I am a true believer in corporate seminars to showcase your knowledge and bring in new customers but they need to be done right. Everyone can rent a room and have some tables put up but if you want to take the event to the next level.
If you want your event to stand out and be elite – it is all in the details.
Here are 5 tips to elevate your event.
Have the venue double up the table clothes. Most venues have the white table cloth as their standard and it is see through. You do not want your attendees looking at the bolts on the table and not your speaker. Having them double up the table clothes will alleviate this issue.
Include pens and logoed paper. Give your attendees something. To write on and with. I will often create a new landscape document and place two logos at the top. Then have a local print shop copy and cut the paper in half. You get note paper without having to pay for note books. If you do not have logoed pens, watch the sales at the office supply stores. You can get good pens inexpensively.
If the tables are round, include a centerpiece. You will want it no more than 12 inches tall so people can see over but it will break up the vast expanse of table and bring the room together.
Have a greeter – not a sign in sheet. You want your guests greeted with a smile and a welcome. Ask their name and sign them in. Do not ask them to write their name and email down. Then give them all the information they will need for the event and then welcome them to join. You then have a secondary set of greeters who will chat and network with your guests.
Provide good food and drinks with good table wear. Do not use paper plates and plastic cups at your high end events. I would suggest bringing in a catering company that also provides staff for set up, service and tear down. This is a very simple change that can elevate your event.
I have always said that anyone can put together a good event but putting together a great event is all in the details.
Sponsorships are a great way to raise a significant sum of money for your non-profit. Now, if you are offering a table of 8, an ad in the program that no one reads, and a slide on the presentation deck…
…you are doing it wrong.
Now, I take that statement back if you are raising money for baby animals, children, or a major illness. If you are raising money to give sick children a puppy, that is a trifecta and I wonder why you are on my blog.
Here is the deal, people are giving your their money for some perceived value. If you are not gaining the level of sponsorship that you want – you need to up the value. Here are some ways I would do it.
Annual Sponsorships
Going back to the same well over and over again will eventually drain it dry. Or you will get smaller portions of water. If you do more than one event a year that you ask for sponsorships I would suggest creating an annual sponsor package. This package can have different levels but a sponsorship to the events is built in.
For example, if you host a gala and a golf tournament, put an annual sponsorship together than includes a table and tee sponsor, with additional marketing on social media, at the non-profit head-quarters, on email campaigns, and your website. This allows you to approach people once a year and provide them value all year long.
Beyond the Table Sponsorship
Why would someone sponsor a table, fill it with the people who work for them or their friends, and have no one outside of the organization know that they sponsored a table.
Extend your sponsorships out to include the following
Photo Booth Sponsorship
I personally love to sponsor the photo booth at events because you know that at least 30% of attendees will get their picture taken in it and then your logo is plastered all over their pictures.
Bar Sponsorship
People spend a lot of time in line or waiting for their drinks. Use that time to promote your sponsors and provide them extra value.
Water Station Sponsorship
This is especially good for all day or multi day events.
Ticket Sponsorship
Goodie Bag Sponsorship
You can have one company provide logoed bags and others can pay to have items put into the bags. This is great for golf tournaments and conferences.
Ask Your Donors
My last thought is to ask your top donors what they would like to do or where they would like their name placed at your events. You can gain some amazing insights from the people who support you.
Think beyond the cookie cutter sponsorship and your event and its profits will grow.
We all want our events to be well attended, with new prospects that match our target market. One of the best ways to do this is by partnering up with other business owners to host events.
Why Should You Partner Up
Larger Pool of Potential Attendees
Bringing on another business also brings in their customers and potential customers.
Expense Sharing
While face-to-face selling has proven to be one of the most effective ways to close a deal, there is only so much time in the day. Hosting events is a great way to talk to more people and have them come to you but they can get expensive. Bringing on a partner allows you to share the costs of the venue, foot, etc.
Brand Awareness Boost
Having your event partner market the event will boost your brand’s awareness and you can gain customers down the road.
How to Pick the Right Partner
Make a List of Potential Partners
Someone who is in your industry.
For the fashion industry Clothing and Jewelry
One of your vendors or suppliers.
Farmer that supplies the produce for your ice cream shop
A business that has referred previous customers to you
Accountant and Financial Advisor
A complimentary business
Real Estate and Insurance
A person with a large following
Local celebrity, author, chef
Narrow down the list to see whose market fits your target attendee the most.
Ask if these people want to be involved.
Have a clear idea of costs, who will pay for what, and the amount of people you want to bring in before you reach out to them.
Make it clear that you would like them to invite their customers to the event.
Have three dates for them to choose from
Make the Most of a Partner Event
Have a giveaway that allows you to collect attendee information.
Introduce your customers to your partner
Make sure to provide some value to the attendees
Networking, free food, a seminar, etc
After the event
Type up all attendee information and give the list to each partner
Do a quick meeting to discuss the following
What was good?
What could be improved?
What are the costs associated with the event?
Did we get a good return on investment?
Would we do one again?
When will we do one again?
Partner events are a great way to get your name out there and gain a bigger following. You can do them in person or online. You can also extend the partnership through guest blog posts, Facebook or IG Live Q & A’s and general promotion of each others business.
“Christmas in July” has started to reach new levels. The Hallmark Channel is airing their Holiday Movies – now, in (nearly) July! My mind flashed to the Company Holiday Party. I love planning these, but there are some pros and cons to hosting one.
Pros
It is a time for employees to mix outside of the office.
It will bring remote employees together.
It is a place to recognize great performance.
It is a chance to celebrate company wins.
Cons
Political correctness.
Liability. You have two major liabilities with the Company Holiday Party.
Drinking – In most states, if something happens to an employee or because of an employee after drinking at the office party, you can be held responsible.
Sexual Harassment – This has caused many companies to cancel their holiday party. Training and responsible drinking are the best ways to combat this.
Best Practices to lessen liability
Hire a licensed bartender and give them permission to cut people off.
Offer to pay for transportation, either public or a ride share.
Include food and have bread and water available at all times.
Planning the Party
Start planning early if you are setting the date in November or December. Restaurants, venues, and caterers will book up fast. Then ask yourself what is the purpose of the party?
Team to Mix and Mingle
Awards Ceremony/ Recognition
– Do a buffet or heavy appetizer stations. This encourages people to move and talk to each other.
– Do a seated, plated meal. You will want people to have a place as you are talking.
– No meal selection is required here.
– Meal selection required along with a seating chart and/or meal cards
– Less tables and chairs are needed but you will need to include high top tables.
– You will need a chair for everyone +10% if you are doing a seating chart. Add 20% if you are not creating a seating chart.
– A/V is optional
– A/V and a Stage are needed.
If you plan to do a presentation, keep it to 1/4 of the entire party. If you want a 1-hour presentation, then you need to have a 4-hour party.
Best of luck in planning your Company Holiday Party!
Don’t disappoint your new team member with a terrible first day – or week.
“A first day isn’t an event. It is just another day of long orientation and a day of lost work.” That is how so many managers think – even if they won’t admit it out loud. Take a step back and think about the impression you are giving your newest team members.
Are you showing them that you value their time and the commitment they made to you? Or, are you showing them that they will never matter and need to be grateful that you are employing them? No, really stop and think about it.
Does the new hire have the following?
A working computer at their work station, fully loaded with all the software they will need and with enough processing power to use that software.
A phone, phone list with titles, and a map of the office where everyone sits
Email set up, with a welcome email that explains where to find
How to use the phones
How to set up email signatures
Time card login info
Any training documents needed for software
Schedule of training for the first week
Who they should contact for questions, their email, and phone number
A desk with the basics needed to do their job
Pen and paper should be obvious but do they need a stapler, a headset, or even a pencil? Think about this persons job and what they will need.
Logins for any software systems they may need and the steps to reset their passwords.
This is the basic, no new hire should arrive to a computer that has no email and that they have to spend hours with IT to ensure that they have the systems needed. Or worse yet, a desk without a computer.
So many companies talk about how they value their staff, team members or employees but never follow that up with actions.
Treat your new employees like a customer – be fully prepared for their arrival with everything they could need. This will show them that you value them and their time and are excited about them coming to your team.
This is their first impression of your business outside of the interviews, don’t send them to their desk with nothing to do. There is a high probability that they will get right back to job hunting and the quality of the candidates you receive for future jobs will drop with each bad experience.
If you went to a gala dinner and there were no chairs at the tables and the food came without silverware you would be outraged – so why are you treating your new hires this way?
The non-profit galas have started to follow a very predictable formula. Attendees arrive for light appetizers and drinks, a sit-down meal is followed by a live auction and a 50/50 raffle, with a silent and dessert auction to round out the night. A DJ is often engaged but few people dance and rarely does the sound system give off the proper acoustics.
Want to surprise your guests and encourage them to spend more money? Want to get more sponsors and give them better visibility than a logo on the program?
Skip the sit–down dinner.
I know, this has made you money for a long time, why change up a good thing? Because attendees are getting bored and their pocket books are not opening as easily.
Here is what I would do instead.
Switch the sit-down dinner for heavy appetizer stations. You can theme the event and match the stations to the theme.
A Southwest theme would have the following “stations”
A make your own nacho bar
A southwest egg roll station with a variety of dipping sauces
Street Tacos with bean and rice
A churro station with caramel and chocolate dipping sauce
A spicy hot chocolate and spiked cider station for a winter event.
You can do this with any theme from around the world to baseball or even “Sport” food. Normal food can be renamed to fit the theme. One of the best examples is that a skewer of grapes can be called “Seaweed” for an under the water theme.
Why skip the sit–down meal?
Your guests are encouraged to move around the event more. You can sell sponsorships to each station and sell sponsorships to the sit down tables as well.
You can then add a VIP area. For the southwest theme – I would add a tequila garden where people can purchase 2 or 3 specialty drinks. Sponsors automatically get entrance to this area and some extra drink tickets. For an around the world theme, add a “passport” that people can purchase to have a glass of wine or beer with each station. I would allow people to purchase this at the event for twice the cost of the pre-event cost.
Then you put the silent auction tables near the stations and set up the stations so the line would form next to the silent auction items. People will spend more time looking at the items as they wait for food and you will most likely get higher bids.
How this approach makes things easier
You will not need as many sit down tables and chairs because people will not need an assigned seat and save money.
You do not need as many centerpieces for the above reason.
You do not need to worry about meal options, people grab what they want.
You surprise your guests with a new experience and something different from the normal steak and/ or chicken options that come with 90% of galas.
Things to watch for
You will need more plates and utensils but can get smaller ones or use plastic
If you can, get the plates that you can hang a wine glass on. This makes it much easier for guests to eat and buy more drinks.
Ensure your caterer has a good staff that will keep stations well stocked.
Lines will begin to form, use them to educate about your cause or make more money.
You can do a VIP line like the express lane at Disney land for sponsors and those who pay for it.
If you are looking for something different and a way to surprise your guests, I think this is a great plan.
Reach out and I can help you brainstorm ideas for your next non-profit gala. I will offer a one hour consultation for free to any non-profit with a 501c(3) until June 30, 2019.
