Corporate Event Planning|Event Management|Event Planner

Have you ever thought of promoting your fundraiser event without having to spend a single penny? It's possible, but you need to be creative and invest in a lot of time and effort. Getting the word out about the event, and that too without incurring expenditures is a difficult task. However, you can check out the ideas and use them for your upcoming events.

1. Set up an advertising committee

Set up a working committee that will help you in chalking out your advertising strategy. Try to involve as many people as possible in your planning process. The more people you involve in the process, more people you will have in fundraising event.

Communicate with the members of your committee effectively. Listen to their individual views and if necessary do change your preconceived idea for the better. Keep in mind that incorporating new ideas and suggestions often help you to keep your advertising fresh and appealing. Involve your committee members to distribute flyers and promote the event within their respective social circles.

2. Promote your fundraising event through social media

Nowadays social media offers a consistent platform and endless opportunities to promote your fundraising event. You can make the best use of your Twitter and Facebook page followers to promote your event. You can find people who you think might be interested and establish a connection with them.

On Facebook, you can start a group for your event. Involve as many people you want in this group. Discuss information and updates about the event and send out invitations as and when required.

For LinkedIn, you can join various similar groups and submit your event news. LinkedIn includes your news in the newsletter they send out to the members of the group. In this way, you can attract a large volume of donors and sponsors for your fundraising event.

3. Post an ad of your event in online newspaper

A key way to promote your fundraising venture is to post it on various online newspapers. Online Newspapers usually offer a 'Calendars of Events' for local happenings free of cost. It gives your event great exposure especially on Google; thus people get the publicity that they need so that interested parties can easily find it when searching on the internet. You can even post the link of your fundraising website on the online newspaper to attract people.

Resort to various online magazines that offer the same service like the online newspaper. Post the link of your event website in as many places as possible.

Try out these tips to promote your fundraiser without spending money for the same.

Gone are the days when birthday parties were limited to celebrations with family and friends in the home decked with birthday decorations. Nowadays, birthday parties have moved out of homes to attractive venues where the traditional birthday festivities are combined with events to entertain guests.

How to Organize Unique Birthday Parties

Professional party planner

By departing from the ubiquitous event ideas, if you are planning to do something unique, you can seek the help of a professional party planner. You can share your ideas with the planner, who will help to develop an exclusive party plan. Event planners are also available at popular event venues. They can manage every aspect of a party, ensuring a stress free party experience for the host.

Professional party host

You can even hire a professional party host to supervise the birthday party, while you are free to enjoy yourself. Your event planner may help you to find an experienced event coordinator or professional partyhost. A party host welcomes guests, supervises kids in the birthday party and guides them throughout the event, ensuring a hassle free event environment.

Party supplies

Regardless of the location of the party, you will require an array of party supplies. The supplies are chosen according to the age and preferences of the person whose birthday is to be celebrated. You will need invitations and different types of event decorations such as brightly colored balloons, hats, bells, whistles, costumes, chairs, tables, party linens and food service items.

Party food

Food is the integral part of celebrations. Birthday parties cannot progress without a birthday cake. This most important food item of the event should be chosen carefully. Numerous types of birthday cakes available in a reputed confectionery will spoil you for choice. You may even order a beautifully decorated customized birthday cake. However, if you are eager to flaunt your baking skills, you can yourself bake a delectable birthday cake for the event. Other party foods and beverages can be supplied by a caterer.

Entertainment

Entertaining guests is the most challenging of a party. You may organize games appropriate for birthday parties. When the person whose birthday is being celebrated and the guests are teenagers or young adults, you will need great rocking music and suitable mood lighting to create the ambiance of a dance floor. However, for a different party experience, consider entertaining your guests in an entertainment venue with multiple exciting gaming opportunities. Nowadays, laser shows are extremely popular in birthday parties.

Time to throw a fiftieth birthday party? Follow these steps for putting on the perfect bash to celebrate the big 5-0.

Invitations: These provide guests with the first hint as to the theme of your party. Will you be serious and elegant or have more of a playful, teasing theme? Finestationery.com has a number of sophisticated designs in many colors. Black cards with silver writing are particularly popular, and provide beautiful colors for the party decorations. Fun "Over the Hill" invitations are also available at vistaprint.com as are photo invitations for a truly unique option.

Decorations: For the simpler party, consider silver and gold balloons with silver and black streamers. You can place Happy 50th Birthday party signs at the door, or in the yard if guests need to park at the party. You can also place gold 50 centerpiece spray in the middle of each table, available at amazon.com/Century-Novelty-50-Centerpiece-Spray. For the playful party, consider ordering inflatable canes and walkers, as well as Senior Moment caution signs or cones. All of the items are available at Party City, whether you choose to search the store or look online.

Food: Whether you are serving a meal or just light refreshments, include some of the celebrant's favorites. Desserts are always a show stopper - a decorated sheet cake, or several decorated layer cakes, will look beautiful. Cupcakes are also very popular. Make them special with either personalized cupcake toppers putting photos on the frosting. Order edible images from icingimages.com.

Favors: There are many unique favors you can order to help guests remember your special celebration. Edible favors include birthday oreos, decorated especially for you, or birthday fortune favors, which are dipped in chocolate. Other fun ideas include personalized playing cards, complete with the date and celebrant's name on the box, or grippy socks in colors that match your decorations. These two choices can be used by guests repeatedly.

Diva Entertains, Copyright 2010

4th of July is almost here! I have started planning this year's celebration well in advance. Each year I make it a point to call all my friends for a grand outdoor party at my Vermont farmhouse and believe me no one disappoints me by not turning up! We gossip, we have a live barbeque, tons of flowing beer, lots of fun games, and just spend some quality time. After all, 4th of July is all about togetherness.

Well, for folks who are planning to throw a special 4th of July party, I have some of the best party ideas to share.

Invitation

This is the first thing on my 'To do list'. Invite your friends for this year's 4th of July party in a different style! Create a series of U.S. flags on your computer and take print outs. Paste those mini flags on a thin stick. Punch two holes on the invitation card to put the flag stick through. Be a sport. Visit each of your friends in person and hand over this lovely looking invitation. Won't that just be an added surprise for them!

Decoration

Keeping in mind the traditional American theme-based party concept, why not spray paint the chairs and tables in red, white, and blue. Drape the umbrella poles in the portico with a big U.S. flag. Why leave the garden space empty, let's just spray paint the trees and bushes in tri-color as well to give it a look and feel of 4th of July.

To add more to the decorative ideas - place small printed flags on each pot in the garden and along the entrance to your house. Remember to use all kinds of vintage stuff that you have such as wooden boxes, candle sticks, old umbrella, grandpa's table and chair for styling purpose.

Costume

Fun ideas for the costume; ask your guests to dress up like their favorite 'Founding Father' or like a popular US politician imbibing the 4th of July theme in their attire. That would be both fun and innovative!

Food and Drinks

Add a patriotic color to the day's food and drinks. Put the American flag on each freshly baked tart, cakes, and cookies. Keep the barbeque going with lots of free flowing beer. Remember to have flag printed plates for the guests to use them while enjoying a dessert. You can even prepare toffees, cakes, and mini pies at home, adding red, white and blue jelly on top of them.

Crafts

A very simple and easy to make craft is creating fabric flowers. All you need is a couple of straps of fabrics in red, white, and blue and a big button of any color. Place those wonderful looking fabric flowers on the dinner table to brighten up your 4th of July party.

Happy blogging, happy reading, and keep sharing your 4th of July party ideas with me!

Strategic planning is essential to the success of any business. You have to look at strategic planning from a global perspective. That means the big picture - not minute details, but, its direction and scope. You start by thinking about your ultimate monetary goals for the year, product development goals, and workshop/teleseminar goals and more importantly, how you're going to reach those goals.

Then, use backward planning to develop your plan. That means you work with the end result in mind. It's a road map to get you where you need to go and where you want to go.

Strategic planning is critical to keeping a focus in your business. Again, if you don't have a plan, and you don't know where you want to go, most likely you're not going to get there.

Strategic plans can be long-term plans or shorter term plans, but typically, strategic planning is a longer-term plan. Ideally, you would have your current year plus a minimum of 6 months past that, or 18 months.

If that thought makes you cringe - hold on! Think about your marketing cycles for each of the events you schedule. The further out the events are, just "pencil them in". A strategic plan is not in set concrete. If you need to change or shift gears - do it! There is a lot of flexibility within your plan.

You will have other plans in place as well. Like your implementation plans and your specific marketing plan for each specific event. So your strategic plan is a global overview of where you want to go and the events that must happen to get there. Your marketing plan will include everything you need to implement, item by item. So the two plans work together, hand-in-hand, to bring you the business result you want.

But, hold on you say! I already have goals & objectives for my business - isn't that enough? That's a good start, but you need to take it one step farther.

Just having goals and objectives for your business isn't quite enough. Everybody has good intentions. Most entrepreneurs have goals - ideas and ideas and ideas. Few are implementer's, and don't really know what it takes to get the job done - they just want it done.

Developing a plan forces the entrepreneur and staff to come together and put some structure to the goals. Action plans, written down, with accountability systems, tend to get done.

So the first step is identifying your business goals and objectives. Your strategic plan is partly how you're going to reach those goals and objectives.

Here's an example... Let's say, your goal is to make $1 million this year. Your next thought should be, how am I going to make it? How many events, coaching groups, products, workshops and seminars do I have to do to get there? What is my marketing budget? How much am I willing to spend on getting a new client? How many staff will be required to accomplish my goals? The answers to these questions are key to making your strategic plan.

So while keeping the end result in mind, you may want to say, if I want to make $1 million this year, I can make $200,000 in seminars as profit. How many seminars am I willing to do? Five would get you there. You decide as the business owner and entrepreneur. You may also have product sales. Your product sales in the year may generate $300,000. Factor that into your plan. Get the picture? Brainstorm and write it down.

You can quickly see that by thinking about your strategic plan with your goals and objectives in mind, you can start to sketch out exactly what it's going to take to get you where you want to be.

The responsibility of developing your plan lies with you - the business owner and entrepreneur. After all, whose business is it anyway?

If you're the business owner, it's critical for you to decide your financial and monetary goals for each business year. You don't have to share them or delegate that responsibility to anyone because it is solely your decision. Once you have decided your monetary goals and your budgets, and all of those personal business decisions, you take your overall plan to key people in your staff to build out the details.

So the bottom line is, if you're the business owner, you make the decisions - you are in the driver's seat - figure out where you're going and your staff will help you get there.

A good wedding planner book forms part of a wedding planners toolkit and is maybe the most essential element in the wedding planner's arsenal. This book can literally be the difference between success and failure and time and again proved of immense value when planning a wedding event.

Many times brides don't have money to make use of a professional wedding planner. To actually get married, she then needs to plan the wedding event herself. This is when it becomes very important for this "novice" in the field to use a "little" bit of help to guide her along with the planning process. As a professional wedding planner I have seen some great weddings brides planned, but also some disastrous events that are still the talk of town today where the bride attempted to plan the event without the proper tools. So what makes a wedding event successful when a bride doesn't have the luxury of hiring the services of a professional wedding planner?

The following statement sums up the answer: The bride needs the proper toolkit to make sure the wedding is successful. Period! As some sort of guidance what should typically be included in this toolkit, I have listed the following key elements a planning toolkit should have:

繚 A good planning book that is the guide the bride works from

繚 Inspirational ideas on ALL the elements of the wedding event

繚 Time

繚 Innovative inspirational ideas

繚 Help from others such as friends and family

From the above you can clearly see that all future actions actually flows from the guidelines set out in a good planning book. So how does one choose the right planning guide that will make sure the success of the wedding event for the DIY bride? Here are some important attributes such a planning book must have:

繚 Must be comprehensive and cover all aspects of a wedding event

繚 Must be a clearly set out guide

繚 Must be inspirational to give guidance on ideas

繚 Must be practical and in line with current trends

繚 Must be an easy read

繚 Must have a wedding budget schedule

繚 Must have a wedding planning checklist

From the above you definitely see that the correct wedding planner book is surely a life saver when planning a wedding either for a DIY bride or a professional wedding event planner. This book also make sure that the wedding event planner stays on the right path and this make sure a lot of money get saved and preventing costly mistakes. So make sure you have a successful wedding by choosing the right wedding planner book!

The event was the COMDEX convention held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. COMDEX was the annual global IT convention, featuring the newest computers, electronics and gadgets. This was the biggest convention held in Atlanta each year. 200,000 people would attend the convention over four days.

Two days before the convention opened, a category 3 tornado struck downtown Atlanta. The twister tore off 100,000 square feet of roof from the Convention Center and dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of rainwater inside. Local news footage showed water cascading down a big stairway like a waterfall.

COMDEX was cancelled. The financial losses for the event planners fairly boggle the mind.*

What if the show can't go on? The consequences - particularly for a corporation staking big bucks on a marketing event or for an association that gains most of its revenue from an annual conference - can be dire. One safety net is event cancellation insurance, which can protect your event investment against catastrophes, strikes, earthquakes and snowstorms.

Event Cancellation Insurance has been around for decades, and has a long history of protecting special events from conventions, to trade shows, to exhibitions, entertainment or sporting events.

An insured may have incurred expenses all year long preparing for an event but can't afford for an unpredictable event to cause its cancellation. Think of the costs for travel, venue deposits, rescheduling costs, as well as other costs including planning.

Often the kinds of problems that can lead to postponement, cancellation or relocation of an event are out of the planner's control. Look to Event Cancellation Insurance for the kind of coverage needed to protect that financial exposure.

Whether planners should invest in cancellation insurance depends upon how important an event is to an association or corporation financially and what kind of risk it is assuming. If your group event is planned for 50 people, you'd probably not buy this policy. But if 500 or 5,000 people were expected to attend, event cancellation insurance could be crucial to your bottom line.

Sometimes, event planners don't think about event cancellation insurance. They either are unaware that such coverage exists, or mistakenly rely on the insurance of the event venue...like a convention hall. The venue's insurance will help them rebuild or repair. But it won't help the event planners find another venue, or compensate them for the costs they incur or income they lose from cancellation.

Coverage and Cost

The rule of thumb is that cancellation insurance covers perils that are beyond the control of a planner, such as inclement weather, strikes, outbreaks of disease and so on. You can also purchase coverage for "Non-Appearance," in case your event relies on the appearance of a person or group (speaker, performers, player, invited guest). The policy also covers things such as extra expenses for trucks and workers in case an exhibitor doesn't break down his exhibits. What is not covered are lack of planning, low attendance from a lack of interest or poor marketing, or bankruptcy of the planner.

Coverage begins as soon as the premium is paid and usually extends for five days after the event. Coverage purchased well before an event can be a godsend if something happens to the facility where you're booked, as the coverage would cover costs of relocation and notifying attendees.

The cost of this coverage is calculated on a policy-by-policy basis. Every event is different and each has unique risk exposures. The standard costs of this coverage run about fifty cents per $100 of coverage. However, variables like location (areas susceptible to hurricane or earthquake) or season (winter is higher than spring, summer or fall) can push the price up towards $1 per $100 of coverage. So, a $1 million policy might cost up to $10,000 or more.

When To Buy

Event cancellation insurance is usually less expensive if purchased far in advance. Insurers increase the premium rate, theorizing that the closer the event is, the more desperate the planner must be for coverage.

We recommend that you get at least two price quotes before making a buying decision. We also recommend that you review a sample copy of any policy before purchase to determine what is covered and what is excluded.

Then, have a super successful event!

*This catastrophe was entirely fictitious.

Do you remember your last corporate party? Probably not! If it didn't leave impact in your mind, then how could other people possibly remember the day? Thousands of dollars that you have put in go in vain, just because you have given the responsibility of organizing a corporate party to some un-reliable hand. Maybe you have the expertise in running a big organization, but to organize a perfect business party is entirely different.

To make the corporate event more meaningful, the corporate event planners play a vital role. The corporate world of the New York City demands more social networking and business meetings to survive in between the cut-throat competition. Imagine the nightmare one has to face, if something goes wrong amidst the party, in front of their key business client. You can't afford to have a negative impact on your clients mind. To avoid such situations corporate event planners can be of great help.

One can find many corporate event planners in New York City and the rates differ according to the services provided by them. A little research work is required before you hire a corporate event planner. Some of the reasons to elaborate why you should hire a corporate event planner are listed below.

a. A corporate event planner is a local entrepreneur or they have a good network in the major places. This ensures that they are well versed with the hotspots for organizing the events. They can come out with great venue ideas that you would have hardly thought of.

b. They have good contacts with other resources required for organizing an event like a DJ and caterer. Whatever you require for your party, they will help you to arrange that.

c. Many a times, the experiences of corporate event planners play a major role. They are aware that just in last minute anything can go wrong. Like the DJ might get cancelled or some other entertainment needs might turn up. They keep themselves fully prepared for such issues and always keep some alternatives with them.

d. To plan an event is a time consuming affair. Hiring a corporate event planner frees your time. Now you can enjoy your own party like other guests and still have the full control of the party.

No matter what kind of event you are planning, turning to a professional event planner will certainly enhance the success of your event. Now leave all the worries of planning a corporate event in the hands of an experienced event planner.

When a person is looking to throw an unforgettable party in, a good party rentals company can make a huge difference. A party rental company will offer everything imaginable in entertainment for parties of all kinds.

If a person does not know exactly what they want for their party, they can get all the help they need right in their own back yard. Your local party rentals store will be happy to help with the planning. Whether it is a theme party for children, a company picnic, or even a wedding celebration, they have what is needed.

If an individual's company needs to organize a meeting conference, find a good party rental company with an event planner who can handle the job. The best companies have experienced technicians that will coordinate with your needs so every detail will run smoothly. Whether you are planning a small meeting or a huge convention, you can save time and dollars with the right help.

Thinking of planning a carnival? Search for top of the line event rental company. A great party rental company can provide games, sno cone machines, cotton candy machinea, even a fortune teller. They can set up a caricature artist and bring on the clowns. Need a bounce house? Or a mechanical bull? People of all ages enjoy a trip to the carnival, it makes the kid them happy.

Most parents want to do a bigger and better birthday party for their child every year. There are so many options when you use a party rental company, that you can do something different each year AND it's fairly easy to keep outdoing yourself (not to mention the neighbors) Rent an outdoor water slide and watch the children's eyes light up. The parents will have fun with this too. Add a bounce house in there and let the fun really begin. One big hit at birthday parties is a trackless train. EVERYONE loves a train!

For the sports enthusiast, you can find inflatable obstacle courses, a climb-n-dangle rock wall, even a Euro bungee.. If that is not exactly what you have in mind, try virtual golf or even a Wii station. Maybe a mechanical bull or roll-a-roper will get those sports fans blood pumping. Try out the full throttle, an inflatable dome theater that can hold up to four people for exciting virtual car racing.

Everyone loves casino nights. You can actually rent slot machines, black jack tables complete with professional dealers, roulette tables, and craps tables. People that enjoy games of chance will be hypnotized by the spin of the roulette wheel. For an enjoyable casino like experience, all you have to do is make a phone call. You get equipment complete with dealers.

The market is saturated with DJs, so why would a client choose you? The first thing that you have to understand is that people do business with people. Most DJ businesses get a majority of their business by referrals also known as word-of-mouth marketing. If you are speaking to a client, this means someone (usually a friend, family member, or someone that has seen you perform) probably referred them to you. This also means that the client will most likely consider your services before anyone else. While you may have the advantage of a referral, you will still need to meet the clients entertainment visions and budgetary requirements. Most clients are always looking for the best deal in conjunction with the best service. Is that you? Your main goal is to first paint a picture, and worry about prices later.

The client does not care about the features of your DJ company. They don't care that you have high powered 15" speakers and a subwoofer. They don't care that you can set up a music system using an iPod and a speaker for cocktail hour. They also really don't care about your 30,000 song hard drive. All they really care about is that their guests have a great time. Most clients just want to host an amazing party and are listening for you to say "by using us/me, your guests are going to have an amazing time". Isn't that the objective. They are also looking for comfort in the planning process.

Planning a party is not easy. Hiring a DJ is one of many responsibilities and clients want peace of mind. They want you to tell them that you are going to make this easy for them. How can you make the process stress free for YOU and the CLIENT? Offer them planning tools. You should have planning forms online or offline where they can provide the important event information. After you tell them about your planning system, watch their reaction. This should bring you one step closer to the sale.

My suggestion is to register with an online event planning website like "DJ Event Planner". Clients have access to their planning account online 24/7 and can enter any important information, activities, and even choose music. Registering with an online event planner will make you feel more confident and appear more professional to clients. When you offer this service, clients will be most impressed. Once you've painted the picture, guided them through their vision, and offered them peace of mind with a planning system, it's time to tell them your prices.

You should always give them a few pricing options from which to choose. Some common examples of packages are: 1. Basic Wedding Package (DJ/MC 2 Speakers)
2. Silver wedding package (DJ/MC 2 speakers and subwoofer)
3. Gold Wedding Package (DJ, separate MC, 2 speakers, subwoofer, lights)
4. Platinum Wedding Package (DJ, separate MC, 2 speakers, subwoofer, lights, cocktail hour included)

I can't give you an idea of Wedding DJ prices because I don't know your specific market. In the NJ/NY area a REPUTABLE DJ may charge between $1000 and $2000. Prices in other states and provinces would vary depending on the demographics. If you really want to know, contact some DJ's in your area and ask their prices. Why so much? you might ask. Why so much? The client may ask.

Planning for a wedding is much more involved than just pushing play on iTunes at a house party. Your clients are paying for professionalism, your planning time, your expertise, and for you to actually perform at the event. Don't ever under sell yourself. I know someone who gave a break to a client for a wedding last year and when it was over, It was't worth the money in comparison to the amount of time spent on the planning. You should always keep your prices higher and then come down if you want to give them a discount. If your prices are too low, you'll wind up losing money and getting frustrated in the process. If your prices are STILL too high, even after a discount, thank your client for their time and give them your card.

Don't ever compromise your integrity. You are charging your price because you know you're worth it. They will find other DJ's who charge much less but surely don't have the same training and knowledge as you do. They won't be able to meet the clients vision, and they certainly won't have an event planning system in place. Be confident that you are the best DJ for their event. Always assume the sale. When you give them the prices don't ask them if they like the options. Ask them which option would meet their objective the best. You'll most likely close the sale at this point. Don't be pushy either. If they say they want to think about it, ask them if you can answer any questions. If they still seem unsure, tell them that it's no problem and give them some information to take home. Follow up with them and you will surely have another opportunity to close the sale.

It's not too late to throw together a holiday party for friends and family. There are a variety of finger food ideas for holiday party foods that you can try. Here are some suggestions for easy finger foods that will look great on your holiday buffet and take no time to make.

First, decide how much time you have in the next two weeks and how many people you want at your party. Since there is so much to cram into these next two weeks, make it simple by offering easy finger foods that your guests can munch on while visiting. Here is a menu that is easy-to-serve and fits right in with offering your guests holiday party foods.

Brie and Pear Quesadillas filled with Freshly Sliced Pear and Brie Cheese

Array of Imported European Cheeses, Artichoke Bruschetta and Olive Tapenade with a selection of Whole Wheat Pita, Vegetable Chips and Sourdough Toasts

Mini-Turkey Sandwiches accompanied with Cranberry Chutney Relish

Ham & Celeriac Remoulade Canap矇s served on thinly sliced white bread

Cucumber Cups filled with Salmon Mousse and Red Pepper Humus

Assortment of Holiday Cakes and Cookies

Hot Coco and Coffee Bar

The recipes for the quesadillas, artichoke bruschetta and the olive tapenade can all be found in Budget Bash. However, this is just a sample of some finger food ideas. Now let's discuss the holiday party foods prep.

Two days prior to the party, shop for the ingredients and pre-set your buffet using various fabrics, dried flowers and holiday ribbons for decor. On party day, if you get the chance, pick up some fresh flowers as well.

One day before the party, start to prep the holiday party foods. Make the artichoke bruschetta and olive tapenade and place in air-tight containers. If you don't buy your cranberry chutney relish, then prepare that as well along with the salmon mousse, red pepper humus and remoulade.

Morning of event, assemble the easy finger foods. Be sure to use plastic wrap to keep the quesadillas, mini turkey sandwiches, ham canap矇s and cucumber cups fresh and tasty. Place the chips, pita bread pieces and toasts in baskets and cover with plastic. Set in serving bowls the bruschetta and tapenade, cover with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator.

2 hours prior to guest arrival, stuff the cucumber cups and place the tray in the fridge wrapped with plastic to keep fresh. 30 minutes prior to guest arrival, dab a bit of the remoulade on the ham canap矇s, spread the chutney on the turkey sandwiches and then set out the holiday party foods.

Finger food ideas for the quesadillas - you can either lightly pan fry them or for a more low-cal alternative bake them in the oven. Be sure not to forget to set up the desserts and your hot coco bar.

I hope you picked up some finger food ideas for your holiday party foods this season. Remember, either buying or making easy finger foods will allow you to enjoy the party as well. Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, stylish, fun and economical to all!

Planning an event that runs smoothly requires attention to detail and coordination and above all it requires a lot of help from a lot of people. If you are new to event planning and you've been put in charge of planning an important event such as a wedding, the first thing you need to realize is that you can't do it on your own. You are going to need help. The best decision you make will be your decision to hire a professional event planner. It will be money well spent.

If you're not sure where to look, try asking at local event rental shops. Many of them have staff event professionals that can help you plan the special day. When you meet with your event planner, he or she can help you make important decisions. One of the most important decisions you'll be making is the venue, or the place where you'll be holding the event. Your planner can help you look through several options and choose the best one. Depending on whether your venue is indoors or outdoors, you may need to rent dining tables, serving tables, and chairs. The venue may not provide them at an outdoor venue. If you are using an event planner from the rental place, that should be no problem. Also, an outdoor event is subject to changes in the weather so a large event tent is a good idea as well. It will not only shield you from rain but direct sunlight as well. If you're in charge of a big event, hiring an event planner is your best move.

With the season of merrymaking knocking at the door and Thanksgiving waiting to strike the opening bell, invitations are being extended everywhere and menus are being finalized. Soon the holiday season will begin and the offices will remain closed; but how about organizing a party at your office just before that? The workplace is after all where you spend a major part of your day; so, why not make it a part of your celebrations too? With a host of modern-day event management solutions available it is not at all difficult to plan a Thanksgiving office party. Simply opt for the best Thanksgiving party registration solution, and the rest will simply fall in place.

Here are a few Thanksgiving office party tricks, which you may consider depending on the size of your workplace:

Let us start with smaller party plans. For example, if you are working in a relatively large organization with numerous departments, and you want to restrict your celebration to your own department, coordinate pot luck amongst your colleagues. Include all the must-have food areas such as turkey, cranberry sauce, assorted salads, drinks, and desserts, and your colleagues will just love it. You can manage the invitations and food arrangement on your own with a little help from a few of your acquaintances, but it always helps if you opt for a Thanksgiving event registration solution which also has an in-built emailing tool to send out quick invites.

The software makes the registration process much simpler allowing your guests to access the online forms at their own time of convenience. Online registration also makes managing the accounts more accurate and convenient. If you create an account with the solution provider for the Thanksgiving purpose, it will be easier for your guests to deposit their contributions online. If you are in charge of keeping accounts, this system will, in turn, enable you to keep a track on which of your colleagues have already contributed and who are still left to pay the amount fixed for the potluck.

Creating an account for a purpose such as this might seem like an extravagant investment, but then you should not forget that Thanksgiving is an annual occasion. Next year, when you will be assigned with the task of planning a similar event before the Thanksgiving Day, this account will come in so handy. So, go ahead with the plan and enable your guests to make the payment online, a mode they are most comfortable availing.

Now, coming to slightly large scale Thanksgiving parties, the event registration solution will surely be your best choice to zero in on such an occasion. You can create and publish a thanksgiving event and party registration page online with the help of the software in minutes. The page can be customized with signature Thanksgiving themes such as autumn leaves, a scarecrow's face, pumpkins, cornucopia, or a pilgrim's hat, apart from the usual office logo, and tiered pricing categories.

By accessing this page anytime during the day, attendees will be able to get the information about the party and the venue and make their payment decisions accordingly. The best part of the online registration software is that it includes an embedded email messaging and a host of other productivity tools. You will be able to send as many invitations, reminders, and RSVPs as you want to across the departments by using this application and set up an online calendar for your guests to regularly follow the updates. Finally, for promoting the event within your office to encourage maximum participation you can make use of the facilities such as the social media platforms, promo codes, discounts, and waitlist manager, which come embedded with the Thanksgiving party registration software.

Whether you're planning an event for 100 or 10,000, wristbands are an invaluable tool in making sure your event runs smoothly. In fact, whether you choose Tyvek wristbands, paper wristbands, custom wristbands, plastic wristbands, or vinyl wristbands, simply using these simple identifiers can alleviate a number of potential problems during your event. The versatility of wristbands means that you can use them anytime you need a visual identifier. Here are some examples of the myriad of ways you can use wristbands:

Age or height identifier: Wristbands can be used at venues to identify minors in order to prevent them from purchasing alcoholic beverages. They can also be used in amusement parks when there are height restrictions to certain rides. Tyvek wristbands have the advantage of being waterproof, and so can be used for water parks.

Admissions: When you use wristbands, you can sell day passes for events or amusements. Guests will appreciate not having to fumble for tickets, and workers will save time by easily identifying those who have paid for a pass. If you are holding a conference that spans several days, you can use wristbands of a different color each day so that registrars can tell at a glance whether the attendee is registered for a given day's events.

Child-Parent Protection: Twin wristbands are ideal for situations where it's necessary to identify parents of children. Daycare centers, preschools, and amusement venues for small children all need to ensure that a child is leaving with an adult who is his or her parent or guardian.

Group Day Trips: Whether it's a school field trip or a day trip to a casino, it's important to be able to identify those with your group. Being able to check wristbands ensure that the proper individuals are boarding the proper busses, and allow for an easy head count to make sure no one is left behind.

Commemoration: If you're planning Red Ribbon Week at a school, you can issue wristbands to those students who pledge to participate. Likewise, you can use wristbands as a way for people who have committed to a cause or an ideal to self-identify.

Wristbands are made from a number of different materials, such as Tyvek wristbands, paper wristbands, plastic wristbands, and vinyl wristbands. Which material you choose depends upon your budget and the type of event you're planning.

Best of all, wristbands can be easily customized. Although there are a number of preprinted wristbands on the market, you can order custom wristbands with the name of your company or event. Custom wristbands can also include bar codes, logos, and other special text.

Face to face networking is one of the best ways to find real prospects for your business. Most business owners hate these types of events because they can't see any real value in it. You spend all day away from your business and you go home with no sales leads, instead you have a bunch of business cards from people that want you to buy something.

A day or even a half day is a long time to be away from your business so if you are going to do it, be sure that it is worth your while. Below is a list of 5 networking mistakes that entrepreneurs and CEOs often make that typically keep them from finding qualified prospects or sales leads.

I Can't Believe I Attended That

Being in the wrong place is almost always the problem with face to face networking for business owners. Many of us (I have been guilty of this one) signup for the wrong type of event. Let's take the Virtual Assistant for example; it is not a smart idea to register for an event in which the key speaker will talk about Time Management for The Virtual Assistant if you are only going in search for new business.

This may be great training for you, but if you want find good prospects, you have to attend events in their industry. If your ideal client is a realtor, you should be attending events that are tailored to the real estate industry.

Weak Pitch

The first time you meet a potential client, you want to leave them with a great impression of you and your business. At networking events, you only have a short amount of time to let people know who you are, what you do and what makes you different.

Before you attend an event, you should already have a dynamic elevator pitch created. I will elaborate more on creating an effective elevator pitch at a later date but to get you started remember that your pitch should be:

1. No longer than 60 seconds, although I recommend staying around 30 seconds

2. Targeted to your ideal prospect

3. Focused on the outcome or results you provide for your clients

No Cards or Promotional Material

The tackiest thing I have ever seen at an event is someone writing their contact details on a napkin and handing it to me. That says two things; the first being that they are not prepared and the second is that they are not professional. I know that things happen but if you are going to an event, don't show up without some type of promotional information, even if it's just a business card.

If you ordered some items and they haven't arrived the day before your event, run to a same day printing shop and have 50 to 100 business or postcards printed up. Remember that it's all about appearances and you don't want people to assume that you are not capable of delivering professional, high quality work.

What Are You Wearing?

Dress accordingly, if it says business casual, don't wear sweats or a three-piece suit. The event planner should be able to tell you in advance what type of dress is appropriate. This may seem silly to some of you, but following the dress code says that you know how to take instruction and are reliable.

Be on Time

Do not show up late for an event, especially if it is an event where everyone is sitting down. You will get noticed, but not in a good way. Being late says to prospects that your delivery time will be unreliable as well.

There are tons of other tips out there that can help you make networking events a gold mine for your business, this list is a great place to start. I hope this information has been helpful and I wish you tons of success at your next event.

Selling tickets manually is not an easy job - you must hire somebody to sit at the ticket counter for a number of days issuing tickets as well as handling cash payments. The task doesn't end here. The staff then has to update ticketing lists manually to keep statistics and book of accounts up-to-date. Moreover, individuals have to travel all the way to the ticket counter in person to buy tickets of their favorite show, festival or sporting event. Furthermore, in the absence of an update system, there exists a great possibility that the event may be a sell out and you may not be able to purchase any tickets even after travelling all the distance to the counter. Event organizers can tackle such situations and additionally derive more benefits by implementing and utilizing an online ticketing solution.

Now, what is this online ticketing solution all about? Let's find it out in detail.

Customized Ticketing Page

Event planners can customize their online event ticketing page by adding colors and attractive graphics. The planners can change the overall layout of each page as well as add a company logo/banner to professionalize the page. Many online payment companies offer add-on services that will help to design the ticketing page similar to that of your company website.

Sell Multiple Event Tickets

You can create a wide range of ticket types to meet your event goals. For example, you can upload VIP tickets, 'Early Bird' tickets, and member-only tickets, and so on with different price tags as and when required.

Promote It

Try to use social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on) to promote your festivals, family shows or sporting events online. Free promotion on these social media websites will help you attract a large number of audiences to your events page and will generate interest in them. This may lead up higher number of tickets being booked or sold for upcoming programs.

Built-in Credit Card Processing

Selling tickets online comes with the benefit of collecting payment online. In other words, you can let people pay you via their credit / debit / charge cards, Wire Transfers, PayPal and so on. Online ticketing solution offers real-time authorization and processing of payments made via this method. Thus, using a Cloud-based ticketing software can help you eliminate the problem of receiving and managing cash and paper checks. Processing refunds incase of cancellations is also any easy affair when using an online payment system.

Generate Detailed Reports

Cloud-based ticketing solution lets you easily generate several online customer and sales reports in almost no time. You can quickly gather sales and details of individual customers from the online ticketing database which stores all information automatically for use by the event organizer anytime, 24x7.

Most importantly, converting to an online payment management solution completely eliminates any kind of accounting discrepancies that may occur in case of manual processes in place.

Early planning is by far the simplest most effective way to ensure your birthday party is a success. Millions of birthday parties go on all around the world everyday and it is not surprising at all that many fall down on a number of key planning tasks. It is in fact one of the most noticeable aspects of any party. Like yourself, I have attended quite a large number of birthday parties, most of which were remembered clearly as a great success and a smaller number that were unfortunately hailed as an absolute disaster. One memorable birthday party failure that I attended was of a very close friend of mine. The organizer of the event completely forgot to book a DJ for the event and so was left the day before the party frantically ringing around DJ rental companies looking for a quick fix. As you can imagine, a home CD player did not quite have the best effect and the one aspect most noticeable to the guests was the very poor planning.

To ensure your party goes off without a hitch and that it is truly enjoyed by all who attend, there are a number of high priority tasks that must organized and completed two to three months before the big day.

Delegate responsibility
Doing everything by yourself can be considerably frustrating and it can lead down the path of forgetting tasks when you have a lot on your plate. A very simple yet effective way of ensuring a task gets completed is to delegate responsibility to a number of people. If the organizing parties involved know exactly what they have to do and the time frame they have to complete it within, a party plan begins to take shape. Furthermore, people are subconsciously encouraged to complete their tasks when other people are completing their tasks. It has a simple effect of getting the ball rolling.

Establish a Theme
Establishing a birthday party theme is one of the most overlooked birthday party ideas and when done successfully it will not only ensure an enjoyable day for everyone but a very memorable occasion for all who attend. The Internet is packed full of birthday theme ideas, do your research and remember to check the theme is acknowledged by the birthday boy or girl.

Send Birthday Invitations Early
Guests are the focal point of all parties. Without the people to attend it will not matter how well everything else is planned. One primary task that should be completed early involves preparing a list of possible guests. Doing this early leaves time to add people who may have been forgotten and it generates the anticipation factor for all family members are friends. When the list has been compiled, send the party invitations to each guest on the list. Be sure to outline whose birthday party it is, the theme of the party, the location of the event, the date and time of expected arrival and a vital contact number for those who will not be able to make it. Simple guest planning can go a long way.

Birthday Supplies and Accessories
When the three tasks above have been set in motion, it is now the right time to begin organizing the aesthetics of the party, such as the birthday party supplies and accessories. Order the party DJ early, agreeing the time and date of the party. It will also be necessary to contact the DJ a week before the big day to confirm his attendance. At this stage you may provide the DJ with the genres of music that he should play, whether it be rock music or commercial pop or dance music, every person has their own tastes. Hiring a DJ for the occasion will not only ensure music is played, but in most cases these hiring companies also provide fantastic lighting that will greatly amplify the atmosphere on the big day.

Next on the list is to select and order a birthday cake. Most organizers tend to buy a birthday cake that has some form of custom personalization on the top layer. I've seen cakes with footballers, pop stars to fully fledged pictures of the birthday boy or girl. Custom cakes may take days to build, be sure to get in contact with the cake supplier or bakery early so as to avoid disappointment.

To complete the perfect setting on each table at the birthday, you may wish to buy birthday hats, streamers and balloons. People can nuts on party supplies as they are by far the cheapest elements of the party and can be picked up online from near to nothing. Adding randomly placed whoopee cushions under seat cushions is also being used to get that kick and early bit of fun for the kids, even before all of the guests arrive! Buying an electric balloon pump will save you a lot of time and hassle on the important day. Typically, the last thing you want to be doing on the day is pumping balloons, have some fun and enjoy the great build up to your birthday party.

An event can refer to a birthday party, weddings, a personal party or something similar. When thinking about hosting a lively and captivating one or social gathering that you can also enjoy, think about hiring a professional event planner. Planning any such activity requires focus, good management and much work, whether it a low-key personal affair or a large corporate event.

Hiring a professional planner to work out the details of an event will often precipitate the best possible outcome, with very minimal or no mistakes. When deciding from among the available event planners, look out for the following features. Any good event planner has resource knowledge of materials and goods, as well as knowledge of prices for such things. They know the highest and lowest market prices and they know where to get quality goods and services.

For example, a wedding planner will literally purchase and plan for everything, from the wedding cake and flowers, to transportation and honeymoon reservations. All you and your guests have to do is show up. This saves a lot of time and money. They also relieve stress from the party host by making them feel relaxed and totally stress free, providing exclusive management from beginning to end.

A professional event planner also offers great and unique ideas to make any of this type of activity memorable. They usually have original, imaginative and creative ideas for all events. A good, experienced planner will have more than enough experience to bring the party to fruition.

When scheduling for the different components of the party, a good planner is time efficient, knowing how much time the pastry chef, caterer, florist and decorators are likely to need. They can look for suitable indoor or outdoor venues to host special events and will have a back up plan in case of inclement weather. They intricately understand the set standards and are familiar with party contracts. This can really save a lot of money.

Get a professional event planner that comprehends your budget and can easily allocate the available money to host a stunning happening. The majority of professional event planners are grouped into an event management company and have affiliates that provide other different party planning needs, such as music, photographers, DJ's and caterers. Good planners listen first, and then act. They run the show but understand the host has the final word. Make sure to book at least 6 months before the special activity to get quality services and value.

A baby shower is a simple yet important event that many first-time mommies should experience before giving birth. Since it has to be a memorable event, there must be a creative and well-organized baby shower planning. In order to do this, there are some important tips that a planner should take note to deliver a wonderful shower for the mom-to-be client.

To start with, it is best advised for the shower planner to have an interview with the client to determine their preferences and to give them idea about the best things that can be done in order to achieve a successful party. Some of the important preferred things that must be finalized are the theme, venue, and the schedule. If the client has not yet decided for the theme of the party, the baby shower planner may show some pictures of previously held parties that can be used as examples. For the schedule of the party, the ideal date is on a Saturday or Sunday that is 2 to 4 weeks before the due of the baby's birth. It is also important in baby shower planning to know the number of people to be invited so that the planner can help the client choose which venue is suitable for the event and determine whether it is available on the chosen schedule.

Upon finalization of those preferences, the focus of the planner can be given to the processing of the invitations to be sent 5 or 6 weeks before the date of the event. An ideal invitation should at least include the date, time, and venue of the event. It should also indicate that it is a baby shower and the design must be related to the theme of the party.

After that, the baby shower planner can start giving attention to the decorations, activities, foods, and party gifts. As a suggestion, it is better to start planning with the food because giving priority to the food budget will significantly help the planner to determine how much should be spent for the other expenses for the party. About the decoration, an effective baby shower planning should involve creativity in making use of various baby stuff such as alphabet blocks, baby pillows, crib and extra-large safety pins as decors. Colorful balloons and rainbows are also good decorations but all of them must be arranged according to the party theme. It is also necessary for the planner to exert effort in organizing the technical aspect such as the sounds and lightings.

There is no standard itinerary for a shower program but the planner should make one that is well-arranged according to the given conditions. An example of a baby shower program itinerary starts with a welcome period, then to the mingle period and some ice breakers and games. The meal is ideally at the middle of the event and at the end, there should be something that will surprise the client by presenting some touching messages and videos or slideshows.

Moreover, an effective baby shower planning is not just about having too much expenses. The main concern should be on how the first-time mommy will be touched by the people around her and be prepared for the upcoming giving birth.

Choosing party favors is a difficult task. You have to stay within your budget; however, you want to give something that the kids would appreciate. Most moms are tired of receiving the same stuffs in the party bags. Stickers and small toys no more interest the kids, as they have got enough of them. These days parents do not want their kids to eat a lot of chocolates; therefore, a candy box is again not a good option. You must give something that the kids don't get frequently and can use them. Here are some suggestions for choosing party favors for your daughter's princess birthday party.

Customized coloring book

Kids love coloring and therefore, you can always consider giving them themed coloring book. Customize and decorate it to make it look appealing. You can also make these coloring books at home by taking printouts of various princesses and then binding them using pink ribbons. For making the covers, cut tulle fabric and paste it on a white paper to make it a bit sturdy. Use pink colored tulle to give it a royal look. At first glance, the little princesses would not be able to make out that it's a coloring book. On the first page, print the picture of your daughter and also write your 'thank you' message.

Princess beauty kit

For very young girls who cannot paint, you can make a beauty kit consisting of a fruit flavored lip gloss, a royal looking mirror, a pink comb, some hair accessories, and much more. Put all these things in a pink pack or make a pink pouch out of silk and decorate it with ribbons, lace etc. Even though this is time consuming, the moms will surely appreciate these interesting princess birthday party ideas.

Tiara photo frame

Buy inexpensive photo frames from dollar store. Make tiaras from pink cardstock, the size should be enough to cover the rim of the upper side. Decorate them as beautifully as you can, using the materials available at the craft stores. Now stick these tiaras using glue on the upper border of the photo frames. When the kids arrive, take their close-up pictures and later insert these into the photo frames. You can also have a tiara making activity for the kids and use these tiaras for decorating the photo frames. When done, this party favor will look so cute that you would not want to give them away. This will be a good keepsake that they can have with them for years.

Sippy cups:

This will be good for both toddlers as well as kids. Buy the plain pink colored Sippy cups and decorate it with stickers of tiaras, princesses, magic wands, etc. You can also approach a company that deals with personalized products and ask them to customize these cups by putting your daughter's picture on it. Dress up your daughter as a princess and take her pictures. Use the best one to customize the cups. This awesome party favors will surely impress the mommies as well as the kids.

Apart from the main favor, you can also buy the other princess birthday party supplies such as stickers, wands, tiaras, etc. and use them to fill the loot bags. Make sure you choose party favors according to the age of the child.