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Meeting Planning Tip-Save Money by Selecting the Right Venue

November 30, 2011 By Comments

In the meeting planning industry it’s always a challenge to find the right venue for your group while working within your budget framework. As any seasoned meeting planner will tell you, meeting planning is always a delicate balance between budgets and creating an exciting program to attract delegates. There are ways that you can still impress your delegates by selecting the right type of venue based on your budget.

Venues with In-House Kitchens Are Attractive to Meeting Planning Companies

From my full service destination management days I can remember doing site visits with meeting planners that wanted their functions to be held in the best museum in the city – yet with a budget that would only accommodate about half the cost for that facility. I guess that’s where my job really came in to play. As I’ve mentioned here many times before, providing budgets to your event planning company is not a bad idea. However, a lot of meeting planners tend to hold this information back for fear that the event planning company will always spend the budgeted amount. My attitude towards budgets is more the opposite of that thought process. I like getting a budget so that I know what venues will work for that client so that they can have a great event and spend only what they anticipated.

Here’s the rule of thumb, or tip as it were, on selecting a venue based on a lower budget. Basically any venue that does not have an in-house kitchen (meaning that they don’t have their own equipment such as tables, chairs, linens and cutlery etc.) will always have an additional expense to the per person cost. And that expense can be as much as the food menu cost itself (meaning double the food menu price). Venues that typically fall within this range are museums, galleries, attractions etc. To help eliminate this additional service and equipment cost I would advise my meeting planning clients to look at venues that have in-house kitchens. Of course hotel ballrooms would fall into this category as well as event spaces that have been designed to handle group business. And believe it or not there are a lot of these types of venues in most major destinations.

So if your meeting planning budget has you losing sleep consider selecting a venue that has their own in-house facilities. You’ll be very surprised at the savings without sacrificing the wow factor. Selecting venues that do not have in-house facilities can often double your food cost alone. And the good news is that there are many venues that do offer in-house facilities.

 

 

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Special Events Planning Tips – Planning a Bar Mitzvah

November 30, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy of Bernt Rostad on flickr

Every religion has its rites and rituals. The purposes, ceremonies and customs are varied but usually concentrate on religious obligations and the fulfillment of spiritual needs. But they also include social bonding, religious and moral education, a display of respect or submission and often are a milestone in one’s religious life.

In the Jewish religion a young man celebrates his Bar Mitzvah when he turns 13 and a young woman celebrates her Bat Mitzvah when she turns 12. The ceremony dates back literally thousands of years and is rich in rituals and history.

Special Events Planning Tips – The Religious Meaning of a Bar Mitzvah

A Bar Mitzvah celebrates the coming of age in the Jewish religion. The literal translation of Bar Mitzvah means “son of commandment”. It means that the young person is now responsible to follow the tenants of the Jewish religion and to make their own decisions regarding ritual, tradition, and ethics.

Special Events Planning Tips – What is a Bar Mitzvah?

The Bar Mitzvah ceremony formally and publicly celebrates the coming of age. While a special religious service or ceremony is not necessarily required, over the last few centuries, a larger emphasis has been placed on the ceremony as a rite of passage. Previously a Bar Mitzvah consisted of a young man being called up to read from the Torah at the first service following his 13th birthday.

But times have changed and a Bar Mitzvah has become a much larger celebration, sometimes over the course of a few days. A Bar Mitzvah requires many years of Hebrew study and specific Bar Mitzvah lessons that commence one year prior to the event.

The modern ceremony involves the young man (or woman) reading portions of the Torah to the congregation and often includes a blessing from the rabbi. Details of exactly what is and isn’t included varies in different denominations and even from congregation to congregation.

Special Events Planning Tips – The Celebration

It use to be fairly simple. In the past family, friends and the congregation would attend a Kiddush, which is a luncheon, following the service. But today there are many different ways of celebrating a Bar Mitzvah.

The Kid’s Party – Many parents recognize that, once the religious and family obligations are done, the celebration doesn’t have to include everyone. A friend was recently telling me how sick and tired she was of going to nighttime affairs that become dance parties for 13 year olds. Her main complaint is that “…if it’s a kid’s party, great. But if you invite adults, it has to appeal to the age range attending.”

The easy solution is a nighttime party for the kids. Most adults are content to attend synagogue and join the family for the Kiddush. So forget the big blow out and let the kids celebrate with a dance party that, thankfully, adults aren’t required to attend.

The Blow Out – Today there are some Bar Mitzvah’s that are out of control, perhaps losing focus of what the day is really about. With hundreds of people at a nighttime event, bands, dj’s and budgets that are bigger than most weddings, perhaps the true meaning gets lost somewhere along the way. Most rabbis agree that when the celebration becomes a bigger deal than the ceremony, usually religious and spiritual significance is lost.

The Non-Religious Bar Mitzvah – The “Faux Mitzvah”, a Bar Mitzvah party for non-Jewish kids, has gained popularity in the last decade or so. In my opinion, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. A Bar Mitzvah is religious rite and passage into adulthood. There are hundreds of hours of study that are required and it is an important religious milestone. If you want to throw a big party for your child’s birthday, do it. But don’t call it a Bar Mitzvah. No one is out there having a faux confirmation, faux vision quest or faux Hajj. Sometimes a party is just a party.

When planning a Bar Mitzvah it’s important to remember that it shouldn’t be about a big blowout bash but rather about sharing an important religious milestone with family and friends.

 

 

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Event Planning Magazines – To Read or Not To Read? That is the Question…

November 29, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy of ljfullofgrace on flickr

Are you like me? Every business trip you go on, you decide to use the opportunity to catch up. Catch up on all your trade magazine reading. Event Planning Magazines as well as party planning magazines can be an unbelievable industry resource. So for me it’s a vicious circle, trip after trip I load up my carry on with all my back issues with the thought, “I will catch up! Really, I will!” So in a perfect world, almost every plane ride involves the lugging of and thumbing through of a mind boggling amount of industry mags.

There is so much meeting and event planners have to accomplish in an average work week that there just isn’t enough time get through all these resource filled magazines. So weekly, they get pushed to the side over and over again. Your first instinct may be to just chuck them, start fresh and file those magazines in the recycle box. But then you’ll never get the chance to read through them and you may miss a prime opportunity to stay on top of the news and all of the innovative and sensational ideas in our profession.

Event Planning Magazines – I Say to READ!

The business of planning events and meetings is an enormous, vibrant and is an always changing industry. It’s all about what you know, what’s been done, who’s done what and what’s on trend.  It’s so, so important to stay on top of it all! There is no better way to stay in touch with all the “hot” and “in” industry styles and concepts. There are so many great ideas and supportive articles that help to promote and advance our industry and raise our professional profile. Event planning, party planning, birthday party planning, party themes, what to do, what to showcase, the mags help us  and provide so many great and wonderful ideas. And in every issue I discover something new and exciting to test out and use on future events.

Event Planning Magazines – Now “What to Read? Is the Question

There are countless publications available that offer insight, knowledge and resources within the industry that can easily be put to good use. I am forever referring back to some of my favorites.

An excellent industry resource (and one of my absolute must haves) is the Meeting Planners International (MPI) one+ Magazine. They definitely have their finger on the pulse of all things meeting and event related. And they provide so much substantial take away information you’ll find you can’t or won’t want to live without it.

Ignite Magazine is a spark of inspiration (as their tag line informs us). A sophisticated and fashionable magazine, it focuses on the hottest trends and newest hot spots. They keep the reader up to date with the most state-of-the-art, cutting edge offerings and contributions.

Special Events Magazine is global resource for all things special events whether it be parties, events or meetings. Each and every publication supplies a myriad of tips and resources to aid the reader in all areas of special event creation. A great find to always have handy to refer to.

So when keeping in touch with what’s new, hot and exciting in the event, meeting  and party world don’t forget about one of the best industry resources. Event Planning Magazines! They will always keep you on top of the world of meetings and industry trends and all things in vogue!

 

 

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What Event Planning Supplies Do You Need for Your Conference

November 29, 2011 By Comments

Planning a conference or meeting? If so, have you determined what event planning supplies you’ll need for a successful meeting? The question may seem like a no-brainer at first glance however you’d be very surprised at how many meeting or event planners do not make a list of supplies that they need to take to their meeting. On the other hand, I’ve seen seasoned meeting planners that would be lost without their meeting’s checklist. Event planning in general requires that the planners be very organized individuals.  I’ve seen people that are not what we’d call organized individuals enter into the event planning industry only to see them become very frustrated as their position acquires them to be detail oriented.

Make a List of Event Planning Supplies You’ll Need

Event planners are always making a list and checking it twice no matter what the season is. Well it seems that making a list works quite well for Santa. The same goes for meeting planning. Event planners are always looking for wholesale event planning supplies.  That’s why so many vendors focus on providing wholesale event planning supplies. For meeting planners, the difference between wholesale and retail can have a dramatic effect on a meeting’s budget.

Meeting Planners are often traveling with their supplies.  Today, however, many are looking at ways to obtain their supplies at the destination, thereby eliminating the hassle of carrying all those supplies with them – not to mention the added luggage cost now from airlines. Especially if your conference or meeting has a registration component to it. For registration you need to include checklist items such as; badge holders, badge holder inserts (for printing delegate information), lanyards (those of those badge holder ribbons that you see hanging around people’s necks) with or without printed information on it (this is also a good area to consider for sponsorship), ribbons and pens, carrying cases etc. Depending on where your meeting will be held you may also want to determine whether it’s more economical for you to purchase these products there or bring them with you.  It also doesn’t hurt to check with your conference facility to see what type of software they use and whether or not it’s compatible with your software. Local contacts can also help meeting planners obtain wholesale event planning supplies in the meeting’s destination city.

The Use of Today’s Technology Can Help Reduce Event Planning Supplies That You Need to Travel with

A lot of times meetings consists of large binders with printed information for the delegates. While I’m happy to say that the days of these large binders are being replaced by electronic devices, they are still warranted for many meetings. It used to be that the meeting planner would package up the binders ahead of time and ship them to the location of their meeting. Today, I often recommend to meeting planners that they consider uploading their documents to an FTP (file transfer protocol) site such as Google Docs and then print the binders once you arrive for the meeting. While this may create a bit more work upon arrival it will save you from having to travel with a large amount of documents. You’ll save on shipping costs. One tip I would suggest is that you check with the business center to see what their costs are to print and coordinate the binders for you. When you factor the shipping savings you may still be ahead of the game.

For those meeting planners that takes their delegates outside of the US for their meetings or conferences I always recommend the use of a customs broker to help move supplies seamlessly across the borders. Or at least from your aspect it’s seamlessly. Good customs brokers are well versed on how to deal with receiving or shipping to other countries. They are well worth the cost.

Event planning supplies and in particular wholesale event planning supplies will vary depending on your meetings needs. The meetings and events industry as a whole requires people to be extremely organized. One thing that’s for certain is that no matter how many meetings you’ve done in the past a supply checklist is always recommended. The last thing you want is to have one of those panic attacks on the plane on your way to your meeting. Trust me, I’ve been there. A little planning goes a long way.

 

 

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Event Planning Services – So Many to Choose From

November 28, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy of Enokson on flickr

If you merely Google event planning services you will find that over 160,000,000 results come up. WOW! I think it’s safe to say that’s a plethora of companies and services to tap into. Or in other words, that’s a whole heck of a lot to choose from!

All of sudden you’re the lucky one deemed responsible for planning the next special event or picture-perfect party. Just imagine, your guests are all having a wonderful experience, you are totally calm and able to enjoy yourself and actually have a great time. And even stay on budget (a minor miracle).

You may be responsible for parts of an event or the entire shindig. Whether you are looking for an amazing venue, a marvelous caterer, some sort of entertainment, transportation, party rentals or just some high value planning ideas and help while staying on right on budget for what you hope will be a flawless event (or party).

Event Planning Services – Where to go for Help

It makes no difference if you are planning large corporate events or smaller parties (or even something in between). Whether you’re organizing parts of the event or the entire thing, an event planning company will do everything in their power to support your vision and make creative and resourceful recommendations. And at the same time, (while keeping their eye on the prize), providing an extraordinary experience for your guests and a stress free situation for you.

There are a lot of really great event planning service companies out there to help. Whether you go the Google (or anotherfavorite search engine) route, word of mouth or get recommendations from other service companies, the task at hand is how to go about choosing the best company for your event planning needs.

Event Planning Services – The Selection Route

Prior to starting the selection process, it is always a good idea to outline the kind of event planning company you are searching for. The event and the type of experience you want to organize will depend on the style of company you choose. Outlining your specific requirements and needs will help you eliminate some companies and allow you to come up with a short list of potential candidates. Next, speak with the short listed companies and get a feel for their strengths and (if possible) weaknesses. Meeting with the companies will help you see that you gel with and feel who will provide you with the best working experience and event.

Those steps will help you in selecting the right company to partner with and in turn assist you in having the extraordinary experience you crave for your guests!

Don’t worry about any of those last minute projects and embrace the tasks as they come your way. There are oodles of service and event planning companies to go to for assistance. Researching and interviewing potential companies will help you find the right event planning company you’re looking for. And you’ll be so glad you did!!

 

 

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Attention Party Planners-Beware of the Office Parties

November 27, 2011 By Comments

For party planners, and especially the office party planning committee, the worst nightmare is when a colleague or friend makes a fool of themselves. We’ve all been to those office parties, whether for your work or a friend or spouse’s work, where someone at the party had a bit too much to drink and unleashed a verbal assault against the boss. And we’ve all had moments in our lives where we wanted to take back what we just said. But unfortunately life’s not like that.

Office Party Planning Can Be the Most Challenging for Party Planners

Today office parties are little more subdued than they were a couple of decades ago. I can remember attending parties where the alcohol was free-flowing and the food unlimited. Today there are a lot of liability issues that come into play. More and more we’re seeing office parties that end up being a nice meal out with the “gang from work”. Everybody has a nice meal, a glass of wine and then they’re on their merry way home. Sometimes these events are now even occurring at lunch hour. Planning an office Christmas party just isn’t what it used to be. And you know that can be a good thing.

After watching the video below you’ll understand why office party planners would rather have a more low key event lunch a lunch or dinner.

You can almost feel the emotion that the girl in this video went through the next morning. Can you just imagine how she felt going to work and seeing her boss for the very first time after this party.

If you are planning an office party then it’s always recommended that alcohol be kept to a minimum. I have always said that alcohol and work, even in a social setting, do not mix. The video above proves me right. While I don’t know the outcome for the woman, the moral of the story is to keep your social drinking away from your work environment, especially away from someone that you report to.

 

 

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Event Planning Internships – The Job Interview

November 26, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy of Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com on flickr

Regardless of industry, the first step of any job is the job interview. Under the best of circumstances it’s nerve wracking, under the worst it can be a disaster. And I think most of us experienced a nightmare interview.

For me it was my first job interview out of college and I was sure I was going to ace it. I had been working since I was fourteen years old and had gotten every job I had ever applied for. I was eager, uber prepared and dressed to kill in my new business suit.

As I answered every question the way I thought they should be answered, I was sure I had aced the interview. As I wondered where my office would be, the interviewer stepped out of the office for a moment and I was able to read, upside down, some of the comments she had written. Most of them looked positive but the last comment on the page, written in caps and underlined, stopped me in my tracks; VERY CONSERVATIVE!

I’ve been called lot things in my life (both good and bad) but conservative was never, ever, one of them! And although I didn’t get a call back for that job, I learned a lot from the interview. Mainly…be yourself, not what you think they want you to be. The rest will fall in place.

With the current state of the economy, everyone is trying to figure out how to get ahead of the competition. A better resume, more experience or even a glowing reference from someone within the company. It doesn’t matter how we get our foot in the door, but what we do once we’re in there.

Enjoy this successful (but not recommended!!) way to get a leg up on your competition from our friends at Pepsi.

 

 

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Ever Wonder What Professional Event Planning Is like?

November 25, 2011 By Comments

Is there a difference between event planning and professional event planning? I know what you’re going to say – in your business you treat everybody professionally. And I’m sure that you do. Perhaps the title of this blog post should have been celebrity event planning. But whichever the title, the one thing that I believe would distinguish a professional event planning company from the others would be their list of past clients.

Where better to look for a professional event planning company or rather a company with an impressive list of clients then Los Angeles. Los Angeles has no shortage of celebrities, that’s for sure. The video below is an interview with celebrity event planner Lisa Gorjestani of Details Event Planning. As Lisa’s LinkedIn profile says, she started Details in 1997. Since then Lisa has been featured in the LA Times, Elegant Bride, In Style Weddings and Martha Stewart Weddings. An impressive clientele list to say the least.

Watch below as Lisa shows you how to plan an amazing and glamorous wedding event.

 

 

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Your Wedding Day, fall/winter 2011

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Event Planning Firms – Are Your Employees Happy?

November 24, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy on featureset1 on flickr

Job dissatisfaction is at an all time high. According to an article published last year by CBS news, a mere 45% of Americans are happy at work. And an unhappy workforce is not conducive to a successful work environment.

No industry is immune to employee dissatisfaction, even ours. Especially ours. Event planning requires long hours, patience and incredible organizational and multitasking skills. There is a higher burnout rate which also contributes to an unhappy team. So what are you doing to keep up morale and wipe out employee dissatisfaction?

Event Planning Firms – The Good

Although it seems like a simple concept, when we’re happy at work we do a better job. And there are actual scientific studies to back it up. Thomas Wright, Professor of Management and the President Jon Wefald Leadership Chair in Business Administration at Kansas State University, has determined that employees who are satisfied in their jobs actually perform better and are therefore are less likely to quit.

A happy team is more likely to work harder and be more productive. There is a willingness to take on extra tasks and ensure that they are not only done, but done well. In the end, a happy team increases employee retention and a company’s profitability. And who doesn’t want that!?

In a totally unscientific poll, I recently asked friends and colleagues what they thought the most important factors were in creating a positive work environment. And the answers were surprisingly standard. Topping the list are a decent salary, appreciative and open bosses, positive colleagues and a fun and constructive work environment. The opportunity to produce good work with the proper support was also widely mentioned.

Event Planning Firms – The Not So Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Most of us have been fortunate enough, at some point in our careers, to have jobs we love. But unfortunately, we’ve also all had jobs that we hate. And there is nothing worse than that feeling of dread creeping up on you during your commute to work. As a result, when we’re unhappy at work we’re less likely to care about what we’re doing and unlikely to go that extra mile.

When I asked the same group of friends and colleagues what created a negative work environment, the answers were fast and furious!! A mean or negative boss was absolutely number one on the list. Lack of appreciate was also a huge factor. Negative colleagues, strengths being ignored, lack of training and an inability to think outside the box were also high on the list.

Event Planning Firms – Making Your Team a Success

It’s pretty easy to say start at the beginning. Yes, you want to hire qualified individuals but you should also consider the personalities as you interview. If you hire positive people, they will bring that attitude into the workplace and a good mood is incredibly infectious. A positive personality will be bring a lot more than just experience to your team.

Shake it up a bit. Most companies can’t afford a big employee appreciation blowout. But it doesn’t take a million dollars to show your team you care. A BBQ lunch (or pizza) once a month can create a bonding moment for everyone. Food bonds people and can create a fun moment that is then carried into the rest of the day.

Employee incentives can create some friendly competition within the team while increasing sales or community mindedness. The prize doesn’t have to be a trip around the world. Gift cards, movie tickets or even an afternoon off can show your team that you truly do appreciate them.

Give back to the community. It feels good to give back. And companies that encourage community mindedness tend to foster a more positive work environment. Whether it`s a food drive, toys at Christmas or raising money for a local charity, find out what your team cares about and get them involved.

Regardless of the industry, everyone wants to love their job. And it doesn’t take a lot for management to create a positive and happy team. So make sure that you’re creating a positive work environment and the rest will follow.

 

 

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Planning an Event? Then You Need a Good Conference Planning Guide.

November 24, 2011 By Comments

Whether it’s your first event or your one thousandths, the fact is that you should have a conference planning guide to help plan your event. But where can you find a good conference planning guide? Well it’s a very good question. There is no shortage of places that claim they have good conference planning guides. But how do you set out to find a guide that will actually help you plan your event rather than promote products and services from the company that is offering them?

Your Hotel Is a Good Place to Start When Looking for a Conference Planning Guide

No doubt that if you’re planning a conference or event that you will be using a hotel. It used to be that you could rely on your hotel to only provide you with direction for matters that related to services within the hotel. That’s not necessarily the case today. Hotels, like other companies in the event planning industry, are always looking for new and innovative ways to stay ahead of their competition. One area that I’ve noticed over the last few years is in conference planning. Most hotels will now offer a conference planning guide to help you with not only the hotel portion of your conference but with all the other aspects that are no doubt bogging you down with details as well. Marriott (I’m only singling them out as I personally feel their meeting planner information is top notch – they are in no way connected with this site) has an excellent conference planning guide that they offer on their website. It’s certainly worth taking a look.

Convention and Visitors Bureaus Can Also Provide You with a Conference Planning Guide

What if you are at the beginning stage of your conference planning? The hotel websites still allow you to visit their conference planning section without necessarily being a guest. Of course what they are hoping is that you be so impressed with the planning tools that they have implemented that you want to use them to book your hotel rooms as well.

Another excellent source to obtain a good conference planning guide his through your Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). CVB’s are basically set up to be the marketing division of the particular city in which they are in. And it’s because of that that you’ll find excellent resources to help you plan and execute successful conferences or events. I have always found CVB staff to be very accommodating to potential clients (after all they are the initial ambassadors to the city that you’re considering). Note that with CVB’s that, while you’ll be presented with a large selection of potential suppliers, you will only get supplier information from companies that are members of the CVB. I only say that as a word of caution or as a disclaimer. But, speaking from experience, most serious players in the conference and event industry are members of their local CVB’s.

A good conference planning guide is a great tool that can help you plan for all aspects of your conference or event. Utilizing the tools and resources that are available to you from potential suppliers is a great place to start in your search for a conference planning guide.

 

 

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