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Finding Event Planning Jobs-the Dreaded Interview! (Comedy Video)

August 31, 2012 By Comments
event planning jobs the dreaded interview

photo by huffingtonpost.co.uk

Even though we still have one full month of summer left, if you’re like me, you still get that back to school feeling (even though, I’m embarrassed to say this, I’ve been out of school for 30 years). September has that newness feeling to it. It’s often a time where we commit to starting fresh projects. Which leads us to the subject of today’s post; event planning jobs and those awful interviews.

Many of you may be looking at September as a fresh start to a new career. If you’re in the business of event planning, then no doubt part of that job search is approaching event planning companies to see what jobs are available or perhaps to see if they may have some event planning internships. But, there’s no way around it, you’ll need to have an interview.

Interviewing for Event Planning Jobs Can Be Very Frustrating to Say the Least

Have you ever gone to an interview where the person that is supposedly interviewing you doesn’t really know how to do that properly? I know I have and I have literally cringed. I’ve had experiences where the interviewer gets off topic and starts talking about how great they are. Or the person gives you such a horrific description of the job that they are interviewing for that you can barely contain yourself. And maybe some of you have actually got up and ran away as fast as you could. Or at least wanted to.

In the video below, compliments of our friends at Funny or Die, we take a look at a very famous person, Renée Zellweger, as she interviews for a potential babysitter. As I was watching this video I couldn’t help but relate to having been in such interviews. I can laugh about it now but during the interviews I would’ve been just as happy trying to eat my arm off. At least it would’ve taken my mind off the interviewer…

 

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This Time It’s NOT All About Planning! (Fun Video)

August 30, 2012 By Comments
feet up on a desk with computer screens

Photo courtesy of mathowie

There I said it! And I know what you’re thinking; SHOCKING considering it’s coming from me. Usually I’m the one spouting all about event and meeting planners and the unbelievable amount of planning and hard work that is involved in their jobs. Really the ultimate goal for any planner is to create and execute all type of functions including events, parties, meetings and conferences. And as we all know the expectation from our clients and bosses, of course is perfection. And as anyone who has ever had the responsibility to plan anything knows it takes a great deal of abilities and a special set of skills to achieve that ultimate goal; success. It definitely takes a particular kind of individual to become an event and meeting planner. The majority of the outstanding event and meeting planners I know come to the table with an array of unbeatable expertise, skill and talent that help them to get the job done.

This Time It’s NOT All About Planning – REALLY?

This is a group of industry professionals who are hardworking and quick on their feet, problem solvers and good communicators, are able to negotiate and make decisions, super organized and have an unreal attention to detail. And as if that isn’t enough they do their job with a smile on their face (most times) while maintaining a great attitude, passion, flexibility, people skills while always on the go. It’s exhausting just thinking about it.

This Time It’s NOT All About Planning – YES!

Having said all that, ATTENTION all meeting and event planners now is the time to take a break. Take a moment; put your feet up (yeah right), get ready to smile and possibly have a chuckle or two. A client sent this to me with the same message so I wanted to share. So thanks to our friends at www.ign.com enjoy this “fake trailer” while you ponder the question “What if Pixar made The Expendables 2”?

 

 

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Las Vegas CVA Shows Us How to Promote an Event

August 29, 2012 By Comments
how to promote an event Las Vegas CVB style

photo by potx.com

*Note – this article has been updated to correctly portray the Las Vegas CVA (we previously called it the Las Vegas CVB) Thanks to reader Candy Adams, from “The Booth Mom®” for alerting us.

We all know the famous slogan; “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas”. Well almost everybody that is. You see apparently some of Prince Harry’s confidants broke the code and distributed, how shall we say it, compromising pictures of the Prince recently in Las Vegas. Well, as you can imagine, the Prince has been royally embarrassed by situation. And by his so-called confidants selling those pictures it became rather obvious that they broke the Las Vegas code.

And That Did Not Sit Well with the Las Vegas CVA (Convention and Visitors Authority)

It’s what the Las Vegas CVA did about the situation that I’m going to talk about here. In my opinion, to borrow an old cliché, they took lemons and made lemonade. The brilliant marketing department took the opportunity to promote the city’s, now very famous, code; What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.

On their website, they created a page asking potential visitors to take a pledge that says you will honor the code and promise not to distribute any compromising pictures of activities that may have occurred during a visit to Las Vegas.

And it’s working brilliantly.

They have literally taken a negative situation and have turned it positive. By doing so, the Las Vegas CVA has shown us how to promote an event that would have normally been rather negative coverage of the destination and have turned it into a very positive marketing campaign. On their website they have close to 100,000 pledges by people declaring that they promise to protect the code to its fullest.

Promoting an Event from a Negative to a Positive Position Takes Talent

The CVA is demonstrating how to promote a negative event into a positive spin. What it is also showing us is the power of branding. It’s obvious that Las Vegas has successfully termed the slogan “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” into a brand. In other words, when you hear that slogan you think of all of the activities that Vegas has to offer. From its famous casinos to its many nightclubs and restaurants, Las Vegas is a city that you associate with having fun. And sometimes when we are having fun we all get a little carried away. So rather than highlight the negatives of such activities, the tourism officials decided they would have a little fun and encourage people to be discreet.

So maybe the next time your organization gets a little press coverage that isn’t exactly rosy consider promoting an event that can take the negative side of the event and turn it into a positive spin. And if you’re wondering just how you would go about doing that, refer to the way Las Vegas handled Prince Harry’s recent situation.

 

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Planning a Bachelorette Party 101!

August 28, 2012 By Comments
poster with bachelorette party items and the words bacelorette party

Photo courtesy of Amber Karnes

Like all parties a bachelorette party is supposed to be fun filled and easy peasy to plan. But if you’re not sure where to start, coordinating and planning, can become a nerve racking and oh so not fun experience. So what’s supposed to be a great experience becomes a not so great nightmare.

These days’ bachelorette parties have become so much more imaginative and creative. Gone are the days when planning a bachelorette party meant inviting some guests, decorating your pad, putting out some food, playing a couple of games and opening gifts. While in the past this fit the bill, these days the name of the game is celebration, friendship and a whole bunch of merriment.

Planning a Bachelorette Party 101 – Time to Get Started!

Most of us has had the honor of planning this oh so special soiree for that oh so special person in our life. Usually the responsibility of bachelorette party planning lies with the Maid of Honor and can seem very intimidating. But by planning ahead and being prepared not only will save you time and energy but most importantly will help you to plan a wonderfully stress free celebration.

Like with so many other areas in life, we woman characteristically are not attracted to the same kind of experience men are. Rumor has it that we are more interested in joyful group activities and fun and less about individual gratification. Go figure!

Planning a Bachelorette Party 101 – Planning, Budgets and Themes, Oh My!

It really makes no difference who the party planning is for; sister, mother, friend or your absolute BFF, the ultimate goal for us all is a happy bride. If you are about to tackle a bachelorette party here are some hints to get started.

The big question always seems to be “what to plan, what to plan” for the big shindig? Plan an event to fit the individuality of the bride. Design an experience based on the guest of honor’s likes and wants, style and grace and of course her absolute favorites. Seek help from the bridesmaids. Have a conversation and find out what their thinking and wanting. And then you will be able to plan an event that the bride and guests will enjoy from start to finish and will be remembered with a smile.

As mentioned a time or two and in an attempt to not sound to repetitive, the next hint is to create a budget. Of course the ultimate goal is to throw the best bachelorette party ever, but not everyone can afford the best of everything. Those in the “know” say it’s traditional for the guests to cover the cost of the bachelorette party. So it is imperative when planning for the host (you) to not only remember this but to ensure the guests are aware of this too. There are a couple of important things to bear in mind when establishing the budget; the guest list as well as the guest’s fiscal situation. The cost of a bachelorette party will vary and hinge on many factors including the kind of event, how many guests, location, activity and entertainment and don’t forget to include a guesstimate for food, drinks, admissions and transportation.

So you’ve had the appropriate conversations and have started a budget, now it’s all about the theme. Once you choose your “just perfect” theme in a perfect world all the other plans will follow. The theme will be the foundation and the root for all things bachelorette party. You can make it as laid-back or as crazy as you see fit. But the facts are the facts and the most creative and inspired themes usually make for the greatest parties. So when trying to come up with that just right theme always keep the bride and her personality in mind. Every bride is special and unique and therefore have no fear so is every party.

The list of ideas for planning a great bachelorette party is literally endless. There really are so many fun things to do depending on the type of party you want to plan. And like with any event you aren’t going to satisfied everyone. But as long as the guest of honor is happy and has a great time, then the celebration is a success! So be creative and celebrate the next step in the bride’s life!

 

 

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Do You Know How Hard It Is Promoting an Event? Just Ask the GOP.

August 24, 2012 By Comments
promoting an event GOP edition

Photo by - politicsontoast. wordpress.com

Just in case you didn’t know, the Republican party is busy promoting an event otherwise known as the Republican National Convention (2012). The convention will be held in Tampa next week running from August 27 through August 30. So, right now, the organizers normal role in promoting an event of this magnitude would be to highlight the party’s unity and presentation of their presidential candidate and their star vice presidential nominee.

So why isn’t that happening?

Does the GOP Need a Lesson on How to Promote an Event?

There seems to be two storms brewing that could make for the perfect storm at next week’s convention. You see forecasters are keeping their eye on a tropical storm, named Isaac, which computer models show that it could affect Tampa next week. On top of that there’s another storm brewing – but not of the natural kind. You see a certain Republican representative from Missouri that is hoping to unseat a long-term Democrat senator made a few comments over the weekend which has caused quite a firestorm. Representative Akin made a bonehead comment on the weekend saying that women that are raped cannot become pregnant because their body shuts down the ability for conception. Well needless to say that stupid comment has landed the representative in hot water. His own party leaders are calling for him to step aside as they now feel he is very damaged goods. Not only that but he is further damaging the GOP’s messaging to women.

Now before you think this is a one-off (and perhaps to the degree of what he said it is) the GOP has also just finalized their policy platform for moving the party forward (or backwards?). You see as part of their policy, they formally oppose abortion under any circumstances.

As a sideshow side story, we’ve also heard from Donald Trump (aren’t we hearing from Mr. Trump just about every other day now?) that he had a big surprise planned for the convention. Well on the very same day that he put out a tease about his gig at the convention, a journalist let it slip that he was going to do a skit where he and an Obama look-alike would partake in Trump telling Obama “you’re fired”.  On cue, the Donald began to trash the journalist as nothing but a flake. Good grief, haven’t we heard this before? Really, have the organizers just given up on even trying to be funny?

Right Now the GOP Should Be Busy Promoting an Event Not Defending Their Policies

What should normally be a period before the convention where organizers are promoting the event has turned into anything but. All we are hearing is how Representative Akin is of touch with women’s issues (and, I don’t know, maybe reality too – not to mention just plain science itself).

I actually feel sorry for the organizers of the Republican convention. It is certainly not their fault what members of the GOP are saying in interviews. However it certainly falls on their shoulders to overcome what their members are saying and try to promote an event in a positive light. After all, this convention really should be about introducing Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan as the Republican nominees for President and Vice President. Instead what many in the party are doing is playing defense as the press just doesn’t seem to want to drop this story.

As I’ve mentioned here in the past, I’m looking forward to both political parties conventions as they are truly a study on events and how to promote them. I guess only time will tell which party was more effective than the other at getting their message to stick. The correct message that is.

 

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Three Tips to Get Started Birthday Party Planning for Kids

August 23, 2012 By Comments
happy birthday kid colored sign

Photo courtesy of Pete Prodoehl

Birthday party planning for kids is as difficult or as easy as you make it. Gone are the days when all you needed for a successful kids birthday party was a slice and a coca cola. These days it’s so easy to become overwhelmed when birthday party planning for kids. But have no fear, the most important thing to remember is; the party you’re planning is for the kid and his or her friends and not for you. By remembering this one point you are well on your way to planning fun.

When planning parties for kids, the main objective is, to ensure the one celebrating feels extra special. And following that the next goal is to be sure that everyone does indeed have a rip roaring time. I guarantee all the guests attending are going to remember is was it fun; they are not even going to notice all the details you’re stressing about.

Birthday Party Planning for Kids: Tip One – Strategy!

There is no kid I know that will be happy and enjoy a birthday party planned with only ideas and elements the adults came up with. So plan the party based on your child’s wants. Step one, sit down with the birthday guest of honour and have a conversation. If you don’t already know, pick their brain and find out what they are thinking and hoping for. Uncover their thoughts on all things party; location, guests, theme and activities to name a few and allow your child to participate in making some of those party time decisions. Once you’ve had the conversation you can then figure out and decide on the budget, your resourcefulness and creativity and the direction to go. By planning with your kid and not planning for your kid and including them in the planning and decision making process they will feel like part of the experience and ultimately it will be fun for you both.

Birthday Party Planning for Kids: Tip Two – Checklist!

Planning a birthday party can be a challenge and it can become hectic and disorganized with some many things to stay on top of. And no matter what kind of party you are planning, where you are holding it, how many guests are invited or what type of food you are serving, a birthday party checklist will ensure you are prepared and your party planning experience is a good one. A birthday party checklist is essential as it will assist the person planning to stay organized and on top of all things party. By following a party checklist you can easy stay on track and not miss one single detail and you will be able to enjoy the special day when it finally does arrive.

Birthday Party Planning for Kids: Tip Three – Theme!

Aren’t we all looking for the fastest and easiest way to plan the most fun filled and enjoyable party? So if you are looking to lighten your load and for the best results when birthday party planning, you didn’t hear it here first, but it’s definitely is worth repeating, choose a theme. As been said a time or two before on this site birthday party planning can be tricky, demanding and nerve racking, by selecting a party theme all the other required details will follow and make things that much easier to coordinate. And allowing the birthday boy/girl to be part of the decision making process especially with the just right birthday party theme, they really will feel like they matter and are part of the experience.

Remember kids birthday parties are for kids and are meant to be filled with all things fun. Yes, the planning process can bog you down. Use these three tips to get started and then go from there. No doubt before you know it you will have one special and super happy kid.

 

 

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Event and Party Planning Tip-Attractions and Budgets

August 22, 2012 By Comments
event and party planning tips on tours and attractions

photo by nycgo.com

Event planners have a very difficult task in today’s economy. You see, since our economic downturn (I guess that’s a nice way of saying depression) event planners have had pretty much the same job task. Except that their job got a lot tougher. Wonder why? Well the plus to all of this is that many organizations are still proceeding with their meetings and conferences. On the downside (this is where I’m getting to where the event planner’s job got tough) event planners were, and are now, tasked with providing exciting programs with a reduced budget. If that seems impossible then welcome to the world of event and party planning. These people earn their money tenfold.

Event and Party Planners Can Still Have Their Cake and Eat It Too

For this post I’m offering a basic tip that will still allow event and party planners to offer a tour or an attraction as part of their event and party planning. Many times, clients will offer tours that are attractive enough to help encourage delegates (and their spouses) to attend meetings. And this is where the challenge begins for the event planner. Whether it’s a spouse tour or a general program tour, many include lunch. And, I have to admit, the easiest way to trim a budget, especially for tours, is to eliminate the food component. There’s no doubt you’ll save a bundle by eliminating a meal.

But, what you do if your client is insistent on offering a meal during the tour?

Well, here’s a quick and easy way that I have worked around this task with past clients. If food is a must then look at attractions which also offer food and beverage. The simple reason that I’m saying this is that, quite often, if you bring your group to a particular attraction and are going to feed the group at this attraction, then you are in a position to negotiate on the attraction admission cost. There are times where I have been able to eliminate the cost of the attraction altogether if I keep my group there for a meal. So, in a sense, what I’m doing is still providing the attraction and I’m still providing a meal without having to pay for the admission to the attraction. Your client will be happy because they are getting exactly what they asked for. And you are going to look like a star because you provided what your client had asked for and you were able to trim the budget at the same time.

A win, win for sure!

So for any event and party planners out there that are working on programs that include tours and meals, try looking at attractions that have a restaurant on site. It’s a quick and easy way to provide your client with both an attraction tour as well as a meal. And you’ll look like a superstar because you been able to do this while keeping the cost within budget.

 

 

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Planning a Wedding: It’s All in the Details

August 21, 2012 By Comments
wedding centerpiece with mini daisys and table sign

Photo courtesy of Theweddingofmydreams

Okay, brace yourselves, but I LOVE everything involved in planning a wedding. Although not my area of expertise (I’m more about meetings and conferences) whenever a close friend or family member gets engaged, I tend to get that phone call. You know, the one that most planners are familiar with. The one that goes something like “I know you’re not a wedding planner but I was hoping you could help me out with a few things…”

And I’m always happy to. Planning is planning and although I’m not necessarily up on all things wedding, I am able to offer some ideas and help keep them organized. And though I’m not a wedding planner, I do know that at any event, it’s the little details that can make a big difference.

Planning a Wedding: Making Your Day Stand Out

For some, a traditional wedding is all they’ve ever dreamt of their entire lives. But so many brides (and grooms!) are looking to add unique touches that truly make the day their own.

For some it’s difficult to find the balance between doing something different and keeping in line with their families’ wishes. A lot of couples will go big and find that incredibly distinctive venue to make their day stand out. Others may do it through menu, bridal wear or invitations.

But what about the bride who wants something different without freaking out great-aunt Agatha or her ultra conservative in-laws? How can she make her day stand out while still being traditional? Shaking it up can be as easy as changing something as simple as table numbers.

Planning a Wedding: Getting Creative with Your Table Numbers

I hate going to a wedding and seeing those beautifully set tables with inspired wonderful floral arrangements…along with the standard silver stands and white cards with the boring black table numbers. It always looks out of place and frankly, just plain dull.

So consider doing something different with your table numbers. Just be sure to include a map of the room for your guests. Since the tables won’t be in any numerical sequence you have to ensure the tables are easy to find.

Destinations – For the well traveled couple, destinations are a great substitution! Instead of table numbers you can seat people at New York, Paris or London (or Cleveland, Kansas City or Orlando). You can include a couple of pictures of your trip as well as a short blurb about what you did and maybe a place or two that you would recommend. Not only is it a fun alternative to the old “Table 3” but it’s also a great conversation starter.

Hobbies – Injecting a little personality into your wedding is easy! If you have a hobby or passion that brought you closer together (movie buffs, voracious readers, art lovers, music fans) this is another great way of adding some individuality to the evening. Consider using your favorite authors, movie characters or bands. It’s not only a nice personal touch but can also be a fun ice breaker.

Professions – I went to a wedding recently where the bridal couple not only met while working for a florist, but have since opened their own shop together. So as a nod to both how they met and what they do, they used flowers instead of table numbers. But they also combined this with their wedding favor, a sachet of seeds for planting. They absolutely succeeded in adding that personal touch that makes a wedding special.

Everyone wants their wedding to be a reflection of who they are. And what better way of doing it than adding your own personal touches throughout the day. It’s easy, fun and for many guests who may not know each other, an entertaining ice breaker and conversation starter.

 

 

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This Week’s Top Event Planning Tweets-CVB Edition

August 17, 2012 By Comments
top event planning tweets

photo by tech-wonders.blogspot.com

As many of you know, each week we like to scour our twitter followers for relevant event planning tweets that we feel may be of interest to you. And each week we tend to put a theme on the types of tweets that we present. This week we monitored tweets that were related to CVB’s (Convention and Visitors Bureaus).

CVB’s Are Great Resource for Event Planning

This week’s top CVB tweets include; a webinar on August 27 that will teach hotel and CVB sales executives about technology that not only captures prospects but allows you to engage with them (this one sounds interesting), how Google’s purchase of Frommer’s will affect the CVB industry, Meeting Max presents a comprehensive study on marketing practices of US DMO’s today for 2012 (note that there is a fee to purchase this report), and a poll aimed at CVB and hotel sales reps to determine if they are victims of lead spam (hopefully you are not).

 

 

 

 

 

As always we hope that these tweets have helped you in your job as well as saving you a bit of time by letting us do the research for you. Enjoy the weekend everybody. Here’s to next week’s discussions.

 

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Wedding Planning: It’s All About Uniqueness and Joy!

August 16, 2012 By Comments
two gold wedding bands

Photo courtesy of comedy_nose

I love event and wedding planning. Yes, it’s a love hate relationship but really what isn’t. I enjoy taking something from ground zero and turning it into something extraordinary, by using my knowledge, experience and people skills and applying them to create fabulous events. My most favorite part of the experience is the end when a happy client is beaming and makes my day by uttering two simple words … “thank you”. It really does make it all worthwhile. The majority of my job involves planning and executing events and meetings and when I am not thoroughly frustrated I totally appreciate and adore my job.

When I am able to and time permits I partner with local planners to help them on their event day with whatever is needed. It’s a great way to learn new things and see planning from someone else’s perspective. I especially enjoy doing this for weddings as it affords me the opportunity to learn more and more about this wonderful and happy industry. I was lucky this past weekend to be asked to help a wedding planner friend and of course jumped at the chance. When on site I was showed an amazingly creative wedding dance video. It featured a bridal couple that danced their way into the venue, yep you heard it right, literally danced themselves right into a lifetime of happiness. It’s a real can’t miss so I couldn’t resist sharing it and with thanks to the happy couple Jill and Kevin and YouTube, sit back and enjoy.

 

 

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