As an event planner, having the right must-have gadgets for event planners can make all the difference. With the right tools in your kit, you can streamline operations, enhance communication, and ensure a seamless event experience. Whether you’re managing a corporate conference, wedding, or festival, leveraging technology is key to staying ahead in the fast-paced events industry.
This may seem like a lighthearted piece, but important non-the-less. When you’re planning what food you want to serve at your event, consider more than just what’s in season, or what your attendees might enjoy. You also need to take into account whether or not the food you have in mind is the most practical choice. Certain meals are better left to restaurants than conferences, while certain events may not work with a particular menu option. The problem should be fairly clear: if you serve the wrong type of food for your event, it’s going to be messy! Clothes will […]
I’ve touched on risk management before, but never to the degree that I should have. I’d like to remedy that with today’s piece. We’re discussing precisely why it’s vital that you as an event planner are well versed in both health and safety regulations and procedures. Although you are often outsourcing many services, keeping your event safe is ultimately your responsibility. We’ll start with the obvious. As the one running the show, you need to keep an eye out for any potential safety hazards, health code violations or threats to your guests. The companies hiring you are relying on your […]
I’ve already spoken at length about what’s involved in hiring and retaining a guest speaker. Today, I’d like to focus on something a little different: events with multiple keynotes (and speakers). More specifically: how can you tell how many speakers your event should hire? Is there such a thing as too many presentations (or too few)? When determining the number of presentations you should ideally run (and the number of speakers you should generally hire) there’s actually a pretty significant list of details you need to take into account, and questions you need to ask. Failure to consider any one […]
Have you felt at any point as though your events were missing something? Have you contemplated how to add extra flair to your conferences; something that would help distinguish your event firm from the competition? There is no shame in the desire to stand out from the crowd in the event management industry. Using a bit of unique or unusual technology – making use of some gadgets or gear that your competition might not consider using – could be just the ticket to make your events more memorable. Presented here are just a few unusual and fun technological tools to […]
Budgeting is a major component of an event management professional’s job, and the difficulty of budgeting is most definitely connected with knowing how best to set ticket prices. Set a ticket price too high and your attendance may suffer; or the price barrier will further drive up your marketing costs as you work to reach a larger audience! Set a ticket price too low and you’re basically condemning your budget to drop into the red; it’ll be impossible to breakeven. In other words, you’ve got to strike a balance between “reasonably priced” and “budget friendly.” That’s about as easy – […]
Last week, we talked about the processes involved in making your event firm known to the world. Today, we’re going to be looking at something a little more difficult to deal with: your budget. In all honesty, budgeting is actually where the vast majority of event management businesses fail. It all starts with figuring out how much you’re going to need for your startup costs, and going from there. Generally speaking, if you’re starting up a new firm, you’re going to have to manage some if not all of the following expenditures: Rent/Building Costs Equipment Purchases Licenses and Taxes Payroll […]
This comprehensive guide on event hotel accommodations covers every step, ensuring your attendees have a seamless and memorable experience. The intricate dance of event planning revolves around details. Each element, from the meticulously crafted schedule to the selection of hors d’oeuvres, plays a role in painting the larger picture of a successful event. Yet, amidst the whirlwind of planning, one detail often gets less attention than it deserves: the hotel accommodations for your attendees. Choosing the right accommodations is more than merely finding a place for attendees to rest. It’s an opportunity to extend the event experience beyond the confines […]
You focus on every detail when planning any event, right? Don’t overlook your registration and check-in process. This is most likely your attendees first interaction at your event and it sets a stage for their whole experience; never-mind that everyone wants to get to the business at hand. Realize the importance of planning a well-organized check-in and registration area.
Last week we looked at basic things you needed to cover if starting your own event management firm. Today, we’re moving to the next stage – marketing your new firm. You’ve chosen your niche, your firm is fully insured and up and running, and you’ve started networking with all the right people. It’s a great start, but now you need to gather clients – the more people hear about you the more likely they are to become paying clients! In other words, it’s time to market your new business. So…what’s involved in making your new firm known? Well, the first […]
It’s common knowledge that Facebook is a useful tool for promoting events online. So, when you’re planning an event, what’s a first step? Your knee jerk response – ‘Create a Facebook Event Page.’ It’s a logical strategic move. An event page can be a valuable way to communicate and promote, but one important consideration before pulling the trigger; do you have the resources to successfully promote an event page? If yes, you need to plan ahead how you’re going to use these resources most effectively. Here we look at what running a successful Facebook event page requires. The operative word […]
As you consider ways to increase attendance at an upcoming event, you should be leveraging your social media platforms. More specifically, there is a good chance you will rely strongly on the power of Twitter. While there are many things you can do with Twitter, most people approach it as a task, and overlook strategy. There is more to this than sending out tweets, hoping that people see what you have to say and subsequently sign up to attend your event. Here are five things you must do if you hope using Twitter will help increase your events’ attendance: 1. […]
Mobile technology is the future. I don’t think you’ll find a single person in our gadget-crazed society who’ll argue otherwise. In a world where Android is king and we’ve more Internet-connected gadgets than we have people, it’s quite clear which way the wind is blowing, isn’t it? The fact is, nearly everyone – from nearly every profession – is engaging with mobile technology in some way, shape, or form. That includes event management professionals. The potential mobile technology holds to streamline the process of planning an event is effectively unmatched. Our primary tools are smartphones and tablets. There’s a whole […]
When planning an event, regardless of size or industry, it is safe to assume that you have visions of greatness dancing through your head. You expect everything to go as planned. You expect everybody in attendance to have an enjoyable time. Before we go any further, here is something you should always remember: even when you think everything is perfect, something will pop up and require you to find a solution on the spot. By avoiding common event planning mistakes, you can increase your chance of success while decreasing the chance that something terrible will happen. Here are five mistakes […]
There are people who swear by the benefits of event management software. There are also people who don’t even want to consider implementing the use of software when organizing an event. Which side of the fence do you sit on? If you are staffed with the responsibility of organizing, planning, and managing an event, it is essential to take advantage of each and every tool at your disposal. Anything you can use to better your chance of success is something you should consider. Before we get into the benefits of using event management software, let’s take a look at two […]
When planning your first event, there is sure to be a lot running through your mind. Are people going to attend? How much will it cost? What happens if something goes wrong?
Although you are faced with many questions, the best thing you can do is deal with each detail as it comes up.
Before you can get into the weeds, the very first thing you need to do is to select a venue location for your event. This is one of the biggest decisions you will make, so you have to consider all your options while comparing the pros and cons of each location.
So, you’ve managed to net yourself an industry expert speaker or two who’s interested in speaking at your event. Working with guest speakers can be complicated—you need to sign contracts, negotiate payment, AND give them their freedom (while also steering them to remain relevant to your event). In short, the next step is to ask yourself how you can avoid making them hate you before you’ve even begun.
Back in the 1960s, sociologist Marshall McLuhan expressed some downright revolutionary insights. Technology, he explained, would one day advance in such a way that the whole world would be interconnected. Communicating with someone on another continent would be just as simple as walking over to the neighbors’ house to borrow a cup of sugar; perhaps more so. To give shape to his theory, he coined the term “global village.” In essence, McLuhan conceived the notion of a worldwide communications network; a tight-knit global community which transcended physical distance. With the birth of social media, it’s safe to say that his […]
In this blog series we’ll be going over the process for picking guest speakers, how to get them to want to speak at your event, and some best practices for working with them.
Never underestimate the power of having skilled guest speakers, or the damage that can be caused by a poor ones.
Even the most skilled and talented planner is only as good as their toolkit. Planning an event is an immensely complicated process, and veterans know that any advantage they can get that streamlines running an event—is invaluable. Thankfully, tools exist in droves to this end, and here’s ten tools I think are some of the best event planning tools, and explain how they can help you.
