Dear appreciated reader,
I have moved! Please continue to read my blog posts at http://thechicagoeventplanner.com
You can still reach out to me with any questions, concerns or interests for guest posts at thechicagoeventplanner@gmail.com
Happy Planning!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Ask The Right Questions - An Article from FastCompany
When I find a great article it seems rude not to share. "The One Conversation Tool That Will Make You Better at Absolutely Everything" may or may not make you better at everything, but it's certainly worth a read! http://www.fastcompany.com/3003945/one-conversational-tool-will-make-you-better-absolutely-everything
Monday, January 7, 2013
Building Powerful Relationships with Content Marketing
Steven H. Klinghoffer, President of WPI Communications, Inc. is sharing his wisdom as a guest blogger of The Chicago Event Planner.
Regardless of the nature of your business, you may have heard the words “content marketing” or “relationship-based marketing” in recent years. They have become buzzwords lately. For 28 years I have helped businesses market themselves with editorial content and I know the method to be tried and true—not a fad. Back then we called it newsletter marketing, today we might also call it Internet, e-mail or social media marketing. Regardless of what you label it, today’s marketing comes down to the idea that content is king.
Marketing has always been about relationships and for today’s marketers, the single best way to maintain relationships with clients and prospects is with content marketing. The rules of traditional advertising have changed. The people you work with and want to work with are skeptical of most marketing—they’re not looking to be sold. They’re looking for practical solutions to their problems.
By providing valuable content, you can be there to meet their needs and build relationships. Whether it’s a blog, eNewsletter, printed newsletter or social media, a content marketing strategy can build powerful relationships and generate results.
Here are four tips to make your content marketing work for you:
1. It’s about them, NOT you.
The focus of traditional advertising is often “me, me, me,” but the truth is that your clients care much less about you than they do about what you can do for them. That’s what makes content marketing so powerful. An accountant, for example, can blog about new changes to tax laws or focus a newsletter on end-of-year tax planning. A dentist can develop content related to the latest breakthroughs in treatment options and provide links to this with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media.
By informing your audience, you’ll demonstrate that you are the expert they should trust, not the one simply trying to sell them.
2. Lead with value.
Remember that it’s about them and your content marketing will best meet the needs of your readers. Ask yourself, will my clients, patients or partners care about this? Why will this matter to them? These questions will help you keep the focus on information they will value. And they’ll remember you for it.
3. Keep at it.
Sometimes if they don’t see instant results, businesses can become discouraged with their content marketing strategy. While you often won’t know the full long-range impact of your blogs, newsletters or social media posts, remember that quality content is doing something very powerful: It consistently reinforces the idea that you’re the expert. It also keeps you top of mind with your audience.
Be consistent and you will see results.
4. Measure results.
Although you won’t know the full impact of your content marketing strategy, you must still monitor and measure results.
If you’re blogging, your blog will need to be monitored to ensure that comments and questions are addressed. You should also track subscribers to RSS feeds, if you provide them. Analytics into the types of articles people are reading on your blog will be especially helpful for you when determining future content. (Remember, it’s about them!)
Newsletters, especially eNewsletters, are very easy to monitor and often come with comprehensive reader reports, such as articles clicked, articles forwarded, the names of subscribers who open newsletters, and other useful data. You’ll know the topics of greatest interest to your readers, and you’ll know how many readers are clicking back to your Website.
Social media, of course, is quite measurable, because you can see the shares, comments and new followers. Comments and feedback received through these tools can be very telling.
Beyond these, measure the impact of your content marketing strategy for other positive“bumps.” If a newsletter includes a special offer, note the number of people who opt in. If the blog announces a new service, track the inbound inquiries you receive. By measuring these activities, you’ll have an even better understanding of your content marketing success.
Your clients and prospects represent a relationship gold mine. The best way to mine those treasures is to provide them with meaningful content that demonstrates that you’re the expert they should trust.
Steve Klinghoffer, with his wife, Lori, founded WPI Communications, Inc., in 1984. He helps professionals market their practices through a wide range of editorial-based tools such as client and patient newsletters, referral-generating newslettersand Web site content. Over the past 28 years, Steve has worked with thousands of physicians, dentists, physical therapists, accountants, attorneys, financial planners and other professionals to help them build their practices.
Friday, January 4, 2013
January 2013 Conventions
Be sure to stay on top of this month's conventions! While January tends to be slow, the Chicago Boat Show is expected to bring in nearly 75,000 attendees. The Chicago Tourism & Convention Bureau helpfully provides a list of Chicago Conventions so be sure to check it out here!
http://www.choosechicago.com/meeting-professionals/convention-calendar/?segcodeid=0&startdate=01%2F01%2F2013&enddate=01%2F31%2F2013®ionid=0&orderdir=asc&orderby=arrival1&maxshow=9999
http://www.choosechicago.com/meeting-professionals/convention-calendar/?segcodeid=0&startdate=01%2F01%2F2013&enddate=01%2F31%2F2013®ionid=0&orderdir=asc&orderby=arrival1&maxshow=9999
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
How to be a Creative Event Planner
The word "Creative" gets thrown around a lot in the event planning industry. So how do you define what it means to be creative and better yet, how do you BECOME creative? It's really quite easy: switch the word creativity with resourcefulnes. Creativity is a pretty open-ended term for being able to think outside the box and on your feet, putting things together and having a successful event. While creativity suggests that you are able to just pull things out of thin air, to really be the kind of event planner that gets labeled as creative, you need to expand your resource pool. Part of what I love about writing this blog is the fact that it requires me to do research, meet other people and learn new ideas. When you take the time to learn about the people you work with and how they operate (i.e. vendors), you can foresee some of the challenges that may or may not work in your situation. Then instead of trying 10 different options to see what works you can jump ahead and operate more efficiently. So here are 4 tips to help you become more creative (aka resourceful) and a successful event planner.
1. Be Talkative
In events, hospitality and entertainment personality is key. Event Planners tend to be outgoing and friendly individuals. Use those qualities you already have to get to know your clients, vendors and people you interact with. Apply it to something valuable to your own career. Rather than just remembering the names of their kids or a birthday (not that that isn't important), take an extra 5 minutes to learn about that person's trade or line of work. ASK questions. "Can you accommodate this?" "What would you do for a situation like..." You don't need to have a list of scenarios on you at all times, but make the effort to know as much as you can. If you do this for most of your encounters on a daily basis you'll be surprised how much you can learn.
2. Really Learn Your Own Industry
There are so many aspects of event planning and it all varies. Even if you've been working in the same field for 20 years things change. Don't assume you know everything about it just because you've been doing it awhile. Clients are always impressed by the latest and the greatest. (Why do you think Apple has new products all the time?) Make the effort to learn about the trends for the year and what is happening in your industry NOW. If you can combine the knowledge you gain from being talkative with the most recent trends of your industry you will be on top of things and ahead of the game!
3.Try to Learn Other Industries
In Events, things tend to overlap. While your primary focus should be learning about your own area, where you can really push into your resourcefulness is by learning how it works in other industries. You may be a great meeting planner, but you could be better by incorporating new or creative ideas from a technical trade show for example. There are innovative people in every industry and if you can creatively replicate those ideas into your own field of work, you're proving that you can spice things up and add something fresh and new to the usual -- something creative.
4. Volunteer
While all of us are undoubtedly busy, for most people there is some down time - even if it's short and sweet. The main component for building your creative skills is knowledge. Take your skill set and offer to volunteer for a local non-profit. Whether it's fundraising or putting together a small event or just participating in something, this will give you an opportunity to learn about a completely new area depending on the organization you choose. (www.chicagononprofit.org is great resource for find a non-profit organization to work with in the Chicago area.)
Go outside your comfort zone and pick a non-profit that is different than your usual interests (if you are normally a women's shelter kind of person, choose something with Vets or medical). Not only will you be a helpful member of society and give something to those who need it, but you will have another outlet for creativity.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
5 Organizational Tips to Prepare for the Holidays
For most people involved in the event planning & hospitality world this is a busy time of year (and to be fair, anyone in retail too). So how do you prepare for the holiday rush? By being really super organized. It's obvious but it's true. I've noticed the difference in the workload of my daily routine between this year and the last simply by developing little techniques specific to my work that help me keep track of everything. Not everyone works the same way, but here are 5 tips that have helped me and will hopefully help you too this holiday season.
1. Create Deadlines
Whether for yourself or a client, make sure you have deadlines for everything. In my case this is usually related to menus/food choices. Because I work on multiple dinners/events at once, I recently got into the habit of saying events from this date to that date must have all information to me by xx--xx date. This allows me to carve out a specific day a week for maybe 10-30 minutes that I can review upcoming events and follow up with everyone rather than have separate dates for every single event that are due every day. Condensing follow up dates makes it easy to remain consistent and also account for the fact that you can't do everything every day. Since I've done this, I've found that my workload has been simplified ten fold. I still have to do the work, but I'm on top of it!
2. Use your calendar.
Outlook, google calendar, whatever. Use it! For the above deadlines I put whatever date I use as the due date in my calendar as a reminder that I am responsible for following up with clients. Most people know to use their calendars for client appointments, meetings, etc. I think it's equally important to use it as a tool to maintain your tasks & responsibilities. I'm a big fan of google calendar because of how easily it can sync to all of your devices so reminders pop up all the time and are unavoidable.
If you already are a solid calendar user, think about how you're using it. I try to use it as a way to be productive, not just remember things. I create weekly reminders in addition to specific events/meetings, etc. because no matter how routine you are, there's a chance you'll forget something. This is especially great if you need to double check delivery arrivals or any time-sensitive item that is out of the ordinary.
3. Create Checklists
You know what you're working on. You know there's always that question that you sometimes miss when talking to a client or vendor. So create a list. Even if it's a Sunday morning you have free, get your coffee and get to work. If you have a handy checklist covering every topic you need then you can be sure it's done. Have a print out if needed when reviewing final details. Then you can date when you covered these details and make sure you covered your bases. Maybe section an hour or 2 after you've created deadlines and put it in your calendar that you need to go through all your upcoming events and comb through these little details with your clients. It will keep you efficient and hopefully from losing your head amongst the holiday madness when you're sure your brain just wants to quit.
4. Delegate
It's great to be organized, have patterns, deadlines and checklists, but depending on where you work and what you do sometimes the best thing to be able to do is delegate the work and projects. Make a note in your calendar "follow up with Sandy on wrap ups," but let Sandy do it. Even the most organized people in the world can't do everything his or herself. When busy, well-orchestrated delegation may be the best way to make sure you get through everything successfully.
5. Keep Important Things Within Sight
When you get busy, like really super crazy busy, you need to keep the most important things in your line of vision. On more than one occasion I've had a stack of "need attention files" that at some point I go "holy crap, this is in 2 days and I don't have [item]!" That's because when I get swamped I sort of shove those things to the side, assuming it's not the most imperative thing because, didn't I just check that stack yesterday? Everyday I make a list for things I need to do the night before. This list I write in my notebook which sits out in my line of vision so I can review it every day first thing when I get into work. Most of it is the same stuff I do everyday but the point is that I need to do it everyday. I try to include little projects or details that maybe I didn't finish the day before. While my calendar notes are helpful I am a person who learns and remembers by writing things down. Maybe for you keeping things in sight is when the reminder pops up on your screen. I also just put post-its on my desk. Point blank, color-coded, crazy-librarian post-it notes. No matter how you do it, it's hard to forget something that's in your face. That can be a life saver when you're trying to prioritize a giganta-stack of work. Trust me.
1. Create Deadlines
Whether for yourself or a client, make sure you have deadlines for everything. In my case this is usually related to menus/food choices. Because I work on multiple dinners/events at once, I recently got into the habit of saying events from this date to that date must have all information to me by xx--xx date. This allows me to carve out a specific day a week for maybe 10-30 minutes that I can review upcoming events and follow up with everyone rather than have separate dates for every single event that are due every day. Condensing follow up dates makes it easy to remain consistent and also account for the fact that you can't do everything every day. Since I've done this, I've found that my workload has been simplified ten fold. I still have to do the work, but I'm on top of it!
2. Use your calendar.
Outlook, google calendar, whatever. Use it! For the above deadlines I put whatever date I use as the due date in my calendar as a reminder that I am responsible for following up with clients. Most people know to use their calendars for client appointments, meetings, etc. I think it's equally important to use it as a tool to maintain your tasks & responsibilities. I'm a big fan of google calendar because of how easily it can sync to all of your devices so reminders pop up all the time and are unavoidable.
If you already are a solid calendar user, think about how you're using it. I try to use it as a way to be productive, not just remember things. I create weekly reminders in addition to specific events/meetings, etc. because no matter how routine you are, there's a chance you'll forget something. This is especially great if you need to double check delivery arrivals or any time-sensitive item that is out of the ordinary.
3. Create Checklists
You know what you're working on. You know there's always that question that you sometimes miss when talking to a client or vendor. So create a list. Even if it's a Sunday morning you have free, get your coffee and get to work. If you have a handy checklist covering every topic you need then you can be sure it's done. Have a print out if needed when reviewing final details. Then you can date when you covered these details and make sure you covered your bases. Maybe section an hour or 2 after you've created deadlines and put it in your calendar that you need to go through all your upcoming events and comb through these little details with your clients. It will keep you efficient and hopefully from losing your head amongst the holiday madness when you're sure your brain just wants to quit.
4. Delegate
It's great to be organized, have patterns, deadlines and checklists, but depending on where you work and what you do sometimes the best thing to be able to do is delegate the work and projects. Make a note in your calendar "follow up with Sandy on wrap ups," but let Sandy do it. Even the most organized people in the world can't do everything his or herself. When busy, well-orchestrated delegation may be the best way to make sure you get through everything successfully.
5. Keep Important Things Within Sight
When you get busy, like really super crazy busy, you need to keep the most important things in your line of vision. On more than one occasion I've had a stack of "need attention files" that at some point I go "holy crap, this is in 2 days and I don't have [item]!" That's because when I get swamped I sort of shove those things to the side, assuming it's not the most imperative thing because, didn't I just check that stack yesterday? Everyday I make a list for things I need to do the night before. This list I write in my notebook which sits out in my line of vision so I can review it every day first thing when I get into work. Most of it is the same stuff I do everyday but the point is that I need to do it everyday. I try to include little projects or details that maybe I didn't finish the day before. While my calendar notes are helpful I am a person who learns and remembers by writing things down. Maybe for you keeping things in sight is when the reminder pops up on your screen. I also just put post-its on my desk. Point blank, color-coded, crazy-librarian post-it notes. No matter how you do it, it's hard to forget something that's in your face. That can be a life saver when you're trying to prioritize a giganta-stack of work. Trust me.
Have a question about event planning? Have a great tip, information or a story to share? Post it to my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheChicagoEventPlan
For questions, business inquiries, comments, etc. send an email to thechicagoeventplanner@gmail.com
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Cvent- 10 Themes for Corporate Events
Love to share great articles from other blogs. Here is one from Cvent for Corporate Event Themes.
http://blog.Cvent.com/blog/executiveoasis/event-themes
http://blog.Cvent.com/blog/executiveoasis/event-themes
Monday, November 5, 2012
Events & Conferences for November 2012
Holiday season is upon us. That means lots of upcoming events on top of business as usual. Make sure you know what's going on this month while you're making your Thanksgiving plans and getting in holiday shopping somewhere between planning and organizing events.
To help you stay on track and in the know, below are links to Chicago Traveler and eventbrite covering what's happening in this city in November.
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago_events.htm
http://www.eventbrite.com/directory/Illinois/Chicago/conferences/
To help you stay on track and in the know, below are links to Chicago Traveler and eventbrite covering what's happening in this city in November.
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago_events.htm
http://www.eventbrite.com/directory/Illinois/Chicago/conferences/
Monday, October 22, 2012
Halloween Parties in Chicago 2012
It's the week of Halloween. Have you made plans yet? In case you haven't I've listed some links below with great ideas of places to go for the holiday.
Hurry up and get your tickets while you still have time!
http://joonbug.com/chicago/halloween
http://chicago.metromix.com/stories/787-chicago-halloween-2012-guide
http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/special_events/mose/chicagoween.html
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
5 Lessons from "The Pitch"
Laura McCoullouch-Carter has a great article on her blog about the 5 Lessons Every Planner Can Learn from "The Pitch". Check out this must-read. It's a quick and nice reminder of the importance of really covering all the details and thinking everything through.
L
Monday, October 15, 2012
8 Hotel Secrets to Lower Your Event Costs
I found this article on LinkedIn. I work in restaurants, a fellow member of the hospitality industry so I would say this sounds about right. It's also very informative for those of you who have never worked in the hotel industry.
http://sparksight.com/news/hotelsecretsloweventcost/?goback=%2Egmp_60415%2Egde_60415_member_174119354%2Egmp_60415%2Egde_60415_member_174301832
http://sparksight.com/news/hotelsecretsloweventcost/?goback=%2Egmp_60415%2Egde_60415_member_174119354%2Egmp_60415%2Egde_60415_member_174301832
Thursday, October 11, 2012
5 Steps for Being More Assertive at Your Job
I think that being assertive about what I want and how I feel about things at work has always been really hard for me. I think of myself as a "people pleaser." It's hard to say no and our work motto is "go above and beyond." So at what point do you set some rules?
Being assertive has a bad connotation at times. Often people associate it with being bossy or a "no" person. What good, quality assertiveness actually translates into is not letting people walk all over you. I've heard and been a part of various conversations with professionals of all ages, levels and fields who discuss frustrations with their job. There are a lot of commonalities in these discussions including how to express yourself without causing issues. I've realized that some people are much better at this than others. For me, confrontation can be scary, especially depending on who it involves, but the main precedent is setting boundaries from the beginning. I try to push myself to be better at understanding what is and isn't within reason. And here are 5 things I am using to help establish it:
1. Understand Your Role
When you start a new job, you always want to be helpful, prove that you are dedicated and pave the way for a successful career. While you hope most people will be decent and welcome you in, there are always people who take advantage of that. It's important to be a helpful team member, but if you're in accounting, you shouldn't be doing paperwork for HR. Make it clear that you will be helpful within reason.
2. Skill Set vs Boundaries
You're really good at stuff. Lots of stuff actually. It seems like there are tons of people who need help which you can provide, after you do those other things 4 other people needed help with. It is important to be a team player. If someone is having a near melt down and you have stuff that isn't due for a few days, of course be a decent human being about it. After all, team work is how things get done. However, don't let your ability to do lots of things, or even a willingness to try lots of things make you the office pushover. One of my life mottos is "just because you can doesn't mean you should." (You'd be surprised how many things that applies to.)
3. Say No
It's okay. You can do this. People will respect you for it. Fellow employees and co-workers need to know they can come to you, but they shouldn't be dumping things on you. By saying no you are putting yourself and the job you were hired for first. You should be doing well at your job and you can't advance if you barely finish your work and meet your goals because you're constantly working on someone else's. So just say no, kids. They taught us that one early on.
4. Prioritize
Make the effort to prioritize your own work and don't let other people interfere with that -- no matter how much they whine, plead or insist. This will help you decide when you can really jump in. This can be circumstantial -- if something comes up that isn't your direct responsibility but it needs immediate attention from you and a few other people, well technically it's jumped up your priorities list. But if you have client or manager waiting for a project and another co-worker comes to you because s/he wasn't able to meet his or her deadline, well it's not your job to finish it. These situations have always been hard for me because I don't like to see people stressed or overwhelmed. And yes, I was totally the kid who handed over her lunch willingly in grade school because some kid forgot theirs or just didn't like what they had. But the here-take-my-sandwich approach to life isn't going to get you anywhere. It's just going to leave you hungry while everyone else not only full, but has what they want.
5. Suck It Up and Speak Up
That's the hardest part. Sucking it up and actually saying no or not doing something for someone. I recently was battling with this. Do I do something I wasn't responsible for? Do I just fix it or make an effort to make the person who made the error fix it? Well, while the latter was the intention I ended up just doing it in interest of time and also because it was unfairly not being solved for the client. I was frustrated with myself a bit here because I wanted to make a point that I will not just correct everything that goes wrong because the same person continually chooses not to pay attention to the details knowing I will just fix it. Because then the idea is established that everything seems to go fine and no issues happen and the initial approach to this issue was fine. No, it's not fine. It's caused me major stress in my week. So I've resolved that I need to work on being much more vocal from the get go. It's not just saying no that makes you assertive. It's addressing an issue or correcting a matter that may make you feel uncomfortable, which is something that is hard for me and other people I know. It's just so much easier to gossip about what made you mad to someone else but real assertive people talk to the person directly so they don't have to deal with it again.
Being assertive has a bad connotation at times. Often people associate it with being bossy or a "no" person. What good, quality assertiveness actually translates into is not letting people walk all over you. I've heard and been a part of various conversations with professionals of all ages, levels and fields who discuss frustrations with their job. There are a lot of commonalities in these discussions including how to express yourself without causing issues. I've realized that some people are much better at this than others. For me, confrontation can be scary, especially depending on who it involves, but the main precedent is setting boundaries from the beginning. I try to push myself to be better at understanding what is and isn't within reason. And here are 5 things I am using to help establish it:
1. Understand Your Role
When you start a new job, you always want to be helpful, prove that you are dedicated and pave the way for a successful career. While you hope most people will be decent and welcome you in, there are always people who take advantage of that. It's important to be a helpful team member, but if you're in accounting, you shouldn't be doing paperwork for HR. Make it clear that you will be helpful within reason.
2. Skill Set vs Boundaries
You're really good at stuff. Lots of stuff actually. It seems like there are tons of people who need help which you can provide, after you do those other things 4 other people needed help with. It is important to be a team player. If someone is having a near melt down and you have stuff that isn't due for a few days, of course be a decent human being about it. After all, team work is how things get done. However, don't let your ability to do lots of things, or even a willingness to try lots of things make you the office pushover. One of my life mottos is "just because you can doesn't mean you should." (You'd be surprised how many things that applies to.)
3. Say No
It's okay. You can do this. People will respect you for it. Fellow employees and co-workers need to know they can come to you, but they shouldn't be dumping things on you. By saying no you are putting yourself and the job you were hired for first. You should be doing well at your job and you can't advance if you barely finish your work and meet your goals because you're constantly working on someone else's. So just say no, kids. They taught us that one early on.
4. Prioritize
Make the effort to prioritize your own work and don't let other people interfere with that -- no matter how much they whine, plead or insist. This will help you decide when you can really jump in. This can be circumstantial -- if something comes up that isn't your direct responsibility but it needs immediate attention from you and a few other people, well technically it's jumped up your priorities list. But if you have client or manager waiting for a project and another co-worker comes to you because s/he wasn't able to meet his or her deadline, well it's not your job to finish it. These situations have always been hard for me because I don't like to see people stressed or overwhelmed. And yes, I was totally the kid who handed over her lunch willingly in grade school because some kid forgot theirs or just didn't like what they had. But the here-take-my-sandwich approach to life isn't going to get you anywhere. It's just going to leave you hungry while everyone else not only full, but has what they want.
5. Suck It Up and Speak Up
That's the hardest part. Sucking it up and actually saying no or not doing something for someone. I recently was battling with this. Do I do something I wasn't responsible for? Do I just fix it or make an effort to make the person who made the error fix it? Well, while the latter was the intention I ended up just doing it in interest of time and also because it was unfairly not being solved for the client. I was frustrated with myself a bit here because I wanted to make a point that I will not just correct everything that goes wrong because the same person continually chooses not to pay attention to the details knowing I will just fix it. Because then the idea is established that everything seems to go fine and no issues happen and the initial approach to this issue was fine. No, it's not fine. It's caused me major stress in my week. So I've resolved that I need to work on being much more vocal from the get go. It's not just saying no that makes you assertive. It's addressing an issue or correcting a matter that may make you feel uncomfortable, which is something that is hard for me and other people I know. It's just so much easier to gossip about what made you mad to someone else but real assertive people talk to the person directly so they don't have to deal with it again.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Quick & Easy Ways to Decorate for Fall
It's October and while Chicago has been giving us unseasonably warm weather, it's also time when jackets are to be worn and pumpkins should be painted. The fall harvest, leaves changing, and pumpkin spice everything is part of what I love about this season. It's also the perfect time to get creative. You+Dallas has a great page of beautiful decor ideas, including the fall table set above. Pinterest reigns queen this time of year as endless inspirational photographs and DIY projects like these fabulous fall candles, help you make your home a seasonal paradise - or at least kinda festive. For those of you with little time or space who want to vamp up your house for the holiday season, but know you're not quite Martha Stewart, here are 5 quick and easy ways to decorate for fall.
1. Get Baby Pumpkins & Gords
I was at the store and they had those little pumpkins and I bought a few. I moved over a picture frame and some display bottles of wine and plopped them down. Cute, seasonal and it took 2 seconds. Of course youc an create more elaborate designs but for now the idea is still there.
2. Get Scented Candles or Plug-ins.
But a rich, warm scent like autumn, apple or pumpkin spice. Add candles through the house or switch out your usual glade (or other brand) plug in and come home to the scent of fall!
3. Focus on a Few Small Areas
You don't have to redecorate the whole place. You do live in your house, unlike a lot of the houses you see in magazines, so choose certain areas like the dining room, kitchen and entry spaces. High active areas like family rooms and living rooms may not be the best to focus your time on, particularly if you have kids or pets who jump around and are likely to quickly put your hard work all over the floor. Get a few wreaths for doors, things you can mount to the wall and stick up high if you're worried about kids/pets. Clear vases with leaves or acorns (which you can get at your local Michael's, Pier 1, Hobby Lobby, etc) like the ones above are easy to put together. Grab some branches from outside (clean them of course) and add them in. Get electric candles to avoid burning the house down. Find little items to stick in cabinets if you have the kind with glass doors so it's visible. Don't spend all your time trying to recreate the house. A few accents everywhere with most of the focus in a central place can give you just enough seasonal decor.
4. Buy the Whole Thing
While DIY is fun, if you break it down, it may not always be cheaper. Don't buy part of an item and think "maybe I can do something with this." If you're busy and you want to do some creative house designs, don't buy a solitary item without a plan. That's how you end up with lots of random junk. Have an idea in mind, buy something specific or something that can stand alone.
5. Raid Your Kitchen & Closets
You may not have a tiered display like the one above sitting in the back of a cabinet collecting dust (or maybe you do) but you probably have those fancy bowls you'll never use. Well use them! Display pumpkins and apples in red, brown or even cream colored bowls or pots. Keep your mail in a Halloween bucket. Incorporate stuff in your house rather than buying more things you may or may not use. Chances are there's a pile of cool stuff you bought on sale at the beginning of summer one year that you've forgotten about. Twice.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
50 Ways to Save Money from MeetingsNet.com
Here is a great list on 50 ways to save money when planning events. If you've ever had to work within a budget, check it out!
http://meetingsnet.com/costsaving_budget/save-money-planning-meetings-0621/
http://meetingsnet.com/costsaving_budget/save-money-planning-meetings-0621/
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Throw an Art-Themed Party or Event
There's something very New York chic in the idea of a Gallery event. Wine and light fare mixed with high ceilings and artwork. Well, we can't let New York have all the fun. So today I'm encouraging you to do something less Chicago-style deep-dish and more artsy ala The Met. While I normally shy from trendy things because they tend to be so here and gone, I do think it's good to create an atmosphere that's different and fun. Art never goes away, it just changes. Parties never go away either, so just change it a little.
Step 1. Venue
It's best if the venue has white walls to compliment an art gallery theme, but it isn't necessary. (Here is a great list of Chicago Galleries) If you're not actually having a gallery opening, you aren't focusing entirely on the art. Red walls, blue walls...whatever gives your event a funky feel is a good start. You could also go the classy route and look for a mansion or classic, old-building style place. For a modern look, a warehouse/loft space is great. There are lots of venues as listed on yelp here.
If you're doing this in your own residence, I doubt you'll want to repaint the walls so just skip to Step 2.
Step 2. Decor
Whatever space this is you will want to make it feel as gallery-like as possible if it isn't already. If you are working with a gallery, make it as focused as possible. Why are you having this event?
If it's business try to see if you can incorporate an "artistic" version of logos & products in with the art. Maybe even pictures of employees and/or clients. Be humorous or serious -- either way it's an opportunity to be creative!
If this is a party in a residence, the first step is to create as much open space as possible which will probably require moving some furniture. Depending on the size of the place and how many people will be attending, you will mostly likely want to condense furniture locations -- you still want to have some seating available, but you don't want it taking up your wall space. Form squares with your furniture with it all facing each other.
For either residential or gallery events, you can also incorporate different artistic options using TVs for imagery. You can do slide shows or various creations -- if you want to do something on your laptop, you can hook it up to a TV using an HDMI cord. (Click here to learn how to hook it up. If you don't have an HDMI cable you can get one from amazon.com)
Step 3. Details
This is really the fun part. Get into the little details that best work for why you're holding this event and make it your own. Things like palettes for name tags, naming the drinks after famous artists (I'll have the Van Gogh Cosmo and my friend here would like the Salvador Dali Martini), Artsy Guessing Games, even creating coloring books that can be based on whatever you are doing for the evening. But let's not forget --Food Art! You can always add art if it's a residence. Get museum-style prints from Art.com or check out Allposters.com who gives you the option of framed imagery.
There are some many options and ideas for an art-themed party or event that I could go on forever! But instead, I will let you be creative, but you can always reach out to me for help, ideas or to help you throw it. (See my contact info below.)
 |
| Mars Gallery, Chicago (West Loop) |
It's best if the venue has white walls to compliment an art gallery theme, but it isn't necessary. (Here is a great list of Chicago Galleries) If you're not actually having a gallery opening, you aren't focusing entirely on the art. Red walls, blue walls...whatever gives your event a funky feel is a good start. You could also go the classy route and look for a mansion or classic, old-building style place. For a modern look, a warehouse/loft space is great. There are lots of venues as listed on yelp here.
If you're doing this in your own residence, I doubt you'll want to repaint the walls so just skip to Step 2.
 |
| Recreate your product/logo like an Andy Warhol |
Whatever space this is you will want to make it feel as gallery-like as possible if it isn't already. If you are working with a gallery, make it as focused as possible. Why are you having this event?
If it's business try to see if you can incorporate an "artistic" version of logos & products in with the art. Maybe even pictures of employees and/or clients. Be humorous or serious -- either way it's an opportunity to be creative!
If this is a party in a residence, the first step is to create as much open space as possible which will probably require moving some furniture. Depending on the size of the place and how many people will be attending, you will mostly likely want to condense furniture locations -- you still want to have some seating available, but you don't want it taking up your wall space. Form squares with your furniture with it all facing each other.
For either residential or gallery events, you can also incorporate different artistic options using TVs for imagery. You can do slide shows or various creations -- if you want to do something on your laptop, you can hook it up to a TV using an HDMI cord. (Click here to learn how to hook it up. If you don't have an HDMI cable you can get one from amazon.com)
Step 3. Details
This is really the fun part. Get into the little details that best work for why you're holding this event and make it your own. Things like palettes for name tags, naming the drinks after famous artists (I'll have the Van Gogh Cosmo and my friend here would like the Salvador Dali Martini), Artsy Guessing Games, even creating coloring books that can be based on whatever you are doing for the evening. But let's not forget --Food Art! You can always add art if it's a residence. Get museum-style prints from Art.com or check out Allposters.com who gives you the option of framed imagery.
There are some many options and ideas for an art-themed party or event that I could go on forever! But instead, I will let you be creative, but you can always reach out to me for help, ideas or to help you throw it. (See my contact info below.)
Have a question about event planning? Have a great tip, information or a story to share? Post it to my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheChicagoEventPlan
If you'd like to work with me, email business inquiries to thechicagoeventplanner@gmail.com
Monday, September 24, 2012
"Watch Out For Roaming Charges"
While reading this great article someone shared on LinkedIn, I was so alarmed when I read the astronomically high numbers that I knew I had to share it. Whether you are an event planner or not, travel for business or pleasure, pay attention to your cell phone bills! The roaming charge horror stories are a solid reminder of that. In addition there are some great tips on how to avoid these charges. The one I didn't realize: Switch your device to "Airplane" mode to turn off wireless devices but still pick up free Wi-Fi.
This situation is so intense that in Australia & New Zealand it's become a legal issue, as discussed in this article
This situation is so intense that in Australia & New Zealand it's become a legal issue, as discussed in this article
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Using Free Operational Tools is Okay Too.
Money is important, but so is time. There are many ways to operate businesses, interact with clients, vendors, etc. and to achieve the things you need every day. Programs can cost lots of money in addition to the people it takes to maintain it. If you're part of a bigger business, that's just part of doing business, but what about the little guys? When it comes to operation, I don't think having all the flashy stuff is terribly important. If you can find something that works, then do it. Part of why I love the internet is not just for social media, but you can educate yourself and learn about so many things and then do it yourself. Recently, the company I work for was looking to get an internet management account. They mentioned how pricey things were so I emailed our Director at corporate and said "why don't you use Hootsuite? It's free for small accounts and not very expensive to add more." She'd never heard of it but said she'd look into it. I haven't heard back about the final choice --chances are they are still deliberating -- but I think it proves an important fact: Less can be more, or at least the same. So before you think you need to spend a bunch of money on products, programs and systems for your business, do a little research and ask around and potentially save yourself some money. If it's in the budget, allocate it for something for your employees, or additional promotion or reinvestment into the company. Take the time to recognize what you need, be organized about it and think what would help you function at your best.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Gallus Events
All bloggers know it's important to check out other people's blogs. So today, I encourage you to check out this UK group's blog on getting a great audience to your event.
http://www.gallusevents.co.uk/2012/09/ensure-a-great-conference-audience-by-curating-it/
http://www.gallusevents.co.uk/2012/09/ensure-a-great-conference-audience-by-curating-it/
Friday, September 14, 2012
Building Positive Business Relationships: Be Open and Ask Questions
It's easy to get caught up in the politics of day to day business. We see people go about things the wrong way, be pushy, selfish and unfair yet often times it seems these people get rewarded for their bad behavior because they end up getting what they want. Right now. Some people do use the selfish, bulldozer approach to "success." But if you're looking at a long-term career, don't be so easily persuaded. I was recently talking to a friend who is leaving her job. "I don't know how my boss keeps that position but I'm glad I'm getting out before things get worse and I'm stuck with him by myself." As a human being I would hope no one would ever feel that way about me, but in this situation her immediate boss left, expanding her responsibilities and would ultimately mean working with a man notorious for being awful and intolerable. I could have a whole discussion on what psychological instabilities cause some people to become so terrible that something like this is a common statement about them, but I like to keep things relatively brief.
It's important that we see negative behavior and become determined not to do it. It's easy to stoop to someone else's level, get mad and want revenge or to say "Well, if (s)he can do it, so can I!" Yes you can but do you really want to cause someone else the same frustration you have? Do you want to be that person to someone else? Hopefully you answered no, and if so continue reading. If you said yes, smack yourself across the face and get a grip, man.
The best way to build relationships is to be genuine. You need to care and to listen and to relate. You don't need to remember everything every person says to you but you should try to remember the basics. One thing I've been trying to do is ask someone about the last thing we spoke about last time I saw them. I.e. "How was your son's baseball game?" I know it's basic stuff, but when I'm busy and running around I don't always remember to take a minute and ask someone about their personal life. That's why it's a bit of a challenge. Show people that they are important to you and it goes a long way.
It is the same for customers and co-workers alike. I notice this sometimes when emailing people. Everyone is very formal and professional in the beginning, so sometimes I will try to throw in a more fun or casual sentence here or there, just to see how they will respond. Once you relax the situation, most people will too and then personality emerges. If I'm on the phone and neither of us seem terribly busy, sometimes I just ask people about their company and what they do because I'm curious. People like to talk about their company, their work and inevitably themselves and so not only do I learn about a field or company, but that person on the other end knows I am interested in who they are and what they do. They are valuable to me and not just because I say "You're a valuable customer!" I show them.
My pet peeve is going to networking and professional events and have people say "So how's business?" There's 2 main reasons why I hate that statement:
1. You're not acknowledging that you are talking to a person . Whenever someone asks me that I always feel like they're just trying to get information out of me that they can use for a cost-comparison analysis. They also tend to be the person who walks away 3 sentences later. Besides, we all know most people fudge numbers a bit or perhaps highlight better sales times than others, particularly if they've had a bad year. And if they don't exaggerate then they are vague and often that's where the conversation dies. Sometimes they'd rather not talk about it, which can be true even when numbers are good. There's fine line between professional conversation and giving too much away, or at least that's how I feel. However, I have seen people rattle off numbers down to the dollar like it's a wikipedia info page which then leads me to questions their sensibility.
2. It's non-specific, uncreative and impersonal. I usually try to ask people what their job includes so if I meet someone instead of saying 'Oh, I know that hotel. How's business been this summer?' I would say "Oh, [business], that's a great place! So what do you do there? What's an average day like for you?" This gives me an idea of their role, how the person views their job, what they do & don't like. It opens up conversation and allows me to actually learn something about the person standing next to me instead of drilling them for statistics. Granted, some people are better at that than others. I always hope that at the end of the day, people feel like their experience with me was positive and that they spoke with someone who actually cares about what they care about. This is what builds clientele that will follow you. This is the kind of interaction that is important.
When looking at a long-term career path, whatever you're doing, if you're a good and friendly person who others respect, it will get you farther. No one becomes successful without interacting with other people. So even when it seems like Joe Schmoe over there is getting everything he wants, you have to remember that at some point he will plateau or head straight back down. You can't spend your whole career pushing people aside and then be surprised when no one is around to help pull you up. Cheesy? Maybe. True? Definitely.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
BizBash Idea Fest 2012
Have a question about event planning? Have a great tip, information or a story to share? Post it to my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheChicagoEventPlan
If you'd like to work with me, email business inquiries to thechicagoeventplanner@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)