Think Like a Reporter When Planning Any Event

Think Like a Reporter When Planning Any Event

If you think back to your first journalism class, what was reinforced more than anything?  It was to make a complete story and that meant focusing on the 5 W's and 1 H.  The who, what, where, when, why and how.  The same philosophy applies to hosting a successful event to boost your business.  However, with events, you take this approach from two different directions or two different angles, if you will.

Those two different angles would be from:

We All Need to Talk!

The phrase, "We need to talk" can mean so many things.  If you have just met someone at a networking event and you both think you could expand on a great idea or introduce them to people that are in their target market, the phrase "We need to talk" is exciting, filled with hope and wonder.  On the other hand, this same phrase between two or more people at work or in a family scenario, it can bring a pit to your stomach.  If you're on the receiving end of that phrase, you're probably having to keep your imagination from going wild.  In a split second after a boss says that, you could begin thinking, layoff, fired, performance review, merger or downsizing. Bad news no matter what!

I want to concentrate on this phrase in relation to a boss/supervisor/manager/owner or anyone in authority to those who are their employees.  I hate the word subordinates so I won't call them that.  Not as often, but that phrase can come from an employee who is responsible for other employees and is giving the four-word suggestion to a supervisor.

I remember working at one place where the morale was so bad that everything came to a head.  Everything shut down for a day and the whole operation went on a retreat.  You could cut the air with a knife.  When I look back on it, I can see that the management waited too long to communicate with the employees about their concerns over huge workloads, inadequate workspace and insisting on us us taking comp time instead of overtime.  When we were working such long hours, how in the world did they think we were going to find the time to use up the comp time when we could seldom squeeze any time off?  The supervisors took even longer to pretend to care about doing anything regarding their employees' concerns.  It was a development office (fundraising department) and their goal was to keep operating costs to 1-2% of donations received.  That's honorable until you reach the reputation of being a sweatshop! 

It's time for a retreat, detente, summit  or meeting in a DMZ!

I would suggest that there be a mediator for really bad situations and that there would be more than one method for each side to communicate such as speaking but also writing things down.  I would also suggest hiring a person who specializes in planning retreats to recommend the structure for this type of event.  You have to utilize methods that will make everyone involved in a way that they understand the various angles or concerns of all levels of employees and management.  

To keep things from getting to the point of mutiny, it would be preferable if there was a regularly scheduled event to encourage an open and consistent dialogue and a constantly present suggestion box in such a way that no be feels threatened.  The corporate world has become a swamp as far as loyalty in either direction.  There's a huge gap in work ethics (perceived or real) that comes from everyone's individual experience and perspective.  Many people do not feel valued, management feels pressure from all directions, CEO's to stockholders and all the way up and down the line.  Somethings never change over decades or even centuries, and you can only aim towards improvement over time.

What can be helpful is to design an event that make everyone on par with each other to the point that people feel like they are on the same team.  It makes me think of "E Pluribus Unum", of many become one.  No one said it would be easy, but if the effort isn't made, the consequences can be very detrimental to a business.

As always...

Wishing you the greatest of days!

When Your Business Relocates, Celebrate!

What should a business do when they are moving or have moved to a new nest, swimming hole, den, hole in the wall or a different zip code?

You would never send a "We've Moved!" notice that didn't include a new address.  We would be much more likely to send people an invitation to a housewarming party.  When you move yourself or your family within the same town, you probably don't worry about losing friends.  However, it's an entirely different story when someone has relocated a business.  As soon as all the "t"'s have been crossed, the "i's" have been dotted and the ink has dried, it's time let it be known that a big change is on its way and is just around the bend!

Many businesses don't realize how much they have become a part of a person's normal routine, are only visited because of their proximity to another area where they shop, are perceived as the only game in town or they have simply become a habit or even a luxury.  If a business gets out of that convenient location zone, they can quickly become an inconvenience.  If no one else provides their services, it's even more important that they leave bread crumbs not so they can find their way back but instead to help their customers find the new location.  They don't want people to feel stranded, lost or left out not knowing where they have disappeared to or worse yet, start a rumor that they have gone out of business.  You can compare it to when you can only find that delicious sugar-free jam, that tastes like your grandmother's recipe at a particular store and suddenly the store stops carrying that brand.  You will be looking for it everywhere or be going to the higher priced store that carries it just so you can continue getting that product.  We are creatures of habit and if a business disrupts that habit, they have some work cut out for them to retain clients.

If you have created a special bond with your clients, they will seek you out.  I'm sure we've all become attached to a particular business, product or service and have followed them perhaps even more than once.  It's nice to let customers know well in advance that you are moving.  The business is responsible to help their customers place themselves mentality in the new location.  No one else has that responsibility!  They need to build up the facts about how the new location is better, bigger, has more parking or enables them to offer more services.  

The most noticeable way for a business to get people to their new location is to have a party or some type of celebration.  They will not only be showing their clients their "new house", as a business they will be creating a good excuse for their new neighbors to say, "Hello!  I'm your neighbor three doors down and I am an interior designer" or whatever it is that they do.  Perhaps they can even set up an appointment to get better acquainted later.  Their shyer neighbors might be more comfortable coming to their event knowing that they won't be interrupting business as usual and will seize the moment that is designed to include them.

So the next time you hear that a business is moving, do them a big favor and make sure they are going to celebrate their move.  If all they plan on doing is putting up a sign that says that they have moved, the next sign they might be putting in a window is one not a pleasant to put up.  That would be a dreaded "Going out of Business" sign.  

As always...

Wishing you the greatest of days!

You might be asking, "What exactly does Greatest of Days mean?  What do you do?"  My apologies if you have to ask.  Greatest of Days is an event planning business in the Seattle area which helps individuals and businesses plan or learn how to host successful events with less stress...and officiates weddings.  (Just couldn't give that up from the good ole wedding planning days!)  I can hear you say, "Aha!  Now I get it!"  Now, I'm happy that you're happy!  

"Creating and Remembering Life's Greatest of Days"

Look Who's in the House!

Yes!  Who is in the house?

What makes an event intriguing?  It's doing what is unexpected or something that can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Add a little bit of the celebrity factor along with some design, and you can create a can't-miss event that is making people extremely curious about what is about to happen.  A countdown attached to your event builds extra excitement.  It's okay to have fun teasing your community into anticipation, and everyone enjoys a little bit of levity in life!

Do you have a hometown celebrity that became successful on the world stage?  Is there an author, actor, artist, musician, doctor, astronaut or professional athlete whose roots can be traced to your town for whom you have a great deal of respect?  Most towns have at least one high school that can brag about having a famous alum!  Does that person indicate that they want to be reminded of where they came from and inspire other people to pursue their dreams?  Perhaps they are a key player in a specific cause.  If you are so fortunate, you could create a great event where your business will be in the spotlight for an extended period of time.  

Your business doesn't necessarily have to be in complete congruence with whatever your citizen-turned-celebrity does.  It seldom matters what your business does nor the business you might co-host  with for an event does.  Think creatively and develop an atmosphere that coincides with what your special guest is all about.  Certainly, if anyone is capable of creating a haunted house with very few items and there's no reason why with the help of an event rental company, you couldn't create a complimentary ambiance for your celebrity.  

Most people think of book signing events for this scenario and they can be a lot of fun if they are done correctly long before, during and after your event.  First, you have to let people in, around and beyond your community know who your special guest is along with when and what they will be doing.  You want to time the event for when their most likely admirers will be present.  If you have famous children's book author, perhaps the summer isn't the best time to host an event but it might be a good time if your someone wrote about life as a snow birder.  We've all heard that saying that "everyone has a story".  It is so true for towns, as well.  You don't need a parade to have a Grand Marshall.  Have them at your event!  If you know of someone who is a spokesperson for a particular cause, help them connect with "the people back home" and support their cause.  

Now, think of your industry as your community and apply these same principles.  There has to be someone who is a well-sought-after figure who could draw a crowd.  With a little research at most, you will find out who that person is. You are put in a different perspective when you organize an event within your profession.

When I primarily planned weddings, I formed a networking group for event and wedding professionals in 2008 (which I still organize). At about the two-year mark, after I formed the group, I invited a person who was well-known as a great coach specifically for wedding professionals, to speak.  She lived far away on the other side of the country, but I felt like I was familiar enough through some of her coaching programs, that I could ask if she would like to come out and speak to my networking group.  She did and even paid for her own airfare.  Within a few days of the announcement, we had members donate services ranging from a fabulous venue, the meal, mimosas, decor, limo, hotel, printing, photography, the stage, a pianist, and a DJ who did his homework and searched on Facebook for her favorite music.  It was a great success. However, the very first reaction from more established industry networking groups, was a social media post that stated, "How did THEY get HER?"  It was very simple.  You build a professional relationship and you ask them!  I continue to be long-distance friends with her years later.  In contrast to an unnamed person's social media post when the event was announced, the much-admired wedding marketing coach told me, "You are looked upon as a leader in the industry out here".  I had never even thought of it that way.  Oh, and you guessed right if you bet that the more established group asked us to share her visit with them at their own meeting.

My key point in this story is, you cannot be afraid to ask!  Dream of opportunities you could share with other people and follow your gut!  Don't be afraid to be the first person to do something in your little niche, your community and even in your profession.

On the lighter side, if you want to feel pressure planning an event, plan an event for event professionals with about a month's notice during the holidays!  Seriously, it was fun...because that is what we do!  Yes, I took my own advice and had another event planner come on board to help me!

As always,

Wishing you the greatest of days!

P.S.  Make your special guest speaker feel just that!  Special.  Go out of your way to make them feel welcomed as you will be in an ambassador role for your business or group.

You Should Make Fun of Your Business!

     

Make Fun of Your Business!

As far back as you can probably remember, businesses have been holding contests. Businesses have been putting everything from balloons, styrofoam peanuts to jelly beans in containers ranging from jars, bags all the way up to automobiles to get people to make their best guess at the quantity inside.  We've all seen the excitement over people trying to guess the weight of pumpkins at annual events.  Game shows would have been gone a long time ago but instead, we've seen a resurgence of old game shows.  People like to block everything out and go into a zone where they can forget about life for a while and at the same time, keep their fingers crossed.

What is the appeal of participating in a contest at a business?  It might be the prospect of winning something with little or no investment.  To some, the curiosity alone will get them.  I wonder when people put their names in the box filled with guesses, if they don't have it cross their minds at least a few times until a winner is announced.  It's fun to think of being the winner and most of us have said, at least to ourselves, "I'm going to win!  I'm going to win!"  If they do get the phone call informing them that they won, they will probably run rather than walk to claim whatever their prize is and then tell people about it.  Hmmm...could entering names in a contest be the oldest form of permission marketing? I don't know.

It's best to have a contest built around what your business does to pique their interest in your business.  It's also best that they have to win by a skill rather than just a drawing otherwise you can into trouble in some jurisdictions for gambling.  It can be a very simple skill to win but not merely chance in these situations to be legal.  There's probably a lot of interpretations and confusion in any jurisdiction, but it's better to not find out the hard way as to what is legal or what isn't legal.

There are some businesses that think they could never hold an event or contest because they have a home business or their office is too small.  As an event planner, I will tell you that is entirely false!  In future blogposts, I will also be bringing up ways that events can reduce the number of excuses people give for not being able to host a party.  Did I get your attention if you are in direct sales?  I will also discuss co-hosting.  I've seen business owners from accountants to chiropractors actually host some cool events when you might have thought they didn't have a creative bone in their bodies.

Here's what I won around the time of the Super Bowl in 2015!

If you've heard of the Seahawks at all, you'll know what the significance of "12" is!  

Sea.....HAWKS, SEA...HAWKS!!  SEA...HAWKS!

How Would You Like to Pay for That New Equipment?

How Would You Like to Pay for That New Equipment?

...or that new service you invested in with a large amount of money and time?

                            

Getting new equipment is a major decision.  You research, compare and plan not just for the purchase but also the potential benefits.  So how are you going to pay for that new machine that creates banners, engravings or widgets and thingamajigs?  Maybe you've purchased the latest technology that  revolutionizes the way a service is performed and thus makes your clients' tasks dramatically easier.  It might be something that enables you to cast your net out far and wide, but it cost you money and you need for people to know about your latest new toy or pride and joy.  You want to make it pay for itself.                              

As business owners, we've all felt that pit in our stomachs when someone who you've known or networked with for some time says, "I didn't know that you did that, too!"  In your mind you see all the opportunities that you might have missed or wonder if it could have led to a pivotal point in your business.  I'm reminded of what a Director of Development at a foundation once told all of us who were involved with fundraising under his direction.  He stated this very simple truth.  "You don't get what you don't ask for".  I think the same applies to businesses, too.  People won't purchase something that they don't know about if you haven't put the information out there.

So, about now, you're thinking "What in the world does this have to do with hosting an event?"  If I've said it once, I've probably said it a million times, for a successful event, you have to appeal to innate human trait of curiosity.  Hosting an open house to celebrate the new cool thing you're going to be able to do will make people think about how they can use your new product or service.  If you are introducing a monstrosity of a piece of equipment that creates something, have a contest to name the beast.  A live demonstration, samples made right on the spot, even giving out a prize drawing for your latest and greatest service will engage people unlike many forms of marketing.  Perhaps you would find yourself being able to give tours.  Think of this type of event almost being like a product launch.  

Think of giving a tour.  If you give your guests that feeling of them almost being in forbidden territory, they will love it!  Think of a child's curiosity when their family has been invited to a friend's home for a dinner party.  If the dinner is on the main level and there is an upstairs, it's only a matter of time until you hear a little voice ask, "What's upstairs?"  Perhaps, you only have to think of a five-year-old.  Everything you say is a response to a why this, how does that work, what does that mean or an I want to try it!  Thinking like a reporter is a perfect mindset when you plan this type of an event.  If you create that atmosphere around a change of products or services, you will not be forgotten.

As always...

Wishing you the greatest of days!

If you would like to learn more about our seminars that teach businesses to host successful events, please contact us!  We love to talk about events!

Grand Openings Should be Just That!

Grand Openings are a great way for a business to become known to a community or industry.  Usually they take place after things have been operating normally and have been stabilized for a while.  However, grand openings really need to happen sooner than later.  A grand opening should inform, entertain and create a memory like any business event, but on a grander scale.

A grand opening can offer a great first impression not only for new or potential clients but the community at large.  This alone is why a business would want to make the event feel grand, be memorable and a true experience to absorb.

A business will want to inform attendees at a grand opening of the following: 

1. What they do, 

2. How they do something better or differently, 

3. Why people need their services,

4. When the best time is for people to plan ahead to use their services.

Its important to remember that the purpose of a grand opening is not merely to educate the public about a business, but it is crucial to offer an experience that is memorable.  An event is the perfect opportunity to set up a business to not be victim of the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality.  The purpose is to make the event one that will be remembered by anyone and everyone in a community and hopefully come up in conversations after the grand opening. Swag bags aren't just for convenience.  We have all experienced someone coming home with a swag bag filled with goodies and soon, those items are distributed to other members of a household or friends with a business name on them.  

Future business events with a more specific clientele in mind would be designed differently to have a narrower appeal.  Compared to other types of events that a business could host, a grand opening needs to offer more variety in the activities with a broader appeal that can be tailored to educate and almost be a family-friendly event.  It's a lot easier for an adult to attend if their children are allowed.  This might not work well if a business poses a danger to children.  Special accommodations can be made so that kids could be entertained in a separate area and that might suffice. You can hire childcare companies who do nothing but provide childcare for events.  One option if it was too dangerous for children to be present, would be to promote that there will be things to take home to surprise your children.  It's the world we live in. 

A grand opening is really about an introduction to all the members of a community to help a business gather more ambassadors and foster more conversations around the community.  If a business incorporates a food drive with a grand opening, it is a great way to show that a business cares about the community.  It's the perfect time to make a great impression because a business' grand opening is remembered all unto itself.  Other events can sometimes be blurred with other companies events, but a grand opening is different because it is new to everyone.  A business can and should claim a grand opening as its very own in a unique way.  It is all about being different from the competition especially with hosting events.

You'll notice a common thread in my blog posts, seminars and presentations about events of any kind and that is that any event needs to appeal to the five senses plus one more I refer to as "Quiet".  That's an entire blog post on its own!

Stay tuned for more information on how you can boost your business with successful events!

If you would like to learn more about our live seminars, teleseminars, webinars or speaking engagements, come on over to our Greatest of Days website and we'll be in touch!

"Events are unlike other forms of marketing.

They cannot be deleted or thrown away because they create permanent memories".