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How to kick start a career in event planning? Part 1

December 24th, 2011

Thinking about kick starting your career as an Event planner?

Here are some key skills required to become an event planner.

- Possess high energy and stamina
- Efficient and well-organized
- Creative and imaginative
- Self-motivated and driven
- Excellent people skills
- Manage and plan budgets
- Knows how to motivate people
- Ability to multi-task at once, and work to tight schedules

The demand for event and meeting planner has grown significiantly over the years.

According to a landmark study released this year, conducted by PwC US and spearheaded by an alliance of 14 meetings industry associations meetings and conventions meetings are a 263 billion industry and directly supports 1.7 million jobs.

If you are thinking of a career in meeting and event planning, there is a lucrative market awaiting you on many fronts

Key tasks:

- Determine client’s needs and expectations
- Plan and create the overall design of the event
- Develop timelines and production schedules
- Setup event website and sell tickets online
- Manage the operations team or support staff
- Coordinate and provide service to the clients and vendors as needed
- Oversee all aspects of the event execution
- Select and secure appropriate vendors to supply all components of the event
- Monitor and evaluate the event

Books to read:

1. The Ultimate Guide To Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events
http://amzn.to/sXZ4PU

2. Confessions of an Event Planner: Case Studies from the Real World of Events–How to Handle the Unexpected and How to Be a Master of Discretion
http://amzn.to/tCvAVE

3. The Business of Event Planning: Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Successful Special Events
http://amzn.to/td4fyJ
Organizing an event?
Sell tickets online in minutes – using Eventzilla. No downloads, setup fees and free to list your event.

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How to broadcast your event live using Ustream for free?

May 24th, 2011

Hosting an event? Now you can use Ustream to broadcast event video LIVE to the world from a computer or iPhone in minutes.

Browser-based Web Broadcaster:

The easiest is the browser-based Web Broadcaster that uses Adobe’s Flash Player. For higher quality, use Ustream Producer (free), Ustream Producer Pro ($199), or Adobe’s Flash Media Live Encoder (free).

Broadcasting from your Mobile Device:

You may also broadcast from your mobile device, but those streams will be slower and lower quality, and not as robust as a wired connection. To start streaming using mobile phones – you can go to www.ustream.tv/mobile to reference currently supported handsets.

1. Creating an Ustream Account

Ustream accounts are free.
To sign up for an account visit: http://www.ustream.tv/
Click on the sign up link on the top right section of the page.

Ustream-signup

2. Creating a show

Click on the yellow “Create a show” button on the right side of the page. A box will appear in the middle of the page. Type the name of your event which you would like to host online, in the box provided to you. The name of the Event is recommended, so that it becomes easy for your event to be found and viewed easily. Once you have created a channel, you may not change the URL. Please note that changing the name of your show will not change the URL.

Now, click the yellow “Create” button.

Ustream-show-name

Select what type of event to be broadcasted on the “Show Info” page. Type the key words related to the event — such as the event’s name, event organisers name, the genre of the event and key texts or themes related to the event — in the “Show Tags” box and add an overview of the event in the “About” box, so that your attendees can easily find your video on the website.

3. Sharing the Ustream Video Link

Now, you have to email the link of your event to your clients and audience prior to the event broadcast so that they can have access to it. The URL will be http://www.ustream.tv/channel/[your event title here].

4. Setting up Cameras

Built-in webcams or USB-connected webcams – Apple, Sony, Dell, HP, and most modern laptops have built-in webcams. Once you have chosen what camera you will use, there are Ustream offers several options for taking your camera feed, encoding it and sending it to Ustream.

5. Broadcasting Live Video and Audio

Plug in your audio device prior to opening the Ustream broadcaster window. Select the show you want to broadcast and click the “Broadcast Now” button on your “My Shows” page or on the homepage. Select the audio device from the Audio Sources drop down menu.

Broadcast Console

6. Optimizing Video Quality

Use a wired internet connection to broadcast the video.
Make sure you have GOOD lighting.
Make sure you have a GOOD camera.
Make sure you close all other programs on your computer.

7. How to Embed a Ustream Player?

Go to the channel page, for example: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/<Eventname>. There you will see a tab that says Embed.  Click this to expose the embed codes.
The first line says “Embed the Live Video Anywhere!”  Click the button next to this that says “Copy Embed”

Images: Ustream.com

Hosting an event? Start accepting online registrations and payments in minutes using Eventzilla. Sign up for a free account today

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How to promote online event registration with discounts?

November 29th, 2010

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6 useful resources for hosting successful events

October 18th, 2010

iStock_000012234497XSmall1. Eventzilla.net (Accept RSVPs & paypal payments)

Whether you are hosting a Yoga class for 10 people or a music concert for 100,000 people, Eventzilla can help you with professional online event registration and ticketing website in less than 5 minutes. Event attendees can register online and make secure online payments.

Free events – no fee
Paid events – it costs $1 per attendee only when you make a sale. (Supports 24 world currencies see details)

Sign up a for a 60-day free trial at http://www.eventzilla.net today

2. Twitter.com ( hash tags for event keywords)

A few weeks before the event, start tweeting about the event using the #hashtag you want to use.

Example:
Your event name: Tech Conference 2011
Start using #techconference in your tweets.


Twitter.com

3. DimDim.com ( For hosting Webinars)

Dimdim Webinar lets anyone easily host webinars with up to 1000 attendees using just their web browser. Guests do not install software to join, see, hear or participate in your presentations. It’s so easy to use.

DimDim webinar account plans (Plans start at $25 per month, 30 day free trial available)

4. MailChimp.com (Email Marketing for Events)

MailChimp makes it easy to design and send beautiful emails, manage your subscribers and track your campaign’s performance. MailChimp tracks everything for you. Opens, clicks, bounces and forwarded campaigns.

Mailchimp pricing options (Free up to 1000 subscribers, Plans start at $9 per month)

5. Zoho.com (Online spreadsheets for Events)

A centralized collection of tons of free spreadsheets, presentation tools, management software and much, much more. There is even a new section of apps for your small business needs. Everything you could possibly need for operating a more productive business.

Zoho.com

6. Blinksale.com (Invoicing application)

Blinksale is perfect for anyone who needs to invoice clients for services or products sold. Blinksale invoices are typically sent via email. You may also print and snail-mail your invoices if that’s your thing.

Blinksale.com (Plans start at $6/month)

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Measuring the success of an event

September 21st, 2010

iStock_000009482545XSmallHosted a successful event? Great. Give yourself a break now. Go and celebrate with your team(after paying the Bills, ofcourse!). But once we are done with the partying, it’s back to business.It’s time to analyze the event and find out the areas that need improvement for the upcoming event.

Analyze the Event

This is the most important step once the event is done. We need to evaluate if the output from theevent was according to the expectations. If it wasn’t, where did we lack and even if it was, thereis always scope for improvement, isn’t there? Here are some suggestions that can help you measure the success of your event.

There may be many parameters to judge the success of an event.

1. Customer satisfaction
2. Budget for the event
3. Turnout for the event
4.Number of potential business leads

One of the important ones is the customer satisfaction. If your event attendees are satisfied – analyze the factors that will help fixing this problem in future. Make sure you follow-up with your event attendees with simple surveys to collect their feedback. You can also use online event registration tools like Eventzilla to send them discount codes for future events.
Budget: Add up the tangible as well as intangible benefits and outcomes from the event and compare that to the expenditure.While a profit or loss may not be your biggest concern, it is an imperative aspect for any event planner.

Turnout: Compare the turnout for the event to the number of people who had been invited. If there’s a shortfall, look back at the planning process and try to find out the weak areas.

Assess your marketing campaign and then analyze whether the turnout was as per the marketing done. There are new tools in the market to measure the social media marketing success and if the number of attendees were less, it’s time to re-design the marketing strategy.

Potential business leads: Analyze the number of leads for your business vs planned target number of leads expected out of this event.

Last but not least – create a lessons learned plan and share it with your event management team. Consider using online event registration software products like Eventzilla to setup and track event registrations for upcoming events.

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5 ways to convert your event attendees into clients

September 20th, 2010

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Recent technology trends in Event Management

July 27th, 2010

iStock_000009648196XSmallNow the event attendees can ask questions to the speaker via tweets or Facebook comments real time during an event. With the world tweeting away night and day, there is no doubt that technology has changed our life completely. And this change is not limited to the World Wide Web either; it is fast percolating to the other activities and business spheres as well.  As the gadgetry world over goes through a makeshift each day, so do the businesses associated. Here we have a look at some of the technological trends and innovations that are changing the way we think about events and event management.

The FIFA World Cup this year was a lot of fun for us. And we are not talking about football. Our excitement was because of this cool application that had been created especially for the World Cup that highlighted the real time schedule of the games and results as they took place. This event alerted us to the huge potential that has hardly been scratched. An event application speaks volumes about the planner’s commitment to the event and excites the attendees equally.

The Stage Show

The drastic improvements in the Audio-Video equipments, staging and lighting instruments have made sure that you need to make your event stand out. No more can you pass off an event with just a great speaker. Even with the best of the content and ingredients, you need to upgrade the stage show to make sure that the attendees are left wonder struck. The advancements though, have made sure that this does not become a Herculean task. So, the next time you are planning an event, make sure that you ‘light’ out the event.

Live Meetings

The barriers have been stomped down and the walls have fallen.  Technology has made sure that geographical impediments no more stop you from attending an event half way round the world. The webinars and live meetings are the newest venues for events the world over. Planners and event managers are going all out to accommodate their eager attendees, wherever they may be.

The Social Explosion

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have completely altered the way we think about event promotion.  Letters are antiquated and emails outdated. Nowadays, you ‘tweet’ and ‘poke’ your way around the events. From creating a fan page to a social group, there are numerous ways to announce your event to the world. And more importantly, like everything else, you get to reach out to your target audience around the world in real time. Discuss the event, highlights and all that excites you even before the event takes place.

Mobiles Applications

With the advent of the iPhones, Androids and Blackberrys, smart phone applications have become the next-gen platform for event management. From charting an event to locating it on the map, you can do it all on your mobile.  Mobile Apps nowadays have become advanced enough to take care of almost all your needs and it was time you acknowledged this. The sooner we realize the future role of smart phone apps, the better it will be for our business.

Online Event Registration Apps – Just for you!!

Recently – online registration for events has taken the center stage with a lot of small players like Eventzilla.  It is simple to setup custom registration forms, promote on Facebook, send email invitations and manage cancellations in one place. Event attendees can register online and make secure online payments.

Technology is rapidly changing the way events are organized around the world. The question is; Are you a part of that change?

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Online Event Registration – FAQs

July 18th, 2010

online_event_registration1. What is Online Event Registration?

Online event registration allows event attendees to register online (RSVP) and make secure payments easily.  Event organizers can setup custom registration forms, deliver branded tickets on email, manage cancellations using an online event registration service like Eventzilla.net

2. What is Eventzilla.net?

Eventzilla is an inexpensive online event registration and ticketing website to list your event details, collect secure payments from attendees, promote your events using email marketing, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and manage cancellations in one place.

3. What types of events can I manage with Eventzilla?

Eventzilla can be used to manage registrations and payments for a variety of events ranging from business conferences, seminars, training events, fund raising events, cooking classes, language classes, fitness classes, computer  training classes,  tour packages, workshop registration, live concerts, comedy shows, expos, webinars, local meetups, marathon events and much more.

4. How much does it cost to use Eventzilla?

Free events = Free
Paid events = $1/attendee (You pay only when you make a sale)

Setup costs = None

Fees for ticket sales in Indian Rupees:  4.75%+Rs 5/attendee

Please check the pricing page for more international currencies support and fees.

5. Does Eventzilla support multiple currencies?

Yes – Eventzilla currently support 24 different world currencies including USD, CAD, GPD, EURO, AUD and Indian Rupees. Please check the pricing page for more details.

6. What do I need to get started?

A valid email address and a PayPal account. You can sign up for a free account at eventzilla to sell tickets/registrations online and we direct all the payments from your event sales directly to your PayPal account.

Eventzilla will send you an invoice at the end of every month for the fees that your incurred from ticket sales and you can easily pay the fees online.

For Indian Customers:
You just need a valid email address. We use CC Avenue/Citibank for securely processing payments for your events in Indian Rupees and we deliver the payments to your bank account every Month.

7. Can I create a repeating event with Eventzilla?

Yes – You can use our easy to use calendar widget to select recurring event dates up to 1 year.

8. How do I share the event details with my contacts?

Eventzilla allows you to create a unique subdomain like http://your-event-name.eventzilla.net – which can be shared with your potential target audience. In addition to this event web page – you can also easily embed the registration/ticket details in your website, blog, email marketing, Facebook, Twitter etc to promote your events in minutes.

9. Can I add different registration / ticket types for my event?

Yes. You can create early bird pricing with specific start date and end date, regular pricing and even onsite pricing as different options for registering to your event.

10. Can I send email invitations to my contacts?

Yes. You can import your existing contacts easily and send a professional looking email invitation announcing your event easily. (Daily limit for sending email invitations: 2000)

11.Can I pass on the Eventzilla service  fee to my attendees?

Yes. When you setup the event ticket / registration types you have an option to make your event attendees pay the small convenience fee. This means you pay absolutely nothing for using Eventzilla.

12. Can I create discount codes for my events?

Yes. You can add one or many special discount codes for your event which can be used by your attendees on checkout.

1. What is Online Event Registration?

Online event registration allows event attendees to register online (RSVP) and make secure payments easily. Event organizers can setup custom registration forms, deliver branded tickets on email, manage cancellations etc., using a online event registration service like Eventzilla.net

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25 things that you need to know to host successful events

July 16th, 2010

There have been long sermons on how to make an event an absolute success. Forget the lectures and the dissertations, here’s your short and simple guide to a successful event!!

iStock_000010884482XSmall

  1. Understand your objectives and set clear, well defined goals for the event.
  2. Choose the right set of people you’ll work with on the event.
  3. Prepare a checklist for everything that you are going to need.
  4. Prepare your budget according to the checklist.
  5. Plan everything in advance. Remain a step ahead of the preparation schedule.
  6. Choose a venue that suits your event.
  7. Make sure you know your target audience inside out.
  8. Make an initial list of invitees from past contacts and events.
  9. Finalize the list to include only those who will benefit from the event.
  10. Setup online event registration forms and send personal invitations to the invitees.
  11. Market your event in the right directions and amongst the right people.
  12. Create a social media strategy for your event on Twitter and Facebook.
  13. Run a quick survey to know more about your audience.
  14. Get hosts for the event and name tags for the attendees.
  15. Keep in touch with the venue coordinators constantly.
  16. Make sure the audio video arrangements are in proper order.
  17. Keep tabs on the quality of food that will be served.
  18. Space out the different sections of the event and give time for breaks.
  19. Make sure the event theme gets proper attention in the decorations.
  20. Work on a feedback form that helps you understand your audience better.
  21. Check final arrangements on the last day.
  22. Make sure there are no last minute hiccups.
  23. Present highlights of your next event at the end.
  24. Give the audience something to remember you, when they leave.
  25. Celebrate the event with your team. They deserve it!

—————————————————-
Online Event Registration and Ticket Solution : Eventzilla

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How to setup a custom online registration form for your event?

July 12th, 2010

Eventzilla collects the following information from attendees during the registration process.

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email

If you plan to collect additional information from your attendees, you can customize the registration to suit your needs.

Two flexible options for collecting attendee information

1. Only the buyer enters the requested information during registration
(Let’s say there is a group of people attending your event and one of them registers online – you can choose to  collect the registration information only for the buyer and not from all the attendees using this option)

2. All the attendees enter the requested registration information during registration
(Let’s say there is a group of people attending your event and one of them registers online – you can choose to  collect the registration information from all the attendees using this option)

Steps to add a custom registration form for your event.

1. Sign in to http://www.eventzilla.net

2. Complete “adding a new event” or Edit an existing event from “Manage Events” section

3. Select “custom registration” link and select the additional fields that you want to collect in your event registration form. Eventzilla provides a set of basic demographic collection fields that you can choose from and also add your own custom field, which you want your attendee to fill.

  • Phone
  • Company
  • Occupation
  • Country
  • Address
  • Website

4. You can also add your own custom registration fields  in the same page. Example: Attendees Twitter ID’s, Facebook Page URL etc.,

configure_custom_registration

If you plan to collect additional information from your attendees, you can customize the registration to suit your needs. Eventzilla provides a set of basic demographic collection fields that you can choose from and also add your own custom field, which you want your attendee to fill.

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