Convention Event Planning Service Guidelines

Holding a get together but having no idea how to plan one is overwhelming and that is where hiring a get together event planning team will not only make the event run smoothly but also save you a lot of time, struggle and headaches.

A get together consultant is experienced in event planning and the unending number of items that need to be discussed and managed. Hire an event-planning consultant that has many years experience with conventions.

A get together event planning professional consultant understands that often you need more staff to accomplish all the jobs required. They have project managers working for them that can become your right hand by giving you their experience and expertise, which allows your staff to manage their own responsibilities.

This not only step ups your staff temporarily but also gives you experienced people that answer to you, so you still manage and control the event.

The convention event planning team you hire will work with you to determine the event event goals, the size of the get together, event type, and attendance statistics along with all the other event elements. This information helps the professional prepare a detailed plan with many options and practical plans. These specific plans will meet your requirements and goals.

It is the event event planning services role to establish detailed timelines, monitor them and update these timelines regularly so you stay within a certain period, as this is an exceedingly important facet of event event management.

Staying within budget is not only exceptionally important but also adds to the success of the convention. The conference event planning organization works with you to confirm a budget and then monitor and manage it. This is ongoing and compares the actual expenses to the event budget so there are no surprises when it is over.

If you are planning a gathering, it is best to hire a conference even planning organization as they can make the difference between triumph and catastrophe.

Event planning companies matching products and value-added services are available at the author's web site.

Affordable Website Design Company, Global Marketing Resources, announces its partnership program with eventplannersassociation.com

Global Marketing Resources (GMR), a Irvine, CA based leading website design and web marketing company for small businesses, announces partnership program with eventplannersassociation.com; a California based company offering Insurance, Legal Assistance and Marketing advice to the event planning/amusement games industry. As part of the partnership, GMR will help eventplannersassociation.com market its services to the event planning/amusement games industry.

Irvine, CA, August 16, 2006...Global Marketing Resources (GMR), an Irvine, CA based affordable website design, web management and website marketing company announces partnership program with eventplannersassociation.com, a CA based company offering Insurance, Legal Assistance and Marketing advice to the members of the Event Planning/ amusement games Industry.

The partnership between gmrwebteam.com and eventplannersassociation.com includes the design and development of a new website by Global Marketing Resources and providing website marketing such as, affiliate marketing, pay-per-click advertisement, search engine optimization, etc. evenplannersassociation.com will advertise special website design package offered by Global Marketing Resources.

Global Marketing Resources India based resources will be doing all the website maintenance work, plus taking care of all marketing activities to make the site generate revenue for the company.

Speaking about the development, Mr. Ajay Prasad, Founder and President, Global Marketing Resources said, "I am really excited about this partnership opportunity. Eventplannersassociation.com is an enterprising company providing services focused on event planning/amusement games industry and this partnership would expand services eventplannersassociation.com offers to their clients, and provide ongoing source of revenue for Global Marketing Resources. This is a truly win-win relationship."

A representative of Evenplannersassociation.com responsible for the website said "I am amazed at the capabilities of Global Marketing Resources. We engaged them to just design our website, but it soon became apparent that Ajay's knowledge of marketing and his India based resources can accelerate our business significantly. We were always focused on providing best of the services for event planners; our association with GMR truly lets us offer our services to our target industry.

About Global Marketing Resources Global Marketing Resources is a marketing-focused company, actively involved in affordable website design, web marketing, and website maintenance. Global Marketing Resources has been helping small businesses market their products since its inception in 2001. The company started to focus on the website needs of small businesses in 2003 and designs turnkey websites, manages it, and offers web marketing support at lower rates that allows good returns on website presence investment by small companies.

Headquartered in Irvine, CA, Global Marketing Resources has a development & marketing team of over 40 employees based in Hyderabad, India.

About Event Planners Association (eventplannersassociation.com) Eventplannersassociation.com is a CA, based company dedicated to helping the event planning community in US and Canada.

For details or clarifications write to:

info@gmrwebteam.com or visit us at www.gmrwebteam.com

Event Planner's Association at info@eventplannersassociation.com or visit us at www.eventplannersassociation.com

Ajay is the President of Global Marketing Resources, the marketing consulting and fulfillment firm in US. Prior to GMR, Ajay had over 17 years of marketing & business management experience at senior executive positions in marketing at large, medium size, and start-up companies. Ajay has been quoted in major newspapers (Dallas Morning News, San Jose Mercury News, The Wall Street Journal, etc.) about his views on car navigation.

Avoiding the 10 Worst Event Planning Mistakes

As leaders planning more events than we care to think on in one year, either we are too busy to plan effectively or we just simply do not think it falls into the scope of our role.  If you have not had to plan an event yet, do not be surprised if you find out you are planning the next big event.  To prepare for a successful event and avoid the 10 worst event planning mistakes, apply the tips in this article.

Mistake #1 Lofty Speaker Expectations

Your speaker may be very popular and have a glowing one-sheet with stellar qualifications, but s/he may not be right for your audience. Conduct thorough research and level your expectations to avoid disappointment. Typically, my approach is to expect nothing other than God being God in every situation. I prayerfully communicate His/my desires and then I stay open to His will. This helps keep me stay balanced and no longer focus on people, roles, titles, etc.

Mistake #2 Poor Communication

The latest thing in conferences and special events is to avoid letting conference attendees know who is speaking on which day of the event. Not sure of the logic surrounding this strategy, but it fosters poor communication and stifles the ability to plan accordingly. Avoid it like the plague with the following suggestions in mind:

• Business and Church Leaders when people register for the event, you capture information about them. Do something with the information besides printing out flimsy name tags.
• Distribute countdown communiqu?s leading up to the event.
• Recap the day with points to ponder version speaker highlights.
• Send complimentary information for out of area visitors (e.g. area demographics, nearby restaurants, local radio stations, peak hours of traffic, major points of interest, as well as a mini-map of the church/building of the event).

Never get so big you feel only God needs to know your every move. When you value people, you communicate with them and keep them in the loop of developing progress and changes in scheduling.

Mistake #3 Wrong Place, Wrong Person

Make sure you have the right people serving, greeting, ushering, selling products, etc. Keep Sister Frownie and Brother Sourpuss out of front and center positions. They may more appropriately serve behind the scenes making important calls, stuffing gift or lunch bags, or coordinating clean up. People who enjoy serving others make the best people for interacting and accommodating your guests. The best ushers and servers are those who are friendly, kind, and serve with genuine love. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are interrupting something or like an outside intruder attending a private special event. You walk away thinking, hmm...if you didn?t want me here, why did you invite me?

Mistake #4 Host-itis

As the host of your event, engage and speak with those who have taken time out of their busy schedules and paid hefty fees to come to your special event. Make a special effort to go out of your way and speak to someone you do not know. Hey, take a few minutes to see how they are enjoying and benefiting from the conference. Most importantly, just get to know them and do not just engage and speak with leaders you already know.

Here is a suggestion to spark a conversation. Ask your guests if they are comfortable. There is nothing worse than sitting jam-packed in a small building in dead summer sweating bullets through your stockings, skirt, and well-pressed suit. When you know they are hot, you can crank up the air. Well, you know the scripture, you have no air because you did not ask if anyone was hot! Seriously, this may appear to be a no brainer, but how many people have ever asked you if you are comfortable/uncomfortable with the temperature in the building? Better yet, how many hosts have ever personally spoken with you? Make the extra effort to connect with others. Who knows what you will find out.

Mistake #5 Not Ditching The Titles

This is not the time to be role driven. Be servant driven. If a guest asks for something, serve them as you would serve Jesus as a guest!

Mistake # 6 Failing to Count up the Cost

When setting the price for your event, be sure to consider everything. For example, the price of food, handout materials, parking, etc. This will enable those who are attending to be fully prepared with how much money they will need. As the event planner, be careful to count your costs meticulously. You can certainly be left with a bag full of bills for which you a responsible to pay once everyone has gone back home.

Mistake #7 Underestimating Time

Look at how long it takes to magnificently plan a wedding. Planning an event is not as easy as slapping something together in a flash. It takes ample time to thoroughly plan a successful event. Give yourself the gift of planning and overestimate the amount of time you will need to pull all the details together. Our recommendation is no less than 1 year for a small to mid-size event.

Mistake #8 Can?t See the Big Picture

Don?t just wallow like a pig in every muddy detail, but look up and see the vision of your event, seminar, or conference. Be sure to write out measurable goals and objectives. Having clear goals, objectives, and a vision determines a successful event.

Mistake #9 Going It Alone

Exercise a team approach and enlist the help of an event planner, family, friends, and other professionals instead of biting off more than you may be able to chew. You may want to consider co-sponsoring an event with another business or an established ministry or charity. Be realistic about what you can accomplish in your event planning.

Mistake #10 Poor Promotion

Once you are clear on your vision, goals, and objectives, you can begin to spread the word about your event. There is nothing worse than planning a spectacular event to which no one or the wrong people show up. Be unique and memorable in how you spread the word. We are all bombarded with invitations to events, classes, and seminars. Stand out, be bold, and say the same things we hear all the time in a fresh, new way. You may consider hiring a designer for your website and invitations.

One of the joys of our leadership calling is the opportunity to positively influence others in our meetings, conferences, and special events. As a leader planning and organizing an event, you are providing a service. I encourage you to see it as a labor of love. Yes, hosting a conference is a lot of work. If you implement the above suggestions and avoid these mistakes, you should end up with an event that brings God glory and blesses all who attend.

Many leaders overlook nitty gritty project details or simply give them no thought. If you found this article helpful, you can experience more support by hiring me to identify where you are most vulnerable in planning your special events. I can coach you through the details of every phase, from the project start to the very end-project implementation. I also support you through prayer and by bringing an open, unbiased ear to listen to all the ebbs and flows of the project. I literally mean every ebb and flow...from scope creep to budget constraints. I can help. Call me now before you start planning your next special event.

For additional support around planning an event, go to http://www.godscoach.com/special_event_checklist.pdf.

Divinely wise,

Karen Pina

GOD's Coach

Karen M. Pina is a leader?s leader and a coach?s coach. She trains and writes for visionaries, entrepreneurs, and coaches. She is the founder of Gifts Ordained by Direction, a training and coaching practice that addresses everyday leadership issues. The teleclasses, workshops, and coaching sessions Karen offers are an extraordinary opportunity to change your life and enjoy every minute of it.

Join the many readers of Gem News, a thought-provoking, revolutionary, life changing e-zine, or partner with her for more support around what you have just read. Better yet, if you are the go-to person for "the truth" and are looking for a way to get others to walk their talk, allow Karen to mentor you to become a certified coach, who positively impacts the lives of others.

 

Private Label Water and Event Planning

Private Label Water and Event Planning Pure Water for Memorable Events

Events are an important part of corporate life. A well planned event can forcefully convey a clear corporate message and engage participants in the respective corporate culture.

Most companies and organizations hold events for a number of reasons. Company picnics, holiday parties, new product introductions, sales and planning meetings and annual shareholder's meetings are but a few of the occasions that mark milestones of the organization. These meetings require detailed planning and resources and many organizations elect to utilize specialists in managing events.

Event planning is a complex undertaking with the coordination of vendor delivery schedules and maintaining critical timeline requirements. In addition to the logistics involved in planning the meeting most planners develop a theme that captures the essence and intent of the meeting. The theme adds continuity and acts as a reminder of the event for the future.

The Value of the Theme

A common theme brings participants together and allows the event organizers to convey a strong message about the event. The theme is usually expressed in communication and promotional material and documents related to the event. Effective communication of the theme is critical to the success of the event. Since there are a variety of themes to choose from for any event, care must be taken to select the best theme for the occasion and to properly communicate the theme to the audience.

Promotional Items and Quality Communication

The theme is an important element of communications. A quality message, consistent with the overall theme message of the company, is required for effective communication. One aspect of communication is the use of personalized promotional items, effective banners and unique giveaways. These items can be designed to impart an effective message and the use of high quality personalized giveaways creates a lasting impression and reinforces the event theme.

Private Label Drinking Water as an Effective Promotional Item

Private label drinking water is an ideal and powerful way to promote an event theme. Essentially private labeling allows businesses to design and develop a label with a custom message and theme and attach that label to a bottle of healthy drinking water. A result of this process is the creation and promotion of a clear message that is tailored to the event

Because of the immediate and permanent nature of the bottled water product, consumable advertising is created that leaves a lasting message in the mind of the event participant.

Some of the benefits of private labeled water include:

* A high-quality, effective and custom message.

* Messages can be modified to reflect events like corporate meetings, new product introductions and promotions.

* Individual users often carry the water with them and the event message is further extended and promoted.

* Pure water is popular and universally accepted as contributing to good health. The message of the private label effectively reaches more prospects as use grows.

* Effective cost is low and response to the event message is immediate.

* Consumable, portable advertising creates a lasting message and impression.

What to Look for in a Private Label Water Supplier

There are a number of private label water suppliers but they vary widely in the quality of their product offerings. There are three areas to investigate when choosing a supplier:

1. Quality of Water

Events with a large number of participants require proper hydration with water of the highest quality. High quality water in terms of health and taste is also critical for the acceptance of the theme and event message. If the water is low quality or tastes bad then the message will fail. The best quality water on the market today is purified using a distillation/ filtration/ oxygenation process that removes all impurities, including all bacteria, and creates a light, refreshing taste.

2. Quality of Label Design and Production

The label is the message part of the product and poor-quality labels send a poor-quality message. Production of a poor-quality label is a waste of money and adversely affects the message and theme.

It is very important to know that the vast majority (almost all) of the private label opportunities in this country come from water resellers (not bottlers) with desktop-model "thermal" (or "thermal wax") printing devices with a quality level that cannot compare well to even consumer-grade inkjet printing devices widely available for less than $200 at your local electronics store. These label printers are very cheap in both quality and cost, typically ranging from $10-20k depending on configuration, and are widely used throughout the private label water industry because of their low cost.

In sharp contrast, a quality label, i.e., one that looks like a top-shelf brand that you might find in your local gourmet grocery store, needs to be produced with professional-quality equipment using professional-grade printing equipment. There are three types of printing equipment that can produce a high-quality label.

1. Rotary offset lithography; 2. Flexography; and 3. High-quality digital presses.

For most smaller runs (under about 10,000 units), digital equipment offered by Heidelberg or HP is the most cost effective solution, but instead of $10-20k, the minimum equipment costs for these professional solutions range from $750k to $1.25M per station.

These facts are very important to understand when choosing a private label bottler -- because those who sell low-quality labels would have you believe that nothing better is available because of the short runs required by private label customers. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In order to succeed, your label must be professionally designed and produced with high-quality materials using a printing process that renders a high-quality result. Waterproof lamination is also required for long lasting labels. This is easily achieved for an affordable unit cost using the right equipment for the job.

3. Quality of Customer Service

The design and production of private labeled drinking water is complex and requires intense interaction between the customer and supplier. Communication and a culture of customer service excellence is a prerequisite to the creation of an effective theme message and a successful event. Without a significant commitment to customer service on the part of the supplier, the impact of the theme message will fail.

Choose a quality supplier to help develop and communicate your message and to create success for the corporate event.

Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the board for Element H2O, a bottler in Chantilly, Virginia offering only Ultra Pure bottled water products and private label opportunities for small and large businesses in all 50 states and Canada.

Choosing Your Next Corporate Event Planner

It all depends on what you want. If you want a great event, you will need to select a great Corporate Event Planner. It is that simple. You need an event planner who will not only plan one, but will also produce a perfect memorable corporate event for you. Now, the problem is how to choose a good corporate event planner. You can go about the selection process in two ways. First, you know what type of event you want. You know the theme, the food and beverage, entertainment, the venue, the lights, the sound and the overall atmosphere. You only need to know the where and the how of it, and whether it is within your budgetary constraints. Second, you have no clue what you're doing. In this instance, you'll need a Corporate Event Planner who can suggest themes and present them in such a way to have created a vision for you.

The Corporate Event Planner you are looking for should be comfortable with both the scenarios. He/she should have the ability to listen closely to your needs and those of your clients. They should also be able to effectively communicate your ideas while motivating the entire team towards working for the same goals. In essence, the corporate event planner has to be a visionary leader.

Corporate Event Planner - What to Look For

Now that you know what they do, you may wonder what qualifications you should look for. First, get yourself organized to know what type of event you are trying to produce. Be very clear about what you want and how to convey it. List all the components of your vision and have a very clear concept of the same. Once you have finalized your requirements, start looking for a Corporate Event Planner - an individual or a company - with enough experience to fulfill your needs. What you need to choose is a complete Corporate Event Planner; and not a florist, or a caterer, or a DJ. Your complete Corporate Event Planner should have the ability and experience to bring all these component services together as a unit and produce a flawless event that will be remembered for meticulous planning and perfect execution.

You can start looking for your Corporate Event Planner by visiting corporate events or by searching the Internet. Make a list of those that seem appropriate to your requirements, and start calling them. Explain your vision and wish list, and arrange for interviews with those who stand out. Ask them to bring their proposal and ask for references from past and current clients. Pick one who is creative, communicates well, has extraordinary vision, and the experience to pull it off. A great Corporate Event Planner can produce not only a great and successful event, but also one that would be enjoyed by all.

Chillisauce specialise in unique corporate event planning in the UK and Europe for the ultimate corporate event experience. For a more information and ideas on corporate event planning, please visit www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events

Get The Right Event Planner For Your Next Celebration

Wedding come up? 50th Anniversary Celebration? Big Birthday Bash? Whatever the special occasion one thing is for certain; planning a sophisticated event and coordinating all the details and things that have to happen is no easy task. That?s why you need to hire an event planner and here?s how to find a good event planner

You might think that hiring an event planner isn?t within your budget but you couldn?t be more wrong. The time you?ll save is worth a lot of money, and with an event planner you are going to save a lot of time and you?ll even keep your sanity. You?ll put your mind at ease knowing you don?t have the burden of managing all the details for your special event. You?ll just need to decide what type of planner you want.

A good event planner is a pro at planning events. That?s what they do. You?ll want to choose an event planner that is an expert in the type of event you are planning. So if your special event is a wedding hire a wedding planner. You want the event to be unforgettable and a qualified planner will do just that for you.

You?ll need to decide whether you want a planner that simply provides guidance in a passive manner or who takes charge of the entire event. A full service planner will oversee everything from the budget, to the coordinating, to hiring the vendors, to being on site to supervise the event. A passive planner will work with you and give you guidance, but at the end of the day you will still be in charge of hiring vendors and supervising the event.

You should get several quotes from several different event planners. That way you can compare prices. Be sure to ask lots of questions so you know what you are comparing and always get your quotes in writing. You also need to find out what the fee structure is. The final payment should occur after the event is over.

Meeting with the planner is also important. Your personalities need to mesh and you need to feel comfortable with the planner. If the planner has a totally different vision of what?s fun and what?s a good event, he or she isn?t the planner for you.

A good event planner will ask you lots of questions and listen to you until they understand exactly what you are looking for. You should also ask for some recent references and be sure to contact them to see how others feel about the planner.

If you decide to hire an event planner you won?t be disappointed. Instead of stressing about your special event, you?ll be looking forward to it with anticipation knowing everyone?s going to have a great time that?s truly memorable!

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for EventSchedulingServices.com. To learn more about event planning services and event planners, visit us.

Elements for success in team building event planning

The responsibility of organising team building events is a huge task for anyone. Everything has to be planned and implemented with sheer precision. In addition to that, team building objectives would need to be incorporated into most activities. This is why the goal of the event must first be identified prior to the planning process.

Once that's done, it would be best to run a research on the various team building activities that will achieve the intended objectives of the organisation. Browsing through websites such as http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/ will give you with an idea on the type of activities you can run.

Your next step is to pick a venue that has the necessary facilities to run your team building activities. It may be a good idea to go through the list of locations approved by your corporation before you start making enquiries. This way, you won't waste any of your time considering venues that will not be accepted. You can also cross check with your colleagues for referrals, as they will possess first-hand experience on the service levels and facilities of the places that you are thinking about.

As a teambuilding event planner, one of your core responsibilities is to create a balance between meeting organisational objectives and boosting of employee morale. One of the ways to do this is to encourage interaction amongst participants, through the activities and games that will be implemented. Holistic participation would be your ultimate goal, which is why these games should be made appropriate for everyone.

Utilising activity evaluation models such as Kirkpatrick's Learning Model will help you decide if an activity is enjoyable, educational, and applicable while improving performance. Depending on the event objective, there will be many activity options for you to choose from, such as ice-breaker exercises, leadership and management activities and observation and awareness exercises.

Finally, it's good to make a last-minute list of the tasks that you need to sort out a few days before the event date. For instance, you may need to confirm the number of team building participants with the venue or resort and make a list of the equipment needed for the event. Ultimately, precision in all of these details would be essential for your success as an event organiser.

Shane Williss brings forth a wealth of experience as an organiser of team building events. He represents Chillisauce, a renowned event organiser and team building activities within the UK and internationally.

How To Deal With A Suicidal Person - A Five-Point Suicide Prevention Plan

In helping a person deal with suicidal thoughts, it is best to combine the approach of treating the underlying mental disorder and treating suicidal tendencies directly.

A five-point suicide prevention plan, dubbed SUPER, is presented below:

1. Savoring love. The social support system of the person with suicidal thoughts must let the people concerned know about the emotional condition of that suicidal person. A suicidal individual may feel that he is alone amidst many problems that he is facing.

He may need reassurance of the love and support of his loved ones; and these people must know that they are there to help the person feel the warmth, appreciation, assistance, and encouragement that he felt he had lost.

Under this step, the person and his family and/or social circles may organize bonding activities, such as eating meals together. Such activities will help reestablish links to empower the personal feeling of that suicidal person. Furthermore, the family or the social circle from which the person experiences alienation may undergo counseling sessions that will determine communication gaps needed to be filled in.

2. Uncovering underlying causes. It must be understood that suicide may only be the so-called tip of the iceberg. Thus, it is extremely important to determine the underlying causes for the person?s suicidal thoughts. For example, the person may be suffering from treatable mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, or borderline personality disorder. If such is the case, you must help the person avail of services from duly authorized therapists or physicians who will be able to give immediate relief to counter the suffering of that person.

3. Problem-solving. For cases that may not involve other psychological illnesses such as depression, it may be helpful to take note of Shneidman?s approach in preventing suicide. Following his ten commandments, it becomes ultimately necessary to help the person seek a solution, which is outside the person?s realm of thinking.

As what Gerald Davidson, John Neale and Ana Kring explained in the article found in Abnormal Psychology: ?Some Myths about Suicide,? suicidal people do not necessarily want to die. Instead, they only want to escape the negative life events they are facing. Hence, an effective suicide prevention program must help the person understand that killing himself is not the solution. Instead, the person must be taught of a problem-solving mechanism through which he can determine various options in dealing with the problem and assess the consequences of each action that he takes. It may consist of a flowchart of things to do, with elaborations for each step so that he can take note of the fact that each decision he makes must really be a carefully thought decision.

4. Establishing contacts. It will be wise to give the person numbers of suicide service centers such as 24-hour hotlines of psychological therapy clinics that he can get in touch with whenever he feels very down or depressed.

5. Rediscovering the joy of living. Suicidal persons may have forgotten the joy of living that they would most certainly miss if they choose to die. Therefore, ?rediscovery? trips will be effective in making them realize that committing suicide will deprive them of so many wonders of the world, especially those activities that the person are very interested in.
Are you sick and tired of being "empty" inside and out? Worry no more! At http://www.depression-self-esteem-stress-management.com you?ll find free and reliable information that gives you the straight facts and solutions to beat depression.

Games To Consider When You're Event Planning

Children love so many things about birthday parties. The food, the birthday cake and the ice cream are at the top of their lists. Right below those favorites is party games. When children attend a birthday party they look forward to the party games they will get to play. A big reason for this is that party games usually have a winner and that winner might get a prize. What child doesn't love a prize?

If you happen to be in charge of event planning for a child's birthday party you are in the enviable position of having a whole host of games to choose from. One of the first things to consider is the age of your young guests. Obviously if you are in charge of entertaining a crowd of three-year-olds you'll need to choose an activity that doesn't require the player to have a long attention span. Standard favorites like pin the tail on the donkey and hot potato are fun for children who haven't mastered skills such as reading yet. Another fun game that keeps children laughing is to have them sit on air filled balloons while trying to pop them. This generally results in them rolling around on the floor as they bounce off the balloons.

For older children you might consider a treasure hunt. This is a great activity that can keep children busy and occupied while you tend to the other aspects of the event. You just hide some objects in your home and draw out maps for the children to search for them. Another twist on this idea is the scavenger hunt. In this instance you give the children a list of items they have to search for and whoever finds all of the items first, wins a prize. If your child is really enthusiastic about this idea you can make it the center of your event planning process. Perhaps choosing a scavenger hunt theme for the entire party including invitations shaped like a magnifying glass or a hunt to find the pizza you've hidden in another room for dinner. Children love activities like this and it's a great way to encourage their junior detective skills.

For the more mature crowd, you can incorporate fun activities into your event planning as well. Perhaps a game of charades or a fun board or card game will entertain a more adult crowd. These types of games are a great way to socialize and they also act as stress relievers. Many men do this already when they have their weekly poker night with their buddies. They may not view it as an event, but it's a great way for them to get together and challenge one another's skill.

Depending on the event you are planning, it can be a plus to play a game or two. It keeps the event moving along and the guests will appreciate having a fun activity to engage in. The smaller ones will appreciate it even more if they win a prize for their efforts.
Plan your next baby shower like a pro by picking up your baby shower kit. For more articles and information on event planning visit our site.

Creating An Ambiance - Event Planning Decoration Ideas

You've sent out the invitations, prepared all of the food, stocked up the liquor cabinet and somehow it still doesn't seem as though you are having a party. You forgot one very important detail when you were doing your event planning and that detail was decorations.

Decorations can make or break a party. Just ask any child who has been to a birthday party that was void of balloons and streamers. They'll have a good time, but without the celebratory environment, there is an important aspect missing.

When you are handling the event planning for your gathering, it's important to consider if decorations will add to the experience. You wouldn't want to hang banners or wear party hats during a dinner party with your business associates, but if you are throwing a Valentine's Day Bash, or a picnic to celebrate your nation's birthday, decorations can create a fun and festive mood.

During the event planning stage consider what you would envision the room or venue to look like. By doing this you can get a better sense of what you will require once it comes to purchasing the decorating supplies. If it's a children's birthday party, for instance, you'll want brightly colored balloons, a banner with the words "Happy Birthday" written along it and perhaps even a pi?ata. A pi?ata automatically symbolizes a celebration and during the party it becomes a festive focal point as well as being a game and source of hidden treats for the children as the party winds down.

Halloween parties also are much more enjoyable when there are decorations adorning the walls. Netting that resembles spider webs can be purchased for a very reasonable price at many event planning stores. There you'll also find plastic spiders and pumpkins of all sizes that will get your guests into a ghoulish mood. You can even purchase replica cauldrons that can hold snacks in lieu of a regular bowl or serving platter. It adds to the tone of the party when small details like that are incorporated.

Decorations don't need to be bright, colorful or attention grabbing. In the case of an intimate dinner party or cocktails with colleagues, a vase of fresh flowers adds a special touch to the room. It speaks of attention to detail and your guests will appreciate your gesture. You've shown them that you've taken time to add something special to the room. Their presence deserves that.

Regardless of what type of event planning you are doing, adding an extra touch to the aesthetics of the room will not only charm your guests but it will speak to the importance you place on the event. It doesn't need to be dozens of balloons or streamers hung from the rafters but it should add to the mood of the party and the environment. When you are handling your event planning, don't overlook the look of the room. Appropriate decorations should be near the top of your list.
Plan your next baby shower like a pro by picking up your baby shower kit. For more articles and information on event planning visit our site.

The Meat And Potatoes Of Event Planning - Choosing Your Menu

One of the most talked about aspects of any event is the menu. People love to eat and if they are invited to a party, one of the things they will usually be most excited about is the food.

It can be a daunting task, planning an entire menu for a group of twenty, thirty or three hundred people. But with some careful thought and proper event planning, you can prepare a menu that will not only satisfy your guest's appetites but it will impress them as well.

If the group that you are hosting is large, hiring an event planner might be in your best interest. The reason for this is that local event planners generally have an outstanding relationship with caterers. They know who is good, who serves what and which catering company will satisfy all of your dining needs. A benefit to hiring a catering company is that they handle all aspects of beverages and food. All you need to do is sit down with the person planning your event and decide on a menu that will fit into both the appetites of your guests and your budget. Armed with this information, the event planner will contact several caterers get a quote on your party and then come back to you with a few finalists. You'll be able to not only meet with the caterers, but generally you can also get a taste test of what they have to offer. This is a great approach because then you, as the host, are fully prepared for what will be served to your guests the day of the event.

If your soiree is a smaller affair, than you might decide to handle the event planning details of it yourself. This includes taking on the planning of the menu. In this case you'll consider whether a cocktail party, a sit down dinner or a buffet might be in order. Each of these alternatives offers distinct benefits. If you decide on a cocktail party, you'll need to choose several hors d'oeuvres that your guests will enjoy. It's usually prudent to plan on a few of each for every person attending. If you plan in that fashion, you won't be embarrassed by running short of food.

A dinner party or buffets are also good choices for a party. Depending on the number of guests invited you can plan either without too much difficulty. One important note is that whenever you are event planning and the function will include food it's wise to consider whether any of your guests have special needs when it comes to food. This can include things like diabetes or food allergies. If you are having someone attend who is highly allergic to a food, try not to serve that food at all.

When it comes to event planning, menu planning is a big factor. If you consider the size of your guest list and the time of the event, you can choose foods and presentation that fit the tone of your party to a tee.
Plan your next baby shower like a pro by picking up your baby shower kit. For more articles and information on event planning visit our site.

The First Step In Event Planning - Choosing The Invitations

Whenever you throw a party the first thing you consider is who you are going to invite. The guest list is important because the number of people attending has a direct impact on the venue and also on the menu. Whether you've hired someone to do your event planning for you, or you've taken on the task yourself, it's important to make a list of the invitees and then decide on the best method of asking them to attend.

If the event is a wedding, formal invitations are sent out months before the big day. Generally the bride and the groom visit a stationary store. If you do have the benefit of having a professional helping with the event planning, they may attend as well. Once there, you'll peruse various books with samples of wedding invitations. There are so many choices that the decision can seem almost overwhelming.

Once a style is chosen, an order is placed for the appropriate number of invitations based on your guest list. If you're tackling the job of addressing all the envelopes yourself, it's a good idea to ask for the assistance of someone you know with excellent handwriting. If someone is handling the event planning, they may secure the services of a calligrapher who will complete the envelopes for you. This is the preferred method by many engaged couples because it adds a simple elegance to the invitation.

If your event is just as important but on a smaller scale, as in a birthday party, you can approach invitations several ways. There are many event planning websites on the internet that offer templates for birthday invitations. A parent can download one of these and fill in the pertinent information, even personalizing the invitations for the children. Children enjoy this because they automatically feel special when they see their name on the card announcing the party. If you've hired a professional to handle the event planning for the party, they might suggest an alternative for invitations or they may just request the guest list and handle the invitation design and mailing themselves.

The same approach is often taken for events such as wedding showers or baby showers. The invitations are designed to reflect the occasion. Anyone who has ever received a baby shower invitation appreciates the added benefit of a gift registry being mentioned in the invitation. Event planning services generally can aid the expectant parents in setting up their gift registry. It's a wise idea because new parents normally need so many small things, and allowing the guests to choose from a list makes the gift buying part of the event much easier.

Regardless of your event, if invitations are appropriate, it's important to get them out early and ask the invitees to respond regarding whether or not they can attend. This is essential for proper event planning because once you have a good idea of the size of the crowd; you can successfully plan on the other details that will make your party the best it can be.

Plan your next baby shower like a pro by picking up your baby shower kit. For more articles and information on event planning visit our site.

The Essentials Of Event Planning - Easy Steps That Secure Success

If you've ever planned or hosted an event you know how overwhelming it can be. Attending to every small detail can leave you wishing the party was over before it even began. This is even more magnified if you are overseeing a large event such as a wedding or a dinner party for business associates. Something always seems to go wrong and it leaves the person in charge of event planning carrying the burden of the blame.

There are steps you can take to guarantee that the party will be a roaring success. One of those steps is to hire an event planner. If you really do feel as though all the small details are too much for you, you might consider hiring someone who specializes in event planning. There are many reputable companies who can offer you their services for a fee. All you do is explain the event to them, including your preferences when you wish to have the event, the theme of it and the menu and they handle the rest. The onus of the work is on them, and with their experience they can create exactly the type of gathering that you envision.

If finances are a concern and you can't afford the luxury of a professional event planning service, there are things that you can do that will help your event run as smoothly as possible. Here are a few ideas:

Keep an ongoing list. Plan your event by writing down everything you need to do. As you complete those tasks, stroke them off the list and add new ones as needed.

Choose a theme that is appropriate for all guests. It might be difficult for some people to rent or purchase special outfits for a theme party, so try and make it something that is accesible and affordable for every guest.

Send out invitations or call with your invitation well in advance. Life is busy for many people and giving them sufficient notice will enable them to handle any arrangements they need to make, such as child care.

Choose a menu that isn't too exotic. Although many people welcome new tastes, it's often more appropriate to offer menu items that all guests are familiar with, this way they won't be concerned about possible food allergies or digestive conflicts, if they know exactly what they are eating consists of.

Enjoy the event. Often the host becomes so overburdened with party details that he or she neglects their own enjoyment. Plan the event so you will have free time during it to mingle with your guests.

Event planning can be a tedious task, but with proper organization the work involved in planning the party or event can be well worth it. Getting together with family, friends or business associates in a social setting, is a great way to connect and communicate. With some attention to details before, the party can be a huge and often very fun success.

Plan your next baby shower like a pro by picking up your baby shower kit. For more articles and information on event planning visit our site.

Learn from the Olympics How to Organize your Events: Part 2 of 3 - Planning a Profitable Event

In the first part of this series, we looked at the logistics of an event, both the logistics of fans getting to the event, and the internal logistics allowing fans to move from one item of interest to another. This time we will look at how to ensure that our event is profitable.

The Olympics are a fun example of trying to put on the best show that the world has ever seen and still turning a profit. Every two years, usually about a month before the games, there will be newspaper articles about how far over budget and behind schedule the ticket sales the Olympic Games are. Fortunately, most of our events are not judged by the same standards that the Olympics are held to, but they do have evaluation criteria. One common feature of all events is that they have both a budget and an objective. The size of the budget and the scope of the objectives differ drastically, but that does not make them any more or less important to the person planning the event.

The 2002 Winter Olympics were a good example of working hard to stay on budget. At the time of the Olympic Bid Scandal, the Winter Games looked like they were destined to be far over the prescribed budget. As they turned the corner, under the leadership of Mitt Romney, one of the things that helped them was to bring large silent sponsors in to the events. Most of the large profile sponsorships for the Olympics are predetermined (Delta, Visa, Coca-Cola, etc) leaving little room to go out and recruit additional sponsors with the lure of advertising space and publicity. They were still able to find organizations to help foot the bill and keep the games within their budget. Organizations like Marker, NuSkin, and the Eccles Foundation donated money, products, and services to help the games. These companies did not end up with Television commercial spots, but Marker had a label on the uniform of every volunteer and NuSkin distributed sunscreen and other toiletries to thousands of people who attended the events. This created a tremendous amount of goodwill for these organizations.

Staying within a budget is a problem that most people have. There always seems to be more to do than resources with which to do it. Like the Olympics, most of our events would benefit from contributions from sponsors. This can be as simple as having a local business pay to print your tickets in exchange for an advertisement on the back of each ticket, or having local restaurants donate pies for a pie eating contest. The more creative you get, the more possibilities you will be able identify to add an additional boost to your budget.

The Olympic Games have more objectives than most of us would be able to keep straight. From fostering world peace to bolstering the local economy, to creating an atmosphere conducive to the athletes breaking as many world records as possible, everyone has their own metric by which they judge the Olympics. In general, the Olympics do a good job planning the locations of the venues to benefit the athletes and the logos and displays to benefit the visitors from the different nations in attendance. They also are pretty consistent with helping the economy of the local community.

Most of us are lucky in that we do not have as many objectives behind our events. The majority of event planners, however, never stop to consider all of the different objectives that their event may have. It is usually a good idea to take some time and think of all of the stake holders in the event. This includes the organizations that are hosting the event, the participants and performers, and attendees of the event. Once you have listed everyone who is involved, try and think of why they are involved. What is their motivation? As you start to answer these questions you will develop a fairly complete list of the objectives of your event. It is then a good idea to prioritize them in such a way that you spend most of your time meeting the objectives that will make the most difference to the outcome of your event.

Taking the extra time to find sponsors to help you with your budget and to identify the objectives of your event will help make your event a success. You will be surprised at how easy it can be to identify the little things that will make a difference as you begin to plan your event.

Next: Managing your EventJosh Francis Business Development http://www.TicketPrinting.com Josh spent three years working at Brigham Young University's Ticket Office before recieving an MBA in Marketing and Technology at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. While at Notre Dame, Josh won the McClosley Business Plan Competition with FlashSeats, a company that is revolutionizing lifecycle management of tickets to events

Learn from the Olympics How to Organize your Events: Part 1 of 3 - Planning Event Logistics

With the Winter Olympic Games in Torino underway, on time and over budget, it feels like a good time to take a minute and look at the lessons the Olympics have to teach us about managing events. To be fair, the Olympics are a massive set of groups with multiple venues hosting simultaneous events with visitors from all over the world. To make matters worse, you only get to do it once, you prepare for years leading up to it, when it arrives you try the best that you can to control the chaos for just over 2 nonstop weeks and then, in a blink of an eye, it is over. While there is a chance that your children or grandchildren will be involved in hosting the Games again, for most people involved there is no next time.

It is still too soon to look closely at what has and has not worked for the Winter Games in Torino. It is not until all the smoke has cleared that they will know how the event really went. I did however, have the good fortune of being involved with hosting the Salt Lake Winter Games (2002) while I was a college student in Provo, UT. Those Olympics are now four years old and time has given us a great perspective to glean some valuable lessons from them and the way that they were managed.

For the sake of learning, let's skip past the Olympic bid scandal and look at the things that were done right for those games.

Let's start with logistics in this part of our series - I-15 was under construction for years before the Olympic Games were held, but more importantly, some one had clearly thought out the most popular routes to the venues and where people would be going within the venues. The roads were modified to accommodate the increased traffic and the venues were laid out with the fans in mind. I spent most of my time during the 2002 Olympics at Soldier Hollow, the Cross Country Ski and Biathlon Venue. You could tell that time was spent to design the venue in such a way as to give the fans the most access to the course while making it a great course for the athletes competing. Often times this is a detail that is overlooked for smaller events. The venue will be decorated in a manner that looks great, often times at the expense of functionality.

It is also important to take the time to think through how people are going to arrive and leave your event. Look for things that might make it harder for people to attend and try to handle those issues in advance. I was involved in an event once where there was construction on the primary route. Since the location was vaguely familiar to most of the people attending we sent out flyers warning people about the construction and advising them of alternate routes that were available. Printing little maps on the back of your tickets is also a great way to help people get to your event.

The goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to 1) get to your event and 2) do what you want them to do when they arrive.

Next: Planning a Profitable Event

Josh Francis: Business Development http://www.TicketPrinting.com Josh spent three years working at Brigham Young University's Ticket Office before recieving an MBA in Marketing and Technology at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. While at Notre Dame, Josh won the McClosley Business Plan Competition with FlashSeats, a company that is revolutionizing lifecycle management of tickets to events.

Help, My Inbox is a Flood Zone! Online Event Planning and Strategic Email Response

The idea of starting your own online event seemed harmless enough. You thought, oh, I'll just create a little website where computer geeks can have an online Technology Convention, or Animal Lovers can have a Pet Parade, or Donut Officials can swap recipes at the Donut Hole, or... (fill in your own idea and niche market here).

And then what happened? Word spread. Emails starting coming in. And then emails starting POURING IN. And now? You can't get a lick of "real work" done because you're inundated with emails from folks who want to know more, more, more.

HOW are you supposed to be a skilled Event Commandier if no one can find you under that mountainous pile of overdue correspondence? Solution: Employ Strategic Email Response.

Here are a few tips to protect you from the email deluge and keep you on top of your online promotion game.

1. Divide and Conquer. Can you separate your email correspondents into specific classifications? For example, if you're running an online event, you might quickly figure out that Active Participants and Volunteers counts as one grouping, and Passive Spectators and Prospects counts as another. In the world of email communication, never the 'twain shall meet.

2. Stockpile Your Email Arsenal. Basically, I'm saying pre-write the emails. If you've carefully planned your event from A to Z, then you know at which stages you want to send out alerts, revive the group's enthusiasm, get them to click those links, announce time-sensitive developments or send out notes of appreciation. Write your standard email reply ahead of time so you can grab and send as needed.

3. Employ List Management. There are several well-known email list managers out there that you can use to track open rates and send targeted campaigns. Three off the top of my head: ConstantContact.com, AWeber.com, KickStartCart.com (also has an e-commerce feature built in). Several of these comes with a free trial that can really come in handy if your event is scheduled to run its course in less than three months' time.

4. Spiff it Up with HTML. There's something about an HTML layout that reduces your reply rate. If you send a very small group of people a customized HTML-designed email, you can expect that most members of the group will NOT write back. I have a theory that HTML feels less personal and therefore doesn't elicit a private response, but who knows. At any rate, it cuts down on meaningless banter while building your brand with a graphic template. So DO make HTML part of your email campaign effort!

5. Hit Forward. Over the course of your online promotional effort, you will find that new recruits enter the fold daily. You'll want to get them up to speed on certain email announcements, while side-stepping other limited time only notifications that no longer apply. Just sort your emails by date or subjectmatter, and then hit FORWARD. Delete the extra gobbeldygook, insert the new address, remove the FW: and send. Oh-- and give the email a quick scan for "other people's names" so you don't accidentally address the wrong person!

All of this may seem like extra work. But if you're still relatively small and you're using an online event promotion to expand your network of contacts and get to know other folks in your field a bit more intimately, then you'll want to be available to personally handle email inquiries whenever possible. You know these marketers who dump you on a list, send you whatever the latest email was and expect you to jump on the Happy People Brigade? Do you respond to those guys? My guess is THAT'S A BIG NO.

Want to witness event planning live in action? Please join me and my marketing friends for the First Annual Web Content Awareness Day, scheduled to launch on February 9, 2006 at http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com.

Sneak Peek: Visit the Countdown to Web Content Awareness Day Blog and learn how you can ride our wave of high web traffic!

Paste in this link:

http://wordfeeder.typepad.com/web_content_awareness_day/

Dina Giolitto

You want killer content and you want it now. Dina at Wordfeeder.com is driving mass traffic to the first annual Web Content Awareness Day and she'll drive it to your website next. Count on Dina to deliver laser-focused copy that will emotionally snare your readers. Convert visitors to subscribers... and subscribers to paying customers. Visit http://Wordfeeder.com for lip-smacking web copy served up quick.

Help, My Inbox is a Flood Zone! Online Event Planning and Strategic Email Response

The idea of starting your own online event seemed harmless enough. You thought, oh, I'll just create a little website where computer geeks can have an online Technology Convention, or Animal Lovers can have a Pet Parade, or Donut Officials can swap recipes at the Donut Hole, or... (fill in your own idea and niche market here).

And then what happened? Word spread. Emails starting coming in. And then emails starting POURING IN. And now? You can't get a lick of "real work" done because you're inundated with emails from folks who want to know more, more, more.

HOW are you supposed to be a skilled Event Commandier if no one can find you under that mountainous pile of overdue correspondence? Solution: Employ Strategic Email Response.

Here are a few tips to protect you from the email deluge and keep you on top of your online promotion game.

1. Divide and Conquer. Can you separate your email correspondents into specific classifications? For example, if you're running an online event, you might quickly figure out that Active Participants and Volunteers counts as one grouping, and Passive Spectators and Prospects counts as another. In the world of email communication, never the 'twain shall meet.

2. Stockpile Your Email Arsenal. Basically, I'm saying pre-write the emails. If you've carefully planned your event from A to Z, then you know at which stages you want to send out alerts, revive the group's enthusiasm, get them to click those links, announce time-sensitive developments or send out notes of appreciation. Write your standard email reply ahead of time so you can grab and send as needed.

3. Employ List Management. There are several well-known email list managers out there that you can use to track open rates and send targeted campaigns. Three off the top of my head: ConstantContact.com, AWeber.com, KickStartCart.com (also has an e-commerce feature built in). Several of these comes with a free trial that can really come in handy if your event is scheduled to run its course in less than three months' time.

4. Spiff it Up with HTML. There's something about an HTML layout that reduces your reply rate. If you send a very small group of people a customized HTML-designed email, you can expect that most members of the group will NOT write back. I have a theory that HTML feels less personal and therefore doesn't elicit a private response, but who knows. At any rate, it cuts down on meaningless banter while building your brand with a graphic template. So DO make HTML part of your email campaign effort!

5. Hit Forward. Over the course of your online promotional effort, you will find that new recruits enter the fold daily. You'll want to get them up to speed on certain email announcements, while side-stepping other limited time only notifications that no longer apply. Just sort your emails by date or subjectmatter, and then hit FORWARD. Delete the extra gobbeldygook, insert the new address, remove the FW: and send. Oh-- and give the email a quick scan for "other people's names" so you don't accidentally address the wrong person!

All of this may seem like extra work. But if you're still relatively small and you're using an online event promotion to expand your network of contacts and get to know other folks in your field a bit more intimately, then you'll want to be available to personally handle email inquiries whenever possible. You know these marketers who dump you on a list, send you whatever the latest email was and expect you to jump on the Happy People Brigade? Do you respond to those guys? My guess is THAT'S A BIG NO.

Want to witness event planning live in action? Please join me and my marketing friends for the First Annual Web Content Awareness Day, scheduled to launch on February 9, 2006 at http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com.

Sneak Peek: Visit the Countdown to Web Content Awareness Day Blog and learn how you can ride our wave of high web traffic!

Paste in this link:

http://wordfeeder.typepad.com/web_content_awareness_day/

You want killer content and you want it now. Dina at Wordfeeder.com is driving mass traffic to the first annual Web Content Awareness Day and she'll drive it to your website next. Count on Dina to deliver laser-focused copy that will emotionally snare your readers. Convert visitors to subscribers... and subscribers to paying customers. Visit http://Wordfeeder.com for lip-smacking web copy served up quick.

Wristbands: An Event Planner's Best Friend

Whether you're planning an event for 100 or 10,000, wristbands are an invaluable tool in making sure your event runs smoothly. In fact, whether you choose Tyvek wristbands, paper wristbands, custom wristbands, plastic wristbands, or vinyl wristbands, simply using these simple identifiers can alleviate a number of potential problems during your event. The versatility of wristbands means that you can use them anytime you need a visual identifier. Here are some examples of the myriad of ways you can use wristbands:

Age or height identifier: Wristbands can be used at venues to identify minors in order to prevent them from purchasing alcoholic beverages. They can also be used in amusement parks when there are height restrictions to certain rides. Tyvek wristbands have the advantage of being waterproof, and so can be used for water parks.

Admissions: When you use wristbands, you can sell day passes for events or amusements. Guests will appreciate not having to fumble for tickets, and workers will save time by easily identifying those who have paid for a pass. If you are holding a conference that spans several days, you can use wristbands of a different color each day so that registrars can tell at a glance whether the attendee is registered for a given day's events.

Child-Parent Protection: Twin wristbands are ideal for situations where it's necessary to identify parents of children. Daycare centers, preschools, and amusement venues for small children all need to ensure that a child is leaving with an adult who is his or her parent or guardian.

Group Day Trips: Whether it's a school field trip or a day trip to a casino, it's important to be able to identify those with your group. Being able to check wristbands ensure that the proper individuals are boarding the proper busses, and allow for an easy head count to make sure no one is left behind.

Commemoration: If you're planning Red Ribbon Week at a school, you can issue wristbands to those students who pledge to participate. Likewise, you can use wristbands as a way for people who have committed to a cause or an ideal to self-identify.

Wristbands are made from a number of different materials, such as Tyvek wristbands, paper wristbands, plastic wristbands, and vinyl wristbands. Which material you choose depends upon your budget and the type of event you're planning.

Best of all, wristbands can be easily customized. Although there are a number of preprinted wristbands on the market, you can order custom wristbands with the name of your company or event. Custom wristbands can also include bar codes, logos, and other special text.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Business and Entrepreneurs Website and Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory.

Changing Careers, Changing Wardrobes: From Corporate America to Event Planner

 Several women are now making the leap from careers in Corporate America to being their own boss in the creative industry. As entreprenuers, most of their "extra" income is put towards building the business, leaving little money to build a new wardrobe.

Several women are now making the leap from careers in Corporate America to being their own boss in the creative industry. As entreprenuers, most of their "extra" income is put towards building the business, leaving little money to build a new wardrobe.

It truly takes guts to go out on your own and we're going to help you make the transition. First, hold on to your black, blue, gray suits. You can even hold on to those "sensible" black pumps. Use these pieces as the foundation for your new wardrobe. Then, try adding the following pieces to your update your wardrobe to your current position.

- Two pairs of comfortable strappy heels- one in black and one in some outrageous color like hot pink.
- Buy shoe jewelry (like the old school shoe buckles like your grandma used to wear). You can find them at Nordstroms or at Bakers Shoes. You are going to put these on your old "sensible" shoes. As an event planner, you will be running around quite a bit and you still need to be comfortable.
- Three slip tops: one sequined, one like a camisole, and another with a slight shimmer. These tops should fit very well and should be any color but black.
- As many brooches as you can get your hands on. You will use these to accessorize your current outfits.
- Two nice party dresses in any color but black. Bluefly.com has hot dresses from designers like Nicole Miller and ABS Allen Schwartz for exceptionally reasonable prices.
- One tailor boucl blazer in pink or purple. Believe it or not, Wal-Mart has an adorable one from their George Line for $26.
- A nice cashmere sweater set. It's classic and can go with everything. Score a sweater for well under $60 from stores like Macys or Smartbargains.com

The above items can help you easily transform your wardrobe from corporate drag to perfect planner. As an event planner, you must be stylish, and nothing is more stylish than the color black. For evening events, take that black suit and pair it up with a colorful sequined top and a pair of strappy heels (head directly to DSW shoe warehouse for evening shoes from folks like Via Spiga at ridiculously low prices). Add the brooches along with cute button earrings and Voila! You have the perfect planner outfit. For events during the day, wear either a pair of pants or a skirt from one of your non-black suits with your cashmere twin set. Again, throw on one or two brooches, some simple pearl earring and a pair of your sensible shoes (don't forget the shoe jewelry) and you will be ready to go! Now go forth and plan!

Kathryn The Budget Fashionista Finney is the Chief Shopping Officer and Founder of Kate Magazine and The Budget Fashionista- one of the most popular shopping blogs on the web. She is also the Chief Shopping Officer of TBF Group, LLC, an internet based company focused on providing the best shopping and fashion advice on the web.

 

The 7 Biggest Mistakes in Special Event Planning - and How to Avoid Them.

Ever hear the expression: You can never be too rich or too thin? In the case of special events planning, you can never be too organized.

Events are critical in providing outreach and exposure for an organization, and some can often be an excellent fund- and friend-raising tool. However, its easy to make a mistake when there are so many details. And those mistakes could cost you your reputation and customers if youre not on top of every detail.

Here are the most common mistakes made and the solutions to help avoid such problems:

Mistake 1: Failing to identify meeting objectives. Be sure to know one hundred percent what your management expects from this event. Examples: education, recruiting, awards presentations, new product roll-out, executive installation, etc.

Mistake 2: Failing to budget properly. Many planners make this mistake by overlooking some very costly items. Specifically speaker travel, audio/visual, program handouts, shipping charges, decorations, security, and afternoon breaks. Dont overlook these costs!

Mistake 3: Failing to have a plan. This is probably the most common error that hurts an event. Many planners try to run an event without a plan and detailed checklist missing important details that could make or break the event. Lighting, seating, room temperature, music, decorations, audio/visual, and location of the bathrooms and telephones are just some of the details that are often forgotten.

Mistake 4: Failing to select the right facility. Its location, location, location! Depending on the locale of your attendees, proximity to the airport, sleeping room costs, freeways, major thoroughfares and traffic patterns are critical. Meeting room location, meeting room size, and parking fees all affect your attendance.

Mistake 5: Failing to work out who should be coming and how to reach them. I cant tell you haw many times I have seen events fail because of this one factor. Secure your entire list before securing your date in writing. Be sure your list has all names, titles, mailing addresses, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Your attendees cant register if you cant reach them.

Mistake 6: Failing to secure contracts. Heres where you can really run into trouble. Do NOT promote your event without legible, signed contracts for everything including your speaker, facility, and other contractors.

Mistake 7: Failing to market the event properly. Once youve created your marketing plan, stick to it! Once your event is booked its critical all of your marketing contacts go as planned. Remember to use every means to reach your attendees. One method alone doesnt reach everyone because we are all different.

Events are critical in providing outreach and exposure for an organization, and some can often be an excellent fund- and friend-raising tool. However, its easy to make a mistake when there are so many details. And those mistakes could cost you your reputation and customers if youre not on top of every detail.

Here are the most common mistakes made and the solutions to help avoid such problems:

Mistake 1: Failing to identify meeting objectives. Be sure to know one hundred percent what your management expects from this event. Examples: education, recruiting, awards presentations, new product roll-out, executive installation, etc.

Mistake 2: Failing to budget properly. Many planners make this mistake by overlooking some very costly items. Specifically speaker travel, audio/visual, program handouts, shipping charges, decorations, security, and afternoon breaks. Dont overlook these costs!

Mistake 3: Failing to have a plan. This is probably the most common error that hurts an event. Many planners try to run an event without a plan and detailed checklist missing important details that could make or break the event. Lighting, seating, room temperature, music, decorations, audio/visual, and location of the bathrooms and telephones are just some of the details that are often forgotten.

Mistake 4: Failing to select the right facility. Its location, location, location! Depending on the locale of your attendees, proximity to the airport, sleeping room costs, freeways, major thoroughfares and traffic patterns are critical. Meeting room location, meeting room size, and parking fees all affect your attendance.

Mistake 5: Failing to work out who should be coming and how to reach them. I cant tell you haw many times I have seen events fail because of this one factor. Secure your entire list before securing your date in writing. Be sure your list has all names, titles, mailing addresses, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Your attendees cant register if you cant reach them.

Mistake 6: Failing to secure contracts. Heres where you can really run into trouble. Do NOT promote your event without legible, signed contracts for everything including your speaker, facility, and other contractors.

Mistake 7: Failing to market the event properly. Once youve created your marketing plan, stick to it! Once your event is booked its critical all of your marketing contacts go as planned. Remember to use every means to reach your attendees. One method alone doesnt reach everyone because we are all different.

Matt Cherry helps businesses and nonprofit organizations to be heard. Hes a marketing communications and event planning expert with more than 10 years experience and the vice president of Cherry Communications. For more tips and tricks or information, visit www.cherrycommunications.com. Contact him at matt@cherrycommunications.com.

Company Christmas party or holiday event planning made easy Useful Tips

Holiday entertainment planning is a serious business a lot happens behind the scenes, long before the CEO says thanks for a job well-done, says Incredible BORIS (Boris Cherniak).
Around this time of the year, human resources managers and company CEOs are asking the age-old question - How do we make our holiday event an affair to remember? After all, we are simply trying to thank the employees, suppliers and their families for a job well done throughout the year. We also want this event to motivate the group to be happy and productive in the future. This is a more difficult task that may appear from outside.

The people planning functions have an enormous task of fitting into the ever-shrinking budgets while keeping party-goers satisfied, says Boris Cherniak, corporate event planning professional, comedy hypnotist entertainer and motivational speaker.

Here is a helpful checklist of planning an affair for the holidays (as provided by Boris Cherniak):
1. Budget. Break down all the amounts allocated to each task then you can have a clear view of how much room you have to play. Spend it wisely and know what your limitations are. The old rule of thumb is you get what you pay for. If it appears too inexpensive, it may be the inexperience or you will not be getting what you expected. Get the best value possible with the resources you have available. It is easy to spend ANY budget. You may have to make a few sacrifices. What gets eliminated first and what should be kept at any cost? Always keep in mind of what the overall impression by the attendees will be. Leave a lasting impression.
2. Number of people in attendance estimate the number of people expected at the party. Keep in mind that a small percentage may not attend due to lack of babysitters, illness or vacation.
3. Book banquet hall facilities, venue location. Pick a location that is convenient for your group with amenities like transportation, parking, etc.
4. Food and catering dinner / lunch, drinks or buffet most halls will offer you different choices of meal options, hors doerves, desserts and per person amounts. Make sure there are enough choices for all tastes.
5. Schedule and timing. It is easy to under-estimate the amount of time a function will take due to many unforeseen circumstances. Factors such as how long the speeches will take, time to bring out the food or attendees arriving late due to a freak snowstorm or traffic. This can change the dynamic of your event - plan accordingly and have a contingency plan.
6. Entertainment comedian, hypnotist, juggler, psychic, magician, DJ and dancing, party games. Entertainment is a wonderful way to make your event memorable. Entertainment comes in many budgets and styles. Pick a solution that will not only make the company and event planner look good, but will leave a lasting impression on the attendees. Explore different options best suited to your group. Local or national performers can be considered. Many are available on the web and could be your first place of inquiry. Many agencies have a roster of people they can suggest. Never forget to look within your company for entertainment suggestions and talent (in every company there is a band or a disk jockey that would be more than happy to accommodate your budget and show off their talents). Keep in mind that entertainers are extremely busy during the holiday season leaving booking your entertainment until the last minute is not a good idea as your date may no longer be available.
7. Sound, lighting, projection equipment and audio visual materials Have a run-through and make sure everything is in place before your audience arrives so that you dont have to deal with technical difficulties.
8. Accommodations for any out of town guests and transportation to and from the airport.
9. Taxi cabs for anyone that over-indulges in the open bar concept and to avoid liability.
10. Registration name cards for your guests, open seating or pre-arranged seating plan.
11. Awards, door prizes and giveaways. Many of these can be donated by your suppliers or provided to you at their cost for your holiday event. It shows good faith, and dont be surprised if the suppliers return the favor.
12. Party theme and dcor color scheme, chair covers, centerpieces, flowers, ice sculptures. One of the more unique ideas I saw recently was a sports theme, where instead of elegant centerpieces, sports memorabilia was placed in the center of the tables, which was available for the guests to take home these included running shoes and football helmets.
13. Dress and attire. Let the attendees know what to expect to wear formal, casual or business attire. We all heard a story of a prank where a person is invited to a pajama party when its a formal affair.
14. Invitations or a simple announcement in the company newsletter and bulletin board.
15. Contracts. Commit to the people you will be doing business with, since it usually is done on a first come basis. Halls, performers and caterers have limited availability. Be decisive and direct. Most people will give you a price range that would depend on your choice of options. Many event suppliers will require deposits to commit.
16. Presentations keep the speeches brief and to the point. Number of speakers should be kept down to a minimum. After all, people are there to be social and not to be lectured.
17. Everyone wants to have a party on a Saturday. You may find that having an alternate day of the week may greatly reduce your expenses and make it easier to hire entertainment and book your venue. Also, consider having your function early afternoon. A lunch is less expensive than a seven-course dinner.
18. Include a table for the crew, entertainment and other behind-the-scenes people. They, at times forget to eat to make sure your event runs smoothly. Show them the spirit of the holiday season and include them in your celebrations.
19. If your business is busy during the holiday season, consider having your event earlier or later. It should not make a difference if your function is held in November or January instead of December.
20. Have a cell phone handy for any last-minute emergencies the day of your event. If a cell phone is not an option (no signal or simply unavailable), make sure your suppliers have the venue address and phone number. Your function will be attended by people from many walks of life and backgrounds - politically correct term is Holiday Party. Make it chic, memorable and fun. Have people walk away saying - I had a great time, that was incredible.
He is a wordsmith comedian, observer and commentator on society quirks, obsessions and stereotypes. Incredible Boris is not just a stage name, but also a way to describe a positive attitude and a constant state of mind.
The Incredible Boris is an expert in psychology, hypnosis, body language, power of suggestion and human behavior. He authors a popular ezine power words and phrases through his web sites www.comedywood.com or www.IncredibleBORIS.com or www.HypnotistShow.com
Boris has been featured on numerous television programs, including Montel, Howie Mandel Show and the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.
Boris self-hypnosis Relaxation and Motivation CD is available through his web site or as a giveaway to complement his performance at your companys function during this holiday season.
Happy Holidays.
Around this time of the year, human resources managers and company CEOs are asking the age-old question - How do we make our holiday event an affair to remember? After all, we are simply trying to thank the employees, suppliers and their families for a job well done throughout the year. We also want this event to motivate the group to be happy and productive in the future. This is a more difficult task that may appear from outside.

The people planning functions have an enormous task of fitting into the ever-shrinking budgets while keeping party-goers satisfied, says Boris Cherniak, corporate event planning professional, comedy hypnotist entertainer and motivational speaker.

Here is a helpful checklist of planning an affair for the holidays (as provided by Boris Cherniak):
1. Budget. Break down all the amounts allocated to each task then you can have a clear view of how much room you have to play. Spend it wisely and know what your limitations are. The old rule of thumb is you get what you pay for. If it appears too inexpensive, it may be the inexperience or you will not be getting what you expected. Get the best value possible with the resources you have available. It is easy to spend ANY budget. You may have to make a few sacrifices. What gets eliminated first and what should be kept at any cost? Always keep in mind of what the overall impression by the attendees will be. Leave a lasting impression.
2. Number of people in attendance estimate the number of people expected at the party. Keep in mind that a small percentage may not attend due to lack of babysitters, illness or vacation.
3. Book banquet hall facilities, venue location. Pick a location that is convenient for your group with amenities like transportation, parking, etc.
4. Food and catering dinner / lunch, drinks or buffet most halls will offer you different choices of meal options, hors doerves, desserts and per person amounts. Make sure there are enough choices for all tastes.
5. Schedule and timing. It is easy to under-estimate the amount of time a function will take due to many unforeseen circumstances. Factors such as how long the speeches will take, time to bring out the food or attendees arriving late due to a freak snowstorm or traffic. This can change the dynamic of your event - plan accordingly and have a contingency plan.
6. Entertainment comedian, hypnotist, juggler, psychic, magician, DJ and dancing, party games. Entertainment is a wonderful way to make your event memorable. Entertainment comes in many budgets and styles. Pick a solution that will not only make the company and event planner look good, but will leave a lasting impression on the attendees. Explore different options best suited to your group. Local or national performers can be considered. Many are available on the web and could be your first place of inquiry. Many agencies have a roster of people they can suggest. Never forget to look within your company for entertainment suggestions and talent (in every company there is a band or a disk jockey that would be more than happy to accommodate your budget and show off their talents). Keep in mind that entertainers are extremely busy during the holiday season leaving booking your entertainment until the last minute is not a good idea as your date may no longer be available.
7. Sound, lighting, projection equipment and audio visual materials Have a run-through and make sure everything is in place before your audience arrives so that you dont have to deal with technical difficulties.
8. Accommodations for any out of town guests and transportation to and from the airport.
9. Taxi cabs for anyone that over-indulges in the open bar concept and to avoid liability.
10. Registration name cards for your guests, open seating or pre-arranged seating plan.
11. Awards, door prizes and giveaways. Many of these can be donated by your suppliers or provided to you at their cost for your holiday event. It shows good faith, and dont be surprised if the suppliers return the favor.
12. Party theme and dcor color scheme, chair covers, centerpieces, flowers, ice sculptures. One of the more unique ideas I saw recently was a sports theme, where instead of elegant centerpieces, sports memorabilia was placed in the center of the tables, which was available for the guests to take home these included running shoes and football helmets.
13. Dress and attire. Let the attendees know what to expect to wear formal, casual or business attire. We all heard a story of a prank where a person is invited to a pajama party when its a formal affair.
14. Invitations or a simple announcement in the company newsletter and bulletin board.
15. Contracts. Commit to the people you will be doing business with, since it usually is done on a first come basis. Halls, performers and caterers have limited availability. Be decisive and direct. Most people will give you a price range that would depend on your choice of options. Many event suppliers will require deposits to commit.
16. Presentations keep the speeches brief and to the point. Number of speakers should be kept down to a minimum. After all, people are there to be social and not to be lectured.
17. Everyone wants to have a party on a Saturday. You may find that having an alternate day of the week may greatly reduce your expenses and make it easier to hire entertainment and book your venue. Also, consider having your function early afternoon. A lunch is less expensive than a seven-course dinner.
18. Include a table for the crew, entertainment and other behind-the-scenes people. They, at times forget to eat to make sure your event runs smoothly. Show them the spirit of the holiday season and include them in your celebrations.
19. If your business is busy during the holiday season, consider having your event earlier or later. It should not make a difference if your function is held in November or January instead of December.
20. Have a cell phone handy for any last-minute emergencies the day of your event. If a cell phone is not an option (no signal or simply unavailable), make sure your suppliers have the venue address and phone number. Your function will be attended by people from many walks of life and backgrounds - politically correct term is Holiday Party. Make it chic, memorable and fun. Have people walk away saying - I had a great time, that was incredible.
He is a wordsmith comedian, observer and commentator on society quirks, obsessions and stereotypes. Incredible Boris is not just a stage name, but also a way to describe a positive attitude and a constant state of mind.
The Incredible Boris is an expert in psychology, hypnosis, body language, power of suggestion and human behavior. He authors a popular ezine power words and phrases through his web sites www.comedywood.com or www.IncredibleBORIS.com or www.HypnotistShow.com
Boris has been featured on numerous television programs, including Montel, Howie Mandel Show and the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.
Boris self-hypnosis Relaxation and Motivation CD is available through his web site or as a giveaway to complement his performance at your companys function during this holiday season.
Happy Holidays.

The Incredible Boris is a comedy stage hypnotist that appears in almost 300 live performances yearly at functions for most fortune 500 companies and their competitors. He is a frequent talk show guest and delivers a comical point of view to an otherwise serious subject of human behavior and expression.