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What you have to realize is that professional event planning is not a part time job.  It is not like planning a birthday party or a wedding reception.  It is not something you do in your spare time.

To do it right, there is much to learn; and to do it well, you need to work at it all day, everyday – and sometimes, day and night.

Professional event planners work on a large-scale plane, with complex information systems, labyrinths of rules and regulations, and multitudes of clients, suppliers, and attendees.  This means running a treadmill of never ending study, attendance at meeting after meeting after teleconference, and 24/7 calling, texting, and emailing.  You also need to be an accountant, advertising copywriter, web master, human resource director, and executive decision maker, and anything else necessary to produce a particular successful event .  Marriage counselor?  Choreographer?  Painter of murals?  Talk-show host?  Videographer?  Animal trainer?  World traveler?   An event planner will be all of these things and more in the course of a long career and hundreds of events.  As an event planner, you have to see what is necessary for an event’s success, get someone to deliver the goods or service required, or in more cases than you might think – do it yourself.

At the same time, there are roles that professional event planning does not require, and that it offers precious little time to perform:  spouse, parent, friend, citizen, dutiful son or daughter, party animal, athlete, hospital patient and any number of other self or relationship focused roles.  This is because there is always a show date that cannot be changed and cannot be ignored, while all of these other things can wait, and – if you are a true professional – you will put all of them off in the days counting down to a big event.

One other thing you must never forget:  event planning is not an occupation – it is a business.  You must make money at it in order to keep doing it.  You must market and sell your services, pay the rent, invoice the clients, enrich the lawyers, and put some money in the bank to carry you through the down cycles in the economy.  This is all ignored in the drive towards a major show and must be crammed into the narrow space between shows – where it never quite fits.

However, aside from free lunches at leftover buffets, event planning does offer some rewards, and they are significant.

Number one, every event has an ending.  At some point, successful or unsuccessful, each one is over.   The exquisite feeling of triumph or at least relief that comes at the adjournment of an event is something that non-event planners will never experience nor understand.  It is, perhaps, the most satisfying aspect of being a planner.

Number two, if you become very good at event planning, after thirty or forty years, you may have enough money left in the bank to stop and smell the roses.  Of course, they will not be roses that you have grown, but roses nonetheless.  Also, your peers in the association may recognize that you occasionally were effective and created some wonderful experiences for certain groups of people, and will reward you with a custom designed plaque created at the bowling trophy shop.

Number three, if you were lucky enough to have had someone put up with you as you pursued this selfless and exhausting vocation, you may finally have time to learn that person’s name, his or her favorite song, and the dreams that kept him or her alive while waiting for you.  This can be a bitter-sweet experience, but for most it will be more sweet than bitter.  So even though you will not deserve it, you may well receive a golden bough on which to rest your weary event planner’s head for the few minutes left in your existence after you hang up your Blackberry.

Event planning you will observe, when you take a good look, is not a part-time job.  In fact, it is more than a full-time occupation and business; it is an exciting, frustrating, exhausting, woefully irregular, unbalanced, and -- if you are especially good at it and lucky –- triumphant experience.  It is more than a job, you will see; it is a life.

~Mike Galle

An SDE tribute to Oprah, who regularly told viewers “what she knew for sure”, and whose 25-year television empire run ended last month.

“10 Things I Know for Sure Being an Event Planner”

1. Working registration is tending bar without the alcohol.  People loiter at the registration table, they tell you things that are on their mind and they visit you regularly and expect to see a smiling face greeting them.
2. An event planner is compromised of 4 sub professions; interior decorator, circus juggler, fire fighter and actor/actress.
3. No matter how far technology goes nothing beats face to face interaction.
4. There are hundreds of event details handled that go unseen to the everyday eye.
5. Linens are the distant cousin of that sock that disappears in the dryer. No matter how many times you count them, at least one will sneak out.
6. Nothing can prepare you for a job as an event planner. I learn something new from my profession everyday.
7. Sometimes having a breath mint handy goes further with a keynote speaker than having a printed agenda.
8. Newton’s law applies: For every celebrity you meet there is an equally impressive mess waiting for you in their green room.
9. Event planners get to regularly sample delicious cuisine from some of the best chefs in the cooking world.
10. Planners love their jobs.

~Lindsay Krause

With food functions, the BEO is law.  So, if you or your client has specific food service standards they need to be spelled out in the banquet event order (BEO) for the event.  Although caterers and hotels are professionals when it comes to food preparation and service, you should never assume they have same the standards as you or your client.

For example, you may assume that the banquet staff will automatically refill water glasses during a sit down meal.  But, in some cases, particularly if there is a speaker, the banquet staff may not take that initiative.  It sounds minor, but it can frustrate your guests and can easily be avoided if your wishes are included on the BEO.

Another example is a breakfast buffet that includes cereal.  If you don’t specify skim, 2% or whole milk, you may end up with just one of those choices – and a health conscious VIP who is unhappy.  It’s even worse if your assorted cereals include mostly sugary kid-friendly options when your guests are adults.

The bottom line?  Spell it out on the BEO, or it may not happen

~ Molly Hawkins

I feel like I should add “ability to make small talk” on the next event planner job description I create for Special D Events. Not everyone is “wired” to strike up conversations with people at random, and I’ll admit to being one of them.  Successful event planners, however, must be able to step out from behind the curtain and mingle with their attendees.  It’s the best way to obtain immediate feedback on the event and also gain insight into the culture and preferences of the guests and their industry.

I discovered some tips for successful mingling via a Linked In post today, so I thought I would pass them along.  Do you have any other tips?

http://www.transformationacademy.com/?p=880

~Carol Galle

Restaurants and breweries have long since worked together but over the past couple years they have found a way to maximize the perfect marriage of each industry… beer dinners.

Looking in your local newspaper odds are you will find a host of options for beer dinners occurring in your town on a weekly basis. These are a great event options for intimate gatherings and work particularly well with VIPs.

Typically beer dinners consist of 30-75 people and last just a couple of hours. They usually take place in the private dining room of a fine dining restaurant or a restaurant that offers quality craft beverages.  A brewery representative may work with the chef to pair the perfect match of cuisine a beer. Many breweries are now brewing beers to complement fine food at the table. Goose Island Beer Company out of Chicago creates a line of Belgian style ales that are brewed specifically for food.

You can design the event to be as elaborate as a five course plated meal. Or, if your budget does not allow that keep it simple with a beer and cheese pairing. These two are natural partners as they are two of the oldest manufactured foods and are both produced by fermentation.

Don’t worry about beer only appealing to men as nowadays the gender stereotype that women prefer wine is shifting.  If you are hosting a group with varied tastes you could always create a beer and wine showdown. Ask the chef to pair a dish with both a specific wine and beer. Then, ask your guests to rate the pairing and vote for their favorite. Any way you design it your guests are sure to enjoy an event with great food and beverages in a relaxed setting. Cheers!

Planning an event takes a village; a meeting planner needs to have a trusted group of people around to ensure the event’s success. There’s a variety of vendors that may or may not help out, depending on the type of event. An event manager must rely on the AV company, show and display, catering, florist, presenters, graphic designers….the list goes on. All of these types of vendors are important and can make or break an event.

But perhaps the most important relationship of all is that with the venue. None of the other companies can do their work without the cooperation of the venue whether it’s a hotel, conference center, banquet hall or even an outdoor space. It is imperative that the venue, CSM (Convention Services Manager) and the meeting planner work together in a partnership to make it all come together.

So, what makes a good CSM?  Here are my top 5 qualities that set a good CSM apart from the rest.

1. Knowledgeable – It is good to have someone who knows the venue and good to have someone who knows the industry, but it’s great to have someone who knows both.
2. Honest – Being forthcoming about information and issues is key. No one can solve a problem if they don’t know about it.
3. Responsive – CSMs are often involved in onsite groups and away from their desks, but someone who makes the most of the time they have at their desk makes a meeting planner feel more at ease.
4. Reactive – Things come when planning events and things happen on site. Part of good planning is doing our best to avoid those things, but equally as important is reacting to those things as they come up.
5. Collaborative – No matter what problems or situations arise when planning an event of any kind, it is so important to feel like your CSM is working WITH you, not for you, and has the best interest of the group in mind.

What’s on your list?

~Tina Jackman

If your event is being held at a hotel; plan on spending quite a bit of time negotiating and working out the details of your event contract.  Each hotel contract is different and needs to be looked at with a fine tooth comb.

Hotels are very competitive and want your business.  In order to secure the contract, hotels will offer you complimentary rooms, upgrades and amenities. This is the time that you have the upper hand in the negotiations regarding your event details or the concessions you desire.

Once the negotiations are complete but before the contract is signed, it is very important to check, double check and triple check for errors and items that may have been left out.  No matter how much the hotel wanted your business, once they have it, you are at the mercy of what is written in the contract.

A well written contract will cover you and your client in almost every situation imaginable.   However, if you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation with an error in your contract be prepared to hear “Sorry, it’s not in your contract” and move on.

~Molly Hawkins

Without the generous support of corporate and industry sponsors, many business and consumer events would fold. Here are some tips for organizations on the hunt for sponsorship dollars.

1) With annual events, it's important to review the sponsorship package on a regular basis.  As the industry changes over time and event attendance fluctuates, sponsorship packages should be tweaked accordingly. Even if the world around your event doesn't change, sponsors appreciate fresh ideas.

2) If your event has no history, here are the most important factors to consider when designing and pricing event sponsorship packages

• Reach. How many people will your sponsors reach with this sponsorship?  Are these people decision makers/buyers for your sponsors?
• History.  Does your organization/conference or event have a history that is sufficient to project the reach you say you will provide?
• Your industry.  What other events are attended by your target sponsors? What is the cost of sponsorship at those events?

3) Finally, be flexible!  Maintain close relationships with your sponsors and be open to ways to enhance your offering.  Chance are, they sponsor other events besides yours, and if they have seen something elsewhere that appeals to them, give them a chance to suggest it to you.

~Carol Galle

1. Choose a vendor that is within 5 miles of the conference venue. You will avoid shipping costs and develop a useful relationship with a local vendor. The last thing you want to do amongst the hectic set-up schedule is race around trying to locate a printer. Plus, if you have a pre-existing relationship with that printer, they are more likely to go the extra mile for you.

2. ALWAYS see a proof. Even if your client declines to see a proof, as a planner this is your duty. By doing so, you can prevent many onsite disasters. Even though you may have sent a flawless document to be printed, there can still be printing mistakes. After all, if your materials are printed and delivered incorrectly, the buck stops with you, the meeting planner.

3. Triple Check Everything. There is nothing worse than having an error in your conference materials because it will be visible to every attendee. It’s particularly important to triple check sponsor and vendor names and logos because they likely have paid money to be included in these documents.

4. Be Consistent. If you are printing different types of documents make sure there are no inconsistencies in your work. Concentrate on keeping all sponsors and company names, logos, and any other information consistent!

5. Start Early. It is never too early to start with creating your materials. The earlier you start the more time you have to proofread all of your work. Mistakes and errors occur when you rush the editing process.

~Beth Wanczyk

Charitable contributions and the holiday season go hand in hand. But lately, event planners are finding that more and more events are incorporating charitable activities into events on a regular basis throughout the year. Keeping in line with the “less is more” mentality, organizations want to stretch event dollars as much as possible. By working with a charity, organizers and attendees can practice benevolence simply by attending an event. It’s an easy way to give back and a chance for organizations to integrate attendees outside interests into their event.

Here are some of our favorite charity ideas:

•  Host a charity walk or run. Encourage residents to come out and cheer on the runners and walkers. This is a great addition to an outdoor event. Set up areas where people can watch safely. Consider contacting certain celebrities who have participated in similar charitable events. If a celebrity is passionate about a certain cause, such as autism or breast cancer, they may be more willing to participate in your event.

•  Build a bike. This is an activity that takes about 2 hours. Usually you would partner with a local Boys and Girls club and literally construct a bike to be given to those kids at the end of the event. It is an excellent team building activity for employee events.
•  Silent auction. Hosting a small silent auction during the networking portion of your event allows attendees to shop and contribute to a cause. Solicit donations from your personal and professional connections, pick a charity and donate the funds to your chosen cause.
• Donate centerpieces. If you are unable to coordinate an interactive way to work with a charity you could simply donate your leftover centerpieces to your favorite charity. Or, collect non-perishable food items to be donated to local a food bank.

If you are interested in a particular charity and need to know if they are legitimate don’t forget to check it first on a site like www.charitynavigator.org.