5 key factors to consider when planning your event

When you are planning an event for your personal life or business, there are a lot of factors and details to consider. It can be easy to miss a detail that won’t seem important until the day of your event. Knowing some key questions to ask can help alleviate stress and help you to prepare accordingly. I’ve listed a few below to help get your plans rolling!

What environment would best serve you?
What venues would best serve the objectives of your event or meeting? While in Calgary there is always the thought of where to park, it is prudent to consider travel routes at the time of the event, access for those with physical disabilities, and how you are going to interact with the attendees during the event.

Is there a need for outside catering or is there an on-site option?
Sometime there are restrictions associated with the venue, which need to be taken into consideration. Also, attendees’ dietary restrictions should be accommodated whenever possible. If you ask attendees when they register or RSVP, you can build a list that can be shared with your team.

Are there additional vendors needed for SWAG, staff, or audio visual components?
Is your event going to need a projector and screen or laptop connection? Maybe your venue does not provide a wireless internet connection or they require a notification in order for them to bring in extra staff.

What, if any, licenses or permits are required for the project?
This may be a task to procure a liquor license or more complicated as obtaining permits from the city council office. Either way, these could mean a big problem if not procured by the time of your event and posted publicly in your venue.

How will ticketing and attendance be processed?
Often this can be set up easily and quickly by using one of the myriad of tools available online to process ticketing and registering attendees. There are free/low cost options available to professionals and the general public. As well, there are more robust solutions available to event organizers.

These considerations are ideally taken into account whenever planning any event – even ones such as an annual general meeting, board meeting, marketing launch, corporate event, or awards program. As always, proper planning and preparation will work to ensure your success!

BIO
Stacey Perlin is an events freelancer based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She combines a background in communications & marketing with 15+ years working in the film and television industry. Proficient with both online and offline tactics, she creates experiences that organically reflect her client’s story and culture. She is currently specializing in creating, executing, and managing corporate and special events. For more information, please see her profile on LinkedIn http://ca.linkedin.com/in/staceyperlin or her prezi via http://bit.ly/SmashingDahling.

Marketing Strategy and Fly Fishing

Even Though It’s Snowing Outside It’s Good To Be Thinking About Fishing

I am the President and Lead Consultant for JRC Limited. For me, the focal points of developing an effective marketing strategy are listening to the needs and understanding the challenges faced by a business and its customers. Your marketing strategy must deliver the right information to the right people in the right way. Any errors in this alignment reduce the odds of success and your marketing spend becomes an expense as opposed to an investment in growth. We are always intent on understanding these connections first – then developing your strategy.

I also happen to be an avid fly fisherman, and see parallels between my professional philosophy and my approach to my main free-time passion. I apply the same belief in the importance of observing and learning before acting – both on the river and in helping our clients develop marketing strategy.

Understanding the environment is required to catch fish on a fly. Conditions on the river constantly change and the foods fish want to consume change based on availability, season, water temperature and weather. Your company also needs to adapt to changing market conditions and the changing and evolving needs of its customers. Effective communications strategies are based on insight into how your customers’ businesses are moving with the market.

Using my insight, experience and carefully developed understanding of client needs and market complexities, I has an exceptional track record in developing profitable strategies, marketing plans and growth initiatives. I’ve spent over 28 years in the agency world in Canada, the United States and Australia, working at a senior management level at national and international firms. This includes work with a wide variety of organizations on the development and execution of brand and marketing strategies, including Fortune 100 companies.

I love to discuss marketing strategy and, not surprisingly, fly fishing. And I’m a very good listener, so if you are interested in discussing marketing and brand strategy, or just want to talk about fishing the Bow River, I would welcome your call. Even if it’s late on a summer evening, when there might be a few big fish rising – I’ve always got my cell phone handy.