Why Quality Matters

For some events organisers they feel it is better to give people something different or unexpected, but sometimes due to budget, we are forced to comprimise on quality and hope nobody notices.

In an ideal world we might cut back on expenditure but still come up with a novel event ideas which engage target audiences and gives them something to remember.

Ideas that could help are:
•    Cut back on the number of invites – keeping a smaller number of people fed and watered is much more sensible than trying to feed hundreds
•    Issue exclusive invitations which make guests feel special
•    Find a catering supplier who can give you a range of options – from lavish three courses to buffet-style pick and mix
•    Know your audience and what they like - have smaller focussed events so host a racing event only for those that really love it!

As usual if you are interested in writing a blog for Mosaic Events please e-mail sarah@mosaicevents.co.uk

Its good to give...

Promotional gifts – a must have at any corporate or branded event – can range from the ubiquitous ball point pen to the ultra deluxe goodie bag given to guests at showbiz parties and glitzy award ceremonies.

But what to consider when choosing the perfect gift to complement your event?

1          There is no doubt a well chosen branded product such as a mouse mat, pen or mug is still an effective way of creating an impression which lasts long after an event has finished. But you could also consider a slightly more unusual item which you know your clients will want to keep and use such as an umbrella or memory stick.

2          Finding an option which is more sustainable has become a huge consideration these days - choose a cheap and chatty logo bug or stress toy and it could end up going straight in the bin. Consider a greener option – there are many eco-friendly products available such as pens and mugs made of biodegradable recycled plastic or jute bags made from recycled cotton. Corporate cup cakes anyone?

3          For the event where money is no object there are specialist companies like All Bagged Up who can source a fabulous array of weird and wonderful branded gifts or high end luxury goods such champagne, cosmetics and chocolates and present them ready for your guests in branded bags or gifts boxes.

4           Also consider that consumers are becoming more savvy and sophisticated than ever before. Recent trends, as reported by Conference News, have seen big brand companies turn away from ‘in your face’ branded promotional merchandise in flavour of a much more clever and subtle approach. Such companies are now ‘suggesting’ rather than ‘shouting’ their presence by using, for instance, their corporate colours rather than their logo. One company gave kites to their clients, which did not feature its logo but would immediately bring the brand to mind due to their colour and design.

So think imaginatively and try to avoid the obvious.

For a highly memorable and unusual gift find a creative link between the theme or topic of your event and your chosen gift. For example, cinema tickets would be a great fun gift for a conference on the film industry or if you are hosting a travel industry event you could consider travel vouchers or luggage tags. Happy shopping!

Top mobile phone apps for events

Taking the theme of last week’s blog this week I want to focus this week again on technology and specifically to Apps and how best to use these to develop your events. 

This week Sarah O’Donnell of Conference News says ‘Apps are mobile applications that can be downloaded and run on smartphones such as the iPhone, Blackberry or Google Android’

She highlights some popular Apps available to the busy event’s organiser for £10 or below:

·       Super Planner - iTunes Preview states ‘Super Planner is a business app for the professional event planner. It provides a variety of planning tools, including calculators for venue capacity, staffing, catering, staging, projection and dance floor, as well as useful tips in several areas’  This would be useful for a busy Events Organiser when conducting multiple site visits of venues and hotels.

·        Grupio - Grupio provides instant access to event details, speaker biographies, floor plans, with social networking (facebook and twitter) and live updates from event organisers.  An opportunity to engage with your audience but also exposure for your sponsors and exhibitors and generate new streams of revenue.  Another great opportunity to help make maximise return on investment for your events.

·         But possibly the most sophisticated of all EventGenie is a customised app for event organisers, which provides a secure programme for messaging and a personalised agenda by highlighting certain sessions for delegates.  It also allows visitor behaviour analysis enabling them to maximise event revenue. The My Event tool allows delegates to record notes, voice memos, photos and videos as well as download exhibitor brochures and speaker slides. Tickets or passes for events can be issued electronically through this app which also offers delegates the option to scan in business cards. A clever device!

Right that’s it I am off to buy an iPhone!! Mosaic Events will be trialing out some of the Apps in particular EventGenie looks great, let us know if you have used any of the above or have any other recommendations of Apps for events.  As usual if you are interested in writing a blog for Mosaic Events please email sarah@mosaicevents.co.uk

Taken from Conference News Sarah O’Donnell

Avatar! - Using 3D technology for your events

I recently attended on behalf of Mosaic Events the annual exhibition for event organisers International Confex. 

The event is the largest in the UK and hosts a variety of different suppliers from venues to unusual ideas for events and attracts over 14,000 event organisers.

The event also hosts a series of seminars,   I attended a seminar hosted by Second Places entitled “Using virtual worlds to extend reach of events and venues” the brief overview to the seminar provided some information as to what would be included but overall I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect!

The seminar focussed on using 3D technology at events and how  you can create an online presence in 3D so people can view events, exhibitions and venues online using avatar characters of themselves.

The avatars can then walk around the event or venue and even interact with other avatars through blogs, social media: Twitter or Facebook groups to show live responses whilst taking a tour of the surroundings.

The seminar highlighted how fast technology is moving and how such amazing concepts are being created constantly. The 3D technology can be used for training  and more specifically for pre training, information, familiarising delegates with the equipment and course materials. 

Another idea is to use the technology to preview exhibition spaces (see video link for example of this) and to market an event to encourage invididuals to attend in real time.  In all instances the technology allows music and video to be added to the 3D worlds.

The rules for use of the 3D technology remain the same as streaming events live on the Internet you cannot do anything that both delegates at the event and delegates watching from their computers cant’ do, for example live voting on key pads at the event would not be accessible to delegates online so would not be fair to include, all aspects must be the same so all participants get the most out of the event whether they are actually at the event or virtually there.

Overall a very interesting day at Confex and certainly provided further ideas to think about for use in future events we are organising for more information on the 3D software speak to Second Places.   Please let us know if you have used 3D technology for any of your events and what feedback or results you have had and if you are interested in writing a blog for Mosaic Events please email sarah@mosaicevents.co.uk

By Francesca Pearson, Senior Event Account Manager, Mosaic Events

Getting the most from your venue!

When organising any event a venue really can make or break it, so this week I’m giving you some simple tips to follow from the enquiry stage through to delivery.

Finding the venue which is perfect for your event can be a real challenge, it’s really important to identify your event objectives and ensure the venue fits around these.  For example, many public sector events that Mosaic Events organises, one of the key factors that determines if we book a venue or not is based on whether or not delegates can access venues from public transport links.  So venues connected to train stations are a good place to start.

After you have identified your venue choices you should follow some simple rules when you make an enquiry and completing any site visits:

1)      Ensure that you speak to the right person from the outset and maintain the relationship on the run up to your event, if possible get a direct line telephone number for them (you wouldn’t believe how much time you can waste going through switchboards!).

2)      Don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials from the venue or if booking an awards dinner ask for a menu tasting session when you meet the chef who will be providing the food for your event.

3)      Ask the venue to set the room up in the format you like before viewing the hotel sometimes venues will say a room can fit 100 cabaret style, but when you see it laid out you realise that some delegates would have restricted sight lines and it can only fit 85.

4)      If you have a large event to book with accommodation, we recommend that if it is a hotel you consider staying overnight, so you get a real feel for the venue and service.

After completing your site visits and deciding on your perfect venue, it’s worthwhile considering:

1)      Getting everything agreed and ensure this is documented in a contract with accompanying terms and conditions. Don’t be afraid to challenge these if they don’t suit your objectives.  So if have agreed to a minimum of 100 bedrooms and your unsure that you will fill these, and don’t want to pay for them, agree a cut off date either three or four weeks before your event.

2)      Apply the following rule: if your requirements are not included on a hotel/venue function sheet, then it won’t happen - you cannot go wrong! All venues use function sheets as a way of planning their daily operations, ask for a copy of this and ensure all of your requirements are listed no matter how small.

3)      We always ask a venue to have the bill prepared when your event finishes, so you can check this before leaving the property. This ensures that you can check any extras that have been added to your bill and ask for proof; if you are unhappy about something it is easier to challenge it on site.

Once you have arranged everything at your venue, we suggest that you have a meeting with Duty Manager who will be managing your event, and have a full run through of the function sheet to ensure they understand all of your requirements. This will ultimately help you to establish a rapport.  Most importantly ensure this person is contactable on a mobile or internal phone system.

Adopting some of the above can really help make your life easier, but also helps the venues you are dealing with to give you great service and guarantee total success of your event.

If you have examples of great service from venues recently I would love to hear about it.  Drop me a line on sarah@mosaicevents.co.uk