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Event Management Tip; When a Reception Is Not a Reception

November 2, 2012 By Comments
event management Tip when a reception is not a reception

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You’re probably very familiar with the saying “we learn from our mistakes”. There probably isn’t an industry around that hasn’t developed, and refined, policies based on mishaps. I’m very pleased to tell you the same is true in event management. And I guess that’s a good thing. It’s how we react from our mistakes that help define (or rather improve) policies moving forward.

This event management tip that I’m about to offer stems from a function that I helped organize early on in my event planning career while I was working for a destination management company (DMC). I’m going to relay how an event unfolded, badly, in hopes that any event planners out there can avoid the same mistake.

Most of Us Are Trained That the Event Organizer Is Always Right

I was trained, and for good reason, to always consider the customer to be right. You see, I am of the ilk that believes good customer service is ultimately what sets good companies apart from bad companies. For the purposes of this story I have altered the venue and names to protect the guilty. Here’s how the whole event began and how it, horrifically, unfolded. I was approached by my potential customer, a meeting planner, about hosting a reception in a local art gallery in New York City (again, don’t go searching for possible venues or potential clients as I have altered the location and venue to protect the guilty). My client’s group was part of a larger association that was having a citywide conference at the time. My client wanted to bring a select group of about 100 guests to the art gallery and have a “heavy hors d’oeuvres” reception. The event was going to occur from 5 PM until 7 PM (this should have been my first clue regarding the heavy hors d’oeuvres requirement). As part of the setup, my client insisted on banquet rounds instead of cruiser tables (these are the hightop tables that you can stand at to put your drinks and light hors d’oeuvres on), and dinner plates instead of, the more appropriate, salad plates. The guest could also tour the gallery during the “reception”. Plus there was going to be entertainment playing throughout.

An Event Management Lesson

So the big day arrives and our group begins to arrive at the art gallery. As the event began to unfold, it became very clear that this group considered this function to be anything but a reception. They were hungry. Within the first half-hour we began to realize we did not have enough food. And, because the event was being held at an art gallery, there wasn’t a lot of backup food that we could prepare.

the meeting planner is always right, right

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My client approached us and she was not happy. She freaked on us. Her guests were starting to form a lineup at the food stations where there was simply no food available. How could you let this happen to me? You assured me that your caterer was one of the best in the city! These are a sampling of the comments that she was making (and they’re cleaned up).

Luckily we had an excellent operations person that was able to contact a local restaurant not far from the gallery and have some additional food prepared and delivered. I say this because our caterer had no other suggestions for us. So what we were able to pull off was only because of our own operations person.

The next day, there was a lot of rebating as my client would not accept any responsibility for what had occurred.

And What Is the Event Management Tip in All of This?

when a reception is not a reception

photo by dinersjournal.blogs. nytimes.com

Well, in hindsight, there’s a lot that I would have done differently today. The main message is that my client was trying to put together a nice function but not spend a ton of money on food, hence calling it a reception. She had wanted a reception with 7 to 10 pieces of hors d’oeuvres per person. In the industry we call that a heavy hors d’oeuvres function. But again a heavy hors d’oeuvres function is not a dinner.

And here are the tips:

If a meeting planner, or client, is intending to host a reception then there should not be banquet style seating. If there are enough seats in the venue to seat everybody that is attending, typically that is not a reception setup. In a reception set up, most times, there would be scattered seating and or cruiser tables. The take away from this point is that I should have stressed to my client that by providing seating for everybody she would be giving the impression of a sitdown dinner. And if that was the case then we were not planning for enough food.

The dinner plates. Flag number two. Most receptions provide smaller, or salad, plates. Obviously, when you supply the larger plates, people will take more food. And if you’re only planning 7 to 10 pieces per person, a salad plate would be suitable for that function.

The caterer. We found out after the function that one of the chefs had approached our caterer and said that they were concerned about the amount of consumption that was occurring. This comment, apparently, was made after the first 10 or so people approached the food stations for food. Certainly that would have given us enough time to react had the caterer approached us with this overview. I’d also like to note that the caterer did compensate us so that we were able to pass on the rebate to our client, the meeting planner.

So what’s the moral of the story here? Well, as I said in the title, you really have to know when a reception is not a reception. From my part, I should’ve raised more flags with my client regarding the time of the function and her setup request. I did relay my concerns to her regarding the plate size and the amount of seating, but she was insistent on the set up. Of course, during the event itself, she had one of those brain freeze moments where she did not remember my advice regarding the setup. My lesson is I should’ve expressed this in writing.

Of course thanks to our operations person the attendees had a good time and, really, that’s what matters most. But the take away from this is that, while yes the customer is always right, we do have to provide guidance and at times make sure that we are covered if our meeting planners are insisting on their way versus our recommendation.

 

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How a Meeting and Event Planner Uses a CVB

March 7, 2012 By Comments

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There’s no doubt that a meeting and event planner wants a CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) to assist them with their planning needs when bringing a group or convention to a particular city. A CVB is basically a marketing division for the city that they are in. It’s their job to promote their city in such a way that a meeting and event planner wants to bring their group to the CVB’s city. A CVB will spend mind boggling marketing dollars to brand their city. What exactly does branding a city mean? Well the best example that I can think of, when trying to demonstrate a city that has branded themselves well, is New York City. If anyone comes up to you and asks if you been to the “Big Apple” you most definitely will know that they’re talking about New York City. That’s branding.

A Meeting and Event Planner Uses a CVB to Start the RFP Process

Let’s assume that you are a meeting and event planner. And also let’s assume that you have selected a city to take your group of 50 to. So now what you do? Well obviously you want to develop a meeting planner template or checklist and start listing all of the steps that will be necessary for you to execute a successful meeting. For more on meeting planner templates or checklists see the related articles below.

CVB’s are a free service for a meeting and event planner. So the first thing the meeting and event planner should do is contact the city’s CVB and get their meeting put on the books. Your CVB contact will spend a little time getting to know you as well as a little bit of information about your group (i.e. the type of people, what they like to do, where they like to go and what they like to eat). Following that meeting, the CVB will then send out a request for proposal (RFP), usually to hotels first, indicating how many rooms you are seeking and for how many days (otherwise known as room nights) plus any food and beverage and meeting room requirements. Then the hotel salespeople get to work. They’ll look at their books to see if they can accommodate your request and then send you a summary of rooms available and at what rate. Depending on your food and beverage and meeting requirements you may have some wiggle room as far as room rate negotiations. A meeting and event planner can tell their CVB contact how many hotel properties they want their RFP to go to. The CVB will manage the RFP process from the hotels (although it is the norm that the hotels will communicate directly with the meeting and event planner). Once a hotel has been selected the others will be notified that they did not make the cut.

A Meeting and Event Planner Will Consult with the CVB on Which Service Companies to Hire

A CVB also has an extensive list of service providers. Whether it be a DMC (Destination Management Company), a transportation company, and attraction or restaurant, a good CVB will be able to point the meeting and event planner in the right direction. I usually recommend to meeting and event planners that they ask their CVB contact not to have service companies contact them until they know which hotel they are using. Sorry service providers this is not an attack on your operation at all. It’s just that a meeting and event planner can be inundated with sales calls and e-mails from service providers. And having been a service provider in the past I can tell you that these calls and contacts are all well intended. However the reason I advise meeting and event planners today to hold off on having service companies contact them is so that they are allowed enough time to make the proper decision on their hotel and meeting facilities. Then, once the hotel and meeting facility has been finalized, initiating contact with service companies would proceed. Of course if a meeting and event planner has the budget a DMC is recommended to help with all of the other service aspects of their program (disclaimer – I have worked for a DMC in the past – so I know how valuable their services can be).

While this is usually not a major issue it is worth noting that a CVB can only put forward companies that are members. I say this is not a major issue because most reputable companies do belong to their local CVB. When selecting smaller parts of the program, such as restaurants, you may want to consider talking to your hotel contact as there may be excellent local restaurants that are not a member of the CVB.

A CVB is a great tool for a meeting and event planner. It can help provide the local expertise to execute a successful program. One that has the attendees talking for some time. A CVB can also be assistance by offering city guides and other tourist information to the meeting and event planner.

 

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How Do I Choose Between Event Companies? – Focus, Focus, Focus

February 21, 2012 By Comments

So, you’re the lucky person who’s been chosen to create this year’s holiday party.  Or, your company’s president wants this year’s executive retreat to really “blow the team away”.  There are literally thousands of meetings and event companies out there. How do you choose?

The meetings and events industry tends to be segmented with many event companies specializing in one or more market segments – corporate events, association meetings, conventions and events, social events, fundraising for not-for-profits – to name a few. So start by searching for a company in your city that specializes in the segment that best reflects your company or organization.

Who’s Already Using the Event Companies

Obviously most of us will start by searching through websites to see what type of events the event company has already created.  Search the list of existing clients to see if they “match” your company/organization’s culture.  Reputable event companies will give you a list of client contacts so that you can speak with people who are actually using the planner’s services.

Price is Important when Selecting Event Companies – But It’s More about Value

Reputable event companies understand and respect the fact that you’re on a budget.  The better planners will work creatively to ensure that you get value for your dollar.  They won’t necessarily just recommend the cheapest option but rather they may suggest you cut back in one area so that you can spend more in another area. For example, décor is very important but so is the food. Cutting back a bit on the lighting or special affects may mean a higher quality meal.  The planner will help you with these decisions to ensure your event is memorable, for the right reasons, even if you’re working under tight budgetary restraints.

Look for Event Companies on Business Directories and CVBs

There are a number of convention, meeting and event companies directories out there.  Industry sites such as mywelcometothecity.com will give you a good overview of the meeting and event companies operating in your area.  Also, take the time to visit your local Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB).  A good CVB can direct you to the very best industry suppliers – including meeting and event companies – in your city.  If you’re planning an event in another city – again, the CVB is a good place to start your search for qualified event companies.

 

 

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What Items Make up Your Conference Planning Checklist?

January 18, 2012 By Comments

For many of us, a conference planning checklist is a custom tailored document. What I mean by that is that we all have our own way of scheduling our own to-do list. There’s no doubt that a conference planning checklist helps you by breaking down all of the little components of a larger event or conference. And if anyone has ever tried to orchestrate a conference without a checklist than they probably know all too well how stressful and chaotic that can be.

A Conference Planning Checklist Will Help You See the Trees in the Forest

I know we’ve talked about event or conference planning checklist here a lot in the past. But I can’t stress enough at just how helpful a conference planning checklist can be to help put the conference itself into perspective. When I attend networking events and when I’m talking to meeting planners, a common question that I get asked is what items do I put on my conference planning checklist. My answer usually covers the basic items (which I’m going to review below), but I also stress that really the checklist should be developed around the work style of the person that’s going to be using the checklist. And really the overall goal of the checklist is to make sure that each and every component, no matter how small, gets addressed. After all it only takes one small item being overlooked to have a negative impact on your overall conference or event.

Think of the Conference Planning Checklist As a Map of Your Conference or Event

Once the overall conference itself has been planned, you should now be in a position where you can take the larger components of your conference and start breaking down the various steps that are needed to execute it properly.

The following are some basic conference components as well as suggestions on how to break down those components into smaller “to do” actions:

Hotel

  • conference dates determined
  • rates negotiated
  • meeting rooms allocated
  • room setups determine based on meetings format
  • equipment needed to be brought for the meeting
  • speakers, outside suppliers required for meeting
  • food and beverage requirements

Travel/Transportation

  • car company rates negotiated for airport transportation
  • additional transportation requirements (shuttle bus tickets, coaches for mass transportation)
  • system in place regarding flight manifests and how the car company will handle changes
  • local transportation provider (i.e. airport meet and greets) selected

Tours/Attractions

  • determine if a local destination management company (DMC) is required
  • determine free times and availability for tours
  • schedule appropriate tours

Off-Site Activities

  • determine which dates require off-site scheduling
  • determine theme for off-site (i.e. local restaurant, renting an attraction, venue)
  • as in tours and attractions, determine if a local destination management company (DMC) is required

A conference planning checklist helps you take a large conference or event and break down the various components so that you can see, at a glance, what needs to be done for a successful conference. In addition to a general outline of items (as above), you also need to address the due dates and how they will fit with your overall conference. When you take the time to sit down and map out all of the components to the conference, you’ll find it helps relieve the overall stress of getting things completed. A conference planning checklist is also a great tool for delegating the various components of your meeting or conference.

 

 

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How to Go about Finding Party Planning Jobs

November 9, 2011 By Comments

So you have found that you’re good at planning parties for your friends. So much so that you’re the “go to person” whenever anyone in your circle is planning a party or event.  Have you considered taking your love of party planning and translating that into a dream job? If so then you might just be a great candidate for event and party planning.

But where do you find the event and party planning jobs? The answer may not be as difficult as you think.

Consider Applying for Party Planning Jobs at Places Where You Have Purchased Party Planning Supplies

A great place to start looking for event or party planning jobs are party supply stores or decor companies. A lot of these positions are considered retail so they may not be looking for experienced party planners.  Rather they may be looking for somebody with enthusiasm and someone that’ll be great with customers. Consider these stores as a great way to get introduced to the requirements of the job and to get training for later in your career.

Destination management companies, or DMC‘s as they are commonly referred to, are also companies that would utilize party planning. For DMC’s I would suggest that you contact your local convention and visitors bureau for list of DMC’s in your local area. Look for ones that have a few staff members (a lot if DMC’s are home based business and may not have the capacity to hire you full item).

Nightclubs, attractions, popular restaurants and major venues (such as museums) are also areas that would hire event and party planners. Most of these suppliers have event planning departments that handle group requests. These organizations are an excellent way to learn about party planning as they have very established guidelines for executing group events.

If party and event planning is a major passion then finding a party planning job isn’t too difficult to initiate. Just be aware that you will most likely have to start in an entry level position. But if it truly is a passion then you shouldn’t be bothered by working your way up the ladder. After all in order to become a great party planner you really do have to learn all the ropes. Party and event planning jobs come in all shapes and sizes ranging from retail stores, event planning companies and destination management companies to nightclub, restaurants and attractions – all of which hire in-house staff to organize and execute events and parties.

 

 

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Event Planning Firms – What to Look for When Hiring

November 3, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy of Wilhei55 on flickr

When the economy changed your boss told everyone to tighten their belts. Due to attrition, there would be fewer employees and everyone’s job responsibility was going to change. With everyone taking on new tasks and pulling together as a team, you would get through the lean times. And you were on board, happy to still have a job.

But then he informed you that planning the company meetings, team building exercises and conferences were now your responsibility. And though you answered enthusiastically, you couldn’t help but wonder, “What have I gotten myself into?”

Fear not! There are a range of Event Planning Firms out there to help you as much, or a little, as you require.

Event Planning Firms – How Much of a Role Will They Play?

That is completely up to you! An Event Planning Firm will play as much of a role as you require. They would love to take on your entire event and help you plan out every detail from transportation to accommodations, from business meetings to gala events. But if you only need help with one or two components of your event, they`ll be happy to do that too.

Event Planning Firms – What Are My Choices?

There are so many choices available whether you’re planning an event for 15 delegates or 15,000!

Full Service Agency – It’s one stop shopping. There are literally thousands of full service agencies available in the United States and Canada. You can work with a planner who will help you figure out every last detail of your event including travel, meetings, gala, transportation, hotel, decor, entertainment and more. You will make all of the decisions, but your Event Planner will do the foot work, hire suppliers and be there to execute the vision you create together.

In-House Agency – Many venues have in-house departments available to work with. So while you’re organizing the event, the in-house agency will assist you in the decision making and may even supply an event planner for you. Be sure to confirm exactly what is and isn’t included so that leading up to, and the day (or days) of your event will be surprise free.

Destination Management Company (DMC) – A DMC is a great option whether working locally or out of town. They are specialists and a good DMC is incredibly in tune with what’s happening in their city or region of expertise. Because they have established relationships with vendors and suppliers, they are able to get you a better rate than you could on your own.

Event Planning Firms – How Do I Decide?

Contact the local CVB (convention and visitors bureau). A CVB is a not-for-profit organization that offers a complete range of information, knowledge and assistance about specific city destinations. They will provide you with unbiased, neutral information about the available services, service companies, hotels and venues. Even if you’re planning locally, your CVB can be a big help.

Talk to friends and business associates who have planned company events. See if they have had a positive working experience with someone. Any hotels you are considering will have companies they work with on a regular basis.

And warm up that search engine and start researching! There is so much available information online including pictures and videos of events thrown by some of the Event Planning Firms you may be considering.

Event Planning Firms can help you create the vision that you’re hoping will amaze everyone and make yours an event to remember!

 

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Event Planning Online – The New Norm for Planners

October 11, 2011 By Comments

It wasn’t so long ago that event planners would often higher local companies to help them source out local suppliers for their successful events. These local experts, commonly referred to as destination management companies or DMC’s, would assist the event planner in finding the perfect venue or suppliers. And then came the Internet. Event planning online has become a rapidly growing Internet community for meeting and event planners. A lot of traditional DMC’s migrated their services and began offering online searches to help these meeting and event planners.

Event Planning Online Has Changed the Way the Industry Sources Suppliers

When I first started in the meeting planning business I was with a full-service destination management company. In those days it was our job to know all of the top venues and suppliers in my area and then to be able to make recommendations, or proposals to my potential clients. Then, the company that had the best options and often the best price won the peace of business. Today unless those companies have adjusted their business models to accommodate event planning online than they are most likely suffering with less revenue. I started to see that happening in my own company in the late 1990s. It started slowly, basically from providing full event details (such as facility rental, transportation, caterer and entertainment) to all of a sudden only providing transportation for the event as the meeting and event planner found the other services directly online. For my company we saw the writing on the wall. We either adjust our business model or quite frankly we would become a dinosaur in the industry. We decided that we would revamp our business model completely. Instead of taking supplier quotes and marking them up to present them to our client we now were in a situation where we would provide a selection of suppliers and allow the client to search and make their own selection. So our business model went from marking up wholesale prices from suppliers to a model that was more in tune with today’s web businesses. We needed to get our revenue from supplier listings and advertising on our website. More about the challenges with that business model in a later post.

What has now happened is that meeting and event planners are getting exposed to great venues and suppliers without having to pay additional marked up costs. It’s a win-win for planners. For the service industries that service meeting and event planners it still is an adjustment period. What this means for planners is that they can now do their event planning online.

For those planners looking for sites that offer event planning online what they should be looking for is variety. A planner should not be penalized for doing event planning online and only being able to see suppliers that have paid to be listed on a particular site. A seasoned planner will soon realize that they are perhaps not getting the best selection of suppliers available. They’ll soon look for another site with event planning online.

I’m going to list a few sites here that you may want to consider for event planning online. The criteria for the sites has no scientific formula applied. Basically the sites are known as leaders of information within the meeting and events industry.

Welcome To The City, or WTTC.com is a great site that breaks down its suppliers by the various categories that a meeting or event planner would be searching. Planner accounts are free and you can set up as many events as you would like. Right now the company is focused in North America and has listings for 24 cities.

Cvent is known as one of the biggest in the industry. Cvent started in the industry as the leader in registration software and has expanded to include supplier listings. Cvent has supplier information for hundreds of cities were meetings and events occur.

Meetingplanner.com is another website for event planning online. This site offers supplier information in hundreds of locations as well. It also allows for suppliers to bid for certain events that planners are posting. It is also a free to use website.

Event planning online does help those that need to find venues and suppliers for their upcoming meetings or events. You can easily get bogged down by only Googling for venues and suppliers. Instead of doing generic Google searches why not try a site that is tailored to event planning online. Make sure the sites you are looking at do not preclude vendors that are only paying to be on those sites. By using a site that is specific to event planning online you’re sure to receive the best of the best for possible suppliers.

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Events Planning-Learning from Your Mistakes

October 6, 2011 By Comments

Ask anyone in the events planning industry whether or not they’ve made any mistakes and I’m pretty sure you’ll get that glance that can be interpreted as “are you kidding me”. If you’ve read other articles here at plananevent.org  then you most certainly have seen us write about checklists and how important they are for events planning. But if you ask anyone that’s been in the industry what they’ve learned from those mistakes you might want to make note of those events planners that don’t respond. We all make mistakes, that’s a given. But it’s what we take away or rather learn from those mistakes that contributes to how successful we are in the events planning industry.

Events Planning Gone Wrong

When I first entered the meetings and events industry I was very green. I came from the hotel side of the industry so most of my dealings with meeting and event planners came from a hotel perspective. It’s when I started my own destination management company that’s I was introduced to the various suppliers that are involved with executing events.

It’s a question I often get asked. Can you remember an event that went horribly wrong? Well if most of you are like me you will answer that “most definitely”. The planner in question was from a large Association that wanted to host a standup reception in one of the city’s more popular museums. The planner was adamant that she did not want enough food to feed everyone. Basically she was asking for heavy hors d’oeuvres – which would be somewhere in the range of 6 to 10 pieces per person. Mistake number one – her “reception” was from 5 PM to 7 PM (in other words right over the dinner period). So on my instruction to the caterer I provided a menu along those guidelines. Then my client wanted to change the size of the plate that was proposed by the caterer (which was originally a smaller more hors d’oeuvres style plate) to a dinner plate. And then she was also adamant that there would be enough seating for everyone. So I accommodated all those requests and thought nothing of it.

So the event date in question arrived and my client’s numbers were pretty much what she had expected. However, her attendees were expecting a little more than hors d’oeuvres – they were expecting a meal. After all there were dinner plates and seating for everyone. Well, as you could expect, we started to run out of food about halfway through the event. It was if my client had amnesia – honestly. She came up to us at the event and started to rip a strip up one side and down the other. Something to the effect of how could we let her down and what a terrible impression that we were making on her. At the time trying to remind her that she had ordered heavy hors d’oeuvres and not dinner was not flying. She would have none of it. She insisted that if we had prepared enough food as she had requested that there would’ve been enough to feed everyone. Wrong of course but what can you say at that stage of the event. And as the venue was a museum and we were using an off-site caterer we did not have enough food on site to react quick enough. Luckily the caterer had another event in the downtown core and was able to muster up some additional food. But the damage had been done.

Events Planning Lessons Learned

Needless to say my client did not become a repeat client with my company. She was adamant that she would not pay for the food portion of the event as we have not provided all of her attendees with food. I guess I could have pushed the issue and reiterated what we had talked about before the event however in reviewing my notes I believe that I did not stress that enough. Our caterer was cooperative and did reduce the food portion so that we were not left on the hook to pay for the bill out of our own pockets.

The moral of the story is if you know or even suspect that there could be an issue with food or beverage (or any component of the event) then raise a flag at the beginning. There is no science to events planning but there is common sense. In hindsight it would have been better for me to have walked away from that piece of business if the client did not agree with me regarding the amount of food. People, like fine wine, get better at events planning with each event that they produce. Mistakes will happen. But it’s what we do with those mistakes and how we apply the lessons learned that sets good event planners apart from the bad ones.

 

 

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3 Transportation Tips for Meeting Planners That Will Help Your Budget

September 30, 2011 By Comments

Transportation is often included in meetings. Meeting planners often have the task of making sure that attendees are transferred to their hotel in an efficient yet cost-effective manner. While many delegates consider transportation to be only a small component of the overall meeting, in many cases the transportation budget can be fairly large. Today meeting planners have to find savings while executing a successful meeting. Rather than eliminate transportation as part of your program why not consider a few unique ways to provide transportation yet help save on your budget.

Tip #1 – Consolidate Your Transportation within a Set Period of Time

Delegates arriving for meetings often come from various places throughout the country. That means that meeting planners are dealing with many individual flights arriving at various times to the destination city. If transportation is left open-ended the costs can escalate quickly. Especially if you allow delegates to make changes directly with the transportation company.

As a way to save money, while still effectively providing transportation for the meeting delegates, considering offering transportation on set dates and set times. For example, you might consider offering transportation only on the day prior to the meeting and over a 10 hour period. This tells your delegates that you are still offering the service. Then it’s up to them to decide whether or not they want to take advantage of your offer and book their transportation during that time. Otherwise they know that they’ll be responsible for their own transportation costs.

Tip #2 – Group Multiple Arrivals and Departures on Larger Vehicles

In the world of transportation, sedan vehicle costs can get rather expensive. In the past when I worked with meeting planners who were doing transportation for their group I would often recommend that they use larger equipment (i.e. 10 passenger mini coaches, etc.) to transfer arrivals and departures within a certain timeframe. For example if they had six guests arriving from different cities but they were arriving within a 30 to 45 minute period – rather than schedule 6 separate sedans for the delegates, I would recommend to schedule one minibus. It’s a lot easier to schedule coaches for departures and stagger them a few hours apart for transferring delegates back to the airport. For meeting planners the savings could soon add up into the thousands on transportation alone.

Tip #3 – Assign an Individual to Coordinate Transportation

Rather than thinking that an additional person will increase your budget, consider the savings that meeting planners can achieve if all of the transportation changes are coordinated by one person. This is especially true if you are trying to implement Tip #1 and Tip #2 from above. Meeting planners can direct the transportation coordinator to make changes according to the transportation blocks that they have set aside. They’ll also be able to inform the delegates if this falls within the period that the meeting will pay for or whether or not they’ll have to pay for it on their own. Consider hiring a local expert to assist you with transportation needs if you’re in a city that you’re not familiar with. Local experts understand how things work at the airport (as each airport has their own set of rules and regulations regarding group arrivals and departures) and they also keep abreast of any road construction and traffic issues which may affect your group’s transportation. The cost of this person will more than pay for themselves in the long run.

Meeting planners that are on a tight budget do not necessarily have to rule out transportation for their delegates. There are ways that you can provide transportation for your group without blowing the budget.

 

 

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3 Things to Consider When Selecting an Event Planning Company

September 23, 2011 By Comments

If you’re someone that’s responsible for planning and executing events then you may or may not have worked with an event planning company in the past. Depending on your role, you may have other responsibilities and planning events is an additional task that you have been asked to do. Unless your sole role is planning events you may want to consider working with an event planning company. Selected properly these companies can help make your event a success. And in turn you will also be a success. If you have never worked with an event planning company here are 3 tips that will help make your task of selecting an event planning company that much easier.

1) How Transparent Is the Event Planning Company

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t trust the various companies that you’re considering. But most reputable companies do not have an issue with telling you how their pricing structure works. Not necessarily their exact markup, but an event planning company should be able to tell you where their fees are applied. Having worked in an event planning company in the past I had no problem telling clients that we were indeed a for profit company. I wanted to address that at the beginning so that my clients (especially the newer clients) didn’t think that we were there just to provide them with ideas that they could then run on their own. And believe it or not this is too often the case. However flipping to the other side of the coin as a person selecting an event planning company, you also want to know whether or not you’re receiving a fair price for the work that will be executed. Good event planning companies know that they can make a lot of commissions on hotel rooms from the hotel itself. Therefore as someone hiring an event planning company I would have an issue if they were also charging me a fee on top of the commission they were getting from my hotel. Same with most suppliers in general. If the event planning company has a reputation in their area then they most likely have preferred rates (i.e. wholesale rates) with certain suppliers . That enables the event planning company to still be able to markup the suppliers price and yet you would still receive a fair price overall.

Asking an event planning company how they markup or charge for their services is something that you should address at the beginning of your conversation.

2) What Is the Event Planning Company’s Relationship with Their Suppliers

Another important item to address when selecting an event planning company is what is their relationship with the prospective suppliers that they are proposing to you. It’s not that an event planning company cannot own a supplier company that they are proposing to you. It’s just that you would prefer to know that at the onset to avoid any conflict of interest that may arise. You also want to be sure that you’re getting the best selection of available suppliers in the area for your program.

3) Ask for References from the Event Planning Company

Any reputable event planning company will have no problem whatsoever providing you with references. Make sure these references are people that have used the event planning company in a way that you’re planning to use them. Determine what’s important to you for your program and then design your questions around those important issues.

Also inquire as to what industry associations the event planning company is a member of. This will give you a little indication as to their length of time in business as well as how well they are known in the industry. You can also ask your hotel contact or the local convention and visitors Bureau if they have a list of recommended event planning companies that you can call. Just be aware that with the convention and visitors Bureau they will only provide you with companies that are there members.

Selecting an event planning company to work with is often times a very good decision. However it’s also important that you know what you’re looking for when selecting an event planning company. And make sure your relay that to the prospective companies. An event planning company is like an assistant to you. Their sole job is to make sure that they provide you with the best event possible working within the parameters that you give them. So do not be shy – make sure you express your desires and expectations. Being a Secret Service event planner is not the best approach to have with your event planning company.

 

 

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