With all those wonderful summer events in front of us, our May Event Planning Roundup focuses on some of the “little” things that will make your event a hit with attendees and your boss as well.  In this post, we’ll share some technology that’s making inroads into events, great ideas for putting a personal touch to your gala, and some new thoughts on the all-important SWAG.

Adding A “Personal Touch” to Your Event

Many of the attendees at your next event probably attend several a year.  So just how do you make your event stand out for them and make them want to return?  Author Deborah Pannell, writing in Techsytalk, suggests adding some personal touches—like personal introductions—saying:

The more your attendees connect with one another, the better. Here’s how you can help ensure that the right people meet one another…
When people arrive, be prepared to introduce them to folks who may be of interest to them. Not only will this be a great icebreaker for people who might not otherwise speak to one another, but you’ll be stimulating conversations that have more of a potential to lead to actual relationships.

Ms. Pannell also says you should carefully consider dietary issues and make sure restrooms are stocked with hospitality supplies.  But we can assure you that when you rent a luxury restroom trailer from us, that’s already taken care of.

Just one less thing for you to worry about.
These Personal Touches Can Take Your Networking Event Over the Top

Promote Your Event With Facebook Official Events

Everyone knows Facebook is one of the most popular and fastest growing social media networks, and most event planning professionals already make good use of it to promote their events.  But did you know there’s a feature called Facebook Official Events that get your message even further out there?

Although not straightforward at all, this feature might just be worth the effort says Eventbrite columnist Keiko Tokuda, noting that:

Facebook Official Events can only be created through a custom Facebook integration…

Tokuda says that “…information like event date, time, venue, and a link to buy tickets, [can be] sent directly from the ticketing partner to Facebook.”  And, as a result,

…Facebook Official Events may be more likely to show up on search and News Feed recommendations where people are spending most of their time. This means your event can get in front of more people, and help you boost your event registration.

Plus, using Facebook’s analytics, you can easily see how the event page is performing.
Reach More People in Less Time with Facebook Official Events

Avoid These 11 Common Speaker Failures

A great speaker can make the event; a failure in that area can spell event planning disaster—plain and simple. For sure, every planner who’s been in the business long has a few horror stories.
Writing for Event Manager Blog, Christina Green notes that “…demands on speakers are greater than ever…”, adding that:

The requirements have switched from a one-way content presenter to a much more dynamic role of thought leader and discussion instigator. If you aren’t connecting with your audience, you’re failing them.

Ms. Green presents eleven of the most common problems with speakers and makes great suggestions on what you can do to avoid them.
11 Speaker Fails and How to Avoid Them

6 Great Ideas for Swag To Keep Them Coming Back

Every professional in event planning knows that swag is much more important than anyone wants to admit it is.  And some say good swag can make the difference between attending and deciding to skip next year’s event.

Writing for the MeetingsNet blog, guest columnist Neen James, notes that since she gets to “…have the privilege of speaking at some of the coolest events around the globe”, she gets to see the lengths some planners go to in order to please their guests.

Something as simple as “the meeting planner handed us a $1 bill as we stepped out of the taxi to give to our bellman. They had thought of every little detail!”, goes a long way.  James notes that, among other things, you need to:

Satisfy the senses… …Fresh flowers and candles appeal to the olfactory learner (those who remember through smell, but be sure to also provide scent-free zones for the allergic); flowers and colored linens appeal to the visual guests; linens and touchable fixtures appeal to the kinesthetic (those who are tactile and enjoy a sense of touch).

Have a look at all of her suggestions at: 6 Ideas for Interesting Extras that Appeal

Consider Using Snapchat for Your Next Event

With the video sharing platform Snapchat growing by leaps and bounds, it’s finally becoming something to consider for event planning.  And if you look at its user demographics, should your event cater to the 35-and-under crowd, you should seriously think about it.

Although author Sue Pelletier admits that “I haven’t felt compelled to play around much with image messaging app Snapchat as a social channel for meetings and events…”, she’s found six reasons why it just might work for your event.

Noting that:

more than 60 percent of 13–34-year-old smartphone users use Snapchat

And that:

with 10B snaps a day… …it’s now overtaking Facebook in the video wars…

Pelletier also thinks that the Snapchat Live Stories feature is great because it lets event planners create a community around an event that attendees can easily contribute to.

6 Reasons Why You Should Use Snapchat to Power up Your Event

Summer is a busy time for event planning, especially for corporate events.  Our takeaway from these stories is that the little things can help make your event a huge success and make your attendees want to come back next year.

We’re proud to provide the Northwest’s finest luxury restroom trailers, including ADA-compliant models and the area’s only 8-stall model.  Serving customers from Portland to Seattle and everywhere in between, your friends at Luxury Restroom Trailers are ready to help with your next event.  Give us a call today.

Wedding costs are skyrocketing: the national average is $26,444—that may seem like the cost of a new hybrid vehicle, but there are often a lot of items on the “Wish List” (or Pinterest Board) and those wishes and pins add up quickly!

To make life a little easier, we’ve created a cheat sheet of the top 7 ways to help you create your dream wedding without breaking the bank.

Weddings range from the “sky is the limit” high end events to the more budget-friendly trip to the court house window for a quick exchange of “I do’s.” However, most weddings fall somewhere in between and it can be a figurative maze trying to navigate what best fits your taste, your style, and often most importantly, your budget!

1. Your Wedding Dress – SAVE!!

In terms of wedding costs, what you pay for your dress can be all over the map.

When I was shopping for my wedding dress, I wanted something classic and beautiful. But mostly, I wanted a dress I wouldn’t look back on in 20 years and say “What was I thinking?!”

After searching the internet high and low for the styles I liked, the true test came when I went to an actual gown shop (don’t forget to make an appointment – most shops are by appointment only!). I tried on “all the latest styles” and found many were built for a woman with a passion for Pilates and coming in at about a foot taller than myself. With disappointment on the horizon, I perused the sale rack as a last ditch effort with my mom coaxing me to try on a dress I knew I wouldn’t like. Once on, I saw it had all the beading I wanted, the lace, the vintage feel was everywhere.

But it was about 4 sizes too big, way too long, and had a halter top which was a little less than flattering. We spoke to the Alterations Queen and after addressing some of my concerns, she said a revamp would be no problem. She was able to cut the straps of the halter top, turn the straight neckline into a sweetheart neckline, she removed some of the length from the lace skirt to help it fit my frame and made cap sleeves from the extra lace. After all was said and done, it looked like a completely different dress. But the best part was the final sale of the dress: $495 INCLUDING the alterations. It is incredible what you can do with a talented seamstress and a great imagination.

MAGICAL WEDDING GOWNS FROM EVER AFTER BRIDAL
Around the World in 25 Wedding Dresses

2. The Wedding Venue – SAVE!!

Do you or someone in your close family & friends have an amazing piece of property? Put it to use! With venue rentals ranging from $1500 to over $15000 and sometimes being the highest of all the wedding costs, this is an amazing budget saver for any wedding.
We held our wedding in a friend’s over-sized backyard. After stringing up party lights across the dance floor, hanging battery operated chandeliers from the trees, and the white linen tables for the guests, the space was breath taking and a bit of a step up from the classic BBQ’s the backyard had seen in the past. And with all the blooming nature surrounding us, we were able to save HUGE on the florist budget!
Handcrafted Orchard Ranch Wedding

3. Wedding Restrooms – SPLURGE!!

This is typically the last item on anyone’s radar. Everyone needs to use the restroom at some point and if you are in a friend’s backyard they may not want anyone coming in and out of their house—or worse, they could be on septic (if it’s a big rural space, chances are it will be on a septic system)—which really puts a kink in the bathroom works. Plan ahead and bring in extra restrooms.

People—for the most part—will sort of remember your dress, they will recall pieces of the ceremony, they’re likely to remember the meal, and they will absolutely remember if they had to use a port-a-potty or not. Skip the port-a-potty!! Do not let your dream wedding be brought down by a trip to the blue plastic box.

At Luxury Restroom Trailers, we have forever solved the dreaded port-a-potty adventure for a black tie event. With heating, air conditioning, sound system, dimming lights, full vanity, faux hardwood flooring, this will not only be a hit with all the guests, it becomes a party destination in itself. Instead of whispers of, “Ew, have you seen the bathrooms?” you will hear exclamations of “Have you seen the bathrooms yet? You have to go now – they are amazing!”
Check All of the restroom options at Luxury Restroom Trailers by Privy Chambers

4. Your Guest List – SPLURGE!!

Always splurge on the guest list! Sure, it will add to the wedding costs, but you never know when those second cousins from Texas are actually going to show, and you want to make sure you invite the old friends from high school, plus the new friends from work.  And the last thing you want is worrying about how so-and-so didn’t get an invitation.

This day is supposed to be a celebration of your love and commitment, and you want the ones that helped you get to this place with you while you celebrate. My mother’s side of the immediate family has over 65 individuals including her brothers and sisters, their husbands and wives, and their children…And that doesn’t include my husband’s side of the family or any of our friends…Insane! So, saving in other ways was very important to us, so we could have all the guests there that we wanted.
A Timeline for All of Your Wedding Stationery Needs

5. Catering for the Wedding – SAVE!!

Every great party needs incredible food! What most people don’t tell you when you’re planning a wedding is that YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! It’s your party and you can plan it however you like (within in reason, of course). We planned a sit-down dinner catered by one of our favorite restaurants. If I had it to do over again, I would probably still get the same food but I would nix the sit down dinner part. With over 200 guests (aye aye aye), there were so many faces to see and talk to—some were family I had not seen in a while, and some were my best friends I just wanted to spend all my time with.
To avoid the time commitment of a sit down dinner, I would have swapped out the dinner plate for hors d’oeuvres sized portions of all the dinner choices. That way people could still get in a full meal, but the atmosphere would have been more causal, we could have walked around more and talked to all the folks we were so happy to see!

6. Your Photographer – SPLURGE!!

The wedding photos are the best source of memories from the day. Everything happens so fast, most of the time you don’t even have time to eat, let alone finding a quiet moment to take it all in.

Make sure you are comfortable with your photographer. My husband and I can be a bit awkward when the cameras come out, so having someone we were comfortable with was crucial. Every now and then we thought we were doing our “super nice wedding smile”, when in reality we looked like trolls under a bridge with some goofy grin we had never tried on before going full frame with it. It was great having someone who was able to say “…maybe try a different smile…this one isn’t quite fitting…”.

But trust me, some of the troll photos are some of my favorite! It captured the craziness of the day and were great for a laugh!
Finding Your Perfect Photographer From a Planner’s Perspective

7. The Wedding Décor – SAVE & SPLURGE

If you are crafty and have the time, you can make almost anything yourself. My mother and I kept Michael’s Craft Store in business during the lead up to our wedding and hand crafted nearly everything that wasn’t already growing in the backyard.

We had big round tables with white linens, hand-sewn burlap runners made by my mother-in-law, and handmade centerpieces with a “vintage museum” feel with glass domes containing handmade aged scrolls, mossy rocks, and battery-operated candles for a night time glow. We even put together handmade LED twig chandeliers hanging from the trees; they’re still a hit to this day on Pinterest!
We really went above and beyond in the crafty department. Here are some things I would have changed:

I would have rented more items. We purchased EVERYTHING for the centerpieces…now…five years later, I still have all of those centerpieces packed in boxes taking up valuable storage space. Décor companies have so much to offer; they are a fantastic option for renting anything from a fork to a faux boxwood wall. Check out their catalogs and see what works best for your design – Maybe buy one of two centerpieces and rent the rest – save the closet space!

Beyond just renting things, I think I would have opted for more causal seating.

Looking back on it now, I would also have chosen different furniture: rather than tables and chairs for every guest, I would have gone with a more causal lounge atmosphere featuring over-stuffed couches and alternative seating choices.  All of which would have gone perfectly with an hors d’oeuvre menu and casual conversation hamlets throughout the evening.

Your wedding is an event you and your guests will remember for a lifetime, but few us can simply afford to ignore wedding costs.  Our experience—and we’ve seen hundreds of weddings—has taught us that there places you can can save, and those where you shouldn’t.

From cybersecurity to RFID, our March Event Planning Roundup has plenty of technology; but, we’ve got your social and legal bases covered as well.  You’ll want to be sure to check out Is Your Event Accessible? Because accessible events aren’t just nice, they’re the law.

New Rule May Impact Travel-Based Incentives

A rule designed primarily for the financial services industry may have negative unintended consequences for the meetings industry, causing two industry advocacy groups to object. As proposed by the Department of Labor, the rule would require all financial sales representatives advising clients on individual retirement investments to act as “fiduciaries,” meaning they would be required to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own in recommending financial products. This fiduciary responsibility therefore also requires disclosing any potential conflicts of interest, such as commissions or incentive contests. Rather than having these potential conflicts disclosed, some companies might decide instead to change their compensation structures, possibly eliminating commissions and incentive programs altogether.
(http://meetingsnet.com/financialinsurance-meetings/rule-could-limit-incentives-prompts-industry-response.)

Any reduction in incentive travel opportunities may also reduce the number of face-to-face meetings where financial services employees can receive in-person education to develop advanced skills, learn about new regulations, and develop professionally…

The groups cite a 2014 study by the Incentive Federation showing that 74 percent of U.S. businesses use non-cash rewards to recognize and reward key audiences in the form of incentive travel, merchandise, or gift cards, while 46 percent of those businesses running non-cash programs include incentive travel as an award, spending $22.5 billion per year.

Social Media Tips for your Next Event

You know social media is an important way not only to promote your event, but also to communicate with attendees while they’re there. In 10 Ideas to Make Your Event’s Social Media Better (http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/tips-for-better-event-social-media) you get tips on what to do before, during, and after the event. Author Christina R. Green is a big believer in social media saying that it:

makes people interested, inspires people to join, and increases excitement surrounding your event. It’s much too important to do half-way…

Green goes on to note that “…social media is one of the best ways out there to reach your ideal audience for a minimal investment.”

Is Your Event Accessible?

Professionals event planners know their events must be accessible for all attendees and presenters.  It’s not just a legal obligation, it’s the right thing to do.

And we were sure pleased when author Shawna McKinley remembered to include ADA-compliant restrooms in her list of things you just can’t forget in 20 Tips for a More Accessible Event (from http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/accessible-event).  Her tips cover everything from site selection to printed materials, the event space, registration, and so on.
But instead of quoting the author for our blog, we instead quote Stevie Wonder—as she does in her article—imploring everyone at this years Grammy’s:

…to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability.

We are proud to offer fully ADA-compliant models in our line of luxury restroom trailers.

Big Win Using RFID at a Music Festival

One of the newest technological advances in event planning, RFID, still has some professionals scratching their heads as to how best to apply it to their event. At the Snowglobe Music Festival in Lake Tahoe, California, organizers implemented RFID technology and saw faster fan entry, reduced fraud, and increased customer satisfaction.
Jeffrey Lesan, SnowGlobe’s CMO noted that:

It was such a tremendous relief for customer service… …for the first time ever, we didn’t get any complaints about the box office.

(From https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/how-snowglobe-used-rfid-technology-to-pull-off-a-flawless-festival-ds0c/).

Cybersecurity for Your Meeting—Have Enough?

We all read about the massive hacks occurring all the time.  And those are huge sites and firms that spend millions on their networks and security. How can you possible keep your meeting secure?  Should you even care?
Post author Shimon Avish, Global Account Director, BCD Meetings & Events, points out that people don’t like to talk about cybersecurity at meetings, even considering:

the risks that ignoring it poses to a company’s intellectual property, reputation, and financial wellbeing.

He points to a presentation by Michael Robinson, a cybersecurity professional and professor in cyber forensics at Stevenson University, outlining three typical vulnerabilities as:

• By standing up a portable Wi-Fi network
• By using a portable cell tower
• By using a Bluetooth interceptor

Any of these technologies are simply acquired. (From http://meetingsnet.com/risk-management/how-cybersecure-your-meeting).

Rounding Up Our Round Up

From new technologies to age-old courtesies, this month’s post spanned the huge subject of event planning. But it stresses the importance of keeping up to date.
At Luxury Restroom Trailers, we are a high-end boutique restroom company and a decor, special event & wedding equipment rental company.  But we always keep up to date with the latest ADA restrooms, green processes and methods, and we offer the only luxury 8-stall unit in the area.
Give us a call today.