch or holding a conference, having the right technology at your fingertips can make the difference between a successful event and one that isn't what you'd hoped.

A good Atlanta event rental company can look at your event and help you decide what kind of equipment you'll need. If you're going to use an LCD projector, for instance, they're not all created equal. A small projector might not be powerful enough for huge crowd in a large room. The most powerful LCD projector that an Atlanta event rental company has available might be too much for your event.

While good Atlanta event planning means having enough of everything for the group, it also involves not having too much. Companies don't like to waste money. If your group is for 50 people and you rent the largest and most complex audiovisual equipment available, you may be overpaying by hundreds of dollars. While the event may be successful and everyone may be happy, the numbers are going to make someone dissatisfied with your event planning.

Use the expertise and experience of a good Atlanta event rental company to help you get the right equipment, which means it's not too small or too big. They can suggest the equipment you need for the types of presentations you'll be giving, and they can help you with your Atlanta event planning in another way, too.

The best companies deliver the equipment for you, set it up carefully, test it and then show you how to use it. Companies like this know that no matter how much time you spend on your Atlanta event planning, if you get great equipment and don't know how to use it, you might as well not have rented the equipment at all.

Organize the Best Halloween Fundraising Event in Your Neighborhood

Halloween is one of the ideal times for arranging fundraising events for some good cause. It is among the most popular festivals celebrated every year on October 31. You can introduce some of the most common Halloween party activities, such as carving jack-o'-lanterns on pumpkins and game of trick-or-treat in your fundraising event to make it all a fun-filled experience.

At a Halloween fundraiser, you can also organize a kids' costume contest. You can even plan a few games for the children, such as apple bobbing and others and offer them chocolates and burgers as treats. The money collected from the games, refreshments, donations, and clothing can be used to help children celebrate Halloween in a better manner.

Some of the favorite activities that you can organize at your Halloween fall fest fundraising event are:

Duck Pond

This is a great game for the young kids where they have to fish out ducks from a pool. They get prizes depending on the symbol on the underside of the duck. You need a baby pool and about 10 to 12 plastic ducks floating on water. Next thing is to put a symbol on the underside of some ducks. Mark one or two ducks with a 'star' symbol that will fetch a grand prize. Allocate smaller gifts for fishing the ducks containing other symbols.

Football Throws

Take a big wooden board and cut holes of various sizes in it. Kids will get points on throwing the football through the holes. Throwing the ball through the smaller holes offer better prizes compared to what is there for targeting the bigger ones.

Basketball Bounce

You can make kids try out the exciting game of basketball. They will have to bounce the basketballs into the barrels to win prizes.

Lollipop Pull

Get a huge bag or bucket filled up with lollipops. Color (red, blue, green, and others) the bottom of some lollipop sticks. The kids will then have to pick up a lollipop without seeing whether it is colored or not. Associate each color with a particular gift. Kids who pull out the marked pops will win small prizes.

Face Painting

Kids always love to paint their faces. You can hire an artist to use different colors for kids' face painting.

Draw Jack-O'-Lantern

Give the kids pencil and paper to draw their jack-o-lanterns. Tell them to color the jack-o-lanterns beautifully. Give prizes to the three best drawings. Children can also draw a jack-o-lantern on a brown paper bag and wear it on their head to scare people.

Trick-or-Treat

Children and teenagers will visit each home in their neighborhood, asking for some gifts. If they do not get any gift, they might do some silly tricks or pranks on people to scare or disturb them.

Haunted Attractions

Fundraisers can organize a haunted attraction, especially for the kids. You can charge a fee to view the attraction. It includes haunted houses, corn mazes, and hayrides.

Being a Good Party Planner Organizer Doesn't Happen Overnight

Trying to become a great party planner organizer doesn't happen overnight -- there's no way to get around that. You don't have to have any advanced degrees or anything like that, but you do need to step back and think about what would make you a successful organizer in the first place. It all comes down to a few basic principles -- if you can master the following points, then you'll be designing parties in virtually no time at all.

First and foremost, you will want to make sure that you start thinking about when the party will be. Think that you have plenty of time because the party is really only a month away? Think again! Depending on the number of people that will be coming to the party, you might not have as much time as you think. That's because you need to budget for having things shipped to you, and if they aren't the right items you need, you may have to take things back. If you wait too long in getting this done, you could run very close to the deadline of the party.

Thinking about the theme of the party is very important. You want to not only match the theme to the event, but you also want to think about the type of people that will come to the party itself. If you're throwing a party for children, you will need different decorations than what you would get for adults. Children's decorations tend to be much more brightly colored, and even come with more eye-catching accessories -- like streamers and ribbons.

Getting the word out about the party in advance helps you figure out how many people you want to invite, as well as how many people will actually come. Buying food in advance can be tricky, because you don't want to buy too much and have it spoil before the party begins. Most things can be bought at the last minute or even frozen in a deep freezer and pulled out to thaw. Yes, even cakes can be frozen if you prepare them properly!

Learning how to organize a party can come from trial and error. As you get better, you'll throw better parties. If your guests are the type that will give feedback, don't be surprised if they let you know what they liked and didn't like. This feedback will give you good insight into what people really want to have at a party, which means you can only get better from here!

Throwing great parties could just be a hobby for you, or you could even turn it into a career. Everyone needs someone that can organize an event well. Whether you're thinking about doing this personally or professionally, mastering the basics of good party planning is critical.

The time is right to get interested in becoming a successful party planner and organizer. Why not review these tips and take action on them today? Once you see how happy your future guests will be when they attend your party, you will definitely be glad that you did!

Hiring the Right Audio Systems for Your All Important Event

Large business conferences with delegates that come in from different parts of the globe as well as mass events, require the participation of many people and are definitely very difficult to organise. When organising an event such as this, you have to make sure that any event technology you have is indeed up to par so that everyone can enjoy the conference or the live event you are putting together.

Many big companies actually buy their own audio systems. This is very beneficial, especially if the company in question frequently organises small to medium conferences and live events. But buying and hiring your very own AV system can be a real hassle, especially if you do not have the techies to handle the nitty-gritty of the different aspects of event AV equipment handling.

There are a lot of plausible options out there. You can hire AV experts to do the installation for you during your events. This is especially a more plausible option for those once or twice a year big events, conferences and seminars. Doing it this way is just more cost-effective and convenient.

By now, you probably have a million questions in your mind for when it comes to hiring event AV equipment. Not to worry, because there are reliable AV systems hire companies almost everywhere you go that can cater for all your audio event planning needs.

This is how to go about selecting the right one:

Start searching the internet for AV hire companies in your area. Look for a company that has very flexible services. Make sure they not only cater to seminars and conferences but a myriad of live events that will suit the purposes of your business well.

Check the expertise of these companies to find out what sort of equipment they are capable of installing. Look for those with extensive knowledge not only of installation but also of troubleshooting. Find experts that are not only capable of handling sound systems but projectors and displays and control systems as well.

An all-in-one company should know your needs before you realise them and be really great to work with. They would not only provide excellent technical solutions but solve practical problems with furnishings and suchlike as well. If your company is lacking the right cabinets, podiums and furniture for the event, they can help provide that for you. These are needed for the right installation of sound systems.

Check their credentials and track record. Make sure they have catered for other live events in the past already and that they are flexible in the installation of the equipments in various places such as churches, training rooms, sports centres, hotels, restaurants, university venues and so on.

Once you have identified the right company to hire, find out if they can visit the venue first before installation so you can learn more about the systems required to make a sound system most effective in that area. Some reliable companies also offer their own equipments for hire. In the event that your equipment is not enough for the sound system, you can hire their equipment in the mean time.

Make sure their expertise extends to large events as well. This will ensure that they really know the ins and outs of large events.

A lot of companies do not like working with a bunch of techies who do not know how to speak in audio systems layman terms. If your company is one of those, make sure you hire event technology companies with technicians that are fun and easy to work with.

When it comes to large events, a good working relationship between the AV management team and the company throwing the event is crucial for success.

This also ensures that there will be no differences in opinion and there will be no problems of miscommunication. Get to know the various event technology experts today. Search for those companies that do not only offer audio systems but also event AV equipment handling and installation of your very own sound system.

These experts should foresee untoward events and make sure that these things do not happen on the day of the event.

In three words, these experts should be flexible, professional, and comprehensible.

How to Be Successful in Event Management

Event management has gained great importance in today's age of mass production and creation of demand for products and services. But there are at least 5 Tips which will teach you how to be successful in event management.

The first of the how to be successful tips is to make sure that the product being advertised is seen by the potential buyer of the product. It is no use advertising real estate plans in an event like a children's exhibition. Also it is necessary to find out what the buyer wants and to project an image of satisfaction of his/her needs. Like in the recession period, loans that have repayment holidays for a year or two before they start paying would be good. This is all about event management.

Next of the how to be successful tips is to evaluate what you are going to get from the event. Some of the valued benefits would be if they tell you about the type of people who will attend the event. Then you could do well to send mails to people about the vent, where it is to be held. An added benefit would be that you are added in the participants list which indirectly adds to the value of the event. All these also add to event management skills.

The third how to be successful tips is to consider who are the persons attending the event. It doesn't matter how many attend as it could be that all of them may not be potential customers at all. It is more the quality of the attendee and how much has got nothing to do with event management.

The next how to be successful tip is that what we give as free gift and samples should be relevant to the business and the product we want to promote. There is no use of just giving something free just its own sake. The give-aways should varant the expense only to increase our profits. Just to quote an example in an event about cosmetics and soaps a new herbal soap can be given free with the usual soap they purchase so as to set the foundation for demand of the new soap. This is all to do with wise event management.

The last but most important tip of how to be successful in event management is to consider carefully where you have put up your stall. Those stalls at prominent points help to give your product more importance. Visibility is the lifeline of effective event management. A few good points could be near the entrance, near food stalls or restrooms or near allied products. If you deal in furniture you could put your stall up near the stall dealing in cushion covers, or near modular drawing room stalls.

To be successful in getting most profits and benefits from any event you have to make sure that the organizers are good enough. You should analyze what you need to cater to and also consider all the points mentioned above to make your event management effort a real success. Now that you are ready for the management of the event, do take all efforts to make it successful.

What Qualities Do You Need to Become an Expert Event Planner?

Event planning is becoming a lucrative career option particularly since an increasing number of organizations are hiring expert personnel to manage corporate conventions and trainings. Today, event planners also being hired to successfully execute and manage informal events such as birthday parties, Halloween get-togethers, weddings, and so on. Event planners are entrusted with the responsibility of not only planning the event but also professionally implementing and managing the same. Responsibilities include marketing, looking after security arrangements, catering, menu selections and drinks, decorators, florists, and so on.

Let's look at the top qualities you need to become an expert event planner!

Organized Thinking & Working

An event planner needs to be well-organized in whatever when undertaking an assignment. Being organized includes a thorough understanding of the elements required to host a perfect event and likewise work towards the attainment of the goal. Guests would expect every detail to be perfectly attended to and executed. Thus as an event planner, you need to organize your time, resources, and man power to see that all aspects of the event are in accordance with the wish list of the host company.

Multi-tasking

You may need to multi-task at times to have everything ready in place. For example, you may need to call the florist to order the variety of flowers you want besides explaining to the staff members on how to go about marketing the event. Remember, an event planner needs to constantly coordinate with their trusted team of personnel to see they are giving their best to arrange an impeccable event within the timelines given.

Creativity

A good event planner always tries to think 'out of the box' to make the conference or business dinner party stand out from the rest of the events that have been arranged so far. A creative person always challenges himself to bring out the best in him. He presents his ideas before the event organizers to get the final approval from them.

Time Management

One crucial aspect of putting up a great show is completely based on how effectively you manage the time. An expert event manager should be good at time management, distributing work amongst the staff and allocating time for each job. He should constantly monitor every personnel and quickly address problems being faced while executing the task. He or she must also be good at coming out with workable alternatives in case there is a last-minute hiccup to avoid chaos and disorganization.

Preparedness

I wish your event(s) are a great success and is conducted smoothly. However what if an event faces unforeseen circumstances with regards to say tuning up of additional attendees at the very last minute or say you ordered chicken but the caterer delivered something else. A smart event planner will always be prepared with additional arrangements ready on time for these types of last moment glitches.

Understanding the Functions of a Relationship Manager

Relationship managers work as links between different groups of people in order to facilitate communication, deal with complaints, settle complaints, coordinate planning, among others. They are very useful in exploiting outstanding communication and analysis skills in coordinating composite and co-dependent activities.

Usually, there are of five major types and their names depict their functions; business, client, vendor, customer and community relationship managers. Their importance to a company's success can never be over-emphasized as you shall later discover.

A business relationship manager acts as a link among different departments in a company. For instance, the I.T department can employ one to liaise with other departments in the company in order to explain I.T functions to them. He facilitates meetings and other events to enhance communication in the company since departments do not use the same terminology.

A client relationship manager deals with individuals outside the company giving details of the company's policies and procedures to clients who are currently receiving an incomplete service. He can also be in charge of supervising legal and contractual commitments in order to ensure that they are properly executed.

A vendor relationship manager works out and supervises service level agreements of a company providing products or services to other companies. He holds vendors answerable for conforming with and surpassing the conditions of the contract.

A customer relationship manager also deals with outsiders, paying attention to understanding customers' needs. He acts in response to complaints, respond to issues practically and search for opportunities to market more products to potential and current customers. He makes use of the right software to achieve an optimum result.

A community relationship manager works with officials and volunteers in the company's area of operation to settle disputes and act in response to issues. He can be in charge of raising funds for the community, recruiting volunteers and training them.

Moreover, they develop robust alliance among different groups that may not normally see face-to-face. They are professionals in the culture of the organizations they work for and by building confidence in systems, they become trusted partners to major stakeholders in all functions.

However, pursuing a career in this field requires obtaining a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. Some positions may require an additional technical background including verbal, written, presentation and significant thinking skills. Job opportunities in management is expected to rise as fast as other jobs while salary levels vary in accordance with experience, industry, location and company size.

Top 3 Cool Girls' Birthday Party Themes For Teen And Tweens

Planning a teen girl's birthday is not as easy as it sounds. They probably are no more interested in the conventional princess parties and want to host their parties in their own way. Being a mother, you have to understand their requirements and address them well so that she can spend her special day the way she wants. Before you start planning her birthday party, sit with her and discuss every detail so that she can have her say. To begin with, decide a theme. Here are some cool teen girls' birthday party themes that you can consider for her.

Luau party

Tropical grass skirts, fresh fruits, Hawaiian music, and floral leis are sure to excite your teen guests and get them into the party mood. This colorful and exotic theme is sure to be a big hit among them. So say 'aloha' to a luau theme party and let the kids enjoy some relaxed time. Hosting this party at a pool side would be a great way to create a perfect luau atmosphere for your celebrations. The decorations and other preparations can be as simple or extravagant as desired by you and your lovely daughter. To quickly create a festive atmosphere, buy the luau themed Girls Birthday Supplies such as tableware, centerpiece, balloons, crepe paper, favors, pi簽atas, and much more.

Justin Bieber

This teen-idol is extremely popular among girls and if your lovely daughter keeps humming his songs, suggest her Justin Bieber theme party for her birthday. Hosting this party would be much easier with the help of Justin theme Girls Birthday Party Supplies such as the tableware, invitations, foil banner, crepe paper, balloons, VIP badge necklaces, and much more. Create a gig atmosphere for your party and let the girls feel as if they are the VIP guests of this superstar. Give away Justin theme favors that the girls will treasure for years to come.

Hannah Montana

If your teen daughter fantasizes being Hannah Montana, why not suggest her a Hannah Montana theme party on her birthday? This theme will give her and her friends ample opportunities to dress up and pretend like a pop diva. Teen girls love to dress-up and therefore, this is one of the most appropriate party themes for them. To organize this party conveniently, buy the themed Girls Birthday Supplies that will help you create a perfect party atmosphere for your little one.

These cool birthday party themes are sure to make your lovely daughter's day memorable. Once you have finalized your theme, sit with your daughter and discuss about the rest of the party details so that you plan the way she want.

The Benefits of Specialized Corporate Catering

There are all sorts of reasons why corporations have meetings and social events. Sometimes you do them for clients, sometimes for employees, and others for a variety of company business needs. When you are arranging these professional meetings, the last thing you need is for something to go wrong with your arrangements that will detract from the purposes of your meetings. Hiring a specialized corporate caterer allows you to get the reliable, professional catering services you need so that food and beverage options add to, rather than detract from, your company meetings.

One of the easiest ways of recognizing the competency of a corporate caterer is by the professionalism with which the company conducts itself when you meet with its representatives to discuss your options. Specialized corporate catering services will ensure that food is served in an elegant, functional manner. The food will be laid out on tables for your associates and guests to enjoy according to plan. While a corporate caterer can easily manage dozens to hundreds of guests, small outfits will struggle to offer the same type of smooth services, complete with hot food that is ready upon demand to that many guests.

A common mistake made by those planning corporate events for the first time is trying to do the food planning themselves or trying to save money by placing a very large order for food at a restaurant. While most restaurants, if they are notified well ahead of time, can produce the food you need, not all of it will be fresh and you may actually end up paying more. Plus, you will have other services to pay for, like food cleanup. Someone will also have to take care of all of the guests' food and service needs. Even just setting the places for many guests can take hours, let alone trying to keep the place clean as your guests try to enjoy the meeting.

In the end, the benefits of specialized corporate catering will be very obvious to anyone who has tried to do corporate gatherings with and without such catering services. However, there is no need for you to experience it the hard way. Shop around and get quotes on complete corporate catering services for your meetings. Get a feel for the level of professionalism offered by each company. You will be much more relaxed and at peace when you know you've put things in professional hands.

Event Planning - Negotiating for That Best Deal

What is the "Best" deal when it comes to negotiating for a convention contract? ?Should it be entirely based on the sleeping room rate or are there other factors involved? Let's discuss a couple of factors that should help you determine "Best" deal for your group.

Rate vs Location - if a meeting planner starts the negotiation process with only room rate as the determining factor, attendees might not always be pleased. For example, a low room rate for members gets strained when the location of the event is on the other side of the United States and each guest pays high prices to fly to the destination. Then you also have to add lost travel time into account.

On the other hand, maybe picking a facility that charges a slightly higher room rate, but saves time and money traveling is a "Better Value."

Rate vs Space - let us talk about room rate versus function space. Some facilities have great meeting space, super AV and logistics between meetings makes for a better meeting. So, wouldn't it be better to sacrifice a few room rate dollars for the overall satisfaction of the conference? Would you rather be cooped up in smaller meeting rooms, with poor lighting and bad acoustics or sitting comfortably in a well lit, well air conditioned room that was conveniently located near everything? Rate is not the "End" all.

Convenience to Activities - what will make your attendees happy? Obviously, they come to meetings to learn and network, but what about after the meetings are finished for the day? What happens when it comes time to ask the question "What can we do now?" Is that isolated hotel with a low room rate now the "Best" deal? Is there anything close to do or eat? Is there entertainment close or is room service partnered with an "in-room" movie the only choice? Or, if the location does have something of interest nearby, what will it cost to get there?

Good deals may be great in the eyes of the meeting planner, but will that good deal be seen in the same light by each and every attendee?

Let's look at it at it another way and define "Best" deals by types of meetings.

Corporate Meetings - are primarily command performances where attendees are scheduled to attend and the corporate "Best" deal is that low convention rate. Since corporations pay the bills, budgets alone may determine where and what hotels are booked.

Association Meetings - are normally meetings of choice. Everything from agenda, to location, to convenience, to external options comes into play, in addition to room rates. "Best" deal is not really considered by the attendees unless there are more factors in favor of going to the meeting versus staying in the office.

So, what is the "Best" deal when it comes to a sales contract? The answer depends upon "all" the factors involved. Just remember to think about the purpose of the meeting, who will be attending, what is the ideal location and is this meeting a "command" performance. When a meeting planner says "I got the Best deal," what do they actually mean? Was it only the convention room rate that determined "Best?"

Introduction to Business Strategy

It is a fact that organization's strategy gives us an idea about what the organization wants to achieve and the process how they want to achieve it. It basically includes the purpose of the entire organization, its goals and objectives?as well as the plans and methods that they are considering so that they can achieve this. A strategy also involves the determination of the entire basic long term goals as well as objectives of the organization.? At the same time, it adopts the courses of action that is necessary and the allocation of all the resources needed to achieve the goals. And then, here comes business strategy.

A business strategy is a report that shows the plans of the entire business. It is a plan that is often used so that they can attract financing from big investors as well as creditors. This is a plan designed to give information regarding a new venture so that they can convince financial backers to invest in the said business. It describes the market opportunities that the business intends to develop, the process on how they are going to do it and the resources that are required to make it possible.

Business strategies demonstrate the following roles:

1. It is applied to encourage people to invest in an enterprise.

2. It is also a tool used to assure creditors about the credit worthiness of the enterprise.

3. Another role is to persuade banks to lend or perhaps invest money.

4. Last, but not least, business strategy helps you stay focused on what's important for your business in order to achieve your desired results. It saves your time, energy and money.

And since this is necessary, a strategy needs to:

• Show the lender or the investor that they have a big chance of being repaid and that they will be getting good returns on their investment.


• Build the necessary confidence for the firm and the capabilities of the owner.


• Show the investors that there is a very good market for the service or product that you offer.


• Show you a clear picture where you're heading and how to get there.

A good business strategy is the base ingredient for a successful business. However, there are many different kinds of business strategies. The best business strategy should be able to guide your company into a direction wherein the expected internal pressure due to business continuity meets the great demand of the fast changing world for the revolutionary business plans.

There are basically three types of strategies in which business holders must concern themselves:

1. The plain strategy or the strategy in general. This refers to how a specific objective will be achieved. The strategy in general mainly concerns the relationship between the results we want to have and the resources that are currently at our disposal.

2. Next is the corporate strategy which defines the market and the business wherein a certain company will operate. Corporate strategy is usually decided through the context of being able to define the company's mission and vision. This is the same as being able to recognize what the company does, why it exists in the first place and what it intends to become in the future.

3. The last type is the competitive strategy which describes a given business the basic that is needed for it to be able to compete. This type of strategy is centered on the company's capabilities, its strengths and weaknesses. This is used in relation to the market characteristics as well as the corresponding abilities, strong points and weaknesses of the competitors.

If you need help developing your business strategy, we'll be glad to help you. Visit Magnetic Look site to learn about different ways how you can work with us.