THE FORUM GROUP – Sydney Event Management Company

Selecting the right venue is one of the most important factors in producing a successful event. It needs to serve it’s purpose logistically, drive attendance, and ideally leave a lasting memory in your clients and delegates minds!

So what are the key steps in making sure you secure the right venue? Read below to find out.

1. Identify the type of event

What type of event are you organising? Is it a corporate conference or exhibition? Or a more informal special networking event or awards dinner? Different types of events obviously suite different venues – hotels and 5 star conference centres generally work well for big conferences and unique fun venues are often better for fun, networking events.

You also need to establish if the event will be a breakfast, lunch, dinner or an all day event – as this will also effect your decision.

2. Do your research

Has your client held this event before? If so, what was the previous location? Where are your client’s competitors holding their events? What venues have a good reputation? Which venues should you avoid?

3. Identify the date of the event

Does the client have a specific date in mind? If so how flexible is the date? Checking availabilities with venues right from the first communication is extremely important! Always check on special holidays or school terms as this is almost always an important consideration for any business event.

4. Establish necessary requirements (and shortlist your venues accordingly)

Some examples include;

• Expected number of guests? – Can the venue cater for this amount?
• Is accommodation required? – Does the venue have accommodation in house or packages with any surrounding hotels?
• Is parking and / or public transport required? – How important is this to the client?
• Do guests have disabilities or require special access? – If so can the venue cater for this in the most effective way?
• What is the room set-up? – banquet, cabaret, classroom, theatre or cocktail?

5. Consider your client and attendee expectations and interests

This includes;

• Appeal of the location
• Convenience and accessibility of the location
• The cost (both of hiring the venue and for guests to travel there)
• Entertainment options (are there surrounding restaurants, golf clubs, night life?)

What are some other questions or things that Event Managers should consider when selecting a venue? Leave your comments below.

It’s that time of year again…where we reflect on all our hard work over the past year, kick back and celebrate with our colleagues at our work Christmas parties.

So what are some top tips to make the most of the silly season? Watch our ’12 Days of Christmas Parties’ video below:

1. Venue - Turn nothing space into something. Even an empty car park can be transformed into a nightclub with the right lighting! Get inspired. An empty space provides you with a blank canvas – create an event masterpiece!

2. Social media – Create a Facebook event page, send the link around the office and get everyone to LIKE it – get them involved and excited in the lead up to the Christmas party. Head to TFG’s ‘social media for events’ page for some tips to get started.

3. Gifts – Customised items are a great gift idea this season. It makes the item more personal and shows your colleague / employee that you have really thought about them. Check out some ideas here.

4. Lasting impression – People always remember the food at events. So give them something to talk about – serve food that tells a story / creates impact. An example could be setting up themed food stations.

5. Ice breaker – Christmas treasure hunts, trivia and other team building activities are a great way to set the scene for the evening and get people socialising…plus they are lots of fun! Some examples of Christmas team building activities can be found here.

6. Theming – Make your own centrepieces – something unique and personal with a touch of Christmas Flair! There’s lots of great websites online that can provide you with ideas. Some examples can be found here.

7. Technology – Make use of mobile and sms reminders. It’s a great way to build up excitement and remind guests of all the details – including time, location and what to bring.

8. Invitation – Personalise and make it fun to get their attention. Jib Jab have a great selection of e-cards which you can customise.

9. Jam sessions – Another option for entertainment / music is to hold a ‘jam session’. Tell guests to bring along their instrument and get into the festive cheer. It’s  free and guaranteed to be lots of fun.

10. Food – Bite size portions are really popular at the moment. Especially for cocktail parties / and social gatherings where guests are networking and moving around. Serving food in shot glasses is a unique and trendy option.

11. Beverages – Everyone likes to enjoy a nice drink at a Christmas party – so why not use your creativity and flair to make your own custom cocktail…make sure you have a mocktail version as well..something that everyone will enjoy.

12. Getting home – Remember the three S’s – be Safe, Share, Save money! Organise cabs or a mini bus to get everyone home.

We hope you have a great time celebrating Christmas with your colleagues and families…

Do you have any more tips or ideas on how to make the most of your Christmas party? Leave a comment below.

IMBIZO is a Zulu word for gathering and also the name of South African Tourism’s (SAT) recent showcase: a four-city road show for Australian Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events market.  The Forum Group assisted SAT in managing and producing IMBIZO. Read our case study below.

Objective: To educate and immerse the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events industry in the experience of South Africa and its new diverse offerings as a global meetings destination.

The key focus was to create an interactive and educational experience.

Strategy: To create a unique IMBIZO with a feel for the experiences that a delegate would have in South Africa.

Tactics: To transform an empty function space into distinct South African MICE encounters.

Guests were greeted by the memorizing voices a 24 piece choir singing lively traditional and modern South African music. Guests enjoyed South African flavoured canapés and wines.

From the pre-diner drinks area, guests were prompted to enter the ‘Stargazing Safari’ zone which was completely dark and only lit by subtle star cloth which covered all exposed walls. Unique sounds of the South African night noises were played subtly in the background.

Guests were required to spend 5 minutes at each of the 11 SAT partner stands to hear about existing and new venues, tours and DMC offerings. A loud elephant’s trumpet sound signaled the trigger to move to the next stand.

The main dinner area was transformed into a ‘Boma’ (campfire dinner) experience with a central campfire prop, long picnic style tables, wooden seating and reeds and plants placed around the room.  The area was lit with warm ambers and red lighting to enhance the campfire feel. Delicious traditional Braai (South African Barbeque style) foods were served at all venues.

Results: A highly successful engaging and interactive event which provided Event Management Companies, Professional Conference Organisers, Incentive Houses, Meetings & Conference Managers substantial information to be able to on-sell the wonderful destination of South Africa.

A sensory experience of a South African IMBIZO to the Australian MICE market.

Trade shows are a popular way of marketing your brand, connecting with your target audience and capturing new leads.

In order to successfully achieve this however, there are some key questions which you must ask yourself (and communicate to your booth staff in order to maximise your ROI);

1. Who is your target audience?

2. How will you attract them to your booth?

3. What is the one thing you want them to know about your business?

4. How will you communicate this and capture those leads?

5. How will you then follow up this lead and turn them into a customer?

Do you have any other questions that you think are important to consider? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.

This week TFG hosted our own fund raising / networking event at Strike Bowling Bar, King St Wharf.

It was a great night of fun, with great people and all for a great cause. An excellent networking opportunity, TFG invited clients and friends along for some Strike Bowling, food and drinks.  The purpose of the event was to raise funds and awareness of the growing problem of heart disease in women. Guests were asked to wear something red and were given gift bags with information pamphlets and small token gifts. You can read more about the alarming statistics here.

1st prize for our raffle was kindly donated by the Hilton – a $200 voucher for their restaurant ‘Glass‘. Strike Bowling Bar helped host a fantastic night and we were all impressed by the venues facilities and modern decor…nothing like a typical bowling alley! Rather you feel like you have stepped into a sheek bar or lounge with modern music, lighting and furniture and several seperate areas for bowling, drinking, playing pool and karaoke. The food was delicious as were our mocktails on arrival. The karaoke room was a favourite with modern red lighting, disco ball and a ‘props’ box fit for every music genre.

We think that Strike Bowling Bars are a great venue for staff Christmas parties. Especially considering that Strike can organise a live feed on their big screens, so if you have offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, you can all share the experience together!

We’ve posted some pictures of the night onto our Facebook Page – Don’t forget to ‘Like Us’ if you haven’t yet clicked on the Thumbs Up!

If you would like more information about hosting an event at a Strike Bowling Bar venue, please contact The Forum Group or leave us a comment below.