08 Sep 09 Is Design Really Important?
Event design is one of those things that may seem dispensable in these days of bad economies and bailouts. Many are afraid the public will scrutinize everything from the front door sign to how many post-it notes the company goes through a month; consequently they may question the need for good event design.
Your answer is simple but may be difficult to present. A company shows its colors with an event. While it may not need an appearance by the full performing lineup of the Cirque du Soleil, proper and aesthetic design of events will tell the world what it truly is.
As a planner, you have choices to help the client make. Is she going to go so cheap that the schedules will be hand written and photocopied, then left in a stack at each door? How about the reception? Will it be a cash bar with two kinds of drinks available, or will the client spring for something nicer?
Okay, so there is not a lot of money to play with here, so perhaps you can axe the reception in favor of an informal networking session. Instead of booze offer a small dessert cart with shot-glass samples of to-die-for confections. It may be a lot cheaper than the disastrous reception and will serve a better purpose. Observers would rather see a networking session than a bunch of drunks at a reception anyway.
That is just one example of how important design can be. Your job is to take it out of the handwritten schedule realm and make it look important, relevant, and productive.
Tags: Aesthetic Design, Appearance, Axe, Booze, Bunch Of Drunks, Choices, Cirque Du, Cirque Du Soleil, Cirque Soleil, Colors, Dessert Cart, Glass Samples, Important Event, Informal Networking, Job, Kinds Of Drinks, Lot, Networking Session, Observers, Shot Glass, Stack, Two Kinds
24 Aug 09 Let’s Talk in a Few Months
This is one of the ways businesses are putting off spending money. Delaying is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can make your job as a planner a little rough around the edges. Rather then let it completely fray you, here are two approaches to delays and cutbacks companies are currently experiencing.
Contact Them Before the Deadline
If someone says you should talk in a few months about scheduling the meeting, call them in a few weeks and see if anything has changed. Rather than feeling like you’re bothering them, they may appreciate that you were thinking of them. You can even say that on your call: “Okay, let me give you a call in a few weeks and see if that is still your target. It will help me plan better for you.” This way you get permission to make the call and you’re doing something special for them. (more…)
Tags: Assets, Business Course, Cancellation, Contact, Friendship, Grief, Job, Loyalty, Rough Around The Edges, Scheduling, Spending Money, Target, Virtual Meeting
15 Aug 09 How to Brand a Place
You probably know important a brand can be. It helps mark a product or service with a seal of quality and assurance. It also helps customers feel confidence with consistency, making the item worry-free. And let’s face it, who wants to worry?
You can also brand the places where you want to send your clients. Some places already have some strong branding going on. However, remember that a brand is only an interim step, a visual metaphor for the item on which it resides. To choose visual metaphors that will link your clients to destinations, think about how you would create a logo for the country.
Begin with a mind map. What words remind you of France? Great food, gardens, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and maybe a few other things pop into your mind. Keep that list handy and collect images that match those words. Then when you have a client who wants a European destination, get that file out and see what images and words match your client’s business or vacation desires.
Create a brand especially for that client. Let’s do one together. You have a client who owns an architecture firm. She wants a destination with culture and variety where she can take a short company meeting. You check your files and come up with art and music, then realize that a river cruise down the Danube may be exactly what she is looking for. You were able to go there based on that little bit of information because you took the time to brand the destination.
Branding is not only a way to match clients with destinations, but more to make your job easier. You may have gotten to the Danube cruise anyway, but you saved yourself a lot of work be branding. That’s time you can spend on other things.
Tags: Architecture Firm, Branding, Collect Images, Confidence, Consistency, Culture, Danube Cruise, Eiffel Tower, European Destination, Food Gardens, Handy, Interim Step, Job, Little Bit, Louvre, Match, Mind Map, River Cruise, Vacation Desires, Visual Metaphor, Visual Metaphors
17 Jun 09 International Meeting Planning Guide
As a meeting planner, chances are good that you will be faced with planning an international meeting at some point in your career. Although this can be a nail-biter of an experience for you, good contacts and communication can make the process go much smoother. Find these three potential allies to make your job smoother.
A Currency Expert
At some point you will need this friend in the money business. Use currency exchange specialists as often as you need so that you understand everything you need to about prices, hotel rates, and the cost of other necessities.
An Attorney
You should not sign any contract without the approval of an attorney who well-versed in international law. Make sure he or she answers all your questions and that you understand the contract before you commit to anything in it, especially if it involves large fines. (more…)
Tags: Allies, Citizens, Currency Exchange Specialists, Destination Country, Homework, Host Country, Host Culture, Hotel Rates, Job, Large Numbers, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planning, Money Business, Money Currency, Nail Biter, Necessities, Passports, Planning Guide, Relationship, Sensibilities, Visas
Advertisement
Corporate Meeting Planner Resources
- Cruise line Expansion in Chinese Market Good News for Meeting PlannersChina is becoming a popular destination for MICE events due to its rich cultural heritage, beautiful natural landscapes and most of all - its high economic growth. Everyone wants to do business in China right now. Naturally, that translates into lots of meetings, trade shows, conferences and other events. According to The China Incentive, Business […]
- Time to step out of the ZoneSo often we find ourselves repeating the same patterns both professionally and personally because it feels “safe”. While that perceived safety may or may not be real, it explains why so many people feel their lives are in a rut. It is that comfort zone that so many long for that ultimately is their worst enemy. In order […]
- Stimulating Your Attendees in a Positive WayAfter reading the article Boost the Brain Computer, Don’t Crash It, I got to thinking about how foods definitely have an effect on mood and concentration. Anyone who has ever seen a child at a birthday party, loaded with candy, snow cones, cake and soda can attest to the fact that while the sugar will […]