Why an Ideal Event Planning Should Include Online Event Registration Software

The whole concept of 'keeping in touch' has gone virtual today. When we need to reach out to a mass with intention either professional or personal, the easiest way is to go online. The event management industry is highly competitive with extremely increasing workload. So it is always wise to use the advantages of online event registration and payment management tools to induce efficiency and effectiveness.

Trend-setters in the field have already taken event management online with event registration software. There are event management companies who provide simple and powerful software to ensure a highly effect attendee experience as well as an increased ROI. At the same time you save a lot of money and time by choosing tailor-made event management package which exactly suits your entire event requirement.

Event management was never so much easier! Here are some advantages of using online tools for event registration:

• Using event registration, you can publish your event and send out notification to everybody within 20 minutes!


• Using email communications, discount rules and gift cards from the software, you can promote and sell your events online.


• The event management software lets you copy events easily to create new versions of the same event.


• You can create and publish an unlimited number of events and store them.


• No download, no print, no need to pay postage or even write a check! Today's event participants love to register online for events. Its hassle free and time-saving.


• You also have the facility of printing receipts and invoices for onsite attendees.


• With the help of built-in payment handling and data processing facilities you can accept payments online and easily control attendee information.


• Once satisfied with the payment and data, immediately after, the event registration software will send a unique electronic confirmation to the attendees by email.


• It stores information so efficiently, that you can get downloadable updating on any second on your money collection and latest registration.


• You also can use your own merchant account


• The software tool will generate a list of important data from the database with will call lists, meal preference lists, name tags and badges.

Collecting payments have always been a crucial part of an event planning. The online event registration software has in-built payment management service. That lets you go smoothly ahead with conveniences like transaction reconciliation, monitoring for fraudulent transactions, the processing of refunds and also resolves chargeback requests.

Today, when you are going paperless, you actually are going green. So you can brand the event as "green event". This is a positive marketing campaign for your company and for the event. To sum up, online tools for event registration is the smartest option for streamlining the workload and getting proper attention of the net savvy generation.

Wedding DJs As Event Planners - Can They Fill Both Roles?

With money being tight these days, a popular question that often comes up is whether or not an event planner is necessary when a wedding DJ can often provide the same services and advice. Before the technological revolution, brides were not able to obtain the information necessary to plan a wedding without requesting advice from someone with experience. Today, internet search engines can solve most of the problems that brides and grooms faced in the past. By reviewing prices and customer feedback from the comfort of your own home, it seems like more of a hassle to hire a wedding planner than a luxury. Ultimately, the remaining tasks that wedding planners perform can easily be performed by a wedding disc jockey, which opens the question, is hiring a wedding DJ enough?

Arguably the most important job at a wedding is the wedding DJ. The DJ runs the music for the reception, and if the music or announcements were to stop, the reception would come to an awkward halt. The DJ guides the mood of the event and works with the schedules of all other vendors and staff at the event. He or she has ample experience working with reception hall managers and hosts as well as caterers and party supply vendors. With this experience, the DJ can guide you in the right direction when booking your reception hall, choosing a caterer, and purchasing party supplies. By looking to your disc jockey for advice instead of hiring a party planner, you'll save yourself a lot of money and receive genuine recommendations for your wedding reception.

In addition, mobile DJs may have special connections with vendors. In today's market, many DJ companies have partnered with photographers and video professionals. In fact, many DJ companies have expanded and become "entertainment and wedding service" companies, which means they can provide all-inclusive wedding packages, ultimately saving you money. If your DJ does not own and operate a business that can provide all inclusive services, it can still be very helpful to speak with the DJ about who and what he knows about the other services. Again, DJs hold connections with many different vendors they have worked with in the past. Asking for recommendations could still score you a significant discount on services for your wedding.

In the end, it is quite apparent that wedding event planners are on the road to becoming obsolete. The internet, along with your wedding DJ, can provide the same services that a wedding event planning normally provides without having to cough up extra money to get information. In addition to saving money by not having to hire a wedding planner, you can also save a significant amount of money by using your wedding DJ's connections and saving a significant amount of money on other services you may desire for your wedding. Ultimately, the importance and necessity of wedding event planners is nearly obsolete. In this economy, it isn't worth spending a significant amount of extra money on event planners. Plan your resources wisely and get the quality services you expect without paying for someone to find them for you.

The Top Ten Criteria for a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Tool

The Top Five Security Information Management Considerations

1. Ensure your log management layer is scalable. The log management layer is responsible for collecting the hoards of audit logs within your environment; it is not likely to filter any collected data. A key requirement for a Security Information Management (SIM) tool is to collect all audit log data so that a forensic investigation can be instigated if required. This layer therefore needs to scale to ensure full log collection.

2. Comprehensive Reporting. The log management layer should be able to report on activity that have been collected and identified within the accounting and audit logs. This should include running reports across up to 90 days of data. When you are collecting 10-20 million logs a day, this means the report will need to search upwards of 2 billion entries to retrieve the requested data for the report. It is also possible that you will run several reports a day.

3. Log Collection. It is important that you can collect logs from across the enterprise. The SIM layer should be a true forensic store of accounting and audit logs that allows a complete investigation, should the need arise. This means you want logs from firewalls, operating systems, applications, VPN's, Wireless Access Points etc. You therefore need to ensure that logs from all of these sources can be collected. Plain text logs stored in flat files are typically widely collected, as are Windows Event Logs. Event logs stored database's are not easily collected, so if you have any custom built or internal built applications ensure that these logs can be collected, as often these are stored in some type of database.

4. Chain of Custody. Ensure that you can validate that the logs have not been changed or modified, since they were collected from the source device. This should include collection of the logs in real-time from the original device, to ensure they are not modified before collection. This will allow for a forensically assured investigation, if required.

5. Trend Dashboards. It is important to be able see the trend of the volume of logs being collected. When collecting millions of logs a day, dash-boarding all of that data becomes pointless, as it will be a sea of information. However the size of the haystacks can tell you if there are problems. For example if you see a huge spike in failed logins, this tells you that there is something going on within the environment that is not normal.

The Top Five Security Event Management Considerations

1. Correlation. The main purpose of a SEM tool is to filter out the noise from the forensic data and flag up or alert up any suspect behaviour. It is critical therefore that your SEM can filter the rubbish down to useful information via complex correlation rules.

It is almost useless to alert on every failed login within your environment, as in large enterprises there are hundreds or thousands of these per day. However 100 failed logins within a five minute span, from an external IP address, for an administrative account should be alerted on and investigated. Your correlation engine should support easy creation of these multiple event rules.

2. Dashboards. Once you have generated a correlated alert, you want to place this information on a dashboard for easy user consumption. While it is not feasible to dashboard the forensic data that the SIM has collected, because of the sheer volume, it is recommended to dashboard the SEM alerts, as they are likely to be significantly less in number. On average you should be alerting on less than 1% of 1% of the collected logs that equates to a maximum of 200 alerts from 2 million collected audit logs. With a really strong correlation engine we would expect to eventually tune these alerts down to 2 a day, instead of 200 a day. You only want to be alerted on TRUE security or operational risks to your enterprise, not every time someone fat fingers their password.

3. Reporting. While reporting capability is critical for SIM, it is also important for SEM. The reports are not going to be as difficult to produce, for starters you are not reporting against billions of logs, more likely you are reporting against tens of thousands of alerts. But management will want to see that critical alerts have been responded to and resolved.

4. Log Normalisation. To create detailed alerts you will need to "understand" the raw logs, for example you will need to understand what part of the log string is the group name, if for example you want to alert when a user is added to an administrator group. Most vendors will create normalisation rules for the standard off the shelf applications, but you should be able to normalise your organisations custom log formats, without having to employ the vendors, likely to be expensive, professional service consultants.

5. Alert Management. As well as creating complex alerts based on correlation rules it should be possible to track the status of generated alerts. Has the Alert been resolved? What steps were taken after the alert was raised. A built in ticketing system or tight integration in to an existing ticketing system is a critical feature of a Security Event Management tool.

Important Role of Corporate Catering Services!

No matter, whether you are running a small business with few staff members or a big one, you need to maintain a successful relationship with your employees for better productivity. The best way to do this is by organizing corporate parties from time to time. This is because a well-organized party not only creates a better impression of the company in front of its employees but clients as well. In other words, a perfectly planned corporate event presents a better image of the company and makes it more popular.

Organizing a corporate event is a tough task. Proper planning is required to make each thing perfect so that the guests in the party can have moments to treasure forever. If not planned properly, it can present a bad image of the company. In order to have your event organized in a comfortable manner, you can hire professional catering company. A professional catering company deals with each and every small or big task and ensures that the customers receive results beyond their expectation level.

Important tasks performed by the company include:

Complete event planning

This is an important service provided by professional caterers. They perform their best in order to plan the whole party in a way to make it special and unique. Event planning involves a number of steps such as budget setting, venue setting, food preparation and presentation, entertainment options, etc. All these tasks need to be carried out in a proper way so as to leave a better impression on clients and employees.

Perfect decoration

The next important task performed by a caterer is that of decoration. In order to give a better and stylish look to the event, they decorate the venue with ribbons, flowers and candles. In addition to this, they also take care of the lighting arrangement by providing high-quality electronic lighting equipment for the event.

Table service items

Besides an ideal planning and decoration of an event, there is something else corporate catering services can do. They also provide a wide range of table service items, required in an event.

Entertainment

For making a corporate event interesting and exciting, entertainment options should be there. Catering companies arrange entertainment activities like magic shows, orchestra, dance floor and many others to create a fresh and exciting environment.

Thus, it becomes clear from the above discussion that corporate catering service providers play an important role in organizing better events and upholding the status of your company.

4 Unusual Ideas For Corporate Events

The idea of corporate events is one that has spread like wildfire across the capitalist west. There are various reasons for having them, but in essence, whether they are for clients or workers, corporate events are basically a mixture of business and pleasure. This mixture has proven to be very successful in terms of promoting togetherness in the workplace and building on the personal relationships required to make business run smoothly. In this article we'll look at some less common ideas for business conferences.

1. If your staff are on the active side, then you might want to consider a day of Zorbing. This involves getting in a giant inflated rubber ball and rolling down a hill in it. It certainly gives people an adrenaline surge, as there is a often more than a little fear associated with tumbling down. In a sense, there is a certain degree of 'letting go' involved in being able to get in one of these things. If you do it as a group, you are likely have a very memorable experience that could help unite you as a team. It could also be a good way to gel with clients.

2. Paintballing corporate events. While this is also a fairly unusual event, it is also really for the more active members of a team - and some less active or female workers might not be interested. This activity involves using paintball guns and firing them at an opposing team in order to achieve a pre-defined objective - e.g. to take a flag or a base. It arguably helps build a sense of team work and for the right client, can help do business too.

3. A Spa Day. Among corporate events, these are very popular as they tend to appeal to a broad range of people; young or old, male or female. The emphasis is of course on relaxation, and business is arguably done much more easily in this atmosphere. Relationships with clients are forged more quickly, and working relationships become stronger - based on something more real, perhaps.

4. You might even consider something such as a magic workshop. This is also something less common and something that could well appeal to a broad range of people. There is value in something learned communally - it brings people together and is often fun. Less commonly used for client-focussed corporate events, they are nevertheless one to consider.

These are just some of the less common corporate events available - there are plenty of companies who are adept at helping you select just the right event for your situation.

Evaluating Social Networking Tools for Events Promotion

A growing debate arose amongst event organizers regarding the usage of social networking tools for event promotions. One school of thought believes in the view that spending time and energy on social networking sites is nothing but wastage of vital man hours. They rely more on traditional age-old methods of advertising which primarily consist of newspapers adverts and telecasting commercials on television and using radio jingles to campaign for the event. However, new age business bees have argued social media has brought about a revolution in the way event promotion used to take place previously. The online strategy is quite fruitful too in diverting web traffic to the event website successfully.

Facebook

Facebook is the most popular social networking website today and will soon have 1 billion registered global users. Facebook allows you the platform to promote your events and company products to millions of people worldwide. It is very easy to use and you can open an account absolutely free! The site lets you search for people related to your industry and potential attendees and customers. You can join groups to network with like-minded professionals and share ideas and suggestions when planning smart marketing strategies for your business. You can 'Like' an event page that looks interesting and informative.

Twitter

This micro-blogging site is a powerful tool to share information and updates of any kind. You can tweet about your upcoming events as well as provide useful online webpage links for the users to click on those to visit the page. Twitter allows anyone to write a message of maximum 140 characters; hence you need to be extra careful to tweet the most important things first. Don't fill up your profile page with unnecessary scraps; rather share your online event registration links or your business website links with fellow Twitter followers. This site helps you get feedback from people in real-time by voting in favor of or against your tweet.

LinkedIn

It is a professional social networking website where you can meet and network with industry experts and specific company executives. LinkedIn increases your event website visibility plus credibility. It lets you establish contacts with like-minded people and in the course of time create new business opportunities and increased event registrations.

Google+

Google+ allows individuals to create "Circles" to allocate contacts into different groups. The chatting feature lets you start a dialogue with anyone -friend or potential prospect, and "Hangouts" facilitate group video chats with a maximum of 10 people joining in a single Hangout session. With Google+, you can initiate discussions with likeminded individuals and in the process begin an interesting conversation with them explaining the reasons for attending your upcoming conference or webinar.

Maximizing Innovations in Special Event Transportation for More Efficient Event Management

Corporate events organizers are all too familiar with the logistical nightmare that results from moving large numbers of employees from one location to another, and within a specified time frame. This process can be streamlined through the innovative special event transportation solutions offered by leading transportation firms.

Conferences, training sessions, and charity fundraisers are only some of the events that will require companies to move employees on a mass scale. Finding the appropriate number and type of vehicles for these events is not the only factor that needs to be taken into consideration. Event organizers also need to consider the potential traffic, speed, road conditions, fuel, and general performance of these vehicles. By factoring all these in, companies ensure not only the timely arrival of employees, but their safety and comfort as well.

Established transportation companies are typically one step ahead of their clients. By adopting intelligent solutions, they are able to account for all of the above in order to proactively address client needs. Through the use of state-of-the-art GPS technology, their dispatch teams are able to identify traffic patterns, receive flight updates, and monitor speed and idling.

Top transportation companies also use innovative approaches for training their staff. For instance, some use BIT smart technology on vehicles to depict the results of certain scenarios, such as when G-force parameters are exceeded.

As for the vehicles themselves, those of leading special event transportation providers feature a high level of fuel economy and produce less carbon emissions through the employment of hybrid, CNG, propane or bio-diesel engines. Not only that, but these vehicles also use sophisticated technology to deploy gears for appropriate shifting based on the vehicle's load and speed, as well as road conditions. In addition, these vehicles can also be equipped with Wi-Fi and AVR recorders.

Companies can also benefit from services such as real time ridership reports, which include details on the number of employees who have boarded and at which pickup points. Some service providers even enable clients to check the arrival of the next bus through their cell phones.

For greater value for their investment, companies are advised to seek out service providers that also offer event planning and management services in addition to transportation. This enables them to focus on more pressing matters while their service provider takes charge of the ground transportation plans. Professionals can also factor in details such as additional passengers or stops while adhering to their client's time frame and budget.

The Benefits of Being a Wedding Planner and How to Become One

The role of wedding planner is a fairly modern one. Until fairly recently, such a job was unheard of, where as now it is almost the norm. These days, such is the pressure on brides and grooms to spend money and get everything right on the day of their wedding, while still working full time demanding jobs, has led to the birth of the wedding planner industry. Whole companies are now evolving who will hire out wedding planners and cater for the whole day. It has also left some people wondering how they can become a wedding planner and what qualifications or training are available to them.

What Are The Business Options For A Professional Wedding Planner?

One of the first decisions to make when you decide you would like to become a professional wedding planner is whether you work as part of an established company or be an independent and work alone. Many budding wedding coordinators choose to run their own business as they can work from home with limited overheads. It is also possible to fit it around family commitments and the overheads would not be too serious as you don't have to pay for special premises. With the prospect of keeping all the profits from the venture it is no surprise that 60 to 70 per cent of consultants start as independents.

Even so, working for a public company can have its own benefits. Firstly the publicity is better and you might have access to a wider range of clients. You could also avail yourself of the larger company resources and their contacts.

However, it is even more important to check that becoming a wedding planner is the right profession for you to pursue now or in the future.

Wedding Planner Skills

There are a number of skills required for those who want to be wedding co-ordinators. Some are natural while others are learned. A number of successful wedding planners have degrees in event planning. Others will have done a business course or worked in retail or done art and craft at college. These learned skills will be very beneficial, especially if you plan to run your own business. You will also need to set up records and accounts as well as develop contacts with a number of reliable suppliers from photographers to caterers, from venues to registrars, etc.

Natural qualities that are very valuable are not only organizational skills but also the ability to keep everyone calm. You will need to be a good communicator as well as a good listener. You will also need to network with businesses and prospective clients. If you feel there is much you need to learn, you might be better to start as part of a larger company and only branch out on your own when you feel more successful and that you have a good understanding of what it means to be a successful wedding planner.

Finance And Wedding Planning

One thing is certain, people are using the services of wedding planners and they are paying for the privileges of their services. This means there is the means to make a living. Many weddings are big affairs and as a consultant you can earn a good sized fee. How big and how successful you become will depend on the size of weddings you do, the reputation you build up as well as how good you are at negotiating deals and building up a reliable network of suppliers. The standard fee is about ten to fifteen per cent of the overall costs. The cost of the wedding will depend on the facilities required and the number of guests. A typical fee for a wedding planner can be between £1000 and £4000 per wedding.

The Life Of A Wedding Planner

As a wedding planner, you will need to be able to handle stress of varying proportions without losing your cool. You will also need to remember all the smaller details as well as the overall events of the day. There will also be many difficulties which you will need to overcome (although with experience these should become easier to deal with if not avoid altogether). On the other hand, you do get to relive countless "happiest days" over and over again. Although they will be other peoples "happiest days" the satisfaction level of this type of job done well, will be high.

Party Planner 101 - Putting Together A Party In Three Hours

First remember that you, your family and friends are the party. When it comes to simple gatherings, folks love to chip in on short notice so long as the request made is not out of reach. Therefore your number one priority it to call your more local family and friends and invite them over. You should ask each one to stop by the local grocery store and pick up food or drink according to the number of invitees who will attend.

For those who think they can snap up a hot dish in one hour let them have at it. Although these days store bought dishes can be just be tasty, there is no place like home for good home cooking.
Create a self-serve banquet setting. It's best to set up a beverage table a slight distance away to avoid over crowding at tables.

Here is a basic shopping list of party must haves.

Cake, cakes and more cake

Ice cream/sherbet

Chips and dip

Salad

Fruit/cheese/vegetable platters - Get the ready-made platters sold at large food markets

Shrimp, and shrimp cocktail precooked

Pizza - delivery

Drinks, drinks and more drinks

Ice, ice and more ice

Coffee and tea

Napkins

forks/spoons/knives

Plates and cups

Bottles of bubbly

Big bottle coolers

Punch bowls and ladle

Now that the food items are delegated it's time to decorate. Your decorations need not be elaborate, just festive and fun. Put together a list of needed decorations according to the theme of the party. At short notice it's best to keep your list short and simple. Do not challenge yourself to put together something you never have. Go with what you know.

One big banner, balloons and streamers will do. Run down to the local food market or drug store and grab balloons, streamers and 3 sheets of poster board. Get a large magic marker and glitter. Look for metallic stick on letters and stars and get back home ASAP.

Decorations Shopping List

Poster board

String

Streamers

Markers

Large Stick on Letters (at least two packs) and Stars

Glitter

Balloons, Balloons and more Balloons

Long drywall screws and electric or battery powered hand drill or Phillips screwdriver

Heavy-duty transparent box tape

Box of glitter confetti

Decking The Walls

Tape or staple your poster board together length-wise. Using a hole punch, poke holes on the side by the upper corners leaving one full inch of space. Decide on message for your banner and begin placing letters on the board decorate with stars and glitter.

Cut three to four feet of string and put string through holes on each upper end of banner.
Run screws into drywall as close to the ceiling as possible leaving half inch of screw exposed. Hang your banner tying string to screws in wall.

Tie balloons to six feet of string in grape cluster formation. Hang string from ceiling or tape to wall using box tape. Runs streamers from ceiling. Toss glitter confetti about.

Have some guests arrive at least 45 minutes early to help with decor and set up food table and drinks.

Boom! You're ready. Let's get this party started.

10 Tips For Choosing a Corporate Hospitality Venue

If you're looking for a corporate hospitality venue, then perhaps you've already got somewhere in mind, and know exactly what you want. Alternative, you might not know what sort of venue you want, or what to look for.

Here are some ideas to make sure everything goes to plan.

1. You'll want to decide whereabouts you want to hold your corporate event. Will it be near your work, or somewhere central so that it's nearer for all guests to get to? If you've got an idea in mind, such as horse racing hospitality, or other sporting event, then you'll have to decide which event you want to attend.

2. Knowing how many guests you're expecting can also help you to decide on the perfect corporate venue for your event. You don't want to be lost in a large room if there are only a few guests.

3. The sort of guests you invite can also make a difference to what sort of corporate hospitality venue you decide on. You won't want to choose something that your guests do for a living, or do regularly. Why not think of the corporate events you've been to and see if you can think of something appropriate. Will your guests be impressed if you spend a fortune, or will they think you're charging too much?

4. Once you've decided on your venue, you'll want to make sure that it's available when you want it. Alternatively, you might want to choose a different date, or a different venue.

5. What sort of entertainment is on offer for you and your guests? Will it be appropriate and the sort of things your guests will expect?

6. The next thing is to determine how you and your guest will get there. Will you be laying on transport, or will you expect your guest to make their own arrangements. You might want to provide taxi or minibus details to make it easier. Why not see if you can arrange overnight accommodation too?

7. Meals and refreshments are another consideration, and you'll want to make sure that they are all included, so that your guests are not expected to pay for anything during the day.

8. Check that other extras are included, or can be added if necessary. Perhaps you'll want an expert in the even to help you, or you might want to advertise at the event, or you might want to stay overnight.

9. Remember that it's important not to choose a location or event solely on cost. You don't want to forget anything important like meals, and you also don't want your guests to think that you're working to a tight budget. It might be better not to host an event than to do it on the cheap. You don't want your reputation to be spoilt.

10. Above all, it needs to be a fun day out for all involved. Whilst you might be looking for new business, it will be a chance to spend time with your clients, and so you'll want it to be a relaxed atmosphere. If the venue you're considering is very formal, and you're a relaxed company, it might not be the right place for your corporate event.

Now you know more about how to choose a corporate hospitality venue, where will you hold your corporate event?

Event Management Tips - Keep the Success Going Through the Night

Planning an event is so much harder than it's portrayed to be. You'd think that making a few calls and setting the time, place and date is not so hard, then you have to think about the food, decorations, the people being invited, the drinks, the waiters and waitresses, uniforms, flowers, settings, music, DJ, songs and lots more. Still seem easy to you?

Whether you're planning your first event or it's something you've been doing for some time here are some event management tips to making sure that the event you plan is a success:

Event Management Tip 1: Always have the Budget settled before doing anything else. Knowing the budget is what you have to base everything on, otherwise you could end up overspending and having to cut costs here and there and all that could be messy. For just-in-case situations, you should also have a little amount kept aside or a small backup fee you could use.

Event Management Tip 2: Count the number of people. You can't know how much of what to buy without knowing the number of people expected, and when you know that number, add some more. It's better to have more available seats than to not have enough.

Event Management Tip 3: Give the service people the information they require. The people you hire are going to be leading the event; they should know who they're serving, history of the company or information of the party hosts/celebrant. They should also know what they can and can't do and if there will be special guests at the party choose who will be serving them.

Event Management Tip 4: Have a backup plan for EVERYTHING. Think about what if this happens, that happens, lights go out, it starts raining, the speakers/projector/mic stop working etc. Having a plan B is what can save the party.

Event Management Tip 5: Practice once the day before and then relax. Stressing yourself out and over thinking doesn't necessarily help, it's more likely to cause problems.

It's not going to be easy, but it can be fun and challenging. Just keep in mind that mistakes can happen and all you need is a solution, with proper planning that should be quick and easy.

Top 8 Social Media Marketing Tips for Your Events

Small businesses to large MNC's try to plan and execute effective marketing strategies to attract more customers toward their products and services. Taking up the proper ways of marketing your products and services can help you enhance your sales and thus, increase profit margin.

Use Facebook to Let the World Know about Your Event

With over 800 million users to its credit, Facebook has emerged as one of the most popular social networking sites of today. Open an events page on this site and start online promotion of your software and solutions. Add people to your list of friends and post your events data and pictures on your Facebook page. You can get new ideas about how to promote your event by checking the pages of your competitors and improve your ways of marketing.

Twitter about Your Event to the World

You can Tweet to update individuals about your present and future occasions. As Twitter allows only a maximum of 140 characters in a single tweet, you should frame your content in such a way that it attracts maximum readers' attention. You should try to post at least five tweets a day and don't forget to provide your event website link with each new tweet. You must tweet and re-tweet to all like-minded people to lure them to attend your event.

Make Use of Google+ to the Greatest Extent

Google+ is the latest networking application from Google. Event organizers can use it to create an event buzz on the online social world. You can create an events page on Google+ to share your program-related news and information with the target audience. You can use 'Circles' to interact and share the news and information of the occasion within your group. Google Hangouts can be used to start a video chat with your existing as well as potential attendees.

Create a Company Blog

You must create a company blog alongside your own business website to add photos and interesting articles on your approaching festivals and activities. You should hyperlink relevant keywords in your blog post to direct the readers toward your company website and its products.

Use Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is a very popular business networking site with a good number of active users and visitor base. You can use this platform to encourage your potential attendees to give recommendations on your profile. This platform is ideal for connecting with people of specific interests and industry type. You can also join various event groups and participate in their discussions. You can even submit links in these groups for other members to see and share.

Comment on Other's Blog

In addition to maintaining your own blog, you must comment on others' blogs in order to increase the impact of your programs and make yourself acceptable to the online audience. Read what others have to say about an article and try to comment on the same with a link to any of your recent blog post.

Use Mobile Phones to Spread the Word

Many online event management solution providers offer an in-built mobile phone application to send event-related news to their target audience's Smartphone. You can also send text messages to your customers in no time and inform them about your event's date and time.

Upload Videos Related to Your Event on YouTube

Upload videos of your past and live events on YouTube. People searching for events will come across your event videos and watch it. You can also link your video with the event registration or ticketing pages to boost your ticket sales.

Green Corporate Events in Santa Barbara

In this article we offer suggestions to assist in making your next corporate event in Santa Barbara more environmentally and socially responsible.

Modeling good environmental practices starts in your own office. Two ways to easily create a more environmentally friendly office are using electronic communications whenever possible, and instituting recycling programs. Then take the time to teach your staff how to use them. There should be clear, easy to read signage indicating how to properly recycle office materials such as both white and colored paper, magazines, newspapers, brochures, envelopes, junk mail, cardboard (should be flattened) and even books. Encourage and reward your office staff for carpooling whenever possible.

In the past, event marketing was a large source of paper waste. Now, it is easy to produce attractive online sponsorship opportunities that can be sent and managed electronically. In regards to meeting planning, all speaker management should be generated electronically as well. The website created for the event should be the primary means by which information is disseminated. You can send email reminders about any changes or important due dates, and everything should link back to the website. If you must have a printed program, do it on recycled content paper that is processed chlorine free using vegetable based inks. Print a limited quantity of these, and make information available on screens strategically placed around your conference area as an alternative way to disseminate information.

It is critical to work with local hotels that are committed to the environment. In Santa Barbara, there are numerous hotels that offer recycling and waste diversion programs, and are committed to reducing water waste on their properties through the use of water saving showerheads and low flow toilets. Many hotels have instituted energy conserving guest room programs, such as guest directed limitation of linen and towel changes and use of fluorescent bulbs in light fixtures. Local "green" hotels include: the Four Seasons Biltmore, Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort, Bacara, and for something utterly charming and a bit more rustic, El Capitan Canyon.

Event attendees should be encouraged via advance emails and the event's website to share rides, use group vans or take Airporter buses from the Santa Barbara airport, Burbank airport, and Los Angeles International airport. Upon conference check in, guests should be given "cheat sheets" printed on recycled paper reminding them of the important "green" choices they can make throughout the duration of their stay. While many people are aware of hotels offering towel and linen reuse options, encourage participants to actually utilize these programs. They can make a huge difference, particularly when a large group of attendees makes this choice together.

The amount of water and energy savings can be calculated and printed on the "cheat sheet," so attendees can see the amount of impact they could be making. Ask attendees to turn off lights, TV's, radio/CD players and air conditioning or heating when leaving their hotel room. Remind them to unplug phone chargers, laptops and other electronic equipment when they are not being used, as these are easily avoided sources of energy waste. Ask that they bring reusable water bottles, or better yet offer them as conference gifts with your corporate logo printed on them. Upon check-in and throughout the conference area, offer a series of easily accessible water bottle refilling stations. Offer water glasses in the event reusable bottles are forgotten or misplaced. The reduction of waste by not using disposable cups or plastic water bottles should also be calculated and included on the "cheat sheet" shared with the group.

Event Marketing

o Online Sponsorship Prospectus (not printed and mailed).
o Web site is the primary vehicle for event information.
o Limited Advance Program printed on recycled paper and only one printing.
o All marketing generated electronically.
o Online registration offered and primarily used.

Onsite at Event

o Boxes and packing materials are saved and reused for return shipping and/or recycled.
o All materials printed on recycled paper using soy or vegetable-based inks.
o Event materials bags are made from recycled material.
o Badge stock is recycled paper.
o No bottled water provided. Onsite- pitchers and/or water coolers plus glassware instead.
o Durable, reusable signage used as much as possible.
o No disposable "to go" cups.
o Handouts posted online rather than printed and distributed.
o The destination for the event is walk-able, or close to public transit for restaurants and nightlife.
o Offsite event venues are walking distance from hotel.
o Caterers support local growers who practice sustainable organic methods.
o China and glass used rather than paper products whenever possible.
o Guests must sign-up for major meal functions (limiting waste).
o Event Information provided exclusively online via website links, rather than with paper materials onsite.

Tips For Starting an Event Management Business

Staring an event management business is all about creativity, decision making, and organizational talent. This kind of work is more than what the terminology defines; it even has the way across the stretched boundaries of the work perimeter. This is because creativity and imagination has no boundaries at all.

If you have the talent and a creative mind, then you can successfully get over this business with just a few tips and ideas. Following are some of the effective tips to help you start your event management business:

• Learn well about the profession and about the market. This is a vast business that requires lots of learning and understanding. You can read books, magazines, and online articles to know as much as you can about the profession.
• Analyze the market and discover what the clients in this market need. Synchronize your interpersonal skills, organizational talents, resourcefulness, and creative ability to get the best out of you so that you can deliver the best.
• It's advisable to attain a degree in event management as it will help you to have a better understanding of the related markets and industries. There are many industries including hotel, tourism, hospitality, human resources, food, and marketing closely linked to the profession.
• You can have a better hold by gaining some experience with an event management company. For one year or two you can do a job in some good company and once you feel you are ready to kick start your own, quit the job. This will help you better learn the market and know the clients as well.
• Self-employment is not an easy task as you have to face various challenges in the field. In the job you just have to accomplish your assigned responsibilities but in your own business you have to take care of the financial matters, legal issues, and other documentary work as well. So, be well prepared for all the challenges.
• You also have to face a tough competition with companies who have already made their mark in the industry. Discover those companies and learn about their key points.
• Market your business through newspaper, media, and personal contacts. A strong networking is really beneficial in such a case.
• Search for clients that hold the power to bring you success. Target groups and companies where there are higher chances of events and shows. Most of these companies sign a contract and you have to be smart enough and impressive to grab their attention.
• Last but not the least; you should always be clear about the objective, purpose, theme, and scope of the event. This will give you a fairer idea and picture of how to plan the event.

Four Reasons Why Small Business Fail To Plan and Why They Need To Think Again

It is so widely acknowledged that a robust business plan is one of the key ingredients in small business success, it seems remarkable that anyone serious about their business could considerable it optional. For example, Business Link say, "It is essential to have a realistic, working business plan when you're starting up a business". A recent survey showed that small businesses were twice as likely to be successful with a written business plan as compared with those without one. The Times in their annual round up of 100 up and coming UK businesses suggest that "poor business planning" is a key reason for failure. Indeed, it's almost impossible to find an authority that would advocate the opposite idea, a clear signal that this idea is accepted wisdom. Despite this, a recent survey shows that two thirds of small business owners run their businesses on gut instinct alone.

I had a very interesting discussion about this a couple of days ago with a good friend of mine who has run several successful small businesses in which he posited the idea of a "planning gene". He felt that the only possible explanation for the lack of proper planning in small business was genetic.

According to his theory, the majority of people are born without the "planning gene" and this explains why so many people don't have any written business plan, despite the overwhelming evidence of a high correlation between a robust and vigorously implemented business plan and business success. The majority of us are simply not biologically and genetically wired to plan.

This is certainly one explanation, although I have to say I have a few reservations as to the validity of his theory. I talk with small business owners about planning every day. I'm part of a small business myself. I've owned several small businesses over the last ten years each with varying degrees of success. In all those conversations and all that experience, this was the first (semi) serious discussion I'd had about the planning gene.

If I was to aggregate the results of the conversations I have had with actual and prospective customers on this topic, four distinctive strands emerge explaining why small business owners fail to plan. Whilst I have heard a few other explanations for the lack of effective small business planning, I am treating these as outliers and focusing on the most significant.

I'm Too Busy To Plan - More often than not, the small business owners we talk to tell us that proper planning is a luxury that only big business can afford. For them, business planning, if done at all, was a one-time event that produced a document for a bank manager or investor which is now gathering dust in the furthest recesses of some rarely opened filing cabinet. There just aren't enough hours in the day and if forced to choose, they would do the real, physical work and leave the mental work undone, which seems to be the poor relation at best, if it is even dignified with the status of work at all.

Traditional Planning Doesn't Work - The "I'm too busy to plan" excuse is often supplemented with this one. I've heard the stories of the most legendary construction overrun of all time, The Sydney Opera House, originally estimated to be completed in 1963 for $7 million, and finally completed in 1973 for $102 million, more times than I can remember. Sometimes, this idea is backed up with some actual research, such as the fascinating study by several eminent psychologists of what has been called the "planning fallacy". It seems that some small business owners genuinely believe that mental work and planning is a bit of a con with no traction on physical reality.

My Business Is Doing Fine Without Detailed Planning - A minority of small business owners we speak to are in the privileged position of being able to say they've done pretty well without a plan. Why should they invest time and resources into something they don't appear to have missed?

Planning Is Futile In A Chaotic World - Every once in a while, we hear how deluded we are to believe that the world can be shaped by our hopes and actions. This philosophical objection to planning is perhaps my favourite. It takes ammunition from a serious debate about the fundamental nature of the universe and uses it to defend what almost always is either uncertainty about how to plan effectively or simple pessimism. This is different from the idea that planning doesn't work as these business owners have never even tried to form a coherent plan, but have just decided to do the best they can and hope that they get lucky as they are knocked hither and thither like a steel ball in the pinball machine of life.

As with all of the most dangerous excuses, there is a kernel of truth in each of these ideas and I sympathise with those who have allowed themselves to be seduced into either abandoning or failing to adopt the habit of business planning. Most small business owners feel the same dread in relation to business planning as they do to visits to the dentist, so it's unsurprising that so many simply don't bother. However, by turning their backs completely on planning, they are in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Taking each idea outlined above in turn, I'll attempt to show why business planning is critical, not just despite that reason but precisely because of that reason.

I'm Too Busy Not To Plan - Time is the scarcest resource we have and it is natural that we would want to spend it doing those things that we believe will have the greatest impact. Of course, we want to spend most of our time producing, but we should also invest at least some time into developing our productive capacity. As Stephen Covey pointed out in his seminal work, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", we should never be too busy sawing to sharpen a blunted saw. Planning is one of the highest leverage activities we can engage in, as when done effectively it enhances the productive capacity of small businesses, enabling them to do more with less. Nothing could be a bigger waste of precious time than to find out too late that we have been using blunt tools in pursuit of our business goals.

If we as small business owners weren't so busy and time wasn't so scarce, then we wouldn't have to make choices about what we did with our time and resources. We could simply pursue every opportunity which presented itself. However, for the busy entrepreneur, the decision to do one thing always has the opportunity cost of not being able to do something else. How can we be certain that our business is going where we want it to go without pausing regularly, scanning the horizon and making sure not only that we are on track but also making sure that we still want to get to where we are heading? I believe more time is wasted in the single-minded pursuit of opportunities that are not right than is wasted by over thinking the opportunity of a lifetime.

In short, small business owners are extremely busy and their time is precious. So much so that to waste it doing the wrong things with the wrong tools would be tragic. Small business owners that cannot afford the luxury of making expensive mistakes simply must regularly sharpen the saw through continuous business planning.

Traditional Planning Doesn't Work, So We Need a New Approach That Does - There are some fairly large question marks over the effectiveness of traditional business planning techniques. In an age where business models are becoming obsolete in months rather than years, a business plan projecting five years into the future cannot be viewed as gospel. Nobody has a crystal ball and if they did, they probably wouldn't be writing business plans but using their remarkable predictive powers to some more profitable end.

Dwight D Eisenhower said "plans are useless, but planning is essential". Whilst producing a document called a business plan is far from useless, the real value lies in the process by which the plan is created in the first place. If this process can be kept alive in a business then the dangers associated with traditional planning can be minimised or avoided all together. In an environment of continuous business planning, small businesses can be flexible and adaptive to the inevitable changes and challenges they will face. Rather than quickly becoming obsolete, their plan will simply evolve with the changing circumstances.

Accepting that the plan is a living thing that will evolve necessitates a change of approach to business planning. An effective business plan is the response to the repeated asking of the questions what, why, how, who and how much. It is not a 20 - 30 page form to fill in for the benefit of a bank manager or some venture capitalist, who will probably never fully read it. A business plan should help you, not hinder you, in doing business. If traditional business planning doesn't work for you, it's time to embrace the new paradigm of continuous business planning.

My Business Could Do Even Better With Effective Planning - If you are one of the lucky few whose business has thrived despite an absence of traditional business planning, then I say a sincere well done. I hope that you can say the same thing in five years time.

Business life expectancy in Britain and across Europe and indeed the world are in rapid decline. A study done at the end of the eighties and then again as we marched into the new Millennium showed that life expectancy had more than halved for British businesses in those ten years, from an average of 9.7 years to 4.1 years. Just because a company once enjoyed market leadership does not mean that its future is assured. Many high street institutions have fallen victim to the recent recession. Five years ago it was inconceivable that UK retail institutions like Clinton Cards, Game, Borders, Barratts, T J Hughes, Habitat, Focus DIY, Oddbins, Ethel Austin, Principles, Allied Carpets, Woolworths, MFI and Zavvi/Virgin Megastore would all be either out of business or teetering on the brink of oblivion in 2012. Yet that is exactly what has transpired.

Any business from the smallest to the greatest is not impervious to the winds of change. A new competitor, a technological breakthrough, new laws or simply changes in fashion and consumer preference can all re-write the future of a company regardless of how bright that future once seemed. It is precisely because these risks exist that business planning is critical. To survive in business is extremely hard, but failing to effectively plan for the future or adapt to current realities surely makes it impossible and failure inevitable.

Of course, it is not necessarily the absence of plans that did for these companies but the quality of their plans and most especially the quality of their implementation. Even a poor plan vigorously executed is preferable to the finest planning and research left to rot in a drawer. Continuous business planning is effective business planning because it emphasizes implementation and regular reviews of real results as part of what should be a continual process of improving company performance rather than simply attempting to predict the future and wringing our hands when our prophecy fails to come true. We believe, like Peter Drucker, that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

Planning Is Essential In A Chaotic World - We sometimes feel small and insignificant as we try against all odds to translate our dreams into business reality. It's easy to feel all at sea when we consider some of the challenges we face. However, whilst it is true that we cannot control the direction of the wind, we can adjust our sails and change the direction of the rudder. Difficult and challenging circumstances may come in our lives, but we can control the outcome of these circumstances by choosing which path to take.

The truth is that we are fundamentally achievement orientated as human beings. When this is taken away, we lose much of the energy and motivation that propels us forward. There have been numerous studies carried out on life expectancy rates after retirement, which show that when clearly defined goals and daily action moving in the direction of those goals are removed from our lives, the result is literally fatal. The individuals studied who failed to replace their career goals with a new focus for their retirement simply shriveled up and died. The implications for small business owners are clear. Those business owners with clear goals who take action daily that propels them in the direction of their goals are far more likely to thrive and survive than those who take any old goal that comes along or move from day to day with no defined objective other than survival.

It seems to me that precisely because life is so chaotic and challenging that effective planning is essential. Without continuous business planning, our businesses and the small business owners that work in them may find that bit by bit they are atrophying and on their way to becoming another business failure statistic.

There undoubtedly exists an antipathy for business planning felt by many small business owners. Clearly, this cannot be fully explained by the lack of a "planning gene", but it equally cannot be fully justified by the reasons most commonly put forward by small business owners to not engage in the business planning process. These reasons must be critically re-evaluated and a commitment made to a continual and never ending process of improving the condition of their small businesses. Without such a commitment, the future for small businesses in the UK is uncertain.

Save on Costs With an Online Event Management Solution

If you are not online, you don't exist. That's your attitude, that's my attitude and that's the attitude of your target audience. As an event organizer, you are well aware of the perceptions of your target audience and have already taken measures - hosted information about your event online on your own website and on social networking websites to spread the word and build awareness. The online medium can do more for you than just spread the word. It can be an excellent sales medium and cost saving device. All you require is an online event management solution to get you started.

An online event management solution can speed up your work processes, automates mundane tasks, improves efficiencies and reduces timelines. It can also help you save on cost and increase your budget for other activities.

The New Process
1. You host information about your event on your website, so people can learn more about the same without having to call your office multiple times.
2. Interested parties can register instantly online.
3. They confirm their seat or ticket by paying instantly using the online payment facility.
4. The registration information is stored electronically and an invoice with all relevant details is automatically fired by email.

Each of these steps eliminates an expense, saves on costs and frees up funds for other purposes.

Step 1 & 2 reduces your printing costs. As you know, every event generates a multitude of paper and printing - brochures, leaflets, registration forms, invoices and more. When you host your event information online, interested parties learn about the event directly online, thus reducing the number of brochures and leaflets required. Similarly, when people have the convenience of registering or booking online, you will see a reduction in the number of walk-ins, thus reducing the number of printed registration forms required. Both these reductions will reduce your massive printing bill.

Step 3 & 4 reduces postage & courier costs. Here two cost saving aspects come into play. The first, since there is less to be printed (brochures and leaflets), there is less to send by snail mail or courier. Thus, you will see a reduction in courier charges and postage cost. Also, since all information is stored electronically, you can generate invoices and receipts directly online. This eliminates the need to print and send invoices and receipts by courier.

In addition to these cost saving features, you also save on labor. What activities used to require 4 or 5 individuals to complete, now can be handled by 1 or 2. It used to be that you had to hire extra temporary staff to handle the registration calls, the faxes, the walk-ins and the data entry. By launching your event online, your entire registration process now happens directly online. The registrant registers directly online at his own convenience and the information is directly stored in a secure database that is accessible by you from any PC with an internet connection. Moreover, since the registrant delegate enters his own information, it reduces the chance of data entry errors and there is no need for extra staff.

Planning Effective Exit Strategies For Business Owners

Today, many business owners are finding it increasingly difficult to retire due to a lack of an effective exit strategy and planning. Contracting cash flow in a tough economy, declines in net income and the credit crunch have all conspired to force many business owners into a fight-or-flight mindset.

Several companies have successfully compensated by trying to expand sales and cutting costs. Many small to mid-sized companies, however, have experienced a drop in value, with no end in sight.

Owners are also entering the chapter in their life when exiting their business in one way or another is becoming more probable. Unfortunately, the business may not be currently worth what they need it to be to successfully exit.

Or what very often happens, is the business owner wakes up one morning, so to speak, and decides that they don't want to run the business anymore and often decides the fate of the business without any careful planning.

The reality is that selling or exiting a business, is probably the single most important decision an owner will make. Instead of blindly hoping to sell their business one day, an alternative is for the business owners formulate a thoroughly planned exit strategy in order to sell or transfer their business for maximum value or compensation in the most tax-efficient method.

Creating an exit strategy, a process which takes three to five years, is the most significant step a business owner can make. All businesses are different and all business owners are different, therefore the exit strategy must be integrated with the owner's objectives and requirements.

Is it a lifestyle business that produces revenue which does not need to be sold? Can the business be transferred over to a family member or key employee, or will it be sold to a third party? If a business owner is entering the stage in life when they need to be planning their exit, here is what they should be attentive to:

Define Objectives

Before you formulate your exit strategy, you must know when you want to leave your business, to whom you want to leave it to and how much money you hope to get from the transaction. Formal retirement planning and the creation of a life goal statement should be the first steps in this process.

Ascertain Value and Cash Flow

Regardless of who you are selling your business to, if your payout will come from future cash flow, then future cash flow is more important than current value. You can use many reliable valuation methods to estimate your business' value. A formal valuation can come later.

Build Value

This step decreases the risk linked to owning your own business and helps improve the outlook for future growth. Setting your business up to operate without you, through improving the dedication of key employees, systematizing your business to run on autopilot, expanding market share, diversifying revenue sources, and growing corporate leadership, can significantly increase your businesses value.

Establish a Successor

The process of transferring your business takes time the sale will continue even after the deal is confirmed because future payouts are usually necessary. The transaction is completed once the agreed price is fully paid. Careful planning is required to successfully manage a sale to insiders who frequently are short of the necessary capital for a total cash buyout.

Conserve Wealth

Selling your business will create income for you, your family and the Internal Revenue Service. Cautious planning must be employed to diminish taxes, and preserve the accumulated wealth.

Exiting a business is probably the most important decision a business owner will make. They usually only get to do it one time, and all of the many years of hard work, risk and dedication is being realize with one event.

Regardless if an owner is transferring it to an insider or selling it to a third party, careful planning and consideration must be taken over an extended period of usually 3 to 5 years. It is a process that is driven by the owner and accompanied by a team of advisors that may include their financial advisor, accountant, business attorney, estate planning attorney, and so on.

It is also important that one of the advisors is thoroughly experienced with the process and can help the owner along through the required steps.

Quinceanera Party Planner - Affordable Or Not?

If you are planning on celebrating your Quinceanera reception at a hotel, reception hall or other rented space consider the possible benefits of hiring a professional party planner.

Most professional party-event planners fees range between 10% to 20% of the total cost of the event. However, if you have done a lot of pre planning work you might be able to negotiate a flat fee instead of a percentage. This would more than likely save you money. The professional event-party planners fees cover all the management, co-ordination, meetings, overseeing of the contracts with vendors and the supervision of the day of your event.

There is a secret most people are not aware that many professional event planners get paid an extra booking percentage from the hotel and many times from the vendors they do business with all the time. This is where you can save money when negotiating with a professional event-party planner. You need to request the inside price after deducting the booking fee or any other name it might be called in your region be the price you and your family agree to.

It is your budget, your money. It all depends if the professional planner wants and needs your business. If this is the case you will benefit and in the overall picture you will save money by using a professional event-party planner.

The more pre planning and organized you and your family are before hiring a professional planner will influence the actual cost you will end up having to pay the event-party planner. You are buying his or her time for the services they will perform.

If the professional planner has to start putting the event together from scratch they are going to have to put in more time and therefore the costs to you will be much higher.

• When negotiating with a professional planner and you feel the price is too high, ask them how much they would charge if you did some of the preliminary work yourself. It is a give and take. They will calculate the approximate number of hours they will need to spend on your event and translate that into how much they need to charge you for the professional services they will commit to deliver for your celebration in order for it to outstanding.


• There are many benefits when you use a good professional party planner. However the top of the list benefits is that the planner focus is to prevent mistakes from happening at your Quinceanera celebration. One of the major responsibilities of a professional planner is to avoid horror stories we have all heard about from occurring that do not seem funny at the time of the celebration.

In a large party, a small mistake can end up costing more than the fees of a planner. If you have hired a party planner to do all the work, you can just sit back and enjoy.

A professional party planner only has their good reputation they can sell. Therefore, it is very important for them to make sure your event goes off perfectly with out any problems.

Things to consider when checking out a professional party - event planners: personally check out his or her references; talk to a minimum of three people who have used his or her services before; check out how long they have worked in your community and ask if they would ever use them again. If the answers are all positive then ask why would they use planner again and benefits did they receive.

The usual is for professional party planners to require a deposit up front. Then they will ask for two equal payments during the planning process. They will expect a final payment just prior to the event.

Corporate Team Building Events to Improve Output and Efficiency

Healthy work environment, improved team spirit, and raised productivity are all signs of a good organization. For an employee, an ideal organization to work is not just the one that provides high salary, it is the one that promotes smooth work environment and meets employee's expectations, rendering work an interesting place to be in.

For improving team spirit and encouraging a healthy competition, corporate team building activities (whether indoor or outdoor) are the best. These activities improve inter personal relation within the employees and motivates them to work as a team.

Corporate team building events allow everyone at the workplace to showcase their team spirit. The motive behind such corporate learning programs is to inculcate the sense of team spirit in the employees and understand the advantages of being in a team. Roller coaster challenge, cooking challenge, board games are few activities especially designed by the companies for the purpose of team building.

Team Building games allow people to know the strength of a group and develop inter-personal relation with other members in the team. These games are not individual centric, it is to develop team participation and are focused on a group.

It fills the knowledge gap between the team members. Today, every company must hold a team building activity session for the development of the employees. This is because; these activities tend to motivate employees to work their best and also act as a relaxing and stress relieving session for them.

Now days, companies are hiring specialist corporate trainers to undertake interesting corporate training programs and events. Below mentioned are few of the effective ones.

• Mobile Adventure Programs: If you don't have time for outdoor activities, but wish to conduct some engaging and exciting activities within your workplace, MAPs are the best option. Mobile adventure activity finds its place in both indoor and outdoor category. Famous games included in this section are:

a) Turning point: These are the activities that help employees understand the value of their work systems. Here, they discover the advantages of seeing work processes as a whole instead as a part.

b) Key punch: This involves activities where employee's reaction and response to the situation decides the overall team performance. Through this activity participants can learn the significance of being flexible and the requirement of responding to the change instantly.

• Clay challenge: Yes, you heard it right; clay challenge can actually help in team building. In this activity, participants will make colorful clay items which will be symbolic to their behavior, personality, and their relation with the colleagues. The main motive behind this game is to learn the theory of Constructionism, which means learning through personal discovery of knowledge. It also encourages employees to think creatively.

10 Tips for Booking Entertainment for a Corporate Event

Finding entertainment for a corporate convention, holiday party or conference can seem like a overwhelming task. There are literally thousands of excellent, good, and down right horrible corporate entertainers available. This list will give you some advice on how to narrow down your search and find entertainment that will help make your event a success!

#10 - PLAN EARLY. The most popular corporate entertainers book up very quickly for popular dates. During the corporate holiday party season (Nov-Jan), entertainers can begin to book up over a year in advance. Avoid disappointment and start looking for entertainment as soon as you know the date of your corporate event.

#9 - KNOW WHAT YOU WANT (AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS). You can make your search for an entertainer easier if you have an idea of the type of entertainment that would work well for your group. Popular corporate entertainment includes:

COMEDY - Comedy acts can be a great way to get your group laughing together. Comedy acts don't have to be just stand-up comedians. Many corporate comedy acts blend magic, juggling, or other variety performances into their comedy show. This variety helps insure that there is something for everyone in the performance.

No matter what type of comedy act your choose, be sure that the comedy is going to be appropriate for your group. Many comedians have different ideas on what "clean comedy" is, so be sure to ask for a demo video to preview the show (see #1 below!)

MUSIC - Many headline singers and bands are available for corporate events.

MAGIC - There are many different styles of corporate magicians and corporate magic shows. Some magicians offer strolling magic (going table to table at your event), some perform large illusion show with special effects and a cast of dancers, others specialize in comedy magic that gets your audience laughing in involved. Whatever styles of corporate entertainment you are looking for, be sure to find a magician who specializes in only that style. There are magicians you will tell you that they do everything - illusions, comedy, strolling, but that is because they are not proficient at any specific style, so all their shows are usually only mediocre. For the best possible show, hire a professional corporate magician who specializes in one style of magic. These performers will be the best in their field in illusion, comedy, or sleight-of-hand because that is all they do.

HYPNOSIS - Hypnotists can be great for the right group. Hypnotist shows are very interactive and require a very outgoing and uninhibited group to really be successful.

#8 - BOOK DIRECTLY WITH THE ENTERTAINER TO SAVE MONEY AND HEADACHES. If you book your corporate entertainment directly through the entertainer, you will save money on entertainment. Most corporate entertainment agencies add an additional 15-35% to an entertainer's fee. By booking a corporate entertainer direct, you also have the convenience of being able to talk with the entertainer (or their office staff) about any questions or concerns. Most corporate entertainment agencies will not let you talk with the entertainer until the day of the show. By booking direct, you can be guaranteed that there are no miscommunications about the performance. You can find direct contact information for entertainers by doing an internet search for "corporate entertainers", "california comedian", etc.

#7 - PLAN A REALISTIC BUDGET. The old adage, "you get what you pay for", applies to entertainment as well. The entertainment is not a place to save a few dollars. You would never cut corners on the food you would feed your guests, and should never cut corners on the entertainment. Bad entertainment can ruin an event just as quickly as bad food. You are not going to be able to get a GOOD quality corporate entertainer to do a show for $400. Fees for a TOP QUALITY, professional corporate entertainer will range from $1500 - $100,000 + depending on the size of the show and the performer's experience and reputation.

#6 - KNOW THE PERFORMER'S EXPERIENCE. You want a corporate entertainer who primarily entertainers for corporate audiences. Don't be afraid to ask questions... Is the performer a full-time entertainer? Have they performed at events like yours in the past? Do they have letters of recommendation and reviews from past clients for you to read?

#5 - IF YOU HAVE A SPECIAL REQUEST....ASK! Many entertainers are happy to customize part of their performance for your event. If you have a special request in mind, be sure to discuss this with the performer at the time of booking.

#4 - DISCUSS SET-UP REQUIREMENTS BEFORE BOOKING. Set-up need for entertainers vary greatly. Some can perform in the corner of a room with just a microphone, some need a minimum stage area and special sound and lighting equipment. Be sure that your venue will be able to meet your entertainer's set-up needs prior to booking.

#3 - LEAVE YOUR GUESTS WANTING MORE. 90 minutes of entertainment may sound like a great idea when you are planning your corporate event, but most audiences do not want to sit through a 90 minute show. A longer show does NOT equal better show. Even the TOP comedians and entertainers in the WORLD (Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, etc) only perform 60-75 minute shows. Professional entertainers and corporate event planners agree that a good length for most corporate live entertainment is 35-50 minutes. It is always better to leave your audience excited and wanting more...rather than having them get tired and start looking at the watch.

#2- KNOW WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE FEE. There are travel expenses associated with hiring national entertainers for your corporate party. Many entertainers include the travel expenses into their performance fee and for some travel will be an additional expense. Be sure to know what is included in the fee you are quoted to avoid any unexpected (and potentially expensive!) surprises.

#1 - MOST IMPORTANTLY - ALWAYS ASK TO SEE A DEMO VIDEO. A demo video is the only way you can truly judge whether a corporate entertainer will be right for your company party. The demo video should be short highlights of the segments of an entertainer's show. The video should be filmed in front of a live audience so you can see how a real audience reacts to the show. If an entertainer's video is nothing but split-second clips and flashy graphics set to music, then they are probably trying to cover for an inadequate performance - or worse, it could mean that they have NEVER even performed in front of a real audience.

Understanding Business Development Ideas For Event Management Industry

What is Event Management?

Event management refers to methods of outsourcing business occasions, social occasions, or a combination of both. There is no limit to the business development ideas for an event management business. It is possible to organize every kind of event ranging from wedding to a political rally. An event management team can be retained for any type of business meeting.

500 Billion Dollar Industry:

Last 15 years have witnessed a tremendous growth in the field of event management. If we add the amount of money spent on event management all over the world in one year it comes to a whopping 500 billion dollars. Gone are the days when we could do with hiring only a small catering team that supplies the food for a business event. If you wish to make an impression on your potential clients today, hiring a meeting management company is a necessity.

Events of Any Range Can Be Managed:

If you wish to start an event management business and you are looking for business development ideas for it then you will be happy to know that you can start this business for any range. It is possible to manage an event for only a small group of people. On the other hand, you can manage mega events for five thousand people and more.

People prefer to choose an event management team that is known for its expertise in this field. When you plan an event, it not only consumes your valuable time but also produces much stress. Event management business owners have contacts in this field and they can offer you the best possible services at the most competitive prices.

Manage Accommodation and Entertainment:

As an event management business, when you organize an event involving five thousand people for a whole day, you should not assume that catering is the most difficult thing to manage. Accommodation and entertainment are also very important for managing such large events. You also require sufficient and efficient staff for the event. Moreover, you also have to plan about the size of the room, seating arrangements, and the total budget of the event. If you do not have enough expertise to deal with all of these factors, you may face difficulties in running event management business successfully.

External Factors Affecting Event Management Business:

Several external factors also affect the growth of the event management industry. Some of these factors are the rate of the growth of economy, lifestyle, and changing characteristics of the people living in the area. Tourism and branding activities like festivals and corporate activities such as conferences, product launches, award ceremonies, and gala dinners are under the scope of event management business. Key factors for the success of an event management business are reputation, network, service promotion, links with the suppliers, and high quality managerial skills.

No Stress in Planning the Perfect Event

Planning events have become an extremely lucrative business in the Bay Area. In their fast paced lives people do not have the time to plan their own events, much less execute them. It has also become far too tedious to organize and co-ordinate very aspect of any event. More and more people are opting to use party planners to help solve this problem for them.

You can now engage an event organizer to plan any and all kinds of events. Typically an event organizer deals with events like children's birthday parties, sweet sixteens, mitzvah parties, adult birthday parties, wedding showers, baby showers, engagement parties, bachelor parties, exotic themed dinner parties, corporate dinners and picnics, social galas, anniversary parties and retirement parties. They also organize holiday parties for Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and New Year's.

Many times the pressures of entertaining do not permit the hosts of the party to actually enjoy themselves because they are trying to co-ordinate the food, drinks, music, etc. Using an event manager allows the hosts to be part of the party and they do not need to worry about the actual organization of it. The event planners are trained professionals and they work through the event seamlessly making it a resounding success. They satisfy the client, deal with the music and lighting, co-ordinate the catering.

Event planners in the Bay Area have ties ups with a number or caterers and party supply stores. They can always get you the best deals for party rentals as well as the food and drinks. Bay Area Event Planners have the ability to manage any situation that can be potentially disastrous in a way that the guests are totally unawares of the situation. They can also plan events that have different themes and costume and masquerade parties. They have in their cache of various performers like mimes, jugglers, dancers, magicians and many others that they can call on for particular events.

The best thing about using event organizer in the bay area, is that as the client all you have to do is give them a theme and a guest list. And they take care of the rest. Many believe that hiring event organizer can be afforded only by millionaires and corporate big-wigs. But this is not true. There are a number of event planners who are quite affordable and also those who work within a budget. Event planners in the Bay Area have virtually changed the view that you have to dole out money by the bucket to have successful event.

Fun Ideas for Corporate Events

There are many reasons that an organization or business chooses to host a fun corporate event. It may be a team building exercise for the staff, a customer appreciation function, or a holiday celebration. No matter what the event, planning is crucial to creating a meaningful event that meets your goals and expectations. Event planners will work with your business or organization to plan fun events that will be enjoyed by all of your guests.

Many times, there are many different activities planned for a corporate event or conference. While some of the day must be spent learning and discussing important matters for your business, fun activities should be planned as well. Your guests will appreciate the time to socialize and relax with co-workers and their families. Integrating serious activities with opportunities for fun will make your overall event more pleasurable for all of your guests.

Golf Tournament: The game of golf attracts people from all different backgrounds. Even if you are not one to play the game, watching others participate can be a fun and relaxing way to spend the day. Sponsoring a golf tournament is a good way to get your staff, clients, and vendors together to have some fun outside. It is also a good way to raise money for a charity or cause in your community.

Picnics: Corporate picnics are a fun family event for all of your business associates. Interacting outside of the office in a relaxed atmosphere helps to build relationships and promote unity among your staff. This type of event can be quite affordable and appropriate for businesses and organizations of all sizes.

Holiday Parties: The holidays are a good time to thank your staff for all of their hard work and to let your customers know how much they are appreciated. Holiday parties may be for adults only or a family-friendly event. While Christmas parties are the most common, Halloween parties are a lot of fun as well. Parties are an opportunity to let loose and have some fun with your colleagues outside of the work environment.

Casino Night: Create the feel of a Las Vegas casino close to home by sponsoring a casino night. Your guests get to play casino-like games without the worry of losing their paycheck. This type of get together is ideal for fundraising as well as just for fun.

Sporting Events: A little friendly competition among your staff can be fun. Consider hosting a volleyball game or paintball tournament in which various departments compete against each other. This type of event can generate excitement and teamwork among your staff.

Awards Ceremony: Everyone likes to receive recognition for a job well done. Why not host an awards ceremony for your employees? Trophies can be given to the top producers in your organization. You may even create funny or unique awards to be given out as well. This type of event can be motivating for your entire staff.

Planning and hosting any type of an event can be time consuming and overwhelming. Be sure to enlist the assistance of a professional event planning organization to help you with all of the planning and event management. You will appreciate the guidance and alleviate the stress of event planning from your staff.

The Best Virtual Jobs for Moms

If you're a stay-at-home mom, a virtual job can help you find that balance between raising a family and earning a steady income. Moms who want to contribute financially to their family while taking care of their children can find work as virtual assistants, customer service representatives and telemarketers. Home-based positions tend to be more flexible and allow you to create a schedule around the schedule of other activities.

Working from Home

In order to work from home, you need to be able to dedicate enough hours each day to complete a shift or accomplish all daily tasks required. If you have small children, you may need to hire a babysitter or consider daycare options so you aren't distracted during your shift. Many companies have specific criteria that require employees to work in a quiet environment in order to better serve their customers.

For most work-at-home jobs, you will need a computer, Internet connection, dedicated phone line, and other items including a printer, fax machine, or transcription equipment. When applying for a virtual position, you should ask if special equipment will be needed. You may have to attend on-site training for a week or longer to learn how to use special equipment or to learn more about the company's customer service procedures.

Types of Virtual Jobs Available

Depending on the job experiences and training you already having, obtaining a work from home position may be easier than you think. Virtual secretary jobs are best for those who have worked in business administration or those who have typing and other office skills. You can start your own virtual assisting business, or you can work for a virtual assisting service. Common job tasks include typing documents, transcription, email monitoring, meeting planning, event planning, and maintaining business calendars. You may also be asked to edit reports and other documents, create spreadsheets, or update web pages.

Work-from-home customer service positions require prior customer service experience in many cases. Because you will be answering customer questions, taking reservations, and processing orders, you need to have excellent typing and data entry skills. You should also be able to talk to customers easily and be able to problem solve quickly in order to maintain quality customer service. If you enjoy helping others and are able to maintain a professional demeanor in any situation, this position may be for you.

At-home telemarketing positions are best for those who feel comfortable speaking with others and selling goods and services over the phone. Some companies prefer hiring employees that have sales or telemarketing experience, but others are willing to train the right people.

Other virtual positions include appointment setting, reservation services, concierge services, and help desk services.

Where to Find Virtual Jobs

There are many places to look when trying to find a virtual job. Paid online classifieds (and a few free classified sites like Craigslist), job boards, and company websites are some of the best places to look. If you're interested in starting a virtual assistant service, you should ask former employers, former co-workers, place an ad in trade newspapers or local newspapers, and join a small business group in order to meet people who may be in need of your services.

When you find a virtual position that interests you, sending a professional resume either by mail or email will make a great first impression. The competition for virtual positions can be tough, but if you approach your search in a professional manner, you should be able to find a few potential employers in a short amount of time.

Trophies and Rewarding Your Employees

Many companies reward their employees for a job well done. Some companies simply give out yearly bonuses to their employees while some companies have a yearly banquet or picnic to recognize their stellar employees. While everyone appreciates a yearly bonus, it can be really rewarding and motivating to be recognized by your supervisors. If you are organizing this kind of event or you are in charge of deciding who gets these rewards, you will want to decide on what kind of reward or trophy you will be giving to your employee or employees. Trophies are not just for sporting events, and you can find trophies that are appropriate for corporate awards.

Plaques are a great looking trophy to give to your employee. You can engrave nearly any plaque that you purchase. This means that you can add your employee's name, the name of the honor, and the date that the reward was received. An example of an award might be the Employee of the Year or the Salesperson of the Year. You can find plaques that are made primarily out of wood, glass, metal or acrylic. All of these options look nice, and a plaque is something very professional that any employee would be proud to hang in his or her office. Plaques are also very affordable, and they are a great option if you want to reward a number of employees, which can be the case in a large company.

Clock awards are also very tasteful awards that are useful as well as beautiful. You can find anniversary clocks, and clocks that are mounted in wood or glass. All of these awards can be engraved with details of why the award was given to the person who receives it. Other trophies that are cup shaped, which are also called presentation cups, can be appropriate for corporate events as well. They are very elegant, and anyone who looks at a presentation cup will know that the owner has won or accomplished something. Presentation cups can be more expensive than plaques and clocks, but they are a great option for someone who has really done a great job.

Many trophies are appropriate for corporate events, especially events like corporate picnics. In addition to recognizing your employees, many companies choose to have games or competitions at their picnics, and you can use trophies to reward the winners. Races and relays are popular picnic games, and it is fun to give the winners fun trophies. These trophies can be amusing ones or small ones that are often used for sporting events. These trophies are often inexpensive, only a few pounds, so you can afford to buy a few of these trophies to give out.

Trophies and awards are a great way to actually show your employees that you respect and appreciate the job that they are doing at your company. Recognition is a great motivator, and even the employees who did not receive anything will want to do better. Buying trophies is well worth the investment to motivate and to reward your employees.

The Tax Implications of Corporate Team Building Days

Having worked closely with a number of clients who are trying to organise events on tight budgets we decided to look at the tax implications of running corporate team building events and see whether there are any tax benefits or dangers we should look out for.

It appears that during the 2009 / 2010 tax year the tax rules are going to stay the same and the following sections of HMRC Help Sheet 207 2009 testify to the Tax Exemptions of team building events.

Source: HS207 2009-2010 Non Taxable Payments or Benefits for Employees - A Govt Help-sheet available from the HM Revenues & Customs website.

i. Employer-funded or employer-reimbursed training

This exemption covers the costs to your employer of work related training throughout the entire spectrum of practical or theoretical skills and competences you are reasonably likely to require for your current or likely future jobs and tasks with your existing employer.

The Tax Exemption Includes:

• Employee development schemes


• Activities intended to develop skills you need in leadership and teamwork


• Training which is provided by a third party rather than your employer

The many ways in which training course and events can be delivered are covered including full-time and part-time training, internal training courses run by your employer, courses which are run externally or by a third party, and courses which comprise any combination of these.

ii. Christmas or other Annual Party

Also exempt are annual events, parties or functions of a similar nature, such as a Christmas dinner and a summer party, which are open to staff generally and which cost no more than 瞿150 a head in total to provide.

Outsourcing Versus Crowdsourcing - What Is the Difference?

Many of us have performed some outsourcing work in one way or another. Then again, many of us may not have heard of the term called crowdsourcing. In this article, the author explains the two, and reveals the difference for business owners to be able to implement both concepts effectively to achieve profitability and great business performance.

In Outsourcing, what you do is you pay someone to do a job for you, very much like employing a part time employee. Most probably, this person or organization have a relationship with you for years already before you consult or outsource to them.

In Crowdsourcing, you leverage from the Internet from a huge group of people. Okay, example would be this. Assuming your organization or company is a small one, and you need a lot of information in a short time, let's say, in organizing an event. You then, logon to a website with a lot of event managers, which is a forum website, and then you post something there saying something like this "My company ABC Enterprise will be organizing a Green event, and would like to source for Event managers who have experience and ideas on how to run this event." Let's say the forum has about 1000 Event Management companies registered. Normally, Conventional Marketing Conversion Rate is 1%, meaning out of 1000, 10 will reply with a meaningful answer.

Using the 10 suggestion and contacts from the Event Managers, you can begin to tap their experience and minds to organize your Green Event before outsourcing to them. Of course, this exercise will only be effective with a large pool of targeted people (like Event Managers) and can only be done via the Internet and also Online Marketing (posting in the forum is the tactic).

The above tactic may sound like a simple one, but it is effective, if we only take time to do it. It saves you money and time and not to mention brain juice in doing a company or business project. This tactic or strategy is pretty simple yet cost effective which may save organizations and businesses tens of thousands of dollars if it is implemented correctly. With the advent of digital community platforms, crowdsourcing campaign implementation is very convenient indeed.

If you would have built a community online over a period of time, you would be able to perform crowdsourcing easily and thus saving market research fees.