Business Event Planning - 5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Business Event Planning

Business event planning can be difficult if care isn't initially taken. We will be covering 5 major pitfalls to avoid during your business event planning task. You will not only need to be concerned with all of the major details about your upcoming corporate or business affair, but be sure and take detailed notes on any problems that you run across so that you'll be able to deal with them more effectively in planning your next business meeting.

Don't Get Overwhelmed

The very first thing that you need to remember is not to get overwhelmed with the details. If the affair in question seems to be getting larger and larger and more complicated in scope than originally intended, slow down and backup.

Think back to the original scope of the business event planning and try to get back to basics. It can be a challenging task to plan a business function, but with an initial detailed task list, it can make keeping on track much easier in the sort and the long run.

You will need to have your priorities documented on paper, items such as the overall theme of the corporate or business function, decorations, food, catering (type of menu, as well as costs per person involved), various supplies, and of course, the overall budget that you have to work with.

Depending on the scope of your business event planning and the affair itself, you may need an assistant to aid you.

Don't be shy about delegating less important tasks to an assistant or even multiple assistants for more mundane tasks that you need not be bothered with, such as general "fetching", picking up supplies, tables, chairs, decorations and etc... at the various suppliers. This will leave the most important details of the gathering to you, as it should be.

Screen Your Caterer

The next pitfall in setting up a successful function is the food. More than likely, your business event planning will make use of a catering company. If this step of your event isn't executed properly, you could have a disaster on your hands. Unfortunately, you are depending upon an outside company for this task. But you can easily screen the catering company that you have chosen.

Do this by asking for at least three references from clients that have had similar sized functions to yours, not only ask for references, but contact the references. Ask about timeliness of the caterer, were they on schedule?, were they professional?, did they provide the required amount of food for the affair?, was the food of high quality and taste? as well as did they come in on budget?

Signed Contracts - You Bet!

Thirdly. Be sure and get a signed contract whenever you are contracting out services to outside companies. This will ensure that you will be able to create a budget and not go over that budget. When you have a contract, there are usually no surprises. That's what contracts are for. Be sure and set the dates and times when the services will be needed with a firm price for services rendered.

Budget, Smudget - You Better have One

Fourth. Be certain to set up an operating budget in advance of even beginning your business event planning. Generally speaking, you will have some idea what your company has allocated for this function. Maybe even an exact figure, if they've allocated $7,000 for your company event, start budgeting for a $6,000 function. Trust me when I tell you, it will always cost more than you think. This way, you are giving yourself a bit of a buffer. Planning for the $6,000 event, more than likely, you will easily meet the desired goal of $7.000 or less.

You're Not Finished Yet

Fifth. Don't relax too soon. Many times business event planning you will schedule and plan the affair months in advance and think that everything is under control. Taking it easy up until the day or so before the event. Invariably, one of your outside contractors will not be able to deliver and you'll be left scrambling to replace them hours before the event. Be sure an make contact with all of your vendors at least a week before your big get together and make sure everybody is on the same page.

Business Event Planning Doesn't Have To Be Hard

Keep these 5 possible pitfalls in mind when business event planning and things will go much smoother than you could imagine.

Common Mistakes on Ineffective Baby Shower Planning and How to Correct It

If you want to deliver a successful baby shower, you have to take note of the most common mistakes of planners or organizers. Through this knowledge, you will identify the things that should be corrected and improved to achieve the most likeable outcome. Remember that for an effective baby shower planning, you have to be open for suggestions or recommendations, especially on the preferences of the first-time parents as your clients.

It is sad to know that many planners nowadays have not given emphasis on the true essence of this special event. It seems like they consider the baby shower as another jolly party in the lives of the dad-to-be and mom-to-be. With this matter, you should be reminded that this special celebration must serve as a welcome rite for the first born child of the first-time parents. It should also serve as a means of gathering the mom-to-be's family members, friends, and all her loved ones so they can express their support for her upcoming giving of birth. It does not even require much budget to make this a memorable event.

Another common reason why some baby showers don't end right is the unorganized or impractical sequencing of the plan. Although there is no standard planning for this event, it is best to always start it by having a quality discussion with the parents-to-be. You have to give the top priority on their preferences on the party elements, considering that their satisfaction on the event's result matters most. Ideally, the important details about the party such as the theme, date, venue, and number of guests must be finalized in order to proceed to the invitation making. It is also necessary to keep an update of the invitations. Planners who ignore this procedure often encounter problems on very inaccurate approximation of guests.

Furthermore, some baby shower planners experience budget shortage due to impractical sequencing of the plan as well. If budget is one of the primary concerns, you have to focus on the food plan after you have estimated the expected number of people attending the party. Foods usually occupy the largest percentage of the overall expenses and its budget is not as adjustable as those of the other party elements. In general, it is advised to start the plan on the most expensive party element up to the least costly one. Also, it is ideal to put the plan for the games and fun activities last on the list since the expenses on it are optional.

To top it all, ineffective and unsatisfying baby showers are often due to rushed decisions and procedures. Just like in planning for any party, baby shower planning must be started as early as possible. If necessary, you may begin the plan and preparation around 6 weeks before the target date. It is also of great help to take time researching for unique ideas that will add to the party's entertainment factor. You may also spend some time in planning for surprise numbers that are intended to make the party a memorable event for the first-time parents, especially to the mom-to-be.

10 Biggest Mistakes Most Event Planners Make - And How to Avoid Them

Mistake #1 Failing to identify meeting objectives
This is a very common mistake. Be sure to know one hundred percent what your management expects from this meeting. Examples: education, recruiting, awards presentations, new product roll-out, executive installation, etc.

Mistake #2 Failing to budget properly
Many planners make this mistake by overlooking some very costly items. Specifically speaker travel, audio/visual, program handouts, shipping charges, decorations, security, and afternoon breaks. Don't overlook these hidden "budget killers"!

Mistake #3 Failing to select the right facility
This mistake can destroy the best event. Things to consider when planning your event: Location, location, location! Depending on the locale of your attendees, proximity to the airport, sleeping room costs, freeways, major thouroughfares and traffic patterns are critical. Meeting room location, meeting room size, and parking fees all affect your attendance.

Mistake #4 Failing to hire the right speaker/entertainer
Every meeting planners worst nightmare is a "flop". Be sure to use a reputable, skilled speaker or entertainer whom you have personally seen or who's references you have checked!

Mistake #5 Failing to identify and secure a prospect list in advance
I can't tell you haw many times I have seen events fail because of this one factor. Secure your entire list before securing your date in writing. Be sure your list has all names, titles, mailing addresses, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Your attendees can't register if you can't reach them.

Mistake #6 Failing to prepare a marketing plan
This definitely ranks in the top three in regards to importance when planning an event. Be sure to layout your timelines. Back out your contacts by your target dates. Plan your contacts by mail, e-mail, telephone and fax by week. This will insure maximum contact in a timely manner and will drive your attendance.

Mistake #7 Failing to secure strong contracts
Here's where you can really run into trouble. Do NOT promote your event without legible, signed contracts for everything including your speaker, facility, and other contractors.

Mistake #8 Failing to create the right environment
With the hundreds of details we put into every meeting, don't overlook your meeting environment. Lighting, seating, room temperature, music, decorations, audio/visual, and location of the bathrooms and telephones are all important.

Mistake #9 Failure to secure the right audio/visual
Oh Boy! I can remember one time my client spent over $35,000.00 for Audio/visual and my headlining speaker (Zig Ziglar) went on stage and looked dumbstruck because we had ordered what we thought his staff had ordered for him. A powerful lesson. Get it in writing! Request a written list of audio/visual needs from every presenter and feed back to them your staging set up.

Mistake #10 Failure to market the event properly
Once you've created your marketing plan, stick to it! Once your event is booked it's critical all of your marketing contacts go as planned. Remember, use every means to reach your attendees. One method alone doesn't reach everyone because we are all different. Use every means available to you. Don't forget e-mail and better yet, your sponsors! Good Luck!

Event Planning - a Strategic Overview

Good planning and preparation is the key to any successful event. However, ensuring that you have attended to every detail can be exhausting and it is very easy to overlook something which may adversely affect your event outcome. Planning an event can be stressful at the best of times if you are not organised, but when we are talking about large scale events, like a wedding or business conference, it can become overwhelming. It is therefore essential that you, as the event organiser, have planned all the steps needed before embarking upon action. If unforeseen events occur, then the plan can be modified to take account of this. The point is, that you have thought about each step needed in the event planning process.

It is possible to hire professional services to plan events such as weddings and parties. If you are an extremely busy person and can afford it, than employing a professional may be the way to go. However, if the budget won't stretch or you would just like the challenge and satisfaction that comes with planning a successful event yourself, then there are some simple pieces of advice that you can follow to help you succeed.

Start by listing al the things that will need to be done to bring your event to fruition. It is a good idea to show the list to others to see if they can think of anything that you may have missed. It is vital that everything is written down. Any lists, plans, schedules, etc. should not remain in your head. The pressures of day to day life make this unreliable. They must be written down. Put the tasks on your list into a step by step plan. Schedule a date/time and deadline for each task and ensure that your overall timescale is realistic and will allow you time to seek alternative courses of action if needed. This is very important, as many people try to carry out their event plan in too short a timescale, leaving them no room to manoeuvre if things go wrong.

Keep tabs on your list and as each step is completed, check it off so you always know what has been done and what remains to be done. If the course of events dictate new or alternative actions, then add them to the list and your step by step plan. Always stay current with your master list/plan. This way you will remain in strategic control of your event planning. If you delegate a task, make sure that the person responsible is clear about what outcome is expected and has a deadline to work to. Ask them to inform you immediately if problems occur. It is probably a good idea also to check politely on progress from time to time, offering help if needed. Make sure that invitations are sent out in plenty of time for people to make their arrangements to attend. These days life is very busy and no event can be a success without guests.

Think carefully of the needs of your guests and how you will gather this information. Examples of needs you will need to consider are dietary needs and access facilities. Taking care of these at the planning stage will help your event to be an successful and enjoyable one.

Lastly, remember to build time into your event to allow you to socialise with your guests and enjoy the occasion. After all the hard work of event planning you will certainly deserve it! Planning an event can be demanding, but with careful planning and organisation it can be extremely satisfying. Knowing that a successful and enjoyable event is down to your efforts will make all the work that went on beforehand time well spent.

Corporate Event Planning and Corporate Culture

Team building, leadership quality, and different management skills are what most corporations are concerned about. Driven by a motive to maximize the out-put from the employees, corporate events are planned to hone these skills of their employees. Indoor and outdoor corporate events are designed in a way that is entertaining as well as rewarding for learning experiences.

Corporations take their entertainment part seriously. Due to this event, managers have prepared to accommodate their corporate event entertainment in their portfolios. Tour operators and vacation operators are increasingly eager to cater to corporate event entertainment. Simply having a dinner to the accompaniment of music and dance is only a part of what is offered for corporate entertainment. Many facets are included in corporate event entertainment. To develop the quality of risk a company may decide to send its top management on a sky diving trip. Alternatively, if the idea is to develop a sense of humor for its customer service department a company may plan for screening of comedy movies, jokes by stand up comedians and workshops to encourage the participants to narrate humorous incidents, among other things.

Corporations are aware that their culture is instrumental in deciding their productivity and profit as much as their product. Most of the corporate events are aimed at instilling a desired culture or acquaint new staff to the existing culture. So when a merger takes place, it becomes necessary for the weaker company to be acclimatized to the acquiring company's culture. This can be done easily through entertainment rather than passing strict official rules that may be met with resistance. In addition, what better way to get to know one's colleagues than through fun events?

Magicians, clowns, jugglers, balloon artists, stilt walkers, dance instructors, caricaturists all can be part of a corporate event. Interactive comedy shows are now a rage in corporate event entertainment circles. The variety of interactive games is designed to improve communication skills and other management skills in a fun way.

The choice of location is also important. For a company that puts a premium on ideas, an open and natural setting is preferred to trigger off creative ideas. Horseback riding, trekking, mountain climbing, parachute jumping, canoeing and river rafting are some outdoor events, which aim at improving team spirit among corporate clients.

Music has always been the life of any event. Corporate events are no exception. A manager who is known for his tough exterior can lead his executives to have a glimpse of his humane side by the choice of songs to be played by the DJ in a corporate party. Live music entertainment is also the central theme of many corporate events. Music can really loosen up people to relate better with each other.

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Women in the Corporate Events Industry

Women working in the Corporate Events Industry typically have one of the most demanding and potentially rewarding careers and I hope to illustrate this point in my following article. I was very surprised to learn recently from my mother, who runs a small recruitment agency, that a vast majority of the graduates she meets these days (which tend to be female) see the Corporate Events Industry as the ideal workplace for them. The general view of the events industry is that it is quite glamorous and mostly about parties, so I can well understand why starry-eyed graduates, fresh from the cosseted world of academia, would see working in events as the ideal vocation. But it is not just recent graduates that see the events industry as mostly non-stop parties. Often when meeting people for the first time and talking about the work I do, they seem to have the same perception of the events industry as being about nothing but wall-to-wall fun. Definitely there can be a lot of fun however, in my experience the events industry can be downright intensive labour, even if very rewarding. Also, another point to make is that the events industry tends to be mostly female. I am not sure why that is and it is the possible topic for another article!

Some of the most challenging events that I have been involved with, have definitely proved to yield the biggest "feel good factor" that I have ever experienced in my working life. For example, I was directly involved with the management of an event for 900 employees at their corporate headquarters. As part of the management team on this event, I attended the original sales meeting where we pitched our tailor-made event to the company. The sales meetings alone, before we were awarded with the contract, were quite a challenge but definitely enjoyable as my colleague and I could see the client begin to trust us and confirm that we would be the chosen company to facilitate their team building event. I was involved in overseeing every aspect of this event, from the original design of the event, to selecting the best facilitators for the event deciding on the team building activities, to driving kit to the venue on the day at some outrageous hour and lastly being on hand during the actual event to "troubleshoot". There was a great deal of work involved, let me tell you. I still have a filing cabinet drawer full of correspondence regarding this particular event. But the end result was utterly marvellous and our team, along with our key client contacts involved in managing the event with us, were practically in tears of joy at the highly successful grand finale of the event. What a job well done and tremendous sense of accomplishment. So that is just one example of the sheer work and great rewards that can be found in the events industry. There are many more examples that I can think of, most of them tend to be on a somewhat smaller scale but the above example will give you some idea of what can be expected in the events industry.

Most events begin with the initial enquiry from the client with a set of criteria. It is up to us as the team building professionals to interpret the client's criteria for their team building event and often what the client starts out with thinking they need is far from what the actually do require. It definitely takes a lot of questions and answers to find the "perfect fit" for a client. It is possible that this is one of the reasons why the industry tends to be mostly female as generally speaking, women tend to be better listeners and more empathetic with the clients. There are of course, many successful men in the industry but from my experience it is definitely dominated by women. (By the way, a few of my male colleagues are going to have words with me after they read this article!) I would also like to point out that women's innate ability to "multi task" is a definite plus and requirement for success in the industry. Well I had better sign off and leave you in peace. Before I do, I would like you to consider the super hot Polo advert of the two dancers set to rap music, you know the one? If you notice, it is definitely the girl that makes that ad what it is, even though it does obviously need the guy. So there you have it, just like the events industry: Tough. Beautiful.

Event Planners - Use Your Social Networking Talents in Social Media

If you are an event planner you probably have either developed some very good networking abilities or you come by them naturally. These talents can also be adapted to the online social networking world through popular social media sites to enhance the job or business you already have or to create a new one that allows you to express yourself in a different medium. Here are some tips.

Everyone who has a business or works for someone who has a business wants to expand and grow. Did you know that you can write articles like the one you are reading to give advice on event planning and at the same time help yourself by driving traffic online to your website? Did you also know that you can upload videos to YouTube, Yahoo and Google video sites to promote your business for free? Of course, this is not to mention taking advantage of the social networking aspects of Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. All of these social media sites can drastically grow your business if you learn how to apply them to what you do.

As an event planner you may also be interested in adapting your networking skills in a new area. Many companies develop business through networking alone and market their products through organizations of people. Some of these companies have a worldwide reach and for the individual who has natural talents in this area there is no financial limit. If you take some time to investigate and learn how to use social media your personal and professional goals can be much brighter.