Professional Dancers for Hire - Perfect Entertainment for Big Events

When it comes to dancers for hire there are many types to choose from. Along with ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, tap, or many other common styles of dance entertainment, you can also find hula dancers, belly dancers, and even exotic dancers. Since TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance first appeared, dancing as a form of entertainment has come into its own. These and other dancing shows have taken the world by storm and are now some of the most-watched shows on TV.

In addition to watching professional dancers on TV, it has become an extremely popular form of entertainment at major corporate events, private parties, and other important occasions. After all, who wouldn't want to watch Kym Johnson, a two-time winner of Dancing with the Stars, or heartthrob Maksim Chmerkovskiy, live on stage as they perform their flashy and energetic routines? And if dancers like this are more than your budget will allow, you can still find some very talented, although less famous, dancers for hire that will put on a dazzling show for your special event.

If you're hosting an island barbecue you will probably want to use some island or hula dancers such as the Polynesian Pearls. The Polynesian Pearls is a family of dancers for hire have been performing their exotic island dances for over 30 years at corporate events, trade shows, fairs, and many other events all over the nation. If you're looking for an authentic island treat that everyone will enjoy and remember, add some hula and Polynesian dancers to the mix.

If an entire family of hula dancers is a bit too much, maybe a belly dancer is what you need. This type of exotic dancer can add a great deal of excitement to many types of parties, using a scarf, veil, and other props for added flair. Belly dancers are often hired for birthday and engagement parties, cultural events, fairs and festivals, and even corporate events. Some dancers will even provide lessons for the guests, an interactive way to turn an ordinary event into an unforgettable occasion.

Probably the most popular type of dance entertainment is ballroom dancing, which is what you'll usually see in movies, on stage, and on TV shows. These dances involve partners and are widely enjoyed at corporate events and other important affairs. They include the Waltz, Nightclub Two Step, Latin Swing, Paso Doble, and many others. There's nothing quite like watching professional dancers for hire do high-energy numbers like the Quickstep or romantic interpretations of the Rumba. When you are organizing an important event and you will only except the best and most-exciting imaginable, employing dancers for hire like you see on Dancing with the Stars is the ultimate entertainment. Watching Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson, or Dmitry Chaplin live on stage is so much more exciting than seeing them on the small screen.

The next time you organize an event where entertainment will be used, seriously think about hiring dancers for the occasion. With some high-energy dancers your guests will be able to experience a show that will boost the level of electricity ten-fold. If you want to throw a party that will have everyone talking for weeks about it, dancing entertainment is a solid choice.

The Missing Link in Security Information & Event Management - Application Level Events Detection

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Security Information and Event management projects today is integrating application level data and events to provide detailed user-centric auditing, detect internal fraud and comply with new regulations. The ability to detect user behavior and application level events is not available with most if not all SIEM products and reduces the overall value they produced in comparison to their potential. In basic terms, Security Information and Event Management applications are looking at doorways and windows but not at the treasure room, your business applications.

Since basic application logs have insufficient data and are I/O heavy, a non-intrusive approach is required to detect, transform and route all relevant events to the SIEM applications in their required format. Providing non-intrusive event detection while offloading detection, formatting and routing from the business application server is crucial. Enabling behavioral pattern analysis using pre-defined patterns, existing SIEM logic and external data correlation for real-time detection and reaction will be the next big step to minimize internal fraud.

The SIEM market has been evolving rapidly proving its value in a complex organizational world built on a plethora of IT components of various types. The need to manage large amounts of data created by these components, document the data, archive it and detect problems and issues arising from the actual events has made SIEM applications necessary. However, for various reasons such as vendor line of business and integration issues, the focus of information gathering and correlation of events has remained on the technical components of the IT network: Routers, Switches, Firewalls, Servers, etc. There has been little if any emphasis on the actual business applications where relevant actions, business processes and potential damage and fraudulent activity can actually be performed.

The current situation with most SIEM deployemtns is indeed very problematic; all the peripherals are audited and guarded while the real honey pot, the "vault" with all the money in it, isn't taken care of. It is in the business applications that the actual actions are being performed, good or bad, and that is where the emphasis should be. Since organizations cannot dive into their application code and change it to log and route relevant events, and do it again and again when regulation or business requirements change, a non-intrusive approach is a must as long as it can provide in-depth, user-session level visibility to user-application behavior. This means application code needs no changes, log management is unnecessary, and application servers are not over-loaded by logging I/O operations which result in performance downgrade.

Additional challenges would be transforming the data before it is fed to the SIEM application to solve mapping issues and parameter definitions which must be determined to help the SIEM application understand the data it is receiving. Another main issue is the ability to deal with large throughputs for monitoring events from several applications per node, off-loading computation and I/O from them and routing and feeding events to relevant targets such as a SIEM application.

Only then will SIEM deployments be able to detect every event or specific behaviors based on predefined patterns and only then will SIEM applications fulfill their true potential. SIEM application can then gather critical, application level data and events, comply with tougher regulations and detect internal frauds by correlating this data with it existing data.

Planning Corporate Events Using the 5 W's

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

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


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


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


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


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

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

Event Planning - Repeat Business - Why Return to That Hotel

Repeat Business is what all companies strive for, especially hotels. They make money because you come back time after time and hand over your hard earned dollar bills. But, why return to the those hotels and restaurants? Does it have anything to do with the staff being service oriented? The answer is yes and we are going to discuss two staff positions that will specifically affect repeat business.

Those positions are Concierge and Convention Service Managers. You deal with the position, but it is the superior service of the person that you want and need. Let's discuss.

Concierge - recently I was in New Orleans at the Marriott Convention Center and our group needed help making reservations for dinner. Our favorite place was only open for special parties, so we had to go to plan "B" and find something else that would accommodate twenty to twenty five persons with only one day notice. We checked into the hotel and then went directly to the concierge. Her name was Rhoda Martinez.

She not only recommended a restaurant that could take care of us, but assisted us several times before our reservation to make constant changes to our numbers. Each time we talked she was courteous, pleasant, helpful and had great suggestions. She loves her job and the guests love her. So do we.

Rhonda even recommended a unique little local place for lunch that was ideal and will be remembered, so when thinking of reasons to return to her hotel, she gets an A+.

Convention Service Manager - I spent thirty years in hotels and most of that time was spent handling convention groups as Director of Convention Service. Clients would negotiate the sales contract with their sales manager and then it was my job to service them the rest of the way. That meant confirming contractual details, confirming space, pulling out all their needs and wants plus communicating their wishes to the hotel staff. Then my job was to make sure it all happened.

Two Goals - but, I had goals for each convention I handled. The first was to make sure all the attendees had a great convention, all the details were handled efficiently and with great service. Repeat business depends upon clients leaving the hotel with wonderful memories and saying to themselves "I want to return."

The second goal was as important, if not more important, than the first one. It was to make the convention planner so happy that they won't want to go anywhere else. So, to do this, I took extra care before the meeting to get all the details and prepared the convention resumes plus BEOs in detail. The hotel staff only had to follow my instructions and then I made sure everything was ready so the meeting planner only had to check the meeting rooms, but did not have to call and make changes.

We had great repeat business because the meeting planners knew I would make their job easy. Accomplishing one goal without the other did not bring back the business.

So, many of the hotels and restaurants you visit are nice and have great physical attributes. The meeting space and food might also be worth rebooking your convention, but you won't rebook if your attendees are not happy or if you had a hard time working the meeting. However, a great Concierge and Convention Service Manager will bring you back. We all like to be catered to. In the movie Field of Dreams there was a phrase that said "Build it and he will come." However, in the hotel and convention business, "If you make it easy on the planner, they will rebook." Repeat business absolutely depends on service.

Planning Your Child's Birthday Party? Get a Limo Hire Company to Do it For You!

If you are planning your children's birthday there is no better way to do it than by hiring a limousine! The party packages available online is expansive; gone are the days of boring stretch white vehicles; now you can hire out pink limos, cars off the TV and luxurious stretch Hummers as seen on many music videos.

The majority of vehicles come fully equipped with all the entertainment necessities including CD, DVD players and karaoke machines; with a few extra gadgets thrown in for that that extra wow factor such as in-car smoke machines, dance floors, disco and strobe lights available in many models. Many limo hire companies also offer balloons, soft drinks, sweets and crisps inside the car to keep your kiddies happy for the duration of their journey- however if you request anything else to be included companies tend to be very accommodating.

Of all the models seen on the road the most impressive for children has to be the Mystery Machine van, as seen in Scooby Doo, which comes complete with your own Scooby Doo chauffeur with in-car treats including a PS2 and customized leather interiors. This is a brilliant twist on the traditional limo hire and is guaranteed to be good fun for both children and adults alike; the chauffeur can drive you to any destination you choose and will even stop for photos.
Other children party favorites available include a High School Musical stretch SUV, a WWE bus, an American School Bus or a genuine American Grand Prix limo complete with a supercharged engine; although the most popular with girls has to be the pink limo hire, letting them have a taste of the celebrity lifestyle!

There are several benefits to hiring a limo for your child's birthday; firstly depending on how long you rent it for- it can be a brilliant venue for a party, allowing you to offload the rug rats onto a professional company, saving you hours of preparation and cleaning up. If you don't want to use the limo itself to host the party in then Hummer limo hire is perfect for transporting groups to a venue or even just for a drive about the city- either way hiring a limo, Hummer or bus is the perfect way to surprise any child giving them a birthday they will never forget with minimal stress for yourself.

Succession Planning and Succession Planning Template Significance in Family Businesses

Perhaps the most powerful illustration of succession's importance inside the family firm is the staggering number of family businesses that plan to hand over control to the next generation in the short-term. For instance, in the US alone, 40% of family business CEO's are planning to transfer power to the next generation within the next 5 years. When viewed in combination with the factors surrounding succession, this statistic truly represents the importance of the succession process not only within the firm, but also on a macroeconomic level-family-owned businesses have served as the backbone of society since the times of the ancient Greeks.

To add complication, many researchers have noted that the succession process can be traumatic, possibly clouding the vision or purpose of the firm and its members. For instance, because owner-managers in small businesses have fewer organizational constraints to curb their power, their decisions can have proportionately higher consequences for the firm. Also, from a psychological perspective, owner-managers' ideological zeal has a great effect on shaping an organizations purpose and direction. In this way, one can understand that the absence of this passion post-succession can have a very detrimental impact on a firm. Finally, on a more obvious level, succession is one of the only events that firm is bound to face at some point during its lifecycle. Another way to indirectly discern the subject's importance is by examining the amount of academic research dedicated to succession. During the twenty-year period between 1970 and 1990, the number of academic articles on the topic jumped by 250% and today, one third of all family business literature deals with succession subject matter.

While it may seem obvious that family businesses should prepare for a succession event, it's not always the case. In fact, until recently, most family businesses did not have any succession plans in place. As one can understand, planning for the transfer of power is extremely important. Although this is a long process that involves developing talent across the workforce, a good way to kick off the succession planning process is to review the key functional areas in one's company and create a basic succession plan for those areas. Using a succession planning template can greatly aid in this endeavor. Not only does it enable frank communication about succession plan, a succession planning template helps to visualize what can be an overwhelming subject. All in all, it is essential that family businesses address the issue of succession in all areas of the business and utilize templates that make understanding the process easier for all parties.

Essential Tools for a Breakout Room

When it comes to a large conference or meeting, the breakout rooms are essential to the success of the overall conference.

When considering conference equipment rentals one thing that is often overlooked are the needs in the breakout room. When evaluating a venue, it is best to consider the following checklist to ensure that the presentation services audio visual company can meet your needs.

Let's start with the "Low Tech" items. Each breakout room should have the capability to be equipped with the following items. If you are relatively new to conference services, you might be surprised to learn how often these low tech items are not available at all or are in short supply.

• Easels for signage and/or flip charts


• Flip chart paper, enough units for each breakout room, if needed


• Markers, with a variety of colors. Make sure they work and have plenty of ink!


• Masking tape if the speaker wants to brainstorm with the audience


• Podium, either tabletop or stand alone


• White Boards with Dry Markers, again with a variety of colors that work

"Hi Tech" breakout rooms should have the capability to include:

• PC or Mac Computer Workstations or Laptops


• USB Slide Advancer with Laser Pointer


• Digital Signage


• Plasma TV


• Projector and Screen Rental


• Wireless Internet


• SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard


• USB Drives, given to attendees with the presentation loaded onto it

When considering a venue, obtain a listing and quantity of what conference equipment rentals listed above they have and which ones they do not. Find out if there are other meetings or conferences at that venue. Which conference equipment rentals are already committed to another organization?

Determine your speakers needs, find out what audio visual equipment they are bringing themselves, and look hard at your budget. Some speakers are very low tech and some are extremely high tech. Some bring nothing and others bring everything.

Three Factors To Consider While Organizing A Food Festival

Are you a restaurateur? Remember, organizing a food festival is an effective strategy you can take to attract customers or foodies to your business. While on one hand you can offer them food prepared by the finest chefs of your restaurant, make them appreciate the quality, and make them your customers; on the other, you can extend your business and make a large number of customers both in your city and from other cities. If you can promote and popularize the event through advertisements and various promotional activities, you may be able to attract international tourists to your festival. So, you can see that a properly organized and planned food festival can really boost up your business and help you to make a large amount of profit. However, before organizing a festival, there are three most important factors that you must consider. A list of those three factors is given below:

• Theme: Before you make any plan, the foremost thing is to decide the theme for the festival. The theme for the occasion can be Thai, Chinese, Indian, or Tibetan. Whatever be the theme you choose, you need to make arrangements for dishes accordingly. In addition to that, you need to decorate you eatery to match with the theme of the festival. You should check whether the props, the decorations, and the ambience are perfectly suited to the theme of the festival.


• Menu: Generally, the restaurants adopt the food culture of particular regions of the world as their themes for such festivals. However, you must remember that there can be more than one staple dish of a region. That is the reason, you need to research well and finalize a menu for the event. While deciding on the dishes, you must make it a point to check whether those are popular and yet unique choices for such an event.


• Budget: You need to consider your budget before planning such an event. According to your budget, you can organize such an event either in your restaurant or in a club or in a banquet. The number of dishes in the menu card also determines the cost of organizing such a program. In addition to that, you must calculate your finances well and make sure that you are getting a profitable return on investment from the festival.

If you need help or assistance to organize, promote, and manage a food festival, you can always opt for the services of an online event management service provider.

25th Anniversary Party Planning - Keys To Success

Invitations: When deciding on a guest list, be sure to invite the couples' friends, family members and neighbors. Get as many member of their wedding party to attend as possible, and in the invitation, ask guests to bring photos to share with the couple. The invitations may also be an ideal time to reveal the theme of the party, as well as the dress code. You'll probably want some silver in the invitation (for their silver anniversary) and, if possible, you may wish to include the same colors that the couple used in their wedding invitations. Or, for modern design ideas, including invitations with pictures, visit the WeddingPaperDivas website. If you intend to have food at the party, be sure to ask everyone to RSVP in enough time to allow you to plan accordingly.

Decorations: A couple's 25th anniversary is known as their silver anniversary, so keep this in mind while choosing decorations. You may want to hang silver stars from the ceiling as part of a "romantic starry night" theme. You may purchase them in different shapes, sizes, and designs at StumpsParty website. Silver balloons, which can be personalized with the couples' names and date of their anniversary, as well as silver confetti, are also available at orientaltrading.com. Votive candles, especially in silver and navy blue, may be set around the room and lit when the couple enters.

Food: First, decide if you will be having a full meal or hors d'oeuvres. If you plan on serving appetizers only, accent tables with personalized silver napkins and cutlery. For a list of delicious and elegant recipes, look at foodandwine.com/articles/10-simple-hors-doeuvres. You may choose wine and other beverages to accompany each snack. Consider having small tables, each with a snack and wine pairing, so that guests know which flavors go best together. This will also encourage people to walk around the room and mingle with one another. You may also want to include a dessert table, with individualized anniversary cupcakes and other small sweets, such as heart-shaped chocolates.

Party Favors: For a unique and special treat, order chocolate dipped oreos with the couple's photo and wedding date on it. These are available in white, milk, or dark chocolate, and will be a memorable and tasty gift for each guest. Champagne gel candles or champagne candy jar favors are also a fun way to commemorate the celebration. Guests can then take these favors with them and display them in their homes. Finally, if the couple is particularly eco-friendly, consider sending guests home with plantable bookmarks, complete with the couples' name and anniversary date, as well as a unique or inspirational phrase that they enjoy.

Diva Entertains, Copyright 2010

Family Reunion Planning - How To Save Thousands This Year

If planning a family reunion were not a challenge, financing it is even more so. As gas prices rise and energy bill increase family reunion planners are feeling the pinch as the catoring and planning service pricing explodes. Add to that the increase in family members and many wonder just how to save when planning the next family reunion.

Too often family members find themselves shelving out much more money than they ever intended just to get the essentials. Unforeseen expenses such as flying in an elder relative or providing a powered wheel chair and mobile van for travel.

So how do you throw a smoking family reunion event while sticking to the budget and even have funds left to contribute to another event?

The key to planning and successfully executing an affordable family reunion event involves taking advantage of freebies, discount services and two-for offers.

Family Reuion Discount Travel Packages
When booking your family members consult online travel sites for special discount packages. Be sure to ask hotel management about any group discount rates. Ask catering companies about size discounts. Use hotel shuttle buses for local destinations.
Other avenues to saving money are in the gifts you plan to distribute. Take public transportation when touring historic districts.

Family Reunion Freebies
Visit the Chamber of commerce for branded items such as free key chains, free tote bags, free tours and tourist welcome packages.

Visit State Universities and ask for free tours, special events such as piano concerts and plays. Look into free use of grounds. Keep in mind that donations are appreciated when utilizing university estate services.

Free Family Reunion Planning Web Sites
Free family reunion event planning software can be found at the following family reunion resource web sites:

http://family-reunion-planner.fimark.net/

http://www.family-reunion.com/organizer/

genealogy.about.com/od/family_reunions/

http://www.familyreunion.com

http://www.Ancestry.com

Family Reunion Planning Software
Family reunion planning software and planner templates can help you save hundreds even thousands of dollars simply by helping put all your ducks in a row and avoiding unforeseen pitfalls and resultant expenses. These family reunion resource sites also offer family reunion resources with free templates, family reunion committee and subcommittee assignment sheets, free tips and guides, free newsletters, free family reunion, tips booklets and free family reunion registry.

Free Family Reunion ECards And Invitations
eCard sites offer free family reunion e-vitations. Free Press Release sites can be used for free reunion event announcements

Penny savor classifieds are great for free reunion event announcements. Make use of family reunion webpage hosts for
free family reunion webpages.

Family Reunion Committee Tools
If your working with a family reunion committee and subcommittees take time to create a budget for each department. Insist that each subcommittee adhere closely to the budget while attempting to take advantage of bargains and saving assigned funds for next year's event. Consider giving a prepaid debit card to each subcommittee chairman.

With good planning, organization and cooperation you'll throw a successful reunion event, stick to the budget and save hundreds, even thousands on your next family reunion.

Company Picnic Entertainment - What You Can Do to Make a One of a Kind Picnic Event

I don't know a thing about you, but as far as I know, a lot of people get tired of the usual old style company picnics... You know that when people start to get tired of something, they would most probably lose interest and enthusiasm and don't be surprised if less and less people attend your events. Are you looking for ways on how to improve such events? Company picnic entertainment is the solution to your problem. Maybe you are thinking that company picnic entertainment would be difficult to have. Putting up a company picnic is not as simple as planning just any picnics, right? Objectives are set and plans must work to achieve these goals. But in the process of always considering these factors, fun tends to be put away. In all honesty, let me tell you that putting the fun factor in your company events is not as hard as you think. You would not have to be all so worried about trying to sew together the company's goals and the enjoyment of the people. There are a lot of available help in the market and there are a variety of options that you could choose from.

Holding picnics provide a lot of benefits for your company, and for its people. These gatherings will foster morale of the company and of the people, show approval and gratitude towards the people and their efforts, and build up teamwork between your employees and even with clients.

Team building activities are common in these events. Through this, interaction among your people will be promoted and teamwork will be reinforced in a fun and exciting way. You could spice up these activities by having game rentals or sports inflatable rentals.

A good way to show your people approval and gratitude towards their works is by letting them have fun with their families and friends. Providing a variety of activities, rides, or even booths will provide that company picnic entertainment that will suite whatever age group or whatever interests.

Having entertainers such as magicians and balloonists are a good way to complement the fun provided by the different activities and rentals you had. These are classic acts that never fail to amuse different types of audiences.

To ensure that your people will definitely have a good time, aside from providing them company picnic entertainment, give freebies and prizes. Go with small items such as dinner and gift certificates, toys for their kids, or even bigger prizes such as plane tickets, appliances, etc. That will definitely put a smile on your employees' faces.

As you can see, company picnic entertainment can be in different forms... may it be through games, activities, rides, booths, etc. In the end, picnics for your employees or colleagues should be fun... Do not get preoccupied with other corporate matters. Just let everyone have fun.

Charity Event Tips: Publicizing Charity Events

Once the plan for an event is in motion, planners must worry about how they will reach attendees and prospective attendees to be present at their charity's next big fundraiser. The most effective event planners know that modern event-goers are glued to computer and cell phone screens. That is why a survey which asks for event goers' preferred means of event notifications shows that Email and word of mouth are the most effective means for reaching out.

The survey mentioned above proves that email is clearly the most effective and cost efficient way to reach a large constituency quickly. But it also shows word of mouth as the second most effective way, proving that human interaction and personal connections play a vital role in convincing people to attend events. However, you still have more options if you include Facebook and Twitter, two online social networking sites that are steadily expanding every year. Facebook and Twitter are the third and fourth most effective means of communication according to the survey.

Invest a little time. Since more than 81% of the survey's respondents said that Facebook is effective and 32.8% said that Twitter is effective, there is no reason your charity should not be on these sites! Since they are free of charge, set up pages, groups, and accounts today for your organization as well as for all your upcoming events. Extend invitations to all your board and committee members. Be sure to ask them to turn right around and invite their own sets of contacts to join. Also, invite any attendees from previous years' events rosters. Expanding your prospective charitable event attendee network has never been easier.

Almost instantly, you'll leverage two of the most popular and effective Internet networking tools to shore up your base, promote your events, and inform people about the good work your organization does. And if you continue to send out emails and spread excitement for your charity and its events by word of mouth, you'll be in great shape for your next event. Check out the benefits of Facebook pages for organizations by looking at marketing tools available on different websites and even online ticketing websites. Join the group and you will receive frequent event updates, be able to look at various picture albums, and communicate with other charities or event goers in minutes!

What's Hot and What's Not in Event Segments

In 2012 experts have noted a steady increase in corporate meetings and conferences. Together with this increase comes an evolving event equipment industry, experimenting with new technologies, marketing and branding techniques. Below you will discover new trends and dying practices in the corporate event industry.

Conveying the message in an entertaining way

What's hot:

More and more companies are relying on A-list speakers and performers to get their message across in an effective way. People are no longer interested in repeat presentations from the same speakers as last year. Drawing big names to the podium will have a significant affect on the participants' engagement with the event's message and encourage them to attend events in the future.

The use of film, animation and other types of audio visual presentations is also extremely strong. Through innovative audio visual tricks, companies are able to take advantage of certain themes and use such themes to keep their audience interested. Presentations such as the company's journey from earlier times to the present can be enhanced through musical videos and other visually stimulating material.

What's not:

Many event equipment and event production companies believe that the days of promo gifts are numbered. The introduction of smart phone technology and new event software suggests that audiences need to be engaged on the spot. This is proving to have a significant effect on the event's outcome as company's begin to use social media as a great ROI tool to view traffic and discussions about the event. Instead of leaving guests to think about the event afterwards through incentive travel gifts and merchandise, it is recommended to entertain them during the actual event.

Where is the money going in corporate events?

What's hot:

The rise of altruism. When big name companies organize large scale events they prefer to give something back to the community. Whether it is through promoting the event as a 'green event', focusing on recycling and other similar activities, or making sizable donations to charity and non-profit organisations.

What's not:

Careless spending is a thing of the past. Just because event equipment companies are offering newer forms of lighting hire and audio visual technology this does not mean that they are not offering an equally impressive way to implement this equipment in a less expensive way. Event organisers are therefore finding ways to create theme design and marketing in a budget friendly way while still making use of the exciting technology on offer.

Scope of Event Management - Sports Meet to Birthday Treat - Managing Every Event For You!

Most of the adults have had a bit of experience in organising birthday parties or marriage receptions. It may have been for a friend or a close relative. But nearly all of us end up feeling a bit exhausted and never really get around to doing everything we wanted to. Managing an event requires the expertise of professionals as much as any other enterprise.

Large-scale events like music concerts, product launches, sports championships need a greater degree of involvement by experts. At times this involvement may have to begin way before the actual event. Choosing the site as per client specifications, discussing the finances and material procurement are a few pre-event necessities. Olympics, the grandest of all sports events, to the product launches, big budget weddings and corporate functions, every event is managed as an individual project by the event management firms.

Every event is quite unique in its own way and demands a different approach. The rock concerts for example are just like any other music concert except for the huge crowds of enthusiastic fans they draw. The event management works in tandem with the musicians in setting up the stage, sound and lighting on hire and rental for other peripherals for making the event possible. Crowd management is a very critical aspect of such events, including product launches involving video production, which if not looked into carefully can ruin the whole experience for the participants. There have been incidents of extreme violence during rock concerts; Rolling Stone's Altamont free concert in 1969 was one such infamous event.

It is a norm for multi-million dollar business houses to make their presence felt by hosting corporate functions of magnitude. These corporate functions may be aimed at strengthening relations with customers or at better bonding and understanding with employees. Generally, these corporate functions are like mega get-togethers with the idea of creating bonhomie among the employees.

The event management companies work in close co-ordination with the human resources department of the host company. Together they decide on the particulars of the event, site (indoor/ outdoor), lighting to be hired and rental for the arrangements, entertainment, food and drinks. Then, all of them would like to have the video production of the event. The event management personnel would take care of all this and can even customise their general event format according to the host's preferences.

To conclude, application of management concepts in business has led to better control on different aspects of it. Arranging a dinner for four may not seem to require a lot of event management aptitude. But then, the application of management fundamentals sure can bring about a significant value addition.

Is it a Grand Occasion For Your Business? Hire a Corporate Event Planner Now!

New York is the most important center for trade and commerce in the world. It is the home to some of the biggest organizations and firms in the world. A large number of meetings, corporate events, product launches, trade shows, promotion parties, retirement party, annual office picnic, a sales meeting and other events are held in New York. Businessmen from all over the world travel to this part of the world in the hope to expand their business. They attend meetings, corporate events in the hope to meet the right people.

Corporate events can be a very small time affair or it may be on a large scale, it may be informal of formal, and be private or open to general public. These corporate events are organized in order to attain a broad range of objectives. The event can have a severe effect on the business prospects of the organizing firm. These events are meant to meet the key players in the field and establish good relationships with them. This is very vital for the business. Also such events are a great way to commemorate the company's success, encourage team building among workers and guarantee a great and memorable evening for the guests.

Without good planning and management, the chances of success for the event are very bleak. Proper planning is the key to success of any corporate event. Planning for the event should start as early as possible. It's better to have a few days extra rather than do the last minute arrangement. Planning such corporate events requires a lot of time, planning and dedication. It is associated with a lot of tension and frustration. A good manager in the firm may not necessarily be a good event organizer as well. Therefore it is very important to ensure that the right people do the event planning work for you.

A professional or an Event Planning firm is the best people to plan your corporate event. These firms employ the services of some of the most well known event planning experts who would take care even the minute of details that is associated with an event. They would ensure that the event is a success and is organized within the budgets. They have the experience and contacts to make the best of arrangements for all the attributes of a corporate events including the venue, entertainment and catering among others. These professionals take all your tensions, frustrations and problems that you might have faced in the event of you organizing the event.

Corporate events are very important for any corporate firm. They can have a great impact on the future prospects of an organization. Hence it is very important to ensure that the corporate event is remembered in the corporate circle. This is only possible with the help of the professionals and corporate event planners.

5 Benefits of Transferring Your Event Registration Online

Nowadays, many event organizers are transferring their event registration processes on the Cloud. On enquiring the reason behind this steady change they said that it is because they find such a Cloud-based event registration solution quite beneficial and inexpensive compared to manually executing the same set of tasks. Supervising a job in person requires your constant presence plus also leads to higher expenditure in terms of hiring men to work in specific key areas. The excess spending may be conveniently avoided if and when an event organizer decides to use an online event registration solution.

Being on a cloud platform, such a solution doesn't require you to hire additional staff to manage many of the administrative tasks; you can do it yourself using a web-enabled device. Any standard registration solution comes with a set of applications specifically built to control events related tasks within a constrained budget. From creating the event sign-up forms to collecting payments quickly, an online solution can do a number of things on behalf of men.

Chances of Getting Higher Attendance Easily

While moving your event registration process online, you can actually make the task of accessing forms from anywhere and at any time possible. Online registration forms can be viewed and filled up from any location on the planet provided the concerned individual has a portable device (laptop or smartphone) or fixed (desktop computer) device with internet connection. People who are otherwise unable to travel to your office to collect a form can now easily sit in front of their PC to complete the formalities.

Cost Saving Solution

A person can easily save mounting infrastructural expenditures and hiring costs by planning to utilize an online event registration solution. It lets you create and publish multiple, customized registration forms over the internet without the usage of piles of paper and paying for the hard copy forms.

Automating Payment Collection

Event organizers can easily manage the collection of payments from registrants without additional helping hands. It can be made possible by the utilization of an online payment solution that lets anyone pay you via a credit card, through wire transfers or using a reputed payment gateway like PayPal. You can even pay back (refund) registration fees to a registered attendee using such a payment solution in case he or she decides not to participate in your event.

Streamlined Communication

An emailing service that comes built-in with the event registration software lets you send out any number of invitations, reminders, and RSVPs to your attendees. You can type in the messages and on successful delivery of each email you will automatically receive a confirmation thereby eliminating chances of non-delivery of mails.

Secured Storage of Registrant and Payments Data

While manually keeping all registration information includes extensive paperwork, online event registration and payment solutions enables instant storage of all registrant details in a centralized database that may be accessed anytime. You can easily view and use such information to generate reports at your convenience.

How To Choose Catering: Party Planners' Tips For A Successful Event

There are many tasks that a host must accomplish for an event to be considered successful. These include finding the most appropriate venue for the gathering, renting out chairs, tables and other necessary fixtures, and choosing the right decorations and music, to name a few. However, among all of the responsibilities of an event host, the most important is selecting a really good catering service. No matter how picturesque the venue and d矇cor may be, an event that serves unsavoury food is bound to leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Finding exceptional caterers may be difficult because of the sheer number of catering companies in the area, and this may be even more complicated for newcomers to this city. To help party hosts find a good food provider for their guests, listed below are some tips on finding the best catering:

Consider your needs. This is the most important step in finding a catering service as knowing exactly what you need will help make the search much smoother and faster later on. The most important things to consider are the following: the date, time and venue of the event, your budget, and the number of people that will attend. You should also determine specific factors such as type of cuisine, provisions for individuals with special dietary needs, and whether you will be hosting a cocktail or sit-down dinner before you call and inquire with chosen caterers.

Compile a list of caterers in your area. A caterer that is situated nearby is the best choice because this setup is already very convenient. A good way to get a list of exceptional caterers is by asking trusted friends and family for recommendations or by consulting party planners. If you have attended events that served great food, inquire about the caterers for that event. Also consider your favourite restaurants as some may in fact be offering catering services.

Check credentials and specialty. Now that you have a list of caterers in the area, the next step is to research them one by one. Eliminate caterers that do not satisfy your requirements for type of cuisine and budget. However, do make allowances for budget as it is better to hire a pricier caterer than settle for one that does not fulfil your conditions. Also, check each establishment's licenses, registration status, and whether the company has any history of complaints and how these were dealt with. Once you have reduced the list to a manageable few, you can then call them to make more specific inquiries.

Ask about availability and services. The most important things to ask are availability and additional services. Make sure to clarify details about food presentation, the menu, rate of service and mode of payment. The experts in catering event hosts hire should have a solid work relationship with their clients to ensure the success of the event.

Corporate Event Planning - The Keys To A Successful Event

As with any topic that's being researched or under consideration, you'll want to consider the 5 W's. The five W's will start to provide answers to help you begin research on the possibilities of your corporate event planning. Once you delve into the possibilities, the creative juices will begin to flow. Tapping into all your available resources to find just the right mix of answers for the 5 W's - Who, What, Where, When and Why will help you create a momentous event that will be remembered by every attendee. Delving deep into each of these provides answers you need to make any corporate event planning a huge success.

Corporate Event Planning - The Basics

Setting Your Goals

First, why are you having the event? Reasons for corporate events may go deeper than you realize. For example, let's say you want to have a supplier appreciation event. Obviously, you want to let your suppliers know they are appreciated, and keep up the public relations with each company. Delve a bit deeper and also consider other reasons for the event.

Other reasons can be defined by determining exactly what you want to accomplish. Along with showing supplier appreciation, perhaps you want to be able to casually discuss future plans and opportunities with your suppliers. Or maybe you want to announce to all your suppliers that you will be opening a larger facility within the next year. By identifying these types of underlying reasons, you can use corporate event planning methods to structure the atmosphere to facilitate the results you desire.

Identifying primary and secondary reasons will help you choose locations, themes, agendas, and even timing for your event. It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to throw a large event. Carefully planning your corporate events makes sure you gain all you can from each event.

Begin to Plan

Once you have set your goals for the corporate event planning, then it is time to begin to work with the specifics. Things like location, food and beverage, speakers, entertainment, activities, and date and time must all come together to create the best of corporate events.

Even if you use a professional planner for your corporate events, you still need to devise a basic list of what you expect in each area of the event. The more information you can provide to your corporate planner the more successful your corporate events are likely to be.

Another important key to corporate event planning is to make a list of every thing you want to happen at the event. Speakers, presentations, awards, meals, open discussions, whatever communication tools that are necessary to get the results you want should be included. Creating this list before you continue with your planning ensures that the specifics of the event revolve totally around your goals.

Once you know the agenda of the event, you can then begin to consider where the event will take place. Choosing the location after you know the agenda helps to ensure that you only consider locations that can provide everything you need to make your event successful.

Activities and entertainment are an important part of all successful corporate events. Making sure the attendees get the information you are providing is only a part of the planning. You want attendees to enjoy presentations and activities. Remember, even though you are planning a business event, emotions still rule reactions. Make sure your activities and entertainment evokes the desired emotions.

Food and beverages are another important part of corporate event planning. The choices will depend upon the type of event you're planning. For example, appetizers and drinks are the standard at cocktail receptions, but might not be what you need at a family oriented company picnic.

Sometimes, the theme of corporate events is obvious. For example, if you are planning an event for a product launch, you know theme is structured around the specifics of the new product. Or if the event is a holiday party, the creations of the theme is based upon the holiday at hand.

Other times choosing the theme requires creativity and planning. Corporate picnics, company outings, and incentive programs are typical corporate events that will require creativity and planning.

Attendees of events also contribute to determining agendas and other specifics. A convention open to the public would require different levels of corporate event planning than would an employee recognition event. The image your corporation presents is important with each type of event.

The structure and agendas relating to each of these corporate events must match the image you desire to portray. Again, considering the who, what, where, when and why goes a long way to make sure you are providing just the right mix to attendees of corporate events.

The Final Step of Corporate Event Planning- Implementing Your Plans

Once you get the basics of your corporate event planning on paper you can then being to schedule and implement your plans to make sure everything goes as the plans state. Planning and implementing corporate events takes a lot of time and effort. Most planners of corporate events recommend you begin planning at least six months to one year before the event. You want to make sure you have time to contact, interview, and contract every provider you need for your event.

Coordination between providers is crucial. Make sure you give each of the providers you contact a schedule of the events as well as pertinent information about your chosen location. This helps each provider to plan and make sure they can provide their services as your contract specifies.

At least two weeks prior to your corporate event, make sure to contact each provider to confirm that everything is going as the schedule dictates. Checking with each provider well before the event gives you plenty of time to make changes if something is not going as planned.

Using these tips for your corporate event planning will make the task flow and generate the results you desire. Make corporate event planning a regular part of your business and you'll see the rewards.

Corporate Event Planning for Special Events

We were recently hired as the corporate event management company to produce a company anniversary event in Las Vegas. For this event, we definitely went outside the corporate event planning box. Here are some corporate event ideas we created with the client for this special evening.

One of the first corporate event ideas we implemented was to install round tables that seated 30 and 40 guests at each table. Usually, for any type of party planning, whether it is corporate event planning or social event planning, round tables seat 10 to 12 guests each. Luckily, I work with a very talented team of vendors that support my corporate event management company and we were able to build the large tables day-of to accommodate guest seating for 30 and 40 people.

However, because we increased the size of the tables to 20 feet and 24 feet in diameter to accommodate 30 and 40 guests respectively, we had to increase the size of everything else as well including the linens and the centerpieces. Our linens were 25 feet and 29 feet in diameter for the burgundy underlays and 22 feet and 26 feet in diameter for the ivory overlays respectively.

We had plenty of corporate event ideas for the flowers but decided upon a very traditional arrangement using our room colors of burgundy, gold and ivory. Installing the flowers was quite tricky. We actually had to have the florist climb on top of the table without their shoes in order to reach the center and start building the centerpiece outwards towards the guest seating.

In addition to the center floral, at all the individual large tables we placed 8 satellite floral arrangements and over 20 votive candles in order for these tables to mirror the other regular sized tables in the room. The installation of this event took plenty of meetings and corporate event planning in order to execute the set up in 8 hours.

Once the flowers were set, the catering team tackled the room with the gold beaded chargers, specialty folded napkins, wine and water glasses. We also placed at each individual place setting a gold chocolate medallion to signify the importance of this special anniversary.

Like other corporate event management companies, we worked closely with our client to learn what unique aspect we could bring to this event to make it memorable. The client amazed their guests by providing straight from China actors who performed the ancient Chinese dramatic art of Bian Lian (face changing). The performers wore brightly colored costumes and vividly colored masks (which they changed in a fraction of a second) while moving to quick dramatic music. It was truly spectacular to watch.

Other entertainment at the event included a DJ who accompanied the music with her singing and an aerialist who performed 20 feet above ground using just her strength and a ribbon suspended from the ballroom ceiling for her performance.

I hope you found some of these corporate event ideas useful for your corporate event planning. It's important as a corporate event management company to stay fresh and innovative and I do believe we are one of the few if any event planning companies to have built guest tables to accommodate 30 to 40 guests at each table. Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, stylish, fun and economical to all!

Meeting Planning - Negotiate Like A Pro

Meeting planners who negotiate successfully all have one thing in common: They know the value of their meeting from the hotel's perspective. All too often, planners make the mistake of assuming that because their annual convention is valuable to their organization, it must be valuable to the property. But that's not always the case.

Remember that a piece of business is only valuable to a hotel if it provides profit -- maximum profit, if possible. (The value of your meeting drops, for example, if any other group wants the same dates and is willing to pay a higher room rate or provide more food and beverage revenue.) So be sure to thoroughly analyze every aspect of your event -- just the way a hotel sales manager would. The result will be power and confidence at the negotiating table. Here are seven major areas to consider in your analysis:

1. Corporate or Association Influence

Corporate meetings can be more attractive to hotels than association meetings for several reasons. For starters, they're typically short-term and yield a higher average daily rate. Corporations also usually spend more on food and beverage than associations and are much better at estimating their room pickup since attendance is often mandatory.

On the other hand, corporations tend to cancel their meetings more frequently. Associations rarely cancel because their bylaws generally require them to convene once a year and their annual meetings are, more often than not, their biggest revenue-generating events of the year. In addition, association meetings are often booked many years out, allowing hotels to forecast future years much better. An association's annual meeting also can offer more guest room nights -- a hotel's largest profit area.

2. Number of Room Nights

You may think that the more room nights you can offer a hotel, the stronger your negotiating leverage will be. But that's not necessarily a given. More important than the number of room nights is how those room nights fit into the business mix of the hotel. The transient market has been on the rise for the past several years, resulting in an overall drop in the number of rooms committable for the group market. So, in certain instances, a large meeting may actually be too large for a particular property's group block allotment.

Fortunately, the number and variety of mid-range hotels geared toward the transient market (Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inns, Hilton Garden Inn, etc.) is also on the rise, which means group room blocks are slowly inching their way back up again.

3. Season

Most properties have three seasons. During high season, hotels typically have occupancy rates of 90 percent or better and, as a result, have little incentive to be flexible and make rate concessions. During shoulder season, occupancy rates usually fall between 70 percent and 89 percent, giving you a bit more negotiating power. You have the most bargaining leverage in low season, when occupancy dips below 70 percent and properties are pretty much willing to "do whatever it takes" to book the business. (Low season conditions also can occur when a hotel is hit with a short-term cancellation and needs to fill the hole quickly.)

A hotel's seasons most often correspond with the seasons of the year. In Florida, for example, winter is high season and summer (especially August) is low season. But a hotel's "seasons" also correspond with the days of the week. At most downtown and airport hotels, for instance, high season is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; off season is Friday and Saturday; and shoulder season is Sunday and Monday.

At resorts, high season is generally dictated by the weather and its relationship to the resort's recreation focus. May through September could be high season at a midwestern resort, low season at a desert resort, and shoulder season at a ski resort. (In gaming destinations like Las Vegas, weekends are high season and weekdays are shoulder season.) And if you meet over a holiday, you are definitely in low season at most hotels.

4. Food and Beverage

Food and beverage has gone from being a break-even line item for hotels in the '70s and early '80s to their second-largest profit center. So the more F&B revenue you can offer a property, the more valuable your piece of business becomes. Using post-convention reports, calculate exactly how much your meeting is worth to the hotel in terms of food and beverage dollars. Don't forget to include "hidden" revenues from affiliated groups, hospitality suites, exhibit floor concessions, and other trackable revenues that a hotel may be able to provide. After tallying up these miscellaneous sources of revenue, you may discover that you have more negotiating clout than you initially thought.

5. Space Requirements

Ideally, the amount of meeting space you need to book should be proportionate to the number of rooms you need to block. If you're blocking 100 rooms in a 500-room hotel, but require all of the function space, for example, your event is not going to be perceived as valuable because it leaves the property with no space to sell to another group. If you find yourself in this position, look for ways to reduce your space requirements. Perhaps you can use your general session room for lunch. Or maybe you really don't need 16 concurrent breakout sessions.

6. Pattern

Your arrival/departure pattern should fit into the group pattern of the hotel -- historically Sunday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Sunday. If your convention falls into one of these time frames, its value automatically increases. If you want to arrive on Tuesday and depart on Saturday, however, its value significantly decreases since the property would most likely have to break apart a standard date pattern before and after your meeting.

7. Opportunities for Ancillary Revenues

The more opportunities you create for your attendees to spend money, the greater the value of your business to a hotel. Properties in gaming destinations love to see open afternoons and evenings. Resorts want your attendees to utilize their spa, golf course, and other extras. If your program runs from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., the hotel knows those facilities will not be utilized. Other areas to consider are in-house service providers such as a destination management company or audio-visual company, which typically give a portion of their revenues to the property.

Once you have a handle on the true value of your meeting to the hotel, you are ready to negotiate. Begin by compiling two lists: one of your needs (items that are not negotiable) and one of your wants (items that you would like to augment your event). An example of "needs" might be a specific number of guest rooms, a rate no higher than $140 a night, a general session room that seats 1,500 people, and 12 breakout rooms accommodating 200 people each theater-style. Your "wants" might include a complimentary breakfast for your board of directors, limo transportation for your keynote speaker, and six suite upgrades. Always negotiate your needs first. If the hotel can't meet these basic requirements, move on to the next property on your list. When negotiating your wants, remember that the hotel has to turn a profit. Your "wish list" should be reasonable, based on the value of your meeting, and not so extensive that the hotel decides to take another piece of business over yours. Also keep in mind the three main factors that come into play when negotiating with a hotel or any other supplier: 1) time, 2) information, and 3) power.

Time

Recognize time as an investment. Don't expect to select the site for your next meeting in a day. (There may be times when your meeting fits well into the first destination you call, but don't expect this to happen often.) Expect to invest a significant amount of time researching various destinations and properties as well as analyzing the value of your meeting. Only then will you be able to negotiate successfully. Listen for key indicators to get the upper hand. Every salesperson has performance goals. So if a hotel sales manager indicates a sense of urgency by saying, "I could really use the contract back by the end of the week" or "What is it going to take to get this done by the 26th?," it most likely means that he needs your piece of business to meet a quota or secure his performance bonus. As a result, those few remaining contract points or concessions that you still haven't obtained may be in reach if you can address the hotel's need to close the deal quickly.

Remember, this works in reverse too. If you are behind schedule in selecting a site for your annual convention and tell the sales manager that you need to sign a contract by the end of the week, don't expect to close the conversation and be successful with: "And by the way, can I have three more dollars off the rate and six limo transfers?"

You set the clock. Don't allow time to become your enemy. Never begin the process of negotiations or allow someone else to force you into a scenario where, due to lack of time, you agree to unfavorable terms just to get it done. At the same time, don't draw the process out once you have a fair agreement.

Concessions are made when time is running out. A sales manager has no added incentive to make concessions at the start of the negotiation process when he knows you are looking at seven cities and 21 hotels. He does have incentive, however, when he is one of three finalists and this is the last shot at earning your business...and if he thinks you may walk away from the negotiating table if your requests aren't met. Very few hotels, after all, are willing to lose an important piece of business based on two suite upgrades or not wanting to provide a complimentary newspaper delivery.

Information

Know their business. Before you can sell the hotel on the value of your meeting, you need to know how the hotel makes its money and what its "hot buttons" are. (Did you know, for example, that the profit margin on hotel rooms can be 70 percent or more, food can be in the low 20-percent area, and beverages are over 70 percent?) Only then can you show the strengths of your meeting and how it fills the hotel's needs. Ultimately, only meeting planners who provide the best historical data on their events that address the overall value of their meeting to the hotel get the best deals. Know your meeting. A sales manager who has been in the industry for six months may not be familiar with your organization or understand the significance of your piece of business. As a result, it's up to you to continually prove the worth of your meeting.

Power

Volume. The more business you can give the hotel, the more negotiating power you have. If you can book two meetings -- the annual convention and perhaps a board of directors meeting, for example -- you will have more leverage than a planner looking at the same dates who can only offer the property one event. If you know you have or can influence multi-year bookings or multiple meetings, bring these to the negotiating table.

Competition. If a sales manager thinks there's no competition, there's no reason to offer you the best possible rate or make any other concessions. On the other hand, if a hotel knows it's competing against two or three properties, it will be much more likely to sharpen its pencil to offer you the best deal possible. If too many hotels are in the final running, however, a property will be less likely to compete aggressively.

Flexibility. The ability to be flexible automatically puts you in a position of power. If you can change your dates slightly, add another food and beverage function, live without 24-hour holds on all meeting space, or switch from classroom to theater-style seating, you may very well boost the value of your piece of business.

The ability to walk away. Even when both parties have done everything they can to attempt to create a win/win situation, you may still find yourself short of your negotiation goals. You must be willing to walk away. Remember, every hotel has a "walk-away rate" as well.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Event Planner?

An event planner career is a high-pressure, fast-paced, and client-driven path. It is also a creative, engaging, and inspiring work environment. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a vital part of determining whether you have what it takes to become an event coordinator. We interviewed Los Angeles-based event planner Jessica Alpert, to learn what it takes to succeed in this industry. She provided career advice, helped to break down the skills needed to make it in the industry, and explained some of the challenges in managing special events.

Collaboration is Crucial

An event planner career requires that you be detail-oriented and have excellent communication and time management skills. You must also possess the ability to think fast and juggle all kinds of personalities, handle chaos well, and cope with stressful situations. Aside from those personality traits, Jessica notes a fantastic smile and a willingness to broaden your horizons is necessary to become an event coordinator. While you are planning and executing events, the most crucial part of the project is ensuring that the client is happy. "You may not agree with client choices, but it is up to you to make them believe that their idea is the best you have ever seen."

Additionally, knowing your target audience is an important aspect to event management. Whether you are working to conceptualize an event that will draw large crowds and raise awareness for a particular brand, or planning an intimate dinner party, being able to work independently or with a team the most crucial factor in a successful outcome.

Appearance is Everything

Of course, managing events also has its challenges. It is a tough job and if you cannot handle criticism, roll with the punches, and overcome challenges along the way this might not be the profession for you. Furthermore, according to Jessica, appearance is everything. "If an idea backfires and you are thrown off your game, recover quickly and make it work ten times better. And of course, do it with a smile."

Keys to Success

To be successful in this industry you must be able to properly budget and juggle your time. Additionally, Jessica suggests that quick thinking and the ability to make any challenge work are crucial to effective event management. Finally, you must be flexible to be able to work with clients who want you to plan and manage every detail of an event or simply execute their vision. Having a creative eye to provide suggestions will provide added value to the working relationship.

Why Green Is A Critical Color For Corporate Event Planners

How important is sustainability in the world of corporate event planners these days? According to an annual survey of global meeting and event professionals, increasingly so. The platform Future Watch indicates that more than 40% of these event planners say they are totally committed to weaving that shade of green into the body of their events.

Environmental responsibility has been cited as a significant challenge by top corporate CEOs around the world in other recent surveys. While there may not be such a strong push toward the regulation of carbon emissions in our delicate economy these days, organizations nevertheless see the benefit - both from an internal and an external perspective - of going green.

Corporate event planners who work for very environmentally conscious clients need to be able to go the extra distance and make sure that they apply stringent standards throughout their own supply chain. In other words this means that they have to reach out to venue providers, such as hotels to see just how environmentally responsible they are, in turn. The planners need to be able to incorporate the use of elements that recognize the value of sustainability. They need to be able to use renewable fuel sources where at all possible.

Many events use high levels of disposables and recycling simply must be a top priority. Organic foods should be selected for banquet functions and waste should be avoided at all costs. For example, bottles of water should not be set out for participants as a matter of course, but should be available as and when needed.

Many forward reaching venues are going out of their way to ensure that they are sustainable. They realize that their clients in turn demand this and make sure that they trumpet the availability of energy saving initiatives and other sustainable practices.

Corporate event planners have to tread a very delicate line between the greenback and the green meeting. Budgets are under a lot of pressure and financial conformity does not always, automatically, walk in lockstep with the need to be sustainable.

It's certainly a good idea for event planners to familiarize themselves with all current and emerging trends in this area and to be ready and willing to incorporate environmentally responsible elements. Its no longer gimmicky or "cool" but an integral part of the industry. Ignore at your peril, but tread cautiously to make sure that you don't make any hasty declarations or assumptions!

What Is Involved in Corporate Event Management?

If you're thinking of hosting a corporate event for your staff or customers then you should consider what it's involved in hosting such an event.

It's not as simple as finding a venue, ordering some food and drink and getting on with it. Corporate event management - involves careful planning and execution, with great attention to detail, especially if the event is for your customers.

Here's a list of things you will need to consider for your corporate event:

1) The Venue

This is the first thing you need to decide on, based on the goals of your event, the number of people invited, the atmosphere you want to create and the facilities you need. It's also likely to be one of the biggest costs, so you had better have your budget in mind too.

2) Event Theme and Decor

Your event venue should be decorated according to what you want to achieve. Are you looking to impress your clients and customers with a formal theme or dazzle them with something unusual? Perhaps you want to create a party atmosphere for your staff to celebrate success? Either way, the theme and decoration is a serious consideration to get the atmosphere for your event just right.

3) Audio Visual Requirements

Most corporate events, whether they are product launches, parties, awards ceremonies or anniversary celebrations, involve a speaker or speakers. You'll need to arrange a stage, lighting, audio equipment, any required visual aids such as video, televisions, large projection screens and the like.

4) Catering

The provision of food and drink for your guests is a vital component of any corporate event. Do you want a sit down dinner with wine on the tables or a buffet with a bar or even a mixture? How many people do you need to cater for? What sort of food do you want to serve? Are there any special requirements to bear in mind? This is another big decision for you to make.

5) Event Staff

Your event will run smoothly if you have a team - large or small - of expert staff on hand for your guests. From waiters and waitresses through welcoming hosts to expert bar staff, you'll need the best to impress your guests.

6) Guest Speakers and Entertainment

You might want to have a guest speaker at your event, perhaps a celebrity or comedian. After dinner speakers are very popular and should at least be considered as part of your corporate event management.

7) Budget

Maybe this should have been the first item on the list! All the above is going to cost you money so a carefully planned budget, allowing you to decide what you need and don't need - and what you can afford! - is a must.

If all the above sounds very daunting then you should consider using a corporate event management company.

As experts in their field they will work to your expectations, your budget and do all of the hard work for you to ensure that your event goes ahead as planned and your guests leave impressed and happy.

Online Event Reporting: Is It Good or Bad?

There are many ways to generate reports on the completion of an event. One such way is the online reporting system. Many big and small corporate firms are using this method to simultaneously produce reports on multiple areas, post-event. The rising popularity of the online reporting system can be attributed to its nature of cost effective operations and user-friendly interface.

Let's have a look at the main benefits of implementing an online reporting system.

Easy Accessibility

You can access the reporting portal anytime you wish to, via any web enabled device such as Smartphones, laptops, etc. This easy accessibility of the Cloud-based reporting module on a 24/7 basis is a primary reason behind the popularity of this platform amongst the new generation corporate honchos.

Creation of Numerous Reports

You can generate an endless number of customized reports over the internet. This means you don't have to indulge in the age old time consuming process of manually entering data on multiple spreadsheets. Rather, you can retrieve the data in minutes directly from the registration forms submitted by the participants.

Additionally, you can produce multiple reports at the same time like sales, revenue, registration, payment, and so on. Moreover, whether you have organized a single event or multi-location events on the same day, generating reports will no longer be an issue once you start using the Cloud-based reporting app.

Real-time Feedback

You can generate reports almost instantly just after the end of a meeting or a conference. Since the module is available online, so anyone from the event management side can log onto the dashboard to complete the reports creation process in real-time.

Automatic Data Capture

Cloud-based reporting systems often come with the facility of online data capture. Tradeshows and similar other event organizers capture data using apps such as bar code scanning, mobile computing, voice and RFID recording. Now, data captured via multiple apps can be uploaded on to PCs and this information can then be provided via the same reporting portal.

Easy Storage of Reports

Once the reports have being created, one can easily store such reports either in his/her PC or on the company's centralized database to allow it be accessed anytime by anyone. In case, you want to restrict the access of some reports, you can do that easily by making selected reports password protected.

Cost Saving Method

Through the usage of such an online system, you can eliminate manual data collection, data review, and re-entry of information. This saves on significant labor costs as well as productivity time for generating reports in whichever format you wish to.

Event Planning Jobs: Where Can You Find Clients?

Event planning is a popular business to start. There are a variety of events you can plan, and you can have a full calendar of work year-round. Planning these festive and social activities can be fun and rewarding - but finding clients may be the most challenging part of event planning jobs. Below are three effective and low-cost ways to get a consistent flow of new customers to your business.

1. Get Involved

A big chunk of business for event planners comes from word-of-mouth marketing and referrals. If you want this free form of advertising to work in your favor, get involved in your community. Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Become a member of social groups in your neighborhood. Volunteer in your community and socialize with the people you meet.

You do not have to "sell" yourself, but inevitably people will ask what you do for a living. The more people you meet who find out you are an event planner, the more potential clients and referrals you have to draw from. You never know where a casual conversation will lead to - as the saying goes, people tend to do business with people they like. You never know where your next customer will come from, so it is a good idea to stay active and visible.

2. Do Charity Work

Although you do not want to work for free, you can basically advertise your business for free by volunteering your event planning services for local charity functions. This is an easy way to demonstrate your skills to people who generally have lots of connections. You will be appreciated for your efforts and looked upon favorably by those who can refer you to others or even hire you for paid event planning jobs in the future.

3. Host a Free Workshop

Show that you are the "go-to" person when it comes to event planning by hosting a workshop on how to plan parties, create invitations, make low-cost decorations or some other topic related to event planning. Your workshop does not have to involve a big presentation. In fact, those who do not enjoy public speaking find that putting on a hands-on workshop to a small group or service organization much less intimidating.

With each of these three marketing tactics, you get to demonstrate your skills and knowledge up front to potential clients. People can meet you in a no-pressure environment and can see you more as a friend rather than a salesperson. In addition, these strategies are virtually free to use and can be very effective at getting new customers - sometimes even more than a paid ad.

Party Catering Services for You

There are a ton of positive things that life has to offer, and celebrating something that is significant to you is one of them. The only thing that most people are hesitant about when it comes to hosting a party is having to deal with arranging all of the plans for the occasion on their own. This is where party catering services can help you.

Party catering is available in many towns and cities all around the world. People choose to hold functions for many different reasons, and in most cases a lot of the planning, food preparation and decorating is left for the host of the party to do. Being a party host should not have to be a difficult task, and with the assistance of catering it no longer has to be.

By choosing to hire party caterers, the only thing that you as the host will have to do is make several individual choices about what you want at your party, and set a budget for the event that you are organizing. You will work side by side with the service that you decide to employ to ensure that the event that you are holding will be successful in all attributes. Once you have made all of the crucial decisions about what you want to have at your party, you will be able to sit back and actually enjoy the event when the big day comes.

While you are enjoying the time that you are having with your guests, the party catering service that you employed will be doing all of the work for you, ensuring that all of your wishes are met. There are many different types of parties that party catering services can assist with. The parties can be anything from a basic birthday celebration, weddings, and even corporate events.

A lot of the party catering services have different services that party organizers can pick between. You can choose to add on additional services, such as music, balloons, or even bubble shows. There are some party catering services, that offer themed parties upon request. Regardless if you choose to have a theme for your party or not, you will be able to speak with an event organizer that will help you plan the best party that you have ever thrown.

The event planner can help you make excellent choices when it comes to choosing the services that you would like to have at your party. The event planners will make recommendations that you may want to include at the event as well. The main intent of the party catering service is to ensure that the host of the party and the guests that are attending the party have an outstanding time while at the event.

If you will be hosting a party in the near future, do not hesitate to contact party catering services to assist you with the plans for the party, the entertainment, and of course the food. Research various companies to try to locate a company that is going to adhere to your budget demands and your party demands.

Selling to Corporate Clients

Selling to corporate clients requires a different approach to standard small to medium sized business to business sales. Corporates often have set procedures managed by purchasing teams who have an approved supplier list. It is very difficult to get onto an approved supplier list - you can work at it for years while a chance opportunity can get someone else onto the list quickly. Often suppliers fail to understand the opportunity when they find themselves on a large corporate's system and they don't follow it through to get the most out of it.

It can be difficult to get a contact in a large corporate. Most have receptionists answering the telephones who are often referred to as gatekeepers. One of their main roles is to screen calls and it is very difficult for someone selling a service to get past this gatekeeper.

Emails are also unlikely to link a sales person to a buyer. Lists can be purchased, but often the email addresses on the lists have been used so many times that the recipient is no longer open to approaches. Even the best lists can be over-harvested.

One way is to have a product that can be bought at short notice over the internet. This can be considered more of a discretionary spend than a planned one. Make best use of the contact you make at this stage to try to get onto that corporate's supplier roster. One example is team building events for small teams, which are often booked with one or two weeks' notice. The booker of these events is often a PA or a member of the team who will be attending, but there is an opportunity at a time of goodwill to ask to be introduced to someone in the buying department.

One of the problems you will need to address is that purchasing departments will be approached many times by potential suppliers. They will be much more prone to saying no than offering an opportunity. So, it is important to have some sort of advantage that lifts you above the usual approach. Give it some thought, particularly thinking about your service from the user's perspective, and come up with a clever strategy.

Another effective way to gain attention is to organise an event on a subject of relevance to your target corporates and have good guest speakers. It is easier to gain attention if you have a valuable message, rather than just trying to sell something. Promoting your service at the event is more subtle and this is the point. Do not think about how to sell to corporates, think instead how to get their attention.

Selling goods and services to large corporates is not easy, but it can be achieved if you understand the issues and look at the situation from their perspective. If you do get an opportunity it is important that your team builds it as far as you can and try to find your way into that crucial approved suppliers list.

Planning Your Company's Off-Site Event

Organizing company events or training sessions can be a difficult task for many small businesses. In many cases, small businesses do not have the space required to host an all-company meeting or training session. Hotels offer large spaces for rent, but the prices can be difficult to swallow.

A suitable meeting space is only one of many factors to consider. All day events will require catering, projectors, Internet and other technology items. When organizing an off-site event for your organization, there are three main things to consider. When these items are in place, the rest will be a cinch.

1. A Meeting Space
First, you will need a meeting space that fits the needs of your event. Consider the style of event you wish to host and what types of activities will take place. For some, a large boardroom will be ideal. For others, a much larger classroom will be required. Before making any decisions, you will need to know the agenda for your meeting and of course the number that will attend.

Once you've decided on the type of room you will need, the difficult part can often be finding a space at an affordable cost. Hotels can be an easy option, but they can also be very expensive. You may want to check with non-profit business organizations in your area. These organizations often have room rentals for very efficient cost savings.

2. A Catering Service
Unless you're willing to see your employees pass out during the event, it's a good idea to arrange some type of food service. Many event centers with room rentals will offer breakfast and lunch catering for all-day events. Independent catering services are also easy to use.

If you intend to hire an outside catering service, be sure this is allowed by the meeting facility. Some have very strict requirements regarding outside caterers. Hotels for example will require you to use their in-house catering service. Unfortunately, this can be reflected in the price. When shopping for your event, be sure to compare different combinations of room and catering options.

3. Technology Requirements
Before deciding on any meeting facility, you will need to determine what technology equipment will be required for your meeting. Most room rentals give the option of projectors, televisions, wireless Internet access and more. These items usually carry an extra fee, so to accurately price your event, make sure you get exact quotes for each of the necessary items.

You may also want to ask if there is a per-device charge for Internet or if the entire room will have unlimited connections available. This can drastically change the price of an event, as many hotels and other spaces will charge an individual fee for each connection. The more details you can gather on technology needs, the more accurately you will be able to price the event.

With a space, catering and technology taken care of, the rest of the event should prove relatively simple. While it can take some time pricing out options, a little research will go a long way in saving costs for your business.

Benefits Of Event Planning Software

For that big day, you will need some effective management. Whether you are tying the knot or planning another important event, or are a professional and do this every day for other people, you will probably want to take advantage of an online package to help you. There are so many to choose from , you will want to choose the one with the best features for your event. the following checklist of essential features should help you decide.

Remember, the software should save you time, so you do not want something overcomplicated. It should be user friendly and have excellent online support. It should only take a few minutes to publish the event and mass-mailing should be possible at the click of a button. A to do list is a must - and reminders should be included. The size of the event will be a determining factor - many packages offer planning for up to 50,000 participants, which is well in excess of most individual needs but will be of interest to the professionals in this field. Online forms should be customisable, to be compatible with your own system. Reports should be vary varied and easy to compile.

Attendance should be optimized by the feature of automatic reminder e-mails. Credit card payments should be integrated real.time, to ensure safe and prompt processing. Accounting should be facilitated with easy tracking. The ability to easily set up a personal webpage should be included, with features for personalized ticket creation, which will maximise ticket sales from the word go. The graphics and pop-ups will be of great importance to you - will they help capture your target participants, or put them off?

In February of this year, Event Payment Services, launched the ePSPay(SM) SmartCard application. Designed for use by both profit and non-profit event planners, it streamlines registration, purchasing, and post-event financial processes. Registration lines are minimized by credit card swipe technology. A swipe at a portable terminal allows donors to be assigned a bidder number. Until they check out of the event, they can then make purchases freely. At a 2006 Rotary Club event in Washington State, volunteers spent over eight hours just entering credit card numbers. With ePSPay(SM), this can be done at pre-registration in just a few seconds," said McConville. "Our technology allows volunteers to be more involved in the event, rather than having to focus on registration and coordinating donor information." You can visit http://www.event-planning-software-guide.com for more information on event planning tools.

Event planning software really can make a difference to costs as well as sign-ups. Spindustry, for example, helped The Iowa Credit Union League to cut costs. A major overhaul was achieved in a matter of months. When choosing your software, it makes sense to go with an established firm, because the online support is more likely to be well established and past the teething stages. Most firms provide a free simulation, which will give you a very clear idea of whether the application meets your specifications.

Happy planning!

3 Big Mistakes Companies Make With Business Anniversaries

Thinking about celebrating your business anniversary? Be smart in harnessing the promotional power of this essential marketing strategy. Avoid the three big mistakes companies make in planning and executing corporate anniversary promotional campaigns.

Big Mistake #1: Celebrating Without "Sell"-abrating:

Throwing a party is one way of celebrating a corporate anniversary. However, a more strategic approach positions products and services within the context of the anniversary. As a result, the occasion becomes a "sell"-abration, contributing directly to the company's future success.

Smart companies celebrate and "sell"-abrate by creating an anniversary-year theme, developing a branding message for key stakeholders and executing promotional strategies that communicate the anniversary-year message. Here's how this works for a company marking its 3rd anniversary, the symbol of which is Star.

One theme this symbol evokes is Hollywood. The branding message this theme suggests is "You're the Star on Our Red Carpet," which can be communicated in these ways:

• For current and former customers, the company hosts a Hollywood-style open house complete with a red carpet and chocolate statuette awards as thank-you gifts. New products or services are debuted in a "Coming Attractions" video.


• For prospective customers, the company delivers star-shaped novelty containers filled with foil-wrapped chocolates with attached notes stating "We Can Make You a Star!" Sending gift certificates for three bundled products or services is an extra-special touch for A-list prospects.


• For employees, the company rents a local theater and invites staff and their families to attend a free "Movie and Popcorn Night." As part of the festivities, outstanding employees are recognized with "Star Performer" awards.

Big Mistake #2: Waiting Too Long:

Some companies celebrate their business anniversaries on a single day; other companies celebrate their business anniversaries all year. Transforming a business anniversary into a "sell"-abration takes advanced planning. Devote at least 3 to 6 months to preparing for a single-day "sell"-abration and at least 12 months to preparing for a yearlong "sell"-abration that launches in January and concludes in December.

Each milestone anniversary happens only once in the lifetime of a business. Companies that wait too long to plan squander the promotional opportunities the anniversary offers. Procrastinators then face crunch time -- trying to do something for the business anniversary before the clock runs out on the anniversary year.

If time is short yet you still want to do something, keep it simple.For example, send handwritten thank-you notes to customers, expressing appreciation for their loyalty over the years. A modest, easy-to-execute customer appreciation initiative is better than doing nothing at all. Just don't expect the same results that a business anniversary promotional campaign would yield with sufficient lead time for strategic planning and execution.

Big Mistake #3: Delegating Anniversary Arrangements to Staff:

Like the sails on a schooner caught in gale force winds, employees are stretched to the limit these days. Delegating anniversary planning and execution to staff already grappling with ongoing responsibilities could incite a mutiny or even sink your ship. Smart companies hire a business anniversary consultant.

Experienced business anniversary consultants understand the process of planning and executing corporate anniversary promotional campaigns. They provide fresh, creative ideas -- even ones you hadn't thought of. They are also implementation experts, launching the tactics, managing the details and accomplishing the mission. Relying on a business anniversary consultant is the smart solution for your business anniversary: You set the course; the consultant takes the helm; and you enjoy smooth sailing.

Be smart in harnessing the promotional power of your business anniversary. Avoid the three big mistakes companies make, and you'll transform your corporate anniversary into a successful "sell"-abration.