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Do You Use Meeting Planner Software?

March 13, 2012 By Comments

photo by ict4entrepreneurship.com

It’s a question that I often ask of meeting planners. Whether or not they use meeting planning software. While I have to admit most meeting planners do use some type software to assist them with their meeting planning, you would be surprised at how many meeting planners aren’t using any specific software at all.

Some Meeting Planning Software Could Be Categorized Homemade

I should elaborate here. When those meeting planners told me they weren’t using any specific software, most were using spreadsheets or databases to help them organize and execute their events. So while that is technically using software, it’s not really using customized software for the industry. A lot of us use spreadsheets where we set up our own customized columns and enter information into the various cells where we can later sort and review the information as we need it. Some meeting planners have been doing meeting planning for so long that they have developed their own systems that work quite well for them. Others, including seasoned meeting planners, are always looking for new and innovative software that they can easily implement into their meeting planning routine.

Most Meeting Planning Software Includes a Registration Element

The one component that many meeting planners do say is vital for them is their ability to track the registration of their delegates for their various meetings. And if registration involves a financial transaction than those meeting planners are always looking for software that has an e-commerce component.

Parts of meeting planning that most often utilizes meeting planning software are; transportation (manifest preparation software), client relationship management or CRM, and registration software. Companies that encompass many of these technological requirements are the ones that meeting planners more and more are turning to for an ongoing relationship.

Eventbrite is one company that specializes in promoting your event as well as handling registration and payment. Eventbrite is ideal for those meeting planners that are focusing on events themselves as opposed to an overall meeting program. It’s very easy to set up and it’s just as easy to load all of your contact information and start marketing to potential attendees. You can even structure reminder notices for those who have not taken any action from any previous e-mails that you may have sent. And it has the ability to collect payment if required. The nice thing about the e-commerce portion of Eventbrite is that you do not need your own merchant account to collect credit card payment.

Cvent is more robust in that it can be used for an overall meeting program. Cvent also has a large area where meeting planners can review and select vendors for their programs needs. Like Eventbrite Cvent has a great registration component to their software. On top of that their CRM can be integrated to all aspects of Cvent’s cloud-based software. Think of it as a one-stop shopping for meeting planning. When I first became aware of Cvent, they were pretty much the leaders in registration software. Since then they have become much more robust and are certainly an industry leader for meeting planning software.

Like everything, meeting planning software is personal. Some meeting planners prefer to create their own spreadsheets or databases to execute their meetings or events. Others are always staying on top of the latest and greatest in technology for this industry. Whichever side of the coin you happen to fall on, I’m sure you won’t disagree that there’s plenty of meeting planner software out there to help you plan and execute your meeting or event.

 

 

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Do You Use Event Planning Software

December 2, 2011 By Comments

Software for event planning come in all shapes, sizes and colors. When one thinks of software we usually associate it with helping us do our jobs easier and more efficiently. And lately we’ve been hearing about this cloud-based software. For those of you wondering, cloud-based software means that the actual software sits on a remote server and you access it over the Internet. Of course the biggest plus to cloud-based software is that you can access it from virtually anywhere in the world – as long as you have an Internet connection.

What kind of event planning software do you use?

The answer to what kind of event planning software you use is directly related to what you’re using the software for. Naturally, many planners are looking for free event planning software. Free software does exist, just make sure it fits with the type of event planning that you do as there may be advertisers etc. they get displayed. As long as you don’t have a problem with that and or your delegates then I suggest you strongly consider as some of the best event planning software can be free or at very nominal cost.

Do you need software that can easily show you room setups (i.e. dinner functions, meeting setups, etc.) or do you need software were you can set up your program and store vendor information? As well, as a lot of the events are registration based, software that allows you to track registrations, send out reminder notices as well as collect fees, if any, is also very popular.

There Are Many Places to Look to Find Event Planning Software for You

In case you haven’t noticed many applications on the Internet today are offered to the end-user for free. Not that long ago we were used to paying a one-time fee or a small monthly subscription to use event planning software. Today it’s becoming more and more common that a lot of event planning websites offer the service to you for free. These websites are in the business of making money it’s just that they are doing it in different, non-traditional, ways.

Some websites that I would recommend you take a look at for their event planning software are;

EventPro Planner – EventPro Planner has event software for both vendors and planners. The website states that their event planning software is ideal for an event planner that needs to plan events at various venues, manage attendees or delegate registrations, manage boobs and exhibitors and create a complete and in-depth attendee and exhibitor itineraries. A look at their product page also provides a full list of offerings at a glance.

Cvent event planning software – we have talked many times in the past about Cvent here. They got their start as a registration software company and has since expanded to include vendor listings and additional cloud-based solutions for the meetings industry. Their event planning for planners provides free and unlimited access to their supplier network where they can submit RFPs (request for proposals) that can streamline event sourcing and site selection.

EventBrite – EventBrite prides itself as an industry leader for managing and promoting your events. It is free to use and you can have many events occurring with the one user account.

Grupio – for today’s mobile world Grupio is a smart phone application that makes attending an event that much more convenient. Grupio provides easy access to event information and enables attendees to interact with each other. The company has three different packages available with the standard package offering scheduling, sponsor and exhibit information, speaker profiles, push notification and SMS messaging, floor plans, banner ads and is easily integrated with Facebook and twitter.

As you can see there are many shapes and sizes of event planning software available. Some are free and some charge based on your usage. But one thing is certain in today’s busy world and that’s if you’re an event or meeting planner then there’s an event planning software of some type for you.

 

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Tips on How to Promote Your Event on Social Media

November 2, 2011 By Comments

The premise around social media is to basically get noticed by people that are following you. Or better yet, to promote your event and/or yourself so that people want to follow you on social media. Which begs the question – how do you go about promoting your event on social media to both get noticed and get attendees to your event? If you are using Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. then no doubt you have seen ineffective ways that people use these mediums to promote their events. The number one turn off on any of these social media mediums is when people start promoting their company, themselves and their websites blatantly. That is not what social media is intended for. At least on the surface.

Using Social Media to Promote Your Event Correctly

Ultimately our goal with using social media in our businesses is to draw attention to what we are offering. But those of you who think that you can simply put links to your website or promote that you have simply the best product out there, etc. are setting yourselves up for failure. As I’ve mentioned before social media is a slow build. Things will not happen overnight. However when used effectively social media is a great way of letting people know you exist. But in today’s world you have to be better than simply letting people know you exist. Make sure you have something of value to offer any potential followers. The best way to use social media effectively is to offer advice or information about the industry you are in. Talk about latest trends, link to other relevant sites, and offering your opinion – all without making an obvious sales pitch – will eventually will build trust and people will want to start following you. But be very careful once you establish that trust. I wouldn’t recommend changing midstream just because you have a lot of followers and start putting links to products or services that you’re selling.

When you have an event to promote, using social media properly can be an effective tool. On LinkedIn, for example, in addition to letting your connections know about your event, it’s also recommended that you search for like-minded groups where you can post your information. On Facebook it’s very important that you don’t mix your personal and your professional “friends”. Your personal friends are probably not interested in your professional events so be careful that you’re not wasting time or more importantly wasting their time by promoting something that they’re not interested in. Find corporate pages that are similar to your industry, “like” those pages and then offer comments. On twitter, in addition to promoting your event to your followers, the use of hash tags (#) can be effective for finding groups that share similar interests. Start following like-minded lists and in turn get yourself listed.

Using social media to promote your event needs to be a calculated process. In addition to promoting the event itself it’s important that you have an area where people can sign up and register with the ease. EventBrite, as one example, is a free service that allows you to track, send reminders, and even collect payment. Using social media correctly can be a very effective way of getting the word out about your event. The take away advice from here is to make sure you do things right the first time – as the old saying goes – you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Don’t blow it.

 

 

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Eventbrite – It’s Really That Easy

October 27, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy techweet on flickr

We’re all looking for ways to simplify things, both personally and professionally. And when you consider what a large role technology plays in our lives today, it seems the logical place to start.

Although dates vary, the first call made on a mobile phone (non-radio powered) occurred around April 1973 (the prototype weighed over six pounds!). Too big and boxy to carry around, car phones became popular in the 1980’s and hand-held cells were in demand by the early 1990’s. But it was only around ten to fifteen years ago that cell phones became affordable for the average consumer.

Cell phones changed everything for meeting and event planners. No more running to the pay phone; no more desperately trying to track down suppliers; no more “lost” staff. It certainly made all our lives a lot easier.

And now Eventbrite is taking things to the next level for meeting and event planners everywhere!

Eventbrite – Who Are They?

Founded in 2006 by Kevin and Julia Hartz and Renaud Visage, Eventbrite grew rapidly and by 2009 had already grossed $100 million dollars in ticket sales. By December 2010 that number grew to over $400 million.

So what exactly is Eventbrite?

Eventbrite – What Do They Do?

The New York Times said that “Eventbrite is to ticket sales what Google is to search terms.”

They’ve been called the Ticketmaster for events. Eventbrite is a website designed to assist event planners and organizers. Although initially designed to facilitate ticket sales, it is so much more than that.

Eventbrite allows you to create a customized event page, market your event through social media and even collect payment. All on one web site!

Eventbrite – How Does It Work?

The first step is to setup your customized event page. Their user friendly format allows you to download logos, images and links to your own website. Your event page will enable attendees to register and buy tickets online for your event. It also includes the ability to specify different ticket types, offer discount codes and even sends attendees bar coded tickets to avoid double printing.

So you’ve set up your event page…what next? Promote, promote, promote! Regardless of medium, the success of any event is dependent upon your ability to promote it. And Eventbrite even makes that a little easier. Your event page is automatically connected to search engines (including Google) which will maximize your exposure as potential attendees search for your event. It also includes easy integration with major social networking sites including, but not limited to, Twitter and Facebook. Coupled with the ability to send out evites and follow up communications, Eventbrite makes your job that much easier.

And then it actually helps you manage your event! Attendees can pay for their tickets through a secure site (choice of PayPal or Google Checkout); you can create wait-lists for your fabulous, already sold out event and it can even generate name badges for you.

Eventbrite – Should Planners Everywhere Be Worried?

Eventbrite believes that “anyone can be an event organizer” by utilizing their website. And while this website is designed to simplify the job, planners should fear not! While it may ease our lives with its convenient and well designed capabilities, it can never replace event and meeting planners. Because we still bring creativity, organization and lots of personality to the table!

By continuing to embrace modern technologies, meeting and event planners can simplify their lives while bringing their events to the next level.

 

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Organizational Tips for Event Party Planning

October 20, 2011 By Comments

For some, event party planning can be a stressful task. To run a successful event there are a number of key areas that need to be addressed ahead of time. Without being adequately organized a party planner will feel the stress of trying to execute their event. However, do not despair as following a few tips below will help make the tasks run like clockwork.

Event Party Planning Should Begin with a Map of How You Want the Event to Unfold

At the onset sit down and map out how you envision the event to unfold. While this task doesn’t seem that detailed it is crucial as it will help you answer the additional steps as you get further into the planning of your event. For example, determine what kind of venue you’re looking for – is it a casual event that you plan to host at your home or is it an event that requires you to rent or book a venue. It’s also crucial that you determine the theme for your event. This alone may help you decide what venue is appropriate as well as what type of budget you might be looking at for such an event.

As part of your initial event party planning you will want to cover the following:

  • the type of venue
  • the theme of your event
  • the guest list (crucial of course that your venue is able to accommodate the number of people you’re intending to invite)
  • budgets (are you hosting the event or will you be charging a fee to the invitees to help cover the cost of the event)

Use a Checklist for Your Event Party Planning

Once you have a general outline of your event it’s recommended that you enter all of the information into a checklist and assign completion dates. This will help reduce the stress as you can easily check your progress throughout the various stages. I find that when people do not assign dates to required tasks they are often stressed out about the overall event itself. And many times things will go undone which can have a negative impact on the event as a whole. Microsoft office has a variety of party planning checklists that you can download. Why not take advantage of one of these checklists where you can add your personal information and customize the checklist for your specific party or event.

It’s also important to keep in mind what your guests will be expected to do ahead of time. For example if you have a theme to your party and want your guests to be part of that theme, quite often they may be required to come in costume. So it’s important that you let them know ahead of time if they are required to do a little bit of work on their end before the party.

In addition to Microsoft offices party planning templates, you can also take advantage of free registration software. EventBrite is a free web-based software that allows you to upload your contacts, design an invitation, send invitations and track RSVPs. EventBrite also allows you to issue tickets where you’re invited guests can pay for them directly online. You do not need to have a credit card merchant account or a PayPal account as EventBrite will collect the money and transfer the funds to your bank account once the event or party has concluded. It can also send reminders and follow-up invitations as well.

Being organized is the key factor for event party planning. Take the time to outline your event or party and also take use of free checklists and web-based software that is available to assist you. Who knows, if you’re this organized you may even be able to enjoy the party itself.

 

 

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Party Event Planning in 3 Easy Steps

October 4, 2011 By Comments

Does party event planning have you stressed out? While there are certainly things that you must address when orchestrating an event, it doesn’t mean that it has to be a stressful ordeal . Depending on how elaborate your event will be is key in determining the amount of work required ahead of time. But do not despair, using a few simple steps as a guidelines will help ensure your party or event goes off without a hitch.

Party Event Planning-Determine Your Theme

Determining the theme for your party or event may seem like a no-brainer to many. However I’ve often talked to party planners who told me that picking the theme of their party was often one of the last task that they did. Determining the theme of your party or event at the beginning will help you in determining the location as well as what party favors or decor that you may need. A lot of people in October will obviously pick Halloween as a theme. This can be a lot of fun as long as you give your guests enough notice and make it so that they don’t have to spend a fortune to partake.

Party Event Planning-Location Location Location

Determining the theme of your party can also help make your decision easier on where to host the event. Another tip is to choose a venue that will fit your theme easily. One that you don’t have to spend a lot of money decorating.

If your party or event is going to be hosted at your house, pick a theme that won’t be too hard to execute on your end. Seasonal themes are often good selections because there are many retail places that you can buy decor without spending a fortune.

Party Event Planning-Inviting

The key to any successful party is inviting the people that you want to attend. A lot of people overlook this step as they think all of the people that they will invite will attend. Not so. And you want to time the inviting process so that it doesn’t begin to early or too late in the planning stages. A lot of people ask me if it’s important to get RSVPs. I always say yes for a couple of reasons. The obvious reason is so that you know roughly how many people to expect at your party. The second reason, and this has to do with using third-party or cloud software to invite your guests, is that you can tailor your messages. For example you can have a follow-up automated message that gets sent to the people that replied yes. And you can also have a second automated message that gets sent to people that have not replied at all. Both of these messages can be set up in advance saving you crucial time during the execution stage of party event planning. There are several cloud-based registration software that you can use that are free. EventBrite is one that I have used often for both my professional and personal use. It’s very easy to set up an account and you can get started with your invitation in no time at all. It’s also very easy to set up those reminder notices that you can schedule to be sent on specific dates. EventBrite is also equipped to collect money on your behalf (if your event is a charged event). This is particularly good if you’re doing fundraising events. Your invitees can pay by credit card yet there is no need for you to obtain a credit card merchant account in order to accept these fees. Event Brite will forward any money that you collected for your event directly to your bank account. Accounts with EventBrite are easy to set up and you could administer several events at one time.

So do not let the task of party event planning keep you stressed out. Set a few simple goals with due dates and try to stick to your schedule. Utilize automated software when you can. In no time you’ll feel the pressure lifted and you’ll feel like you’re ready to tackle your next event.

 

 

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Tips on How to Plan a Party

August 19, 2011 By Comments

Whether it be a birthday party, dinner party or a good old-fashioned BBQ, we’ve all been involved at some point in time in organizing a party. Here are a few tips on how to plan a party that will help take the stress away.

How to Plan a Party-Budgets

One of the first things you need to determine is how you are going to pay for the party. Will you be footing the bill alone or will you be asking people that are attending to help pay for some of the cost? Generally speaking birthday parties and dinner parties are usually paid for by the hosts. Keep in mind with dinner parties that most guests will bring a host gift and/or wine that you can serve. But if you have your budget determined ahead of time it will be easy to add the other elements based on their cost alone.

How to Plan a Party-Location

Factors to keep in mind when selecting a location are; is it easy for people to get to, how much it’s going to cost you to rent, and the overall appeal of the location. If it’s a casual party, i.e. a BBQ, chances are you can host that in your backyard or in a city park. For kids parties it’s often fun for the location to be at an attraction, a movie house or perhaps even a beach (make sure you have plenty of chaperones on hand for beaches).

How to Plan a Party-Attendees

How many people you invite to your party will usually depend on your budget (if you’re footing the bill) and your location. One thing to consider with attendees is how they will mingle with each other. I’ve been to several parties where people tend to congregate in groups because of their familiarity with each other. Your goal is to get the attendees to mingle with each other. So having a common goal like everyone’s children in the same school would be one way that mingling is likely to happen. For dinner parties don’t sit couples next to each other. Spreading the group around the table will help ensure new conversations and ones that are likely to include several people.

How to Plan a Party-Theme

Of course birthday parties themes are generally dictated by the location selected. If your party is for grown-ups (perhaps a Halloween party) make sure you set a theme that’s easy for the attendees. A couple of decades ago murder mystery parties became very popular. Party attendees were sent their characters information ahead of time so that they would have a chance to enhance their role. The rule of thumb with themes is not to make it too complicated for people to participate.

How to Plan a Party-Invites

This is the nervous part. You’ve done all your planning, selected your venue and you’re now ready to invite people. I always recommend that the invitation process occurs in stages. First you want to send out the general invitation informing people of what exactly it is that you be doing. Asking for RSVP’s is recommended. But bear in mind very seldom will everybody that said they were going to come actually show up. Next schedule a couple of reminders. The first one could be a couple weeks prior to the event with the last reminder being a day or two from the event. Again always ask for confirmation of attendance. I’ve talked about EventBrite in previous posts. It’s a free web-based event management platform where you can set up your event and actually send invitations out automatically. It will also track the RSVPs.

How to Plan a Party – The Role of the Host

For most birthday or casual parties the role of the host will most likely be you. So it’s important for you to remember that you will have duties and responsibilities to carry out throughout the event. Not that you won’t be able to have a good time and socialize with your attendees. But if you intend to partake and perhaps consume alcohol throughout the event then you might want to consider having someone else oversee things as they unfold.

Of course there are many more tips on how to plan a party and the ones above are intended to give you a general framework. Basically the message here is organization. Don’t leave things to last-minute and don’t expect that just because you sent an invitation to someone that they will automatically attend. Know your budget and what you need to do to keep things in line. Following a few of these tips on how to plan a party will help you create a successful party and have a bit of fun doing it.

 

 

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Tips On How To Promote An Event

June 17, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy of ShoutPut.com

We’ve all attended events and wondered how did they get so many people to attend?  During my educational years, I had the privilege of taking a hospitality course by Disney. I remember being impressed by a single phrase that Walt Disney had coined – “you don’t build it for yourself, you find out what the people want and you build it for them”. That single phrase can be applied to so many aspects of one’s career. How to promote an event would certainly fall into that rule.

Of course the easiest way to promote any event would be to have the right budget and just buy up ad space in related markets.  But for most of us, the luxury of this type of budget doesn’t exist and you have to come up with creative ways to get the word out.  Well, luckily you don’t have to be a marketing executive to know how to promote an event.  In today’s digital age, there are many low cost, and even free, ways to get people to come out.

Find Out What The People Want

When people ask me how to promote an event, one of the first things I ask them is “how do you know that people will want to come out”.  If I start getting answers like “oh because I have this great new product that I know people will love” I realize that this event could be on a collision course from the get go.  Just because you think your product is the greatest and newest there is, doesn’t mean that everyone in your industry will agree.  Actually they may even feel like they being targeted for a sales pitch and will avoid the event altogether.

Recently, my company ran a series of networking events for the meeting and events industry.  Before I even began to think of how to promote an event, I needed to find out what people in this industry wanted to do and when. So I began by asking a few colleagues what they thought were key decision factors on events they attended. From those initial meeting, I had about ten questions.  I then took those question and narrowed them down to about four key ones.  Be respectful of people’s time.  Many will answer a couple of quick and easy question.  But if you start taking up too much of their valued time, you won’t get many replies.  Also, if you can, provide an incentive for people that actually do take the time to answer your questions.  A free white paper or a token gift, if you have the budget, is a nice gesture and tells people that you appreciate the effort on their part to help you. For my needs, I needed to get answers to those key questions from a broader audience.  I turned to the web and found that there are several free survey software sites that you can use to set up your survey.  Just a quick Google of free survey sites will give you a great place to start.  Then I sent an email to my data base with a link to the survey as well as posted the information on all of my social media sites.  This relatively easy exercise gave me the insight for what I needed to set up my successful events.  I was quite surprised by some of the answers I was getting.  For example, over 50% of the replies said that they preferred to have an event over the noon hour.  This allowed them to network without the event taking up too much of their free time. I’ll explain the use of surveys in more depth in a later post.

Using Social Media to Promote

Pretty much everyone we know has some type of social media presence.  Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are all very effective way to get your message out. But make sure that you have a social media presence that matches your professional life.  For example, if you use Facebook for your family and friends, chances are they won’t be interested in attending one of your work events.

Check out this great post, by EventBrite, on how to promote your event using social media.

So, take a little time at the beginning to do your homework. It will make things easier and give you a clear picture of what it is that you need to do.  Soon you’ll be creating and hosting successful events and your social media followers will be waiting to hear about the next event.

 

 

 

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What Are The Best Ways To Promote Events?

June 15, 2011 By Comments

Photo courtesy of fuschia foot on flickr

At a lot of networking events that I attend, I’m often  asked “what are the best ways to promote events?”. Well I wish there was one simple answer to that question. There are a few ways that I have found to be very effective in today’s fast paced world.

Using Social Media to Promote Events

Using social media to promote events is one of the better ways to get the word out. Which type of social media account to use depends really on how you set them up for your use.

LinkedIn is generally for your professional connections. It’s today’s resume. Our LinkedIn connections are people that we network with professionally or people that share the same work interests. So the use of this account to promote events that your company is hosting would be ideal.  However if it was a family or purly social event, then LinkedIn may not be suitable.

Twitter would be another good way of communicating to your followers about your event . And because Twitter is a real time application, this account, in addition using it to promote events, is also best used to provide reminders and updates.

Facebook was originally considered as a way to connect with your friends. However, as we’ve seen lately, it’s now very common to find company pages on Facebook. It really depend on how you set up your Facebook page whether or not your “friends” are the ones that you should be promoting events to.

The main message about utilizing social media to promote events is to be sure you know what you want each of your accounts to do at set up.  Be sure to keep your professional life separate from your personal life. I’ve seen many accounts where the person is trying to be all things to all people. That will not work. Especially if you’re using these accounts to promote events that are part of your professional life.

Using Event Software to Promote Events

So now you have the event details ironed out and you know who it is you want to invite from your social media accounts. You now want to consider how you are going to manage the registration and payment (if part of your event) process. Depending on the size of your company, you may not have the budget to pay for event software. Well, that’s ok, there are many free sites that you can use to promote events. Sites like EventBrite (www.eventbrite.com), for example, also give you the ability to collect money and send tickets directly to the registrant.  It also can connect directly to your social media accounts for organizing.

Do your homework at the beginning. Make sure you know what you’ll need the event management software to do for you. Then go out and review each of them.  Even ask colleagues on your social media if they have a recommendation.

 

 

 

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