Archive for the ‘Corporate Events’ Category

Create Picture Perfect Moments at Your Events

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

InstagramOver the course of the past few years, we’ve seen an evolution in the way that our event attendees capture their experience. From Instagram to Pinterest to other social media tools, the attendees at our events have become more socially savvy and that has greatly contributed to how we capture information. In the past, we would hire a photographer and videographer and count on them to capture the events and images. But, that no longer needs to be the case. Of course, I always recommend working with your standard photographer and videographer, but it has become clear to me that a) those vendors need to be more social-savvy themselves; and b) there is also a huge opportunity to leverage the sharing nature of your attendees.

Take a look at your event from A-Z. From when an attendee walks in the door until they leave. What are they seeing that attracts them? After attending many events over the past few years, I realize that people will take pictures of anything. They will take pictures of your event regardless of how it looks, but you can be smart about the design of your event to facilitate better sharing. Rather than just let people take pictures of the name of the building where the event is being held, jazz it up and put your brand on it, too. Make it something that people want to take a picture of and, more importantly, want to share.

Read more on Cvent…

The Two Sides of CSR by @JennG_

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

IMG_2371 There are pros and cons to corporate social responsibility. Donations to a local organization after a conference can boost employee morale and stir some marketing buzz in the host city while contributing to the local community. However, I’m knee deep in personal reading material about the negative consequences charity and service trips can have.

For a long time, I didn’t care why ABC Fortune 500 company gave. It still was going to a good cause. It didn’t matter if the leaders’ intentions were purely promotional because the local shelter needed the money. I’m beginning to realize it’s not that black and white.

This is on my mind because I’m also in the middle of writing about one of the best CSR projects I’ve seen in a while. Crowdsourcing allows attendees to choose a personal cause for the group to help rather than the typical impersonal giant check presented to a local children’s hospital (more on that in the next Collaborate magazine).

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Post-Crisis Communication Plan

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

I’ll start by saying that this is not going to be an easy topic to talk about. Unfortunately, it seems that more and more tragedies are happening around the world that cause us to stop and think more about life. Why do events such as the Boston bombing have to happen? Why can’t we all just get along? But, this seems to be something that we are facing on a more regular basis. As a human being, I have a plethora of thoughts that happen around a crisis like this. And, that only gets more complicated as I am a business owner. When a tragedy like this occurs, trying to find the right thing to say is impossible. There is nothing you can say that would be “right”. But, there are a few things that I think we should all be on the same page about when it comes to communicating after a crisis.

Before I get into those things, I will just say that I do not think I am an expert with this. I write this article with a little bit of trepidation as I know that people approach this topic in so many different ways and often feel very strongly about this topic. Last year, when hurricane Sandy hit New York, it was just days before our big PlannerTech event. This year, the Boston bombings happened the day before our Event Alley radio show. Both of these situations put me in a place but I never wanted to be – having to address a crisis in the public way. It’s incredibly hard, and these are some of the thoughts I had as I was putting together my words.

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5 Event Mistakes to Avoid

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

eventfailManaging and planning events can be stressful, and where there’s stress, there will be mistakes. Some event mistakes are more common than others in the event world and some are more detrimental when you make them. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

1. Thinking your job is over when the event is

You should be connecting with people you met on the event via social. For Event Producers and Managers, you should be sending out surveys and following the post-event talk on social. Learn what people liked and didn’t like about the event, because you should always be improving.

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3 Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Planning an Event

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

OopsI absolutely love working with entrepreneurs. Liz King Events is all about planning events, but I also love to work on a deeper level with entrepreneurs who are using live events to expand their brand. Social media strategy, creating partnerships – these are the things that add a little spice to the event logistics. But the bread and butter of what we offer our clients is event management services.

The truth is that live events are one of the most important tools in your branding toolkit and can be huge for entrepreneurs – especially those in the tech world. Sometimes we spend so much time behind our desks working away at building a product our consumers love, we forget that we have to get out in front and spend time with those consumers. After all – people love products, but they love people and personalities more. If you haven’t already started this process, I STRONGLY recommend that you host a few live events to connect with your target market. But – here are 3 things you don’t want to miss.

Underestimate the TIME
Planning a good event needs a lot of lead time – time to put all the logistics together and to do the proper outreach. Can you throw an event together in a few weeks? Sure! Is it the best way to do it? No! Events can be a great opportunity to connect with your community, but it can also be a really important time to make new connections – these new connections need one-on-one outreach and a strategy behind connecting with them. This takes time and will be a great investment!

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When Planners Assume, ______ by @JennG_

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

Harlem Shake I don’t need to finish that phrase. You’re probably already filling in the blank with your own negative scenarios. When planners assume, wires get crossed. Things fall through the cracks. We can all relate to the feeling when something doesn’t turn out like we thought it would. When you’re consumed by the events industry, it’s hard to remember that everyone in your industry or circle is not really everyone.

When you are surrounded by your team, it’s easy to assume:

  1. Everyone has heard of your event. It’s hard to believe, but there are people who don’t know what the “Harlem Shake” is, let alone know about your event.
  2. Everyone loves your event. It’s hard not to think your event is great. It’s a collection of your ideas.
  3. Everyone who likes your event will come. They may have told you in person how great your event is, liked you on Facebook or tweeted about you, but factors including time and money can still keep your most loyal fans away. Every choice someone makes to attend means they are sacrificing something else.

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Wake up! Here Are the 3 Biggest Threats to the Meetings Industry by @KristiCasey

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

If you’re immersed in any activity, it’s difficult to perceive the threats surrounding you. That’s why food you eat in the car always ends up on your shirt and your most serious injuries occur when you’re doing something as simple as stepping off a curb.

I totally understand why meeting and event planners don’t see this industry’s true threats. Technological advances are so sexy. The recession is so boring. The workload is so relentless. There are a million reasons why they’re paying attention to something else.

But stop and think for a second. What really are the greatest threats to your job security? It’s not robots. It’s not hybrid or virtual event technology. It’s supply and demand. As in: If demand is high and supply is scarce, prices will rise. Remember that from Economics 101?

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Customization is Key, but Where Do You Stop? by @KristiCasey

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

CustomizationAccording to the recent PCMA Convening Leaders convention and MPI Business Barometer, customizing your attendee’s experience is a trend you can’t ignore. But if you have thousands of attendees, how can you possibly create 1,000 different experiences? After all, budgets are just now starting to grow. You’re lucky to be able to afford a social media monitor, much less have the money to creating two or more versions of everything.

So let’s take a look at some big-ticket issues and examine the simplest way you can customize your event to address them. Below I’ve addressed the to-do items involved if you want to implement the simplest solutions. If you’ve got those licked, I include how you can go the extra mile.

Issue: Accommodating dietary restrictions and allergies.

Simple fix: Collect data about special needs at registration. Label buffet items so ingredients are obvious. Educating banqueting staff about what’s in the food they’re serving. Making accommodations on the menu.

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Top 5 LKE Blogs of 2012

Friday, December 28th, 2012

Deborah Pannell

9 Things a Luxury Cruise Taught Me About Event Planning by @ProjectMaven

By: Deborah Pannell
Last November, I was invited to go on my first cruise – an experience in luxury that I will never forget. If you’ve never been on a cruise, then imagine a Las Vegas resort hotel… on water. As a guest on the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, I was treated to what seemed like endless food, entertainment, and leisure time options. I also received a concentrated lesson in the art of hospitality and yes, a few insights about event planning.

Spring Flower Garden Event Design by @DreamersJoy

By: Sarah DeJesus
Sarah De Jesus on her Event Design: The idea and concept for this table design was inspired by the spring season, my crochet flowers (which I had been assembling mainly as cupcake toppers) and my desire to incorporate the use of Pantone’s Honeysuckle Pink as the main color and the use of yellow, light pink and green as a spring color scheme to compliment it. The decor is focused around the flowers which were arranged in galvanized socker planter pots, flower metal plant stakes used to hold the dessert labels and the use of clay pots as the cake stand to give it a unique yet casual, garden and spring feel.

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Why the Recession Was a Great Thing for the Events Industry

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

What planner doesn’t love the opportunity to create an event with glitter and fame and unlimited budgets? It’s incredibly fun. So when the economy fell and budgets shrunk, planners started wondering if we were ever going to recover. Where will people get the money to hire us? What will happen to our clients that were once guaranteed to come back year after year and yet don’t answer our calls now? Or, worse yet, want the same events for 1/2 the price. It was a dark time in the events industry.

But I think there was a silver lining. All these shrinking budgets actually allowed us to become better at what we do.

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