That Difference Could Be YOU!!!

In some of my previous posts I have blogged about events for a cause.  I am a strong supporter of great causes and truly believe that people can make a difference in the world if they work hard enough!  Recently, I have been introduced to a great cause who was founded by a member of my extended family called thirstees.

Thirttees is a movement to provide people with clean drinking water through the purchase of high quality t-shirts.  The thirstees movement is partnered with a well respected organization, Thirst Relief International.  Thirst Relief International is a non-profit organization that constructs wells, bios, and filters throughout Africa and South America to provide clean drinking water.

Thritees was started because one person wanted to help make a difference in the world and contribute to a cause that affects over one billion people.  Through the purchase of one t-shirt you can help provide one person with 25 years of clean drinking water.  This is a movement to end thirst among many people who are dying from water caused diseases each year.

I think that this way of buying t-shirts in exchange for donating profits towards drinking water is a great way to start off.  Instead of throwing a one-time or annual event for the cause that would cost money and take time to plan, this is the most optimal way to start out this new movement.  I think that eventually this movement has potential to be very successful and will make a great difference in the world.  However, they need your help!  Be a part of something great!  Make a difference through buying a t-shirt and spreading the word!  Know that a little can go a long way and if everyone works together we can make a difference! Happy Holidays and enjoy drinking your clean water!

 

Finding Your Signature

 

Photo Credit: Thecraftbegins.com

I think every event planner should make their events known and partly a little theirs.  For all the hard work that they put into these events, there should be something that they add as their own little special touch.  Through adding something signature to all events, it will help distinguish their events from other planner’s.

Finding your signature is something that should be given a lot of time and consideration.  It should be something that represents you as a planner, person, and professional.  It should be something that guests can easily recognize as your event, but also not clash with the event that is planned.  You signature should consist of a small touch that can be displayed at the event.

I think adding your signature to any event is important to help people see and know your work.  I think it is almost like mini advertising for you and your services that you can offer.  If guest like your work and can pick out your work, you will have a good chance of getting hired for another event.

Signatures can be anything from using certain products such as crystals, candles, certain flowers, or really anything that you incorporate into your events.  You can add a logo design somewhere in the event.  You can serve a certain food or drink that you like at every event.

By adding touches and signatures to your events, it will help distinguish and show your work.  It will make your name known in the industry and also recognized among avid event goers.  Find your signature and let it be known.

 

Don’t be Afraid of a Little Color!

I love colors when it comes to decorating events or having a theme!  Color can really make an event stand out and also help coordinate what type of an event it will be.  I think colors tell a lot about the host or the planner of the event.  I think that through color you can add personality, fun, emotion, and beauty to any event.  Just be careful not to add too much color to any event.  I like to keep it tasteful and have found that having one main color looks great with about two accent colors, this will keep the look classy and not tacky.  Finding colors that complement each other is also an important thing to remember.  Color will be something that guests remember about the event so choose your colors wisely.

Color is something the first thing that I like to pick out when designing an event.  I pick the main color that represents the event, client, or time of the season.  I think that color can really make an event special.  Planning an event like a wedding is a great place to choose color that represents the couple’s personality, that can be choosing bright fun colors like hot pinks and purples or having something a little more understated such as browns and whites.  Colors can also spark emotion, an example of emotional colors would be dark blues and deep purples to have a more dramatic feel to the evening or choosing colors in soft pinks and creams to have a more sweet feeling event.  The fun colors consist of bright yellows and oranges., really any colors that can usually be found in flowers or outside make for fun vibrant colors.

Be sure to watch the colors come together to make sure that it is not too much for the eye to look at or not look at.  You do not want to pick one color to fill the room, especially that of a very stand out color such as a lime green to cover the room.  Also, you do not want to pair too many colors together so that your event looks busy and tacky.  I like to keep it simple to one main color with two accent colors.  Little touches of the accent colors can really make the main color pop without being too much, especially if you choose colors that harmonize with that main color.

Photo Credit: chicagoeventrentals.com

By having color radiate through your event, it can dictate the type of event in which you are having.  Along with making that event memorable to guests.  Be careful when choosing colors and make sure to find colors that represent the event, client, or time of the event.  You want every ounce of color in the room to look coordinated and tasteful.  Don’t be afraid to use bright colors or dark colors, just make sure that you make it yours!

 

Black Friday Planning

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I sure did!  I want to tell you my experience shopping at midnight on Black Friday.  First off let’s talk about crowd control! I mean seriously these stores do not plan very well for mass amounts of people on this crazy night of shopping.  Also, placing “hot” ticket items in the middle of aisles is not great planning either.  On top of fighting with the crowds in search for that item you came out for the check-out lines were horrendous, almost made me want to put back the items I came for!  I think that there could be much better planning on the stores part to get a large amount of people through the store with more ease and efficiency.

Photo Credit: Bay News 9

At midnight on Thursday, I decided to venture out to Macys department store to find the perfect boots for the perfect price.  When I arrived, about 11:45 p.m. there was already a huge crowd waiting anxiously outside the store for the doors to open.  I couldn’t believe that there was a line at Macys!  I expect those lines at stores that have high ticket electronics, but not a home and clothing store.  The store said that they would not open until midnight and I did not want to stand outside with the huge crowd that I knew was going to go rushing through the doors; then to my surprise the doors opened early giving those people a so called head start on the items.  I think that this chaos of people running in could have been prevented by handing out tickets as soon as a line accumulated to let people know what order they would be let into the store.  This would have prevented the mad rush of people all at once.

Once inside the store and headed for the shoe section, there were boxes of shoes scattered from one end of the shoe department to the other!  The sales people had all the sizes of boots into one pile where people were grabbing up to five boxes of shoes not knowing what they had and didn’t have.  It was so crazy!  I think that it would have been better to have the types of shoes set up behind a worker who passes out the sizes and styles so that there could have been a little more order to the products and crowd.  Even if the shoes were distributed by sizes would have helped the people take the shoe they wanted from one pile and not be throwing boxes around left and right!  I was so overwhelmed by the people and shoes everywhere to find the boots I really wanted.

On top of all the people the high ticket items were placed in the aisles of the department store.  This is a great thought on normal shopping days when there are not a million crazy people in the store.  By the product placement in the aisles, it made for many road blocks that you could not get around because people were not budging until they got that item in hand.  Finally when it came to checking out the lines were extremely long, which also blocked of pathways to cross in the store.

Black Friday was very crazy and I only ended up with one small thing on my list!  I think that more stores need to better plan for the crowd and “hot” items.  However, if you like to people watch this was the place to be!  Even though my Black Friday shopping experience was crazy, I still enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about crowd control!

 

Handling the Holiday Chaos!

Photo Credit: 123rf.com

This time of the year is very busy, there is so much to do an plan when it comes to this holiday season!  It can get to be very stressful and exhausting.  It is important to know how to handle the chaos and keep all events in order so that you do not create more havoc on top of what you are already dealing with.  Staying on top of things is essential to keeping your sanity during this time of year!  Also it is important to remember what this time of year is about and to not lose focus in this chaotic life we life in.

Here are a few great tips that I have found to be very helpful when dealing with stress.  When times get too much to handle and you do not think you can accomplish what you need to, take a few minutes to close your eyes and take deep slow breaths.  By relaxing your mind and body, it will help you take on those tasks that are causing so much stress.  Getting adequate sleep at night is also another great way to deal with stress.  Things always seem so much worse when you are tired and exhausted, not to mention that if you get sick from all your stress, that will set you even further back in completing your tasks to add more pressure on.  Also, finding that one thing that just takes your mind of everything is great to have when trying to manage stress.  For me it is sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee, but it can be anything from playing music loud for a few minutes or reading a chapter in your favorite book.  Really that option can be anything that makes you feel happy and takes you to another place.

Keeping all events and activities in order is something that you should not get behind on because that will create more stress on you.  Having time management is a critical skill to have so that you get all tasks done and complete on time.  By creating schedules and lists it will help deal with the chaos surrounding you.  You will be less likely to say “yes” to tasks that you possibly cannot take on if all your other activities are planned out.  Knowing realistically how much you can handle is also key to helping you stay sane this holiday season.  Remember it is ok to say “no” to things!

On top of all this insanity, stress, and busy time please do not forget the important things this time of year!  It is a time of giving and to appreciate what you have been given in life.  Put things into a big picture to see what really matters and let those important things shine through!  Keeping all of this in mind will help you handle the chaos of the holidays!

 

Need Skills to Complete Tasks…

Dealing with people is something that comes along with the event planning territory.  Working in groups to plan something or working with outside clients and vendors; you will come in contact with people every day in your job.  It is especially important to know how handle each person so that you are careful not to offend anyone or rub anyone the wrong way.  Interacting and communicating are skills that are needed to perform the tasks of the event planner job.  If a planner does not have the necessary ability or skills to complete the tasks, then the performance will rate low on the job.

Managing the room or being the head person on your planning team is great role to take on.  It is however very difficult to manage many different opinions, personalities, and tastes.  Learning about your team members is a great way to find out a little bit about them and open the door to communication.  Learning about your team is also a great way to find ways to motivate the different types of people to perform well and to help bring out their best abilities.  By getting to know your team on a more professional personal level, it will help show the team that you respect them along with them giving you respect back.  Knowing how to handle team conflict and differences in opinions is an extremely important skill to have because often times leaders lose control of their team and do not make effective use of their time on the project.  Being a strong leader is something that every event planner needs to have prior to performing their job in order to have that event be successful.

Putting up with clients and vendors is a little bit different than that of managing your planning team.  When it comes to clients or vendors, you have to be a little more tactful in your communication with them, so that you do not say anything that can be taken as offensive.  The skills needed to handle these people is strong communication and manners.  I think that too many times planners forget that they work for the clients and need to get hired in order to make money.  Also, making nice with vendors is imperative because as the planner you need the help of the other suppliers to make your job performance be seen as successful.  Learning, dealing, and knowing people are all excellent skills to have in order to perform the tasks on the job!

 

Events For a Cause

 

I have attended many charity events over the last few years.  I have also had the great pleasure to plan and help with some of them!  I think events for charity or for a cause are a great idea!  I love the idea of everyone who attends, participates, or donates to these events all have the same goal in mind.  That goal usually is to raise money for a wonderful cause!  There are many different ways of planning charity events and you have to find the best way that works for you and your cause.

Events for charity or causes are a great way to bring the community together.  Having these events in the area of the people or organizations who the event is for is great planning! Most people want to attend or help out at an event when the charity or cause hits close to home.  I have been very fortunate to grow up in a close community where everyone was a part of every event and we all would work together to reach our purpose!  I find it a little bit harder to do in bigger communities, so that is why it is important to plan the event where the possible attendees know the cause. Having that emotional connection to the event will help the success of it and also generate a bigger crowd.

There are many different ways to plan events for charities or causes.  A great way to start is to find companies or people who would be willing to donate items, money, or their time to your event, that way it can keep costs down so that most of the profits can go straight to the cause or charity.  The event you plan can be anything from auctions, where donated items are greatly needed  and appreciated, or raffles where people buy tickets to win donated items.  There can be events that are planned around dinner, where each person buys a plate.  I have done many things such as all night walks and raising money for each team that is walking.  Events for charity or causes is a great place to explore your creativity and love for helping other people or organizations.

I have found great experiences in planning and attending these types of events.  Usually they are a little harder to plan for because the budget is probably on the smaller side.  However, with enough time to plan and advertise, and adding creativity this event can happen.  It can be successful and if enough hard work goes into it, then the goals for the charity or the cause can be achieved.