Aug
6
In-House Event Pros seeing slowdown.
August 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The news is not all bad as most see slowdown as short lived:
After six years of growing optimism, only 19 percent of respondents say they will host more events this year than they did last year, a 10 percent dip from the results of the 2007 survey. A total of 11 percent say they will stage fewer events this year than the year before, the worst showing since the 2003 survey, which went out shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
SHORT SLUMP?
However, in-house professionals expect the current downturn to be short-lived. Nearly a third of respondents predict they will stage more events in 2009 than this year, while two-thirds say they will stage at least the same amount.
Perhaps as a way to shave costs, fewer in-house planners this year than last say they contract with independent planners. This year, only 26 percent said they contract with independents, versus 36 percent last year. A total of 64 percent of respondents say this year they have no plans to contract with independents, nearly a 10 point jump from the 2007 figure.
Jul
31
Event Solutions Mag. holds Cover Contest.
July 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Get your event on the cover of Event Solutions magazine.
Is your event cover-worthy? Now you can find out. Event Solutions announces its first-ever cover contest, inviting you to submit your best event photos for a chance to be on the cover of the most-read magazine in the events industry.
Winners will be seen on a future cover of Event Solutions, plus in the “on the cover” section in that month’s editorial coverage. You will receive a framed copy of your cover, and could also be mentioned in Solutions :: eNews and featured on event-solutions.com.
Photos are chosen based on how well they fit within each issue’s themes and/or focus sections, as well as the overall quality of the image in terms of resolution, composition and event design.
DEADLINE: Entry deadline for our January 2009 issue is Sept. 1, 2008. We will continue to accept and consider submissions throughout the year.
Click here to submit an entry.
Jul
28
WebEventPlanner.com giving away on line advertising.
July 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
From WebEventPlanner.com:
Louis J. Godin, owner of Event Planning solutions provider WebEventPlanner.com, announced today the launch of free hospitality, meeting planning, wedding planning and event planning industry advertising.
Free advertising includes (but not limited to) set up of a virtual trade show booth in your selected city and category (hospitality, meeting planning and wedding planning virtual trade shows). Trade shows are available on line 24/7, 365 days a year and accessible around the world on http://www.SalesEPacket.com.
Available for Hotels, Catering Facilities, Caterers, Catering, DJs, Entertainment, Wedding Party Rental, Bakery, Floral, Videographers, Photographers, Event Party Rental, Transportation, Meeting Planners, Wedding Planners, Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Hospitality and Event Planning Networking Groups, Publications, News and Press Releases etc. For more information, set up instructions and qualification form please visit at http://www.SalesEPacket.com. (select the free advertising banner) Additional free advertising available to those who qualify. Available to US hospitality, meeting planning, wedding planning and event planning industry only. Restrictions apply, subject to change without notice.
Jul
28
Internet brings moms and brides together.
July 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Bridals By Lori uses webcams to enhance customer service:
At Bridals by Lori, an upscale bridal boutique in Sandy Springs, giddy brides-to-be with reservations slip in and out of waves of silk, satin, crystals and organza. The designer dresses typically fall in the $4,000 to $5,000 range but run as high as $14,000.
The women often want to buy a dress. And many times, what’s holding them back is not the staggering price tags.
“A lot of brides wouldn’t buy the dress without their mom,” said owner Lori Allen.
In the transient city of Atlanta, that scenario plays out frequently.
About five years ago, Allen installed six Web cams with the help of her husband, Eddie Allen, who designed the software for the cameras.
Allen estimates at least 50 percent of the clients use the Web cams to pull mom and others into the decision making process.
Jul
7
It will be November 4th - 6th 2008 in Rhode Island:
“The Show for the Tent Professional” for 2008 is heading North to the coastal scenery of New England. With remarkable outside space accomodating our ever growing tenting conference, the Crowne Plaza Hotel encourages MATRA attendees to appreciate the open grounds surrounding the Hotel. Housing several College/Universities in the Providence area, it’s only fitting that we begin this conference with a “MATRA University” theme where attendees will have opportunities to take “101″ courses as well as “extended” courses involving tent safety and education.
May
24
New event planning blog
May 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here’s part of the press release from Creative Impact Group announcing their new event planning blog:
Creative Impact Group has launched a new blog section to its website designed to offer tips, advice, and resources for anyone planning an event. The website’s blog is written by industry experts and provides a wealth of advice, tips, and resources for event and meeting planners. The blog also offers our clients the opportunity to ask specific questions and receive valuable answers from industry professionals.
The blog offers a wide variety of tips and advice, from developing a successful theme party to arranging celebrity appearances, to creating the perfect atmosphere for a customer event. Creative Impact Group’s Special Events blog also offers advice to those who need help in other areas, such as organizing trade shows, creating team building activities and customizing their events to achieve their specific goals.
Information on the blog is constantly being updated so there is always new information as well as new ideas to explore. For details and more information, visit www.creativeimpactgroup.com/blog.
They’ve been added to the blogroll.
May
22
Virginia Wedding Planner Hosts Radio Show
May 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
May
7
Metzger Associates creates new division.
May 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
From their press release:
Metzger Associates Adds Strategic Events Management Practice Area
BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Metzger Associates, one of the nation’s premier integrated communications firms, has added a Strategic Events Management practice area, naming industry veteran Denise Smith as department lead.
“Historically, event management has been thought of as high-level party planning,” said John Metzger, CEO. “The event planning industry saw a decline during the beginning of the Internet age when anyone could use online resources to run meetings, events and conferences. Now, event management is much more strategic – high touch, face-to-face engagements matter. The Internet is not always the best substitute for direct personal contact. The use of gatherings, conferences and workshops are important vehicles to deliver key messages and to facilitate interactions and relationships that provide tangible benefits for companies. It’s an art, and with 10 years in the industry, Denise is one of the best strategic event managers around.”
Smith combines her creativity, out-of-the-box thinking style and knowledge of corporate procedure to create events and valuable meeting experiences for her clients. Smith has a wide-ranging background with group travel and event planning – mainly with Fortune 500 companies.
Smith will work closely with clients to create events and develop campaigns that meet their business goals.
May
7
Using Social Media to promote your event.
May 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Social media is being used to promote all sorts of things so it’s no surprise Event Planners are using it as well:
Step 1 – the social networking pages
It is important to understand and build the brand of your event first. What makes it different and unique? Why should people care to attend? After you have a fair idea about your brand, the first step is to create your event pages using social networking sites, like facebook, myspace, squidoo etc. A great example of this is how Tech Crunch markets their annual conferences on independent specially designed pages for the event. These pages go through a cycle of pre-launch information to live updates during launch to post-launch winner lineups. It’s a place where you can participate in the discussions, see who else is coming, review the startups that are going to pitch, and just get a feel for the buzzing activities around you.The great thing about social media is that it is offers the flexibility to design the pages in community specific ways. The pages that you build for a official conference can be very different from the ones you make for a club party.
Step 2 – building traffic
You can get traffic to your social pages directly or through referrals and links. The more the links your webpage gets, the better the search engine rankings. The better the search engine rankings, the more likely your potential customers or audiences will be able to find you. The traffic coming in from these secondary sources should not be undermined, since it brings in people who are more likely to be inclined towards being interested in what you are offering. Social media traffic can easily be managed through strategic marketing methods.Step 3 – communicating with your audiences
The more you can communicate with your audiences on a one-on-one level, the better your event will be. You will be able to gauge the audience’s expectations from the event, so that you can design and plan the event accordingly. A friend of mine was organizing a concert in Orange County once and realized later that the most active people in the county preferred a different taste in music. The great thing about the internet is that you can quickly and easily find this kind of information by interacting with prospective audiences directly.Step 4 – building hype and excitement
Although this seems like a simple step in the process, it isn’t. Webpages on social networking sites are only successful if they can perpetuate and grow. This can only happen if you have managed to build a large group of supporters or like-minded folks to spread the word about your event. Your brand story plays an important role here. If the story is exciting, “camp on the big bear lake”, “first ever fusion dance party”, “scary Halloween party close to the night safari”, “top ten jazz singers night”; the supporters will more likely spread it. If they can understand and build on your events brand story, they will spread it like it’s their own. That’s just the way it works. So, build hype, get people talking and launch right on the peak of their excitement. Bam.
Apr
23
Throwing a party for the Pope.
April 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Voila Meetings and Events pulled off the tall task of preparing for a Papal visit:
Voila Meetings and Events was the answer to an event pro’s prayers, helping ensure seamless visits in Washington and New York for Pope Benedict XVI last week on his first journey to the U.S.
Voila was in charge of site selection, hotel negotiations and housing, media pool site trips, media centers, media access and press credentialing, technology implementation, translation services, full staffing support and citywide transportation, the company reports. Voila also worked directly with the U.S. Secret Service and city police departments to ensure protection for the pontiff.
Voila won the business thanks to its “long-standing relationship” with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, company principal Eden Capuano tells Special Events. Despite her team’s ability to collaborate easily with its client, the event was a challenge.
“Our contacts called us in September and asked us to research the booking of D.C. and New York properties,” she says. “Finding their housing needs was a task in itself as we were looking for two hotels in each city with 500-plus room nights and plenty of meeting space.” Making matters worse were the busy season and tight timeline: “Springtime in D.C. and New York, under six months’ out,” Capuano says. “The topper was, we could not say that the space was needed for the papal visit!”
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Elegants.net
