The Basics of Corporate Events and Team Building Teams Don't Just Happen - They Are Built!

As humans, we are social animals, and the relationships in our lives are our motivations for just about everything we do! They are an integral part of the way we interact in the workplace, just as much as they are the reason that we spend every second Sunday with our mothers-in-law... and good teams and good relationships are vital for a productive workplace. Team building are a time-tested way of improving relationships and therefore productivity in your workplace. Today we check out the basics of corporate events and their team building strategies and potential.

What can team building do for your workplace?
So many organisations assume that all they need to do to succeed is to write great job descriptions, and make sure everyone follows them to the letter. Unfortunately, this approach ignores both the natural impact of relationships in the workplace, and their massive potential! Team building can help the people within your company:

• Communicate more effectively
• Get to know each other
• Allow self-discovery
• Identify strengths to be utilised, and weaknesses to be compensated for
• Set goals that work towards the company's common good
• Teach people to self-regulate, in order to reduce supervisory involvement in managing relationships
• Practice collaboration and improve leadership skills

Ultimately, all of these positives that come out of should result in improved productivity, lower employee turnover, a generally more pleasant workplace... and improved profits!

3 Types of Team Building
There are 4 main types of corporate events used for team building, each of which works towards developing a different aspect of teamwork:

Problem solving events: An example of this type of corporate event would be 'Secret agent experiences' or scavenger hunts, where employees must work as a team to find a solution to a problem. These strongly resemble what needs to be done in the workplace, and can combine fun with learning.

Shared experience events: These are the most common type of corporate event for team building. They aim to entertain... but more than that, they aim to create a backdrop of pleasant times and goodwill among employees that mitigates workplace challenges and difficulties. Examples of this type of corporate event include wine tasting, go kart racing, archery, circus skills workshops, etc.

Communication events: One popular example of this type of corporate event is the drumming workshops that are held across the country. Participants have to communicate to transport and set up the equipment as well as non-verbally, in order to play the percussion arrangement that they get taught.

Effective follow-up

Like any worthwhile business exercise, there has to be some assessment afterwards of the success of a team building corporate event! Your follow-up phase for a corporate event could include activities designed to strengthen the teams formed, such as:

• Collecting data on employee opinions of the event
• Having a debriefing phase, where the team is asked to reflect on how they worked together, and what could have been done better.
• Having an awards ceremony
• Asking participants to write about their experiences for a corporate publication

Corporate events are an excellent way to help build and strengthen the team that is your entire organisation. With effective follow-up, they can help create not only a dream-team... but a dream organisation.

A Day in the Life of a Plan Ahead Events Franchisee

The Situation

Imagine the Director of Development for a mid-sized corporation. One day, after a regular monthly meeting, the Executive Director approaches him with an idea for throwing an appreciation dinner for the company's clientele. At first it sounds to the Development Director like a great idea that he's capable of tending to. However, after a few weeks of really looking at everything it will entail to find a location, plan the evening's events, hire some kind of entertainer, develop an advertising strategy, and cater for 300 clients (all while attending to his regular job) he realizes that although the event sounds like a brilliant business move, he has neither the time nor the resources to make it all happen. The only way out of the mess is to call an event planner.

This is the standard scenario that Plan Ahead Events franchisees find themselves cast into every day. However, unlike the company executive who has neither the time nor the previous experience to adequately prepare his event; regardless of what the client needs done, what kind of event needs to be planned, or how big the night is supposed to be, the Plan Ahead Events people make it happen.

The Industry

In recent years, professional event planning has become a far more prominent business than it ever was before. Particularly in a wealthy country like the United States, the need for businesses, organizations, and clubs to throw well-planned and entertaining events that wow current and potential members and clients is becoming a very important part of success. In fact, high quality parties have become so prevalent that today event planning as an industry grosses $500bil worldwide. Clearly, the opportunities for anyone who can orchestrate a large-scale event are rampant.

The Franchise Opportunity

Of course, the ready entrepreneur always has the choice to break into a market by simple force of will, starting up a brand new business. However, considering how many more franchises survive the first few years of operation, as opposed to their independent business counterparts, joining an existing event planning organization as a franchisee is definitely a better way to go.

One of the few franchised business opportunities in this particular field is Plan Ahead Events, who have successfully established a completely turnkey operation that gets entrepreneurs into the market for themselves for far less of an investment than one might expect. For only $26-$33,000 up front, a wise businessperson can purchase a tried and true home based business that comes with all the necessary tools; two weeks of training; the wisdom that comes with 15 years of experience in the industry; and most importantly, a name that people recognize and associate with successful events.

The Daily Experience

Meetings, conventions, trade shows, corporate parties, conferences, grand openings, event galas, and a wide variety of other events all become possible sources of work and income for Plan Ahead Events franchisees. Depending on the specific franchisee's methods of advertising and networking, even personal events like birthdays and weddings are accessible business routes as well.

No matter what the event or who the client, these work from home franchisees can count on the work being fairly similar from day to day. The majority of which is advertising to potential clients, building business relationships with other companies that work in various fields related to event organization, and planning client events. Whether event planning veterans or newcomers to the market, Plan Ahead Events ensures that all franchisees are given extensive training in every aspect of the business, including initial training prior to the franchise launch and ongoing support whenever the franchisee has questions or concerns. This ensures that the new business owner comes to each project with the necessary character and skills to build any kind of party from the ground up.

A better franchise opportunity for a natural manager than for someone who likes to get his hands dirty doing the work, this franchise is all about delegating responsibility and managing a half-dozen subcontractors who are each responsible for a specific facet of the night's events. Entertainers, caterers, venues, and advertisers with whom the Plan Ahead Events franchisee has built standing relationships with are all called upon as events necessitate. This dispersion of responsibilities to trusted business partners allows the franchisee to quickly and effectively get every aspect of the event in the works simultaneously and eventually pull them all together for a beautifully memorable evening.

According to one Plan Ahead Events franchisee, it's actually that aspect of the work that may be the hardest. Tampa, Florida franchise owner Thelma Ramsey says, "learning to delegate and testing your mettle" is the most challenging part of the business. But in many fields it proves true that the most essential work can often also be the most trying. In the case of an event planner, it's only when the event has grown too big for whoever was responsible for it that it gets passed on, and that is where the planner is expected to give his best performance to make up the difference.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of difficulty, though, party planning with Plan Ahead Events is designed to be put in the hands of people who love the thrill of having their management mettle tested. These people want bigger, better, more intricate jobs, and every time the ante is upped, they rise to the occasion. If that sounds like you, take a closer look at Plan Ahead Events: they'll be more than willing to challenge your mettle as well.

Enroll in an Event and Venue Management Diploma Program and Become Part of the Magic

Behind every event, whether it is a small party or the Olympics, are the people who make it happen: the event managers. These individuals take care of all aspects of the experience to make sure everything runs smoothly, and the show is a success for all participants. It's a challenging and exciting field with a lot of responsibility - and a great way to break into the industry is to enroll in an Event and Venue Management Diploma Program.

Designed to teach students everything they need to know about developing, launching, managing, and closing events, Event and Venue Management Diploma Programs are comprehensive. They typically require full-time study, and last 48 weeks. Upon graduation, alumni will have acquired all the skills and knowledge required to manage events in any field, from rock concerts to corporate events to wedding planning.

Instruction is provided by event management industry veterans with years of experience, and covers a range of topics, including:

繚 Developing a marketing campaign to promote an event

繚 Creating an event budget and working with that budget

繚 Negotiating contracts

繚 Executing an effective advertising campaign

繚 Managing the event, and the people involved with the event

繚 The "Vivian" event management software

The above topics are covered over a range of courses designed to give students a strong understanding of all aspects of the job. A typical course load for Event and Venue Management Diploma Programs would include the following:

繚 Co-ordination of events

繚 Exhibit marketing

繚 Managing tours

繚 Career development

繚 Graphic design for events

繚 Event industry software

繚 Multimedia stage production

繚 Theatrical staging and design

繚 Risk management

繚 Communication skills

繚 Corporate presentations

繚 Stage presence and public speaking

The diversity of the courses above clearly illustrates the fact that event and venue managers must have a broad skill set. They must have a mastery of creative skills, technical skills, and numbers skills. Indeed, it's that mix of proficiencies that makes the field so exciting. Graduates of Event and Venue Management Diploma Programs can be sure that they will be using different "sides of their brain" every day. They may be required to help convince a venue to host a show one day, work with designers to create posters and a web presence the next, negotiate performance fees on another day, etc. Many event planners find the role challenging and intensely rewarding: apparently there's nothing quite like the feeling of knowing that you played a critical role in the latest event of that big act, wedding, or corporate event.

If the idea of using your abilities to the fullest and creating events that will have an impact on people's lives interests you, consider enrolling in an Event and Venue Management Diploma Program and becoming an event manager. It just could be the exciting career you're looking for.

Launch A New Product With A Party

Launching a new product to your customers and potential customers requires meticulous planning and execution. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Advertising

Begin advertising your new product several weeks before its launch. That way you build anticipation which helps spread the news via word of mouth too, beyond your existing customer base. Some items, like children's toys, should only be advertised once they are in shops so they can be bought shortly after seeing an advert.

Determine demand - you don't want to over- or under-shoot your initial product run. Consider whether or not informing your customer base of how many products will be available from the first run will increase anticipation and demand - 'Limited Run' is often a great selling point.

Inform the media via carefully scheduled press releases that focus on a unique selling point or quirky story to your product launch. Consider using a public relations agency to advise you here.

Hold a launch party

A launch party is a brilliant way to introduce a new product to existing customers and draw in potential new customers. It will also generate publicity for your company and the product.

However, if the launch misses its mark, it can be a very expensive investment so enlist the help of event management experts.

There are plenty of event planners out there specialising in this sort of event.

Ask yourself these questions and gear the vent to achieving the answers.

What are you trying to achieve?

Who do you want to impress?

Are you expecting to walk away with contacts or actual orders?

Successful event management requires proper budgeting. Your budget should be less than 10% of expected sales of your new product.

You know your market. You know your business. You know your product. But do you know marketing? If you've got a marketing department get them involved from the start.

If not, consider hiring a marketing company as well as an event management company to help with appearing unique.

Explain in detail what the image for your company and this product is. If it's a luxury product or brand, your event should reflect that.

Be sure to invite your best customers - even if your new product may not be relevant to them. These people have a history with you and an invitation will make them feel special and so more loyal than ever. They can also attest to your good products, customer service and general standing.

Invite the press - this is a no-brainer, you'll need the publicity!

Invite the people that you wish were your customers - again, they'll feel special and therefore more likely to buy from you.

Send press releases out at regular intervals before the event. Say, 60 days before, 30 days before, and a last one 15 days before.

Be sure to mention and special guests, offers or giveaways you have planned.

Promote Your Product Online

Create a website or extend your existing one so that the curious consumer can learn all about your product. Spread the word using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. If you can, send out free samples to specialist websites and bloggers so they can review your product - make sure they work though!

Above all, pay attention to detail and your product launch will go smoothly, resulting high sales and customer satisfaction.

Online Registration Analytics Tips for Event Planners - Bailing-Out Means a Failing Form

Upon first viewing the bail-out rate an event professional new to web analytics might be quite shocked by the figure, but the truth is that some amount of bail-out is natural. Any website that does business online needs to recognize that comparison shopping, the need to approve expenses, questions on how much to order, or plain-old lack of attention-span due to the amount of information available on the web all contribute to customers walking away from their virtual shopping carts. So some amount of bail-out is a necessary part of the internet sales process.

However, experienced internet merchants will also tell you that you can always improve your process too. So what should you look at in the bail-out information to help you decide what to do first?

The first thing you need to address is the overall bail-out rate. If 100 visitors come to your registration page, and 80 of them bail-out it is most likely a strong indication that your form needs some work. One of the most common issues in this case is that your potential registrants are not well enough informed about your event to make the decision to register final. For instance, if you don't tell registrants the price up front, when they see the price, they may balk and leave your form. This also applies to questions they will need to answer about their registration, for instance: flight information, group member registration, or payment methods (maybe they want to pay with AMEX but you only accept Visa).

Once you have addressed the overarching issues regarding the bail-out rate you now need to investigate where in the process your potential registrants are leaving the form. Are they bailing out on the pricing page? Maybe the price is too high, or not explained clearly enough. Are they leaving from the additional options page? Maybe the options are too complicated. Are they leaving at the payment stage? Maybe you should consider offering additional payment options. Finding out where the most visitors bail-out in your funnel allows you to take a critical look at each stage of your process to help streamline the entire funnel.

So how do you find the bail-out rates on your form? A few select online registration systems have begun offering integrated analytics programs as part of their standard service. But what if your current software doesn't offer this functionality? You can add a free stat monitoring program to any form which allows customization. In this case, you will need to compile the stats yourself by finding the total number of visitors to the first page of registration, and then the total number to each successive page. This will give you an idea of how your funnel is working.

What Are the Advantages of Online Auctions?

Going on a shopping spree sitting in the comfort of your home is an attractive prospect. Many people find online shopping to be a convenient experience. Businesses too are finding online operations a profitable option since they are getting a good number of customers buying different items from a variety of locations worldwide. Online auctioning too has become quite popular simply because people now get to bid virtually without traveling to the actual venue where the on-site auction would take place.

Let's discuss the advantages of online auctions from the bidder and seller point of view.

Benefits to a Bidder

No Geographical Constraints

No longer can you miss out the opportunity of not participating in an auction just because you are located far away from the bidding venue. With online auctions, you get the scope to bid and buy your favorite items from any place across the globe. Shipping expenses may or may not be applicable and you get the item(s) within a set time frame delivered at your doorstep.

No Time Barrier

You get to bid at any period of time, 24/7 without facing any form of time constraints as it used to be the case during live, offline auctions. An online auction website can be entered at any time during the day or at night; hence it is pretty easy for you to place a bid on any item sitting at home or at a friend's place miles away from the auctioneer.

Buy Items Not Available In Your Country

Many people like bidding online just because they get to purchase goods and services not easily available in their own country. People are able to browse through numerous products on sale and decide on which items to bid on.

Benefits to a Seller

Profitable Business Option

In case of online auctioning, the global audience gets the opportunity to bid on an item of their choice. Hence, it automatically increases traffic to the auction website plus also leads to increased and quick sale of diverse products.

Increased Promotion of Auction Items

Almost all auctioneers use social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to inform and invite potential customers to participate in such online events. In this way, social networks lead to a rise in the number of attendees plus results in high ROI. Promoting on various social web platforms is quite cost-effective since Facebook, and such other popular websites allow anybody to create an account for free. You get to reach out to the maximum people through these social media websites in turn increasing your brand credibility.

Instant Online Transactions

Sellers can easily collect the price of the purchased items quite instantly via online payment methods. Customers send money using their credit cards or through PayPal and such other standard payment gateways. Hence, online auctioning leads to safe and secure transfer of payments online without the hassle of manually collecting payments from individual buyers.

Corporate Clothing Promotes Brand Awareness at Corporate Events

Everywhere you look, people are wearing corporate embroidered and printed clothing. Hotels, banks, supermarkets and fast food restaurants all use promotional clothing very successfully to promote brand awareness and to help you the customer know who is employed by their company.

Corporate clothing is also an excellent way to promote brand awareness at corporate events. The most obvious way to use promotional clothing is to have your staff wear clothing with your logo embroidered on the front. The most popular clothing available is the T-shirt and polo shirt. T-shirts are the less expensive of the two and are good for companies and organisations that have a lot of staff to clothe. Polo shorts are usually slightly more expensive but look great when worn on the stand at trade shows and conferences. In addition to these two best sellers you can go all out and purchase the whole outfit. Shoes, trousers, lanyard and caps are all available to be embroidered or printed to assist you in giving your next corporate event the look you desire.

Another way to promote brand awareness through corporate clothing is to offer T-shirts, polo shirt and caps as a giveaway. Everyone love a free shirt or cap. When they go home and wear the shirt or cap embroidered with your logo they are essentially offering you free advertising space.

All good promotional gift suppliers should be able to supply you with information about the clothing they supply. Do not be afraid to ask for samples as it is often nice to compare the quality of different products. If you tell your business gift supplier what your budget is, they should be able to suggest the clothing that best meets your requirements.