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.

Why is it there seems to be an inverse relationship between actual costs and event budgets?  As costs balloon, corporate budgets shrink - adding a little math challenge for the corporate event planner.    Alyssa Myres of A.M. Productions,Inc. sent in five tips to help us be more savvy on video production efforts.  Thanks for the submission Alyssa - here's a summary of her list. 

• Share the wealth.  Are there other purposes, and therefore budgets, for the video footage in addition to the main project such as clips for the website, blogs, PR needs or trade shows?   
• Shoot Client Testimonials during client summits, client advisory board meetings, trade shows or other events. 
• Tape a short interview of the awards show winner and executives the day before the presentation and edit this short video on site, while everyone is in on location anyway including the video team.
  
• Use pre-produced videos for opening and closing videos that tie in nicely with your conference theme.
• Purchase stock footage on the discount.  An very unknown treasure for inexpensive stock footage is www.pond5.com.  While it's not the highest quality option, it can fulfill the need and has been a great resource.
  

The full document can be viewed in Event Planning Templates. Thanks Alyssa.

Do you create events that require hundreds of volunteers? Or  events within your company by begging and borrowing resources?  When you have a staff that temporarily exists for events it's important to take extra steps to ensure the individuals work as a team and provide your guests with a high level of service.

A few ideas to inspire and keep your staff smiling:

* Host briefing meetings prior to the event day to inform your volunteers/staff about the event.  In addition to the logistical details, share the event details: why this event is being held, who the clients are, what the desired outcomes are, etc. 

* Provide written instructions.  It may seem overkill to have a "How To" list for the coat check volunteer, but people want to do a good job, so why not spell out exactly what a "good job" looks like and provide step by step instructions of what you expect.

* Manuals are essential when you have a multi-day event.  When working at '96 Olympics, my best friend and I were given the task of developing the Volunteer Handbook for the 1500 volunteers on Yachting (yes - lowest on the totem pole and got that task). The manual provided guidance on hundreds of different scenarios and roles, and took many, many hours, but the staff were informed and therefore empowered to make decisions.

* Provide free food.  Who knew how happy free coffee and bagels can make a group of volunteers, especially at 5:30 in the morning before a golf tournament.  Small financial investment, huge reward.

* Bribes, I mean gifts....Free event t-shirts are always appreciated by the team.  Other small tokens that can go a long way: movie tickets, gift cards, event notebooks, even keychains. 

* After the event it's very meaningful to pass along positive feedback you heard from clients or the executives about the team or specific individuals. 

* And of course, thank you notes to all who helped make this event a success.

There are hundreds of other great ways to inspire a team - please share any ideas you have by adding to the blog.

Have you seen Steve Job's presentation on the new iPhone? The WWDC can be viewed at this link.  While I was viewing the show see the new iPhone my husband has been raving about, my production mind was really focused on the precise AV execution. 

As it should be, the AV team was on their A-game and the visuals advanced right on cue as Job's said each name or certain words.  Although a very simple set, Job's entrance was dramatic with the music and lighting nicely timed with his walk.  If you're new at producing shows this is a great one to watch because it flowed so seamlessly and can be easily duplicated, with many rehearsals and a detailed cue sheet of course.

Going through the exercise of creating an AV cue sheet not only provides the AV team with clear guidance, but also helps the producer think through the guests' experience and the flow of the show.  When creating the cue sheet you may find there are transition slides you need to add to the deck or ponder when you will mic up your fifth speaker when you only have four laveliers.  

If you're looking for an example AV cue sheet one has been added to the Helpful Templates section.  When you get tired of working on this, just repeat:  "A seamless event. Priceless."

It’s amazing what lighting can do for an event. Up-lighting your stage set with color gel scrolls can give you a completely new look with the touch of a button.    The three photos shown here are of the same stage set, just different lighting colors.  I love how this simple effect changes the entire look.

Color gels are actual pieces of plastic placed over the bright white bulbs to add a hue to the lighting.  You can order a color gel “scroll” which typically has 6 colors on a wheel that is controlled from the AV booth.        
 
Changing the set lighting keeps the visual more interesting for your guests in a full day summit or a multi day conference.  It’s important to test the colors on the actual set with the AV team before the show begins.  You may find certain colors look better than expected while others get the veto.   The backdrop canvas in this example is a light blue. Blues and greys are great colors to use as the base.               

If you're looking for a set designer, Event Strategies Inc. created these and many other sets for us.  

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.

Your colleagues are probably giving you a hard time every time you jet off to the airport on another site check.  Stay in luxury hotels, dine in fine restaurants and check out the spa...Site visits sound glamorous but as you know, site checks are anything but a vacation.  

If a venue can physically accommodate your group size, I like to walk the property as if I were attending this future event and consider:  what are the parking options, how are the staff outside the sales team (hopefully happy), do I like the food presentation, does a logical registration area exist, how far will guests have to walk to each meeting area, and what existing features can be incorporated into the production?  Discovering ways to incorporate a large blank wall, a fountain, a row of picture frames into your event branding are creative discoveries you can't unocover over the phone.  There is so much you learn about a venue, and inturn improve your guests' experience, by spending some serious time walking through the event logistics on site. 

For a simple checklist to help brew more ideas on your next site visit see "Venue Ck List" under Event Planning Templates.  And hey, if the hotel GM sends truffles to your room, enjoy!

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.

Finding the perfect gift for any occasion is so delightful.  It is so much fun to shop for your best friend, but when you're shopping for 100, or 1000, it can be a bit tricky to find that "perfect" gift.  If you're overwhelmed with the thousands of corporate gift options, establishing a few parameters up front can help focus your search.  Once you determine the budget/person, desired message, target audience (women/men/execs) you're ready to browse.  

A great source for inspiration:  your nearest Five-Star hotel gift shop.  Fine hotels employ buyers whose sole responsibility is to find the very best items that are worthy for their logos to appear on.  From jackets, to ladies spa robes, to tote bags the better hotels will have fine products.  And you can see how they have placed the logo - does it look tacky or does logo placement work with that product?  If you see something you like, simply write down the brand and begin your search for the supplier.  We found the best robes and sun block at the Pebble Beach Pro-Shop.   The next two years this Yahoo! sun block was the most requested item at the golf tournaments and beach parties.  Who knew? 

For speaker gifts, companies like Tiffany's, Baccarat, and Coach are all to eager to sell to corporations or groups at a reduced rate.  If you happen to have a very large gift budget these companies can even create a custom piece for you - like they do for the NFL and Pepsi.

Before ordering any gift it's smart to request a sample.  If it's clothing, wash it a few times.  If it's a pen, test it for a few weeks.  No matter how a product looks, if the quality doesn't hold up we can't expect guests to use the gift, and afterall, we want them to show off this branded item. 

Got a great client gift to share? Please add to the blog. Happy Gifting.