17 Tips for Bringing your Event to Life
Your job as an event planner doesn't stop with the meeting in the company boardroom. You may be called upon to organize an employee appreciate event, an awards dinner, a product launch, the celebration of a company milestone, a gala recognizing a longtime employee's retirement, an incentive event for company's sales force, a fundraising event, a holiday celebration... the list goes on and on.
One key to a successful special event is to seek out entertainment or decorations that are unique and fun to spark conversation among guests. As you begin envisioning your event, picture the mood you want the environment to create. For example, determine whether you want to create a jubilant, celebratory atmosphere or one that is more serious. The ambiance you aim for depends a great deal upon the type of event you're having. If it's a product launch where you want to create an aura of enthusiasm and excitement, you'll likely lean toward an exhilarating atmosphere. If you're organizing an event for your employees and their spouses, perhaps you want the mood to be somewhat romantic.
Whatever you decide, the following seventeen tips will help you shape and enhance the atmosphere with the entertainment, decorations, and food you choose.
1. Think outside the box when planning the atmosphere at your event. Novelty is the key to your success. Give your guests something to tell their friends about!
2. Create a fun, interesting, and exciting ambiance using special stage settings, lighting, special scenery, music, ice carvings, flowers, centerpieces, candles, balloons, colored linens, printed menus, a photographer and gift items. Budget determines much of your wish list turns into reality.
3. Consider all sorts of amusements - strolling musicians, chefs' demonstrations, palm readers... anything out of the ordinary.
4. Keep in mind that your entertainment doesn't have to come in the form of people. An elaborate coffee bar or startlingly beautiful champagne fountain will have your guests raving.
5. Vary your decorations depending on the type of event you're throwing and the venue you choose. Find out whether the facility has house decorations that it's willing to provide at no additional charge.
6. Check all decorating plans with the venue in advance since many have restrictions on what they allow you to do in their establishment.
7. Create a theme especially for a large event to help make it more memorable. In addition, it helps make it easier to organize programming, food, décor, and other accessories. Carry out your theme before, during and after the event for true ambiance and memorability.
8. Cut down on decorating costs by choosing a themed venue and then building your event around the décor rather than molding a venue to the theme you've chosen. For example, find an elaborately decorated ethnic restaurant, and then provide the musicians and entertainers from the appropriate area of the world.
9. Select a theme that fits your group and complements the tone and content of your event. But don't have a theme unless you're prepared to follow through with it.
10. Ask for theme ideas. If you're at a loss, consider having a competition soliciting ideas from your target audience. Your best ideas often come from others. But, remember to offer a fun incentive.
11. Consider choosing a theme from the most popular categories, namely: Fashion (e.g. The Roaring Twenties), History (e.g. A Renaissance Fair), Politics (e.g. 4 th of July Celebrations), Popular culture (e.g. An Evening with Dr. Seuss) or The arts (e.g. A Night at the Oscars).
12. Choose appropriate entertainment for your group. Participants look forward to the entertainment segment of a program. They want to have fun, enjoy themselves, and let their hair down, particularly after stressful and demanding sessions. Options include: Music (e.g. live, disc jockey or even karaoke), Spectacle (e.g. magician, juggler, comedian or mine), Theater (e.g. dinner theatre, murder-mystery experience or corporate theater), Games (e.g. treasure hunt, or a game show), Video or slide show.
13. Make certain to view a demo video before hiring talent. Watch for the entertainers' performance quality and the audience reaction. Check out their references and ask specific questions such as: Would they hire them again? How flexible, reliable and easy to work with are they? Make sure that their act is a good fit for your audience.
14. Find out whether the entertainers need extra staging, lighting, or décor to create the right ambiance. Special requirements add to your bottom line - watch out, this could get expensive. Be sure that the venue approves any special requests. For musical entertainment discuss various options, such as low-volume background music, light entertainment during the meal, and lively dance music. Discuss how the entertainers involve the audience in their act. People enjoy both passive and active involvement.
15. Sit-down affairs work best when you include some form of entertainment. However, if you want something a bit different, look at alternative areas in the hotel, such as an indoor patio or pool area. Naturally, a plan revolving around an outdoor pool is contingent on the weather. It's best to have a back-up plan just in case the heavens decide to open. Buffets and barbecues also work well, but watch the price tag. These kinds of food functions often require extra labor, which automatically means additional dollars.
16. Don't serve anything messy for any event where food is served while guests are standing and mingling. Limit your cuisine to bite-size morsels that guests can easily eat with their fingers or a fork. Save money by opting for a few choice hors d'oeuvres in larger quantities rather than a large selection in smaller quantities. But remember to include some interesting vegetarian selections in your menu for guests who don't eat meat.
17. Make sure you have enough bartenders and liquor when serving alcohol at your event. You don't want to run out of beverages in the middle of the party or have long lines of grumbling, thirsty guests. Consider whether you want to limit your guests to certain selections, eliminating expensive liquors and specialty drinks.
About the Author: Written by Susan Friedmann, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author, "Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies," works with exhibitors, show organizers and meeting planners to create more valuable results from their events nationally and internationally.
One key to a successful special event is to seek out entertainment or decorations that are unique and fun to spark conversation among guests. As you begin envisioning your event, picture the mood you want the environment to create. For example, determine whether you want to create a jubilant, celebratory atmosphere or one that is more serious. The ambiance you aim for depends a great deal upon the type of event you're having. If it's a product launch where you want to create an aura of enthusiasm and excitement, you'll likely lean toward an exhilarating atmosphere. If you're organizing an event for your employees and their spouses, perhaps you want the mood to be somewhat romantic.
Whatever you decide, the following seventeen tips will help you shape and enhance the atmosphere with the entertainment, decorations, and food you choose.
1. Think outside the box when planning the atmosphere at your event. Novelty is the key to your success. Give your guests something to tell their friends about!
2. Create a fun, interesting, and exciting ambiance using special stage settings, lighting, special scenery, music, ice carvings, flowers, centerpieces, candles, balloons, colored linens, printed menus, a photographer and gift items. Budget determines much of your wish list turns into reality.
3. Consider all sorts of amusements - strolling musicians, chefs' demonstrations, palm readers... anything out of the ordinary.
4. Keep in mind that your entertainment doesn't have to come in the form of people. An elaborate coffee bar or startlingly beautiful champagne fountain will have your guests raving.
5. Vary your decorations depending on the type of event you're throwing and the venue you choose. Find out whether the facility has house decorations that it's willing to provide at no additional charge.
6. Check all decorating plans with the venue in advance since many have restrictions on what they allow you to do in their establishment.
7. Create a theme especially for a large event to help make it more memorable. In addition, it helps make it easier to organize programming, food, décor, and other accessories. Carry out your theme before, during and after the event for true ambiance and memorability.
8. Cut down on decorating costs by choosing a themed venue and then building your event around the décor rather than molding a venue to the theme you've chosen. For example, find an elaborately decorated ethnic restaurant, and then provide the musicians and entertainers from the appropriate area of the world.
9. Select a theme that fits your group and complements the tone and content of your event. But don't have a theme unless you're prepared to follow through with it.
10. Ask for theme ideas. If you're at a loss, consider having a competition soliciting ideas from your target audience. Your best ideas often come from others. But, remember to offer a fun incentive.
11. Consider choosing a theme from the most popular categories, namely: Fashion (e.g. The Roaring Twenties), History (e.g. A Renaissance Fair), Politics (e.g. 4 th of July Celebrations), Popular culture (e.g. An Evening with Dr. Seuss) or The arts (e.g. A Night at the Oscars).
12. Choose appropriate entertainment for your group. Participants look forward to the entertainment segment of a program. They want to have fun, enjoy themselves, and let their hair down, particularly after stressful and demanding sessions. Options include: Music (e.g. live, disc jockey or even karaoke), Spectacle (e.g. magician, juggler, comedian or mine), Theater (e.g. dinner theatre, murder-mystery experience or corporate theater), Games (e.g. treasure hunt, or a game show), Video or slide show.
13. Make certain to view a demo video before hiring talent. Watch for the entertainers' performance quality and the audience reaction. Check out their references and ask specific questions such as: Would they hire them again? How flexible, reliable and easy to work with are they? Make sure that their act is a good fit for your audience.
14. Find out whether the entertainers need extra staging, lighting, or décor to create the right ambiance. Special requirements add to your bottom line - watch out, this could get expensive. Be sure that the venue approves any special requests. For musical entertainment discuss various options, such as low-volume background music, light entertainment during the meal, and lively dance music. Discuss how the entertainers involve the audience in their act. People enjoy both passive and active involvement.
15. Sit-down affairs work best when you include some form of entertainment. However, if you want something a bit different, look at alternative areas in the hotel, such as an indoor patio or pool area. Naturally, a plan revolving around an outdoor pool is contingent on the weather. It's best to have a back-up plan just in case the heavens decide to open. Buffets and barbecues also work well, but watch the price tag. These kinds of food functions often require extra labor, which automatically means additional dollars.
16. Don't serve anything messy for any event where food is served while guests are standing and mingling. Limit your cuisine to bite-size morsels that guests can easily eat with their fingers or a fork. Save money by opting for a few choice hors d'oeuvres in larger quantities rather than a large selection in smaller quantities. But remember to include some interesting vegetarian selections in your menu for guests who don't eat meat.
17. Make sure you have enough bartenders and liquor when serving alcohol at your event. You don't want to run out of beverages in the middle of the party or have long lines of grumbling, thirsty guests. Consider whether you want to limit your guests to certain selections, eliminating expensive liquors and specialty drinks.
About the Author: Written by Susan Friedmann, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author, "Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies," works with exhibitors, show organizers and meeting planners to create more valuable results from their events nationally and internationally.
Labels: Event-Planning
7:20 PM | Was this helpful? | 
So You've Been Asked to Do the Company Event
So you've been asked to do the company event, and here you are without a degree in Event Planning.
Anyway, it happens, and even if you thought it would be fun, when faced with the task, it can be daunting. You are about to become the conductor of a large orchestra. Here are some ideas from my years as an event planner.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Find out your budget. If they didn't think about that - the money, you know - you'll have to jump ahead and make your plan so you can provide a realistic request for money.
With or without a large budget, you can do a great event. More on this later.
If there's a history, get your predecessor's file.
THE NETWORK
If you're in a loop, in other words if you get out, go to parties, trade shows, luncheons, anniversary banquets, and charity balls, you have enough information. It's just a matter of connecting the names, and your gut instincts will tell you where the yentas are that can provide this.
Failing that, book your event in a reputable hotel and get with their Catering Coordinator. She'll have a full rolodex of great leads for you!
Other sources for information are any good PR firm, or the 'designer' florist or stationer in your town. These people are often event-planners in disguise.
THE ELEMENTS
These are the basic elements to an event: Food, Liquor, Master of ceremonies, Speaker, Entertainment, Program, Photography, Invitations, Decorations, Door prizes
And you may need seating chart and table markers, and in some cases insurance and a Health Deptartment permit.
EXPERIENCE? VOLUNTEER
Churches and non-profits offer a plethora of opportunities for practice. That's how I got started - working with the pros. They weren't being paid, but if you're putting on a Charity Ball for 1,000 people that brings in $100,000, you're a PRO.
I went and hung out. Got on a committee, then headed a committee and worked my way up. The Mavens were grateful for help, and, like anyone else with serious responsibility, they parceled out projects to me as my abilities warranted. A true apprenticeship.
Keep your eyes and ears open, and you'll learn the political side of it, which is tricky. You'll also learn the things you really need to know, like for heaven's sake don't ever be the one who manages the seating chart the night of the event. It's hideous! Assign someone who's firm but pleasant, or just naïve enough to agree.
TACT
Of course everything you do, you do with tact, and you've worked to develop your emotional intelligence competencies, which is good, because you're going to need them.
How so? Because this can be the original "Little Red Hen" thing. Everyone has an idea, and wants this and that, and no one wants to do the work. I remember the CEO who called me in a week before an event to announce there had to be one of those big cakes with all the candles brought in. Hmmm.
ASSIGN & DELEGATE
Delegate any task you can. For an idea of how to organize this, take a look at a program from a big event, or those ball flyers. They'll list all the committee chairs.
SAVING MONEY
There are many ways you can get things for little or no money. Entertainment, for instance. If you look around town, you'll find groups who perform for the love of it, and they can be quite good.
Remember that children always "work." They can be as bad as bad, and that much more adorable. I had a group of kids perform free) when I did a New Orleans Jazz Brunch. I had a professional jazz band lead in with "When the Saints Go Marching In" and the children, dressed in Mardi Gras costumes, ran around throwing coins, confetti, and streamers.
Throwing confetti? I had a hotel Event Coordinator agree to let us bring in men on motorcycles if we agreed to clean up any oil spills.
You truly never know!
There's also a serious Boys' Choir in S.A. I've used, and they were worth what they charged.
Stay away from amateur comedians. Bad humor is irretrievable and so is your reputation.
EXPECT THE WORST
Because it will happen. I've had every volunteer fail at some point - no decorations, no program ... You just have to learn how to cope. If decorations person fails, buy a pretty floral arrangement for each table. If there's no money, buy that crepey paper and "wrap" each table like a gift.
HAVE A TRANQUIL FRIEND
Your nerves may be a bit on edge. I remember the maitre d' who saw me about to decompensate at set-up time, who took me in his arms and said, "Let's dance," and waltzed me around the mess in the ballroom that was bad and getting worse.
I remember the chef who told me at set-up time that he couldn't possibly serve this in less than 3 hours, "Surely you jest." Lucha was there. She went into the kitchen with him and came back 30 minutes later saying brunch would be served in 50 minutes.
KNOW YOUR CEO
Some need to be briefed on how to run the show; some don't.
SPEAKERS?
Ready sources for speakers are ministers, community leaders, university professors, and professional speakers. And hey, ask the mayor. You never know!
DONATIONS
Getting door prizes is easy. Send out form letters or make phone calls to business owners telling them they'll get promotion in the program. Restaurants will kick in dinners, airlines will give tickets, hotels will give golf packages. These places have budgets for this kind of thing. They'll also foot printing costs.
PROCESS
Process after the event and keep things in a file. You'll want to remember what worked and what didn't.
About the Author: Susan Dunn, MA, Personal Life Coach. Relationships, events, emotional intelligence, transitions, career. Coaching, Internet courses, teleclasses, ebooks. I train and certify EQ coaches.
Anyway, it happens, and even if you thought it would be fun, when faced with the task, it can be daunting. You are about to become the conductor of a large orchestra. Here are some ideas from my years as an event planner.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Find out your budget. If they didn't think about that - the money, you know - you'll have to jump ahead and make your plan so you can provide a realistic request for money.
With or without a large budget, you can do a great event. More on this later.
If there's a history, get your predecessor's file.
THE NETWORK
If you're in a loop, in other words if you get out, go to parties, trade shows, luncheons, anniversary banquets, and charity balls, you have enough information. It's just a matter of connecting the names, and your gut instincts will tell you where the yentas are that can provide this.
Failing that, book your event in a reputable hotel and get with their Catering Coordinator. She'll have a full rolodex of great leads for you!
Other sources for information are any good PR firm, or the 'designer' florist or stationer in your town. These people are often event-planners in disguise.
THE ELEMENTS
These are the basic elements to an event: Food, Liquor, Master of ceremonies, Speaker, Entertainment, Program, Photography, Invitations, Decorations, Door prizes
And you may need seating chart and table markers, and in some cases insurance and a Health Deptartment permit.
EXPERIENCE? VOLUNTEER
Churches and non-profits offer a plethora of opportunities for practice. That's how I got started - working with the pros. They weren't being paid, but if you're putting on a Charity Ball for 1,000 people that brings in $100,000, you're a PRO.
I went and hung out. Got on a committee, then headed a committee and worked my way up. The Mavens were grateful for help, and, like anyone else with serious responsibility, they parceled out projects to me as my abilities warranted. A true apprenticeship.
Keep your eyes and ears open, and you'll learn the political side of it, which is tricky. You'll also learn the things you really need to know, like for heaven's sake don't ever be the one who manages the seating chart the night of the event. It's hideous! Assign someone who's firm but pleasant, or just naïve enough to agree.
TACT
Of course everything you do, you do with tact, and you've worked to develop your emotional intelligence competencies, which is good, because you're going to need them.
How so? Because this can be the original "Little Red Hen" thing. Everyone has an idea, and wants this and that, and no one wants to do the work. I remember the CEO who called me in a week before an event to announce there had to be one of those big cakes with all the candles brought in. Hmmm.
ASSIGN & DELEGATE
Delegate any task you can. For an idea of how to organize this, take a look at a program from a big event, or those ball flyers. They'll list all the committee chairs.
SAVING MONEY
There are many ways you can get things for little or no money. Entertainment, for instance. If you look around town, you'll find groups who perform for the love of it, and they can be quite good.
Remember that children always "work." They can be as bad as bad, and that much more adorable. I had a group of kids perform free) when I did a New Orleans Jazz Brunch. I had a professional jazz band lead in with "When the Saints Go Marching In" and the children, dressed in Mardi Gras costumes, ran around throwing coins, confetti, and streamers.
Throwing confetti? I had a hotel Event Coordinator agree to let us bring in men on motorcycles if we agreed to clean up any oil spills.
You truly never know!
There's also a serious Boys' Choir in S.A. I've used, and they were worth what they charged.
Stay away from amateur comedians. Bad humor is irretrievable and so is your reputation.
EXPECT THE WORST
Because it will happen. I've had every volunteer fail at some point - no decorations, no program ... You just have to learn how to cope. If decorations person fails, buy a pretty floral arrangement for each table. If there's no money, buy that crepey paper and "wrap" each table like a gift.
HAVE A TRANQUIL FRIEND
Your nerves may be a bit on edge. I remember the maitre d' who saw me about to decompensate at set-up time, who took me in his arms and said, "Let's dance," and waltzed me around the mess in the ballroom that was bad and getting worse.
I remember the chef who told me at set-up time that he couldn't possibly serve this in less than 3 hours, "Surely you jest." Lucha was there. She went into the kitchen with him and came back 30 minutes later saying brunch would be served in 50 minutes.
KNOW YOUR CEO
Some need to be briefed on how to run the show; some don't.
SPEAKERS?
Ready sources for speakers are ministers, community leaders, university professors, and professional speakers. And hey, ask the mayor. You never know!
DONATIONS
Getting door prizes is easy. Send out form letters or make phone calls to business owners telling them they'll get promotion in the program. Restaurants will kick in dinners, airlines will give tickets, hotels will give golf packages. These places have budgets for this kind of thing. They'll also foot printing costs.
PROCESS
Process after the event and keep things in a file. You'll want to remember what worked and what didn't.
About the Author: Susan Dunn, MA, Personal Life Coach. Relationships, events, emotional intelligence, transitions, career. Coaching, Internet courses, teleclasses, ebooks. I train and certify EQ coaches.
Labels: Event-Planning
11:58 AM | Was this helpful? |
