5 Things You Need for a Great Corporate Tailgate

5 Things You Need for a Great Corporate Tailgate

Business, Events

College football is starting back up and that will hopefully include tailgates and fans in stadiums. A tailgate makes a great corporate event if done the right way. It offers you a chance to wine and dine customers outside of the normal “business” confines. People let down their guard and can be more open at a tailgate than a dinner or educational event. 

You need 5 things for a great tailgate and then are in order of importance. 

1. Good Food

Food is crucial for any event in my opinion but tailgates revolve around food. Your best bet is to find a local restaurant and have them cater it for you. If you have more than 50 people, ask them to come out to set up the food and keep it refilled. You do not want to have to be pulling food out of your vehicle all night – or have to find a place for the leftovers at the end of the night. 

When picking the caterer you should consider the following:

  • What is their reputation in the community?
  • Is their food portable? (Pasta does not work well at tailgates)
  • Do you want a full meal or just appetizers?
    • Some of my most successful tailgate caterers just had heavy apps that people could walk around with and enjoy.
  • What is your budget?
  • Do you have any customers or close business connections that cater?
    • I am a big believer that you should use your own customers to do business whenever you feel comfortable and it is in your budget. This builds greater loyalty from your customers and potential customers know that they have a better chance of getting your business. 

2. Drinks

Tailgates are often synonymous with beer but you should also consider bringing in wine and potentially mixed drinks. You also should always have water available. (I get the small water bottles because people will often drink half a bottle and then forget where they put it.)

When you are deciding what drinks to bring in you need to think about these things:

  • Are you going to card? 
    • I strongly suggest that you do if you have alcoholic drinks at your event. Even if you have a closed tailgate, carding people and wrist banding them keeps you out of the liability. 
  • Have a bartender. 
    • This can be some of your staff or someone you hire, but having the drinks behind a gate keeper helps to keep people from getting out of control. 

3. Tailgate Space

You need to have enough space that all the people you invited can fit comfortably inside your space, along with your food, bar, tables and chairs, and a tent. You can often rent a space for one game or you can purchase the space for a full season.

Know the rules of your space. Read the contract that you sign and the back of the parking pass you are given. 

  • Can you bring in glass bottles or kegs?
  • What kind of tent stakes are allowed?
  • What type of bbq’s can you bring in?

You do not want to have a major part of your event shut down because you did not know the rules. 

4. Event Staff

A good tailgate requires that you have people to help you. You need people to:

  • Mingle with the guests
  • ID the guests
  • Pick up after the guests
  • Serve food
  • Serve drinks
  • Set up and tear down

You can hire people or assign people from your team or do a mixture of both. I prefer the last option as it allows your team to really mingle with the guests which is why you are hosting the tailgate in the first place. 

5. Rentals and Decorations

You will need tables and chairs for you and your guests to sit at. I would suggest a mixture of banquet height tables and cocktail height tables. I like the look of fabric table coverings with a centerpiece on the bigger tables as it keeps the space from looking cheap.

You also need to think about:

  • Do you need shade or rain cover for the space?
  • Do you need to bring in a generator for anything?
  • What happens to the trash? Do you need to pack it out or are their trash bins for your area?
  • Who is bringing in the ice chests or buckets to keep the drinks cold?
  • Do you need cups for any of the drinks?
  • Do you need a bottle/ wine opener?
  • Who is bringing in the ice for the drinks?

If you have any questions about how to host a corporate tailgate, please reach out to me and I am happy to answer your questions. 

Best of luck to you and your team this season!

Bonus: Think about who you can partner with to do a better tailgate and get a better audience.

One Change to Increase Your Yearly Non Profit Sponsorship Raise

One Change to Increase Your Yearly Non Profit Sponsorship Raise

Events, Non-Profit

Sponsorships are often the main way to raise money at non-profit events. They are the high ticket items that allow you to get a higher dollar amount for less work. The biggest issue can be gaining sponsorships for multiple events a year and the businesses you solicit can feel that they are always signing checks. 

You cannot go to the same well over and over without it running dry. 

So what are you to do?

Create a Yearly Sponsorship

This sounds like an easy thing but it requires some serious planning.

You need to know the following

  • What events are you hosting for the next year?
    • The year period is 12 months, it does not have to be from January to December. Decide what 12 month period works for you the best.
  • How much do you want the sponsorships to cost for each event?
  • What else are you going to offer the sponsors?
    • Offer space on your website, email marketing, and social media posts. You want the potential sponsor to feel like they will gaining from the big check they are writing. 

Once you know the above things you need to set the following

  • What levels are you going to offer?
    • Will you have a “title” sponsor for the year? Will you have a three tiered system? 
  • How much are these tiers going to cost and what is included in each level?

The final thing you need is your goals and your plan to gain these sponsorships

  • How many of these sponsorships do you need to sell to raise your goal amount?
  • How many businesses will each person on the committee reach out to?
  • What are the deadlines?

Learn how to write the perfect sponsorship letter.

Best of luck as you serve your community!

 

5 Ways to Elevate Your Non Profit Golf Tournament

5 Ways to Elevate Your Non Profit Golf Tournament

Events, Non-Profit

Golf tournaments are a great fundraiser. It is often simpler than a gala and has the benefit of being run during the day. But golf tournaments are starting to be very routine. Here are 5 ways to elevate your next golf tournament. 

1. Custom tee boxes and flags.

There are companies that offer full packages of custom boxes and hole flags. They are inexpensive and make a great visual impact. Make this a sponsorship opportunity and have the costs covered for you. 

2. Ensure the drink and food cart is out and taking your tickets. 

This seems like a no brainer but so many times I have heard golfers complain that there was no refreshments on the course. Golfing is hard and you want to make sure your players are well hydrated and have snacks whenever they want. Do not make them wait 9 holes to get drinks again. It is also a way for you to make more money. 

3. Bring in retail vendors. 

Brands are always looking for demo day opportunities or a way to sell to their target market. By bringing them in you have given your golfers a chance to demo and even buy new items and they will always think of your tournament and charity when they  use that item. 

4. Have a great registration. 

You do not want to make it hard for people to give you money. Have a website set up where people can register, sponsor, and pay all in one space. Keep this site updated with all the information that your golfers and sponsors will need. This is really where your event starts. Make it a good start. 

5. Personalize wherever possible

Simple things like adding the players names to their carts can go a long way. Include gift bags with snacks, water, and a first aid kits along with any offers your sponsors or vendors are promoting in the cart. You can also get a tee, divit fixer, and ball marker that are customized to your charity. Adding these touches is a great way to make the tournament feel high end. 

Golf tournaments are a great way to raise money but you want to separate yourself from the crowd of all the other. 

Extra: Here is one way that you can raise money and elevate the experience as well. Pay the Pro – a local pro or the golf course pro is stationed at one of the holes and players can pay him to hit their tee shot for them. 

If you need help planning your next golf tournament, set up a 15 minute discovery call to see if our services are right for you.

A Different Party for Halloween 2020

A Different Party for Halloween 2020

Events, Holiday

Halloween 2020 was supposed to be epic. This year Halloween is not only on a Saturday but also on a Full Moon. We don’t have another shot for a Halloween Full moon again until 2039 – much less on a Saturday. The parties and fun would have been amazing. 

Sadly, the global pandemic has canceled many of the events that were planned but this doesn’t mean we cannot get together and have some fun. Here are some safe ways we can get together and still have a great Halloween.  

Create Your Own Horror Story

One of my most memorable holidays parties was in an old Victorian home. The house made all the noises perfect for a horror movie and the lights even flickered a bit as we all sat around. The lights and power going out became the impetus for creating a horror story. We created a whole story how everyone in the house died that night except one person. The one survivor was telling the tale to others and at the end of the tale, the lights flickered three times and the screen goes black. 

What You Need

  • A backdrop
    • Create a setting for the story to take place. Provide pictures and room descriptions. Look into old role play books if you need some help world building.
    • You could use the Clue Board game as a jumping off point. Add in different “weapons”.
  • Some basic rules
    • Understand who you are creating with and if anyone has specific triggers you should stay away from. A good rule is no sex, religion, or politics. 
    • Each person has the final say on how they are murdered. 
      • If someone is going to survive it has to make sense in the story. The one person to survive our story was the only person wearing white.
      • Make each murder have a personal touch. In the story we created I had a bookshelf pushed over on to me right after I found out why the killings were happening in an old book. I was and still am a bookworm so it made sense.
    • None of the guests is the murderer. 
      • This makes it more fun and less personal when you are killed.
    • Decide if things are able to be overtly paranormal or if they can only be hinted at. This will keep people from being dragged away by vampires and coming back to terrorize the rest of the group. I prefer to not allow the paranormal as it adds to the fear if what is happening could happen in real life.  
  • A scribe
    • You can either assign someone to record the story or do a video recording and have someone write it all up later. 

Read/ Dramatize Other Horror/ Gothic Literature

If you do not want to create your own you can fin Gothic poetry and short stories. Ask everyone to show up dressed in their best gothic costumes with virtual backgrounds. Everyone is required to bring one poem or short story to dramatize for the group. If your group is of a literary bent, ask everyone to write their own poetry and vote on whose you like the best. 

Plan for at least two hours for each of these, encourage people to dress up and have snacks on hand so they can enjoy the whole party. 

Happy Halloween!

Picking the Right Time for Your Event

Picking the Right Time for Your Event

Business, Events, Holiday, Non-Profit, Trade Show

The complaint that I hear from the sales people that I work with most often is that the events are never at the right time. I will tell you now, there is no perfect time for an event. Early in the year people worry about taxes and saving money. Spring brings on Graduations and other end of school year items along with a wanderlust for people to travel. Summer is a time for vacations and family. Fall is filled with football, back to school, and shortened days. Year end brings the Holidays – the worst time to hold a non-holiday event.

With all these obstacles, how do you choose when to host your event? Here are the questions that I ask to determine the optimal date and time.

Who is your audience?

Are you looking to reach business owners or stay at home moms with elementary age children? Narrow down who your perfect attendee is and then learn when they have the time. A business owner often likes lunch events or afternoon events ending at 6 pm. This allows them to still be a part of the family time. A mom, you may need to host an event around 9 pm or during school hours.

What else is happening at that time?

When you have narrowed down a date and time, look at what else is happening in that community. If you are looking to attract football fans, you don’t want to host an event during Monday Night Football – unless you are showing the game. Is there a big concert going on? A big television event? A political event? Know what your target audience would attend other than your event.

How far out do you need to plan the event?

Remember that people will need a few weeks to put an event on their calendar. I prefer to give attendees at least 3 weeks before the RSVP deadline and do at least 4 weeks of marketing. If you are planning a large fundraising gala, add in time to gather sponsors etc. Understand what your timeline is and what is the level of commitment from your target attendee? Are they traveling out of town? Do they need to get baby/pet sitters? Do you have a dress code that will require time to adhere to? The larger the level of commitment, the more notice you need to give attendees.

Lay this information out on a calendar and then pick the date and time that overlaps with the least amount of other events. Remember, no time is perfect but there is an optimal time.

You can also do some market research and host events at different times throughout the day and year to see what brings in the most interest. The biggest thing is to know your perfect attendee profile. This will allow you to answer when is the best time for your event.

One more tip – I would not rule out breakfast events – if they come with a good breakfast (not runny eggs and/or small, stale pastries.) Breakfast can actually be a less expensive meal to cater than lunch or dinner and allowing people to start early in the morning and then head on with their day can bring in a great crowd.