THE FORUM GROUP – Sydney Event Management Company

Exibitor Magazines’s ’2010 Economic Outlook Survey’ indicates that 33% of exhibit managers plan to cut staff travel and accommodation costs this year. With many companies still recovering from the GFC, sticking to budget has never been more crucial. So how can companies look at minimising these travel costs? Candy Adams suggests the following ideas;

1. Recruit staff/products from the local area – minimise the cost of airfares, accommodation and freight.

2. Book hotels with complimentary breakfast and transfers - for staff that do require accommodation, look for hotels that offer complimentary breakfast and transfers (or otherwise have a partnership with a preferred supplier that can get you a discounted rate).

3. Rent a car for your staff - this may work out cheaper than paying for taxi’s and transfers. It’s also preferable and convenient to have your own means of transport and be able to go to and from the exhibition should a situation arise, for example if you need extra supplies for your stand.

4. Organise group meals and buy groceries for your team – hotels and restaurants will undoubtedly be much more expensive,  and the last thing you want is your staff leaving expensive bills on your desk when you return back to the office. Group meals are a great way for the team to bond and communicate throughout the event. Exhibitions often involve long hours and can be very tiring. By stocking up on supplies, your team will appreciate having snacks readily available and the ability to be able to eat their dinner quickly and have more time to sleep/unwind.

5. Negotiate hotel rates – ask the venue if they can offer you a discounted rate for booking several rooms.

Do you have any further ideas on how you can cut travel costs at your next exhibition? Leave a comment below.

So you’re an event manager, and your client approaches you with this fabulous idea for their event – they have a vision – of theming, venue, entertainment ….and it all sounds fabulous…you ask them what the budget is…and all of a sudden the reality that there is no way they can afford this vision becomes evident, yet the client does not seem to understand this reality…

They want their vision – and you have to produce it – whatever that budget (or lack of) may be.

So what do you do? Besides go into panic mode and scream how!? Take the time to think logically about cheaper alternatives – that could possibly create a similar result!

Here a few ideas that TFG have used – and have worked!

1. Use student volunteers – never under estimate the skills of students that are passionate towards their areas of study. For example performing arts high schools are great for recruiting entertainment – whether it be dancers, singers, bands, or roving actors. They are at those schools for a reason – they have talent…that along with their passion, dedication and professional training, means that you won’t be disappointed. Eg. McDonald College – they are the performing arts stars of tomorrow, so why not recruit them while they are free…five years time you may be paying $20,000 for the same performance!

2. Use food for theming – regardless of your budget people still need to eat – so why not combine this with your theming to minimise cost! You can create simple yet stunning centrepieces with fruit, have a colour theme such as only orange desserts at a Halloween party, or serve only seafood at an under the sea themed dinner! Eg. Summer of Love Dockside party used succulent, refreshing berries in tall glasses which reflected summer, but also created a beautiful display.

3.Use lighting – strategically positioned lighting can add a professional touch to any event – simply adding coloured lighting can totally reinvent a space and create a dramatic ‘wow’ factor. Simple effects can make a significant impact! Ever heard of the saying ‘smoke and mirrors’?

These are just a few ideas of how you can create a grade A event with a grade C budget, but if you really think about it – the possibilities are endless. The bottom line is, if you are a truly professional event manager you can deliver an amazing effect for any budget!

Share your ideas here on how you’ve created a grade A event on a grade C budget.

It’s never been easier to shoot a video and upload it for all to see.  We’re living in the YouTube generation, where everyone is sharing personal, corporate, and anything else that be made on video, on the web. Organisations are riding the wave as well.  They are now event planning their ad campaigns to help spread their brand through viral videos.

We’ve seen some clever use of live events to promote brands on the Web as a platform, in lieu of (or in conjunction with) more traditional media outlets to reach large audiences.

Here are our top 5 videos of 2009:

1) T-Mobile dance at Liverpool Street Station

Carefully choreographed and filmed, Liverpool Street Station danced to create this special T-Mobile Advertisement for their  ‘Life’s for sharing’ campaign.

2) T-mobile Sing-along Trafalgar Square

After some clever online viral marketing (post the T-mobile dance advert) everyone thought they were going to convene at Trafalgar Square for some more dance moves. Instead, 13 500 people sang Hey Jude together in the Square. Microphones handed out amongst the crowd, large screen with the words of the song scrolling along the bottom and live to screen shots above, massive sound and technical requirements to make this great event.

3) Random Acts: SINGING your McDonalds order!!

Family Life Education Pasefika’s latest project entitled “Random Acts – Island Styles” are random acts of drama and music performed out and about in the community. Very simple event which had such a great impact. You can’t help but wonder if this was a ‘random act  of funding’ by McDonalds???

4) Diversity Flashmob in Westfield shopping center, London, UK

Hundreds of shoppers at the Westfield shopping centre in London got an early Christmas present in December when dance phenomena Diversity, supported by 120 dancers, performed an impromptu 90 second dance routine to a medley of tracks including music by Michael Jackson and The Black Eyed Peas in the shopping malls Atrium.

This event was staged to promote Britain’s new show ‘Got to Dance’.

5) TAP Airlines wish their passengers Merry Christmas at Lisbon Airport

Instead of sending Christmas cards this year, TAP Portugal and ANA wished their passengers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010, at Lisbon Airport through a staged choreography of dancers dressed up as airline hostesses, pilots, check-in clerks and random passengers.

Organisations are looking at different ways to market their brand and embracing social media is clearly a trend for 2010.  Event planning is becoming an integral part of marketing campaigns in a less than traditional way.

Let’s see what exciting viral video campaigns arise for 2010.

For a proposal or assistance on staging a live event as part of your integrated marketing campaign contact us on leannec[at]theforumgroup.com.au or +612 9518 1142.

Event Planning has never been made easier with this great new tool we discovered called Yuuguu. When working with our clients, suppliers, partners and inhouse event coordinators, there is sure to be someone who is pressed for time or can make that travel arrangement to the ever important meeting.  Event Planners are using Yuuguu to meet virtually and screen share so important documents can be viewed and still approved.  Be sure to add this to your Event Planning Guide.

• Are you interstate or overseas but need to meet?
• Are you pushed for time and need to go over important documents in a hurry?
• Do you need to organize a committee meeting and share important documents visually?

We’ve discovered Yuuguu can solve all these problems.  You can still meet face-to-face (virtually) via Yuuguu (more…)

When it comes to event planning, it can be tough. You not only have to worry about all the major details but you have to deal with all the little things as well. Each problem that you run into should teach you some kind of lesson for your next event.  Knowing about some common pitfalls upfront before getting into the thick of event management can save a great deal of stress and time.

5 Pitfalls to Avoid!

1. Don’t get overwhelmed with the details
The first thing that you should avoid when it comes to planning your next event is getting overwhelmed with details. If the event is getting bigger and bigger and you’ve seemed to have lost control over things, you may need to get help.

2. Make sure you get help or outsource tasks early on in the planning phase
If you don’t have an assistant or a colleague to help you, you could ask for some external help from an event management company otherwise you will get in a lot of trouble and it could ruin the event. This is why it is important to get help, and make sure it is early on in the planning phase. You have to plan where you are going to have the event, the theme, the decorations, the caterers, confirm the suppliers you want to use and draft a budget and lots more!! Don’t make this decision too late in the piece.

3. Always have contracts
The third pitfall to avoid is not having contracts. You must have a written contract for everything. Just make sure that you have it in writing what you are paying them, why you are paying them, what you expect from them and the day and times that they need to show up with the goods. If you don’t, that supplier could overbook or increase the costs on you and there is nothing you can do.

4. Budget to include a profit
The fourth pitfall to avoid is not making a profit on your event. The way to successfully set a budget is to draft a budget depending on how much income you have confirmed and then itemize all your expenses. You can’t start planning your event until the budget is signed off and approved by all parties. The most important tip when drafting a budget is to have a ten percent contingency included in your expenses.

5. Don’t relax too far in advance
The fifth and final pitfall to avoid is relaxing too far in advance. A lot of people will plan an event so far ahead that they think that they can take it easy the day before or even the day of the event. You need to realize that when you find extra time to relax, make some phone calls to reconfirm all suppliers.

For more nuts and bolts ideas for event planning download The Forum Group’s 25 page FREE EBook.