Goal Setting - Pros and Cons

Goal Setting is one of those things that I have dreaded doing for many years.  I really do not like it and struggled with every exercise I've ever tried.  I finally read some coaching advice that backed up and explained how I feel about goal-setting.

In The DNA of Success by Jack M . Zufelt - a book he kindly shared with me this week, I finally discovered why writing down goals did not work for me.  For one thing, if those goals didn't happen in the time frame that I expected them to, it was a failure on my part.  It was depressing to read through a list of goals that I set six months earlier and realize that I had not yet started on even one of those goals.  After awhile, I gave up.

For me goal setting is really about making a decision about something that I want to create in the future.  That decision can be that I want to make $5000 per month or that I want to be driving a new sportscar someday.  I don't necessarily decide when...just decide.  Then I roll up my sleeves and work at what I am passionate about.  I don't write down or re-read those decisions or even think much about them at all.  Before long however, I will create those things that I decided I would have.  We have the power to create our future as we decide that it should be.  Yes - it requires some work...and yes it requires staying the course.  But dreams do come true everyday for people like you and me.  It all starts with the decision.

The beauty of this whole formula for me however is that I can change my mind.  I don't know about you - but I don't want the same things today that I thought I wanted twenty years ago.  The most exciting part about making decisions is that you can change them at any time.  Today, I don't want to drive a sportscar let's say - maybe today I want to drive a jeep.  I can decide today that I will have a jeep in the future.  I don't have to do anything about my earlier decision except to forget it and make a new decision.  I simply change my mind.

Wow...that's so exciting for me!  No more feeling guilty about the lack of written goals.  It just doesn't really work for me.  Everyone is different, but if you like me, struggle with goal setting as a business owner - try something else.  Make the decision about what you want...then forget about it.  Work in your business - and love it!  Your dreams will come true.

Want to know more?  Read The DNA of Success by Jack M . Zufel and be inspired!  Find him on LinkedIn and tell him that I sent you!

Sponsorships for Non-Profits

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As I’ve been out in the community recently I have realized that there are a lot of misunderstandings about sponsorships and their purposes especially amongst the non-profits in the community.  Hopefully I can give you some insight into sponsorships so that you can increase your success in this area.

Sponsorships serve two purposes and fall into two basic categories when it comes to Non-Profit Organizations.

There are sponsorships that come from your donors – or better said evolve out of relationships that you make with your donors.  These are people who love your cause and want to support you any way that they can.  They will buy an ad in your season program, or purchase a table for your gala and bring some friends.  They are “donating” to you and sometimes attaching their business name to it because they love you and your cause.  It’s what I call a “feel good” sponsorship.  These are great sponsors and relatively easy to attain if you have done a good job with relationship building.

The other type of sponsorship is a marketing sponsorship.  This comes from a different budget than the foundation/donation side of a business.  These sponsorships are really designed to grow the brand or the client base of the potential sponsor.  The money should come out of advertising or marketing rather than community donations.  The sponsorship should be created to help achieve their marketing goals whatever they are.  Return on Investment plays a huge role in how long term the sponsorship will thrive.  Since it’s basically advertising expense, the amount is fully tax deductible as a business expense (as opposed to the first type which is generally a donation).

Marketing sponsorships take time and relationship building as well.  It’s vital to understand the goals of the sponsor and to do your best to fulfill their goals with a sponsorship for your organization.  The key to success is start early, find businesses that are a good match for your organization that would benefit from the relationship, and do what you promise you will do for them.

Good luck with your sponsorships for 2014.  Please share your tips for successful sponsorship acquisition too!  We are all always looking for more ways to engage the community.

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Sponsorship Acquisition

Sponsorships for causes are one area that many people are either not comfortable selling - or have a long track of getting told no.  I've recently been reading up on sponsorships and helping a few organizations get some extra income for their cause.

 

Sponsorships come about for many reasons.  Most companies are looking for some kind of return on investment when they are a sponsor of an event.  For this reason, one must be creative in their offerings.  You can have a variety of options that a sponsor might be interested in...like their logo on your website, or on a poster.  You can offer their ad in your program perhaps - or a sponsorship page on your website.  There are all sorts of ways to help promote the sponsor to your followers.  Be creative in what you can offer - and then make sure you deliver what you promise.

 

Sponsorships certainly help community events become more successful and long lasting.  Find sponsors who align with your cause.  Provide them exactly what you promised them.  Have a thank you event for them annually.  Start early on your asks for the next event.  Allow your sponsors time to increase their involvement.

Want to know more?

 

Click here for a free report on sponsorship acquisition.

 

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Sponsorship Acquisiton

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I have been getting a lot of requests recently regarding sponsorship acquisition.  It's really difficult to help organizations when they are only a few weeks away from their event.  The proper sponsorship cycle is 12 to 15 months.  So truthfully - start now for any event in 2014.  Now is the time to put your proposal together for your larger sponsorships.  Many companies budget their major donations in the last quarter for the new year - or the first quarter for the year. Make sure to check with each company as well since some of them end their year in October instead of the traditional December end of year date.

If you are scrambling at the last minute to come up with some quick sponsorship money - you will need to decide on what benefits you have to offer a company for their sponsorship.  If you have a website, consider offering them exposure there.  An online auction will afford you some opportunity to both auction off some items and turn those into cash (often "stuff" is ea
sier to get than cash) but it also offers an opportunity for sponsorships on the auction website as well.

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Ideally, you should start the sponsorship process with relationship building.  Find out what the potential sponsor is looking for in a sponsorship with you.  Sponsors are generally budgeting marketing dollars and are looking for some kind of return on investment (ROI).  Exposure is key to your success - so start early so they can be on all of your promotional materials.  It is important to listen to what the sponsors want - and to acknowledge that.  Customize plans for your sponsors, then follow through and deliver what they want.  A summary of their ROI at the end of the event would be appreciated by all of your sponsors as well.

Professional event planners can help you understand the cycle of sponsorships and the importance of starting early.  Sponsorships are not difficult if the relationship exists with the organization or cause. Start early.  Have a plan. I wish you much success in your acquisition efforts.  If you have any questions, please post a comment.

Have the best week ever!

Challenges in Handling difficult Clients, Volunteers or Staff Members in Event Planning

"Competition as we know it is dead. Collaboration is the new competition. It's about working with each other, not against. Together we all win."

- Rich German

 

Photo from Mewy

Have you been charged with working with a difficult client or volunteer when producing an event?  How can you get your job done and achieve the goals set by the organization when you have staff members or volunteers who will not cooperate or work towards a common goal?

 

My lesson learned recently is that you really must have a company meeting to outline the goals of the event. Everyone should understand and move towards this common goal as a team. Having a common goal will help those who are antagonistic to at least understand that there is a  purpose for the event and a goal to achieve. As a professional with experience, your knowledge base is generally broader when it comes to achieving the goals of an event and producing that event so that the goals are met. People who are naysayers, or refuse to change do not forward the bigger goals of the organization and make your road full of land mines for you as the event planner.

 

Good communication from the organization should be requested in order to avoid these pitfalls.  Suggest early on in the planning that all the key people have a presentation from the CEO as well as the planner.  Changes should be discussed if this is an event that has happened in the past.  Understanding what was "always done" is important in order to make improvements in the process to meet the current needs of the organization and forward the goals of that organization.  Because something has always been done that way - is it in the best interest of the organization to continue doing it that way?  Could technology improve the manual process?  Would online registration enhance your event?  If sponsors could choose their level of support from an on-line page, would that enhance the customer service?

Photo from Daptiv

 

There are many ways to continue to improve any event.  Professional event planners can objectively look at what has been done and make suggestions to improve these events.  Ask for a consultation to see how your event could better fulfill the goals and aims of your company.  Events are still the highest return for your marketing dollar...invest wisely and have a successful event by using some good basic communication with your team.

Q & A with Becky

This week we have a very special blog post for you. It is a Question and Answer session with Becky, owner of Plan Ahead Events Boise. She has some awesome insight on planning your special event!

 

To Theme, or Not to Theme?

Should your event have a theme?  

Sometimes themes help with certain kinds of events and make the planning easier.  It certainly helps with decorations and color schemes to have some sort of thematic approach to your event.  Here are some questions to help you develop a theme:

• What time of year if the event being held?
• Is your event close enough to a holiday to use that as a theme?
• Is the location where you are having the event conducive to a particular theme?
• What is the purpose of your event?
• What previous themes have been used for your previous events?

If you are having trouble coming up with something, host a brainstorming event with some of the key players in the event.  Clearly define the objectives.  Have the mindset that "no idea is a bad idea" and start to talk about a wide variety of possibilities.  Make a record of what the suggestions are - keep them for future events as you will likely have more ideas than you can use at one event.  Narrow down the best ideas and make a plan to implement them.  If you need to present the ideas, present the three best ones to the board or decision makers in the company.

Once you have chosen a theme, make a conference logo to support the theme.  Generate some promotional materials using the theme.  Don't forget to incorporate it into the signage, nametags, table tents, decor, centerpieces, meals, music, contests and awards.  Make the most of your choice and best of all have fun creating your event.

Do you have trouble acquiring sponsorships for your event?

Sponsorships seem to be challenging for many people to attain.  They have great ideas, even get folks to agree to support the cause, then never manage to close the deal.  This is one area that meeting planners need to excel in, so if you need help - ask for it!  Don't wait until the last minute or it will be nearly impossible to close the deals.  Sponsorships are built on relationships and providing the sponsor with the right things to make them actually support your cause.  That relationship takes time to nurture.  You have to spend some time with the sponsor and get to know them.  What do they need and want from their sponsorship for your company or organization?

Marketing sponsorships should be relatively easy to obtain.  Every business has some kind of advertising or marketing budget.  You are tapping into a revenue stream that is not based on charity - even though giving may just make them feel good as well.  With a marketing sponsorship, you are giving them some kind of exposure to your community in exchange for their dollars spent.  You need to know what that exchange is and be able to follow through with it.

Hire a professional to help - take a seminar on sponsorship acquisition - start early to be successful.

Professional Management - Why it's necessary




Photo by UBP Catering

According to Wikipedia, “Event management is the application of management of project management to the creation and development of festivals and events”. It goes on further stating that event management involves studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually executing the modalities of the proposed event. In basic terms, event management ensures that all the planned activities in a particular event run accordingly and smoothly without any sort of disturbance and delays.

Wow...that's a mouthful right?  Well that's what a professional event planner brings to the function.  Every event needs organization to be successful.  Whether it's a corporate event, a non-profit gala or a social function, proper organization is the key to satisfied guests, donors and friends.  In the organizing stage, the event planner works with the client to determine purpose of the event, budget for the event as well as any logistical issues that need to be resolved.  The planner then takes care of all those details so you don't have to worry about them.  The planner will help to determine the number of guests, who will be invited, how to reach that demographic, where you should host the function, entertainment logistics, food and beverage services, ticket sales, sponsorships, decorations...the list goes on.  Attention to each of these items depending on the scope of the event is critical to having the best and most memorable event possible.


Photo by weddinglovely.com

Don't neglect the preparation and planning.  Hire good people that make you look good and your guests will leave feeling pride and joy in participating...and come back again!  In the long run, it's an investment in your success! Enjoy your event - Use a professional event planner and make some great memories! 

Ups and Downs in Life and Event Planning?

Life always presents twists and turns and presents challenges when you least expect them.  Whether it's an unexpected pregnancy, or a child needing major surgery, you have to do what needs to be done to handle the situation.  There are always good days and bad days, but as long as you are continually creating a better future, life can continue on despite the roller coaster of life's challenges.

This last week has taught me a lot about personal strength and the challenges that life throws your way as my daughter had a major hip surgery and lots of TLC in her recovery process.  Much like event planning, you do the best to anticipate everything needed to have a successful experience.  Then when something comes up, you think fast on your feet and make it work.  If you stay calm, things work out much quicker.  Stressing out and yelling doesn't accomplish anything in the end.  Keeping your best foot forward in the face of adversity seems to be a good policy for me.

Now that the worst is over, we face a long road of recovery....but the important thing is that we are in recovery and creating a new future.  No matter what that looks like, we are creating it.  Each event has a similar process.  First, there's the inspiration and the ideas.  Then comes the reality check - what would it take and can it be done.  Generally the answer is yes it can be done...so then it's a matter of how to best accomplish the goals.  Budgets are set and plans are explored.  The work begins to create something in the future that you are inspired to see happen.  When the event happens, you see your future creation in real life - and wow...what an accomplishment.

As an event planner by profession, it is up to me to insure that those dreams turn into realities for my clients.  That's the fun of being able to create someone's future dream - whatever that is.  It could be a wedding, but it could also be a home show, or a trade show where you are the main event.  Dreams come in all shapes and sizes.  Our motto at Plan Ahead Events Boise is that if you can Dream it...we can Create it.  

Keep creating your future and dreaming big - no matter the adversity that you face.  You will always be successful.  Here's to a great future for all of us! 

Small Business Owners - Tips for Success!

Professional event planning is crucial to your success as a business.  Face to face marketing is such an important part of your overall marketing plan that you don't want to skimp on the details.  When it comes to planning and executing your event logistics, meeting and event planners know their event processes cold. At the same time, most businesses now recognize the value of community relationships as the key building block and a variety of events build these friendships. 


What kind of events would help you to grow your business?

Here are some suggestions for small business owners:

1)  Grand Openings - This can be the grand opening of a new business or a new location for an existing business.  With invitations sent to your perfect demographic, these events can introduce you to your community and get your business jump started.

2)  Product Roll-outs - This is a great way to introduce your current and perspective clients to a new product line that you are carrying, or a new service that you intend to offer.

3)  Networking events - This is an excellent way to introduce your friends and associates to each other so that they can better work together as well.  Hold an open house networking event and see how your friends can help each other.

4)  Anniversary thank you celebrations - Have you been in business for awhile?  An Anniversary celebration is a good way to invite your current clients in to say thank you.  Entertain them and feed them - they will help your business grow through referrals. 

 
There are countless other options for small business events.  A good planner will help you with all the details from budgeting to catering.  You run your business and leave the planning to them.  Have a great business building event and increase your business!

Face to Face Marketing

I mentioned last week that the value of face to face marketing was still your highest return on investment.  For many of us this is meaningless...but here's some information I found.  The need for face-to-face interaction has never been more important in our digital and social media age. According to a report from Meeting Professionals International (MPI), 40% of prospects converted to new customers via face-to-face meetings, and 28% of current business would be lost without face-to-face meetings.

I don't know about you, but a 28% loss would be huge in most small businesses.  So why not add some face to face marketing to your overall marketing budget and plan.  Marketing is a very complex subject with all the options and expense involved.  Consult your professionals to better understand the plan that is right for you.

The reality is that both face-to-face and virtual marketing are essential components to any company's communications strategy. There are benefits of both approaches and as a business owner it's important to create a plan that is both beneficial and manageable.

Making the Case for Face-to-Face

Whether considering a tradeshow, a grand opening event, or a product unveiling, face-to-face interactions provide significant business benefits. At its core, face-to-face engagement creates a personal connection and builds trust between a company and its target audience. Giving a warm handshake, carrying an engaging conversation, and getting to know customers and prospects on an individual level can help form stronger, more meaningful, and more profitable business relationships.  There are many different types of events that can support this type of marketing.  Event professionals can help you match your demographics to your perfect type of event.  They will work with you to produce the event and to market it to achieve your goals.  A really good event planner will even help you track the return on investment of your marketing dollars.

Event planning of any type is a lot of work with much attention to detail given to insure the success of an event.  Check out the event planners in your area for that professional touch.  You can then continue to work your business while a great event is attended to.  On event day, you can show up and be the event without any attention being taken away from your business leading up to the big day!  The cost is worth it if you convert just one or two to new customers or renew a few relationships with existing clients.  Save yourself the stress without neglecting this important part of your marketing strategy.

Plan Ahead Events has franchises in over 100 locations.  Find one near you if you are looking for
professional help.  (www.planaheadevents.com) Events are a great way to maintain those relationships
you have so that you do not lose them, as well as to create new ones!

Have you had success with face to face events in your business?  If so please share the stories with others!  We can all learn from each others successes.

Read more about face to face marketing at this link we really like: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2011/5938/the-value-of-face-to-face-marketingin-a-virtual-age#ixzz2XzPcMzwh

Networking

Networking is one of the most powerful marketing tactics that a small business can use.  It is important that you choose the right groups, the right time for you, and learn how to network effectively.

Many networking groups are available in your area I'm sure.  Visit many of them.  Schedule time to visit one each week.  As a small business owner you will be spending the bulk of your time running your business so it's important that you schedule and make the most of your networking opportunities.

Here's a few tips that I have learned.  Don't be shy.  Sit with people that you don't know or have never met.  You never know which one will be your next customer, or be a friend of your next customer.  Introduce yourself but then focus more on learning about them and what they do, than in telling them about what you do.  The more you are interested in them, the more they will naturally be interested in you and what you do.  You will be establishing a friendship, not just a business relationship.  Friendships lead to more referrals and business in the end.

Go to groups that educate as part of their program.  I love to learn new things and understand how to improve my productivity in some way while making new friends.  There is no substitute for learning new ideas and new ways to look at your business.

Networking will increase your business and your connections over time.  Be consistent no matter how busy you are. There is no substitute for face to face marketing.  Face to face marketing and networking events are statistically the highest return on investment for any business.  So visit a great networking  group this week and let me know how it works for you by posting a comment!

Memorable Events

Memorable events don't just happen.  They are created.  Events take organization and management in order to insure success.  Small business owners are in the business of running their ventures...not event planning.  It makes sense to put your energy into running your business and allowing a professional to help you with your events.

So that brings up the question of why should I even do an event?  Face to face marketing is the highest return on investment for your marketing dollar.  This is proven time and again.  There is no better way to say thank you - to roll out a new product - or to celebrate an anniversary than with an event for your customers and supporters.  

A professional will help you set your goals and help you to identify your demographics before embarking on a marketing event for your business.  Who do you want to invite and why?  Define your goals and evaluate them at the end of the event.  Change what you need to before the next event and continue to improve the marketing and goals of each different event.  The important thing to remember is to have an event to personally connect with others.  Say thank you and you will never go wrong.  Have a great event!

Knowing When to Hire a Professional

Knowing when to hire a professional to help you with event planning is a big key to success for non-profit companies.  There are many costs associated with event planning. When a company needs to delegate event planning to a staff member, the staff finds they are unable to manage a good balance between their normal full time job and their full time event planning/marketing job. Most employees can’t work 70 hours a week to complete everything in time and stay up to date on all aspects of their jobs.   This means, when your staff members are busy working on events as their primary target, something else is not getting done.  As an executive, it’s vital that you continue on your fund-raising path.  If you have to event plan, you spend a great many hours doing event related things when you could be and should be soliciting donors, writing grants, and completing other weekly job duties that maintain the functionality of the business.  The event planning costs add up quickly!  If you spend just 30 hours on an event, at executive wages of $50 per hour, there’s a hidden cost of $1500 added to your event for every week that person is working on the event.  In that same 30 hours, you could have met with several donors and written a few grants.

It’s important to realize that non-profits do not need to skimp on their events.  Consider hiring a professional to help with things that you are not an expert at; let them do the organizing and leg work.  You can most definitely help with contacts and suggestions, direction and guidance.  Sign the solicitation letters for auction items, but let someone else do the work that you or your staff simply don’t have time to complete.  An event planner can shop around for the venue, plan the catering and the bar, as well as the entertainment, guest speakers, solicit sponsors for the event, help with the budget and staying on task to accomplish the goals of the organization.  If you consider building in a little extra into the event itself to pay for the planner, you will be saving yourself and your company a ton of money! Event planners typically do contract to contract work, instead of outrageous hourly wages. In the end what you would perhaps pay someone for working 2 weeks at executive wages, you could be putting towards an event planner who takes care of all of the details over the course of 1-12 months in advance. You will be happy that you hired an event planner, and anyone seeing the financial aspect of the company will love it too. 

Vacation time? Does it help?

Productivity as it's related to time off is always a question for me.  While I love to go on vacations, it has to in the end turn into something that helps me become more productive in my life.  As I sit on the deck in Cabo today - I reflect on how much my life has changed in the last year.  Many things are different in one short year....my job, my parent life, my children's lives, even with my husband and his stresses.

Vacations for me are times to reflect on what has happened, and to look ahead towards what I want to create for the future.  As I embark on my new - and hopefully final career for this lifetime, I am challenging myself to be more successful than ever.  There is still so much to learn!  Brandi being home is helping me to handle the challenges of social media and graphic design.  As a professional event planner, there is a tremendous learning curve - that is changing all the time.  Events are largely social media events in one way or another.  It's vital to stay on top of how to reach the audience - and how to reach those folks who have a need for some event planning help.  Recognizing the need for help is important and the first step to successful ventures.

Event planning is fun - but it is also a tremendous amount of work and stress leading up to the event.  There are so many details to attend to.  It's hard to imagine how much work is involved until you are in over your head.  Professionals are there to help when you realize that you can't be the specialist at everything.  You will soon discover as I have - that there is great help out there to insure your success.  Don't be afraid to get some help doing the things that you aren't a specialist at.  Invest in your self.  Invest in your organization.  It's insurance that your event will be successful too.

Plan Ahead Events Boise is a full service event planning organization - and best of all - my business venture.  From huge to tiny - from budgeting to marketing, we can help with all or part of your event.  We always offer a short free consultation for your event.  We are happy to discuss the opportunities and to help you have a successful and enjoyable event for all - especially you!

Here's to vacations that are never long enough - but always refreshing and energizing.  This trip to Cabo has been in celebration of Brandi's college graduation!  I am very proud of her accomplishments and of the beautiful young woman she has become.  She's a pillar of strength and I know that her dreams will come true no matter the barriers life tries to through in her way!  Congratulations Brandi!

Summer Events

As I sit today wondering if the warm weather will really come to stay - and hoping none of my flowers frosted last night....summer events outside seem so appealing.  There's nothing like a picnic in the park for a company party or family reunion.  Wedding receptions done in lovely gardens are always special.  Outdoor events need contingency plans and sometimes special permits to be done successfully.  But if you are lucky and the weather is perfect - there's just nothing better!  I'm looking forward to spending some time in my garden and yard this summer and hosting at least a couple of family gatherings!  Life is too short to not gather friends and family to celebrate summer events.

Plan Ahead Events Boise is a full service event planning company that I am the proud owner of along with my partner, Stuart Weiser.  Together we make an unbeatable team when it comes to making your event happen just the way you dream it could be.  Adding a unique element to every event to make it the most memorable for your guests is our specialty.  Let us help you create your dream event...no matter the occasion.  Big or small - we can help at the level that you can afford.  Dream it - we will create it!