A funny idea occurred to me the other day. In much of the world, anyone who doesn’t own a cell phone is considered an oddity. 56% of people on earth own their own Smartphone, while a staggering 91% have a mobile device of some kind at their disposal. The landline phone is a relic! This data is based on the average user, but you can bet money even more people in the enterprise sector will be making use of smart mobile technology.
It’s something no event management professional wants to deal with: a key partner or guest speaker has bailed out on your conference with little to no warning. You’re left high and dry, desperately seeking out a replacement (or, failing that, going into full damage-control mode.) While most veteran event planners have likely dealt with unreliable guests, an incident like this could easily seem insurmountable to a less-experienced planner. So what’s a good show-runner to do about a flake? Don’t Panic The first, most important rule is not to let this get to you. Admittedly, it’s next to impossible to address…
I feel as though there’s a mantra which every marketing and tech blogger should repeat whenever they write a piece on cloud computing: “I’m not going to bore you with buzzwords, nor coo how cloud computing is the future of all industries. I’m not going to claim the cloud is the only solution to all your problems, nor am I going to ignore its flaws.” Well all that said: today I’m going to discuss how you, as an event management professional or not, can be served by cloud computing. When used properly, the cloud is an extremely powerful tool in…
Hey there, folks! We are moving on to part three of our novices’ guide to event management. So far, we’ve covered what an event management portfolio should include and how to organize it so you’re putting your best foot forward. Today, we’re moving on and looking at how to use that portfolio to break into the event management industry. The goal: landing yourself a sweet gig as an event planner. First, you do need to decide whether you want to be an independent event planner or join an already-established organization as their resident event manager. If you’re going to jump…
There are great reasons for many types of organizations to hold charity events such as fundraising drives and raffles. Not only is it great for one’s brand image, everyone involved – including you – gets to feel good for making a positive impact in the world. However, there are a few things about managing a charity event that make it different from a run-of-the-mill meet-up or conference. You might end up having to do a bit of extra work. In order to make sure things go smoothly, you’ve got a few tasks ahead of you in addition to typical event…
Budgeting is probably the most difficult task for every event management professional – particularly if you find yourself coming up short. If tight, it can be incredibly tempting to cut corners, but that’s not an advisable course of action. Skimping on features is a surefire way to ruin an event, and it’s not the way to solve your event budget constraints. So…how can you save money? Get creative, there’s ways to cut down on an event’s overhead without causing quality to suffer too much. Here are a few cost-saving event management techniques that won’t completely water-down your event in the…
As an event planner, you’re probably used to doing several hundred things at once while running on little more than fumes. Ignoring the demands of your body in order to focus on keeping the show running is probably old hat to you. On some level, you’re aware that what you do probably isn’t the best course of action if you want to stay healthy…but you’ve so much to do, you don’t really bother thinking too much about it. You probably should. For one, it’s been proven time and again that your mental well-being is tied directly to how well you…
Planning an event can be stressful, but if attendance is strong you will look back and realize it was well worth the time and effort. Here is the big question: how are you going to attract a large number of attendees without blowing through your event’s marketing budget? You may believe that successfully marketing a large event has to cost an arm and a leg; nothing could be further from the truth. There are steps you can take to spread the word on a shoestring budget – or simply make your large budget go that much further! Here are four…
With so many details associated with planning an event, it is possible to overlook the fact that some sort of disaster may occur. While disaster may be unlikely, you must be prepared for the unforeseen. Some things are out of anyone’s control, but it’s your responsibility to have an action plan. Below are three potential (and somewhat common) event disasters you should plan for: 1. Medical emergency. The more people you have at your event the higher the likelihood you will face some sort of medical emergency. Aside from choosing a safe facility and not engaging guests in dangerous activities,…
As any event planner knows, choosing the venue in which an event is hosted may well be the most vital step in the planning process. After all, your chosen venue impacts everything about your event save for the content: how many people can attend, what sort of amenities you can host, and even the general mood of your conference. Now, there’s a good chance you’ve already got the sort of venue you’re going to need for your event clear in your mind. That’s good, because that isn’t going to be our focus today. We’re not going to work out how…
Last week, we took a look at the components every novice event management professional should focus on to help build a strong portfolio. Today, we’re going to take a quick look at how you should format a business portfolio, fitting those component pieces together to best catch the eye of prospective clients. More importantly, we look at the language and presentation of your portfolio that will best ensure perspective clients hire you. Not surprisingly, presentation plays a huge role in every aspect of an event professionals’ career. Putting together your event management portfolio for the first time can be an…
There’s a very good reason so many event planners tend to become control freaks. The amount of organization necessary to keep an event running on track makes such traits more or less necessary. If you’re an event planner, there’s a good chance you obsess over just about everything from keynote content to transportation needs to budget constraints right down to your event’s layout. That last one’s pretty important, by the way. “Mapping” of your conference layout design has a significant impact on how attendees will experience the event – and how much they’ll enjoy it. Now, most modern event planning…
When it comes to the event planning process, it is easy to shutdown due to “brain overload.” In other words, there is so much on your plate that you don’t know what to do now, what to do later, and what to skip over altogether. If you are the micromanager type, this is not the time to remain stuck in your ways. Instead, it’s time to delegate some of your tasks to others. It may be difficult to relinquish control, but remember this: you are still running the show, but you’re just not doing everything on your own. Here are…
No matter how skilled you become at your job, you should never stop looking to improve. To disregard the idea of self-improvement is the ultimate expression of laziness and apathy. Those men and women who are truly successful at their jobs never stop trying to find new ways to better themselves. No, I’m not practicing for a career as a self-improvement huckster. I’m just offering a bit of valuable advice which every event planner should take note of. No matter how perfect an event seems to have been, there’s always something you could have done better, always a mistake you…
The other day, I happened to catch a few episodes of the Spike Network’s Bar Rescue. For those of you who aren’t much into the network, Bar Rescue is a reality TV series (bear with me here) hosted by Jon Taffer, president of the Nightclub and Bar Media Group and self-proclaimed Bar Science expert. The show centers on Taffer’s efforts to bring ailing bars back from the brink of failure; a process which often results in him butting heads with owners, managers, and employees, many of whom are completely unaware of their own incompetence. Much of the entertainment value, as…
Are you in charge of planning events for your company? Like anything, your first go around may be a bit rough. After all, you don’t know the ins and outs and for this reason it is common to make mistakes along the way. Fortunately, the more events you plan the more experience you will gain. From there, it is much easier to learn from the past to ensure greater success in the future. Here are five things you can learn by reviewing past events: 1. What went right? Even if you made mistakes in the past, it is safe to…
Today, we’re proud to announce that Everwall and Ticketbud have partnered! Ticketbud is a service for selling tickets to your event, and what makes this such a good partnership for us is that they’re not like every other ticketing company out there—they’re focused on making your event more successful by giving you tools you need to simply and quickly create events on their platform and sell tickets. Simplicity and speed is also something we strive for here at Tweetwall. Today we’re launching a minisite for Ticketbud, and from there, you’ll be able to easily login or create a Tweetwall account…
Organizing an event on a tight deadline may feel overwhelming, but it’s entirely possible with the right strategies. Whether it’s a corporate meeting, a wedding, or a community fundraiser, tight timelines demand focus, quick decisions, and teamwork.
Follow these five expert tips to make organizing an event on a tight deadline a success
So, you’re planning to market your event on YouTube? That’s great! Good initiative! You’ve potentially just equipped yourself with a powerful tool that could easily make your brand soar to new heights – but only if you actually understand how to manage it. Even a seemingly irrelevant mistake could cause all your efforts to come crashing down around you, leaving you with little more than a few terrible videos and a lot of wasted time. The problem here is that if you’re new to YouTube marketing, there are a few mistakes that you’re far likelier to make – mistakes that…
So…are you just starting out as an event planner? If there’s one thing more daunting than the profession itself, it’s being a novice in the profession. Nobody knows who you are – or particularly cares. You’re competing with big names; men, women and organizations with more connections, better reputations, and more clients than you could ever dream of. And what do you have? You may become the greatest event planner, but you don’t have any sort of portfolio to show for it. Without one, you’re going to find landing clients a herculean task. What’s a rookie management professional to do?…
