Selecting a photographer is a hard decision and once you've done what seems like a full background check and you love your prize photographer, the last thing you may consider doing is giving instructions.  But providing your photographer with a clear wish list can help him/her be sure they exceed your expectations. 

Ten tips to ensure you get the photos you need at your next special event:

1. Provide the photographer with an event agenda ahead of time
2. Create a list of *must* have shots such as: CMO shaking hands with Mr. So & So during cocktail hour, each speaker with podium sign in the shot.
3. Have the photographer in place immediately after a panel exits to capture that group shot before speakers head their separate ways.
4. Consider having a make up artist touch up the speakers before taking the stage.  The women will love this, men may balk at first, but all will look healthier on camera.
5. Explain how you plan to use the photos.  Framed shots? A book? PR?  Corporate memory?  Online?
6. Provide backdrops for press shots that have the logo repeated down the cloth.  Think Entertainment Tonight.
7. Requests photos be taken of the room and stage set before the event begins - these are great for corporate memory.
8. Include the photographer in your "day of" event logistics meetings.  He/She will be privy to the flow of the event and become more of the "team".
9. Explain when you want photos taken, and when you don't.  If snapping sound is a concern to you, state you do not want photos taken after the speaker is 2 minutes into the presentation.
10. Assign someone who knows the players at your event to be the photographer's host throughout the event.  This person can point out individuals that the photographer may not know but are important to capture.  Great role for an internal resource who wants to help with the event.

Cocktail parties are wonderful informal networking opportunities. And they seem simple enough to plan, but even when you're hosting a "casual" affair that doesn't require branded signature drinks and gobo lights there are a few things you can do to enhance your guests' experience.

• Pre-ordering the appetizers allows you and the other hosts to give more attention to your guests rather than reading a menu.
• Pre-paying any of your guests coat check or valet fees is always appreciated.
• Even if you've had drinks at the "it" bar with friends, touring the facility with the manager will give you a different perspective and you can determine an area to be sectioned off for your guests. Even if it's just "drinks after work" - when it's a company function with clients go ahead and reserve an area.
• Arriving early to alert the valet, bar tenders and waitresses where your gathering will be held and mention the names the guests may use, such as the host's name, the company name, your name...The last thing you want is a guest hearing "I dunno know" when they ask where your party is being held.
• Subtle branding can be achieved by providing special napkins to the bartender in your company color. May sound cheesy, but it's a nice touch that's not overt.
• Adding a little fun: placing a rubix cube, trivia cards or candy on tables can add to the "mix" and help start a conversation.
  
• Providing the manager or bartender with your credit card ahead of time, even five minutes before the first guest arrives, avoids anyone awkwardly watching you "get the check".

Sante!

for a more elaborate celebration check out this past post for branding ideas.

Have you walked into an event and been hit by a wonderful aroma?  We always think about lighting, music and certainly food & drinks, but scent is also an important component to a dinner party, casual soiree, or corporate function.  And it's easy to add an appropriate scent to your event.   
Scent an Event, Jo Malone

Jo Malone, the luxury London fragrance company, has a collection of tea candles called: Scent an Event.  Their strong fragrances can quickly transform a room and add a beautiful warmth to an environment.   Whether in your home or a conference center, candles evoke a sense of celebration.

If candles are not allowed in your venue, a more subtle way to add scents is through a spray or diffuser sticks.   Archipelago is another brand that has very strong, yet tasteful scents and offers many beautiful options.

Enjoy selecting your next event scent. 
 

BTW, Jo Malone provides a corporate gift giving service if you're looking for a nice luxury gift ( they provide free gift wrap and shipping).  Not the least expensive option, but may be a right for certain clients. JoMalone

Are you looking for a way to really surprise your guests with great branding?  Consider wrapping the elevator doors at your next event.  This really makes an impression and is easier than you would think.  We use a company called Giant Impressions
in San Jose, Ca. to create "stickers" to decorate the elevator with unique messaging.

Coca Cola's event logo on elevators. (Click to expand )You can use the giant stickers to unveil a new branding to your employees, recognize a big milestone or decorate a really plain room with your party's theme design.  The last event I did at Yahoo! was for 100 global marketers from Coca Cola and they were thrilled to see their event logo on the windows and elevators.  The price is around $900/elevator. 

Adding Bath and Body works or Molton Brown products to any event bathroom instantly improves the impression guests have of the function and facility.  A small, simple bouquet of fragrant flowers is also an easy, classy addition.                                                      

And while we’re on the subject, this may sound silly, but before booking a venue I always check the restrooms.   Cleanliness of the restrooms is a great reflection of the venue management.  I also want to be sure there are enough stalls for the number of guests.  Have you been to a wedding for 300 with two stalls?  Not a good experience, especially for the 150 women who want a few minutes in front of the mirror.   

If the brown hotel foyer isn't the giving the hip vibe you envisioned for your wedding reception or cocktail party, have no fear, rental furniture is easy.  Adding a few funky chairs or a crisp white sofa to a lounge area can transform the overall feeling of your event. You can rent white tables with a light in your theme color inside the base, colorful pillows, mirrors and unique chairs guests will talk about.  I think pictures offer the most inspiration because the options are endless.

Even if your budget is small, adding a few peices can have a large impact.  A great resource for chic designer feel furniture rental is Studio Collection.  Based in the bay area, but servicing the entire country, this company offers a very wide selection of color and design options from modern to traditional for weddings and corporate clients.  Here's a bit about their site, but please visit their website for a full showcase.  Their work is wonderful.

                        
Click to enlarge photos, Studio Collection examples
From Studio Collection: Experience a brilliant collection of stylish and versatile furnishings designed specifically for your next special event. Create chic lounge groupings for your wedding reception in modern and traditional styles. Explore the many design and color options to match your reception palette. Our specialty chairs to create the finishing touch for your dining tables. Request a quote for your favorite furnishings today via our website.

Once you’ve decided to host your dinner party or wedding reception in a tent the next part is figuring out how to “make it work”.  How many tables can you fit? Where should the entrance be? Where is the least likely location for someone to tango into the cake?                    County Marquee Photos 

A brilliant woman in the UK has developed a very user-friendly software to help you design the floor plan for your next event.  County Marquees free software allows you to drop and drag tables of various sizes to your proposed location, easily adjust the dimensions of your tent, and add doorways.  It’s wonderful.

County Marquees' website also contains hundreds of event photos and case studies that may help you determine the type of tent, or more elegantly called by the British, type of “Marquee,” that best fits your event.  And if you’re in the UK, County Marquees is ready to provide you with the highest quality Marquees and service.

Here’s the link to the software section and a link to their very helpful Q&A section.

A lot of decisions go into selecting a venue for your wedding or next company function. It’s never easy.  When we were looking for the "perfect" wedding venue I had to work hard to put on my event planner hat rather than the head over heels in love bride who saw many "perfect" locations.  By being open-minded we found a venue that worked very well logistically, and of course, was romantic as well.

When planning corporate events it really helps when a venue is flexible and willing to allow you to do such things as remove furniture, load in the night before, send boxes ahead of time, bring in your own AV team, etc.  

To help select the venue that best fits your needs, we've put a Venue Checklist in the Event Templates section. There are no right/wrong answers to these questions, simply a list of ideas to consider before declaring you've found "the perfect venue".  Happy Searching.

We spend so much time and energy securing wonderful event speakers, but our job's just beginning once the event speakers are booked. If you have the bandwidth, I recommend assigning someone on your team to be a fully dedicated speaker host.  If you don’t have this person, consider hiring someone very responsible to serve this role.  

The speaker host will be the one waiting for the sedans to arrive, taking the call from the limo company when the client has been picked up from the airport, greeting the speakers upon arrival with a gracious smile, showing guests to the greenroom or their hotel room, providing agendas and basically assisting your special guest with any requests.  

What to give your fabulous speaker host: 

• A list of all speakers and their speaking times/rehearsal times on one sheet
  
• Arrival/departure times with flight numbers and confirmation codes
  
• Speaker cell phone numbers and assistant's numbers
  
• Your cell phone numbers
• Copies of the agenda and maps of the hotel 
• An introduction to the hotel management 
  

The speaker host can check your guests into the hotel rooms ahead of time and therefore hand a key to the speaker upon arrival and avoid sending the speaker to the hotel desk (who wouldn't like skipping this step?).  Your speaker host can also check the hotel rooms before your VIPs arrive - you wouldn’t believe the things we’ve found in the suites reserved for our keynotes.

Your speaker host will ensure the transportation company is enroute to pick up your guest at the end of the event, confirm their flight is ontime and show them to the car with a bottle of water.   Your speakers will remember your hospitality, and feel very taken care of.  Well done!

When you host a corporate party or conference the registration desk is often the first impression your guests have of your company and the event.  Naturally, you want the desk to look as organized and inviting as possible. 

When setting up a registration desk I like to have one of each of the items the guest will receive in the welcome bag displayed on the desk, as well as the event agenda taped down.  You’ll probably want to have multiple copies of the guest list handy (keep this under the desk).   You can also benefit by having extra pens, mints, scotch tape, etc. hidden under the table.  What to avoid: wine glasses, scraps of paper, purses, etc.   Keep it clean.

Adding a floral arrangement always make an 8” table look better.  If you have a limited budget, consider colored M&Ms in a large glass bowl or tasteful ribbon as an inexpensive way to dress up a table.

Besides being a happy face, your registration hostess needs to be well informed of potential questions, start times, meeting locations, etc.  Your hostess should be dressed conservatively and in business attire if this is a business event.  Make this clear to the people you’ve talked into working the desk to avoid embarrassment onsite.  

And how many hostesses are needed?  1 to every 50 guests is a good rule of thumb, but  consider if your guests will arrive all at once or staggered when creating your work schedule.  

Consider a creative, branded ice sculpture to add a little wow to your next party. Beyond the simple ice swan, ice sculptures can be carved into the shape of your or have a logo tastefully etched into the ice (which looks great with your theme color light shinning up from beneath). At weddings I think it looks so nice when the seafood is arranged on an ice bar. Done right, the ice sculpture can be so interesting you don't need to invest in other decor for a cocktail party.

A few creative ways to enjoy ice sculptures:
Clear Memories' branded ice bars (click to expand)
* Bar Luge - Guests love to watch their colored liquor flowing thru the ice luge into their martini glass. A typical luge will run $500 but you can go smaller or larger.
* Bar - Creative Memories creates actual bars made entirely of ice. The bar can have a logo etched into the ice or a unique design of your choice. 4 foot bars start at $1600, and Creative Memories can go as large as you have space for (imagine a 32 foot ice bar).
* Bar Back - An interesting addition to your bar, add an ice sculpture and focus on uplighting for a great visual while guests order drinks. And around $300 you can always find budget for this.
* Seafood Platter - Caviar bars have become popular and seafood looks gorgeous set up on sculpted ice or an ice bar. For a smaller budget consider an open clam shell sculpture to present your oysters.
* Individual Dessert Bowls - gorgeous way to present berries or chocolate mousse.
* Centerpieces - Ice makes a beautiful unique centerpiece, with or without flowers.
* Glasses - I got this idea while visiting Stockholm's "Ice Bar" - as if it's not cold enough already-they created more ice. There is a dress code here, you are provided a groovy silver parka and full gloves. When you enter the Ice Bar, it takes your breath away. The floor, the bar, even the stools are 100% carved ice. Then you order one of 12 Absolute Vodka drinks served in, you got it, a thick tumbler made of ice. No tonic needed, the ice melts slowly into your drink. What a fun experience.

Visit Creative Memories  for more pictures and a great resource for your next event.

Remember how long it took to set up the Coleman camping tent when you were 14?  And your little brother forgot to put one stick back in the bag so the tent just won't stay up? Recalling these memories makes you think these tent companies have a very tough job - and nothing goes perfectly to schedule when it comes to tents.

Set up and tear down can take anywhere from 4 hours to 14 hours, so plan accordingly when you book your venue.  At the very least you want the tent installed the day before your event so the team has time to get everything right, even if this means working through the night.  Inevitably, some part gets lost on delivery and you can't be missing a few key bolts. 

When making your logistics plan remember the tables, chairs, linens, flowers are all on hold until the tent is completely stable.  Hopefully, the tent can go up two days before the event and you can enjoy it to yourself with a mint julip rather than a stressful race to the finish line. 

Check out "Tent Rentals" under the Event Planning Templates  section for more tips about tents.