Ten Terrific Tradeshow Tips
August 26, 2011
Gather and bring “after hours” contact information for all your suppliers. Have a contingency budget. You never know when you may need last minute labor/supplies or need to replace items that were damaged in shipment. Bring a tool kit. Even when booth assets are labeled “no tools necessary”, you may need them anyway. Pack extra:…
Forging a Successful Client & Planner Relationship
July 18, 2011
Being an event planner takes someone who is able to face any challenge and succeed. You need to be organized and ready to tackle any obstacle in order to plan and execute a successful event. Sometimes no matter how prepared or organized you may be, if your client is not or vice versa, your event…
S.E.R.V.I.C.E. – BREAKING IT DOWN
July 7, 2011
Recently, I worked on-site at three different hotel properties in different parts of the country. Overall, the clients I was working for experienced great service at each property, however, there were a couple of instances where the service level at one of the hotels was not consistent from staff member to staff member. As meeting…
For Those Who Would Be Event Planners…
June 30, 2011
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…
10 Things I Know For Sure
June 6, 2011
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” Working registration is tending bar without the alcohol. People loiter at the registration table, they tell you things that are on their…
Food for Thought
April 15, 2011
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…
Why (and How) to Mingle?
March 10, 2011
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…
Partnership
January 11, 2011
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,…
Hotel Contracts- Proceed with Caution
December 20, 2010
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…
How to Price Event Sponsorships
November 22, 2010
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…
5 Tips on Creating Conference Materials
November 8, 2010
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…
