Event Planning

BALLARAT venue operators fearing unruly gatecrashers are refusing to host teenage parties.

Parents and teens trying to organise birthday parties — particularly 18th celebrations — are being left out in the cold when it comes to finding a suitable venue in Ballarat.

The fear of gatecrashers coupled with stringent liquor laws has meant there are little or no alternatives for birthday party venues in the region.

Most community hall committees, sporting clubs and pub management are saying no to 18th birthdays due to the liquor laws and concerns of fights and property damage by alcohol-fuelled party patrons.

The popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, and mobile phone texting to advertise parties, has also heightened these fears by venue management.

And increasing problems of gatecrashers has meant that many Ballarat parents are also refusing to host teenage parties at home.

One Ballarat community hall manager said the venue committee voted several years ago not to allow teenage birthday parties at the facility.

“We had some trouble here a while ago, where windows were smashed and other property damaged at the hall during a 16th birthday party.

It was after that incident that we decided not to allow those sorts of parties,” he said.

Licensed venues like pubs and clubs are also reluctant to hold 18th birthday parties.

A Ballarat hotel owner said: “Any good licensee would be saying no to these parties. We work too hard to put our liquor licenses at risk, and hosting a teenage party would be doing just that.”

Youth resource officer with Ballarat Police, Leading Senior Constable Des Hudson said he wasn’t surprised by the reluctance of venue operators to host teenage parties.

“These people are just trying to protect their livelihoods by not having underage patrons on their premises or under-aged people consuming alcohol,” Leading Senior Constable Hudson said.

The Ballarat policeman gave the example of a recent Ballarat school social after-party when the guest list jumped from just 20 to 120 after it was promoted on Facebook. “This party got out of hand very quickly.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/fearful-party-venues-say-no-to-teen-birthday-requests/2228947.aspx. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Celebrate New Years Eve at THE LONDON SKY BAR, London’s newest and most exclusive venue in the sky. THE LONDON SKY BAR is the most prestigious viewing platform for the Mayor’s fireworks; with spectacular views of Big Ben, The London Eye and all of London’s monumental landmarks.

The exclusive package includes:

§  Entry from 6pm to 6am

§  Welcome cocktail reception at 6pm

§  Delicious buffet spread & mouth-watering dessert station

§  Midnight Moët & Chandon Champagne reception

§  Breathtaking fireworks at Europe’s most spectacular display

§  Welcome in the New Year with the resonating chimes of Big Ben

§  DJ and disco

§  Ultimate panoramic night time views of London

§  A full bar selling spirits, beer, wine & Champagne available until 6am

§  Special New Years English breakfast buffet from 3am-6am

Price per person

£125 (including VAT) if purchase before 30^th November

£150 (including VAT) if purchase after 24th December

This event news story was originally published at http://www.londonlaunch.com/companyItemDetail.asp?companyItemID=809. Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Industry association ESSA has announced this year’s G50+Conference will be held at the Business Design Centre on 12 July.

The 2011 theme is Insight, Innovation, Inspiration and will provide a “unique mix of information” say organisers.

It will be open to all ESSA members – with each member receiving a complimentary purple ticket, with a personal invitation from the ESSA Chairman to attend the event.

Additional places will be available as in previous years.

The final line up of speakers is yet to be announced but is so far “looking very exciting” said ESSA chair John Robson.

“The events and exhibitions market has never been more vibrant, with opportunities increasing as we near 2012,” he added.

“I would encourage all ESSA members to attend and make use of the great content that is being prepared. The team at ESSA has worked hard to develop a programme that will deliver on all elements of the title.”

This event news story was originally published at http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/news/1067189/ESSA-reveals-date-theme-2011-G50+/.  Got your own event story – get in touch into eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

The point is, planning is quite imperative to its success. That is why many people opt to hire the services of event planners or event managers for the task on their behalf. Although hiring event planners aren’t necessary, you’ll be able to elect to the events planning yourself if you possess time. It’s not an impossible task however it may necessitate patience within you.
So how do you start doing a bit of events planning? You should start by understanding what the wedding is all about and start after that. Begin to list down every one of the ideas that come for a mind to the event. Making a checklist can be very helpful and you can place the issues you need to hire and buying. Also indicate individuals you simply must talk. Incorperate your deadlines at the same time. And as your business develops using your events planning, it’s possible to talk about your checklist if you have missed something.

Second is to determine the goal of the big event you’ve planned. If the event you need to plan will require that you have a greater turnout this year then you must clearly think of ways on how to achieve this goal. These kinds of events aren’t as simple as planning for a birthday party, you will need to think creatively of your marketing schemes and how to have more individuals to come.
Third should be to set this for that event. You need to understand how much you or even the company is willing to invest for that event. Detail event really should be profitable, you may also desire to talk to the company about their intentions of how to get revenue in the event. Profitable events will require entrance fees to earn a little and reunions can have registration fees to hide the price.
Now you have in mind the goals to the event and exactly how much your budget is, anyone can find the location for case. When you have a place planned, you have to search for its availability immediately. Ask your client exactly what the target date is of course, if it’s still movable, using this method there are many choices to choose from. Your venue’s capacity will be able to hold your maximum target turnout. You will need to check out the destination for a take a look at when there is adequate parking space, if the venue is spacious and cozy, does the unit use phone or Internet access or whatever your event should have.

Lastly, you will have to decide on the food you may be serving. If this describes a profitable event that you will be planning, you need to get some good food stalls in that room. However, should you be just creating a reunion that may have to have a bigger turnout, you simply must find an easily affordable caterer to service the wedding. It’s going to really count on what the event should be which means that your events planning should be detailed in the first place.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.media-cn.com/that-is-why-many-people-opt-to-hire-the-services-of-event-planners-or-event-managers-for-the-task.html.  Got your own event story – get in touch to eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Event Planning just isn’t for that fainthearted. The expectations around the Event Planner are high, and regardless of whether the wedding is a fundraiser, a company event, or possibly a special social event, there’s often a lot riding for the success in the event.
If you ask me, this expectation is the same you may be volunteering or charging for the services. Your Client includes a vision, and expects you to definitely provide the dream.
This information is being published by 50 % parts to help keep it with a reasonable length. Part You will examine issues such as venue choice, event decoration, seating arrangements, and food and drinks.
So, where does one start?
Get all the information as possible from your client in regards to the sort of event which they want. To accomplish this effectively, you have to build up a rapport using your client. You need to get with their head. During this process, you need to glean the following information:
The purposeof the wedding i.e. informational, fundraiser, social, party etc.
The nameand or theme with the event. Sometimes the customer would curently have thought of the name, other times, they may would love you to come up with a name. The challenge should be to be sure that the name is catchy and relates to the objective of the wedding.
The date and timeof the event – there are some general dates to avoid, and a good planner should advise the client of those dates e.g. it can be well known that July and August are not good months for corporate events, whilst recent surveys demonstrate that in the year 2010, September weekends were the most used for weddings.
The key featureof the event e.g. will there be likely to be a trendy performer or Guest Speaker? Perhaps there’s an impressive fundraising activity e.g. a sale of holiday destinations.
Venue
Take into account the physical needs to the event since this will aid you to set the ambience. By way of example,
A wedding can be better worthy of a banqueting hall, or hotel venue;
Seminars, conferences or services will take place with a special conference room or business centre;
A ball or dinner dance normally takes invest a dance hall.
Failure to choose the right venue can make or break your event. In the event the venue is way too small, guests will be uncomfortable and there is the possibility of disgruntled guests leaving ahead of the end from the event, and possibly requesting refund of their ticket costs. Alternatively if your venue is just too large, it will become hard to build up atmosphere and rapport between the guests, producing a glum event.
The simple fact from the matter is, there’s a venue to fit every event so develop and gaze after a summary of the most popular venues in your town!
Event Decoration
The decoration in the event, goes further towards providing the right ambience for that event. Some venues have their very own event decorators and quite often times the quoted venue hire fees will incorporate a component for decorations.
Particularly, when it comes to social and special attractions, it’s worthy of purchasing obtaining the venue tastefully decorated. This way you are guaranteed not really a lovely atmosphere, but beautiful photographs to call to mind your special day.
Beware of family and friends who volunteer to take care of the decorating. Try to advise the customer it is really worth spending any additional cash engaging an experienced to achieve this. Unless the friend is often a professional, the position is usually usually rushed or substandard.
Personally, I do not accept jobs where there are usually friends involved, unless I will be providing marriage ceremony co-ordination services where no matter what prior to day is not actually in doing my remit.
Tables and chairs
Again, the best choice of furniture is essential for creating the perfect effect. So by way of example:
A seminar set up in theatre style is only going to require chairs, independent of the table for the guest speakers.
On the opposite hand, it is now the norm to pay banqueting chairs for weddings, decorated with either sashes or flowers or a combination.
One in the conditions I have encountered as an event planner, would be that the seating capacity quoted by venue hirers for table sittings is often rather unrealistic. They might explain how a table will need 8-10 chairs, when in reality, you may only comfortably fit 5 to 9 chairs across the table. Via a verified beforehand, this might significantly modify the seating arrangements of one’s Guests on the day.
Drink and food
This may be another tricky area. Some events come with a cheap hire rate on condition you need to use their catering services as well as bar. The result is that a venue that first appeared quite reasonable, could suddenly become unaffordable. The main element here’s to shop around and be afraid to barter prices with venues depending on the package that you receive from each.
In the situation of fundraising events where you should sell refreshments, it is necessary that you just find out through the outset whether any special licences are expected. Sometimes the venue will sort this out for you personally, sometimes you could have to sort this out yourself along with a good planner are able to advise you regarding this.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.elitearticledirectory.info/2011/04/theres-often-a-lot-riding-for-the-success-in-the-event/.  Got your own event story – get in touch to eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Even in its gutted-out state, Randy Overton from Kentucky was still amazed by the amenities to be provided by the unfinished Northern Hotel in downtown Billings.

Overton and 11 other representatives from across the state and country visited this weekend to tour Billings attractions, sponsored by the Billings Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

The group consisted of event planners and convention coordinators from Montana, Spokane, Wash., Denver, Washington D.C. and Omaha, Neb., as part of the Chamber’s push attract more conventions and business meetings to the Billings area.

“This is my first trip to Montana, and the technology they are planning for this property is really surprising,” Overton said.

The group spent Sunday morning touring the building. Fitted with bright pink hard hats for safety, the group took a guided tour by Mike Nelson, the hotel’s owner.

Nelson shared how the two eating areas of the hotel will be named in honor of his parents, and how the hotel hopes to obtain a 4-star rating upon completion.

Even though the hotel won’t be open for business for awhile, he’s looking toward future business, and was happy to be part of the Chamber’s tour.

“People who come and visit spend almost $500 a day in the community,” Nelson said. “These people represent the chance to bring in thousands of dollars every year, so this is a big step for Billings.”

The group visited as part of what Joan Kronebusch, director of the convention and visitors bureau, describes as a familiarization tour. The weekend trip was an all-expense-paid glimpse into Billings’ potential.

Overton books events for the governor of Kentucky, and was particularly interested in the Northern Hotel’s possible ability to stream meetings into people’s hotel rooms.

“Most places don’t have near the amenities,” Overton said. “They also talked about planning light and sound technology where speakers wouldn’t have to be hooked up to a microphone.”

The hotel was only the first stop Sunday morning. The schedule for the rest of the day included a walking tour of ZooMontana, a drive-through tour of the Billings medical corridor and a tour of MetraPark.

“I think they are surprised at the level of service the community can provide,” Kronebusch said.

Kronebusch said Billings has about 4,000 beds available to travelers, which means there are few events the city cannot handle. Most conventions and business meetings in the city attract groups of between 1,500 and 5,500 people.

Besides showing off the major buildings in town, Kronebusch said it was important to sell the community, too, which is why the group was given free time during lunch and dinner to explore the area on their own.

“We think it’s great they have taken a weekend out of their life, from their families, to share with us,” Kronebusch said. “We think it’s important to sell the history of our area, and show them we can find them a venue that will fit their event.”

This event news story was originally published at http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_be66388a-190b-5cb2-8570-6ae4217323e5.html.  Got your own event story – get in touch to eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Opus Solutions is proud to announce Cathy Burgess as its new Director of Event Services; Paula Grayson as its new Vice President of Events and Tradeshows; and Kristin Waters as its new Vice President, Account Management.

Cathy became a part of the Opus Solutions family in 2004 as a Project Manager and has over 18 years of experience in the events industry. Throughout the years, Cathy has had the opportunity to work on conferences, seminar tours, product launches, sponsor expos, and C-Level galas with clients such as Cisco, VMware, salesforce.com, Symantec, Intel and Brocade. As the new Director of Event Services, Cathy will oversee the Event Services Division and manage Opus’ large contractor pool.

Paula came on-board in February of 2000, and has worked with a variety of clients including Cisco, Intel, Liebert, salesforce.com, McAfee, and Xerox. In her new role as VP of Events and Tradeshows, she will be responsible for facilitating a work environment that allows for high profitability, strategic planning, customer success, and employee growth. This will be done through direct management of the events team, ensuring best practice integrated event solutions are in place to create operational success, gaining and sharing industry knowledge, and profitability management.

Kristin joined the Opus team in 1999 as a Project Coordinator, bringing with her an extensive background in not-for-profit as well as high-level seminars, roadshows and large gala events. As VP Account Management, Kristin will be responsible for the leadership, strategic planning and support of the North American team, with a focus on enhancing the customer experience and growing account relationships.

“We are very excited to promote these talented individuals who have played an integral role in our organization for many years,” said Monte Wood, President of Opus Solutions. “Our plan is consistent and controlled growth; putting these three in their new roles will help to facilitate our current and projected business.”

This event news story was originally published at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/04/prweb5227644.htm. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Next Tuesday is shaping up to a big day for smartphones; Microsoft’s MIX conference will likely involve plenty of smartphone content, HTC is planning a press event in London, and now Nokia’s started sending out invitations to a London event of its own.

The invitations show that Nokia intends the gathering to focus on Symbian smartphones, but other than that, the door’s wide open. There are plenty of models that have popped up on our radar that would be likely candidates for Nokia to show off; last week the T7 made a series of appearances in Nokia’s systems, with a 640 x 360 display and 3.2-megapixel camera. Then this week n possible
>T7 candidate was given the look-over in China, now claiming an 8-megapixel shooter and a 700MHz ARM11 CPU. The London event would be a prime opportunity to set the record straight on the T7.

We’ve already seen a bunch from the Nokia E6, showing of its BlackBerry-like design in a few different color options. This one is rumored to have an ever-so-slightly-slower 680MHz ARM11 and a 2.6-inch 640 x 480 display. Again, an 8-megapixel camera is supposedly in the cards.

Nokia’s had a lot to say about Symbian updates lately, with a big one planned for summer, and features like a revamped home screen and new web browser mentioned. The company could be using this event to formalize its intentions, letting us know what we can expect when.

Check back for news of what Nokia had to display, one week from now.

This event news story was originally published at http://pocketnow.com/tech-news/nokia-hosting-press-event-april-12-t7-e6-symbian-news.   Got your own event story –get in touch to eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

HelloFax is a a new Web-based service that lets you easily send faxes from your browser. For contract wielding meeting and event planners this is great news. And what’s even better is that this service lets your “sign” and send.

HelloFax lets you edit documents right on the site, and it handles a myriad of file types. You add in your signature by uploading, drawing or e-mailing an image, which HelloFax saves it for future use. Documents can then be sent via fax or as an e-mail attachment.

The service can’t yet receive faxes or send to multiple recipients and it only works in the United States, but it is brand new, so presumably we’ll see things that added in time.

Free accounts get 20 fax pages free.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.mywelcometothecity.com/meeting-and-event-planning-resources/hellofax-saving-planners-one-fax-at-a-time/.   Got your own event story –get in touch to eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

ATLANTA, April 5, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — The Red Velvet Event Planning Expo & Launch Party is an exclusive social event for event planners.   All are invited, specifically new and aspiring event planners, to come out to the Cobb Galleria on Saturday, June 4, 2011 from 11am to 4pm to experience event eye candy, live entertainment, do it yourself demonstrations, seminars,  desserts, event designs, event vendors and more!  There will be something for everyone.

At the Red Velvet Event Planning Expo individuals can meet with vendors face to face to book their services or purchase their products. Event related vendors will be able to build their clientele with event planners eager to use their services for their upcoming events.

“Event vendors can expect more than an exhibitor table; we are offering marketing photos for vendors to use after the event to show their business in action” says Helena Paschal, Event Manager of Red Velvet Event Planners.  Vendors are also encouraged to collect email addresses at their event space.  ”Vendors can expect to grow their contacts significantly on the spot,” says Paschal.

Event planning seminars and do it yourself demonstrations will take place throughout the Expo for event planners seeking to learn more about the latest trends.  Attendees will receive an ad book, free red velvet gifts and door prizes.  There will be a gift bag station for attendees to fill with red velvet treats.

Over 1,500 tickets will be distributed to event planners across the South East and various cities throughout the US.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.sunherald.com/2011/04/05/3002975/atlanta-event-planning-expo-public.html.   Got your own event story –get in touch to eventsecrets.com – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.