Are Business Conferences Really That Valuable?

It’s pretty common knowledge that meetings can be one of the biggest time-wasters in the business world. They’re a place where people go to talk about doing work – without actually getting anything done in the process. Today, I’d like to address a very simple question: do conferences fall under the same umbrella? You could be forgiven for thinking that they might. After all, a conference is basically a meeting between several or more organizations, isn’t it? With that in mind, what is it about a business conference that makes it so much valuable than a run-of-the-mill meeting? Quite a bit, […]

Concert Management vs. Conference Management: What’s The Difference?

Since we all know a lot more about conferences and trade shows, we’re going to be looking at things from that perspective. Precisely how do the two differ from one another? First, let’s start with how they’re similar. As with conferences, it’s important that you understand your primary demographic when running a concert – what sort of genre do fans of the headlining band prefer? What artists do they like, and which do they prefer to avoid? Promotion is also just as important; you need to know how to get people hyped up about an upcoming show (although with a […]

Five Tips For Running An Amazing Meetup

Not every event has to be a massive exhibition, a bustling trade show, or a huge convention. As an event management professional, you might occasionally seek to run something a little smaller, a little more reserved – a meetup. These informal gatherings are typically planned on a much smaller scale than a traditional conference, and usually tend to be focused on a particular community, interest, or activity. Done right, they’re incredibly fun and rewarding – and as an added bonus, they generally require significantly less work than a large conference. Here are a few tips to help you run a […]

Five Important Tips for Planning an Outdoor Event

With summer just around the corner, more and more events are being hosted in the great outdoors. And why not? Particularly if you live in Canada, weather this warm only comes around a few months a year. Might as well take advantage of it while it’s here, right? Not surprisingly, outdoor events are subject to a whole new set of challenges, complications, and logistical concerns. Here are just a few of the most important factors you’ll need to consider: Make Sure Your Event Will Work In An Outdoor Setting Not every event will work out doors. If you’re running a […]

Thinking Outside The Box

So we have covered the basics for running a trade show or small corporate events, but what about the less commonly requested events such as political events or concerts? The next two weeks our series is going to focus on more out of the box events. We will include the best tips & tricks for how to not only manage but be successful at whatever event you are asked to do. We will focus on the following topics: Five Amenities Every Concert Needs To Provide Everything You Need To Know About Hosting A Hybrid Event Five Important Tips for Planning an […]

Five More Books That Should Be In Every Event Manager’s Library

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – it doesn’t matter what field you work in; you’re only as good as what you know. And one thing you should definitely know is that there’s always more knowledge to be had.  No matter what field you’re in, you should always keep learning. And as has been the case for many, many years, one of the best ways to truly learn is through books. A couple months back, I put together a short list detailing a few books that I felt every event planner should read. Today, I’d like to […]

How to Plan a Corporate July 4th Event

July 4th will be here before you know it. While many people plan on spending this holiday with friends and family, others will have the opportunity to do so with coworkers and/or clients. Today we are going to focus on how to plan a corporate July 4th event. Some companies hold an annual Independence Day event to give thanks to their workforce. Others organizations look at this as a great opportunity to show clients a good time. Before we go any further, remember this: there is nothing more important than having a good time. Fourth of July is a time for […]

Be The Best Event Manager Possible

Awhile ago we did a series on Event Management Tips & Tricks, but since everything couldn’t be covered in one week we are circling back and covering even more tips to make you the best event manager possible. There’s the conventional tips about managing your time, being organized, and how to manage large groups of people, but we wanted to bring to you NEW tips, like how video games actually will help you as an event manager and what books you need to be adding to your Kindle to learn from the best of the best. We will be covering […]

The Do’s & Don’t of Event Sponsorship

We’ve talked a bit about event sponsorships in the past – how and where to find the right contributors, how to bring people on-board, etc. Today, I’d like to expand upon the topic a bit. See, it’s not simply a matter of tracking down the perfect backer and offering up an amazing pitch. There’s a bit more to it than that. Aside from the best practices we’ve already covered, there are a few extra pieces of advice we can offer up; a bit of additional insight that could potentially benefit every event organizer in the field. It’s Sometimes Better Not […]

How To Be A Better Vendor At Trade Shows

Today, we’re going to shift gears a bit. Instead of talking to event organizers, we’re going to be talking to vendors.  Vendors are arguably even more important to the success of an event than guest speakers. Particularly in trade shows, they form the core of how many attendees will spend their time when they aren’t at keynotes. The profits they turn – and the presence and value they bring to events – simply cannot be ignored. “At the heart of a successful event planner’s business is a team of reliable vendors,” writes Entrepreneur’s Cheryl Kimball.  “It can’t be overstated: your […]

Meerkat or Periscope for Your Next Event?

As an event planner, you should always be looking for new ways to bring fresh ideas to your audience. In today’s day and age, this often means the implementation the newest forms of social media. Meerkat and Periscope don’t receive nearly as much attention as they should in the event space. Both these services have been proven effective in an event environment, prompting more and more planners to take a closer look. What is Meerkat? As a live video streaming app, it is easy to see why Meerkat has become so popular with the event crowd. It gained initial popularity on […]

Ten Tips For Landing Your Perfect Sponsor

Landing your perfect sponsor can be challenging. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I ran a charity event a few years back. The biggest challenge by far wasn’t the logistics of space booking, nor was it managing volunteers. It was landing your perfect sponsor that’d provide with the necessary funds, prizes, and equipment to run things adequately.

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Tips For The Best Event Hashtag

Now that you’re in the marketing stage for your upcoming event, you’re probably facing the hard fact that event marketing isn’t cheap. It rarely is– there are dozens of print mediums and online presences to consider advertising through, all of which require quite a bit of cash to kick off. Most marketing techniques also require an additional chunk money to get anywhere beyond the starting line.

Luckily, if you still have some time and creative juices left for your marketing campaign, you can get pretty impressive results from just one, simple (and totally free, by the way) event hashtag. If you can effectively utilize a hashtag that represents your event well, you can increase your outreach significantly and create the kind of buzz that money just can’t buy.

Sound appealing? Give the following tips a try as a part of your current social media strategy, and watch the traction from your hashtag do wonders for your event.

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How to Promote Social Media Use During an Event

The growth of social media is astonishing. Starting with Live Journal and MySpace, this trend began to pick up steam 15 years ago. In today’s world, social media is all the rage, with Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, among others, leading the way. Consider this excerpt from a SocialTimes article published in 2014: “Since 2004, the growth of social media has been near exponential. Back in those days, Facebook — arguably the most mature of the top social networks — only had about 1 million users. By 2011 the network had grown so large, its population was being compared to that […]

How To Set Up A Change-Tracking Process That Works For You

Today, I’d like to revisit the topic. Well, sort of – we’re going to discuss one particular aspect: change tracking and incident tracking. Change tracking refers to keeping documentation whenever a change in circumstances occurs related to your event. These could include the loss of a keynote speaker, a request for additional seating, a new sponsor, or a change in food service. Incident tracking, meanwhile, is a process implemented to document any problems that might occur while you’re running an event. Although the two may seem to be very different birds, they’ve actually got more in common than you might […]

The Three Most Common Event Security Threats

Even if you’ve planned out the best event in the world, without proper security you’re very likely to end up running into trouble. See, there’s a lot that can go wrong with an event besides logistics. You need to take the proper steps to ensure that you, your team, and your guests are properly safeguarded against anything that might cause them harm. In short, you need to make certain your event is secure. The first step in doing so, of course, is knowing what sort of threats you’re likely to face. Let’s get started. Equipment Theft This is by far […]

The Importance of Due Diligence And Guest Background Checks

If you’re going to bring a third party in to help with your event – be they a DJ, a vendor, or a security firm – then it’s in your best interests to look into their background before you opt to work with them. The reason, of course, is tied to liability. That is, if you knowingly (or unknowingly) hire a criminal of any kind to assist with your event, then you’re the one who bears the brunt of the legal backlash if and when they step out of line (to say nothing of the damage this can do to […]

Be Ready, This Could Happen To Any Of Us

For the last two weeks we focused on everything that you need to know about employees, from getting them to keeping them. They are a very important part of your company as an event planner, and this next week we are going to focus on something that you also need to focus ample attention towards: safety. From security threats to personal health, it is important to be knowledgeable and take even little steps to be sure that you have a healthy, happy event attendees & staff. We will be focusing on the following topics to help you be sure that you […]

Five Mistakes Made By Inexperienced Event Planners

One thing a lot of people tend to forget – particularly in our rather perfectionist society – is that nobody’s perfect. Planning an event is a pursuit that requires a great deal of hard work, strategic planning, and managerial prowess. Particularly as a novice, it’s incredibly easy to slip up. Unfortunately, that’s not really something you can afford to do as an event management professional. If you mess up, you’re potentially destroying two reputations in one – both your own, and that of whatever brand your event is representing. Today, let’s talk about a few of the more common mistakes […]

Overbooked: How To Manage Too Many Jobs

As a general rule, I’ve one piece of advice when it comes to overbooking as an event planner – don’t. That’s not very helpful, though. No matter how good you are at your job, you’re only human. Eventually, you’re bound to make a mistake – everyone does at one time or another. How can you avoid losing your mind and keep everyone happy – clients and teammates alike? Let’s talk about that. Don’t Try To Do Everything At Once So you’re overbooked – so what? You can handle all of your clients at once, right? I mean, it’s not like […]