When was the last time you attended a noticeably BAD event?  Probably more often than not.  Anyone can put on an event, but like everything there are varying degrees of success.  What is the difference between the blaringly bad events and the impressively good events?  Proper Planning.  Event planners if utilized correctly will not only save you money, they will make you money.  What do professional event planners bring to the table that amateurs don’t?

Intentional & Strategic Planning: All events should have well established goals, means to achieve said goals and metrics for measuring success.  Without going through the fundamental exercises of setting up the structure of your event–you will just run into a bunch of dis-jointed ideas and haphazard decisions.  If you fail to plan initially, you plan to fail.  Event planners save you from yourself by creating a strategic plan for success.

Event Planners possess know-how and get the job done efficiently:  All we do is events.  When we are not doing events we are thinking about events or critiquing events or researching events.  Our abundance of knowledge  and endless creativity save tremendous time in the process of planning. We are the catalyst for new ideas and vehicle to help focus them into effective themes that reach your target audience in an impactful way.  We leverage our relationships with vendors and craftspeople to bring your dreams to reality.  We work swiftly and with ease–unlike someone navigating the industry for the first time (time=$$).

Thoughtful Experiences:  Event planners possess the rare skill of seeing every detail from the attendee vantage point.  We are acutely aware of and sensitive to the way people receive an event.  As the event host, you have the opportunity to influence a captive audience of people.  In the age of distraction it is increasingly difficult to capture and maintain attention spans.  Event planners intuitively understand how to keep humans engaged and inspired.  Even events on a budget, should possess a certain level of professionalism and polish–good enough, is never really good enough.

Valuable & Invaluable Returns:  Measuring the value of an event  could be achieved by evaluating: attendance, money raised, clients gained…etc.  But the invaluable will show it’s true value over time.  If you take the time to create a strategic and  thoughtful event with flawless details–people will notice and your message will not only be received, it will be spread.

So you’re most recent event didn’t go quite like you hoped, but you’re not sure how to fix it?  Give us a call, we’ll help you out.

When planning an event a lot of time is spent chasing the ever elusive “theme.”  The mind will often wander off to movies, colors, seasons or other arbitrary concepts used to create a certain mood for the event.  Themes of this nature certainly have their time and place, and if done right and thoughtfully can create a lot of impact.  But when it comes to your corporate events, the theme should never be arbitrary.  Your corporate events should be seen as an opportunity to intentionally impact a captive audience with your brand and messaging.  So how can you be sure you are taking full advantage of the opportunity to reach your attendees?

The first theme is YOUR BRAND…

Every event should have well defined objectives.  Do not throw an event, to throw an event.  Clearly define your goals and how you are going to achieve them.  Once that is done take a hard look at your brand and pull out the messages you want to convey to your attendees.  If your attendees could EXPERIENCE your brand, what would that be like?  What are your core values?  How can you use those throughout your event to reinforce your brand?  Think about hitting all 5 senses.  Colors and logos are obvious but what does your brand taste like?  Maybe not literally, but for example if you are a health conscious company you probably shouldn’t be serving donuts for breakfast.  All of the details of your event should be directly inline with your core values and brand messaging.

A theme within a theme…

Now that you’ve mastered the first theme, use a secondary theme to enrich the experience.  Maybe this is a year of growth and you want to leverage that concept throughout your event.  Your program and all the event details would be designed with the idea of “growth” in  mind.  You would choose speakers and build content focused around this topic.  Maybe you would incorporate a few hands-on learning activities on unexpected topics-opportunities for growth.  Maybe you’d even choose a venue like a botanical center with a lot of greenery or rent some beautiful and unique vegetation to further reinforce your concept.  The success of your event is determined by how effective you are at providing the most value, clearest message and best experience for you attendees.

Anyone can plan an event, it truly is not that hard.  The best events start with a really strong  foundation.  Clear goals, solid branding, valuable content & delivery.  Give your events the time and attention they deserve and they will pay you back generously.

Have you ever been in a situation where there are just TOO MANY cooks in the kitchen?  Sometimes putting on an event where decisions are made by committee can feel just that way.  Here are 5 Tips for running an event committee meeting.

1. Set an agenda and STICK TO IT:  Inevitably, someone will try to derail you from your agenda, it is your job to STOP that!  Set the expectation at the start that it in the interest of time it is imperative that you adhere as strictly as possible to your agenda.  When the conversation is hi-jacked politely reign it back in by ensuring, you will get there when that agenda line item is brought up.  Other best practices?   start ON TIME and end ON TIME-be respectful of everyone’s busy schedules.
2. Remove all distractions:    Choose a location that is quiet and has little outside distraction–no real need for food/refreshments.  Ask your committee  members to put away all phones and focus for 45-6o minutes of time.  By eliminating distractions and keeping it all business, you can ensure things will run smoothly.
3. Avoid going down a rabbit hole:  Committees are generally made up of people who believe their input is valuable in some way and therefore they would like to share.  The result can be a lot of extraneous discussion around topics that might not necessarily need all that much discussion.  Know when to table discussions that have taken a turn away from productivity. A simple “All good ideas, let’s pause this conversation for a moment and come back to the agenda”–should get the meeting back on track.
4. Don’t get too far into the weeds:  piggy-backing on the topic above, no need to dive deep into the nitty gritty details of your event.  Keep your meeting high-level with specific action items for those in attendance.   1-2 people on your committee should be responsible for managing and executing all of the details.
5. The Loudest Person in the room is not always right:  Be weary of the person who knows all of the answers.  As the meeting runner, you need to manage the person/people who tend to “bully” the rest of the group.  Often times these are the same people who will take your agenda way off task.  First attempt the gentle tactics presented above to guide them back on track .  If the problem persists, a delicate 1:1 conversation is not out of line.  But most importantly, be fair, take all opinions on the floor and then make decisions based on what is in the best interest of the event and the committee members who are putting it on.

We have all been at an event where there are blaring oversights that should have been addressed during the planning phases.  Here are a few planning considerations to ensure you are not looking like an amateur come event day:

Clear communication is KING

From the initial point of contact to post event surveying, attendees are happiest when they are informed.  Put yourself in your attendee’s shoes–keeping in mind these people will be of all different competency levels.  Hint: you should plan your communications based on the lowest common denominator-assume your attendees need you to hold their hand as they walk through the event.  Utilize email, social media platforms and event apps to communicate pertinent information to your attendees regarding all relevant event details.  Sharing logistics across a multitude of platforms will ensure everyone receives your important information.  At your event be sure to have clear signage and wayfinding tools to help move your attendees around the event.  Enlist the help of “ambassadors” to help give your attendees a personal touch, setting their mind at ease and making them feel pampered.

Nobody likes to wait in line, ever.

Take the number  of people you are planning to have run registration and double it.  Now take the number of bars and food lines and do the same.  The registration table is one of the first impressions you give to your attendees.  Make sure whomever you task with running registration is trained on what they are supposed to do; nothing is worse than a frazzled person trying to find your name amongst a sea of spreadsheets.  So be organized and think through the most efficient way to move people through the line.  For events where you will be serving cocktails, add a couple extra grab and go stations for beer/pop/water.  Place bars in different locations throughout the space so attendees have options.  Attendees will get sassy when they have to wait 10 minutes in line for a drink.  Not a good look, so be prepared with more than enough staff to serve your guests!

Critically curate your program to your audience and be respectful of everyone’s time

Before you begin planning your event, you should have identified what your specific goals are for even throwing it in the first place!  Once you have your goals established and your  ideal attendee profile created, tailor a program that will bring the most value to that group.  Pairing quality of content within the right time-frame will directly effect how successful your event becomes, so make sure you are thinking that through.

Don’t be boring, be Impactful

Events are a dime a dozen these days, how is your event special?  Develop an attendee engagement plan where you are actively employing different measurable tactics that stimulate your attendees.  Attention spans are short, so be sure to provide your attendee with a variety of different program elements and get booties out of seats often! Leverage creativity to ensure your message is received and ROI is achieved.

Please feed and water me.

Avoid making your attendees hangry by providing them with some fuel throughout the course of your event.  No matter the length of the event, at minimum people are expecting planned access to beverages.  Show them you knew they were coming by having some sort of refreshments.  Just a small and simple coffee/tea station with some power bars will keep energy and attitudes up!

So you’ve dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s and you are feeling very prepared for your event? Now what is in your day-of event tool box??  Here are a few must-haves from our book:

Comfy shoes and appropriate attire:  When I am packing my event bag, I like to put my mama bear hat on as if I am preparing a bag for a 4 year old’s trip to the zoo.  For set up you’re going to want you comfiest shoes and casual, easy to move in clothes.  Transitioning into event time, I pack slightly upgraded comfortable shoes (save your heels for another time) and my preference for attire is a comfortable version of whatever the attendees would normally be wearing in an attempt to blend in.  Layering is always a good option.  Typically venues are kept a little chilly.  My go to is a nice short-sleeved top underneath a blazer or sweater.  That way when stresses run high, I can shed a layer and likewise add it back in when there is some downtime.  Always a must is my “Event Manager” name badge and of course a smile!

Event Timeline & Vendor Contacts:  Either a printed or digital version of the event timeline (including vendor schedules) as well as all vendor contact info is a MUST!  The last thing you want to do is scramble trying to find information in the heat of the moment.  Be proactive by having this information right at your fingertips when necessary.

Tangibles:  I will again put my mama bear hat back on for this one: Energy snacks, water, scissors, tape, pens and markers, twine, phone, chargers, wallet…etc.  A curated mix of fuel for my body  as well as any “survival tools.”  Think items that are versatile tools that can assist with any sort of event issues requiring a little resourceful hacking.

What is in your event manager tool box?

We have had the opportunity to work with the fabulous people over at the Iowa Taproom and let us tell you, their event spaces are hidden gems perfect for intimate social events or small corporate conferences and celebrations.  We popped over and spent some time with Melanie Mackey the Taproom’s bubbly and out-going event space coordinator and here is what she had to say about their venue spaces:

How long have you been working with this venue?
I started as Events Coordinator in August 2018 but have been with the company for almost two years.

Venue Capacity?
Our Marquette Room can seat around 200 comfortably, and our Joliet Room can seat up to 50 comfortably.

What is included in the space rental?
Rental at the Iowa Taproom includes set-up and tear-down, tables, chairs, linens, free wi-fi, bartenders/servers.

What types of events are typically held in your spaces?
Around 60% of our events are wedding related (ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners, etc.) while 40% are corporate events.

What makes your space unique?
Our rooms have a very industrial chic aesthetic with the exposed brick and twinkle lights on the ceiling. It makes for a very casual yet elegant feel!

What is your favorite part of venue?
I love seeing the different decorations that every wedding brings in. Our space is like a blank canvas and works with every color/wedding theme.

What is the coolest event you have been a part of at the Taproom?
We did a surprise wedding on  New Year’s Eve! It was emotional and thrilling and I’ll always remember it.

Do you have preferred vendors?

We LOVE Molly’s Cupcakes. They are amazing neighbors and their wedding cakes are gorgeous! I’ve also loved working with a variety of Des Moines photographers such as Raelyn Ramey, Jordan Campbell, and Casey Austen. If you want a super fun Photo Booth we always enjoy Photo Booths by SKP.

What’s on your bucket list?

Personal Bucket List Item – Be a part of a flash mob
Professional Bucket List Item – Have that flashmob occur in our event space

Marquette Room

Joliet Room

The sky is the limit when it comes to venue choices these days.  A good or bad venue choice sets the tone for the entire event; price although important, should not drive your decision.  Venue should not be an after-thought, but rather should be considered based upon the overall desired “feel” of your event.​

Criteria for vetting a venue for YOUR event:​

Location:  Consider what location makes the most sense for the experience you are trying to achieve, as well as what is most convenient for your attendees.  Consider things like parking, proximity to hotels/restaurants/shopping.  Will you need a shuttle to transport attendees or can they walk?  Logistics like that.​

Size:  Can the venue support your desired attendee headcount, while also supporting your event logistical needs—(stage, food, bars, sponsor tables, registration…etc.)​

Logistically Effective:  Does your venue support your program?  Do you need a separate area for cocktail hour or a certain sized stage?  Or maybe a green room space or breakout area?  Thinking through your event program in terms of space is one of the first thoughts in the venue vetting process.  Also keep a pulse on the ease of loading items in and out.  Difficult terrain, could increase cost.​

Uniqueness:  As a thought leader in the Financial industry, it is important you present yourself as such.  Straying from the “same old” hotel & conference world is not a bad thing; attendees actually find it refreshing!​

Cost (and hidden costs):  Make sure you do your research and know your all in cost for the venue before you decide to pick it.  Look for hidden cost add-ons, like gratuity, tax, internet,  AV add ons…etc. ​

Quality and Availability of service & amenities:  Ask the right questions to determine what is included with your rental:  internet, tables, chairs, linens, AV.  Is there onsite food and beverage, servers?  Or do you need to bring all of that in?  Oversights on these will cost you in the end!​

AV capabilities:  Take inventory on all of the AV offerings of each venue you research.  Do they have screens & projectors, will they provide staging, microphones, lighting?  Will they provide a laptop, or will you?  Who is providing the wireless slide advancer?  Do we need/have a confidence monitor?  Make sure expectations are clear, so you know you are getting what you want!! ​

​The world is your oyster when choosing a venue…so think creatively!

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Sponsorships should be seen as a partnership where both parties involved partake in a mutually beneficial

relationship. Corporations provide Non-Profits with financial support and in return the Non-Profit provides the

Corporation positive recognition & PR and a potential boost in business. It is the responsibility of the Non-

Profit (and event team) to think through how they will positively affect the Corporations in the following areas:

Brand Awareness:

Logo featured on all collateral and marketing materials: Ex. t-shirts, banners, signage,

newsletters, print and web ads, radio spots, tweets, Facebook posts, press releases, billboards, invites,

landing pages and email campaigns.

Recognition:

Thank them at every chance you can: public speeches, board meeting, ads, social media…etc.

Also brainstorm ways to provide them extra perks at the event—think a VIP reception with great PR coverage.

Open Communication & Follow Through:

You’ve secured the sponsorship-now make sure you are

following through with all you promised. Multiple follow ups and touch-points with your sponsor will help you

to cultivate the relationship and retain your sponsors from year to year

ROI Metrics (if applicable):

Give meaningful shout outs to your sponsors through various digital platforms

and then track the activity by reviewing metrics that can be shared with your sponsors! This is another

opportunity for you to “touch” your client by providing insights into the value of their sponsorship!

So what does a possible sponsorship structure look like??  It could look like the following:

Speaker Sponsor

$10,000

Big perks should come with this sponsorship! Examples could be: providing creative input on the speaker,

multiple public thank yous and maybe even an opportunity to emcee the event!

Bar Sponsor

$5,000

Who doesn’t love to be the person who is responsible for everyone having a good time? A branded signature

cocktail or glassware can heighten the sponsor’s visibility.

Dinner Sponsor

$5,000

Allow your dinner sponsors (and all sponsors) an opportunity to

speak and address the crowd. A creative

branded menu at each seat can set this sponsor apart!

Video Sponsor

$2,500

By capturing video during the event, not only could it be used for marketing for the CFA Society, but it can be

“Powered By” the sponsor-creating continuous brand visibility, positive recognition and ROI.

Entertainment Sponsor

$1,500

Adding live music both before the program and after the program is a nice touch and helps enhance the

attendee experience. The musician can give the sponsor lots of shout outs between songs!

It is important to note that no matter the sponsor’s level-benefits to the sponsor should be thought through

and promises should be met!

How to get people to attend your events

A guide to planning successful events: Part 3