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What Keeps a Convention Planner up at Night?

February 8, 2012 By Comments

There’s a trend that I see among my colleagues for whom I consider to be well-organized individuals. They all seem to worry about things, or job tasks, that rely on other people. It’s no secret that a successful convention planner needs to be an organized individual. Their job tasks involve making sure that meetings or events are executed successfully. And, usually for a meeting or event to be successful, conference planners have to rely on third-party individuals. As the title suggests, many conference planners get nervous in the planning stages of their conference or event. This is usually when deadlines play a vital role in executing the meeting or event.

A Convention Planner Usually Worries about Things Involving Third Parties

There are many areas and components to a program that requires a convention planner to work with a third-party company or individual. For example, quite often the convention planner will hire a local destination management company to help execute on-site components. After all a destination management company, or DMC, is considered to be a local expert. However, this is also when a convention planner starts to get nervous. The following are a few components to a convention that a convention planner will tell you they often worry about:

Convention Registration- of course the key to any successful convention is the ability for the convention planner to draw attendees. For many associations, conventions and meetings are one of the main ways that they receive revenues. So, obviously if attendance is low, then so is the revenue. You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to understand that without revenues it’s very hard to function as a resource for the Association in question. That’s why it’s crucial for a convention planner to develop an exciting itinerary for their convention. And it’s also why it’s extremely important to promote the convention as often as possible.

Transportation- transportation is used many times over during most conventions. Whether it be airport transportation, shuttles to and from the convention center, sightseeing tours, or dinner transfers, transportation comes into play often. You see, the number one factor with transportation is that you literally have to rely on a series of events in order for the transportation component to be delivered successfully. There are many things regarding transportation that are outside of anyone’s control. Traffic jams, equipment breakdowns are just a couple of factors that can throw transportation into chaos. And the first person that would get blamed (of course after the transportation company itself) is the convention planner. That’s the person that all of the delegates will go to if they have any issues regarding transportation.

Keynote Speakers- I was once working a convention that had one of the top newscasters of the day as their keynote speaker. I remember asking my convention planner (my client) what would happen if a major event took that newscaster back to New York. Their answer was that they always booked a backup keynote speaker in case of such event. I remember that struck me as a brilliant way to be sure that in some way shape or form the convention would have a keynote speaker as promised. The backup was always somebody, almost equally popular, as the initial keynote speaker.

It’s pretty safe to say that there will always be something that will keep a convention planner up at night. It almost seems as if part of being an organized person involves being a worrier. What that does to one’s health is another matter. But for a convention planner, a successful convention is usually a result of having backup plans. And hoping never to use them.

 

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Are You a Time Zone Meeting Planner?

January 19, 2012 By Comments

The meeting and events industry involves considerable travel for many meeting planners. If you are a world time zone meeting planner then you probably know all too well the toll that constant travel can have on your body. I used to joke with my colleagues that you could tell who was new to the industry. You’d see the new meeting planners jump at the opportunity to travel with groups to various destinations. But that novelty soon wears off as many seasoned meeting planners can barely remember what city they’re in let alone what city they’re going to next.

Warning Signs for a Time Zone Meeting Planner

Many meeting planners get so involved with their hectic travel schedule that they sometimes don’t even recognize the signals that they’re starting to get worn down. At first many people are able to brush these symptoms aside but if they’re not addressed these symptoms can escalate and become a serious problem for your overall health.

Basically the cause of jet leg is your body’s inability to adjust quickly to the time in a different zone from which you live. Our bodies have an internal biological clock that basically follows the 24-hour cycle, otherwise known as circadian rhythm. So if you are a meeting planner time zone travel can be particularly draining. It’s important that you pay attention to the warning signs. Some early warning jet leg signs that you should watch for are:

  • insomnia
  • irritability
  • impaired concentration
  • anxiety
  • constipation or diarrhea
  • some people can also suffer irregular heartbeats

Tips on How a Time Zones Meeting Planner Can Overcome Fatigue or Other Travel Symptoms

Many experts will tell you that you really should start to treat time zone changes or jet leg before you begin your journey. Make sure that you get plenty of rest (even start to factor the time zone of where you’re traveling to into your sleep patterns ahead of time). Exercise and plenty of fluids (of the non-alcoholic type – sorry) will also help you combat fatigue ahead of time. Unfortunately everything I read tells me to avoid alcohol before long time zone traveling. During long-haul flights it’s important that you keep a similar routine by making sure you’re well hydrated as well as getting up and stretching your legs from time to time. Many in-flight magazines will show you simple exercises that you can do during your flight to help you fight off fatigue. If you’re flying on a redeye flight, you should bring supplies (a neck pillow, blindfold and earplugs) that can help you get some well needed rest.

Scheduling meetings with participants in different time zones can also be a hassle for many meeting planners. For a meeting planner time zones do not necessarily need to be your enemy. in today’s world, there are many apps that are designed to help us in our everyday lives. Well, I’m pleased to tell you, that there is a time zone converter for a meeting planner. In the related articles below you’ll notice the first article will give you more information regarding a world clock for a meeting planner.

Being a timezone meeting planner certainly has its rewards. You see many interesting parts of the world as well as being exposed to many different cultures. But extensive travel can certainly have its wear and tear on your body. Listen to your body and make sure you take all of the necessary steps to ensure that you minimize the effects that jet leg can have on your body.

 

 

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Conference Planning Tips on Promoting Events

January 17, 2012 By Comments

For many of you involved with conference planning, you”re all too familiar with the term “the devil is in the details”. It”s hard enough to set up the conference or event itself but then being tasked with  promoting the event can add a whole other stress level to your workload. In other words, for many of you, including myself, one of the toughest challenge to conference planning is promoting the conference or event itself. After all there”s nothing worse than having the big event day arrive and only a half filled room.

Conference and Event Planning Tip for Promoting-It”s All about Your List

First thing I ask a party and event planner about promoting their event, is who are they going to invite. First and foremost you need a good clean list that you can promote your event to. And you have to make sure that your list is the right audience. We”ve all heard the term “opt in” list. And today it”s becoming more and more common to have a double opt in list. If you currently do not have a clean opt in list then making one should be priority number one for you. Unless you have very deep pockets to do an extensive advertising campaign for your conference or event then it”s vital that you have a current database that is relevant to the conference planning you”re doing. Opt in basically means that the person on your list has requested to receive information or to be part of your overall database. The term double opt in means that the person has not only requested to receive information, they have also completed the additional step of verifying that it was indeed them that requested to be added to your list. An event planning checklist should include techniques for promoting events. And more importantly time to develop your list properly

The old days of just collecting names and e-mail addresses are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Social media can play a vital role in helping you create a clean opt in list. Unfortunately there is no quick fix or expedited track to developing a clean list. It takes time to build an opt in list as play casino online you”re basically establishing yourself as someone to be trusted on the topic you”re talking about within your industry. And that takes time.

Other telltale signs that your current list may need to be revisited are the stats that you can review from an e-mail blast that you have completed. Today, most all e-mail marketing software will provide you with statistics. Here are a few areas that you can review and evaluate your current database;

Bounces- (or more specifically hard bounces). Bounces are usually referred to as either hard or soft bounces. A soft bounced e-mail can generally mean that you are out of office or on vacation and may have an auto responder replying to any e-mails that you receive. A hard bounce, on the other hand, means that the e-mail address doesn”t exist anymore. Basically it”s in your better interest to remove your hard bounces often as you can run the risk of being flagged as a spammer if you continually send additional e-mails to hard bounced e-mail addresses.

Opt outs and reported as spam – for my guidelines, I always want my opt outs to be well under 1%. Averages for opt outs vary by industry but it”s safe to say that if you aim for 1% or lower you are in a safe range.

Open rates – while we would all like to think that 100% of our e-mails sent are opened the reality is that the majority will never be opened. A good open percentage could be anywhere from 15% to 30 percent depending on your industry.

Conference Planning and Promoting-There Are Great Resources at Your Fingertips

Today promoting an event is a crucial component for conference planning. For any of you setting up a marketing campaign you would be best served to read up and become aware of what your e-mail marketing benchmarks should be. MarketingSherpa provides a yearly e-mail marketing benchmark guide. This guide provides very useful information on what you can expect, or rather should expect, from your e-mail marketing campaigns for your industry. If you”re not hitting your conference planning targets then it”s very likely assign that your database list needs to be reworked. While this is no easy task it is crucial that your list is relevant and geared towards topics in your industry. A quick look at your e-mail distribution stats will give you an idea of what work may or may not lie ahead for you.

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What’s Involved with the Business of Event Planning?

December 22, 2011 By Comments

So you think you would like to be an event planner. The business of event planning certainly has its rewards. However, I often find people tell me they want to be in event planner for the wrong reasons. They love going to social events and parties that are the talk of the town. And it’s because of their love for parties that they think they would make an excellent event planner. Well they might but that certainly is not the main reason that you should get in the business of event planning.

The Many Components to the Business of Event Planning

When people tell me they want to become an event planner because they love to socialize I usually tell them to stop and think about what’s involved with the business of event planning. Unfortunately, socializing is something you won’t be doing too much of while you’re working. Or if you are there’s probably an aspect of your job that you’re not looking after.

For someone that’s interested in the business of event planning there are many factors for them to review. Some of the characteristics of a typical event planner are;

  • Strong organizational skills
  • the ability to multitask (although I really hate that word)
  • the ability to lead others
  • and the ability to take direction themselves
  • budgeting skills

To name just a few. Just looking at the characteristics above will tell you that if you’re in the business of event planning your typically one busy person. And if you do like to socialize or attend parties then perhaps the business of event planning is not for you. Quite often your working hours extend well into the evening as many of your clients functions will be taking place at these times.

The business of event planning can be very rewarding. For me, as I came from a hotel background, entering the event planning world was a natural fit. I was used to working under pressure and under strict deadlines to make sure that my events went off without a hitch. And coming from hotels budgeting became my second name. It’s not that you necessarily like budgeting rather it’s that you become very good at it because it’s a common task of your job. If you’re someone that enjoys the pressures of deadlines and you have the ability to make quick decisions on the fly, then the business of event planning just might be for you.

 

 

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Event Planning in Washington DC

December 20, 2011 By Comments

When you think of Washington, DC all too often we think of the political side to that city. Images of the bickering and fighting that seems to go on forever between the Democrats and Republicans often overshadows how great our nation’s capital really is. There are lots of meetings and events that occur in and around Washington DC. Event planning in Washington DC is a feat that’s best left to a seasoned event planner as there are many logistical issues that need to be addressed.

If Your Event Planning in Washington DC Then You’re amongst the Best

If you’ve never been to the capital then you really have to plan a visit here. The museums alone can keep you occupied for days on end. The venue spaces are plentiful and there are many varieties of venues to choose from. For those that have been in the meetings and events industry for some time, know that Washington DC is home to some of the largest associations in the country (well, the world actually). Many seasoned event planners have lived and worked in Washington DC having worked for one of these associations. Suppliers always wanting to get a piece of the Association business spend a lot of time in and around DC doing sales calls.

For anyone that is planning an event in the DC area is well advised to utilize the talents and expertise of Washington’s CVB -Washington.org. Here you’ll find many links regarding activities and the service providers available to you. You can also take advantage of their expertise by contacting Washington.org and having your meeting or event executed through their experienced sales team. Once you do that your information will be sent to the appropriate suppliers list. From there, you’ll have plenty to choose from as the service providers will contact you (if desired) with their ideas for your meeting or event.

For anyone event planning in Washington DC, the CVB has a great meeting planner page. Here you’ll find all kinds of information, such as facility searches, information about the Walter E Washington Convention Center, additional supplier information (such as housing, registration, speakers, exhibitors and planning guides), information and images to help you put your information together as well as a list of contacts that are available to assist you.

Event planning in Washington DC is abundant with resources and suppliers to suit every event planners needs. The capital is a great place to host a meeting or event. However there are logistical issues (after all there’s a lot of protocol that goes along with this city) that you need to be aware of. Washington.org is a great place to start your search. From here you can link to additional resources and services available to you to help make event planning in Washington DC a breeze.

 

 

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You Don’t Have To Re-Create the Wheel to Get Good Event Planning Forms

December 16, 2011 By Comments

Using event planning forms is a great way organize the various components of your event. Consider an event planning form as an overview of the event itself. A good form will list all the components of the event along with the contact information, cost information, and completion dates.

Do You Need an Event Planning Form

I have talked to some meeting planners in the past that have told me they don’t even use event planning forms for events that they execute. I have to admit my initial reaction was “how in the heck are you able to make sure that all aspects of your event are being covered”. They tell me that they’ve done events for so long that it’s literally like clockwork for them. While I’m sure that’s true I have to admit that having been in the meetings and events industry for well over 20 years now I still use event planning forms or event planning checklists for any events that I’m responsible for. This is especially true if you have more than one event occurring at the same time. It’s also helpful to use event planning forms if you have a team of colleagues working on the event together. That way it’s very clear what each person’s role is in the event.

Where to Get Good Event Planning Forms

Some people prefer to make their own event planning forms or checklist based on the way they operate. However, if you’re looking for some existing event planning forms that you can use there are a couple of places that I would recommend.

Microsoft office’s event planning page has over 20 templates that you can choose from. Whether your focus is on the event’s budget, scheduling or ticketing, Microsoft office has event planning forms to meet your needs. And you can easily alter and customize the form for your specific needs.

Google Docs is another great resource for event planning forms. If you click on their event planning form you’ll see a template that outlines the various components to a typical event. In addition the form is set up like a banquet event order where you can indicate who the suppliers are, the costs associated with each item line and an approval process.

Microsoft Office and Google Docs are two great sources for event planning forms. One of the great things about their forms is that they are easily customizable to the way you set up and execute your own events.

 

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Key Items for an Event Planner Contract

December 15, 2011 By Comments

Someone once told me that they view contracts like a divorce is to a marriage – you only need to review the contract if something is going wrong. And let’s face it we’ve all entered many contracts where, after we’ve signed and agreed to everything, we’ve never looked at it again. And that’s really the goal with event planner contracts as well. But before you get to the point where you don’t have to look at your event planner contract agreement anymore there are few things that you need to be aware of. Or, more specifically, there are a few things that you need to make sure are covered in your event planning contracts.

An Event and Party Planner Contract Sets the Tone of Your Relationship

If you’re like me you hate the contract stage. To me it takes the warm and fuzzy relationship that you’ve built and turns it in to a period of technical bullet points which often don’t sound very accommodating. It always baffled me that you can buy or sell a house, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a two or three page contract. But you may have an event that’s worth tens of thousands of dollars and find that you have a 5 to 10 page contract to cover all of the details. When did we become so technical? But if you look at an event and party planner contracts as documents that basically confirms how your business relationship will move forward then it’s a good idea to get everything covered and signed so that you can go back to servicing the event itself.

I also recommend that you look at various sample contracts for event planners as there are many free event planner contract templates available on the web for you to review.

There are key issues that you do need covered in contracts for event planners. I guess this is where that technical stuff comes into play. However whether you’re the event planner or the client of the event planner you do want to make sure the following items are covered in your contract;

Deposit and Payment Schedule – here you don’t want any surprises as this could have an adverse affect on your cash flow. You want to make sure both sides are on the same page when it comes to finances. A good event planner contract will have a clear outline of how much will be paid before the event. And these payments should also have a schedule of when they are due.,

Cancellation Policy – like the deposit and payment schedule it’s a very good idea to outline what happens if any aspect of the event is cancelled. A lot of times cancellation charges are related to how far in advance the cancellation was made. Therefore the cancellation policy along with any potential charges is a necessity for the event planner contract.,

Liability and Indemnification – this is where the wording get so technical that you could literally fall asleep. However, all jokes aside, this is a crucial part of an event planner contract. As the client, it’s imperative to you that you know what your liabilities are when it comes to your event. And as the event planner it’s just as crucial that you relate to your client what insurance their event requires. A tip on liability and indemnification is to include a cause regarding terrorism. Many groups were left with a fair amount of liability after 9/11 because their event planner contracts did not cover acts of terrorism clearly enough.

If Everything Goes Well You’ll Never Look at Your Event Planner Contract Again

The contract is the period in the relationship where you have to cover the “what if” scenarios. Nobody really likes to discuss legal issues or try to determine who will be at fault if certain situations arise. But these are crucial areas of an event planner contract that need to be covered. The Association for Destination Management Executives(ADME.org) deserves credit as they have been hard at work trying to streamline how and what contracts are used in the meetings and events industry. And they have made great strides in that area. It’s worth a visit to ADME as you’ll get many ideas for your event planner contract template there.

If you’re at the stage where it’s time to review your event planner contract hopefully you can be lucky enough that this will be the last time you have to look at the contract. Because if it is the last time it generally means that your event was a success.

 

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QC Event Planning-a Great Way to Become Certified in Event and Wedding Planning

December 8, 2011 By Comments

If you’re in the event and wedding planning business and you’re interested in finding event planning jobs that help you develop in your career, consider becoming certified from QC Event Planning. Even if you’re new to the event and wedding planning industry the QC School of Event Planning is a great way for you to learn about the event and wedding planning business and become a certified player in the industry.

About QC School of Event Planning

Here at Plan An Event we are always looking at event planning companies and what we consider to be industry leaders. We also like to provide a review and/or contact information for you to get further information if desired. We are not affiliated with QC nor have they contacted us to write an article about them. We have been made aware of QC Event Planning, as we often are regarding other event planning websites and event planning software, by our colleagues in the industry.

QC Event Planning has been offering event planning certification and education training for more than 25 years. The company stays on top of new technology and new materials and adjust their course outlines accordingly. The company began in North America and has since expanded to the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. And don’t just take our word about QC Event Planning, check out the Better Business Bureau where they enjoy the highest possible rating of A+.

The QC School of Event Planning offers support to their students in a number of ways. You have your own login for their web portal where you can find a vast array of resources and information at your fingertips. Or if you can’t find the information you’re looking for on their web portal a personal tutor is always available to assist you.

QC Event Planning Offers Two Event Planning Certification Courses for You to Choose

Students can choose from two courses available – event and wedding planning or wedding planning. Both are designed to give you the tools you need to start your own event and wedding planning business. The courses offer practical assignments and the best part is there are no exams. Materials are sent to you, to study at your own pace, which include;

  • electronic templates
  • forms
  • checklist
  • spreadsheets
  • and organizer Pro business software to help you manage projects

So if you’re considering a career in event and/or wedding planning and we strongly suggest you take a look at QC event planning. Like always we suggest you get references and actually call and talk to a couple of those references about their experience with QC school of event planning. For anyone considering event planning internships, this is also an excellent avenue to explore. Above all make sure you have a clear understanding of what your expectations are from the two courses offered. And make sure you really your expectations to your contact when discussing course options. And as we’ve always said whenever you’re investing in yourself you’re investing in your future.

 

 

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Event Planning Jobs-the Interviews

December 4, 2011 By Comments

We’ve all been on one side of the interview desk or the other. We have sat through interviews where we would’ve rather have been at the dentist having a root canal. And we’ve also conducted interviews where it was very hard to look at the interviewee in the eyes without screaming “are you for real”.

I know in today’s economy many of you are finding yourselves going to job interviews. It is never easy to go into an interview as you’re really trying to sell yourself. The video below is a bit of comic relief to help you get a chuckle out of some interviews that have gone bad – really, really bad.

 

 

So if you do find yourself in a position where you have either been to or are going to an interview, maybe take a moment and look at this video. It’s going to give you a little chuckle and maybe when you’re in that interview think back to this video – hopefully it will help make you a little bit more comfortable knowing that you are not acting like one of these characters in the video. And hopefully your interviewer isn’t acting like one of those characters either. And most of all for all of you going for interviews – good luck!

 

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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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