Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Wed, Sep 01, 2010 @ 05:16 PM
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(Photo by Kay Kim)
Recently my friend Paul Cook of the event tips website Planet Planit asked me a few questions about the use of Powerpoint by clients of my company, Icon Presentations. Powerpoint has received a bit of a bad rap, I think, because instead of using it to enhance presentations, speakers often fill their slides with bullet points and use it as a crutch to remember things and avoid their audience.
Seth Godin posted a very useful article a couple of years ago, that gives some great tips on how to improve your Powerpoint presentations. For a couple of ideas on alternatives, check out Paul's interview with me here.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Wed, Sep 01, 2010 @ 09:19
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(Photo by House of Sims)
I don't think there's a social media profile out there of me that doesn't mention my love of improv. It changed my life, literally. So when I heard that a group that shares my appreciation for the skills that improv can teach business leaders, was going to be at Event Camp Twin Cities (ECTC) I was elated. I am attending ECTC next week. In fact I've been invited to participate in the improv show that Butch Roy and his group from Huge Theater will be creating. Check out my interview with Butch on the ECTC website.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Mon, Aug 30, 2010 @ 07:21 PM
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The following is a guest blog article by Mike Granek. If you are interested in guest blogging for Sound n' Sight, please read my guest blogging guidelines . And if you have any thoughts, please comment below and/or on Mike's blog. Mike and I both would love to hear what you have to say!
What would you do if your linen supplier suddenly disappeared and closed up shop? What about your décor, lighting, staging, rental, or audio visual suppliers…or perhaps your favorite florist? Would you be able to conduct business as usual? Would you be able to continue producing events without them?
Sometimes, event managers take the relationships they have with suppliers for granted, and don’t realize the impact these suppliers have on the events they produce.
Suppliers provide essential services and products for special events. Think about the events that you produce – Are there any that don’t involve at least one supplier in one way or another? The sooner you realize how important your suppliers are, the sooner you will be able to develop a mutually beneficial business relationship that is
rewarded by the events that you produce together as a team.
Treat suppliers as if they were an extension of your company. More than likely you already have them wearing your t-shirt, so when the client approaches them with a question, they think that they’re speaking with one of your employees. Suppliers that feel part of the greater event team will deliver better product and services.
They will help you out when you need help, and will enthusiastically work with you every step of the way.
Here are a few tips on how to develop such a relationship;
1 - Select suppliers that offer the quality of work that best represents your own brand
You’ve heard this one before – you get what you pay for. If you want your event to look cheap and dirty, find a supplier to match. If you want a high end, professional event, don’t compare them to lower end suppliers and expect them to deliver the same level of service for the same price.There’s usually a reason why the bargain basement supplier is much lower in price.
2 - Don’t grind suppliers too low and too often
I really should say don’t grind suppliers at all! As event managers, we are always doing our best to pass on the best deals to our clients. The people that suffer the most are typically suppliers.
Practice a little give and take. Don’t ask for favors or deals for every single event that you book with them, otherwise you will develop a reputation for being “one of those” customers. Your clients can’t always be getting free stuff either. It’s not good for the industry and it’s definitely not good for everyone’s bottom line either. The challenge is that the more you give away, the more our end-clients expect. (This topic may have to be another blog post!)
At the end of the day, suppliers have families to feed and overhead to pay just like you do. So take the standard discount they provide you. This will help develop a strong and beneficial relationship, so when you actually need to call in favors, they will be happy to help you out. If you call in a favor every time you call – it will get old pretty fast and you’ll likely find that they will slowly become less and less willing to help.
3 - Stop with the carrot already!
Yes – they get it - You have the ability to bring them repeat business. Reminding them of this fact, or repeatedly using it as a tool to get further discounts or freebies is truly an unfair way to do business.
In a sense, it borderlines as a threat. “If you don’t give me what I want and at the price I want it, this will be the last time we work together”. While I realize that end clients are often the source of this kind of pressure, it is important that you filter the client’s attitude and work together with your suppliers to satisfy the client.
Find quality suppliers that you like to work with, and nurture and develop those relationships! Putting out an RFP for every time or nearly every time you require their services is a waste of time and resources. After a couple of successful first events together, start using them exclusively. You may be surprised at the deals you will get when they don’t need to spend time responding to an RFP, and when they know that they are part of your team.
The more they work with you, the more they understand how you work and like things done, which means the less you’ll have to explain or watch out for as each event passes.
4 - Involve suppliers in the creative process
Your suppliers are experts in their given industry specialization and often have many great ideas that you simply would not have thought of on your own. If you are bidding on a project, bring them in for a “team” meeting to generate ideas for your proposal. You may be surprised at the creativity, ideas and inspiration that can come from such a meeting.
Involving suppliers in the preparation of your proposal can provide some additional motivation and excitement since they will want you to succeed so that they can also benefit. This will help create a
team environment where everyone is supporting each other.
5 - Understand and trust their limitations
If they say that they can’t do it, or that they highly advise against it – trust their opinions. I would still ask why, but there should be a good reason for their recommendation. Perhaps safety, esthetics, or technical complications that could result in problems during the event or show.
Many clients will push hard to get their way only to discover that the supplier was right in the end. Don’t make this mistake, as you may regret it. Of course – sometimes people just don’t like a particular idea or direction for a variety of reasons that can derail you from your objectives.
This is why you need to ask the question and listen to the explanation in full. Great suppliers will help you find an alternative solution.
For some planners, their personalities or past experiences make it extremely difficult for them to trust suppliers. Despite this, if you find a supplier that you like and trust, you may find that your events become less stressful for you to manage. As an example: Have you ever been a passenger in a car where you didn’t trust or questioned the driver’s ability to drive safely? How stressful was this for you? Is it less stressful to be a passenger when someone you trust is behind the wheel?
The point is – find suppliers that you like, develop a trusting relationship with them, and then trust in their abilities. This being said, trust must be earned which brings me back to my previous point – you get what you pay for. Sometimes suppliers with a great deal of experience that helps build this kind of trust are not the cheapest available.
6 - Ask and learn!
If you don’t know something or you feel uncomfortable with what is being presented to you, don’t just nod your head in agreement like a bobble head doll - ask! Too many planners feel the need to cover up what they don’t know.
The good suppliers will be happy to explain something to you or provide you with some training. Learning terminology or jargon will allow you to speak in the same language as your suppliers, which means greater efficiency when planning and executing events.
7 - Communicate
Working with suppliers should be a pleasant experience. In every relationship there are ups and downs, so communicate often to continually develop your team. Don’t just pack up and leave at the first challenge. Working through challenges together can strengthen your business relationship, increase trust, and ultimately lead to better and better events.
Don’t pull… “If you don’t know what’s wrong, I’m not going to tell you”. Give them an opportunity to resolve whatever is wrong by communicating in a professional manner.
Everyone makes mistakes and as long as they take responsibility, think of it as a learning experience for them and an investment in their education for you. They now know what you don’t like or what they shouldn’t do at your next event. Theoretically, you shouldn’t have to repeat yourself which makes your life that much less stressful. However, if it happens again, it might be time for a different type of conversation.
Communication goes both ways. If you are having challenges yourself, make sure to tell your suppliers. As an example; your client is stalling on paying you, and in turn you are unable to pay the suppliers as per your agreement. A simple phone call to advise them of the situation will likely extend some goodwill your way, but most importantly can help avoid unnecessary frustrations and assumptions.
Don’t wait until the due date has passed and they call you to find out what is going on. Be proactive and call them immediately. You might be surprised at how people – especially ones that deem themselves to be part of your team - are willing to help you out.
These are only a few ideas on how to work with your suppliers. At the end of the day, the most important thing that you should remember is - Treat your suppliers the way you want your clients to treat you.
Do you have any other tips on working with suppliers? Are you a supplier and would like to let planners know what would help develop a mutually beneficial relationship? I would love to hear from you! Please visit Mike Granek's Blog and add your comment to the post entitled “Working with suppliers.”
Mike Granek is Academic Director of the Event Management Diploma Program at The Art Institute of Vancouver. With 18 years of industry experience, Mike also speaks at various industry conferences, participates in the development of industry occupational standards, and has recently started Mike Granek's Blog on related topics.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Sun, Aug 29, 2010 @ 08:42
If you enjoy Sound n' Sight, please vote for it in the Eventprofs Blog Awards under Best Corporate Blog!
(Photo by Lucia...)
Note: This week I changed my Twitter handle from Lyksumlikrish to my real name, Jenise Fryatt. Accordingly, this weekly listing of the most popular links I've posted on Twitter will, beginning next week, be called Jenise Fryatt's Top Links.
1 - Aggregation or content hijacking?
2 - One big tip for event management students
3 - Forced to use social media
4 - Howard Givner discusses his popular new iPhone app for event planners, Super Planner!
5 - A bunch of Twitter people you should follow from @plannerwire
6 - When will hotels & airlines learn?
7 - AV horror stories: The trucking company that lost our number
8 - Most exhibitors have cut back, some with regrets
9 - Event Management: Grad student's research yields fascinating insights
10 - EXCELLENT! Understanding ROI 4 fundraising events
11 - Top 3 things exhibit marketers wish their boss knew
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 @ 09:17
If you enjoy Sound n' Sight, please vote for it in the Eventprofs Blog Awards under Best Corporate Blog!
The following is a guest blog article by grad student/event planner Carolyn Ray. If you are interested in guest blogging for Sound n' Sight, please read my guest blogging guidelines . And if you have any thoughts, please comment. Carolyn and I both would love to hear what you have to say!
It’s no secret that I have a passion for events. I’ve told the story of how I was bitten by the event bug, at age three, at least a zillion times. But, when I set out on the journey towards my Master’s degree in Communication Management at the University of Southern California, I was determined to take my love and turn it into something practical.
I wanted to give myself a shot at investigating the world of events from an academic perspective, to learn about the things I was really interested in but never had the chance to explore. So when it came time to pick my thesis topic, the title popped into my head almost immediately - Making Dreams a Reality: An Insight Into Event Management and Conceptualization.
Based on academic research and a survey of more than 100 event planners in North America and abroad my project looked at three key areas: 1) The Process of Conceptualization, 2) Industry Standards and Education and 3) How Planners Feel About the Conceptualization Process.
The Process of Conceptualization
What I learned:
- There is no single “BEST” way to conceptualize an event. There are some similarities across the planning processes but very few planners take exactly the same approach. This is likely due to a lack of consistent education or industry standards.
- The top three considerations in event planning were: “budget,” (26%) “venue/location setting” (13%) and “handling client needs” and “vision/concept” which tied with 11% respectively.
Industry Standards and Education
What I learned:
- A shocking number of planners (62.7%) were unfamiliar with two MAJOR event industry initiatives CIC’s APEX (Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange) and EMBOK (Event Management Body of Knowledge).
- 36% of planners claimed to have no formal event education leading to certification and 33% had no formal event education whatsoever!
How Planners Feel About the Conceptualization Process
What I learned:
- 23% of planners indicated that their biggest difficulty in event conceptualization was “managing the budget;” this was more than twice the second most indicated difficulty of “communication” at 10%
- “Using Creativity” was the most enjoyed aspect of the planning process (a rating of 4.74 on a scale of 5) while “Managing the Budget” was the least enjoyed task (a rating of 3.45 on a scale of 5)
- Of the 16 elements in the planning process none of the tasks earned an overall rating below 3 (indicating neutral). Looks like planners love what they do :)
What Does It All Mean?
From this research I have made a few key recommendations:
1) Due to the wide range of knowledge required for planning an event there should be some regulated way of effectively training individuals in both general and specific usable strategies and techniques for the industry.
2) A non-profit consortium of certifying bodies should be created to provide a base line of foundational knowledge to new and veteran planners. In addition, this consortium would ensure that all planners adhered to an oath, a comprehensive ethical code and a dedication to continuous learning and growth
3) Research must be conducted about what aspect of budget is causing difficulty and train planners to comfortably and effectively deal with budgets.
4) Create a stronger awareness campaign surrounding industry initiatives (such as EMBOK and APEX)
5) Provide a welcoming environment for planners to interact, ask questions and further their education.
Some Interesting Reads:
Getz, D. (2007). Event studies: Theory, research and policy for planned events. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2009). Meeting and convention planners. In Occupational outlook handbook. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos298.htm
Just before Carolyn’s third birthday, her mother bought her a copy of Meredith Brokaw’s Penny Whistle Party Planner. Little did she know that this book would be the beginning of an ever-growing passion for all things event related. Twenty-some years later, she has worked on a wide range of events from parties to fundraisers to weddings and everything in between and loves every minute. As an "enthusiastic event planner who is passionate about great customer service and a lover of all things communication and leadership based" the event industry is the perfect arena for her to share her creative energy. For Carolyn, every event is a special experience, an opportunity to learn and a chance to make dreams come true.
Please feel free to reach out to Carolyn at Carolynray15@hotmail.com with any questions or for a full copy of her project.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 @ 06:36 PM
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(Photo by Jordan Perez Nobody)
Not long ago, we experienced a whopper of a customer service fiasco thanks to a new trucking company we were trying for the first time.
A cascade of mis-steps led to a situation in which we were left on our own to find a new trucking company just hours before our gear HAD to be shipped. We learned a lot from this experience which I've shared on Mike Granek's excellent blog. The post is called, Customer Service: You don't have to be perfect. Just be on my team!
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 @ 11:18 PM
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Professional mastor of ceremonies Glenn Thayer thinks event planners can learn a lot from TV, YouTube and TED. As someone who specializes in content delivery, hybrid meetings and conference moderation, he has an important perspective on the subject which he plans to share at the upcoming Event Camp Twin Cities (ECTC). Glenn recently agreed to answer a few questions on the topic and on his upcoming session at ECTC entitled The TV Show Session: 42.3 minutes to more engagement.
Jenise: Thanks so much for agreeing to answer these questions.
Glenn: It's my pleasure!
Jenise: I heard so much about you after you hosted the general sessions at MPI's Meet Different this year. Your name was all over Twitter and event planners who attended the event, both in person and virtually (via webcasting), were singing your praises. It seems appropriate that you would be leading a discussion on content delivery for Event Camp Twin Cities.
What got you involved with Event Camp and how did you come up with the title "The TV Show Session"?
Glenn: I followed the last Event Camp virtually and was extremely impressed by the level of passion the organizers and presenters showed towards making the much needed changes in our industry.
When I was asked to speak at Event Camp Twin Cities, I jumped at the chance to be part of such a remarkable team. The most wonderful thing about Event Camp is the wealth of experience and knowledge that each of the participants bring with them. I'm really excited to hear and experience what people are doing to push the envelope in the meetings and events industry.
The TV Show Session: 60 minutes to a more engaged audience is designed to get participants thinking about how to package and deliver their content using various television "show" models within a specific time frame. As a culture, we are used to watching television programming in 60 minute segments (including commercials). Shouldn't we be looking at how the television industry keeps us engaged, then apply that model to the meetings industry?
Jenise: How do you think the internet has changed content delivery?
Glenn: The internet has done wonders for easy access to information. However, we are living in a world of information overload. The amount of digital information available online today will double in the next 18 months (and the next 18 months after that).
We're now accustomed to being online multi-tasking experts; juggling our email, Twitter feeds, Facebook accounts and news readers, all while trying to get our "real" work done. This is now the new normal. In the face of this overload, we really need to jump start ways to keep the attention of our participants focused (online and face-to-face), and ensure the relevance of our content.
Jenise: What effect has TED had on the way information is delivered?
Glenn: TED is fantastic! It proved to the meetings industry that keynote speakers can provide relevant and entertaining content in under 20 minutes. Gone are the days of the 90 minute keynote.
Jenise: Is the meetings and events industry adjusting to these changes rapidly and effectively enough?
Glenn: There is a huge push towards changing the way content is delivered (for meetings and events), but it's not happening fast enough. I've seen many planners adding new technology and concepts to their meetings (like social media integration and live streaming), but very few have changed the delivery platform to keep up with how attendees learn in today's environment.
Many meeting planners aren't excited to attend the very meetings they plan. If the planners aren't excited about their meeting, think about how the attendees must feel. I do understand that there are many instances where there are legal and professional guidelines to what and how the content is delivered.
It reminds me of traffic school. Would you rather sit for eight hours listening to someone ramble on about traffic law, or would you want to be entertained by an improv troupe that keeps you engaged and laughing? It's the same content, but a completely different experience. If there is a lot of very unsexy content that needs to be communicated to attendees, and the content is dry, why not make the delivery fun? Or at the very least, engaging?
Jenise: Increased audience interaction at events, seems to be one of the more commonly advocated changes in content delivery. In fact, your session is described as interactive. What interactive format will you use?
We'll be using the very popular "sing along" format. If that should fail miserably, we'll turn toward Q & A, discussions, interactions with the virtual attendees, and group brainstorming.
Jenise: What useful information do you hope that participants will take away from your session?
Glenn: I want the participants to leave the session with at least one idea that they can implement immediately that will increase engagement at their meetings.
Glenn Thayer
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 @ 12:06
If you enjoy Sound n' Sight, please vote for it in the Eventprofs Blog Awards under Best Corporate Blog!
You can vote for Sound n' Sight here!
Sound n' Sight joins 5 other outstanding blog nominees in the Eventprofs Blog Awards category of "Best Corporate Blog" More than 40 events industry blogs were submitted. The Eventprofs Blog Awards judges shortlisted them to a maximum of seven per category.
Other categories include:
*Best industry advancement blog
*Best eye-candy blog
*Best inspiration blog
*Best thought-provoking blog
*New kid on the blog
*Best wedding blog
Voting closes at 9 am EDT Sept. 9, 2010. The blogs with the highest number of votes in each category will be announced as award recipients live from Event Camp Twin Cities on that day.
Blogging on Sound n' Sight has been truly transformative for me. I'm honored that it is being included with so many other amazing blogs and I'd like to express my gratitude to all who have contributed to it's success in so many ways.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 @ 11:54
If you enjoy Sound n' Sight, please vote for it in the Eventprofs Blog Awards under Best Corporate Blog!
Howard Givner's Super Planner iPhone App has received some pretty positive reviews since it was approved by Apple on August 3.
Eventprofs founder and blogger Lara McCulloch calls it a "virtual encyclopedia of (events) industry calculators," that may just be "one of the most used tools in your event planning aresenal."
Events industry blogger Liene Stevens says it is "hands down the most comprehensive business app currently available for event planners."
Even my impatient, skeptical husband, an AV geek to his core, had some postive things to say after watching the Super Planner Demo on Vimeo.
What's got everybody talking? Well there's the catering calculator, the staffing calculator, the projection calculator, the staging calculator and the dance floor calculator, to begin with. The Super Planner features quite a few other little helpers as well.
Howard Givner says he drew on his 20 plus years of experience in the events industry as an events business owner and consultant when developing the Super Planner for iPhone. He recently agreed to answer a few questions about his app for Sound n' Sight.
Jenise: Your Super Planner app for iPhone has received some very positive press in the events community. Can you please tell us a little bit about it and why you think it's being so well received?
Howard: People are going to think I’m paying you to throw me such a nice question like that! To be honest, I think it’s a very good value. It has lots of calculators and utilities that the typical planner uses. I’ve been planning events and running an event company for over 20 years, and tapped that experience in putting the app together.
Jenise: What has been the app's most popular feature?
Howard: I’ve heard people talking the most about the Pricing Converter (which goes from Plus Plus to Inclusive and vice versa), the Capacity Calculator, and believe it or not the Place Setting feature. Personally, I have the most use of the staging diagram, as I always forget which side is stage left and which side is stage right.
Jenise: Has there ever been a tool like this for event planners and if so, how is Super Planner similar/different?
Howard: I don’t believe so. I’m sure some of the calculators are available on an individual basis out there, but there’s surprisingly little available in app format. And as for the capacity calculators, the one in Super Planner has all my own formulas, which change slightly as the size of rooms increase. I just found the standard calculators out there were not that realistic.
Jenise: What gave you the idea to develop it? And how long has it been in the making?
Howard: Since the iphone started having third party apps available for it, I always thought it would be cool for us to have one for our industry. Event planners are on the road a lot, meeting with clients, venues, vendors, etc. and there are lots of times we need to quickly reference something. This was built with that mindset.
I started working on it in December 2009, and the content and formulas took me a couple of months. The rest of the process was dealing with the programming development, going from one developer (who went bankrupt) to another one, and then through the submission process with Apple.
Jenise: Do you know how many times it's been downloaded since it was made available?
Howard: As of August 19th it’s been purchased around 150 times. I need to sell 627 of them to break even, so do spread the good word!
Jenise: What has been the biggest lesson you've learned from the experience of developing and marketing this app?
Howard:
1) Be careful whom you hire to do the development. The first company I hired to do the programming (I came up with all the content, formulas etc. but I don’t write programming code), took my deposit, did some work, then went bankrupt. It’s like the Wild West out there, with tons of new programmers popping up to cash in; some are good, others are not.
2) That it takes twice as long and costs twice as much as you’d think. But I really should have known that, as it applies to almost anything.
Jenise: Do you have any other projects on the horizon?
Howard: Working on Droid and Blackberry versions of Super Planner, as well as version 2 of the app, which will have lots more stuff. Also gearing up for the fall launch of the Event Leadership Institute, an online education venture in partnership with BizBash, which is very exciting.
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