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Finding fun, interesting entertainment options is often the most enjoyable part of planning corporate events; however, once you have exhausted your list of local entertainers and spent the majority of your entertainment budget on one or two well-known acts, it can sometimes be a challenge to come up with additional entertainment options that will appeal to your attendees. Most people enjoy comedy acts and it is always a plus if you can provide an evening of relaxation and laughter to your participants, making booking a comedian an enticing option.
The thing about booking a comedy act is that it can go really well, or very wrong – and the outcome can directly affect your reputation. If it goes well, people will be talking about your event long after it concludes and attendees will remember that you provided a lighthearted evening of entertainment that was thoroughly enjoyable. If it goes wrong, they will also be talking about it – and you – long after the event is over, but the things they will be saying will not be nearly as flattering.
You can avoid a not-so-comedic disaster by taking the time to thoroughly vet potential comedians before booking them for your event. To do this, you can look for reviews online, inquire about how many corporate events they have done and either attend one of their shows, or request a DVD of their show if they are not local.
You do not have to make every meal a stylishly themed function when planning your next corporate meeting or incentive travel package, but there should always be at least one fun food function, and possibly more. Of course, creating a memorable meal takes more time, effort and money, but it is well worth it to ensure that your attendees will be talking about your event for months or years to come.
Even if you are working with a slim budget, or have many other planning components that require your focus, you can plan a themed function with ease and for less by working with your venue using these three tips:
Are you always looking for ways to improve meeting attendance? Are enticing incentive travel destinations sometimes just still not enough? While opting for destinations in Mexico, South America, The Caribbean, The Bahamas or other exciting locations are usually enough to have attendees tripping over themselves to confirm their attendance, sometimes you need something special to really entice folks. Memorable, once in a lifetime experiences are the best way to ensure that your meeting attendance will improve, such as world-class sporting events, an incentive cruise, rare exhibits or concerts put on by musical icons are all sure to increase interest in your next corporate meeting or event.
If you plan your corporate event to be held in South Africa to coincide with the 2010 World Cup, or your next event to be held in the host city of the Super Bowl or to take place along with an event to honor the newest Hall of Fame inductee, and are able to procure tickets for these events for your attendees, you can be sure that attendance will soar. While this level of event may not fit comfortably into every company’s budget, these are simply examples of the possibilities for offering experiences your potential attendees will not want to miss. Other options that are more affordable include concerts, Broadway shows that are usually sold out or traveling exhibits that will likely only be in town for a short time and may never return.
While determining if alcohol will be a part of your event, there is one important occasion that is often overlooked: champagne toasts. Even clients who want no other alcohol served during the duration of their event may want a champagne toast to celebrate meeting their sales goals, welcome a new CEO or simply to congratulate their employees on a job well done throughout the year. Champagne toasts are very common, and even expected, if there is any sort of celebratory air to an event. Being easy to organize and affordable to plan, a simple champagne toast may seem like something that requires no additional thought, but meeting planners can sometimes overlook an important aspect of planning a successful toast that all attendees can enjoy.
This often overlooked component is the touchy situation that can arise when there are non-drinkers in the room. For starters, no one should be left out or made to feel uncomfortable during a toast. Therefore, it is imperative that a non-alcoholic alternative, such as sparkling cider, is readily available and is served alongside the champagne – avoiding putting an attendee in a situation where they must ask if there is a non-alcoholic option. Whether they are in recovery, adhere to religious convictions or cultural mores that forbid drinking, or simply choose to not indulge, the passing out of beverages prior to the toast should be a seamless process where no one will even notice which selection each attendee chooses.
There are several reasons why a plated lunch is preferable over a lunch buffet or dinner. When you are planning a meeting or event that will include at least one presentation or speaking engagement that incorporates a meal, opting for a plated lunch has several benefits, including the possibility of significant cost savings. Dinners always cost more than lunches and happen at the end of the day when attendees are likely tired and just want to have some free time; therefore, they are not likely to be as attentive and present during the speaking engagement or presentation. Additionally, people generally prefer to have free evenings and to have the opportunity to take off with a few friends to try out local eateries, have a drink and wind down from a day filled with meetings.
Attendees also will generally prefer enjoying a catered lunch during a required presentation, rather than having to hurry in the middle of the day to find a close place to grab a quick lunch before heading back for afternoon meetings and a dinner presentation at the end of the day. As for choosing between plated and buffet lunches, plated lunches will always hold court as the option that looks better organized, more professional and more stylish. Aside from appearances, buffets may offer more options, but they also can cost up to twice as much per person, significantly raising expenses.
As you well know, many clients need their meeting planners to pay particular attention to expenses these days. With tighter budgets and fewer event planning dollars, meeting planners must get creative in order to meet and exceed their clients’ expectations while keeping a close eye on expenditures.
With current and potential clients concerned about budgets, it is also just a good all around idea to find creative ways to keep costs down, which will certainly get people talking about you and how you can plan a stellar event for a fraction of the expected cost.
When it comes to saving money on event entertainment, you don’t have to rely only on low-budget acts or free attractions. For cost-saving ways to entertain your attendees, simply follow these five tips:
1. Look for group discounts on tickets to local museums and attractions. 2. Seek out entertainers who will be performing in the same city during your event. Oftentimes, entertainers are happy to add another gig to their schedule for a discounted price. 3. Plan your meeting in a city that offers numerous entertainment options within close proximity to your meeting location. This way, you can simply schedule free time and allow the attendees to entertain themselves. 4. Contact local entertainers or the music department of a local college or university to find low-cost options. 5. Many museums and similar attractions include monthly free admission days. Check local events calendars to see if these days coincide with your event.
You thought it was a successful meeting. Everything came off as planned, and your client was happy. Then, a week later your client calls you in a panic–that successful meeting did not have a closed caption screen or sign language translator and her company is being sued.
As a meeting planner, you need to be prepared and familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
There are many types of disabilities, and the ADA has two disability lists: one is the conspicuous impairment and the other is non-visible.
While some disabilities are very clear visually, you may have a participant with dietary restrictions. He may end up not being able to eat anything at a lavish meal simply because you didn’t ask the right questions. Or worse, he could be harmed because he ate anyway without knowing some of the invisible ingredients.
As with anything else in your career, education is key. While the disabled or impaired make up a small percentage of your participants, you will be remembered favorably for having been thorough enough to include a request for detailed information from that minority of attendees. You will also help keep your clients from getting sued. “Who knew” is no longer an excuse.
London is one of the world’s most visited cities. With its combination of historic buildings, renowned museums and galleries and the best in dining, clubbing, entertainment and now a new range of boutique hotels, you won’t run out of activities for your meeting attendees.
It’s no surprise that London is full of hotels of various sizes and standards. Famous and expensive hotels sit alongside smaller guesthouses, but it is the boutique hotel that’s currently proving a popular choice with meeting planners with small groups. Small and stylish, with impeccable service and a real atmosphere rather than one manufactured by the marketing department of a large hotel chain, staying in one of these hotels can only make your trip to London more enjoyable.
There’s so much going on in London that even the residents don’t see it all. Plan your event so that your attendees can enjoy a little bit of history at the Tower of London or St. Paul’s Cathedral for example; some of the treasures and paintings in the museums and galleries; a show in the West End and some great drinking and dining.
When professionals attend well-planned meetings or conferences, they often want the contact information of the event planner for possible future use. Meetings that run smoothly, are productive and enjoyable, and include comfortable meeting spaces, good food and fun activities are sure to be remembered. Therefore, when you make sure that each attendee knows that you planned the meeting and that they will return home with your contact information, you are taking an important step in setting yourself up to obtain additional clients and experience future success.
Aside from high-powered professionals that may be in attendance, you should also keep in mind that each staff member at the meeting has the potential to rise in the ranks of the company they are currently with, to broaden their career path and go to work for another company, or to go out on their own. Making sure these folks remember you and have your contact information is an excellent way to increase the likelihood that they will tell their new company about your services, or use you for their own meeting planning needs in the future.
Promotional products that can be used during the meeting or conference, as well as after the attendees return home, such as pens, notepads, folders, rulers, calculators, desk sets or conference bags are affordable, effective marketing tools that will put your name and contact information in the hands of conference and meeting attendees, and will ensure that they have your information when there is a need for your services.
Transporting meeting attendees in a chartered bus is an affordable option for meetings planned locally, as well as for transporting people from the airport or train station to the host hotel, or from the hotel to the convention center or meeting location. Contrary to the misguided assumptions that charter buses are a less than ideal option due to misgivings about bus travel in general, charter buses offer comfortable, clean transportation that can be absolutely luxurious.
To avoid complications and ensure a successful chartering experience, here are seven questions that should be considered before reserving a bus:
1. How many people do you need to transport? 2. Do any of the travelers have special needs that will need to be met? 3. What level of luxury do you desire? 4. Is the trip overnight? If so, you may need to make a hotel reservation for the driver. 5. How long is the trip? You may need more than one driver, depending on the number of hours that need to be driven each day. 6. Is your client more concerned about the cost or level of luxury provided? 7. Do you need a video-equipped bus? This can allow attendees to watch training videos, videos about the destination, movies or any other materials provided by you or your client.
