Using Technology at Events

As you organise your events, you need to ensure you and your delegates get the most at of your event as possible.

Many events are becoming more interactive to balance this, allowing delegates to be more engaged in the event.

Being more interactive allows delegates to have their say and provides more discussion at the event; this can mean you need to brief your presenters to be open to extra questions and possible changes in the topic and format of their presentation but allows delegates to interact more with the presenter and other colleagues.

Other ideas include adding voting systems into your event, through online apps or voting pads, for example to vote on a new idea at the business or for an award or presentation, things like this will keep your delegates focussed and interested. 

Working with technology and social media allows you to promote aspects of your event in advance or start discussions which can continue on the day and beyond. 

Using technology can create more work for your event as you need to plan any extra equipment and charges you need to enable this and always have a backup plan in case any technology does not work on the day! Often a good internet connection is required and multiple connections in the room so all delegates and presenters can be involved.

More and more modern venues and venues being updated and refurbished now have inbuilt latest technology in their properties and meeting rooms, including faster internet access, plasma screens, MAC computers, built in PA system, hidden screens, touch screen controls  and interactive white boards something to consider when looking for a venue for a more interactive event.

Please contact Mosaic Events to share your experiences of using more technology at your events or if you would like to write a blog for Mosaic Events please email enquiries@mosaicevents.co.uk

 

This week’s blog has been inspired by  the Attention Seekers feature in Hospitality and Events North magazine.

Making your event memorable!

You want to make a lasting impression with your event, this week we have looked at a number of ways to help you achieve this for your next event!

•  Event topic and speakers – the subject has to be relevant and up to date with key experts to deliver the topic and update your audience and share their knowledge and experience in an interesting way
• Venue – try using an unique venue with an added wow factor for your delegates, perhaps a museum with an optional tour or a venue with an attraction delegates can take advantage of at the event
• Create a theme – if you are organising a celebration event, drinks reception or dinner have at theme for the event, perhaps a dress code or colour scheme to make your event something different! 
• Interactive Events – make your event interactive, encourage delegates to use social media at your event and create about a buzz about your event in advance through Twitter, Facebook and blogs
• Giveaways – provide delegates with a giveaway that will be useful or something fun that will make them remember your event in weeks to come from branded memory sticks with all the presentations from your event or tasty food items they can take away! 

Please share any experiences you have had in making your events more memorable or if you would like to write a blog for Mosaic Events please email enquiries@mosaicevents.co.uk

Catering at your events.. consider all options!

Venues are now a lot more flexible in terms of the food offerings for lunches for events, from sandwiches and crisps, to hot and cold finger buffets/ bowl food and hot restaurant buffet lunches!

You’ll find often delegates take time to feedback about the food at an event, therefore it is important to spend some time making sure it is right and fits your event.

For instance think about the time you have allocated for lunch, do you have plenty of time to offer a more leisurely two course restaurant buffet lunch to delegates or are you pushed for time and need to provide time for delegates to network with sponsors and exhibitors?

Take into account the price for the event, have delegates paid to attend and will they as a result expect something more substantial  to reflect the event price, or have you organised a free event with limited budget and lunch only needs to be a simple offering.

We have provided a brief overview of the usual options available at venues to help make your catering decision easier to manage: 

•  Sandwich lunch – more informal and a quick lunch option – this usually includes  a selection of sandwiches, with crisps/chips and salad and water and sometimes tea/coffee - hot items can be added but are charged extra   
•  Hot and cold finger buffet –this is a more in between option,  more substantial than sandwiches but not as formal as a restaurant lunch, and generally includes a range of hot and cold food items,  for example chicken skewers, salads, mozzarella and tomato and often includes a selection of sandwiches
• Bowl food – this is still a relatively new concept at some venues, and provides  bowls of food that delegates can pick up and eat whilst standing or networking, a  more substantial alternative than canapés but not as formal as a restaurant lunch, items usually include a noodle or rice dishes, curry, salads as some examples 
•  Two course restaurant lunch – this is more of a formal and most substantial option and can take a bit more time, delegates are seated in the restaurant, and typically includes a couple, of main course options, a vegetarian option and then a selection of dessert options

Cost is another factor to bear in mind, the lower priced packages at venues tend to include a sandwich lunch offering but for a supplement you can as a rule upgrade to a more substantial lunch choice. Standard delegate packages tend to include a hot and cold finger buffet/working lunch or two course restaurant lunch, all packages depend on the venue you choose for your event. 

Reflect on what your event objectives are, naturally your event topic, programme and speakers are the most important but is the food you provide fuel for the delegates for the rest of the day or a selection so they can network with other colleagues and any sponsors and exhibitors at the event.

It may seem the last thing to think about for your event but is worth spending some time thinking about the food, as poor food can leave a lasting impression on delegates!

Please share your experiences with food at events or if you would like to write a blog for Mosaic Events please email enquiries@mosaicevents.co.uk

Venue finding and finding the perfect venue for your event!

Finding a venue is one of the first stages when organising your event and it is important to get this right! You need to have the best option for your audience, the right location; facilities and most importantly price to fit with your event budget!

Venue finding can be daunting at first as there are now lots of different types of venues that can host your event, from hotels to conference centres to more unusual venues such as museums and football stadiums.  

Mosaic Events can help make your life easier when venue finding and save you time contacting the venues and help in reducing the costs for you, we have put together some tips to help when venue finding for your event:

1. Make your event objectives clear and the requirements needed from a venue for your event
2. Confirm the budget for your event as this will help with the venue types to look at
3. Confirm what you want to offer your delegates – three servings of tea/coffee or one in the morning and one mid afternoon – do you need pastries or just fruit/biscuits? Do they need a two course lunch or a quick sandwich? All these factors influence the prices the venues offer
4. Do you need anything extra from the meeting room/venue? Do your speakers need lots of AV equipment – of so it may be best to use a University or modern venue with all the equipment built in and included or do they just need a projector, screen and laptop? Is natural daylight a must for your event, do you need more than one meeting room for any workshop/break out sessions?
5. Location – central location close to train stations or outskirts with lots of parking – where are your delegates travelling from or do they need both?

Make sure consider all aspects of your event when searching for a venue or  if you haven’t got the time or need help finding the perfect venue for your event Mosaic Events offers a free venue finding service.  

We check availability and pricing for all venue types and we put together a proposal of at least three suitable options including availability, pricing, meeting room details and venue details with their website so you can have a look at the options for yourself. Our service allows you to save time, reduce costs and add value to your event. We can negotiate rates on your behalf for events and ask venues for added value to best accommodate your event brief or added extras to compliment your event.

Mosaic Events are a full service event management agency and we offer all event management services and support and in addition to this a free venue finding service.

If we can help find a venue for your next event please email enquiries@mosaicevents.co.uk or please share your experiences of searching for venues or experience of using a venue finding service.

Do you host free events or charge for them?

When hosting an event once your topic has been established and confirmed and you are looking into speakers and venues for the event you have to think about the delegates and packages available to them and the cost of your event.

Do you charge for places at the event or do you offer the event free?

This will depend on lots of factors but most importantly your budget; make sure you start with a budget showing exactly what funds or income you have for the event.  Do you have a sponsor that is going to cover the costs for the entire event or are you using a free meeting room so only have minimal refreshment and catering charges.

If you have high outgoing costs for your event and no event sponsor to start with you need to look to source a sponsor to cover this or make a decision whether to charge delegates to attend instead.

As well as covering the costs for your event, does your event need to make a profit to help you run more events in the future or is it a one off event to inform attendees or a new service or product.

Other aspects to consider are attendee numbers, free events will usually attract more delegates as they only have to pay for their travel costs, but there are limits to this as it is affected by location too. For example delegates from Scotland travelling to London may have expensive travel and a long journey so even if the event is free it may not encourage them to attend. 

If you charge for an event this will ensure you receive an income to cover any costs and hopefully a profit for future, but may limit numbers if delegates have to factor in the attendance cost as well as travel.

Make sure if you charge for a place it is the most cost effective option for both the delegates and your event, and offer extra incentives such as early bird discounts or group booking discounts to encourage as many bookings as possible.

There are other reasons such as the topic, type of event and speakers that will impact who is interested and able to attend but making your event free or a charged for event is also a good place to start when planning.

Please share your experiences of hosting free or chargeable events or if you would like to write a blog for Mosaic Events please email sarah@mosaicevents.co.uk