Thursday 27 March 2014

How to Use Event Management as a Tool for Your Event’s Success

Planning a corporate event which is both interesting and productive for the attendees is a difficult task. With so many things to look after at the same time, things may often go awry. That’s where event management comes in. A well managed event will not only be enjoyable for the attendees but will also make your business shine and catapult it to new heights. How do you manage corporate events to ensure their success? Read on to find out.
Identify your goals and objectives
The first and most important step in planning a successful event is to think carefully about why you want to host it. You need to set a meaningful goal and use it to guide your decisions. Doing so will ensure things go as planned and all your ideas are implemented successfully.
Create a plan
Planning is an essential component of all the successful events. Create a plan that encompasses all aspects of your event, including: venue, logistics, catering, speakers/presenters, activities, publicity/promotion, registration etc.
Make use of technology
Technology has made our lives simpler. Tasks like event management which require so many things to be managed at the same time have also become more convenient with the use of technology. Make use of web based event management systems and breathe easy. A web-based event management system allows you to collect online registrations through customized forms and easy-to-build event websites. Marketing tools like social sharing, event listings and emails can help you increase attendance. When it comes to managing event, mobile apps and custom reporting can help meeting planners manage any event smoothly.
Advertize to make your event stand out
Even with the most amazing speaker or entertainment line-up, you need publicity to get people in the door.  Event promotion starts with the initial notice or page on your website, a note in your newsletter to save the date, and then builds to include online and off-line publicity, media relations and on-going outreach to encourage registration.
Keep your event registration simple
A complex event registration system is a big turn off. Make sure the event registration process is simple and caters to the needs of the attendees.
Successful events ride on the wheels of good event management; make sure you hire only an expert event management company like Plan Ahead Events, with years of experience of organizing perfect, bespoke events.
To learn more, visit http://planaheadevents.com/

Factors to Consider For a Successful Convention

Business conventions can be a wonderful opportunity to win new customers, network with others in your field, and keep abreast of important changes in the competitive world of business. A lot of work and planning goes into putting a successful convention. Everything, from finding the convention center to setting the agenda and bringing in speakers, takes careful planning and good strategy. So, read on to find out, some important elements to consider for organizing successful conventions.
Have a plan ready
Convention planning like any other business eventplanning involves many tasks. With so much to do and so many details to manage, it’s easy for important steps to fall through the cracks. Therefore, it is always good for the meeting planners to have a plan ready before they start planning for a convention. This not just helps to keep things organized but also helps in maintaining timely follow ups.
Prepare an agenda
Creating an effective agenda is one of the most important elements for a successful convention. An agenda will not just provide an outline for the convention, but will also serve as a checklist to ensure all important information is covered.
Prepare a budget
Staying within your event budget is always important for corporate event planning. Make a budget spreadsheet listing the major cost items of your wish list including, location rental, staff, speakers, meals, signage, audio/visual equipment, printed materials, giveaways, and event marketing. Once the event budget has been constructed, the event planners have a means to exercise control of the event finances and avoid cost overruns.
Book the venue
Choose a location that suits your estimated group size, with clean, well-appointed facilities, and the ability to provide food service to your group in a fresh and timely manner. You may need to create a request for proposal for different potential venues to get the best rates and services for your convention.
Focus on the target audience
At your next convention, focus on your target audiences’ top needs and concerns. Feature products and solutions that address those needs. Make sure your booth, data sheets, product folders, brochures, and presentations highlight how your products and services can help your target audiences achieve greater success.
Start marketing early
Good attendance is an essential element of any successful convention. Therefore, begin marketing early to ensure a good attendance at your convention.
Meetings and conventions are the best ways to connect with customers, prospects, employees and partners. Therefore, make your conventions productive by using the tips above and hiring an expert event planning company such as Plan Ahead Events, which will make the best use of all the available resources and knowledge to make your conventions hugely successful.
To learn more, visit-http://planaheadevents.com/

Great Event Management Apps That You Shouldn’t Miss

Event planning is an exciting yet stressful task. With so many things to juggle at the same time, event planning can leave the event planners stressed. But, thanks to technology, there are several event planning apps that help corporate event planners streamline their to-do lists and manage well all aspects of their events. So, what are some great apps that every event planner needs to stay afloat? Read on to find out.

Super Planner - the all-in-one app
Super planner is specially designed for corporate event planners. It includes a wide variety of planning tools, including calculator for venue capacity, staffing, catering, staging, projection and dance floors, as well as useful tips in several areas.

MindNode - to organize your ideas
A successful event requires detailed brainstorming, research and lots of to-do lists. To make things easier for meeting planners, there’s an application called MindNode that simplifies the process of organizing ideas and solving problems. This app allows event planners to brainstorm & organize their thoughts in an intuitive way, so they can focus on the idea behind it. This app connects ideas with visual representations of your ideas.

FollowMe – the interactive app
FollowMe serves organizers, attendees, and exhibitors with interactive floor maps, downloadable event brochures, and real-time updates from show organizers. Clicking on a booth produces exhibitor information, and it works offline so people can use it on an airplane or a trade show floor with unreliable Internet service
.
Event Espresso
With Event Espresso, you get many great features in one app; including, attendee management, attendee profiles, a payment gateway, confirmation mails, custom e-mail manager, custom post types for events, custom registration forms, customizable events, event categories, event management, event registration and many more.

When it comes to event planning, technology is an eventmarketing company’s best friend. The apps listed above make sure that all the event planning activities stay on track while the event planners organize perfect events for their clients. Plan Ahead Events is one of the leading event management companies that make use of best technologies available to give their clients truly memorable events.


To know more, visit http://planaheadevents.com/