Event Planning - How to Make an Event Successful

Event planning is not an impossible task of ordinary people however, it is difficult. If you are not hiring any event planning firm to organize your event then you will need a lot of stamina to handle every task accordingly. There are going to be times when you will feel very frustrated and want to leave everything but if you manage to be patient and energetic then your event will definitely be successful.

Proper event planning depends on how much knowledge you have regarding it. Therefore, before you start making any arrangements; gain as much information about event management as you can. There best way is to write down all your aims and goals on papers and keep track of your commitments and appointments daily. Moreover, following is a method given, which will help you in organizing an outstanding event:

1. DECIDING THE VENUE:

This is the first task that you have to fulfill. While you are deciding the location of your event you have to keep following things in mind

a. The venue should be easily reachable for everyone.
b. The space provided should be enough for the guests you are inviting
c. It should match your theme and
d. If there is a need for any changes in the location

After discussing all the above queries with the location manager, fix a confirm date for your event.

2. WRITE DOWN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE EVENT:

After deciding the theme of the event, you have to choose activities accordingly. Write down those activities on paper and then make them in order. Moreover, write down the time each activity will take for example how much time the ceremony will take, the meals, entertainment etc. Plan an activity or two that will keep the interest of your guests and they do not get bored.

3. CREATE A BUDGET:

This is one of the important aspects of event planning. It will be really helpful if you write down all the expenses that you have to make to arrange the event so that you can gather enough funds for it. Furthermore, keep extra money aside for unexpected expenses.

4. DEVELOP GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE VENDORS:

If you want your event to be perfect then you need to maintain good relations with your providers. Choose those services that you have come to know from reliable sources. Avert those vendors who do not give you much attention because of their other clients. There is no harm in negotiating with them about lowering down the prices and whatever deal is made, get it written down on paper so that no confusion develops later on.

Hence, these are most important steps that you should take when organizing an event so that it goes smooth till the end of the day. Remember not to take too much stress in this task because then you will be ruining your own health.

Using Social Networking to Increase Attendees at Your Event: Will It Really Work For You?

Some years ago, most people would have laughed at the idea of getting more than a million people hooked onto social networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Today, social networking is not a matter of choice but a necessity for most users. We are using social networking sites for a host of purposes - from reconnecting with friends to building links with prospective clients. As an event planner, you can no longer undermine the potential of this new age media that reaches out to millions of users all over the world.

Online communities within social networking sites are extremely useful for event planners like you. These communities are formed by people sharing similar interests and preferences. For example, you can target a community of teenagers to promote a rock fest you are organizing. Not only is this a convenient means by which you can promote your event, you also get to save a lot of money on advertising.

You can make the most of social networking by understanding your target audience. Here are some useful tips that can help you to capitalize on the popular networking sites to promote your event:

CREATE ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

This is the first step that you need to take to explore how social networking can help you to increase attendance at the event. Your Facebook or LinkedIn page should immediately catch the attention of your prospective attendees. Remember, unless it catches their attention, they will not come back again to know about your events.

Make your Facebook page interesting by adding necessary information regarding the events that you host, registration details etc. It is a good idea to include a link to the registration page so that interested attendees can sign up for the event instantly.

POST EVENT DETAILS ON MULTIPLE SITES

You can post event details at multiple sites free of cost. Post your event details at all the major social networking sites. This will help you to reach out to a large number of people who might want to attend your event.

GENERATE AWARENESS ABOUT YOUR EVENT

Your social networking account helps you to promote your event in the most effective manner. Popular networking sites, such as Facebook and Orkut have millions of users all over the world. Thus, you can post your event details on these sites to inform people about your event.

When you inform your target audiences about the event, don't forget to add the link to your website or the webpage containing information regarding the event. This is important because prospective attendees might want to know about the event in more detail. Moreover, you can build traffic to your website with this option.

USE EVENT PROMOTION TOOLS

Observing the growing popularity of social networking sites for marketing, business development and lead generation, networking websites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn have now added special tools to aid marketing professionals and event planners. The "Event" section on Facebook and LinkedIn helps you to notify your group members about an upcoming event. This feature helps you to target people outside your network as well!

Social networking offers endless possibilities for event planners like you. Hence, use your creativity to reach out to your target audiences.

Event Planning for the Holidays: Top Tips to Avoid Stress

Event planning in holidays can be stressful for you no matter you are doing it for someone or are arranging an event for yourself. You may be a pro at planning the events but the people around you should realize the burden you have on your shoulders. Event planning can go horribly wrong if guests do not arrive in time or especially, if the guest-of-honor is an hour or two behind the schedule. Here are a few steps that will help you in coping with situation and will allow you to make a better decision when things go out of control.

Slow Down and Grab a Cup of Joe

You need to pay attention to yourself as well when the preparations will be underway. You may get frustrated about a few things and may think that your orders are not followed properly or the crew is not competent enough. Instead of taking undue stress, take a break and have a cup of coffee and think of another way out of the situation. Event planning on Christmas or Thanksgiving can be very stressful as time is short and you have to take care of a lot of things. This little break will help in de-stressing you and you will be able to regain your composure quickly and may come up with a better decision.

Practice Deep Breathing and Relaxation

This is another thing that can prove helpful if you think you cannot focus on the event planning and things are not in control. Deep breathing and relaxing exercises will bring calmness back to the body and will relax your mind. You will be able to concentrate more on the areas that need more attention. Mindful meditation and muscle relaxation exercises are the best techniques that you can perform any time. Even if you have not been practicing them before, you can still perform them in the middle of event planning and these will surely be of some help for you.

Enlist Recruitments

If you are planning an event like 'winter party' then you will be thinking of inviting so many people. There will be people in your family and friends that will be surely attending the event and you can ask for their help. There are chances that people from your close circle will lend a hand in preparations when they see that you are all stressed and have extra burden. Even if they do not ask, you can ask them ahead time for their help and there is nothing in it to be ashamed of. This decision will let you make better arrangements and will save you from the possible mental break-down.

This is all you have to do; sip a little liquid, do some deep breathing and relaxing exercises and ask for a little help to make your event planning more effective. People will not be expecting you to arrange everything for them perfectly on your own. If you consider the methods discussed above then you will not only plan a better event but will also be able to take care of yourself.

穢 2011 Usman Shahid

Tips for Matching Event Entertainment to Corporate Guests

Planning an event entertainment can be one of the most daunting tasks ever. It requires a lot of creativity as well as knowledge of what the targeted audience enjoy most. The journey towards finding the most perfect and wonderful event performers should be treaded carefully to avoid little mistakes that may prevent it from being a success. Below are some of the greatest tips for matching to the corporate guests.

Look forward to finding best corporate entertainers

Most people in the corporate entertainment industry know that there is a distinction that should not be crossed in regards to entertainment content. It is therefore important to seek those individuals who have great reviews from other business clients. They should have a great experience in their stage performances.

Always ask for a preview of their entertainment videos

Most corporate entertainers normally have a clip that shows exactly what their performances look like. It is important to watch a preview of this and know the suitability and level of entertainment it will provide. By watching this tape, you can be sure of what to expect from the event entertainment. Through this tape, you can judge the people and know their level of dedication towards their entertainment careers.

Consider the purpose of holding the event

One of the greatest things that you need to keep in mind is that not every corporate entertainer is fit for any event. You need to select the right entertainers who hold the right theme for your function. They should also comprise of a reasonable size. Suppose the event marks a launch of a product, the audience is large and needs a much entertaining factor that suite all ages as compared to training workshop learning.

Seek a variety of performers

Organizing a show that engages various performances is a great way of entertainment. This ensures your guests get various entertainment choices hence keeping them from boredom. This is greatly important especially in breaking monotony of one person performing on stage. A good corporate entertainment requires amalgamation of various performers and letting them entertain the guests suitably.

With the above tips, you can be certain to find the most appropriate event entertainment group. They will also lead you into picking the best and most relevant entertainment group for your guests. In this way you can make them have fun and exciting experience at your event. If you are planning for a corporate entertainment Vancouver or any other function, the above four tips will guide on how to choose the best corporate entertainers.

Ten Reasons to Choose Horse Racing for Your Corporate Hospitality Event

Horse Racing is a fabulous sport to take your clients to, and we are pleased to include the top ten reasons why you should take your clients to these events instead of any others. These are as follows;

1. Takes the Pressure of you as the host: Horse Racing is a more relaxed way to entertain your clients. If you go to the football or rugby, you are with your client for three hours solid before kick off and however entertaining they are, conversation can dry up! With races taking place every half hour, clients are constantly up and around, putting bets on and watching the racing from different vantage points, which makes entertaining so much smoother and more enjoyable.


2. Dressing Up: Horse Racing is generally a smart event and allows clients to wear their best clothes, including giving the ladies a chance to buy a new dress and hat! With football and rugby becoming more relaxed these days, in that many corporate areas allow jeans, it is refreshing for clients to see a really smart, formal event.


3. Ladies Involvement: Horse Racing is a great event for both genders. Football and rugby are very male orientated, where as horse racing is enjoyed by both sexes. This is therefore a great opportunity for clients to entertain their female customers and also customers and their wives. For some clients, they have more chance to attend an event if their wife or girlfriend is invited as well!


4. Locations: There are racecourses located all around the UK from Newton Abbot in Devon, to Folkestone in Kent and up to Perth in Scotland. With 60 racecourses around the UK, there is always going to be one in close proximity to your business or clients.


5. Every Day of the Week: If you need to choose a race meeting for a particular date, perhaps you have a client coming from a far, or you need to combine it with an important business meeting, you will generally find a race meeting happening on most days of the year.


6. All Year Round: Most sports are seasonally based, with football and rugby in the winter and cricket and tennis in the summer. Horse Racing is fantastic for corporate hospitality in that it runs all year round, from January to December.


7. Meetings Beforehand: With most horse racing meetings starting at around 2pm, this is a superb time to allow for a business meeting beforehand. The majority of racecourses have corporate boxes where you can stage a business meeting or seminar in the morning around 10am, before having lunch at 12.30pm, before enjoying a full race meeting in the afternoon.


8. Betting: All courses have licensed betting facilities on site, where your clients can enjoy a flutter on their favourite horse. All corporate facilities generally have betting facilities within them, meaning that you don't have to queue up with the masses to put on a bet.


9. Offerings to Clients on Day: You can choose a corporate package that will best suit your clients on the day. For the high end clients, you can choose a more formal three course meal, where as for middle to lower corporate clients, you can choose a fork or a finger buffet. You can choose the option that will best suit your budget and clients.


10. Add on options: There are a variety of additional options at race meetings that you can choose to enhance your day or impress your client further. These could be as follows;


• Present a trophy to the winning trainer


• Present a trophy for the best kept horse


• View a race from the commentary box


• A racing tipster to come to your box and inform your clients about the racing line up


• A sporting celebrity to join your party for the day

Thinking of Hiring a Cheap Limo Service? Think Again

When it comes to hiring a limo service; you get what you pay for. Limousine companies know what they're worth, and although there are many limo companies that pride themselves on having the lowest prices in town, it is unrealistic to expect a quality experience from a limousine company that offers the cheapest prices on the market.

If you can't afford to rent a good limo, then you may want to rethink your transportation options altogether. Cheap rates for chauffeured rides can be a red flag for unpleasant secrets which can range from lack of city permits to dirty vehicles or even no insurance. Here are some of the secrets that discount limo companies may be hiding from you.

Unlicensed or unprofessional chauffeurs: Licensed chauffeurs are professionals at what they do; they will treat you with courtesy and respect, open doors for you, stow away your luggage, and do whatever it takes to make your experience superb. Chauffeurs from a discount limo service have no such standards; they may not behave or dress appropriately, and they may not even be legally licensed or insured.

Run down vehicles: "Affordably priced" may be code for poorly maintained vehicles or old cars. Some companies know that they cannot compete with other reputable businesses on the market and that the only way that they stand a chance is to drastically lower their prices so that some unsuspecting customer will rent one of their cars. Poorly maintained vehicles are prone to breaking down; do you really want to risk that? Besides, you won't be making much of an appearance if you arrive in a worn-out limousine with a bad paint job, dents on the side, and tarnished wheels.

Poor service: Cheap limo companies are often poorly managed with underpaid staff, poor customer service, and uninsured drivers. Don't be surprised when your "affordably priced" limo shows up and isn't the car you ordered, or if your unlicensed chauffeur is unapologetic when he comes to pick you up a few hours later than you agreed on.

Riding in a limo is a supposed to be a luxurious experience; everything from the chauffeur to the vehicle itself should portray class and sophistication. When renting a limo, it is a good idea to compare prices and reviews for several different companies. As a rule of thumb, eliminate those with the cheapest prices as well as those with the highest, and choose from those that fall in between. Don't compromise on the quality of your night on the town; a ride in a luxurious chauffeured ride is worth every penny that you spend on it.

Corporate Team Building & Executive Retreats: Booze, Sex & Other Pitfalls to Avoid

To ensure that you get value from the time and money invested in team building sessions and corporate retreats, there are several pitfalls that your company should avoid.

Team Building Pitfalls

1. 
   Allocate sufficient time for planning
   
   There is no way that you can expect to pull off an effective team building session or corporate retreat if 1 - 2 weeks prior to the session you are just contacting vendors



2. 
   Don't schedule your session to end on a Friday.
   
   Like it or not, focus will become a challenge as the day wears on.



3. 
   Do allocate more time for your session if your group is highly analytical.
   
   Analytical learners need more time to debrief and apply the session to your specific business challenges or they will leave feeling frustrated and that the session was a waste of time. "What was that?" will be a frequent comment on your feedback forms.



4. 
   Don't splurge on food and accommodation and scrimp on facilitation fees.
   
   ou need an experienced facilitator to execute a session successfully. I remember a company that contacted us in a panic. They had blown most of their budget for a top of the line conference facility with all the bells and whistles. They had little left to pay a facilitator. We suggested a couple of cost affective facilities for accommodation and meetings but eventually had to pass on that booking too as they insisted on the high end facility and could not afford a facilitator.



5. 
   Don't just go through the motions of team building.
   
   Team recreation is important. If your goal is a day off work, then schedule a picnic or recreational activity.



6. 
   Get your priorities straight.
   
   We thought we had heard it all when we were asked "Can you cut your simulation down to half a day so that we can have more time to go shopping?" Another time, a prospective client selected a venue that was less than optimal for their activity as they did not feel their staff could forego alcohol for one day and the ideal location was not licensed for alcohol.

Alcohol: Don't Let it Flow Freely

There is no way to address this topic without just coming out and saying it. "Watch the booze." Again it comes down to priorities and liability. I remember doing some location scouting with a prospective client. I should have known we were in trouble when one of the first questions they asked was "Will there be a fridge where we can store our beer?" It was downhill from there. Late night drinking binges, a director passing around a bottle of hard liquor before a physically challenging outdoor event and the CEO having to be confined to his bed on the last day of the session for overdoing it.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with a glass of wine with dinner. Many companies are not aware of the fact that if they allow the liquor to flow freely before an activity that involves physical exertion, your company could be held liable if someone gets injured.

There is another area of potential liability. If participants will be driving after your corporate event, hire a smart serve bartender who is trained to detect potential problems and turn off the tap when appropriate. You might also want to have a backup plan and provide a taxi or hotel accommodation for any participants who do become inebriated. The bottom line is that courts throughout the USA are rendering judgements that hold companies liable when employees consume too much alcohol at company-sponsored functions and then cause accident after leaving the event.

Put a Leash on the Libido

During some corporate retreats, excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to poor judgement and sexual indiscretions. Many companies don't realize that they are skating on thin ice when they turn a blind eye to dirty jokes, sexual innuendo and employees skinny dipping in the pool on a corporate retreat or at a sales rally. We heard of one sales rally to which the Director brought along a pornographic video. In the evening, the director, the CEO and several members of the sales team returned to the meeting room at the conference centre and watched it. The next day, a lot of snickering was going on. We are also aware of two unrelated incidents at two different companies during corporate retreats in which employees became so intoxicated that they jumped on the table and started doing a strip tease

If even one employee had decided to file a sexual harassment suit (US) or human rights complaint (Canada) due to any of these incidents, the negative publicity alone could have done a lot of damage to a company's reputation. As Astra USA, the American subsidiary of Astra AB, a Swedish pharmaceutical company discovered, it could also hit you in your pocketbook.

Astra USA agreed to pay nearly US$9.85 million to approximately 80 former employees complaining of sexual harassment and retaliation on the job, at corporate retreats and during sales rallies. They admitted to fostering a hostile work environment, including requests for sexual favors in exchange for favorable treatment on the job. Business Week Magazine covered this story in detail and you can still access it on their web site.

To avoid similar difficulties, have a clear code of conduct for ALL company related meetings, activities, and events. Cover it in your orientation, diversity training and management development programmes. Have every employee sign-off and agree to adhere to this code. When incidents occur that are clearly inappropriate, deal with them and send a clear message that certain behaviour will not be tolerated in the workplace or at company events.

Team Building: The Bottom Line

Team building sessions and corporate retreats can be enjoyable and produce a myriad of benefits for your company. To get the most bang from your team building buck, ensure that there is bottom line results in what you offer. Remember, people don't have to get wasted or tell off-colour jokes in order to have a good time. There is something to be said for brainstorming with co-workers to come up with solutions to some vexing business problems or flow charting to improve a process that isn't working. There is something to be said for relaxing around a bonfire, getting to know your co-workers while you pitch a tent or start a fire, cooking your meals outdoors, learning a new sport like polo, and the many other activities that can add the "fun factor" to your events. From where we see it, there is far more value in activities like that than boozing it up or frolicking nude in a hot tub with co-workers.

© 2006 Executive Oasis International