Event Planner Blog – Pagina 19 – Fedra Meetings & Events

Categoria: Event Planner Blog

What’s your name?

Posted on 3 Giugno 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

What’s the first thing to know in any new relationship? The other person’s name, of course.

So why do so many of us have trouble putting names to faces? Do some people’s brains come wired with the skill? Not at all. They care. They know it’s important.

The secret is out: Everyone, from your boss to your assistant, needs to work at it.

The first and most important step: recognizing the strategic advantage of using people’s names when you’re talking to them.

Here’s a common strategy for remembering names, which you can fine tune to suit yourself.

Focus

Seize the moment as soon as you meet someone new. Lock eyes and offer your hand. If you missed the name, ask for it. Then use it immediately. “Hello, Jason, “or “It’s nice to meet you, Allison.”

Ask a question

If necessary, ask if you’re pronouncing the name correctly. The other person will appreciate that you care enough to get it right. If appropriate, ask for a business card so you can see the spelling—that’s another chance to etch the name deeper into your mind.

Now, resist the urge to launch right into your side of the conversation. Ask a question instead, and make mental notes about what your new acquaintance is saying while repeating the name silently to yourself.

Create a link or picture in your head

If the name is the same as someone’s you know, picture them standing together. When it comes to encoding memory, the more color and movement you can give the image and the sillier the better. Alliteration works well for some. Rhyming, too. Carrot-top Karen? Carin’ Karen? Dan from Detroit with the dimple?

End the conversation by repeating the name

“It’s so great to meet you, Homer.” “Hope to see you at the session later, Marge.” Then silently repeat the name to yourself.

Keep a record

As soon as practical, write down the name along with a few relevant attributes. If the person gave you a business card, you might jot a note or two on the card. Finally, back home, go over your notes before filing for future reference.

It takes commitment and effort to remember names. But it’s a skill anyone can master, and it gets easier with practice.

Event reminders: how many is too many?

Posted on 1 Giugno 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

Our audience is being bombarded by email marketing and email reminders. So how much is too much? And what email campaigns really capture attention? Here are a few tips.

Engaging content

It’s no secret that the key to our audience’s heart is content that engages.

Think about the value that your email marketing brings to them. Not only are you pushing an event, but what can you give to them in addition?

Perhaps a recap of helpful articles from your website that they may have missed, a summary of trends that will be interesting to them, or other ways of providing value so that your audience clicks and engages.

Engaging subject line

You can have great content, but if no one opened your email, you only get so far.

The art of subject lines is more complicated than ever, but definitely an art worth learning.

You can try personalizing the subject line so that your attendees first name is in that prominent location.

Segment

It’s very important to email people who register for your event frequently. The key is segmenting and specializing.

Don’t send the same confirmation email over and over to the same attendee.

Take them through a pipeline – ask them to download your app, highlight some of your speakers, introduce them to other people will be attending. And, segment your list so that the content they receive is customized for them.

Perhaps you have one email confirmation going to speakers, a different one for sponsors, one for longtime supporters, another for people who are coming to your event for the first time.

This, of course, is a lot more work on the writing side, but it allows your emails to be much more personalized and will help your attendees find the value in repeat communications.

How To Use Lighting At Your Event

Posted on 27 Maggio 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

Lighting can make or break your event experience. If the lights are too bright your event may seem stark and cold. If your lights are too dark guests may miss important elements of your event and design. Well placed lights can create ambience at your event. Great lighting will allow you to get more impact from other items such as floral arrangements and other decor. You can also use lighting to direct your guests attention to events going on within your event, or to grab their attention.

Uplighting At Your Event

Uplighting is a great way to create an atmosphere at your event. Rooms can look bland if you do not use perimeter lighting. This is especially important for a simple more basic venue such as an empty ballroom, gallery, or conference center which can tend to be bland if you do not add in lighting and color. These venues do not have a lot of character to begin with you will need to build ambience with more lighting and decor. It’s a great way to tie in a color that goes with your theme and create a wow factor upon guests entering the room.

Using Gobo’s

Gobo’s are a great way to add an element of design and depth to your event. Simply stated a gobo is a beam of light with a metal stencil over it that creates a pattern. Gobos can project any design or pattern including abstract shapes, patterns, pictures, and company logos. You can project gobos onto ceilings, floors, and walls, they are a great way to add visual interest.

While gobos are great for transforming your event by giving it a dynamic atmosphere and feel, they can be used to promote your brand. Seeing your brands logo in bright crisp lighting will create a visual impact that surely will not go unnoticed.

Gobos can go almost anywhere and are highly flexible, work perfectly with many types of events from conventions, to galas and even weddings. Below is a photo from a corporate event we did where we projected their logo onto a venue wall.

Create A Light Show

A light show is a really fun way to grab your guests attention. Light shows are often combined with the first two lighting techniques. However, unlike the first two lighting options these lights will be constantly moving and flashing because a lighting engineer designs a custom show specifically for your event.

Lighting shows are often used at corporate events before an awards ceremony or speeches to quite the crowd and build excitement for the main event. We also use them to create an amazing dance vibe at galas and high energy concerts. Light shows make a very memorable experience and keep the energy high at events!

Highlight Design with Pin Lighting

Pin lighting is an excellent way to direct attention to certain parts of your event. Using a spotlight creates a dramatic effect that can transform centerpieces, decor elements and table settings into incredible pieces of art. Not only do pin lights add drama to your event lighting, but they also provide separation that is often needed between dark table linens and centerpieces allowing the centerpieces to pop and stand out. Pin lighting will make your event design a more dynamic visual experience.