Corporate Event Planning|Event Management|Event Planner

An increasing number of organizations are focusing extensively on enterprise events. As an event planner, you will understand the importance of corporate events in the present times. There are various types of corporate events that are hosted for different purposes. Some of the popular types of enterprise events include the following:

• Press conferences


• Annual functions


• Product launches


• Partnerships and tie ups

While it is true that events have always been a part of organizations, it is interesting to note that in the present times their frequency has increased at a rather swift pace. Both small sized and large corporations are hosting various kinds of enterprise events for different purposes. The scale of such events varies and herein lies the challenge for you to plan a successful event for your corporate client.

Given the demanding nature of corporate events, you need to take every bit of detail into consideration during the planning stage. Aspects that call for special attention include the following:

Budget

Your budget will determine the scale of the event. You might have a great idea for the event but not enough resources to take it to the next level. So, set realistic goals for your events after taking the budget factor into consideration.

Some event planners fail to understand that smaller budgets do not necessarily translate into lukewarm enterprise events. Even with tight budgets, you can organize successful events. All you need is effective planning and a blueprint for the event.

Venue

Whether you are organizing a press conference or an annual party, you should not go wrong with the venue. The first thing that you need to ask yourself is the scale of the event. The venue should accommodate the event attendees. Furthermore, it should be accessible for your attendees. Your attendees should not find it difficult to locate it. When it comes to venue selection, there are plenty of options to choose from. So, you need to choose wisely and negotiate tactfully. The final selection should be made after reviewing a few locations for the event.

Invitations

Your attendees should get their invitations for the event on time. This is particularly important when your event is around the corner. Make sure your invites contain necessary information about the event, venue, speakers etc.

Time management

You may get a request for arranging a corporate in just a week's time or even less. While it is indeed challenging to pull off the entire thing within such short notice, excellent time management skills can ensure the success of your event. You need to get a dynamic team that will focus on various aspects of corporate event planning including food, lodging, entertainment and more.

Food

Most venues offer catering services for event organizers. This option saves both time and resources. You can suggest the menu and look for options. Significantly, the menu has to be determined by the ambience of the event. For example, you need to decide whether alcoholic beverages should be offered at the event.

Enterprise event planning is a challenging domain that requires you to plan everything properly. Your priorities will differ and you will be required to put in extra effort. So, always have a checklist ready to meet your deadlines and arrange a successful event.

When planning an event whether it is for your business or having a family wedding affair, a creative and innovative flower arrangement can really set the theme for your party. Although flowers can be costly, and usually just disposed of after the event, they can really transform a room or outside setting into a festive and inviting space.

Party flowers are usually coordinated by a company that specializes in the production of these large scale events. These companies know how to effectively fill a room with floral arrangements that create a theme or setting for the given party, or corporate event. It is best to go with a company that has a lot of experience in such events to ensure that they have an understanding of the type of event and also the amount of space needed for flowers. Many aspects go into a strategy of festively decorating a room, or outdoor event with flowers. The type of flower, table arrangements, the season, and also the existing rooms colors all play into an effect floral design theme.

Hiring a company to fully handle the flowers for an event like a wedding is usually a common decision. Because flowers are expensive and knowledge of what flowers work best at what times of year, it is best to leave this job to a professional company. A professional floral company will usually set a package price which will include all of the flowers and design for the event. Wedding flowers are very important because they usually a focal point at weddings for bride and groom pictures, table centerpieces, and also bouquets. Because of their importance these wedding flowers packages usually are very pricey, and obviously, the more flowers, and more rare the flowers, the more expensive a wedding flower package can be.

When looking for a wedding flower, or party flowers company, it is ideal to use references from friends and family that have had good experiences with such companies. This way you will have a basic idea about price and also with the service they offer for your special day. Surrounding your party with flowers is always a great way to really customize your event, and leave a lasting impression with your guests. Also, sometimes with a surplus of flowers at the end of an event, the flowers themselves make for a nice parting gift for family members and friends when leaving the party.

Vampires. Werewolves. They're all the rage. So when someone wanted to promote the launch of an event planning business to the great city of Los Angeles, they made sure to invite lots and lots of vampires and werewolves.

Because nothing says "fun" like a theme party with mythical creatures.

The person's crazy friends all jumped at the chance to dress like vampires and werewolves, but what kind of vehicle is appropriate for the undead and the intermittently furry?

A limo, of course.

This person knew the kind of effect they wanted the event to create. Vampires and werewolves would get people -- potential clients -- looking. Vampires and werewolves slipping out of a line of limos would get their jaws to drop.

They wanted the promo party to tell the world that they could pull off a huge, crazy event without a hitch and with lots of class. They couldn't have done it, though, without the help of a limo company.

They started calling around to get price estimates. Their budget wasn't huge because the business hadn't opened officially. They discovered there are all kinds of prices out there. The key is to get the ball rolling early so you have time to hunt down the best price. But -- and here's the good news -- there are plenty of businesses who aren't out to suck you dry or tear your budget to threads. (Okay, promise, no more cheesy puns.) Lots of limo companies see themselves as partners of the business community. They want to help businesspeople succeed at what they do best, and offer a wide range of packages that fit their needs and budgets to a T.

The limo company this person chose listened to what they needed. They wanted all the vampires and werewolves to arrive at the same time, in a long line of classy, black limos. The company helped coordinate the event so it all went off without a hitch. The new company made a huge splash. Hundreds of people, many of them part of our target market, saw the team all arrive at the same time and were floored. They couldn't stop asking "What is all this about?" and "Is Edward here?" The team was able to pitch the business over and over again. Plus, several sales happened on the spot.

Sure, they could have all rolled up in hatchbacks and sedans and bicycles. They would have gotten some stares, and maybe even lots of questions. But a straggly hodgepodge of vehicles and a sleek line of limos don't say the same thing. One says, "I have lots of good friends who are happy to dress up and help me out. Aren't I lucky?" The other says "This is a professional event. I am a consummate professional. You can -- no, should -- trust your event coordination to me."

Face it, vampires and werewolves can be campy. Throw in a sleek line of limos, and they sell.

Conferences play a major role in the success of any business. Businesses arrange conferences for different reasons. Conference planning is necessary for business conferences. Conference planning is a very technical job and a professional is necessary for it. To become a conference planner you should acquire training; training provides you with the knowledge of managing conferences. Business conferences are arranged for the company's promotion, promotion of the company's product, employee appreciation, achievements of the organization and to get new projects.

The face of conference planning has changed and now businesses are looking to hire experts for the arrangement of their conferences. Businesses want to make sure that their visitors are comfortable and the right venue is selected for the conference. To select the right venue, comfortable seating arrangements and appropriate technology you have to be a professional.

Company's goodwill is dependent on the conferences; as stated earlier the companies arrange meetings for the promotion of their company. For this purpose appropriate venues such as big conference rooms are selected and these conference rooms have up to date technology. With the help of technology; businesses informs the public about themselves. This way these businesses gain promotion and the target market comes to know about the company.

Conferences are even held for a product launch. When a company makes a new product; it arranges conferences to inform the target market about the new product. It uses technology to provide knowledge about the product's advantages and offerings.

Meetings are held for employee appreciating. In these meetings the businesses use technology to appreciate their employees for reaching certain production or sales targets and workers are rewarded with monetary and non-monetary benefits. This helps in motivating the workforce and the workforce repays by working hard to achieve the company's goals and objectives.

Conferences are even held to appreciate the achievements of the organization. When businesses achieve their production and sales targets these conferences are arranged to appreciate the people involved in it. In these conferences; future targets of the organization are explained to the work force. A copy of the future targets is provided to the workforce so the workforce can work to attain those targets.

Many business meetings are arranged to get business from another business. In these conferences the businesses use technology in which they employ technology to provide information to other business and they try to get contracts with them. These are the reason why businesses arrange conferences and for these conferences proper conference planning needs to be done.

When planning a corporate event for your company and/or clientele, it is important to have every last detail handled efficiently and quickly. Whether you intend to host a multi-day event or a simple awards banquet, you must provide for the comfort of your attendees while making sure you get everything you need from the venue. It is tempting to have somebody within the company take control of the planning in order to save some money, but you may wish to consider outsourcing this task to a professional corporate event planning service, one that knows your industry and is prepared to make your even memorable and effective.

Why outsource if you feel your company is capable of putting on a meeting? Why spend the extra money? Here are five reasons to consider:

1) Event planners know the hospitality industry. You may not have much involvement with the hospitality industry, and that is okay. If you have not planned a conference or luncheon before, you may not be aware of all the details to which one must notice. A professional event planner, however, will have years of experience negotiating hotel space and rooms, catering services, and promotional items. They make sure meeting rooms are equipped with beverages and pens and pads, and that there are plenty of rooms blocked out for your event.

2) Planners keep track of attendees. Find a reputable planner with the means to keep track of all registrations to your event. This is an especially time-consuming element that requires steady organization. Many event planners offer online registration services that can make it easier for you to gauge the size of your audience.

3) Event planners handle all crises. In a perfect world, we want everything to go off without a hitch. However, you may find during your meeting anything can happen. Reservations may be lost, food grows short. This is where having event planner helps - the people you hire handle all the problems while you handle the actual business of the meeting.

4) You may actually save money outsourcing. Because planners have an "in" with hotels and venues, you may be able to strike a deal on rentals and other services you wouldn't normally get if you planned the meeting on your own. Your

5) You can concentrate on your business. When you take the responsibility of planning a meeting off your shoulders, you retain the time to focus on why you're having the meeting - your business. Your work doesn't pause while you arrange for a conference. You will ultimately deal with the everyday work and the one-time conference, so let a professional deal with the event.

Outsourcing conferences, conventions, and special events are essential in keeping your business flow smooth and your sanity intact. Consider an event planner for your next big meeting.

I love entertaining so I frequently host gatherings which include the casual dinner party and BBQs to the more formal anniversary parties. Getting my family and friends together for gourmet food, good conversation and laughter brings a warm feeling of satisfaction to my heart. From personal experience I know how planning even the smallest of gatherings can be very time consuming. There is the planning of dates and times, getting the guest list together, shopping for food and decorations, checking out venues, hiring entertainment, etc. Think about starting an event planning business so that you can offer your clients the benefits of hosting a great event with the convenience of one stop shopping for all of their event planning needs.

Skills you need with you start an event planning business

Knowing how to throw a great party is a valuable skill when starting an event planning business. It will help you to have an idea of what your customers will be looking for. It will also help you to offer ideas and tips to clients looking for valuable resources for their event. Having an eye for detail and a fun personality are a great asset to any event planning business. Good time management and organizational skills are helpful as well. Being on time, keeping invoices, orders, client information, vendor lists, venue information and any inventory you choose to carry such as party supplies organized is a must for your business to succeed.

How do you get started?

Starting an event planning business takes a little time and research. The best way to get started is to offer to plan events for your family and friends. This will give you experience in planning a variety of events as well as build up your portfolio for future clients to see your work.

Education

Read books, take classes and attend workshops to help you to grow in your field. Join the International Special Events Society (ISES), to stay on top of events and happenings within the event planning industry.

Target market

As an event planner there are many types of events that you can plan including private parties, fundraising events, corporate events, wedding, business launch parties and more. Start off by putting real thought into what type of events you would be best at planning. Even though you may be good at planning all types of events to be successful it is always best to choose one area of expertise and add to that if you choose to as your business grows.

A good business and marketing plan

Sitting down and writing out your business and marketing plan even if it is only on a single sheet of paper to start with will really help you to start your event planning business off on the right foot. Who will your clients be? What services will you offer? What will you charge for services rendered? How will you market? Are some of the questions to keep in mind when starting your business.

A quality vendor list

A major key to event planning success is to develop a rolodex of reliable vendors to work with, like caterers, musicians, photographers, videographers, party suppliers, venues, etc.

Starting an event planning business is the perfect choice for someone who is detail oriented and enjoys working with others. Research your industry well and learn how to market yourself to prove your credibility. Be patient and your hard work will eventually pay off.

Anyone planning a community event should consider using a public relations agency to help promote the event. By nature, a community event is a public event, and in the interest of maximizing attendance and participation, public relations tactics must be employed. Of course you can perform the PR functions and promote the event yourself, but the best results are achieved when hiring the pros.

Below is an outline of some key benefits to hiring a public relations agency to promote your community event.

Contacts

o One of the best ways to get the word out about your upcoming community event is through the press and media. A public relations agency will have established relationships with key reporters on not only a local level but nationally as well.

o Utilizing their contacts to promote (companies, brands, events, etc.) is the lifeblood of PR
professionals and agencies. Because of this, they tend to be strategic, on the ball, and focused on the end result.

o Using a public relations agency to promote your event will increase your likelihood of getting coverage in local and/or national newspapers or on television or radio news programs.

o Because information coming from known and trusted news sources is more credible than obviously paid advertising, members of your community are much more likely to take note of your event than if they were to find out about it through paid advertising.

Event Planning

o Ideally, you should sign on with a public relations agency early in the event planning stages. Doing this will ensure coverage by long-lead media and is a must if your event is expected to have a very large turnout or is held on a national or international basis.

o Even if you plan to do all of the planning for the event in-house and handle all the details internally, a good PR agency will be able to help you strategize every aspect of your event to maximize promotion not only of the event itself, but also of your organization. A public relations agency will help you strategize an appropriate mix of promotional activities, including but not limited to:

o Sponsorships
o Program launches
o Analyst tours
o Media tours
o Press conferences

o A good PR agency will gravitate toward promoting your organization (in addition to the event) just because it is in their nature.

o Most public relations agencies have event planning and event marketing capabilities. If you are operating on a large scale and expect mass media coverage, you will be well served to have an experienced agency ensuring everything runs smoothly at the event with regards to accommodating the press. If you are on a budget, however, you can likely choose the promotion services you need the most on an "a la carte" basis.

Message Makers

Public relations agencies are typically comprised of many different levels of corporate communications professionals. For this reason, having a PR agency promoting your community event can come in handy when it comes to your event materials. Consider having the agency develop your marketing materials to ensure that your message and tone are consistent and appropriate for your target audience. If the PR agency is involved from the beginning of the planning process, they can be instrumental in developing invitations, flyers, posters and more. Keep in mind, creative resources of a public relations agency are likely to be more extensive than your own. If you plan on hiring a PR agency to promote your community event, definitely leverage their creative strengths.

Hosting a corporate event is an effective marketing tool, and done properly, an event should lead to the successful promotion of your brand or services. The type of corporate event will depend on what you want to accomplish and this varies from industry to industry. You need clear objectives in mind before you decide to host an event and these will need to be discussed with your event specialist so they have a clear vision of your business. Event companies specialise in strategic planning, development, creativity and budget management - leaving you free of the event-organising hassles.

Corporate events can vary size from small boardroom business meetings to international meetings bringing companies together from all over the world. Firstly, you need to ask yourself what you want to achieve from your corporate event - you will need a clear objective of the end of result to ensure the event's success. There are certain protocols you have to follow depending on the type of event and knowing the ins-and-outs of these event types will help make your event successful.

Corporate events are either internal or external. An internal event is colleague-based and only includes company members, they can be small breakfast meetings or large national events bringing affiliate companies together from around the country. Internal meetings can be held to discuss a company's future plans, to build team morale or to provide staff training - most internal meetings are a basic affair with minimal equipment, possibly a projector, tea and coffee station and finger food for lunch. Larger internal events include team-building excursions where staff members are sent to activity centres to build team morale - examples include rock climbing classes and white water rafting - activities like these build team morale and allow staff members from all departments to get to know each other properly. External events usually invite the public or specially selected guests to your event - these events could include product launches, promoting a brand, dinners and award-ceremonies.

Product launches are a brilliant way to market a new product or a new brand, these external corporate events can be low-key with a small guest list or large-scale spectacles with a VIP guest list. Your event company should get to know your new product and the message you want to convey when planning your event - the right message is vital. A product launch theme should reflect the product its promoting, for example, if you want to promote a new alcoholic drink, you could use a snazzy bar as your event location with your new drink as a welcoming freebie. If you are launching a new perfume, you could hold your event at a party-venue and give away free samples of your eau de parfum in beautifully-designed goody bags. Event companies usually have a substantial list of celebrity contacts, perfect for endorsing a new perfume or any other brand.

The time and location of your event are two important factors in its execution. For example, if you are planning a mid-week dinner, Tuesday to Thursday are the best days to choose - Monday everyone is tired from the weekend and Friday is when the weekend begins. Most people would prefer to attend corporate meetings, dinners, launches on weekday evenings rather than invading in their personal weekend time (when work is usually off the agenda). The location should be city-centre orientated and have easily accessible train and bus routes. If an event if miles away from a city, less people will be likely to go out of their way to find your event, especially after a hard day's work.

As long as you have clear objectives in mind and these are strategically planned and developed by a professional events specialist, your corporate event should give your company a huge boost whether it is through promotion or team-building.

Planning an event entertainment can be one of the most daunting tasks ever. It requires a lot of creativity as well as knowledge of what the targeted audience enjoy most. The journey towards finding the most perfect and wonderful event performers should be treaded carefully to avoid little mistakes that may prevent it from being a success. Below are some of the greatest tips for matching to the corporate guests.

Look forward to finding best corporate entertainers

Most people in the corporate entertainment industry know that there is a distinction that should not be crossed in regards to entertainment content. It is therefore important to seek those individuals who have great reviews from other business clients. They should have a great experience in their stage performances.

Always ask for a preview of their entertainment videos

Most corporate entertainers normally have a clip that shows exactly what their performances look like. It is important to watch a preview of this and know the suitability and level of entertainment it will provide. By watching this tape, you can be sure of what to expect from the event entertainment. Through this tape, you can judge the people and know their level of dedication towards their entertainment careers.

Consider the purpose of holding the event

One of the greatest things that you need to keep in mind is that not every corporate entertainer is fit for any event. You need to select the right entertainers who hold the right theme for your function. They should also comprise of a reasonable size. Suppose the event marks a launch of a product, the audience is large and needs a much entertaining factor that suite all ages as compared to training workshop learning.

Seek a variety of performers

Organizing a show that engages various performances is a great way of entertainment. This ensures your guests get various entertainment choices hence keeping them from boredom. This is greatly important especially in breaking monotony of one person performing on stage. A good corporate entertainment requires amalgamation of various performers and letting them entertain the guests suitably.

With the above tips, you can be certain to find the most appropriate event entertainment group. They will also lead you into picking the best and most relevant entertainment group for your guests. In this way you can make them have fun and exciting experience at your event. If you are planning for a corporate entertainment Vancouver or any other function, the above four tips will guide on how to choose the best corporate entertainers.

You don't need to go for run-of-the-mill ideas for some pre (or evening during-) dinner fun.

Remember, there are tons of specialist corporate dinner entertainment event organisers who understand the importance of impressing your guests and paying close attention to detail in getting the night just perfect.

Professionals such as this should be able to furnish you with tons of ideas to impress the guests before dinner and the options available may surprise you. They shouldn't all cost an arm and a leg either. You could create your own unique evening at home - for free (get a few friends to help out by dressing up and acting the part or by giving a polished performance at the mic!)

Of course, you'll want to make it worth their while, so ensure that your guests deliver perfect feedback to your evening.

Maybe you are planning a slick corporate event for your company or perhaps you are planning something smaller for work - like a team-building night. In both cases you might want to turn to the professional events organisers to take the strain and produce something lavish.

Do the research. Make sure your event entertainment is perfect for your guests and trust in an events organisation that is offering a fabulous night out where they will remember the night - and remember you!

You may be splashing out on your team or rewarding valued clients for some hard work. Either way it has to be perfect. To start you off, here are a few ideas that you can play with to get you on top with your planning.

Murder Mystery Night

One of the oldest and still very popular forms of dinner evening entertainment ideas. A Murder Mystery evenings can be performed by professional actors and provide an excellent way of getting all your guests involved the evenings fun.

Cocktail Flaring

Pre dinner drinks have never been so much fun! You could teach your guests how to make cocktails they never knew existed and then get them to drink up before learning how to throw and spin bottles in the air! This is a great team building activity.

Wine Tasting Game

A light hearted approach to wine tasting that takes away the snobbery and could provide your guests with an introduction to wines in a fun environment.

Crazy Waiters

If it's a surprise that you want for your guests on the evening then some crazy waiters will surely do that! Send-in undercover waiters and waitresses to blend into the normal hotels staff and cause all sorts of crazy havoc!

Complete Room Theming And Entertainment

Themed evenings

If you are going to throw a big themed party and want your guests to be talking about it for months afterwards then why not theme the whole event with a fantastic theming option..

Entertainers

Add an element of surprise and live special entertainment to your awards dinner or theme evening by including human statues, stilt walkers and other great entertainment acts.

The first principle of any business is to increase revenue and PROFIT. After all, it's the reason we start a business in the first place. In an effort to survive and excel, whether in the short term or long into the future, focus must always be on increasing profits. Profit is the life blood of all business.

Regardless of the business type, owners and managers must understand the Pyramid of Profit and how its components directly affect the success, or failure, of a company. The Pyramid of Profit is made of five components: People, Product, Price, Plan, and Promotion. The crowning achievement of the successful application of these five is PROFIT. Let's examine how the Pyramid works.

PEOPLE

The first step is the base of the pyramid, and it's the largest step in building the structure. It has been said many times that with the right people you can achieve anything. People, the right people, properly trained, motivated and managed are the key determinate. A business needs a certain number of employees. This does not mean an overabundance of people in every area. Keep in mind that the largest category on your annual operating budget is Employees and Related Expenses. Unfortunately, this is the one budget item that most employers decide to cut immediately in order to increase profit. There are many instances that this may not be the right decision to make. Before reducing the workforce, try to determine if you have the right people doing the right job. After your evaluation, you may find out that you do not yet have all the right people. Changes may have to be made so that you will not have to reduce the size of the employee base, but you may instead have to look for more of the right person you need in certain areas.

Let's take a look at recent history. When the President/CEO of one of the largest U.S. automakers resigned his position, one would have assumed that the Board of Directors, in their search for a replacement, would hire from within the auto industry. They did NOT. The Board selected the right person from outside the auto industry and hired the President from IBM. Here comes a person who did not have any experience in the auto industry, but, the Board determined that he was the right person to lead their company and that's all that mattered. Whatever knowledge and experience he may have been lacking would have to be learned quickly, but he was hired even though he was on a learning curve when he joined. This same man, now in charge of this large U.S. automaker, was the only President/CEO who did NOT need any bailout stimulus funds when the economy suffered its great loss in 2008. Today, and every quarter since his joining the company, he has shown a profit and has expanded the company's financial resources. He is the RIGHT person for the job. People are the first and most important component in the Pyramid of Profit.

PRODUCT

The second step, somewhat smaller than the first in the building of your pyramid, is to look closely at the current Product (or Service) you are managing. You may find that you need to add products or services to your current lineup, while complementing the base product/service line that you presently offer. During the 70's and 80's there was an explosion of company mergers and acquisitions of other companies not related in any way to the acquiring company's products or services. Many of these acquisitions failed quickly due to the vast differences in people and products between the two.

In looking at your current product/service line, you may find something very alarming. You are doing far too much to be profitable. This was very true just recently in one of the world's largest businesses, the auto industry. After an in-depth review of the automakers product line, it was discovered that in order to survive and to sustain profitability, several models had to be discontinued forever. Many models we all grew up seeing and driving are no longer manufactured. This was true with almost ALL automakers worldwide. As an industry, they offered too many products, too many choices and no profit as a result. When the product line was reduced and refocused, some automakers returned to record sales and record profits. Lessons learned. There are companies who offer too many products, too many services and now are struggling to create a profit or even sustain themselves. Take a close look, a very close evaluation of your current product line and determine if products need to be added or are there some that need to be discontinued completely.

PRICE

The third step in the building of the Pyramid of Profit is Price. Is the price of your products in line with the consumer's purchasing habits? To determine this, take a close look at the sales of each of your products. Are there any that are lagging far behind, perhaps even at a loss? Are there products in your present line that are very expensive to produce or to deliver to the buyer and, therefore, must be priced higher than usual in an effort to show an acceptable profit on that specific product? Should you keep this product in your product line? Here we are again. Do we eliminate this product and go forward? Do we replace this specific product with another and integrate it into our current line? If so, will it be lower in price and be even more affordable to the consumer? Recently, one of the largest fast food chains did just that. They eliminated a number of items in their line and reduced the cost of some others in an effort to increase sales. There are many times a company would be wise to reduce prices and increase sales, increasing revenues and in the end increasing profit. Many companies view this as a risk, but, the vast majority of companies who have adjusted their prices have increased their total revenue and increased profits because of an increase in volume.

One the world's largest retailers has built their empire on having "low prices, Everyday." This organization goes all-in on increased volume in every department. The profit margin is smaller than their competitors', but, it is volume that keeps them on top in the retail world. Here again, there is a lesson in this success story.

PLAN

The next step in the pyramid is Plan. Do you have a well-thought out, well-designed business plan that you change, update and modify, as necessary, during the year? Do you construct a new plan for next year? Yes, this takes time and effort, and whether you are a small organization or a fortune 500 company, most do not have such a business plan that is worked on throughout the year and redone going into the following New Year. There is a corporate and business mindset that says if everything seems to be going along o.k., there is no need to make changes or modifications. In short, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." When a corporate or business disaster comes along, which it usually does, it may be too late to come up with a plan. You'll be in disaster mode and will not have spent any time working on prevention early on. So, when things happen that cause a serious shift in your business, you'll find yourself unprepared and in a panic.

Plans should be prepared during the last quarter of each year, giving all who need to have input the time to present and discuss new activities, new changes, and new ideas for the upcoming year. After the New Year begins, the plan should be reviewed every quarter going forward so that any necessary changes or modifications can be implemented effectively and efficiently.

If you (your business) don't know where you're going, then any road you're on will get you there. A Plan is your "road map," which can and will give you directions on how to get where you want the company to go.

PROMOTION

Promotion is the last step in the Pyramid of Profit and it is as equally important as the first four steps. Simply stated, promotion of your products or services is marketing and advertising.

Here again, when things are slow and the overall economy is sluggish, most organizations cut back on promotion. Suggestion: When things are as they are in today's economy, more promotion is necessary to keep your organization on at least the same level as you were before the economy became so sluggish. Why? Cutting back on promotion of your products/services has you disappearing from view. In any successful and productive marketing & advertising campaign, there are 2 rules of thumb: frequency and recency. When was the last time anyone saw or heard your promotion? How often during this week or this month did they see or hear any promotion of your products or services?

Promoting products and the marketing of services should be done utilizing a supported marketing plan. Example: running one ad once or twice, no matter its size, will yield insignificant results because there is no application of the frequency or recency principle. Running a print ad every week for a month while also doing some direct mail promotions will yield better results, but, it is still not very effective, especially in a suffering economy. In a struggling economy, it is crucial for you to at least maintain and try to increase your market presence. When the economy rebounds, as it will, you will be recognized for having survived the downturn and being an agent of growth and expansion in your market.

A fully supported marketing plan that will yield the greatest result in any economy is to utilize print media (newspaper, magazines, and periodicals), broadcast (radio), direct mail, electronic media (TV, web) and take-ones (flyers) at your business location. The plan should incorporate all of these elements throughout each month in a rotation fashion, with as much frequency and recency as financially possible.

In conclusion, when you find the right people for your organization, identify the proper products or services to sell, price your wares properly for the market, develop and adapt your plan for growth and promote your business, your end result will be a profitable one.

Outdoor event catering is easier than it has ever been because of a larger amount of catering companies to choose from. The more you know about catering the better your chances are in finding one that is suitable, a good caterer that will make your outdoor event memorable and successful. This article will give you the information you need to make an informative decision regarding the selection of outdoor event catering companies.

First, catering is the business of providing food and beverage at any location. Catering is a growing business that is constantly evolving. Many caters are moving away from simply serving food or drink and adding event planning, outdoor event planning and other food related services into their portfolio of services.

Secondly, catering companies still focus on providing food and drinks to any location people but they can now provide you a full service that can satisfy all your wishes and desires. Many catering companies can provide decorations, music, furniture, and entertainment alongside the food and beverage. Even if you need an event location, the caterer can supply one for you. Outdoor event catering involves creating an entire atmosphere for the party. Catering companies are expected to be able to provide and fill in all the details of the party while meeting a budget and never making a mistake.

Third, the cost for outdoor event catering is usually determined by the total guest count and the complexity of the menu. Additional services provided by catering companies are usually charged on a per-item basis. Service charges and gratuity for wait staff are also charged for large events, however the application and disbursement of these charges should be discussed with your accountant.

Fourth, when looking for catering companies for your next event you should realize that there are two basic choices: independent caterers or large catering companies. An independent caterer usually can be more creative with their menu but may be unwilling to take on very large parties themselves. Independent small catering companies may also lack the resources and equipment to outfit your entire party. Usually independent caterers will have contacts with other companies who can assist with aspects of your event that they themselves cannot perform.

Most importantly, larger catering companies will probably be less flexible with menu choices and they rotate menu choices through many parties to speed up prep time. They tend to be more willing to take on a very large projects based on them already having the manpower and experience to handle and staff larger events. If you require additional support a large company may have it available in-house. This reduces the amount of vendors you will need to pay and work with during your event planning.

Finally, if you are too busy to cook and plan for your own event having good catering companies you know and trust can be very important. You can check the internet and find great caterers. When you are confident you have one that can plan and stage your party without making a mistake, you keep going back to that company time and time again. If you have a lot of parties or events good catering companies can maintain a history of menus served and plan new unique menus for each and every event.

Catering is a wonderful way for you to have a perfect event without having to do all the work yourself. Next time you want to have an outdoor event consider hiring a caterer who specializes in outdoor event catering.

In case you haven't noticed, we are in full campaign season as we approach the presidential elections in November. And, as part of that process, the event planners are busy organizing each party's respective convention. The conventions are a great vehicle and opportunity to showcase the party's platform and, of course, the star performer - the candidate. While many of us are probably very well aware of who those candidates are, they are officially unveiled at their conventions. The Republicans will be first up with their convention taking place in Tampa week of August 27th. Next up will be the Democrats with their convention in Charlotte the week of September 3rd.

Political Event Planning Has a Very Strong Focus on Security
With political parties, in addition to the program itself, the event planning is heavily focused on security. After all, for presidential elections, one of the candidate is the current sitting president. No doubt there will be protesters at both the Democrat and the Republican conventions. That's just something that goes with the territory. However, with protesting, there is always a security concern. A lot of the money that is allocated by the federal government and the local municipalities has to be spent towards ensuring that all of the delegates, and especially both of the candidates, are well protected.

The Pros and Cons of Hosting a Political Convention
Obviously each of the cities that bid to host these political conventions think that the benefits far outweigh the hassles. After all, we are still stuck in the middle of one of the worst economic downturns in our lifetime. But, there are definitely some issues that need to be addressed in the planning stages.

Political Event Planning-the Cons
Security. Not only from a cost perspective but from a coordination aspect as well. After all, because of the delegates involved, there needs to be coordination at the municipal, state and federal levels as well as with the Secret Service. And just trying to determine the hierarchy (save for the Secret Service) can be a logistical nightmare. And with both Florida and North Carolina having concealed weapons laws (which allow their citizens to carry concealed weapons with the permits) this presents a security nightmare, to say the least.

The City's Image. With protesters often comes damage and destruction. Tourism officials are always concerned when images are published in the press that show their respective cities in a negative light. Not that anyone will be blaming the municipalities themselves for any demonstrations that occurred during the conventions. But we are humans after all and when we go to book our vacations those images may pop into our minds and have an effect on whether or not we decide to visit those cities.

Political Event Planning-the Pros
Infrastructure. As cities prepare to host the conventions they all want to make sure that everything is spruced up and looking great for everyone arriving. And their cities are also on the national stage from the media's perspective as well. So the cities are currently receiving a lot of attention to their infrastructures. Pretty safe to say that a lot of this work would not be completed by these municipalities except for the fact that they are hosting these conventions.

Revenues. Congress allocates $50 million to each host city to help them prepare for the big events. Now, admittedly, most of that will go toward security for the conventions. But, if history is any indication, Tampa and Charlotte both stand to see between $150 to $170 million pumped into the local economies. Certainly nothing to sneeze at given the current economy.

Tourism. According to Hotel News Now, current hotel occupancy rates in Tampa are 69.5% and 63.1% in Charlotte. Confirmed bookings indicate that during the convention Tampa is expected to have a hotel occupancy rate of 82.7% and Charlotte is expected to see an occupancy of 88.4%.

From all indications, there will be some PR issues that Tampa and Charlotte will be dealing with. City officials recognize that there will be logistical issues that need to be dealt with, namely transportation and security. But, factoring both the pros and the cons, CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau ) officials in both cities are considering the conventions to be a win-win for the local economy.

Event styling incorporates so much more than venue and colours. When you host an event, no matter what size, it always begins with an idea. The process of turning the idea into a reality is long and detailed. The most important thing you need to keep in mind is that an event's success depends on the quality of the equipment, location and the effectiveness of the message you wish to communicate. This can all be achieved if you have the right stylist and guidance at your fingertips.

Event Styling - the dos and don'ts

Do find the right event equipment hire company. It is necessary to choose a company that not only provides you with high quality and appropriate equipment hire, but also offers a service of event styling that can raise your event to professional level. Good event equipment companies will have a high level of expertise and technical knowledge in their equipment, so they will be able to recommend the best type of equipment hire to suit the goal of your event.

Do find an appropriate location. The venue is very important in event planning. The type of venue you choose should be appropriate for the amount of guests and it should house the event comfortably, catering for the type of equipment you will use and the features you wish to promote.

Don't go overboard. While lighting hire and audio visual equipment can be exciting at first, the range that is available can be overwhelming and if you are advised in the wrong way, you can be persuaded to hire equipment that is too over the top for the type of event you are planning. Make sure that the equipment you hire suits the event and is not geared towards an event of an entirely different calibre.

Don't ignore the d矇cor. Event styling is not only about how the event feels but how it looks as well. You may want to put all of your energy into a great sound system and huge LCD screen, but you should also pay attention to d矇cor hire. There are many table settings and linen that will go perfectly with the theme of your event. Just make sure that you do not skip this important detail as it will surely add to the quality of the venue.

In styling your event, it is recommended that you seek the right advice. An event is more than a gathering of people. It has a purpose and to achieve this purpose, every detail should be planned and designed to fit with your vision.

Getting some entertainment in life is really important from time to time as there are going to be many moments when you will get exhausted with the daily routine of life. Additionally, you will be required to arrange some really great entertainment options for various work related events too. There are a wide variety of options that you will be able to consider for your events but getting some really good entertainment will be an easy task once you get some comedy entertainment options for your corporate events.

Your work related events don't have to be boring and this is exactly what you will be able to prove once you get some interesting corporate entertainment for an upcoming function. There will be many advantages that you will be able to experience once you decide to spruce up your corporate events with some fascinating entertainment options. Without a doubt, you will be able to lay out a fantastic event if you get one of the many entertainment options that will keep your guests entertained at all times.

One of the most entertaining options that you will be able to choose for your corporate events are comedy shows that will be able to ensue a laugh riot which will have your guests entertained at all times. There are a wide variety of comic acts that many professionals offer and you will be able to choose their acts in order to ensure that you have some interesting corporate entertainment lined up for the evening. The comic actors will be able to offer something new for your events with a wide variety of comic themes that won't be monotonous and will offer something new every time.

It is not just the events related to corporate affairs that need such kind of entertainment options and you will be able to use these hilarious services for wedding entertainment options too. You will have a lot of fun planning and executing these wedding entertainment options too for your loved ones by offering them something great on their special day. These entertainment options can be used for various events like corporate affairs, weddings, birthdays, parties and more. You will be able to use them for a wide variety of events in order to make the evening spectacular.

Events will keep on coming in your life and in order to create an event that people will remember you will need to take some efforts to make it special. A wide variety of options are now available at your disposal and you will be able to plan exactly the kind of event you want with these fascinating options at hand. With the kind of options that you will have with corporate entertainment options, there is no doubt that you will be able to create an event that all will remember with a big smile on their faces for a long time ahead.

A fixed meeting agenda format is hard to find. Also, it is not recommended that you use a stereotyped agenda structure for your meeting. That is because your meeting might need a different kind of agenda than what is prescribed in the format. So, open your mind and be flexible. There is really no need to stick to a hidebound format that is not tailor-made to suit your needs. If you do not stick stubbornly to a redundant and rigid format, I assure you that you shall do much better. You shall be able to generate relevant and useful conference agenda that will make your conference a whopping success!

A Quack's Prescription

Most meeting or conference agenda formats tend to sap a meeting organizer's creativity. A meeting or conference agenda format urges you to formulate your meeting agenda according to a strict and invariable pattern, which might be totally irrelevant for you and your company. The makers of most conference agenda formats think that they have done a wonderful thing by devising one solution for all companies, one medicine for all patients. The fallacy in their thinking is pretty self-evident. There cannot be one single cure for the maladies of different organizations or even for that matter, for the different maladies that ail one particular organization. So, a standardized format is not only useless, it can also be harmful as it tries to offer blanket solutions for diverse issues that require individual attention and separate treatment.

A Specialist's Touch

However, there are some meeting agenda formats that offer customized solutions to the process of agenda framing. These formats are based on a broad framework of topics, most of which apply to and are valid for all meetings. Fortunately, such conference agenda formats also make way for variations and deviations peculiar to each company and each meeting. Despite following a structured approach, such meeting agenda structures give enough scope to managers to lay down meeting agenda as per the particular needs of their companies. These meeting or conference agenda formats are not sheets of paper charting out a course but consist of sophisticated software to help company managers to plan for events and in the task of goal setting. They are an integral part of high-end meeting planning software that facilitates event planning and management and makes the job of managers easier.

The Choice is Yours

Modern meeting planning software is made using state-of-the-art technology and helps managers to plan and organize meetings in a jiffy. From helping you to write meeting agenda to prompting you to deliver the valedictory, they are capable of transforming you into an expert in the meeting management and event management processes. They are equipped with meeting or conference agenda formats that aid managers to set meeting agenda. However, you have to be careful in choosing a meeting planning software. Most of them cannot keep their users' data secure even if they guarantee information security. So, make a judicious choice. Selecting the wrong meeting planning software will cause you endless sorrow as your confidential company information will be hacked into and publicly distributed. But if you select the right meeting planning software, there will be no end to the rich dividends that you will receive. Sky will be your limit if you use the right meeting planning software with its right meeting agenda format.

The events industry is growing at a very fast pace. For the concept of global business and global market have given rise to increasing number of events being held world wide that jumpstart opportunities for board clients and vendors. With this unprecedented increase in the number of events worldwide there is an increase in demand for highly sophisticated Software Systems to manage events.

The web platform for each event has become the next to mandatory for all event management companies. It is easy to go for a Plain Jane website for each event but surprisingly the costs escalate year on year as users demand to be able to more on the website. Also several events are annual in nature causing a lot of redundancy in the tasks that are performed for initiating the event and managing all the event related activities like contact management, newsletter management, check lists etc.

It is those important and useful to have an intelligent website management for content management system that handles events exclusively. Such an intelligent system understands that the data are that stored in the system will be used again the next year. Keeping this in mind it should archive data for easy use in future. Another important aspect of event management is online user registration. More and more users now you want to register online instead of more traditional methods like registration by a phone, fax etc. This registration option opens more possibilities for event management companies to be able to give better knowledge of the event to the user. It also allows them to gather all user data at one place and export it in usable formats.

They are being event management companies that hold hundreds of events per year. It is very expensive and difficult to manage large number of websites for each of these events. An ideal solution would be a single central system that allows them to create web sites and deploy them at will. They should be able to manipulate templates, copy previous web sites, manage contacts, allow online registration etc.

These are some of the features that are ideally required by event management companies for managing event websites.

If you are good at managing time, have good communication skills and creative; then event planning can be a really suitable profession for you. You will enjoy doing event planning as a job and be totally dedicated to it. Nowadays it is gaining a lot of popularity because people do not have enough time to make all the arrangements for their event. Thus, instead of wasting their time, they hire event planners who organize their event just the way they want it.

However it is not easy job and without event planning training you cannot execute it. Right now there are many well known institutions that offer event planning courses and you can even acquire them online if it is a problem for you to go to their campuses. Event management gives a lot of physical stress so you need to have a lot of patience, the right skills, information about the latest trends and marketing ways, and all of these can be acquired through event planning training.

Event planning industry is going rapidly and when you will have these certificates in your portfolio then you will become more demanding than others. These courses are not even lengthy so you can complete them in a couple of months and work in the professional world.

This way of event management and planning training will enhance your skills and teach you how to approach to your clients. Once you have gained experience of a couple of years then you can start your own business in this field and increase your earnings. You will not need to make any big investment your computer; internet and telephone will be enough to carry out the tasks related to event planning as it required physical work more.

Moreover, you will already have good relations with some consumers and a number of reliable services so there will not be much problem. In the beginning, start working on smaller events and then slowly pick up the larger projects. At some point you will need more staff to help you and enlarge your business.

As the event management and planning career has a lot of options in it like wedding planning, corporate meetings, charity shows, kids' parties etc. you can choose specialization in anyone of them and then implement on it. Remember all you need to have is a lot of tolerance and enthusiasm if you do not want to fail in this profession.

Business development involves identifying new business opportunities, marketing opportunities, partnership opportunities, new markets, after sales follow up as well as generation of orders, sales and leads. The key to successful business development in event-industry is to stay abreast with the latest news in the industry and to keep a close eye on what your competitors are doing in terms of business development and marketing strategy.

In this industry, event-managers generally get business through outsourced work. This work can be an outsourced social-event, corporate-event, charitable-event etc. For e.g. if I run an organization and I wish to organize a product launch to promote my product, then I will prefer to outsource my work to an event-management-company as they are better experienced and equipped with logistics required to organize an event in the most effective and efficient manner. If event-management-activities become an integral part of a company, then it may open up an event-management-department to cut down the production and marketing cost.

Over the last two decades, the event-management-industry has grown exponentially and turned into a 500 billion dollar industry. To voice the concerns of the event-planners and help them in producing outstanding results for their clients, many event-management-associations like ISES (International Special Events Society), IFEA (International Festival and Events Association) etc are there. These associations can also be used to get businesses. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Orkut etc can also be used for business development. Since not all events are of same size, it is possible to manage only those events which you can afford to manage both in terms of budget and manpower. Event-management is all about networking. More contacts you have, higher is your probability of getting clients.

Event planners on the go need to find a convenient way to stay organized, connected and informed. Here's a list of the top 6 must-have iPhone apps for event planners.

Quickvoice
The award-winning voice recorder has finally made an app. You can record everything from voice notes to interviews to entire lectures. Its coolest feature? You can email using your voice.

Google mobile app
Search Google for free using your voice, pictures and location! This powerful information tool gives you instant access to the information you need. To get it, go to m.google.com/search on your phone's web browser and they'll send it to you.

A Personal Assistant
This little genius brings all your online accounts into one location so you get all the necessary info quickly and easily. If you're okay with storing all your passwords on your iPhone, you have to get this one.

Eventbrite
Now you can manage your guest list on the go! Eventbrite's mobile app also ties into the main dashboard so you can view ticket sales from everywhere. Hopefully a barcode scanner is next on their to-do list!

Evernote
Winner of the Best Mobile App Award from TechCrunch, Mashable and the Webbys. With Evernote, there isn't much you can't do. Use it to synchronize with your Mac, PC or web, take photos, search text in photos (really!) or record voice memos.

Skype
Who doesn't love to save their precious cellphone minutes? With Skype's mobile app, you get an easy to use interface with unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls and IMs.