What Do You Do With An Idea?

Implement your idea!

Launch an event, invent a product, start a business or develop a program. Whatever it is, do something with your idea!

Corporations, Associations and Businesses hire me to help them define a clear strategy to reach a goal or vision, whether i implement and oversee the entire program or event, or just work with them as a consultant part way through.

So, what is it that you need to do once you decide to move forward with your idea?  Set a goal of what you want to achieve.  For example, Who is it that you want to benefit from what you are doing?  And, how do you want them to benefit?

Once you decide these two things; who and how, you can move forward to develop your action plan or strategy, to make your vision or goal come to life.

When i first meet with a client to plan an event,or develop a program, they share their vision or goal(s) with me to identify who they want to impact and how they want to impact them.  Sometimes they've already decided on a few elements or pieces within their plan but do not have a clear strategy in place to bring everything together.  It's my job to ask the right questions in order to understand what steps need to happen in order for their goal(s) to be met successfully.

A strategy is just a plan or the steps that must be taken in order to reach an end result.  And with a plan, YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING!!

For myself, working backwards from the date of the event helps me to develop my plan.  First, I need the date or at least an approximate date that the event will take place and then i can move forward to outline all the pieces and partners that are required to make this initiative come together perfectly.  It's really just creating a map to get to where you want to go.  With experience, we learn the things that need to be done within a certain time-frame and in a certain order.  You've done it before.  It's prioritizing the steps you need to take so that your end result comes together successfully.

For instance, if I am organizing an event and don't have a date in mind for it and then i go ahead and contact a venue, the place to hold the event, or perhaps i contact a celebrity or caterer as a partner for the event, these people will not be able to confirm their participation with me if i am unable to give them a date because they work around other commitments within their own schedules and calendars.  As another example, i wouldn't be able to develop a website or registration for an event if i haven't identified what activities will be offered during my event or determined how i want my registrants to pay for the event. You get the picture.

Writing a business plan to start a business or launch a new product is very similar.  It is your map to where you want to go with your idea.  You need a plan and once you start documenting the steps or pieces of your plan, it WILL come together.  Now that doesn't mean that you will put your plan into place and then it will never change because it will.  Plans change and you must be flexible to change with them...embrace change, as i've written in a former post Entrepreneurial Success...EMBRACE CHANGE.  Whether it is a business you are opening, an invention you've come up with, or an event you are organizing, your plan will evolve and that's ok, trust me..

Ok, so now that you have your idea, your who's and your how's identified and your strategy or map has been developed to make your idea come to life, i want to offer you some really great advice...

Are you ready?

Please do not allow anyone else to direct your future.

What i mean is, there will always be someone out there that you will share your wonderful idea with only to have them say something negative about your vision.  No matter how passionate you are, how well you've laid out your plan, how confident you are that you will succeed, there are people out there that will feel the need to say something negative, to burst your bubble so to speak.  Not because they are nasty people, but because they just don't get it.  Everyone has ideas and anyone can bring an idea to life but, not everyone will try.

Here's what happened when i told someone very dear to me that i was opening my own event planning company.  I was so excited, so passionate, had my plan and knew that i would do it, without even the slightest hesitation I knew that i would succeed and the response that came back was, "Do you really think people will pay you to organize an event for them?"  If i had allowed that person to direct my future at that time by letting them instill doubt in my mind about my idea just because they doubted it, i would not be here right now organizing events on behalf of so many others, producing my own programs, nor writing this blog.

At this point if you are going to move forward with your idea, i'd like to suggest that you read my blog post titled 'Is Duplicating An Event a No No?'   I go into detail about researching what's already out there, what's been done and this is a great place to start when considering implementing an idea:)

Now i'm hoping that i've convinced you to move forward with your idea, your plan, your timeline schedule, your determination and your passion and if i have, i'd like to volunteer to listen or guide you along the way and it would be my pleasure to share what i know and help someone else succeed.  You know where to reach me.

And now...May the force be with you!

Who Will Manage Problems On Your Wedding Day?

I recently came across this post by Leila Khalil of Be Inspired PR - Hire a Wedding Planner...Or Else

Leila talks about the importance of having someone designated to manage problems that arise so that the Bride and Groom can do what they should be doing...enjoying their wedding day.

And if you do choose to hire someone, remember, there are three different options when it comes to hired help for your wedding:

1. Wedding Planner

2. Wedding Coordinator

3. Day-of Coordinator

This post on the Wedding Channel explains the differences in it's simplistic form.

It costs nothing to chat about how i can help with your Wedding Day!

hmcoordinator@gmail.com

How Much Will An Event Planner Charge Me?

In this post I'm not going to go into the specifics of the variety of ways that event planners charge, the different rates that they charge or their mark ups because there is already so much information like this out there and for someone who is just trying to get a handle on how much they may need to set aside should they be interested in hiring an experienced event planner, this information can be confusing and very frustrating to sort through.

So I'm going to give you this advice:

Determine what your event budget is and then count on paying somewhere between 10 to 20 percent of that budget to your event planner.  That means that if you have a strict budget of $10,000 then you know that between $1,000 to $2,000 of that budget is already committed to paying the event planner, leaving you with the balance to spend on the other details.

I typically charge 15% to 18 % of the event budget when coordinating events, but i have charged as low as 10% or as high as 20%, depending on the specific requirements of the individual initiative.

Here's an example:  If i am coordinating a week long conference which includes a business component, a companion program as well as social event programs throughout that week and the budget i have to work with is $200,000 and my fee is 15% or $ 30,000, then my client knows that they have roughly $170,000 remaining in their budget to cover the other components of the event.  And more importantly, myself as the event planner, who usually manages that budget, knows how much money i have available to work with in order to bring this event together.

Here's why we charge what we charge.

The people that hire me, my clients, not only hire me because i have the proven skills and abilities to: communicate effectively, stay organized, pay attention to details, stay calm under pressure, work effectively with others, negotiate contracts and prices, problem solve and be creative and resourceful but because they are also aware that there is a certain amount of stress involved due to meeting tight deadlines, communicating with multiple parties at once, and ensuring that all details are taken care of.

It is a given that i will be working long days and arduous schedules spending a lot of time prior to, as well as on-site during the event, and that dealing with many parties and sometimes challenging partners can be highly demanding and difficult to please.

Depending on the event I can be the event planner, conference planner or meeting planner, the corporate planner, the travel manager, the catering manager, the service manager, the staff manager, the fundraiser, the wedding planner, the consultant, the promotions manager, the trade show planner and more.  No matter what the event, my clients count on me to wear whatever hat is required in order to produce an amazing outcome and be there for them every step of the way.

I organize every aspect during the planning stages and oversee everything during the event to ensure that nothing goes wrong and if anything does, i handle that too.

And that is why we as Event Planners charge what we do:)

Is Duplicating An Event A No No?

Of course duplicating another event is NOT a no no because no two events are exactly the same no matter how hard you try!  And the same is true for programs, inventions, services and businesses out there.  I cant' tell you you the number of times I've been sitting around a boardroom table and heard the words "there's no need to re-invent the wheel", meaning, let's see what's already been done then go from there.  The key to success and to being recognized is to research what's already been done and then create something using your own creative talents.

For an event that may have offered a theme or itinerary that you may be interested in researching you can start first by contacting the venue where the event had taken place.  Ask the staff if the event was well attended, what the set up was, if the event ran according to schedule and what changes they feel may have been implemented to make it even better.  Perhaps that particular person you speak with felt that there was no room for improvement so then you can ask specifics on how they felt the event was great.  I mean let;s face it, for many venues, hundreds of events take place so if you are talking to the right person, they've seen A LOT, which means they have lots to share.  Other things that are important for you to find out, are whether or not the  greeters seemed to be well received by the attendees, whether the registration ran smoothly and whether there was seamless flow throughout the event.  You want to ask specific questions about set-ups, times, line-ups, traffic flow, handouts and anything else you can think of.  You’d be surprised with what people will tell you when you ask!  And that’s not a bad thing!!

We are in business to succeed!  ...to make people happy.  That’s all anyone really wants, is to feel happy! 

Go further in your research and ask the venue staff if you were to hold a similar type event at their venue, what you could do that other event planners or organizers have done or have not done that could make the lives of the venue staff easier.  It shows that you care about them.

Next, you want to contact other suppliers that may have been secured to work during this event such as caterers, entertainers, special guests, tech people and transportation providers.  You can get this information by asking the venue who some of the suppliers were and then contacting those to do your research.  You can also ask the suppliers you speak with if they had a positive experience in working with the other suppliers, venue and event staff and then get specifics on who some of the other suppliers were if you still haven't identified these as well as what went well or not so well when working together.  You may not get all of your questions asked but the key is to 'ask'.  Once you have the opportunity to speak to some of these people you want to ask the same sort of questions that you asked the venue staff; what they supplied, whether or not  they felt that the event ran smoothly, if there was anything about the event that they would have changed, etc..  Again, try and get specifics and make notes!

Introduce yourself and feel these people out while you are speaking with them.  After having had the chance to speak with them, you may decide that they themselves are suppliers or venues that you want to have in your roster for future partnerships for your own events.  Or perhaps not, depending on how the interaction went.  Anyone in this industry is happy to make new acquaintances for future partnerships and if they are not, they may not be the right fit for your business to partner with for your projects.

Remember, you are on a mission to research and duplicate only what's already out there that worked fabulously and then use your own creativity, skills and knowledge to create something great of your own with what you know now.
When you are conducting research it's not that you are trying to find out the 'down and dirty' on another business or event planner to make them look bad because that is just bad business.  It's fact-finding for you to grow as a business owner and professional so that you can be and do the best you can be and do.  Trust me, if these other business leaders are professionals just like you and I, they have already done their post event/project research and are well aware of how their next initiative is going to be even better.

It's always a good thing to want to do better:)

With evaluation of your own events and programs as well as those organized by others, combined with your increasing experiences, you will continue to offer new ideas and implement fabulous initiatives that always create a ‘wow’ factor!  Before you know it others will be duplicating your events...or trying to!

Event Planners collaborate with me for this one post:)

I'm inviting event planners, coordinators, organizers to submit a paragraph or two as a collaboration for this post to answer this question?  Can event planners work together?

Just send your paragraph(s) to my email address at hmcoordinator@gmail.com along with your name, company name, website, social media sites, etc. so that i can include it after your addition to this blogpost.  This is not a discussion, this is a collaboration of opinions as to why event planners can or can't work together.  Let's have some fun with this!

I'll start...

Event Planners are known for having outgoing personalities, a creative flow about their minds, high energy, passion to make things happen and are known for getting things done!  We can bring a vision of someone else's to reality or we can work with someone to help create that vision and make it happen.  Most event planners are very organized but if they lack these skills, they can easily find someone else to do that piece for them because event planners are also very resourceful.  They can find anyone that they need to do anything.  And an event planner gets really bored when they don't have multiple things to juggle because they are true multi-taskers.

In many working environments these qualities that event planners have can cause struggles and challenges but  the one thing that they do have that allows them to work so well together is that they have a talent for working with others.  They are people people and they are customer service focused so they want to please everyone:)

Yes, event planners can work together! :)

How Important is Customer Service to an Event Planner?

Remember;  you get back what you give out.

Event Planners like myself work with multiple people when organizing an event which means that we deal with many personalities.   It can be in the hundreds that we come into contact with in a given day, but every individual must be treated as if they are our first connection of that day every time.

I have a plan

Events require hundreds of details coming together and many people working as part of a team to reach a fantastic end result and during that crucial few remaining days or hours nearing the actual event, things don’t always go according to plan A, but no one outside of the team ever needs to know that... and usually never does if you have an excellent customer service plan in place.

My team consists of my own staff and volunteers as well as my suppliers and their staff.  By the time I have been selected as the event planner for an event I have already made a positive impression with my client, otherwise I would not have the contract.  When I work with a supplier I am making an impression upon them, and vise versa.  Whether we are working together for the first time or the fiftieth time good customer service delivered consistently to one another makes for great professional relationships.  Those types of relationships that make you want to continue to work together.  But it goes far beyond that.  When I source a supplier I am looking for that ‘wow’ factor in how they first service me as an individual as well as how much they WANT to meet my needs.  I want to know in my heart that they are as dedicated as I am to go beyond what my client’s expectations are, and trust me they do have the opportunity to do that.  I am the person who ensures my client that this is the best caterer for their event, the best entertainer, the best technical provider, transportation company, etc., and that I trust these people so they need to have made a great impression by offering outstanding customer service to me.

On the flip side my supplier wants to know that my staff and i are the type of people that they and their staff want to work with and can work with happily and easily...offering great customer service to them and their staff.

My client has put faith in me based on the relationship that we have developed, to come to know how important they are to me and to trust me to deliver an exceptional event which realizes their vision and meets the objectives that they had planned on.  I have to feel confident that my entire team are all delivering the same amount of punctuality, thoroughness, neatness, kindness, respect, helpfulness, attentiveness, organization, skill and politeness to my client, their staff and their attendees because I know that one wrong look, comment or gesture by myself, my staff, volunteers, my suppliers or their staff, can dissolve my relationship with my client in a moment no matter how much fancy footwork I offer.

I provide training to my own staff and volunteers prior to every event so that everyone is clear on the expectations of how to interact with each other as well as with my suppliers, clients and the event attendees ensuring that we all work together effectively.  Knowing what the expectations are and how to act in any situation imaginable reduces stress, and allows all of us to be able to be flexible and wear a smile whenever that moment comes that we need to switch to plan B or even plan C.

One of the most common comments that I receive from my clients is how surprised they are to see me working long hours, tirelessly, every minute of every hour during the entire event and always with a smile.  This comes easily to me because I love what I do.  I also know that my client wants to see that the attendees are happy and the attendees want to come and be happy and because I know that I have selected the best people to be part of my team and I am confident that my team understands and continuously delivers outstanding  customer service, everyone WILL be happy.

One of the most important elements to offering great customer service to my team is to congratulate and thank everyone for their outstanding performance and letting them know that the outcome would not have been a success without them.  I do this during and after every event.  We try to be each other's cheerleaders because sometimes things do get tough, and we are faced with challenges and that's what helps us continue to smile and be kind to everyone around us...our customers.

Thanking others for providing great customer service to you is part of service excellence in itself:)

Last year while working a contract with the City of Kawartha Lakes Small Business Enterprise Centre (KLSBEC), I developed and implemented a customer service recognition program called Service Excellence in Action.  This program invited customers and clients of businesses and organizations within the City of Kawartha Lakes to nominate those which they felt offered a service excellence experience, to receive an award of recognition.  Individuals were asked to complete a ballot with the name and location of the business as well as their own name and address and a few words about the service excellence experience that they received.  Once submitted, the ballots were reviewed by a panel of ‘secret shoppers’ and then each nominated business or organization was secretly visited to see if the same excellent experience was re-created.  Each nominated business received a letter notifying them of their nomination(s) as well as given a uniquely designed sticker to display in their showroom or window.  One winner from each of the three regions within the City was selected as being the recipient of the Service Excellence In Action Award .

None of the three winners were even aware that they had been nominated for this award and even though I could tell that they felt that the service that they had offered to their clients or customers was just part of their daily routine or culture,  I could see a great sense of pride when we shook their hands and congratulated them for their commitment to provide excellent customer service.

I am pleased to see that the City is running the Service Excellence In Action Program for it’s second year and are now accepting nominations for this year’s businesses and organizations who offer an excellent service experience.    For more information or to nominate a business or organization please visit advantagekawarthalakes.com

And remember, delivering great customer service to everyone around you is crucial to success and happiness, therefore it is important to everyone!

Entrepreneurial Success...EMBRACE CHANGE!

Taken from the article Strategy Uncovered:  Pivoting on a Dime by Gary Whitehill,  "...if you're dreaming of entrepreneurial success, start by learning to change course as new opportunities arise.  Remember, business is fluid.  Nothing is written in stone.  Don't be afraid of change.  Embrace it!"

Change is how i ended up where i am today and i have to tell you, once i learned to embrace the changes that i initially did not sign up for, i found myself craving more.

After eight years of working for a global company as a recruiter and trainer, i found myself wanting to spread my wings a little further, perhaps over new territory.  I applied and was accepted to coordinate a one year pilot program in a different city, feeling optimistic that the contract would be renewed but when the twelve month period approached it's end, i was advised that the funding for the pilot would not be extended.

Two weeks after that contract finished I was approached to work with an educational organization, once again on contract.

I was still feeling the shock of the end of what was a new beginning just a year prior, but certainly was not in a position to even consider thinking about saying anything other than yes, whether it was a contract or a permanent position.  Not even taking the time to ask questions, i listened to what the position details were and agreed to take the job.  I started immediately working as a community liaison with employers throughout the entire region to develop partnerships for youth programs.  The duties extended to include my developing and facilitating training to administration staff on the topic of "How to Develop Community Partnerships", then to delivering work readiness workshops for youth, co-developing an electronic employer database for the region, developing a resource document for this electronic program and facilitating the training to all educators who would be using this.  Now, having interviewed, assessed and administered customer service and WHMIS training to thousands of individuals in the past, I had never spoken to large groups prior to this nor actually developed workshop training so here's where my next opportunity to embrace change came along.  There was a little fear that i had not performed some of these tasks before but i never once felt as if i couldn't do them so I plugged away, learned from a few mistakes and always appeared to be shining in the end...at least in the eyes of others.

Having joined several committees in this region I had the opportunity to
develop many professional relationships, which led to more changes
about to appear in my life.

It was just a year later again, while still working for this organization on contract that I was approached by another similar organization in a different city to ask if i would also come and work for them on a part time contract.  Always having been the type of person that loved to be really busy, I spoke with my current contract holder who told me to "go for it".  My course was changing while new opportunities were arising and I didn't even realize it.

From there, I continued to work for both of these organizations when yet another approached me to come and work for them, also on a part time contract.  I accepted that part time contract and learned to be very organized in order to be anything other than successful.  As the years went on, when one contract would come to an end, another would quickly appear and when i opened my own business i once again embraced the change of learning where to search for requests for proposals and how to write them in order to secure more contracts.  I wanted to ensure that i remained really busy:)

Now, remember that i didn't sign up for all of these changes throughout my career.  I signed up for one change and yes, although i knew that it was a contract, i was also optimistic that it would continue, remember?  These were course changes in my career that i didn't plan on but they were opportunities.  There were times that i was asked to perform tasks or duties that were new to me but i embraced these times to learn and try new things and I have always come through successfully.

Why?  Because it never crossed my mind that i might not succeed.  And now I am at a place in my professional life where I crave new opportunities and challenges, am able to troubleshoot any problem put forth and have a wealth of respect for and from other professionals throughout several regions.

The circumstances that have been presented to me during the past thirteen years have led me to where i am today, and although these may not have been by choice originally, they have allowed me to appreciate the result of embracing change as well as many opportunities to feel exhilarated, refreshed and inspired to take on new challenges, continue to grow and move forward.  Be flexible to change and smile at your success:)

Heather