16 Aug 10 How to Choose a Venue for Your Next Big Event
Planning your next big event almost always involves picking a venue near the beginning of the process. With so many different venues, there must be an easy logic flow for determining how to pick the venue for your next big event. Try this logic flow:
- Size counts – Venues that are too small are not worth looking into and venues that are too large will look empty and deserted if unfilled. Determine a reasonable number of participants and use that as the basis for a venue.
- Look for deals – The number one reason why many people do not attend events and/or seminars is that they feel it is too expensive. If a deal can be arranged that includes the event and meals/accommodations, participation generally increases. Hotels often have large meeting facilities and/or deals with local meeting halls/convention centers and many such centers have deals with reputable hotels.
- Themes and art are important – If your event has some sort of theme, then assign additional importance to venues that work well with that theme over money if it is feasible. A seminar about online art and graphics design would be ideally located in a venue with an artistic theme, and perhaps offer all-inclusive stay options at an art-deco themed hotel or another hotel with a noteworthy sense of style.
Tags: Artistic Theme, Event Planning, Graphics Design, Hotels, Logic Flow, Meeting Facilities, Money, Participants, Participation, Seminars, Venue
11 Aug 10 Four Guidelines For Getting Great Catering Deals
Catering can be one of the most expensive aspects of any event or meeting, but there are ways to save money. Savvy planners can save a bundle on catering by following a few simple steps:
- Discuss long term relationships – If you can talk to an owner and/or manager at the catering company, it is often possible to save money by discussing long term agreements. Consider the first event to be a demo for long term work and prices might drop perceptibly.
- Exchange – Is there a possibility of a goods/service exchange? If so, then determine what your bottom line is and weigh it against the possible gains. If it proves to be a wash or profitable then the decision is simple. If there is a slight loss, remember that caterers are a good source for word of mouth and may consider a mutual word of mouth exchange to be valuable.
- Remember your manners – Everyone is busy, some of them may actually be more busy than you! Caterers tend to be very busy, and often appreciate both brevity and good manners. Keep things brief and polite in order to build rapport that can be leveraged later.
- Start small and get big – Start discussing price by starting with a small number of people, usually around 80% of the actual amount, and then ask for pricing on additional plates/heads. This method is often effective reducing the possibility of being oversold.
Tags: Bottom Line, Brevity, Catering Company, Demo, Good Manners, Long Term Relationships, Planners, Service Exchange, Simple Steps, Term Agreements, Ways To Save Money, Word Of Mouth
14 Jul 10 Is Your Business Ready to Plan Its First Event?
If your business seems like it is on the verge of making it big but needs something to carry it over a hurdle, then consider planning a major event. Events can include various departments, partners, suppliers, customers, or even a combination of elements of these different groups. Here are a few key signs that you need to start planning an event:
• Squeezing efficiency out of departments is becoming harder – It might be that the departments are on the verge of losing their self-motivation to perform at their best. Threatening to downsize or outsource only creates a workforce that is willing to work just enough to not lose their jobs. A nice company picnic event at the park might not cost much and it could inspire loyalty that is impossible to put a price on.
• Getting new customers to commit seems difficult – A tour complete with local business meetings, brunches, and seminars could inspire potential customers to take the leap and buy.
• Suppliers are becoming less reliable – In down economic times it pays to not only track companies surreptitiously via D&B and other services, but it pays to plan meetings and look the other party square in the eye. Never underestimate the value of a gut feeling when looking suppliers and partners in the eye.
Tags: Amp, Brunches, Business Meetings, Business Plan, Company Picnic, Economic Times, Efficiency, Elements, Gut Feeling, Hurdle, Jobs, Leap, Loyalty, Nice Company, Outsource, Self Motivation, Seminars, Signs, Verge, Workforce
12 Jul 10 Choosing Destinations
When it is time to plan a meeting, there are plenty of possibilities. The brochures and promotional materials make sound arguments in favor of many different venues, but ultimately a single venue must be selected for a single event. Here are some ideas to help you effectively reduce the number of options being seriously considered:
• To go all the way or not – If you are too busy to plan every little detail, look for all-inclusive options that handle some or all of the planning for you. This can lead to significant time savings and surprisingly, as well as a tangible amount of money saved.
• Local or long distance – There are both local venues and venues in other cities. If all the participants are from your city, then a local venue might make sense unless travel and attendance is to be considered a perk. If customers are the focus of the meeting/event, then go where they are.
• By land or by sea – Do not discount cruise ships as venues for meetings and events. In fact, cruise ships make amazing destinations for many different kinds of events. Remember that cruise events are more appropriate for certain audiences and companies than other.
• Consider price – Price is important, but that makes apples to apples comparisons difficult.
Tags: Amount Of Money, Apples To Apples, Attendance, Audiences, Brochures, Cruise Events, Cruise Ships, Different Kinds, Discount Cruise, Long Distance, Meetings And Events, Might Make Sense, Participants, Possibilities, Promotional Materials, Significant Time, Sound Arguments, Time Savings, Venue
06 Jul 10 How to Plan Travel Incentives
Travel incentives can be one of the most difficult things to plan for employees, employers, customers, and even employers. Here are some easy to follow tips for planning travel incentives:
All inclusive travel incentives such as an incentive cruise are easy to budget, but they may not be very personal. Travel incentives are only incentives when they are remembered and thought of fondly. An additional excursion or bonus gift can be the difference between a trip that is remembered and appreciated for years, and one that bores the recipient(s) to tears.
Not everyone gets to go on any excursion, so make some criteria. Do not randomly or purposely assign people to go on trips unless there is a reason. Instead, allow multiple people or parties to compete for the privilege of traveling on the company dime. Those that do not get to go should be thanked for their effort and it might be worth planning a secondary incentive in order for those that tried to earn a trip on the company dime to feel appreciated.
All inclusive travel may or may not be tax deductible, so check with a qualified accountant for further details. In some cases, it might be possible to add business-related events such as meetings to a trip in order for it to qualify for a tax deduction.
Tags: Bonus Gift, Budget, Company Dime, Excursion, Incentive Cruise, People, Personal Travel, Planning Travel, Privilege, Qualified Accountant, Related Events, Tax Deduction, Travel Incentives
02 Jul 10 What Does Your Choice of Venue Say About You?
Meeting and event planners often have many choices in venues whether they know it or not. While the boss or powers that be might specify a particular venue, it should not be assumed that such specific requests mean that the powers that be are not open to other ideas unless explicitly stated. Knowing what your choice in venue says about you is important; perception is reality after all. Consider the following when thinking about different venue possibilities:
Hotels – Hotels are tried and true venues for meetings and events, but they also show a lack of imagination and a commitment to doing things the traditional way. Traditional businesses tend to behave in very specific ways and are not fond of change.
Cruise ships – Cruise ships show an amazing flair for the dramatic and an appreciation for the finer things in life. Hosting meetings and/or events on a cruise ship shows that you value the other party/parties, and that you are not bound by the confines the old ways of doing business.
Convention centers – Convection centers generally have big and small chambers, but even hosting in a small chamber gives the appearance of a large organization with significant reach.
BBB conference rooms – Many local BBB offices have chambers that can be rented, and they lend a significant amount of credibility at bargain basement prices.
Tags: Bargain Basement Prices, Bbb Offices, Business Convention, Chambers, Confines, Convection, Credibility, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Doing Business, Event Planners, Finer Things In Life, Flair, Imagination, Large Organization, Meetings And Events, Party Parties, Perception, Possibilities, Traditional Businesses
30 Jun 10 Save Time When Planning
Meeting planning can take a long time, but it can also be streamlined with a little bit of practice. Here are a few tips for learning how to streamline meeting and/or event planning:
Mailing/SMS lists – If the participants are notified electronically, create lists. If certain people get left out of Monday meetings but not Tuesday meetings, then make two lists. Lists make sending notices both more reliable and much quicker. Some programs can also be used to track whether e-mails were opened or not.
Anticipate needs – Excellent meeting planners observe carefully what participants ask for at meetings and anticipate those needs recurring. If Mr. Jones from accounts receivable likes a coffee with two sugars and cream today, then chances are he will like it again next week. If Bob from sales likes an extra-soft chair cushion today, he will probably want one next week too.
Backup plans – It pays to remember that there is a heightened chance for things to go wrong when events or meetings are being held off-site. Having a backup plan makes recovering from an unforeseeable problem a lot easier. A few minutes preparing a backup plan can help save hours and save face.
Send reminders – Send reminders to participants, catering, and all other relevant parties just to ensure that everyone is on time and ready to perform their part when they are supposed to.
Use the Internet – book travel arrangements and source group cruise events entirely online to save time and money.
Tags: Accounts Receivable, Backup Plan, Backup Plans, Book Travel, Chair Cushion, Cruise Events, Event Planning, Few Minutes, Group Cruise, Internet Book, Mailing Sms, Meeting Planners, Meeting Planning, Relevant Parties, Reminders, Soft Chair, Source Group, Sugars, Time And Money, Travel Arrangements
25 Jun 10 Different Venues for Different Meeting Types/Sizes
Meeting and event planners are often expected to automatically know exactly where to go for almost any meeting or event. Instead of being caught flatfooted when asked for suggestions, it pays to know at least a dozen or so local venues and be ready with pricing information. Even if that pricing information is outdated, it should not be too far from accurate. Here are a few ideas of places to hold off-site meetings:
Local hotels – Most hotels of any substantially size have some sort of conference center, and may also offer catering services. Larger hotels typically have larger conference centers and better deals on rooms and/or catering.
BBB – Many local BBB offices have meeting halls, but they do tend to be limited in size and slightly expensive. On the upside, these facilities do tend to be very professional and can help add credibility to sales presentations.
Chamber of Commerce – Similar to BBB offices, many local Chambers of Commerce have meeting rooms that will lend a professional edge to any meeting. Many sales organizations find Chambers of Commerce help them close deals that are on the brink of falling apart.
Religious Community Centers – Many small churches, temples, and synagogues have given way to larger centralized facilities that have their own meeting halls. In most cases, these halls come both in denominational and secular varieties.
Tags: Bbb Offices, Brink, Catering Services, Centralized Facilities, Chamber Of Commerce, Chambers Of Commerce, Churches, Credibility, Event Planners, Hotels, Meeting Planners, Meeting Rooms, Professional Edge, Religious Community, Sales Organizations, Sales Presentations, Synagogues, Temples
09 Jun 10 Group Cruising Planning
Anyone considering planning a group cruise event can easily be overwhelmed, especially if they do not realize that there are many resources ready and waiting to help them. Here is a good workflow for anyone seeking to simplify group cruise planning:
Check with the Seasite.com first – they have online tools and services that can make planning virtually everything a one-stop process. Nothing is simpler than an all-inclusive group cruise planning at Seasite.com.
Failing that, start with travel – Participants will need to get to and from their hometowns to the port of call for the cruise ship, and that will often entail flights. Many airlines offer special pricing in such situations, so avoid using sites that specializing in shopping amongst airlines and make direct contact.
Cabins – Try to keep everyone appeased when it comes to cabins, but be aware that some people develop sea sickness based on the side of the ship they are on. That is to say that some people will rarely get seasick if their cabin is on the port side, but the same may not be true if they are given a cabin on the starboard side of the ship.
Meeting rooms and events – Remember to schedule at least a few events, even if they are less than formal. A group meeting in a spinning class or during a game of Marco Polo are interesting alternatives to conventional meetings.
Tags: Airlines, Cruise Ship, Cruising, Direct Contact, Flights, Game, Group Cruise, Hometowns, Marco Polo, Meeting Rooms, Online Tools, Participants, Port Of Call, Sea Sickness, Shopping, Workflow
28 May 10 Four Tools Every Meeting Planner Must Have
Four basic tools every meeting and event planner must have
While meeting planners and event planners both need to be organized and accurate, it sometimes helps to have a little help. Here is a list of the four best investments a meeting and/or event planner can make to help their career along:
A book on Feng Shui – Feng Shui offers many ideas on how to organize everything from seating to room arrangement, and many of the ideas behind Feng Shui have stood the test of time very well.
A smartphone – There are many smartphones to choose from, but a smartphone that can handle a professional calendar capable of synchronizing with a laptop and/or desktop is essential. E-mail and SMS features are also vital, especially to a meeting planner on the go.
A netbook or small laptop – Working on the road or in various offices is important, as is the ability to take notes virtually anywhere. A smartphone can only perform this task so well, and it simply will not do to be using anything but a full-fledged word processor for taking detailed notes for meeting schedules, participant contact info, or even ideas.
A good online backup solution – with so much reliance on electronics, be prepared for the inevitable crash, data loss, or theft. An online backup solution is essential for keeping meeting/event/conference records safe.
Tags: Backup Solution, Basic Tools, Crash Data, E Mail, Event Planner, Event Planners, Feng Shui, Four Tools, Inevitable Crash, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Schedules, Participant, Professional Calendar, Room Arrangement, Smartphones, Sms Features, Synchronizing, Test Of Time, Word Processor
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