My Event Secrets

Venue Selection for Business Events

2008-08-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

Venue selection is very important but more so for events which are held over a period of time such as conferences and workshops where attendees are required to visit the location more than once or stay in.

Accessibility
Cost – What is the cost of transportation for the attendees. Some venue locations are cheap but it will cost the attendees a lot in terms of transportation.
Time – How long will it take for attendees to get to the location? If the venue is too far out, attendees might be unwilling to invest the time and money to travel to the event, unless it is a groundbreaking event.
Frequency – Ensure that there are regular connections to the site via public transportation. Try not to select a place which is only accessible by car.
Convenience – Determine if the place is centrally located and the attendees are able to commute easily to and from the venue.

Local support
Find out if the local authorities is supportive of events of such nature. Some cities/states increases the frequency of public transportation during the event or have rebates and subsidies to help organizers defray costs.

Extra Conference Opportunities
Although the primary purpose of an attendee is to attend the event, the attendee will also be engaged in secondary activities such as entertainment, shopping, sightseeing, recreation and networking such as visiting local clients, negotiations, business deals, selling, making contacts, etc.

Accommodation facilities
If the event sees a lot of guests from other states and countries, you need to take into consideration accommodation facilities. Is the venue which you have chosen near a variety of hotels with sufficient room capacity and at affordable rates?

Meeting Facilities
Capacity – Is the venue able to provide suitably sized facilities. Some venues are more flexible than others so you need to consider your needs. If it is your first time organizing an event, ensure that you select a venue where it allows you to expand or reduce the room capacity.
Layout - Is the layout and the floorplan suitable?
Cost – What is the cost of the venue? Is there a cheaper alternative? If you were to pay a little more, will you be able to get a better location?
Ambience – Is the ambience of the venue suitable for your event? E.g. if the venue is home to families and there are children running and screaming down the hallways, it might not be suitable for your business event.
Service – What is the perceived standards of service at the venue? Are they prompt when need arises or it is almost impossible to find anyone when you need them.
Security – Is the venue safe? What is the perception of the attendees in terms of the security level at the venue?
Availability –Is the venue close to amenities and has the necessary facilities such as a business centre and internet connection.
Experience – A check with a few business acquaintances will be able to provide you with some feedback on how the venue fared in terms of suitability for your kind of event.

Information
Reputation – Is the venue popular with other planners. If not, there might be a reason and it will be useful to have a quick chat to see if their concerns are valid. Marketing – How well has the venue been marketing itself? This will impact the perception of your attendees on the quality of your event.

What to Include in a Event Agreement

2008-08-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

It is important to include all the necessary terms and condition in your agreement to your client to ensure that there is no misunderstanding and it will come in useful in disputes. These are the terms which you should be including in your client agreement.

Event details – Include the name of event, date, time, location.

Services provided – List down the details which you are providing e.g. design, artiste management, backdrop, etc as well as the time which you will deliver those services. Remember to include setup time as well.

Client delivery – If you are organising the event at your clients premises, include that in your agreement. Also include who is the decision maker. This will come in useful onsite when some other staff members start dictating things to do which is contrary to what is agreed.

Fees – If possible, provide a detailed cost estimate of all the services, inclusive of event management fees. Be very meticulous with this portion.

Terms of payment - State very clearly the schedule of payment. For example,
50% of the total event cost 14 days upon confirmation
25% of the total event cost 30 days before the event
25% of the total event cost 14 days after the event.

Instead of putting 14 days upon confirmation or 14 days after the event, you can state the actual dates. If your company charges a late payment fee, include that in as well.

Cancellaton / Postponement of event - You should also include a cancellation / postponement clause to protect yourself, especially for events that takes months to prepare. For example.
For cancellations by the client more than 60 days before the event, the client is liable for 50% of the total event cost
For cancellation by the client less than 30 days before the event, the client is liable for 75% of the total event cost
For cancellation by the client less than 14 days before the event, the client is liable for 100% of the total event cost

Indemnity – Include an indemnity clause which indemnifies both parties for claims, loss or damages. This is an example of an indemnity clause; each party shall not be liable for any claim, loss, damage, cost and expense arising from its failure to conduct the Event, if such failure results from a cause or causes beyond the reasonable control of the party, including force majeure, labour trouble, wares, strikes, fire casualties and earthquakes.

Force Majeure - This is not a usual practise with many event management companies but it’ll be good it include a force majeure where the agreement is automatically cancelled if the event is interrupted by an act of God, war or strikes.

Acceptance of full agreement - This states that supplements and alterations to the agreement must be made in writing and agreed upon by both parties to the agreement.

Endorsement by both parties - Include name of signatory, designation, company name and date for a representative to sign off.

Most vendors would have had an agreement for you to sign as well but just in case that they don't you can use the terms above and just reverse the role where you are now the client and they the vendor.

What's in an Event Proposal

2008-08-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

These are the things to include in an event proposal:

History of company – Provide your client with a brief history of your company and the types of services that you offer. If you are a new company ,you can detail your previous working experience to lend credibility to your proposal.

Letters of reference – You should always make it a point to get a testimonial from your client for every event that you organise so that you are able to include them in your proposal. If you have a huge collection, only include testimonials of similiar events in the proposal.

Company writeups – If your company had been featured in any magazines or newspaper, scan and include a copy of it in your proposal.

Description of event – This is the backbone of the proposal. The description of your event should be as detailed as possible to enable your client to visualise your event. If possible, include artist’s impression or graphic mock-ups.

Make your copy as interesting as possible. Use more descriptive words to add oomph to your proposal. Remember, if you find it boring, it will be worse for your client.

Description of services – List down the services that you will be offering to materialise the event and if you wish, you can also list down the vendors that you will be engaging.

Listings of additional services – If the client has pre-empted that you help with the co-ordination of certain activities such as catering or floral, etc, include it in your proposal and list down clearly your role in the co-ordination to avoid any misunderstanding.

Production schedule – List down the key milestones of the event so that your client is fully aware to the urgency of key activities. This is not necessary for small events.

Event cost estimate - If possible, provide a clear and detailed breakdown of the costs so that the client is clear about what he/she is paying for. I would recommed including the the event management fees as a separate item. However, I know that some event management companies do not charge an event management fee, choosing instead to “hide” the event management fees by marking up on the vendor charges. E.g. instead of charging the client $1,000 for props (which is what the vendor is charging you), you charge $1,300 for props.

I personally do not think that is a wise decision because when the client removes the item, you would have lost that $300. However, if you were to charge an event management fee, it does not matter even if the client removes 10 items.

In addition, be very meticulous with the costing and ensure that you do not miss out any items.

Insuring Your Events Business

2008-08-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

The events business, more than any other businesses, should be insured. Due to the nature of the business, where anything that can go wrong will go wrong, you must ensure that you insure well against the inevitable. These are some of the insurance which you should consider having:

General liability insurance – Some venues may require this before they are willing to rent out their venue to you. The general liability insurance protects your events business against accidents and bodily injuries to individuals such as customers, guests, delivery people and any other outsiders.

Workers’ compensation – If you have employees working for you, this insurance will protect you against liability should your employee sustain any injury at work caused by problems with the equipments or working conditions.

Auto insurance – This is especially important if you have company vehicles. But even if your company do not own any vehicles, the auto insurance will protect you against liability for injuries and property damages cause by employees operating their cars while on company business.

Bonding – Bonding is applicable if you are carrying large numbers of airline or entertainment tickets. You will be required to put aside money into a separate account for reimbursing clients for tickets they purchased from you in the event your business goes under.

What to Include in The Event Invites

2008-08-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

An event invite is the first point of contact that an attendee will have with your event. Care must therefore be taken to ensure that the event invite leaves a good impression with the attendees. Here are some of the things you must include in your invite:

Event Name – Ensure that your events are big and bold. If your event’s got a tagline, make it smaller than your event names instead of the same size.

Host name – State clearly who is the organiser of the event. If you have other event partners like associations, media partners and sponsors. Remember to include them as well.

Date, Time, Location –Ensure that you include the date, time and location (inclusive of the name of the room/hall and level).

RSVP number – State the contact person and number to call to RSVP. If possible, allow more than one mode to RSVP, if possible. e.g. telephone, fax and email.

These are some of the things you may wish to consider including in your invite:

Significance of event – If possible, it’ll be good to let the attendee have more information about the event such as a short introduction of the event, event history, if any, benefits of attending, who should attend, testimonials from last event’s attendees, if any, etc.

Dress code – This is especially important if it is a dress up party or formal party. Nowadays, you also need to be careful about the term "business attire" because some companies have dress down policies that allows their employees to work in polo T-shirts and jeans. Therefore, business attire for them would be polo T-shirts and jeans. If it's shirt and pants that you mean, state that clearly. Alternatively, you can list attires which the attendees should not wear e.g. round neck T-shirt, sandals, etc.

Directions and Parking instructions – Not everyone will be familiar with the location. If possible, include a map with parking instructions.

Names of speakers – Include the names of who’s speaking and their speaking topics.

VIP and Guest of Honor – This can be one of your major selling points.

Website address – If you have a website address, don’t forget to include that in your invite.

Selecting the Right Event Entertainment

2008-08-07T01:40:00.001-07:00

Factors to take into consideration when selecting and defining the types of entertainment.

Target audience
You need to have a good understanding of your guest profile and key guests (VIPs) who would be attending the event. What are the topics/entertainment to avoid and what will they be expecting.

Type of event
The type of the event will have a huge impact on the type of entertainment to provide. You need to define the objectives of the event and what the event hopes to achieve and the message you would like to relay to them. The theme of the event will also have an impact on the entertainment selection.

Types of entertainment available
You will need to do a little research on what are the options available to you and if the entertainer is available. You’ll also need to determine if the available entertainer suits your budget and target audience. Do not too star struck by celebrity actors as celebrity actors do not necessary make good entertainers. If possible, ask for a demo video of their performance to enable you to come of a more informed decision and check on the reliability of the entertainer. The last thing you want is for the entertainer to call you 2 hours before an event to tell you that he will not be coming.

Ensure that you provide the entertainer with the basic information about the event as well to ensure that he knows who he is performing to as well as topics to avoid. Basically, let him know the dos and don’ts.

Developing an Event Concept

2008-08-07T01:34:00.001-07:00

Factors to take into consideration when developing an event concept:

WHY – Why is the event being held? What is the objective of the event?

WHO – Who are the stakeholders in the event? You need to try to accommodate to the preferences of various groups of people. Naturally the attendees would be the most obvious. What is their profile and what form of entertainment they would prefer. But consider the less obvious stakeholders such as the sponsors, the VIPs attending the event, your event partners, the authorities, etc.

WHEN – When will the event be held? It can be a little ridiculous to theme an event a Christmas theme in the middle of October.

WHERE – Where will the event be staged? Venue considerations are important. Certain venues have their own restrictions such as fire and safety restrictions, maximum floor load restrictions, height restrictions, etc.

WHAT – What is the event content or product? What is the message that you wish for the attendees to take away with? What are the deliverables such as documentation, door gifts, etc, which you can give away to aid in the message delivery.

Conducting an Effective Event Site Inspection

2008-08-07T01:20:00.000-07:00

There are number of things to do to ensure an effective site inspection.

What to do before site inspection

Have a good understanding of the venue. Read up on the venue and its specifications and limitations

Decide what are your event requirements so that you know what to look out for during the site inspection.

Determine if the venue is suitable based on your event requirements and list down specific questions or doubts that you will need to clarify with the venue owner.

Inform the venue owner specifically what you would like to see/inspect so that prior arrangements can be made. This is especially important as sometimes the rooms which you wish to view might be occupied and special arrangements will need to be made with the occupant of the room for viewing.

Ensure that you bring all the necessary tools such as tape measure, camera, etc.

What to do during site inspection

Ensure that you request for a guide book on the event so that you can go back to have a closer read especially of the rules and regulations.

Reconfirm that the venue is available on the dates that you have requested. If you need time to set up, remember to factor that in as well.

Check the dimensions of the venue to ensure that it fits with your quirements
Find out about any restrictions which the venue might have such as height limit, maximum floor load ,etc as well as any licenses and permits that you would require to apply for e.g. for pyrotechnics.

Clarify issues such as allowed time for setup, access to the hall during setup and move out time.

Find out the type of event that is taking place just before the event. This will determine if they will be able to move out of the venue in time for you to move in and if there are any quick turn around the venue owners will need to do before they hand over the venue to you.

Find out about additional costs incurred e.g. to engage the technicians to tap more electrical points, etc.

Inspect the loading bay to ensure accessibility and that it is sufficient / suitable for your event.

Event Site Inspection Preparation

2008-08-07T01:16:00.000-07:00

To be able to make a more informed decision on the suitability of a venue, it’ll usually require the event manager to conduct a site inspection before booking the venue. Here are some of the things that an event manager will need to do:

Research well - Do a little bit of research on the venue and find out about the types of events that were previously held at the venue. A quick study of the venue will give you a better idea on the suitability of the venue for your type of event.

Know the Event - Before you go for the site inspection, ensure that you are well informed about all the client’s requirements for you to better assess if the venue is suitable.

Know the environment – This is especially critical if you are holding an outdoor event. You need to ensure that the venue selected is suitable for your outdoor event.

Know the showcase – Ensure that you know exactly what products will be showcased at the event and the venue requirements. Are there any highly flammable products on display? If heavy machinery is involved, what is the maximum floor load? If big objects are on showcase, what is the width of the entrance? What is the amount of space you have planned for each of the exhibit?

Know what you need – What are the logistical support you would require from the venue? Would you require multiple water points (especially for food related events), high voltages (especially for high tech events), able of have a longer set up period (especially for mega events with many exhibits), etc.

What does an Event Planner do?

2008-08-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Research – You need to do your homework and ensure that there is a demand for the event. You can do this via conducting of interviews and surveys or speaking with a small group of individuals via a focus group.

You will also need to find out who are your key vendors and suppliers who will be able to support your business and what your clients will be looking for in an event.

Event conceptualisation –You will need to conceptualise the event; determining things like the theme, proposed activities, etc. The key is to provide the client with an overview of what he/she can expect without going into too much details. This is usually achieved via brainstorming sessions with fellow colleagues or reference to what other events have done.

Site selection – The choice of the site is dependent on the theme/purpose of the event, the budget available and the client preference.

Food, décor and entertainment arrangements – You will need to ensure that all logistical matters are seen to.

Transportation arrangements – You could be called upon to arrange air travel or ground transportation for the attendees and sometimes support staff of the event.

Attendee Invitations – This is an important aspect as this is the first point of contact the event has with the potential attendees. The invitations / collaterals sent to the attendees should be well thought out to ensure that you convey the right message.

Accommodation arrangements – You might be called upon to arrange for accommodations for the attendees. This can be quite easily resolved by appointing an official travel agent.

Co-ordination – You need to draw up a task list of what the other team members who are helping out at the event as expected to do. Good communication skills are important. You should delegate whenever possible and prepare contingencies for the inevitable.

Overall supervision – You will need to ensure the overall smooth running of the event, supervising every aspect of the event and ensuring that everything goes according to plan.

Conduct post event evaluations – This is something that is often overlooked. Collect feedback not only from clients but fellow team members as well. It’ll help you to identify areas of improvement and aid you in planning more effectively for the next event.

Selecting the Right Event Venue

2008-08-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Selecting the right location is as important as conceptualising the event. The location not only has to be in-line with the theme, you will need to take into consideration the following key factors:

Location: Is the venue accessible to the target attendees? If your event is target at the blue collar workers, it’ll make more sense to hold it at a venue where it is easily accessible by public transportation so that your attendees can get to your event a lot easier. Is the venue close enough for your attendees or do the attendees have to travel 2 hours to get to your event venue.

Cost: How much you can allocate for the event will naturally have an impact on the type of location that you are constrained by.

Space: Based on your event design, is the space large enough the expected number of attendees and whatever equipments that are required to stage the event?

Facilities: What are the amenities at the venue? If it is a business event, are there hospitality areas where the attendees can network and do business and business center facilities? If it is an event targeted at the elderly, children or handicapped, do they have the necessary amenities?

Personnel: Is service an important consideration when selecting a venue? What is the reputed service levels at the venue?

Structural impact: If you are organizing an event that involves heavy machinery and equipment, you’ll need to find out about the maximum floor load.

Some other factors you need to take into consideration include:

Permits and Licences – If you are organizing an event that requires fireworks, some venues might not be too keen to offer you the space.

Safety and Sanitation – If your event is showcasing expensive products, you may need to consider safety and security of the venue.

Traffic Management – If you are expecting a high number of attendees, traffic management must not be overlooked. Not just for vehicular traffic management but human traffic management as well.

Storage considerations – If your event is over a long period of time, you may need to look into storage for the displays.Accurate Diagrams – This is key to an efficient and effective space planning.

Is the Events Business for You?

2008-08-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

The events business is a very dynamic and fluid business. According to Murphy’s Law “Anything that will do wrong, will do wrong.” In the events business, no matter how well you plan, not everything will go exactly as planned. Therefore, to succeed in the events business, you need to possess the following traits.

Good organisational skills – There are lots of organisation to be done. You will need to visualise and plan the event from the start to the finish.

Keen eye for detail – You need to be really meticulous. You will be required to think and keep track of an amazing number of details.

Decision making ability – An event is “live”. Many a times, not matter how many contingency plans you have put in place, something unexpected will happen. As an event planner, you will need to make spilt second decisions because every second counts.

Effective communication skills – You will be required to liaise and interact with people from all walks of life and with different comprehension levels. You need to be able to convey plans and ideas effectively to clients, vendors and staff.

People oriented – The events business is a people oriented business. You need to like to interact with people.

Creativity – Creativity need not be in the form of ideas, it can also evolve in circumstances when you are trying to solve a problem or tackle an issue.

Flexibility – Most of the time, things do not go as planned. You will therefore need to be ready when something do not go as planned and be able to handle the issues at hand in a calm and collected manner.

Making the Right Impression

2008-08-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

What is the process in a which an attendee will go through from creating the first impression to confirming the final perception of the event?

Marketing Materials - The first point of contact will be the marketing materials notifying the attendee to the existence of the event. The attendee will decide if he/she wants to attend the event based on the marketing materials.

Entrance & Atmosphere – This will be the first point of actual contact onsite at the event. This will be what greets the attendee when they arrive. If there is a string quartet playing at the entrance of the event when they arrive, the attendees would expect the event to be rather formal and business like as compared to a balloon sculpture welcoming the guests at the reception.

Themes & Design – The event theme and design will set the mood and tone for the event. When an attendee walks into a brightly decorated room, they will anticipate some form of excitement or entertainment as part of the programme as compared to an event with just a simple backdrop.

Food & Beverage – Food can create a lasting impression. This will add to the attendee’s impression of the event. The attendees will equate poor quality food with low budget and therefore low quality of event.

Entertainment and Activity – The organizer will need to ensure that the event activities and entertainment is appropriate for the nature of the event. For example, an activity during a dinner event will probably be a lot more fun, exciting and noisy than an activity during a conference.

Amenities and Souvenirs – You will be surprised how important souvenirs are. Good, nice, high quality and practical souvenirs are kept by attendees for long periods of time. I still keep a very nicely designed coaster which I collected at an event 4 years back.

Elements of an Event

2008-08-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

There are a number of key considerations of an event:

Anticipation: This is usually through the marketing and publicity materials where the attendees will get a feel of what to expect at the event.

Arrival: This is what greets the attendees at the start of the event. As they say, first impression counts, it is therefore important to ensure that your attendees have a good start to your event. A few areas which you may wish to look into include:

Travel Arrangements – How easy is it to make travel arrangements to attend the event? This can usually be solved by appointing an official travel agent who takes care of your attendees’ flight and accommodation.
Meet & Greet – This can be in the form of meet and greet service upon the attendees’ arrival to the destination of the event. Are there nice welcome signages at the airport? Are the guests properly directed out of the airport? If you are expecting some VIP, you may wish to have a luxury car pick him/her up from the airport.
Parking Services – If you are guests are driving in, are there sufficient parking facilities at the venue? Will there cars be safe? Is it possible to obtain complimentary parking?
Registration – Some events encourage their attendees to pre-register before their arrival. If so, are their badges ready or so they have to wait 20 minutes to collect their badge. Some organizers will work with the official travel agent to put their badges in the rooms of the attendees when they check in.
VIP Security – If you are expecting a famous personality, you may need to deploy more security personnel for the guest/s as well as arrange for a separate area to check in the guest/s upon arrival.

Atmosphere: What the attendee see when they enter the event venue will help to set the mood for the event experience. There are some of the physical environment which matters:

Décor – The décor need not be elaborate. It needs however to fit in with the attendees’ expectations. Basically, a event for the family is expected to be colourful with lot of family friendly decorations such as balloons, streamers, etc.
Furnishing – To create a holistic event experience for the attendee, the décor will need to blend in with the furnishings rather than stick out like a sore thumb.
AV Equipment, Lighting/Soundscaping, Staging - An attendee attending a concert by a high energy band will most probably expect special effects such as laser lights and pyrotechnics.
Special Storage – Some events, such as magic shows and mega concert productions will require special storage areas and requirements.

Ambience: The theme of the event and the décor that have been put up to blend with the theme will have an impact on the overall mood of the event.

Activities: Depending on the nature of the event, there are a number of activities and entertainment which an organizer can provide. Here are some event activities which can be considered:

Tours – this can be organized as part of the event, such as a site tour, or at the end of the event day as part of the recreation programme.
Speakers – this is applicable for B2B events such as conferences and workshops.
Ceremony – this is organized with the purpose of recognizing an individual’s or company’s contribution to a particular cause or as per predetermined criterias such a 5 year long service awards or a event preceding or at the close of an event. e.g. an opening or closing ceremony.
Games and activities – this is applicable for celebratory events or informal corporate events such as team building.

Appetite: There are a number of F&B requirements to take note of:

Menu & Beverage Preference/Restriction – Do you prefer sitdown or standup, buffet style, cocktail style, sitdown dinner, etc?
Dietary Requirements – Do you have Muslims, vegetarians amongst your attendees?
Specialty Items – Are there any special item that you need to include. If you are organizing a Halloween event, it will make sense of have a pumpkin of sorts as part of the menu.
Special Wait Staff Attire – If it is a dress up party, you may wish to have the wait staff dress up to blend in.

Amenities: There are a number of giveaways in which you can offer to the event more memorable for your attendees.

Gifts
Awards
Merchandise
Conference Materials
Prizes

What Type of Event Activities Should I Have?

2008-08-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

To determine the types of program for an event, you will need to address a few key questions:

Why – What is the purpose of having an event? Some of of the possible purposes of events include launch of a product or company, celebrations such as a birthday or a wedding, publicity purposes such as a press event or fund raising.

Who – Who is your target audience or what is the audience profile? Ensuring that your program suits the target audience is extremely important. People attend event hoping to either learn something or have a good time. If it is an informative occasion such as a conference or training, the program lineup will probably need to be more somber as compared to an entertaining occasion such as a celebratory occasion such as a dinner and dance where the program lineup will probably need to be more fun.

When – The date and time of the event will probably give you a clue as to what to provide. If the event is on a weekday during office hours, it’s highly unlikely that a group of executives in office attire would expect a program lineup to be very physical whereas an event on a weekend is usually expected to be more family friendly.

Where – Where the event is held will help to determine the type of program to include. Attendees who are attending an event at a pub would expect the program lineup to be more entertainment as compared to an event held in a hotel room with classroom seating, where they are hoping to take home with them some really intense or groundbreaking information. Although sometimes organizers do try to move away from the stereotype to organize workshops and conferences in pubs and add some element of entertainment to a usually boring dealers’ conference or workshop.

What – What is/are the event objectives? What is the style or theme? The content and context/framework of the event will have a huge impact on what sort of activities to include in the event. This will tie in very closely with why we are having the event. If the purpose of the event is to educate, then the attendees will expect some form of information to take away with them such as conference documentation. If the purpose of the event is to create awareness, the organizers will need to ensure that the attendees leave the event with the key messages.

How – How much budget and resource you have set aside is a huge impact on the event design and will help determine the sort of event activities to include in the program.