Planners are always seeking an edge and for new ways to entice donors to give from the heart and using Valentine’s Day as your theme is just one idea. Here’s a few suggestions on how to make this happen:

• Paint the hall red - Ask your attendees to wear read and decorate your banquet hall with red streamers and red balloons.
• Hand out red roses and balloons - great for interacting with your guests and a much more personal gesture than other trinkets.
• Have the right soundtrack - Depending on what your audience is in the mood for you can choose from pop idols, like Taylor Swift, the silky voices of Barry White or Ben E King or even some romantic Honky Tonk like Willie Nelson.
• Sell gift baskets - these can be made from a combination of items including perfume, candy and flowers and sell them at your fundraiser. Having customized baskets available would be an even bigger attraction.
• Create personalized Valentines – with not only a message suitable to the occasion but also your organization’s name and logo.
• Theme your silent auction items - hit up businesses for items like hotel getaways, movie tickets, wine and gift certificates to romantic restaurants. If you sell raffle tickets, hold the draw a week before V-Day so Mr. or Mrs. will look like a hero to their significant other.

We always encourage organizers and planners to use event management software like InviteRight to help them reduce some of the administrative work. We have a wonderful system made with love that includes an interactive floor map.

Graduation is expensive and Grad coordinators are always looking to reduce costs. Click on the Youtube link below to listen to a clip from our recent Graduation Best Practices Seminar and learn how schools across Canada are fundraising thousands of dollars for their Grad.

Graduation Best Practices Seminar – Fundraising Tips

Want even more tips on how to improve your Grad? Be sure to check back to the EventIQ blog for all of the tips shared at our recent seminars hosted in Edmonton and Winnipeg. Each year’s discussion has been more spirited than the last and we’re looking forward to sharing the knowledge that we’ve gained with schools that were unable to attend.

Excited to join in the discussion?  Come to the next free Graduation Best Practices Seminar hosted in Calgary! On Jan 29th 2013 at Western Canada High School or meet us in Regina on February 22nd at the Conexus Arts Centre to speak to grad coordinators, business managers, parent volunteers and administrators for lunch and an afternoon of networking and discussion regarding all things Grad.

Schools of all sizes attend the seminar to gather tons of great ideas about increasing student involvement, fundraising tips and ways to lower the cost of grad. Learn the ways to cut down your workload and key strategies to make your 2013 grad a success!

RSVP today and make 2013′s grad the best your school has ever seen!

RSVP for the 2013 Calgary seminar

RSVP for the 2013 Regina seminar

Have you ever felt you were overdressed or under-dressed at a particular event? Maybe the reason for feeling self-conscious is because you knew, deep down, that you were not appropriately dressed.

You can nicely quaffed hair and a crisp suit, but if your shoes are scuffed or laces untied you might as well be wearing a burlap sack.

I read a great blog on the subject of footwear on the Meeting Planner’s International blog portal. It was written by Jason Hensel who quotes a study done by researchers from the University of Kansas and Wellesley College. The study basically points out that your shoes say a lot about you.

“Participants provided photographs of their shoes, and during a separate session completed self-report measures,” the researchers said in the study’s abstract. “Coders rated the shoes on various dimensions, and these ratings were found to correlate with the owners’ personal characteristics. A new group of participants accurately judged the age, gender, income, and attachment anxiety of shoe owners based solely on the pictures.”

Some of the findings include:

• Extroverts prefer flashy and colorful shoes.
• Expensive shoes are worn by high salary employees.
• Spotless shoes show a conscientious person.
• Liberals often wear less expensive shoes.
• Functional shoes equate to an agreeable person.
• Ankle boots: aggressive person
• Shoes that appear uncomfortable are preferred by calm personalities.

What kind of shoes do you prefer to wear? Do they fit your personality as described above?

In our monthly InviteRight newsletter we introduced a new feature this month — Meet the Meeting Planner. We want to give those hard working folks, who make incredible events like Christmas parties, weddings and charity events come to life, their due by profiling a new individual every month. We hope to give our readers a glimpse into the personality and persona of planners — and of course make their phones ring with new business!

Name: Caitlin McElhone
Organization/Company name: CMinc. Events | Weddings | Design
Job title: Owner & Lead Planner
Education: University of Alberta – Human Ecology Bsc. with Business Minor

Previous jobs and related activity: My first introduction to the special event & wedding industry came when I worked at Notables Stationers for many years assisting with invitation and stationary design for wedding couples. After University, I was then very fortunate to have six extensive years planning corporate events, galas, VIP receptions, weddings and private events with ComLinks Events & Marketing in Edmonton.

Key responsibilities: Details, details, details…Planners are always thinking about the details. Planning the details, confirming the details and then executing the details for each event. We are the one main contact who brings all the puzzle pieces together to make an event happen and run smoothly.

Three common challenges: Sometimes getting clients or suppliers to see and share your vision for an event or space can be challenging. You can see how amazing an idea will look in your head, but it can be hard to articulate that vision to everyone involved with the event. There are always bumps along the planning process as well. Lots of troubleshooting and compromising is done to get the vision as close as possible before the event.

Most rewarding moments:  I love the room transformation. Starting with an empty space or ballroom in the morning and transforming it into something elegant, themed or wacky just hours later is very satisfying and fun! It is also very rewarding to watch the look on guests faces when they enter a room for the first time. The ‘Wow’ moment when you open the doors and guests faces light up by how beautiful and magical a space looks with the right decor, set up and lighting elements is really special.  It is also an amazing feeling when an event runs and ends exactly on schedule.

Knowing what I know now: It would’ve been great to have known that the special event and wedding industry existed when I was younger.  It is often not an industry that parents, teachers or family encourage you to pursue unless they already know about it. Now that I understand how extensive and in-demand this industry is, not only in Edmonton, but all over the world, I make sure to let young adults I meet know that this is another wonderful option and industry to consider with lots of opportunities for different skills and talents. It’s not just about planners, the industry is comprised of so much diversity, including;  caterers, hotels, online registration & website outlets, audio visual, media, florists, graphic design, production designers, rentals, decor, entertainment and so much more!

If you want to be featured in the newsletter and our blog, email ken.fisher@eventiq.com and fill in your information next to the headings like Caitlin did.

Concerts and theatre events can energize a school and be very rewarding to plan and direct. But like graduation or any other big school event, teachers give up a lot of after school time to ensure these events are successful.

Here are some tips that teachers gave us at last year’s Best Practices Seminar that can be used to make your next school drama production or musical even better:

MORE HEROES NEEDED: Music department heads are supremely organized, but shouldn’t try to take on this monumental task alone while also handling a full teaching load.

BIG PRODUCTIONS ON A SMALL BUDGET: Tailor the program to whatever you have on hand for sets, decorations, etc. to keep the cost down. Also consider music or songs that haven’t appeared on Broadway as the licensing cost for these songs is cheaper.

NEW FASHIONED PUBLICITY: Besides tacking your poster to bulletin boards around your school, put on your Facebook page, school website, and send to various media. E-mail, Tweet and Facebook message lots of reminders to parents — don’t let it slip their mind!

EARLY BIRD GETS THE TICKETS: Start ticket sales as early as possible but only sell them for two weeks. A short ticket sales window will create more buzz for your event and actually drive more people to buy tickets.

INVOLVE YOUR AUDIENCE: Make your production interactive by asking attendees to wear certain colours, like red and green for instance, or encourage them to dress as their favourite character from the play or musical being performed. Your theatre will be awash in colours and costumes, making for a great visual and being fun for the audience.

A charity gala is a popular way to raise funds for a good cause. And after months of preparation, you’ll finally be able to relax and enjoy your glamorous and glittering night of music, beautiful gowns and, with luck, a balance sheet in the black.

So start spreading the news about your great charity ball, but heed the advice from the professionals listed below.

The Vancouver Aquarium, for instance, found its annual Night At The Aquarium fundraiser threatened not by inclement weather or economic constraints. The culprit was the unexpected fifth game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs featuring the local Canucks. With BC Place’s almost 60,000 seats filled by roaring fans, and thousands more crowding the city streets to watch the action on giant outdoor screens, who would be left to eat, dance, or bid on silent auction items?

The solution was simple. Gala guests were invited to arrive two hours early to watch the game on the Aquarium’s 25-foot 4D theatre screen, making it easy for them to experience the game and stay for the gala event which followed.

“Plan as much as you can,” says Gillian Wallis, internal event planner at the Vancouver Aquarium. “But expect that something that is not planned is going to happen anyway.”

Reach out to your target market

The overall planning template for any gala hasn’t changed. You need volunteers with expertise, energy and connections; sponsors willing to jump on board and donate; a venue that can accommodate your specific needs; and a date that works.

Take the plunge

Make sure you have a “catch,” says Brittney Kuczynski, who began the Oceana Ball in support of the Herbie Fund when she was just 19. For Kuczynski, that “catch” was her cousin, Ottawa Senator hockey player Jason Spezza, whose appearance drew immediate buy-in from event patrons.

“The biggest challenge in my first year was finding that catch” she explains. “As long as you are able to show and articulate your passion,” she maintains,”your event is an easy sell.”

Attract and manage sponsors

Everyone feels good about supporting a worthy cause, of course. But participants and sponsors want something in return for their support, whether it comes in the form of company logos on all marketing material or just a free drink.

“People will always be looking for a deal,” says Night At The Aquarium’s Wallis. “If you are charging $200-plus for a ticket, ensure that there is at least a complimentary welcome cocktail and ample amounts of food.”

Get the word out

Inviting media to your event and treating them well is how those crucial relationships are forged and future benefits earned.

This article, by Jean Mills, was originally published on September 26, 2011. To read the entire article, follow this link: https://charityvillage.com/Content.aspx?topic=getting_ready_for_gala_season&last=141

Event planning can be stressful.

You’re probably giving me a well choreographed eye-roll at that statement or maybe you let the word “duh” slip from your lips.

Organizers plan everything down to the smallest detail — everything from the flowers that grace the centre of your table to the actual venue. It’s evident, then, that event planners have enough to worry about. Technology can enable planners to focus their energy on more pressing issues.

Here’s four ways technology has transformed the event services industry:

1) Bring Client Ideas to Life

The day of the binder stuffed with event details and spreadsheets is coming to an end. All of the information you could ever need to access right at your fingertips through event management apps on your iPad.

I create demonstrations all the time when I want to show people how user-friendly InviteRight is when it comes to registering for events and buying tickets. Whether it’s a coffee chat or more formal meeting,  I want people to show how InviteRight can help them, not just tell them.

2) Streamline the Planning Process

Planning represents the single most time consuming step in hosting an event, hence employing an Event Planner allows a client enough relief to focus his or her energies elsewhere. An iPad app can not only be a great sales tool but as an effective planning tool as well. Schedule appointments, send emails and create schedules with the touch of the screen.

3) Communicate With Clients and Vendors

Communication is key when it comes to event planning. Online event management software not only helps you sell tickets and register people for events but also allows you to create numerous reports so you can communicate details like attendance numbers, food choice and special seating requirements to your client and venue.

The nice thing about InviteRight is it is so user friendly and there’s so many little features that make for a better guest experience — my favourite is the printable tickets with QR Code. You can even put a logo on the ticket or some type of image to make tickets even more personalized. What’s your favourite InviteRight feature or event app?

Check out our website or contact us at sales@eventiq.com to learn more.

Allow us to toot our own trumpet for a moment…  InviteRight can help your non-profit organization recruit volunteers fast.  No more lost handwritten pieces of paper, sticky notes that fall off your monitor, or misplaced contacts because someone didn’t write down the correct information.

I know what you’re going to say — you already have a system that tracks volunteer hours, etc.  But does your system also allow you to send email reminders to your volunteer base?  Does it let you send RSVPs and register guests for a fundraisers or any other activities?  Do you conduct surveys and schedule meetings?

For more information on how we can help nonprofit organizations become lean, mean fundraising machines, contact us at sales@eventiq.com.  Here’s just a few of InviteRight’s features relating to volunteer management and fundraising:

1. Increase your marketing for no extra cost by sending email invitations, thank-you letters and follow up emails to your entire list of volunteers or donors
2. Customize your invitations or RSVPs using your own logo and colours. Target your message to a certain group, organization, or individual
3. Eliminate significant amounts of paperwork and administration time with group registration and online sign up sheets
4. Have happier guests at your fundraising banquets by using our interactive floor map — guests can pick a table or booth to their liking.  Reserve tables for your VIPs too
5. Increase donations of both money and goods and watch in real-time as both roll in
6. Get better awareness of who you have volunteering and for what events with our sophisticated reporting system

Just to show you we understand your job isn’t easy, and neither is working within your budgets,  we are waiving our InviteRight fees for charities that organize golf fundraisers. What’s the catch? None! Ultimately we are both here to serve the public and make our communities a better place. The first five charities that ‘Like’ our Facebook page receive this special offer.

As a marketing coordinator, I come across smorgasbords of registration processes for conferences and trade shows.

What I find often leaves me perplexed and confused; Some associations and event planners are still using fax and phone registrations, while others use a strange hybrid of online registration with paper forms that send you invoices a month later.

What I find so compelling  is that our InviteRight software can handle registrations and ticketing for all kinds of conferences and trade shows in one single streamlined process (we’ve done thousands!). We even have an interactive floor map which allows sales staff to instantly pick their booth locations within the exhibition hall.

Check out this YouTube Video, Mitch (our talented graphic designer) created on how you will look like a hero to your clients and guests with InviteRight.  Registering for conferences and trade shows have never been so easy!

If you want more information on the benefits of online registration for your booth sales, email us at sales@eventiq.com , and we will send you some case studies from our experience with thousands of these events.

If you want an invitation that is a little fancier than Facebook, and without giving up your friend’s or colleague’s information, InviteRight’s powerful template system lets you pick from a huge variety of color schemes and pre-made banners that make invitation setups a breeze.

We even give you the flexibility of using your own graphics, logos, and colours, so you can design your invitations according to your own unique style.

Despite having stressful “day jobs,” many InviteRight users are actually graphic design gurus that create their own invitations because we make it simple for them. Read our guide on how to start creating your eye-catching invitations.

If you have more questions about invitations or InviteRight in general, email us.