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 Event Planning And Hospitality Intersect

It’s really no secret that event management is more complicated than it’s ever been. Professional event planners have to navigate their way through a logistical labyrinth, juggling everything from equipment to location to their own events team. While mobile technology has eased the load somewhat, it’s still not a career well-suited for just anyone. On top of that, the bar for entry has never been higher. Employers increasingly prefer to hire University graduates ahead of other applicants, while clients are increasingly paying attention to certifications – which include one’s degree. Curiously, one of the preferred majors in both cases appears…

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…

Five Personalities You Can Follow To Learn More About Event Management

The best professionals in any given field aren’t just skilled at what they do – they’re also incredibly adept learners. They know full well that, regardless of talent, they’re only as good as what they know. For that reason, they’ve learned to pick up tips, tricks, and skills from everyone around them, including (and especially) the people they work with. Last July, I wrote a piece outlining some of the top personalities in the event industry. These were professionals who, if you deigned to look into them, could offer insights on every facet of event management through their books, seminars,…

Five Conferences No Event Manager Should Miss

If you’re trying to learn about the field of event management, it’s all well and good to seek out industry sites and certification courses, but there’s still something to be said for checking in at an event manager’s conference. There, you’ll be able to meet and greet some of the brightest, most successful people in the field. You’ll learn more about your industry and the people involved in it, and possibly even meet a few potential clients (or employers) in the process. Plus, you’ll likely have a great time doing so. After all, who knows better how to put on…

How Video Games Can Make You a Better Event Planner

It wasn’t so long ago that video games were considered to be little more than time wasters. I’m happy to report that this is no longer the case – as gaming’s grown more popular and the games industry more profitable, gaming has become increasingly more advanced. Today’s video games aren’t just a means of passing the time – they’re hours-long, immersive experiences. And they can actually teach you a great deal about…well, everything. That includes event planning. Yeah, I know, it’s kind of a strange idea. Just bear with me here. Scheduling Through MMO Guilds I have a great deal…

Why Scheduling Should Come As Second Nature To Event Planners

Running an event isn’t exactly a cakewalk. You’ve got to manage teams of diverse individuals, work out your event’s itinerary, organize guest speakers and keynotes, meet with clients, vendors and suppliers…you get the idea. It’s sort of a logistical nightmare. Worse still, all this stuff needs to be tackled in addition to everything that’s going on in your own life. (You may also like Five Major University Majors to Prepare For Event Management) It sort of goes without saying that you need formidable organizational skills (not to mention a cool head) in order to survive. You need to know how…

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…

How to Increase Visibility for Event Sponsors

As you go through the event planning process, at some point you will be faced with the task of signing up sponsors. If you already have relationships in place, such as from past events, this should not be a challenge. On the other hand, you may have quite a bit of work to do if you are starting from scratch. Sponsors are interested primarily in “brand visibility.” In other words, they care about nothing more than getting their brand in front of your audience. Here are three of the best ways to increase visibility for event sponsors: Online visibility: This is…

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.

Cold Calling 101 – How To Get A Sponsor On Board For Your Events

In the past, I’ve often instructed you to contact various individuals for your events – be they sponsors, vendors, or guest speakers. I’ve not really gone into any detail on exactly how you should go about doing that. I’ve basically just told you to do a bunch of cold calling, without actually giving you any advice on how to do that. After all, you can’t simply call someone and blurt out the details of your event and expect them to jump on board – nor can you email someone a bullet list and assume they’re going to read it. If…

What Can You Do If Your Event Goes Over Budget?

Where exceeding your event budget is concerned, the general rule is “don’t.” However, sometimes things happen that are out of your control – maybe a piece of equipment breaks down and you need to replace it in a hurry. Maybe you didn’t sell enough tickets to break even, or maybe the materials and supplies you’re using simply turned out to be more expensive than you expected. Either way, it’s something that needs to be addressed immediately. That’s our topic in today’s piece. What can you do if you end up exceeding your initial budget for the event? How can you…

All About The Money

Money is a huge factor when planning an event. If you are faced with a small budget, it is often wise to look into sponsorships. As an event planner, you should network constantly to build your list of sponsors that would be available for different events that you plan. This can be a great relief to clients who are looking to get more for less money out of their pocket. There is almost a science to creating the right relationships to get the sponsorships that you will need for events, which is what we will be focusing on in this…

How You Can Use Facebook To Make Your Virtual Events Shine

You already know how powerful Facebook is from an event management perspective (and how important), and what it can do for event marketing and promotion. Social media is probably one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. This is true regardless of what type of event you’re running. That said; Facebook’s got a few features that make it uniquely-suited for virtual events. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. How can you use Facebook to supercharge your virtual events, and make them better than ever before? Look For Inspiration Online According to Adrianne Mellen Ramstack, Facebook is more…

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.

Snapchat: Storifying Your Brand

It seems that with each new year comes a new big boom in social media marketing. Last year, the marketing world was engulfed with real-time advertising induced from the famous Oreo Super Bowl tweet.

This real time advertising phenomena created a storm of over saturation and under satisfaction, and left many marketing managers losing their hair trying to latch on to every social trend they could. This became a tiring endeavor and not as effective as once imagined.

This year’s big boom has been Snapchat, a peer-to-peer photo/video messaging application that allows its users to temporarily share pictures and videos. Many brands were quick to follow the gust of Snapchat trendiness and a few quickly found success, including Taco Bell, Mashable, Sour Patch Kids, and GE.

These brands were doing something different than many other brands on Snapchat, they found a way to stick out and connect with their audience. A more unique persona of their brand than ever before was created. They found the secret.

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