The Hidden Costs of Weddings [US News]

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By Geoff Williams

Everybody knows weddings are expensive. According to last year’s annual survey by theknot.com and weddingchannel.com, getting hitched costs an average of $28,427 – although it really comes down to where you live. It’s far cheaper to get married in Manhattan, Kan., for instance, than Manhattan, New York. Still, no matter how prepared you are to spend whatever it takes for you or your son or daughter to have a phenomenal wedding day, it may be difficult to prepare yourself for the not-so-obvious costs that come with weddings.

“Unanticipated costs can add 30 percent or more to a client’s budget,” says Maggie Daniels, associate professor at George Mason University and the author of the textbook for wedding planners, “Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients.”

That’s because there are often many moving parts. You may hold the ceremony at one place and the reception at another. You may have a team of professionals helping organize your day, such as a wedding planner, photographer, florist and caterer. And no matter how well-intentioned or prepared you are, there’s likely some expense you haven’t factored into your budget.

Here’s a look at some of the hidden costs you may encounter during wedding planning.

Taxes. It’s all too easy to forget about the tax tacked onto every product and service. Sales tax adds up, says Ginny Kozlowski, an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven, who teaches courses in event planning. “For example, a $5,000 dress with sales tax is $5,475 in Connecticut. This will vary state by state, of course,” Kozlowski says.

Service fees. “I notice service charges creeping in mostly in country clubs, private clubs and sometimes on catering bills,” says Karen Bussen, a wedding designer in New York City. “These are not necessarily gratuities. Sometimes, for example, a private club will just charge an 18 to 22 percent service charge for administering the wedding. This money is not distributed to tipped employees, and gratuities may be left to your discretion, which could double the money you need for service.”

Bussen adds that you can often negotiate service fees – but read your contract carefully, she cautions. You aren’t likely to get far in negotiations after you sign the contract.

Odd fees in contracts. Speaking of which, if you don’t read your contracts, you’ll miss many of these hidden fees, says Cassie Brown, chief experience officer at TCG Events, a national event planning company based in Charlotte, N.C.

“The first hidden fee that comes to mind is a cake cutting fee,” Brown says. This is the fee for someone from the catering company or venue to cut the wedding cake and pass it out to guests. According to weddingstats.org, the average cost in 2013 ranged from $1.25 to $1.72 – per guest.

She also says she has heard of cake “corkage” fees. Corkage fees are fees some restaurants charge if you bring your own bottle of wine to the restaurant. A cake corkage fee comes into play if you bring in a wedding cake from an outside vendor, Brown says.

“I’ve seen them priced out as much as $12.50 a person, which, when totaled, would have been more than the cost of the cake,” she says.

Tips. Forking over extra money to the limo driver is probably the last thing on your mind, Daniels says, since by the wedding day, “most couples have already overspent their budgets.” But it’s something to consider.

Daniels says tipping isn’t mandatory, of course. Still, it is a nice gesture – and who wants bad karma on their wedding day? People to consider tipping include hair stylists, florists, delivery people, wedding reception attendants and musicians.

Tent costs. Tents are “the most misunderstood by clients in terms of costs,” Daniels says. “Brides and grooms on a budget may think that holding a tented event will save them on venue costs, but they are sorely mistaken.”

Bussen agrees. “People always ask me, ‘What does a tent cost?’ I tell them that for the most part, the canopies themselves are not all that pricey. It’s the floor that gets you.”

Flooring can easily cost in the thousands, but that’s not all. Daniels says beyond the canopy and flooring, you’ll want to consider “sidewalls, entrance canopies, lighting, fabric liners, power generators, heating or air conditioning, staging, tables, chairs, linens, tableware, executive restrooms, permits and labor.”

As you take all that in, Daniels adds, “A fabric liner alone can cost $4,000 or more, while custom lighting can cost up to $15,000. If done well, the total cost for just the tent and necessary rentals easily exceeds $30,000.”

Bussen recommends getting proposals and estimates from at least two tent companies during the planning stage.

Lighting and other expenses. Whether in the tent or a reception hall, lighting can get expensive, says Liz Drew, a Tustin, Calif.-based marketing professional who is getting married at the end of the month.

“Who knew that additional lighting would cost another thousand?” Drew says. She says because her parents are still buried under student loan debt, her generous in-laws are footing the bill for the wedding, which could top out at $50,000. That includes at least $10,000 in unexpected costs, Drew says. Although her in-laws are paying for the wedding, she has been the one writing the checks.

And the expenses come up a lot. “Linens and chairs was an expense that didn’t seem necessary when I booked my venue, but it’s something a majority of other brides do to dress up the room, and I felt pressured to do,” Drew says, adding that it will cost another $1,200. Why the extra lighting? Her venue has lighting, but this cost is for “uplighting,” in which lights are placed on the floor and projected off the wall for an atmospheric effect.

As the venue representative argued in an email to Drew, the uplighting “has a dramatic impact on the space as far as enhancing the florals, linens, chairs, etc.”

Suddenly, you can see why many people spend more than they intended on a wedding. After all, if you’re already spending a fortune on flowers, linens, chairs and so on, you probably want it all to look amazing.

Avoiding the fees. You can minimize some of the damage or at least spend wisely, asserts Daniels. She argues that hiring a professional to help you spend your money is one of the best ways to save money. “The smartest move that any couple can make is to hire a wedding consultant who has a stellar reputation for respecting a client’s budget,” she says.

Daniels argues that staging a wedding on your own is like selling a house solo. You can do it, but a planner or real estate agent will save you money in the long run. And saving money is the goal. Well, having a happy memorable day is the goal – but so is not putting yourself in the poorhouse.

Read the original article in US News and World Report.

Cassie Brown of TCG Events Shares Her Top 5 Ways to Drive Event Sponsorship [Meetings Focus]

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By Cassie Brown

Cassie Brown, CEO of TCG Events, which specializes in planning and executing corporate events that drive business for their clients through the company’s proprietary EventSmarter approach, offers the following advice to make your sponsorship packages stand out from a crowded market based on her company’s success:

1) Customize each sponsorship to the company being solicited.  Do your homework – what are the hot initiatives at a company? Tailor opportunities to sponsors needs – be strategic and create packages that are suited to each sponsor, create opportunities that are of value to the individual corporations.

Some companies may be looking for brand awareness where some companies may be looking for opportunities to test their products. Find out what they want/need then create your proposal. Don’t assume you know what they want.

Be specific about their benefits – Tell them exactly what they will be getting in return for their sponsorship. What benefit are you providing them that no one else is/can? A logo on a screen and a table at the event isn’t enough.

2) Deliver what you promised, before and during the event. Don’t over promise attendee counts. Be honest. Have more names on the list than you have opportunities.

Not everyone says yes. Often time there are lots of logistics and fulfillment pieces that have to be arranged for sponsors.

Dedicate someone to manage those relationships and pull together their logistics in a timely and friendly manner. Sponsorship is a business transaction not a donation. 

3) Track your data. Companies want a ROI. Do pre-event and post-event surveys asking specific questions about sponsors. Know the demographics and psychographics of attendees and why that would be important to a company. Ask the sponsor how they determine success and figure out how to measure that.

4) Don’t just dump them after an event. Solicit feedback, thank them, court them so they want to play again next year. Remember, the devil’s in the details: generic, form letter thank you notes are a terrible idea. Don’t misspell company or individual names in the letters.

Many companies have tricky names – LendingTree is often misspelled as two words even though it is one. Or Sheetz has a “z” instead of an “s.”

5) And finally, don’t get stopped before you’ve started: Don’t screw up the logo. Ask for branding guidelines. Many companies have specific rules for logos. One very common one is the logo must be on a white background.

If the logo is going on a black bag or red PowerPoint slide that can be a problem.

About the Author: With an event management background spanning two decades, Cassie Brown assumed the role of President & CEO of TCG Events in 2011. Under her direction or direct project management, Cassie’s work has earned the company awards in event, decor, invitation, and program categories.

An active participant in the International Special Events Society, Cassie has served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Charlotte, NC chapter. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, universities and association meetings.

She was an adjunct professor at Johnson & Wales University and has taught courses in event management at Central Piedmont Community College.

Read the original article in Meetings Focus.

Healthy Up Your Next Event [Event Solutions]

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By Cassie Brown

You don’t have to look too far to see that people are paying more attention to healthy eating. General Mills just announced the removal of GMOs in Cheerios because of a Facebook campaign. Yogurt companies are doing ads announcing the removal of high fructose corn syrup and diet soft drink consumption is down. People are becoming more aware than ever of what they are eating and increasingly value healthier food options, something the event industry commonly overlooks.

The meeting industry hasn’t historically always been great in supporting healthy habits. Pasta bars and continental breakfasts are cost effective. And let’s face it, an afternoon brownie treat is more exciting than a carrot stick. However, these options may not only be unhealthy, they can be counterproductive to the meeting. And as the interest in proving event ROI continues, it is important to look at all ways to make meetings productive. What we feed people is a key element to keeping them engaged, thinking, learning and conveys the message that you value their health and food preferences, and are willing to invest a bit more in the budget to deliver that. Here are a few ways to make that happen:

  1. Reduce the high glycemic foods. Foods with a glycemic index of 70 or above are high and aren’t great for keeping people alert in meetings. As blood sugar rises, concentration declines and people can get tired, fidgety or fuzzy brained. Continental breakfasts usually include pastries, muffins and high sugar fruit juice which kill attendees concentration before the meeting even starts. Serving oatmeal with a selection of healthy fresh fruit berry toppings is a much better option. Oatmeal, a “super food”, is the perfect way to stabilize blood sugar and prevent the mid-morning slump. High protein items like hard boiled eggs or a vegetable frittata also provide a healthy, tasty way to start the morning.“Brain foods” such as almonds, blackberries, blueberries, yogurt, dark chocolate and peanut butter are great afternoon snacks. A hummus selection instead of a cookie display can help those afternoon speakers get their content effectively across too!
  2. Make it easy to increase physical activity. Include fitness options on the website, event apps, and registration booking – and don’t make it just a small one sentence blurb. This allows people to pack the right attire in advance, rather than arriving and realizing there are unprepared. At a one day meeting, include it in the pre-event information. During site selection, pick a site that is good for attendees to walk, run or be active. Give people walking directions to offsite events if feasible.
  3. Encourage hydration. The human body is over 70% water and fluids are a necessity for wellness. A body suffering from dehydration goes into fatigue. Even mild dehydration of 1-2% can impair concentration. In addition to water stations, remind people to drink! Notes on the screen, reminders in content, a group water toast – whatever it takes to keep people hydrated throughout the day. Make it fun!

Companies spend a lot of money on bringing people together for educational, collaborative events. Offering healthy food and physical activity options can heighten the overall experience and can increase your ROI.

Read the original article in Event Solutions.

The Top 10 Mistakes Companies Make with Events [Sucessful Meetings]

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By Matt Alderton

Even in the digital age, live events are pervasive, according to event planning firm TCG Events. Last year, it surveyed 300 executives and found that 84 percent work at companies that hold corporate events. Just because a majority of companies host events, however, doesn’t mean that they do a good job of it. For that reason, TCG CEO Cassie Brown has compiled her list of “The Top 10 Mistakes Your Company is (Probably) Making with Events”:

10. Not getting a music license.
“Your DJ isn’t taking care of this. And you’ll wind up paying a steep price,” Brown says.

9. Making your company event an afterthought.
“Not including it in the yearly budget, or even picking a specific date,” is a mistake according to Brown, who says “surprises at work, especially in accounting, are not so welcome.”

8. Not taking employees’ wants and needs into account.
“Events should be planned to the demographics of the employees,” Brown says. “For example, a company with mainly millennials should plan a different event than a company where the majority of employees are married with kids.”

7. Not taking an RSVP.
Again, Brown says, surprises in the workplace are a bad idea.

6. Interrupting family time and not inviting the family.
“An event attended grudgingly, rather than the positive morale builder it was meant to be,” is a failed event, Brown says.

5. Not making it cool enough to be on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
“Make the most of your event investment and turn it into a brand builder,” Brown advises.

4. Designing a half-hearted invitation.
“This tells your invitees, ‘I don’t expect this to be worth your time, feel free to make excuses,'” Brown says.

3. Serving a vegetable tray and cheese tray.
Brown has one word: “Boooooring.”

2. Scheduling a speech where the CEO or another executive rambles on, and on, and on.
“Nobody wins in this situation, not the speaker nor the attendees,” Brown says. “Design a compelling, fun, 2-minute video, instead. Your attendees and your executive team will thank you for it.”

1. Having the same party year after year.
“The most important, deadly mistake is annual repetition,” Brown concludes. “Events are an opportunity to bring your brand to life, whether for your employees, your investors, or your clients and prospects. You wouldn’t let your brand get stale — don’t make that mistake with your company events.”

Source: TCG Events

Read the original article in Successful Meetings.

Top 5 Holiday Party Planning Tips [MarketingProfs]

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By Cassie Brown

It is that time of year again, when employees are forced to attend a “morale-building event” that is typically designed in such a way that it does nothing of the sort. Rather, it is “the event that must be attended” that no one wants to attend.

But if you consider the five elements outlined below, a holiday party actually can be a fabulous bonding opportunity and an event to look forward to. It offers a great way to develop personal connections that lower stress and boost happiness. And who wouldn’t look forward to that?

A well-designed event is a way to nurture relationships and build a higher level of trust. It allows guests to build lasting relationships that translate into the business environment.

If you are in charge of spearheading this event, you may be wondering, Where do I begin? What are the most important elements to consider in planning a holiday party?

Remember that the party doesn’t have to be the same old thing as last year, nor should it. It shouldn’t be considered an afterthought forced on an overworked administrative assistant or HR or communications department.

Sometimes, outsourcing the event is a great option, allowing all of the attendees the opportunity to enjoy it rather than one person or department being forced to work the event. The right event planner asks you the questions needed to create an event that accomplishes your company’s goals—not just a generic “pretty” holiday party.

So let’s look at five elements that have an enormous impact on the outcome of your event.

1. Vision

Your business is investing in this event: Like every other budgeted item, the goal is positive ROI, in whatever form your company needs that to take. You should consider these questions: What is your goal for this event? This question requires a deeper answer than “there is no goal, a holiday party is expected.”

If the goal is to thank employees, an event should be designed that actually shows appreciation to employees, with more than just a CEO prattling on stage about what a great year it was.

Who is your audience? What is the mix of demographics and psychographics of attendees? Will spouses be included? If this is an annual occasion, what did you do last year—what worked and what didn’t?

2. Food Presentation and Selections

No one wants to be stuck at a table all night with eight people they may or may not like. Consider alternate options, such as food stations, which allow guests to mingle and move around freely.

Finding ways that guests can interact with the food makes any party a hit, for example making your own taco, rolling your own spring roll, providing guests various toppings for mac and cheese. Cultural and ethnic flavors are increasingly popular with guests, as they can experience new and unique tastes, making for a great conversation starter, too. Seasonal ingredients are always expected, and sustainably sourced food is appreciated by guests.

The key takeaway of all of these ideas: increasing networking and boosting the overall energy for the event.

3. Interactive Activities

Any entertaining should focus on the event attendee’s enjoyment. There are many ways to increase participants’ enjoyment level without additional costs.

The activities you and your planner choose should reflect your company culture. Have lots of athletes on staff? Keep them active by building bikes for disadvantaged kids. Employees with military ties, whether themselves or family? Give them the opportunity to prepare thoughtful care packages for our military overseas.

Activities allow guests to interact with those they normally would not interact with.

Activities should also be quick, with an end goal in sight, and they should offer the satisfaction of accomplishment.

4. Timing

Consider moving your holiday party to January—traditionally a more relaxed time for employees. That is an especially valuable consideration if you’re using this event as a team builder: Your employees are likely to be less distracted, and more able to focus on one another and the company. It’s also a cost-cutting move, as many venues have more flexible pricing in January.

Another option: lunch and weekday parties, instead of weekends or evenings, can cut less into your employees’ family/personal life—and a higher percentage may be able to attend.

5. Location

Have you traditionally rented an outside venue for your company’s holiday party? Consider holding the event at the CEO’s home. A home can provide a very intimate and welcoming setting, and can demonstrate team commitment from the CEO. Logistics, such as the bar, food placement, and parking can be tricky, so make sure you or your planner visit more than once to review the space.

Be clear on your objectives if you are working with an event planner; collaborate on your vision for the event and rely on their expertise to inform you of what’s possible (of course, you should ask whether they’ve done an in-office or in-home event previously).

By considering the elements above, you can really make the holiday party something that people are sad to miss.

Read the original article in MarketingProfs.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for Corporate Events [Sales & Marketing Management]

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Unless it all goes south.

It’s holiday event time for businesses, and as an early holiday present, Cassie Brown, Chief Experience Officer at TCG Events, shares the top five words you should hear from your event planner:

Vision: The right event planner asks you the right questions to create an event that accomplishes your company’s goals – so that it’s not just a generic “pretty” holiday party. What is your goal for this event? Who is your audience – employees only, or are you inviting clients and prospects as well? If this is an annual occasion, what did you do last year – what worked and what didn’t?

Timing: Your event planner should talk with you about the ideal timing for your holiday party. That might be January – traditionally a more relaxed time for employees. This is especially valuable if you’re hoping this event will encourage team bonding; your employees are likely to be less distracted, more able to focus on one another and the company. It’s also a cost-cutting move, as many vendors have more pricing flexibility in January. Another option: a lunch or weekday party, instead of weekends or evenings, so that more of your invitees might be able to join in the festivities.

Location: Have you traditionally rented an outside venue for your company’s holiday party? Consider holding the event at the CEO’s home. A home can provide a very intimate and welcoming setting and can demonstrate team commitment from the company’s leadership. Review the home options with an event planner; collaborate on your vision for the event and rely on their expertise to inform you of what’s possible.

Food (specifically, presentationand selections): No one wants to be stuck at a table all night with eight people they may or may not like. Your event planner should offer some creative options, including family-style serving, to encourage conversation. Food that’s an “experience” is a terrific way to make this year’s event stand out – TCG Events has created experiences ranging from make-your-own-dessert stations to champagne served by an upside-down aerialist. The end result: even more opportunities for networking and a higher overall energy level for the event.

Last but not least – Music! Are your licenses in place? Music played publicly is required to have permission from the songwriters/composers. Instead of having to call Mariah Carey every time “All I Want for Christmas is You” is played, BMI and ASCAP are music performing right organizations that manage the process and distribute royalties. While it takes no more than 10 minutes to fill out the required forms, it is an item overlooked by many companies holding events – at the holidays or any time of year – and the consequences are significant. For example, the ASCAP fine is a minimum of $750 per song plus attorney fees and court costs.

With Chief Experience Officer Cassie Brown, CSEP, at the helm, Charlotte-based TCG Events specializes in planning and executing corporate events that drive business for their clients.

Read the original article in Sales and Marketing Management.

Rethinking the Dinner Gala! [NY Times]

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By Phyllis Korkki

The three-course dinners. The auctions and raffles. The speeches from sponsors. The requests for donations. These are the ingredients of many a charity event, and they have stood the test of time.

But nonprofit groups that are planning events this season — especially recurring ones — may want to consider whether it is time to shake things up. The last thing a fund-raiser needs is a guest who is bored, or annoyed, or doesn’t show up at all.

“How are they coming back year after year if you haven’t made this night special?” said Ginger Berman, president of Events With Ginger & Company, based in Westfield, N.J. She has helped plan five “chef’s table” events in New York for Autism Speaks, a research and advocacy organization.

At the event, a collection of chefs (more than 90 at last month’s gathering) donate their time and food to cook tableside meals for groups of 10. Although the basic structure of the Autism Speaks events has remained the same since they began in 2007, organizers add variety by inviting different chefs to participate and switching up the entertainment each year, Ms. Berman said. Past events have featured celebrities like Harry Connick Jr., while this year the chief entertainment was a young singer with autism, Talina Toscano.

Adding new elements and extra pizazz to events can be challenging if the organizers are nonprofit employees who have other job duties as well. But Ms. Berman, along with Cassie Brown of TCG Events, based in Charlotte, N.C., says a little creativity can go a long way.

At the same time, they warn, event planners should never lose sight of expenses and logistics.

Ms. Brown has attended her share of dinners and auctions, and some can become formulaic, she says. When clients want a formal dinner to serve as the center of a function, she often tries to talk them out of it, she said. Even if food is served buffet-style, people still end up sitting with the same few other guests for almost the whole night, she said.

One reason to attend these events is to socialize, and they can be excellent networking opportunities, so food and drink setups should encourage mingling and can be preferable, she said.

An “interactive dessert experience” she recently organized was more social than a dinner, she said: Guests stood at narrow tables as pastry chefs prepared large elaborate desserts that could be shared.

A danger of fund-raisers is that they can turn into “talking head shows,” Ms. Brown said. Understandably, nonprofits want to honor the people who have contributed to their success. Unfortunately, some speakers go on longer than planned. Then, very often, comes “the ask” — the request for donations. That may not go down so well if the prelude to it has been mismanaged — attendees may even slip out early, Ms. Brown said.

She suggests several ways to avoid these pitfalls.

  • Invest in a short, professionally made video that includes major sponsors, and play it on a big screen during the event. Reducing speeches makes time management much easier.
  • Do not wait to feed the guests. Front-loading with speeches and entertainment can leave attendees hungry and less receptive to donating money.
  • Make your request for donations at the beginning or the middle of an event, rather than at the end. Once guests have fulfilled the purpose of the evening, they can enjoy themselves.
  • Consider a nontraditional room setup, such as moving the stage to the center of the site. Sometimes when a stage is in the front, guests in the back can feel far removed, Ms. Brown said.

Nonprofits are in a tricky situation. They need to create a meaningful and entertaining experience while keeping within a strict budget. Often, participants like celebrity chefs and entertainers are happy to donate their time, but costs can still add up. Revenue goals for a charity event should exceed expenses at least fourfold, said Ms. Berman.

How a nonprofit organization manages an auction can be critical to an event’s success. More event planners are harnessing technology, enabling guests to bid online before an event, or via their smartphones and tablets during the event, Ms. Brown said. That way, guests need not continually return to the table where an item is offered to see if they have been outbid.

Kalin Kassabov of New York, who attends up to five charity events a month, has found that silent auctions combined with invitation-only events can be especially successful, if the organizers tailor auction items to the guests. He recently attended a function where nearly every item in the silent auction received a bid “because everybody was invited and personally screened,” he said.

Mr. Kassabov has a message for guests who R.S.V.P. to invitations from charities: follow through. He recalled an event where the nonprofit rented a nightclub with impressive platters of food, special drinks and a theme, but the turnout was poor. “I hate to see the effort of the charity kind of being wasted by people not showing up,” he said.

Read the original article in The New York Times.

 

How to Celebrate a Business Anniversary [Successful Meetings]

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Successful Meetings contributor Cassie Brown calls business anniversaries “the vanilla of the events season.” And yet, that doesn’t mean that planning an anniversary celebration is easy. In fact, it’s uniquely challenging, as planners must take great care to craft an event that feels merry, but not frivolous.

The solution, according to Brown, is to approach company celebrations as you would any other event: strategically.

“Realistically, you can’t spend company funds on an event just for the sake of celebration,” Brown says. “The event has to have a strategic business goal.”

The strategic reason for a business celebration might be to motivate the company’s employees, to create an opportunity for bonding with clients or to thank the community. Whatever the strategic objective, the key to success is using the event not as a soapbox or ego-booster, but as a business mechanism.

“People don’t want to attend an event that is all about the company history, which usually means a long, boring speech from the CEO,” Brown says. “Reinforce your brand, and acknowledge the past and future, in innovative ways. Utilize multimedia, staging, even food to make it an event to remember.”

By Mark Payne

‘Offsite’ is Not a Four-Letter Word [Sales & Marketing Management]

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Smart managers are making meetings more meaningful.

Rubber chicken. Endless speeches. Budget-breaking centerpieces. Sound like an event you’ve attended? Too many corporate events don’t yield the ROI that Cassie Brown, CSEP, knows they should. As Chief Experience Officer of TCG Events (TCGEvents.com), Brown specializes in planning and executing corporate events that stand out in their ability to produce solid returns.

The North Carolina-based event planning firm’s “Event Differently” approach is needed now more than ever, says Brown. According to a February 2013 survey of 300 corporate executives at companies with at least $1 billion in revenue, 75 percent of executives agree that their company is looking for greater ROI from corporate events this year than in previous years. The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of TCG Events. It shows that even in the virtual age, live corporate events remain essential. Eighty-four percent of executives indicate that their companies hold corporate events, and four out of five (79 percent) say that their companies understand the value of ROI (e.g., increased corporate morale, new business identification, client relationship building) in doing so.

At the same time, 84 percent of respondents report that their company has made cuts in corporate events in the past few years. “Corporate events are a prime example of the ‘do more with less’ trend found across American businesses today,” Brown says. “While appearances will always count, what’s most important now for our clients is that every event serves as a true business driver. Often, that means shaking up expectations based on past events.” Brown says it’s encouraging that more companies are building clear objectives and measurements for ROIs into their offsite strategies. “One of the first questions we ask our clients is, ‘When you’re all back in the office, how will you know that this event was successful?’ Sometimes those answers end up being very different than why they think they were having an event,” she says. “It’s also about what do you want those attendees to do after the event. It can’t be about just having a great time. That’s not a business model.”

Brown offers these tips for creating an offsite event that provides substantial ROI: Talking heads are only a good thing if we’re talking dance music. Giving speakers-even the CEO-the floor for what seems like forever is the primary way an event loses audience engagement. A two-minute, professionally designed, powerful video (that features the CEO and any guest speakers) has a far bigger impact. Everyone wins: key constituents, your organization and most importantly, the audience. Center stage, not centerpieces – make the most of your event spending.

The traditional stage at the front of the room arrangement can leave some tables feeling like they’re in Siberia. Consider placing the stage/podium in the center of the room, with surrounding screens overhead so that everyone has a great view. Shift and invest your budget where it makes the biggest impact. Change it up – present the unexpected. Holding an annual event? Even if the speakers are different from year to year, if the format’s the same, your target audience may regard attendance as a duty rather than a pleasure.

Consider introducing new elements each year. Invite your customers. Companies are increasingly bringing employees and vendors or employees and clients together during offsites. “I think people are looking for collaboration and new ideas-the crowdsourcing of events,” says Brown. “Bringing everyone together and seeing what happens helps build those relationships.” ‘Offsite’ is not a four-letter word. Smart managers are making meetings more meaningful. Every event should serve as a true business driver, says TCG Events’ Cassie Brown.

Original article in Sales & Marketing Management.

Business Anniversaries: 5 Ways to Celebrate Strategically [Successful Meetings]

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Business anniversaries are the vanilla of the events season. How can you acknowledge what is, after all, an indicator of the success your company has worked so hard for in a way that actually helps drive your business, instead of resting on your laurels? Anyone tasked with planning a business anniversary event needs to ask themselves: why are we having this party? Realistically, you can’t spend company funds on an event just for the sake of celebration. The event has to have a strategic business goal. You need to identify the stakeholders you want to reach, and figure out what you want the event to accomplish within that audience. Here are five tips to help your organization be strategic while it celebrates.

1. Know that it’s not just about you

People don’t want to attend an event that is all about the company history, which usually means a long, boring speech from the CEO (exceptions can be made for a company’s 100th anniversary). Reinforce your brand, and acknowledge the past and future, in innovative ways. Utilize multimedia, staging, even food to make it an event to remember (in a good way).

2. It can’t be just a party

There must be another driver, a strategic business goal such as a vehicle to bond 
with clients, an opportunity to thank the community, or an effort to motivate 
employees, to name just a few possibilities. Those objectives drive everything else.

3. Put it in the budget

No matter the objective, well-planned events cost money. The higher the anniversary number, the longer it takes to plan. In my experience, if your company is celebrating an anniversary of 75 years or more, you’ll need a full year to plan. Don’t have your top executives just “pop in.”

4. Bring in the top brass

Have vice president and C-level executives accessible for networking throughout the event. These are the people who most directly represent your company, its values, and its future. Leverage them. Employee events that are an afterthought or half-hearted will hurt morale.

5. Go all out

Recognize the importance of your people, make them feel invested in, and truly honored. If the objective is employee appreciation, put the focus on them Give out funny awards, name a speciality drink after someone. Opening the event to friends and family also shows appreciation. Rewards are always a good way to boost morale. If the milestone being celebrated is significant, make sure the reward is, too. For its 100th anniversary, Pepsi Bottling gave employees $1,000 for every year they were with the company.

By Cassie Brown

Read the original article in Successful Meetings.