Event Management

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Event Strategy: These Qualities And Actions Are Valuable In Event Planning

Event Strategy: These Qualities And Actions Are Valuable In Event Planning

Even though I roll isn’t to actually plan your event, we work with event planners every day. We absolutely love to see successful events and the people who work hard on them truly shine. Because of this, we really enjoy occasionally sharing some insight or tips that we’ve picked up along the way or learned from others. This is one of those articles, about event strategy and the things you can do leading up to events and even when you aren’t planning anything currently to keep your head at the top of the game.

Event Strategy #1: Don’t Avoid Metrics

Some of the best event planners have an intuitive knack for sensing trends or exactly what their audience wants to hear. The very best event planners, however, couple this with a close view of their mattress.

It’s essential that you monitor data from past events in order to strategize effectively in the future. You want to look at things like the cost of the events how are ticket sales were and what the overall Revenue was for the event. How many people attended?

Your online engagement is another excellent metric. Did you have good engagement leading up to the event? How was your engagement right now?

The more you keep your finger on the pulse of this information the more effective you will be.

Event Strategy #2: Prioritizing

Things are coming at you fast and furious. You need to check your metrics. you need to reach out to vendors. At any given time you’re talking to donors, venues, coworkers, company stakeholders, your sales team, your marketing team …

It’s easy to get lost in your daily tasks. Prioritizing is crucial. Some people like to use Simple lists in order to get an overview of what they have going for the day or the week. Other people enjoy using a digital task system like Microsoft Outlook offers or any number of other apps and clients including Google. Still others enjoy using an old-fashioned reminder system where they write things in a planner or even have a daily set of cards that they pull with the task for the day.

Throwback Tip: Tickler Systems

By the way, lawyers call the card system a Tickler system and it can actually be very effective. that fits regular size index cards, get a few separators that indicate the month and day of the week, start putting physical cards in the slots in order to remind you of what’s doing any given day. On the day in question, pull your cards and you’ll know all of your tasks.

You can use file folders instead if that’s easier for you.

Once you have all of your tasks outlined, time to work on the most important ones first. If you aren’t sure, reach out to your coworkers. Talking amongst ourselves can really help solidify what’s most important. Deadlines for things like venues and vendors are also important to know because these will affect your priority list.

Event Strategy #3: Incredible Communication

Speaking of vendors you spend a lot of your day talking. Communicating effectively is extremely helpful in your line of work. You want to be able to be friendly but still synced. When you communicate with vendors, you need to be sure to cover all of the bases like the date of the event size of the venue and any other information they might need.

One of the easiest ways to facilitate great communication is to ask a lot of questions. While you’re asking questions, invite your vendor or clients our co-workers to offer their thoughts. You may have several vendors and clients but there’s only one of you. Just like our kindergarten teachers told us if you advocate for yourself and they advocate for themselves you’ll get all the bases covered. 

Event Strategy #4: Stay Trendy

Most of what you’ve already read in this article is probably more of a refresher than cutting-edge information. Its next tip, however, is easily overlooked by far too many Professionals in general especially event planners.

Because we deal with technology and music and video Production Services, we know it’s important to stay up-to-date on current trends. We need to know all about the most cutting-edge technology, interesting things that our colleagues and competitors are doing if anyone we know has been to any awesome events in San Francisco recently.

Our line of work lends itself to this but with yours, it could be easy to overlook. However, you will glean the same benefits from keeping up-to-date on what’s trendy both in your field and outside of it.

By keeping up-to-date with current trends you can avoid the bad ones.  you can also be extra creative by borrowing bits and pieces that might work for you. For instance, hashtags work for everyone. It’s simply a great way to drum up organic attention for your business event or client.

Looking For A Vendor?

By the way, before we go we just want to remind anyone in the San Francisco area that we are a robust Event Services Company. We are here to be a valuable part of the team for any event planners for looking for comprehensive Event Services. Our team can save you some time by handling several of your needs and this should make you more productive overall.

We can record and edit videos for you, handle your on-site light and sound services, provide rental equipment, and take high-quality photographs during your event.

Let’s talk today!

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Corporate DJ For Events: Our Successful Formula

Corporate DJ For Events: Our Successful Formula

Every DJ is as individual as each event they work. They have different go-to songs in their playlist arsenal, they’ve enjoyed different experience and they probably have different levels of professionalism. Here are some things we’ve learned and the lessons we take with us to every gig we book. We believe that these factors inform our approach and result in great events for our clients.

An Outstanding Corporate DJ For Events Knows How To Cater To Corporate Clients

We love working weddings and private parties, but understand that corporate functions require different kinds of skills and services. Because a brand’s identity is linked to events it throws, we have to get to know what our corporate clients are all about. Understanding their culture is one of the finishing touches on our full-service approach.

We also like to learn what the client’s goal for the event is. Are you raising funds, fostering culture, networking or announcing a product launch? When we know this, we can tailor your music and business presentations to align with those goals.

An Outstanding Corporate DJ For Events Participates In Pre Event Staging

Because many events rely heavily on their web presence, we’re prepared to participate in your website staging. You’re probably enticing people to visit your site, either to learn more about the event, donate, or sign up to attend.

Sometimes, our corporate clients want footage from the last event we worked for them. Other times, we can provide a musical soundtrack. We can help you prepare this media to make a great impression on visitors.

An Outstanding Corporate DJ For Events Obtains All Necessary Details

Obviously, we request detailed information about the actual logistics of your event as soon as we meet. We learn the date, time, duration and location of the event, and immediately block out time in our schedule. By doing this right away, we minimize scheduling mistakes. We also ask questions that may prompt you to realize you need to devote more thought to something that falls under our wheelhouse. We’ll talk about mood and goals at this time as well.

An Outstanding Corporate DJ For Events Discusses Your Playlist

We invite our clients to come up with ideas for their playlists or provide us with a strictly closed playlist that doesn’t require our input. However, we also love creating playlists that suit corporate client events from scratch. Out experience informs how we discuss music selection with your clients and we can guide them toward the best fit for them.

An Outstanding Corporate DJ For Events Dig Dress Codes

Whether your event is formal or casual, we’ll ask about the dress code so we can show up in a style that melds with the spirit of your event. This is a detail that we consider a serious part of our corporate service package.

An Outstanding Corporate DJ For Events Creates Advanced Programming

We create corporate event programs long before we arrive. This helps us eliminate last-minute snags and factor back up plans into our approach. Furthermore, the program is something we can share with event planners who want a hands-on role in our part of the event.

When possible, we prefer to defer all MC duties to a business representative. However, if you need one of our team to make announcements, we’ll block appropriate time for that in the program. We don’t take any spotlight unless you need a hand. This is all about you.

An Outstanding Corporate DJ For Events Welcomes Communication During Events

Event planners are busy on event day, but we’re always available for open communication on the ground. Check in with us at any point and feel free to make reasonable suggestions about improving our role. If we can work together to make something better, we’re all for that!

Experience Is Our Best Teacher

These are just some of the tools and skills we’ve learned are important to our corporate clients. Diamond Sonic has worked corporate events for nearly a decade. We know what works, but also welcome client suggestions and al learning opportunities along the way.

Together, we’ll make your event something special.

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5 Tips For Extra Connected Corporate Events

If networking is an important part of your upcoming corporate event, these tips will help you get people connecting. This builds a sense of community which helps guests feel invested in your brand or company. When it comes to fundraising efforts or rallying investors, the relationships you build around your brand are paramount.

There’s also the obvious attraction of getting your guests to have fun to consider. This will deliver value to them which improves how they feel about your company. It also creates amazing opportunities for event content like photos and video that you can share on your socials later.

Corporate Events: Crucial Elements That Spark Conversation and Connection

1- Corporate Events Should Appeal To Introverts

The extroverts at your function will mostly take care of themselves. By appealing to introverts as well, however, you include these thoughtful, self-aware types that often make ideal brand loyalists. Furthermore, by catering to those slower to warm up, you’ll actually deepen everyone’s experience.

Introverts enjoy comfort, true connection, and one-on-one interaction. They sometimes need a low-key space to recharge after (or during) social gatherings. By incorporating small, intimate sitting areas with warm lighting and soft music, you can draw people into situations where they can connect with fellow attendees.

Regular breaks between speakers or guided activities provide time for guests to reflect and recharge. Spaces with comfortable seating and dim lights are perfect for one-on-one conversations or quiet contemplation.

Other great ideas during your event planning include mindfulness rooms featuring yoga, meditation, or a place to regroup and activities that help people bond. We’ll talk more about these types of games further down on the list.

2- Clearly Mark Pathways And Detail Expectations

The weeks leading up to your event create a great time to market to future attendees. One way to do this is to send an email with very detailed instructions about your venue and how to enter the event. This helps people feel more comfortable upon arrival while simultaneously giving you a valuable reason to reach out.

Avoid any awkwardness guests feel when they first arrive by including many signs and clear pathways they should follow. This also gives you an opportunity to gently guide them through your event without herding them like sheep.

The signs provide opportunities to drive home branding (include your logo on all of them). Additionally, you can set up each environment that your guests will flow through in a way that influences their mood or behavior.

This is subtle and more effective than you might think. Brainstorm some ways you can enhance guests experience as they move through your venue after arrival.

Nametags offer more creative options. Encourage guests to include something about themselves other than their name on the tag. This helps people connect during the event and serves as a conversation starter.

3- Require A Friendly Staff

If every vendor and staff member at your event is friendly and warm, guests will feel welcome. Yet again, this creates a certain impression of your brand. It also helps people feel more open.

A simple smile when staff makes eye contact with a guest can make a big impression. What other ways can you offer this personal touch?

4- Organize Games And Activities

Small talk and icebreaker games are important during your event. Think about boardgames and trivia cards and where you can place them to get conversations started. Scavenger hunts or games where attendees have to share something with their neighbor, whether it’s a sticker or a fact about themselves, will get your group to start connecting.

5- Allow Guests To Submit Panel Questions Electronically

If you have Q&A sessions planned, consider letting guests submit their questions electronically. You can do this via social media groups or apps made specifically for your event. Hashtags that relate to your event are another great way to allow people to get involved without putting them on the spot.

This also gives you some representation on social media at the same time.

You’ll ultimately get more participation because people can jot down their questions during panels or throughout the event rather than forgetting them. The anonymous submission also gives greater insight into what people truly think.

Whether you’re preparing team building events, business events, or trade shows—these tips can be applied to any corporate event to really encourage and solidify connections and overall positive experience.

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San Francisco Corporate Sound Equipment Rentals

Every successful event shares a few similarities. Today, we’re talking about the importance of appropriate music selection and a quality sound system to support it. San Francisco is one of the world’s fastest-paced markets where competition for attention is fierce. The impression your event’s music imparts on attendees can help bring them back again next year.

Whether you are booking a charity function for a non-profit organization, having a gathering for colleagues and employees, or treating investors to a memorable evening, corporate functions require a special touch. Music is one of the most evocative elements that you can offer.

In fact, the right music can sway opinions, put your guests in a particular mindset, and even inspire them. Don’t overlook the power of this tool. It isn’t simply background music.

Furthermore, having great music isn’t the only important facet of corporate sound. Every event and venue holds different secrets that the right technician can unlock. Their experience helps them deconstruct the puzzle to ensure your event sounds as good as it looks. The equipment they bring supports both their song choices and their technical expertise.

Where To Rent A Sound System In San Francisco

We get it, it’s hard to know where to begin the task of finding good sound equipment for an event. This is an area where most event professionals need guidance from professional technicians. Most simply don’t know what they need, and that’s perfectly normal.

The right type of corporate sound vendor will not only have a wide range of equipment suited to different size venues, but they’ll have knowledgable staff. You can ask detailed questions and provide crucial information that results in a perfect fit. Your technician will help guide you.

Even though you start your search with a trip to Google to find San Francisco corporate sound equipment rentals, make sure the vendors you speak with offer robust choices based on your needs. You should also feel confident that they sound knowledgable about the necessary equipment and skill required to handle the sound at any size event.

Do They Have Brand Name Tools?

Your sound vendor should have well-assembled, high-quality components that appear in great working order. Ask them why they choose the brands they use to glean whether or not they’re using respected names in the world of sound.

Do Their Components Look Sleek?

If your sound company will have their equipment out where guests can see it, are you satisfied with its appearance? This isn’t the most important factor to consider, but you also don’t’ want a company rolling in with shoddy looking components. It looks unprofessional to your guests.

Sound Equipment Best Practices

Now, for a quick tutorial about some specifications.

Each speaker must accommodate between 800 to 1500 watts of power load. Speakers must have high sound clarity with a wide field of dispersment. Ask your potential technician why they recommend certain speakers for certain size venues.

The speakers themselves will all connect to a sound mixer or soundboard. This is a unit that controls the fine details of live sound levels. It must have at least 4 channels (inputs) to accommodate different devices including speakers, media players, and microphones.

Professional Sound Technicians

We’ve already mentioned that you should feel confident with the knowledge your sound tech displays, but their appearance matters as well. Corporate events require a certain level of professionalism, so discuss this with potential vendors. Let them know about the dress code at your event and ask if they can comply.

Hire A San Francisco Corporate Sound Equipment Vendor

We think you’ll find that all of the technicians at Diamond Sonic meet and exceed these requirements. If you need sound equipment rentals in the San Francisco area for your next corporate event, call us!

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Simplify Event Planning With These Top 3 Event Management Apps

Simplify Event Planning With These Top 3 Event Management Apps

Although we aren’t a full event management company ourselves, we work closely with event management professionals all the time. We understand it can be daunting to hit all the bases and keep everything on track when planning.

We’re talking about the top 3 event management apps today to help our colleagues stay organized because it helps you and all of your vendors as well!

The more you streamline your process, the more attention you can give to small details that make a big difference.

Top 3 Event Management Apps: What Is An Event Management App?

Event management software helps professionals organize events, stick to their timeline, and interact with donors and attendees. These apps including some marketing features and help schedule all of the things event planning entails.

They’re a great idea because they take so much pressure off you and your team. They truly prove that automation doesn’t have to be intimidating and isn’t the enemy. Instead, it frees up your time to show all the qualities you have that sets you apart from other planners.

Top 3 Event Management Apps: Whova

Whova is an award-winning app that stands out as one of the most comprehensive on the market. It will help you with management, registration, marketing and communicating with your attendees.

This software helps you create a digital world that your attendees interact with. You provide real-time information, polls to crowdsource information, and can even interact with speakers. All of your communication is organized in one place and it keeps you paperless.

Top 3 Event Management Apps: Monday

If you’re more concerned with keeping your team organized and on track than marketing, Monday is suited to these needs. This event management software is heavily geared toward project management. It excels at streamlining communication and creating a blueprint for what needs to happen when.

Additionally, it’s easy to look back and see the entire timeline of your event planning.

Top 3 Event Management Apps: Cvent

While Cvent is a bit of a budget buster and best suited for people already experienced with event planning apps, it’s functionality is excellent. It takes automation to the next level, truly tailored to helping event planners check essential steps like finding a venue and handling online registration right off their list.

Top 3 Event Management Apps: Free And Low-Cost Options

If you just can’t spring for any of the tools above, both Asana and Trello offer pretty good functionality from a team management and timeline management standpoint. Neither are specifically geared toward event planning, but both are easy to use.

If you just need a collaborative digital space to plan and set deadlines, these tools will help. You won’t believe how they free up your email inbox and save you time.

Depending on the size of your team and your needs, you can choose from either free or paid versions of each.

Top 3 Event Management Apps: Communicating With Vendors

If you use any of these tools in your event planning, offer access to your vendors! This is an amazing way to keep everyone apprised of the overall progress of the event. You can often set parameters for what each team member can see and change so you only give updates to the people who need them.

Top 3 Event Management Apps: Share Your Experience

Have you used any of these apps to organize your events? We would love to hear from you in the comments below. Make sure to share any apps we missed as well.

 

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How To Brainstorm Fresh Ideas For Events: Inventing Wow Factors

How To Brainstorm Fresh Ideas For Events: Inventing Wow Factors

Whether you’re slightly stuck on how to plan your first event or feeling the burn out as a busy event professional, wow factors matter. Once you have the essential structures taken care of, you’ll want to spend time inventing a way to set your event apart.

You can accomplish that in several ways and we are here today to fire up your inspiration. This quick read will hopefully get your creative juices flowing!

Find Fresh Ideas For Events: Work With Vendors With A Reputation For Excellence

No man or woman is an island. Holding a successful event takes a team and each member of that team has insight that the others may lack. This is one reason that choosing vendors with stellar reputations is crucial.

When you select a professional vendor for your event, they have experience that breeds insight. Maybe they’ve seen the fun a photo booth can bring to a corporate event. Perhaps they know about a killer rental company with the most amazing seating arrangements for a steal. You won’t know unless you pick a leader in the field and foster an open, communicative relationship with them.

If you aren’t sure how to find these types of vendors, ask your colleagues, your venue, or even use online review systems like Yelp to narrow your search.

Find Fresh Ideas For Events: Go Beyond The First Page Of Google

While the idea behind Google’s ranking system is to give you the most accurate results for your query, sometimes it delivers the most popular results. That leaves you with the exact same ideas as everyone else who searches.

When you’re hunting for event planning inspiration, don’t be afraid to skip the first page of results. After all, you want bold ideas that are fresh. There could be something really special lurking a little further down the search page. This is a good area to be a trendsetter in.

Find Fresh Ideas For Events: Attend Events Yourself

Do you have the time and budget to attend a few local events yourself while you’re planning? This is an awesome way to get ideas! Event planners can regularly sneak in a few here and there- many are even low cost or free.

Don’t be afraid to take notes while you’re there and feel free to take contact info from vendors you see doing a great job. You can follow the event on social media to see how they campaign, too.

If you are planning your own wedding, you can still try this tactic. Ask the venue if there are any events coming up that are open to the public. For instance, wine tastings, silent auctions and charity events give you an opportunity to see how the venue ‘works’ in person and pick up all kinds of valuable tips from other planners.

Find Fresh Ideas For Events: Take A Tip From Marketers: Imagine You’re An Attendee

Marketers often create something called a customer persona or ‘ideal avatar’ to help them get inside the minds of their target audience. You can modify this tactic for your event as well.

Make a list of the types of people who will attend. For instance, “Professional Women In Their 30s” could be one group. Another could be “The Groom’s Family.”

Now, brainstorm separate interests these people have. Sure, you’ll be doing some guessing but it’s a more educated guess than a shot in the dark. Hopefully, you’ll see some patterns or easy ways to incorporate a few things from each persona that your guests will remember for months, if not years, to come.

If you’re really stuck, don’t forget what a valuable resource crowdsourcing can be! Your potential attendees can give you their own ideas for events- ones they’re likely to enjoy.

 

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Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions

Bonus Event Promotions Content Below!

We teamed up with guest writer, Camille Moore, for an interesting perspective on email marketing for all of you event promoters in the audience. We hope you find some valuable information here to help with your event attendance!

Thanks, Camille!

Leveraging Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions

Email is still one of the most effective tools for event marketing. However, you have to do more than just land your emails in the recipients’ inboxes if you want to have success.

You have to focus on email best practices, like segmenting lists, tracking key performance metrics, and sending your messages to a verified email list. Not only that, but you also need to develop an event email marketing strategy and compose emails that will compel readers to action. Here’s how you can successfully use email to market your upcoming event.

Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions: Optimize the Sender Name

The sender name can be one of the most significant factors when running an email campaign. According to Campaign Monitor, 68% of Americans decide to open marketing emails based on who sent it. For event emails, you either want to set the sender name as the name of the event or that of the organization holding the event.

Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions: Write Compelling Subject Lines

The subject line is another important element for boosting the open rate of event emails. With 35% of recipients saying they will open an email based solely on the subject line, it can have a considerable impact on the success of your campaign.

A good subject line will let the recipient know what the email is about and get them interested in opening it. The following are examples of good subject lines for event emails:

  • Register Today!
  • Get Your Tickets Now!
  • Start Planning for this Year’s [Event Name]
  • Check Out the Event Schedule!

Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions: The Body of the Email

Once the recipient opens your email, you want to share content that will encourage them to participate. Images can be a good way to create attractive email content, but you don’t want to overdo it. All images should be relevant, and you don’t want to include so many that it distracts from the text in the email.

The email text is your opportunity to explain the event and sell it to the reader. You should provide basic information about the event and include value propositions. Try and keep this around 150-250 words. If the reader wants to learn more, you can direct them to a website page with more information.

Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions: The Email Footer

The footer is at the bottom of the email, and provides another important opportunity to share information. The footer should include the physical address of your organization and additional contact information. If you have social media accounts, you should also include social media buttons. This will offer further opportunities to connect with potential attendees.

It is also smart to include an unsubscribe link in the footer. If a person does not want to receive your emails, it is better to make it easy for them to opt out. Otherwise, it will have a negative impact on your open rate. If recipients really get fed up with seeing your emails, they might even mark them as spam.

Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions: Call-to-Action

If you want people to be able to RSVP, register, or buy tickets from the email, you need to include a CTA button that makes taking action easy. Emails with a CTA see a 371% increase in clicks, so this can be an effective way to increase engagement.

When adding a CTA to emails, make sure it is highly visible and test different versions of the CTA button. Furthermore, you should try to stick to just one CTA per email. With multiple CTAs, readers can get confused; they might not take the desired action if there are too many options to choose from.

Email Marketing Strategies for Event Promotions: Send Thank You Emails

Sending thank you emails can be a good way to show appreciation. When people register or buy tickets, let them know that you appreciate them. Along with that, you should also send post-event thank you emails. It might not help with the current campaign, but it is a good way to further your relationship with attendees. Sending these messages could pay off when you promote future events to the same audience.

Designing the perfect event email marketing campaign might not be possible the first time out, but you can use these tips to move in the right direction. With every campaign, you should test your emails, compare different CTAs and subject lines, and use the results to improve your future campaigns.

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3 Tips for Hiring a Catering Company

Whether you’re throwing a birthday bash, organizing your wedding or a corporate event, hiring the right catering service is key to impress your guests.

In such a competitive business, there are a few things you should keep in mind before making a decision that could ruin the overall experience for anyone that attends your celebrations. Keep reading to see how you can make your parties memorable. 

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