A 4AM Wake Up Call To Action

My phone rang at 4:13am this morning. I didn’t answer. The person called two more times and then decided to leave a voice mail.

“Hi Stephanie, it’s Bob. I wanted to let you know that my flight to Boston has been delayed. I have the banners that you requested and I was hoping that you could change my hotel reservation…”

This is obviously an event-related call, however I’m not currently working on an event in Boston or with a man named Bob. We most likely worked together at some point in our careers and that’s why my number is in his phone.

Has this happened to you? I get these types of mis-calls a few times a year. I let unfamiliar calls go to voice mail and after I hear that they are looking for a different Stephanie, I text them out of courtesy to let them know they have the wrong number.  I remind them of the event we worked together (if I remember) and hope they are well. I usually end with a warm smiley face emoticon.

One of the best perks of our profession is the opportunity to meet hundreds of like-minded people each year. Events have the unique ability to connect people in a short amount of time. Working an 18-hour day with a complete stranger might seem awkward to some, but as an event manager, I crave meeting new people with new energy. Some of these professional friendships last through the event, others continue to flourish long after load out is complete.

A call to action

Bob…I loved hearing your voice. I would love to be in Boston working on an event and I wish I could help with your hotel arrangements, but you called the wrong girl. I’m sure you’re busy, stressed and exhausted from working on the event, which is why you mistakenly called the wrong person. 

So here is my ‘call to action’: Take 10 minutes. Go through your mobile contact list. Delete any name and number that you do not recognize. Add details to your contacts that will help you remember the person and their skills: the event that you worked together, their position, their hometown, etc.

This way when you need a runner in Miami, you’ll be able to find  ‘Runner Dave in Florida’ in your phone, make the call and be done with it.  P.S. Email me if you need a good runner in Florida, Dave is the best!

Bob, I hope you found your girl. I hope she can pick you up from the airport, hang your banners, and update your hotel arrangements because now I’m going back to bed…

 Photo Credit - Flickr

Apologies for my lack of posts in December and January. 2011 has started out to be a tremendous year. A new ring on my finger and a potential move will create lots of blog content. I look forward to sharing all of my event planning adventures with you!

What a Year! ... 2010 in Review

Thanks to Lost Broccoli for posting her 2010 in ten, three-word sentences and inspiring me to do the 

same.  Happy New Year!

1.  NYE in Vancouver.

2.  Canada takes Gold.

3.  Moved to Seattle.

4.  Explored Kauai extensively.

5.  Worked many festivals.

6.  Started new blog.

7.  Tried out Twitter.

8.  Love Social Media.

9.  30th birthday meltdown.

10. Engagement on Christmas.

New adventures ahead.

What is your year in ten, three-word sentences? Share it in the comments below!

Get a ‘W’ on your next Virtual Event

250 guests + 1 convention center room + 4 60” plasmas + 1 college campaign +1 custom podium + 1 balloon drop + 1 videographer + 1 pianist + 1 mascot + 2 speakers + heavy appetizers = A typical event.

Many of us can execute an event of this caliber in our sleep…

Add in a second venue 5 hours away complete with another production crew, 9 plasmas, a marching band, confetti canon, and a webcast with an expected viewership of 90,000 viewers. Now… that’s a ballgame!

The Virtual Event

Last Thursday, I was lucky enough to work as the Production Manager for the Campaign for Washington State University: Because The World Needs Big Ideas.  The event happened concurrently at the Seattle Convention Center and in the WSU Library in Pullman.  My role was to connect all of the technical elements of the event, design a communication plan, and to create 3 documents: production schedule, rehearsal schedule, and a technical cue to cue.

Communication Challenge

2 venues, 2 Stage Managers, 3 cameras, 2 satellite trucks, 1 webcast.  The client’s vision was to throw the video feed with the most impact to the web.  In order to hit the cues and eliminate a gap in the program, the 2 Stage Managers had to call the event happening at their venue as well as have constant communication with each other.

Communication Solution

The AV company installed a few phone lines and connected them into the clear-comm system. The Seattle technical crew was on channel A, Pullman crew was on channel B.  The Seattle Stage Manager took the lead in calling the show and cued the Pullman Stage Manager larger cues.

Last Minute Challenges

Fiber – The fiber that connected the AV feed in the Pullman library to the Satellite truck was causing us problems. Thankfully we were able to pull the Satellite truck closer to the entrance of the library and connect he AV feed directly to the Satellite truck, eliminating the need for the faulty fiber.

Rehearsal schedule – Last minute cancelations from 2 speakers eliminated the opportunity to have a full cue to cue between the 2 venues the day before the event.  Thankfully, we had 2 opportunities to test uplink/downlink of the webcast and executed a paper tech via clear comm the day before.

Speakers who do what they want – The technical crew was warned that one of the speakers didn’t typically stay on script. Since many of our visual elements were cued by a word or an idea, we put a representative from WSU on headset.  This person knew the speaker’s mannerisms and speaking style and was able to aid the Stage Manager with cue timing.

Addition of additional speaker – The day before the event the show management crew received word that Paul G. Allen, one of the co-founders of Microsoft, would be in attendance.  His donation of $26M significantly helped WSU get closer to their $1B fundraising goal.  This created need for increased security, a secret entry/exit route, and would create a stronger media presence.  

Success

Unfortunately I don’t know how many people went online to experience the virtual event but I do know that the live webcast looked and sounded perfect.

Although some of the recommendations I made to the client to create a more engaging event with a larger ‘wow’ factor were not approved, all stage cues were executed on-time, per the clients expectation and vision.

The media enjoyed the event; there was quite a bit of press. Paul Allen’s donation of $26M was the top of the headline with the Gates Foundation donation of $25M taking a back seat. He even tweeted about it! 

The client, suppliers, speakers, and the media were pleased with the execution of the event. I was so lucky to be surrounded by an extremely talented, detail-oriented, and technology-saavy team.   We'll chalk it up as a virtual event WIN! 

Photo credit

Have you worked on a virtual event? What successes and challenges did you face? Would you give your team a "W" on the event you produced? Share your comments below.

Not to be missed Vitamin D Enhanced Events

I'm having a difficult time remembering what it feels like to have the sun hit my face.  It's dark when I leave for work in the morning and dark on my commute home.   With only 8.5 hours of daylight, it's easy to get depressed and allow the Winter Blues to consume your life. 

In the Northwest, Winter months make for a great  time to bake, read, and eat way too many carbs.  Although I'll be dreaming of these sun-filled events on the water, I will actually be spending my holiday season in Seattle popping vitamin D. 

Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K (Dec 4, 2010) in Jamaica

Jamaica's premier International Marathon welcomes marathoners, sport enthusiasts, and beginners to Negril for this fun event characterized by good vibes and lots of Reggae Music. As their website boasts, "Come for the run, stay for the fun"...and sun. Anticipated temperature: High 83 / Low 73.

Vans Triple Crown, Billabong Pipe Masters Surfing Competition (Dec 8-20, 2010) in Maui
The third of three professional surfing events that are the final stop on the 2010 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour. In its 28th year, this event is considered the most prestigious title in surfing.  Below is a video promoting the event. Anticipated temperature: High 82 / Low 66.
Cayman Cookout (Jan 13-15, 2011) at the Ritz Carlton, Cayman Islands

Chef Eric Ripert and Food & Wine Magazine present the Caribbean's premier event. Enjoy tastings, cooing demos, tours, and dinners with world-famous chefs such as Charlie Trotter and Anthony Bourdain.  Anticipated temperature: High 81 / Low 73. 

Carnival (Mar 5-8, 2011) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio Carnival is called the world's biggest and most famous party which began in 1723.  A million tourists joined millions of Rio citizens every year to celebrate.  It's considered one of the greatest shows on earth.  Anticipated temperature: High 82 / Low 71.

At least in my dreams I'll be sitting by the water soaking up the lovely, warm sunshine this winter. 

Photo Credit

Tell me: What other sun-filled events are you dreaming about? Share in the comments below. 

Your Personal Assistant: Get the Most Bang for your Buck

A week ago I wrote a post titled: The $250 Investment that will Save your Event $1000's. In this post I reveled how to utilize a Communication Base Manager as your Personal Assistant and  how their support will save you thousands.  

This post is part 2 of the series and will reveal the top 3 ways to position your Base Manager for success.
I've had the opportunity to work as a Base Manager for numerous events: festivals, galas, sporting events, and corporate parties. I hired 23 independent contractors to fill this role for the Vancouver 2010 games, so I feel like I've got a decent amount of perspective on this topic. Hopefully by now I've convinced you of the advantages to hire a Base Manager for your next event.  But hiring a person for the role is not enough. Position them for success to get the most bang for your $250 buck. Here's how...

Hire the right person for the job

As any good manager can attest, you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with.  As your personal assistant, the Base Manager will be representing you and your event. They are the first person that many of your vendors and attendees will interact with.  Hire someone you've worked with before or that comes highly recommended from an event professional. Make sure this person has operational event experience, understands the event industry, is willing to work until the project is complete, and is comfortable pulling long and irregular hours. Find someone who is a multi-tasker, customer-service oriented, and is able to stay calm under pressure.

It's all about Trust

In order for your Base Manager to succeed, s/he must have as much knowledge about the event and pre-planning as you do.  If you want to hire someone to act as a receptionist to pass messages along, find someone via Craigslist and pay them $10/hour.  A Base Manager is so much more than a receptionist.  This person should be trusted and empowered to make decisions on your behalf.  Give them all event details prior to the start of the event so they can rummage through it and have time to digest the details. Provide a production schedule, ESO, map, venue emergency response plan, and contact list.  Introduce your Base Manager to all stakeholders and recommend that questions be directed to BASE.

Location, location, location
BASE will facilate most communication via radio and/or phone.  This means that the Base Manager will need to be located in an office-type environment that is relatively quiet.  Provide them office supplies and a mobile printer/copier/scanner.  Although the Base Manager will have down-time, do not allow this person to get pulled into operational tasks around the venue. Instead give them administrative tasks that can be completed in their office: Creation of signage, distribution of credentials, organization of name badges, etc.  They have been hired to monitor communication, distribute radios/production supplies, act as an information booth, and most importantly to make you look good.  This person will be better utilized if they are poised and ready to support you in a production office then as another body out in the field who can barely hear their radio. 

Photo Credit 

What else have you done to make your Base Manager successful?  Share your secrets with us!

3 Event Experts You Should Know! - Part 3

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude for all of the amazing event professionals  I have had the privilege to work with over the past 10 years.  This week I will highlight 3 event professionals from all over North America who have influenced my career tremendously.  I sat down with them to hear about their most challenging event mis-communication and their perspective on the future of the event industry.  Hopefully you will find their story and event history as inspiring as I do.
 

Next Stop…Sunny San Diego!
I met Angel Hanzal even before my career began…she planned my High School Grad Night!  12 years later our paths crossed again while working at an event called Sleepless in San Diego, a benefit for the San Diego Rescue Mission.  Angel's enthusiasm for the event planning industry and passion for working with non-profit organizations was inspiring!  She works on a diverse group of events from: weddings, non-profit events, grad nights and even manages the Liberty Station Conference Center, a venue in San Diego. 

Here is Angel's story…

With a passion for planning parties, Angel Hanzal has been working as an event coordinator for more than 12 years. The wide range of hundreds of events Angel has taken from conception to completion have included corporate events, weddings, galas, park and center openings, golf tournaments, holiday parties and events such as pumpkin patches and Easter egg hunts, wine tastings, master planned community events, private parties, and much more. Angel owns the company Signature Events, collaborates with Activities SoCal and stays active with charities such as: Casa Saguras, San Diego Rescue Mission, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Breast Cancer, and Grossmont Hospital Foundation. Angel holds a certificate from USD in Event Management.

Event Lounge: What has been the most rewarding event that you have worked on and why?

I use to do a lot of neighborhood holiday events and one year my daughter had been in an accident (she is okay) a week or so before a Halloween event for about 600 people. I really wanted to stay home with her.  I was not in the mood to socialize, but I went to the event. About half-way though the day ,a mom came up to me and said that every night her twin 5 year old daughters pray for Angel, "the nice lady who plans the great parties."  She had no idea what 'Angel' they were praying for until that day. From that moment on, I knew that I was making a difference, so every event has been special.

Event Lounge: At the Lounge we love event communications. Tell us about a time when you had an event mis-communication. What happened? How were you able to fix the problem? 

I was planning a high profile wedding in July at a very nice resort. That week I was running a fever and was very sick. The catering manager wanted a list of how many guests were at each of the 26 tables. I could hardly hold my head up at the computer, but I did the best I could. The night of the wedding the catering manager asked me where Table 23 was. Obviously, I messed up and forgot to add Table 23 to the list! Unfortunately the Catering team was unable to set an additional table so I jumped in, took control, threw together a centerpiece and got an additional table set. I joked with the people at the table and told them how special they were.  Problem solved!

Event Lounge: What challenges are you facing with your current (or recent) event?   

The economy. No one has any money so we seem to be a bit more creative for a bit less money.

Event Lounge:  Where do you see the event management industry in 10 years from now?   

There are a lot of people in the business right now.  In 10 years there could be more or less, but with lives so busy, I think more people are hiring event coordinators to do things they never use to. For instance, a wedding planner use to be a luxury, now it's a necessity. I feel when the economy turns around the only difference is there will be more money to go around.

Thank you Angel for taking time to share your story with the Lounge.  I hope to work with you again on Sleepless in San Diego 2011!

If you'd like to connect with Angel, please email info@eventcommunicationlounge.com and we will gladly pass along your message.

3 Event Experts You Should Know! - Part 2

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude for all of the amazing event professionals  I have had the privilege to work with over the past 10 years.  This week I will highlight 3 event professionals from all over North America who have influenced my career tremendously.  I sat down with them to hear about their most challenging event mis-communication and their perspective on the future of the event industry.  Hopefully you will find their story and event history as inspiring as I do.
 

From Vancouver, BC…meet Valerie Adamson.

I met Valerie in the Fall of 2009 in Vancouver, BC.  Valerie came highly recommended as an extremely open-minded, energized, and humble experienced event manager.  After a 5 minute conversation with Val I knew she would bring a tremendous amount of energy and creativity to the Olympic Event Communication program. She was immediately hired to run all on-venue communication at the most complicated 2010 venue, Canada Hockey Place.  Needless to say, she did a fabulous job and has been inspiring me ever since.

Here is Val's story...

Valerie Adamson started her Event Management career in 1989 as a summer temp working at Concert Productions International, a major international concert promotion company.  Luckily for her the company had just landed the Rolling Stones first tour in 8 years!  In Toronto, she worked on two Stones tours in Marketing and Sponsorship and was eventually promoted to Director of Tour Marketing. Valerie has been on the road with the Rolling Stones for 3 world tours, U2, Neil Young, and the Eagles.  As an independent event planner she enjoys the opportunity to showcase her multitude of skills.  Valerie has worked in film, international sporting events, lighting design, and home design. Most recently, Valerie had the opportunity to travel to South Africa to work on the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Event Lounge: What has been the most rewarding event that you have worked on and why?

After the 2010 Games

There have been many rewarding events for different reasons but the one that usually comes to mind is being a part of the Bridge School Benefit that Neil Young and his wife Pegi put on in the SF area for the last 21 years. I’ve done it three times, managing the design and set up of the artist dressing room compound. I have worked the same gig for Neil on tour and so I’m pretty familiar with what he likes and needs before a show. The best part is that everyone volunteers, including the bands. Everyone plays acoustic, no exceptions. The kids from Bridge School watch the show from a riser behind the drum kit, and it is truly a magical evening. Everyone is there to support raising funds for the school whether it’s through performing, buying a ticket, or working the event. Pegi and Neil have people over for a big dinner and bonfire on Friday night before the 2 days of shows and the evening creates a special bond before a couple of awesome days of music and working with like-minded great people. I just love doing it.

One of the best moments was being on stage at SARStock in Toronto in front of an audience of 500,000 with all hands waving in the air while BTO played “Taking Care of Business” – it was insane! What an exhilarating and proud moment to be Canadian.

Event Lounge: At the Lounge we love event communications. Tell us about a time when you had an event mis-communication. What happened? How were you able to fix the problem?
I recently worked for a UK event company at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. A major oil firm was the client, and each guest received an ID tag with a group number so that staff could identify which guest was with which group. We had over 10,000 guests on different programs therefore managing guests’ whereabouts was key. This was particularly important at the matches with 85,000 people in the stadium. We were in Cape Town and it was the day of my largest group, all heavy hitters attending a special 4-day conference as part of the brand experiential hospitality program. I had all of my packs and tags set up the evening before. In the middle of arrivals (there were 14 flight arrivals in one day all with briefings) a colleague knowingly took my ID tags when he couldn’t find his own, and re-labeled them with gaffe tape to suit his needs. He didn’t tell me. By chance I found a co-worker who’d seen him rustling in my things. I was mortified as there was no time for me to re-do them with groups coming in and briefings to do. Luckily I worked with a fantastic team of people and enlisted two of them to solve the problem for me. They managed to get some of them back, created new ones in record time, and handed them over just in time for the guests as they walked into the hotel. It was brilliant team work and I felt good that I could delegate and ask for help when I needed it. Events are all about chipping in on the team work, no matter what needs to be done.

Event Lounge: What challenges are you facing with your current (or recent) event?  
The biggest challenge I am facing right now is translating my international experience into regular event work in Vancouver, BC.  It has not been easy.

Event Lounge:  Where do you see the event management industry in 10 years from now?   
That will depend on where the economy is in 10 years although I don’t believe that the event industry will ever die out. Inter-connection between people is paramount when doing business. People like to do business with people they trust, and like, especially in the event industry. Brand marketing is well-achieved through experiential hospitality services resulting in direct face-to-face marketing which, if done properly, helps to create loyalty with clients, associates and potential investors. I can see more tele-conferencing happening as time flows, budgets are trimmed and world technology evolves. However in the end the event business is supported by companies who understand the value that connecting people forms relationships and fosters business and doing it in-person can bring immediate results.
 

Thank you Val for taking time to share your story with the Lounge.  I miss you and I look forward to the next opportunity we get to work together!

If you'd like to connect with Valerie, please email info@eventcommunicationlounge.com and I will gladly pass along your message.