Month: May 2013

Tips for #eventprofs: Using LinkedIn for business

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How can you make more of LinkedIn as a platform for meeting new business clients? Emma Hayes, Business Development Co-ordinator at the Royal College of Surgeons, gives us her top five tips.

A LinkedIn page can seem like a massive undertaking from its inception and so often people are unsure what they should be doing with it or how it might benefit them. With 87% of users trusting LinkedIn as a source of information affecting decision making, here’s how I’d suggest you can and should engage with it more effectively.

1 – Keep your profile up-to-date

This might sound obvious, but so often it’s not a rule that’s followed and profiles are left festering with inaccurate information and job descriptions. Always ask the question: does my page appeal to my target audience? Ensure you always include the key words that you believe your target audience would search for on LinkedIn. If you’re an event manager at a venue, include a detailed and appealing summary of the facilities your venue offers, its location and your specific role at that venue. LinkedIn is giving advice continually about improving personal profiles, so take heed and use this to your advantage.

2 – Share updates regularly

Keep updates interesting and relevant. Think about industry-related articles you have read, ask a question of your connections, or post a link to a blog or other online comment piece to provoke discussion amongst your network. This demonstrates you are serious about being viewed as an influencer and in turn can help to increase your levels of engagement on LinkedIn.

3 – ‘People you may know’

This feature of the site identifies mutual connections you have with your existing network. See them as ‘warm leads’ who are likely to share mutual business interests and consider making an approach to connect with them. They could be anyone from former colleagues to business associates and even potential new clients.

4 – Look to see who is viewing your profile

If someone has viewed your profile, it’s a good indicator that you have shown up in searches they have conducted and they have been interested in your job role and profile. Check this regularly and take interest in those people taking the time to learn more about you. They could be potential clients, colleagues or suppliers and it may be worth considering an official connection request.

5 – Interact within LinkedIn groups

Interacting with your connections and other users within specially formed groups is probably the most important part of using LinkedIn. For event organisers, if you are finding it hard to find a venue for your next event, post it on a group’s comment page and let the venues come to you to detail how they can solve your problem or assist with your requirements.

As a venue representative, I find it is also worth commenting on all discussions that you can make a valuable contribution to, whether it is directly associated with what you do, or something that has piqued your interest. Stepping away from the hard-sell tactics and demonstrating a willingness to engage on a knowledge-led level can be a rewarding route to gaining new connections and potentially new business.

Emma HayesConnect with Emma on LinkedIn or follow @RCSvenue on Twitter.

Mayfair gallery, 5-star hotel and private members club choose TWC

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The Westminster Collection is delighted to announce the addition of three stylish venues to membership: The Music Room, InterContinental London Westminster and The Lansdowne Club. These three new member venues bring with them a host of unique features and facilities to further enhance the diversity of our collection’s central London properties, which range from fashionable townhouses and private members clubs, to luxury hotels, celebrated attractions, historic institutes and societies.

Located in the prestigious surroundings of Mayfair, near Bond Street station, The Music Room is a cool, contemporary space flooded with natural daylight, where white walls meet parquet floors to present a space perfect for hosting all manner of ambitious events, such as fashion shows, press launches and receptions for up to 320 people. With scope for personalised theming, the minimalist interior is ideal for event organisers looking for a venue to brand as their own.

There are few hospitality brands in the world as prestigious as InterContinental Hotels, renowned for their exacting standards of excellence and the InterContinental London Westminster is no exception. Located just steps away from St James’ Park tube station, the hotel’s prestigious façade complements a beautifully renovated interior, where 256 individually designed suites and homely rooms meet spectacular dining at Blue Boar Smokehouse and Bar, inspired by the best American pit masters. Seven meeting and events rooms enjoy the latest technologies and are adaptable for both dinner parties and corporate events.

The Lansdowne Club on Fitzmaurice Place is one of London’s most exclusive addresses, combining stunning Art Deco interiors and modern conferencing capabilities for up to 150 theatre style. The beautiful Robert Adam-designed ballroom, with its vaulted ceilings, minstrel galleries and natural daylight, is the perfect location for an evening of fine dining and dancing.

Commenting on her decision to join TWC, venue manager of The Lansdowne Club, Lucy Mannering, said: “As a private members club, we fear that we may not be as ‘on the radar’ as other venues in the Westminster area and there may also be a misconception that our function rooms are only available for our members’ use. In fact, we are very pleased to welcome both members and non-members to use our events and conferencing facilities and we are pleased to have the marketing support of TWC to spread the word amongst potential clients.”

Jonathan Morris, TWC’s membership director and No.11 Cavendish Square’s commercial director, said: “Our brand new website went live in April to provide a very visual and easy-to-navigate portal for event organisers looking for outstanding venues for corporate and private events. These new properties in the Mayfair and St James’s areas demonstrate how TWC venues each have a story to tell in terms of their architecture, client portfolio and event and conferencing capabilities.

“We’re celebrating a decade of TWC this year and exciting plans are well underway for our annual showcase in September, which will look and feel very different from what event planners and agencies have seen in previous years and be greatly enhanced by these new member venues.”

How to work with professional musicians

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By Susan Heaton Wright, managing director, Viva Live Music

Event planners have frequently revealed to me that one of their biggest fears is that the entertainers won’t show up, that they’ll behave badly or will disappoint. This saddens me because great live entertainment enhances an event making it truly memorable for guests.

Having been a musician myself, I still have memories of naughty musicians who make my toes curl in shame. However, I believe any problems have been caused by one or more of the following:

  1. Communication
  2. Riders
  3. Alcohol
  4. Fees

1) Communication: A good contract, which states everything you, the client require, is a must. By clearly stating what time you wish the entertainers to arrive, what they should wear, details of the entertainment and the event, when they should be set up by, you reduce any misunderstanding on the night.

When I was a musician, I arrived at an event to be greeted with the outburst: ‘Where is your Tudor costume?’ The agent had not included this information in the contract and in my pre-event telephone call, the client didn’t mention this. There is no way I could have known this information. I was the target of an angry client!

I would always advise putting timings into the contract very clearly. Not all entertainers look at contracts in detail. I would recommend you ask for all the entertainers to be at the venue at a specific time, so you can ‘tick them off’. Also, ask for mobile numbers in case of emergencies and speak to the entertainers before the event to develop a rapport.

It is also absolutely fine to ask entertainers or their representative to adjust volume levels, change music or even timings during the evening. I would recommend you just touch base after each set to keep the rapport going. It is too late to give feedback after the event ends.

2) Riders: The beloved of the tabloid press, world famous artists’ riders are incredible: cream sofas, Jo Malone candles, room for 30 minders – these are the norm for them! However, riders are there to ensure entertainers are able to do their job properly. A chef has requirements to enable him/her to cook and it is the same for entertainers.

Entertainers do need somewhere SAFE to leave their personal belongings and equipment. I have heard many stories of entertainers doing their work and finding their wallets, handbags and clothes stolen from the insecure room in which they had left their belongings.

At Viva Live Music, we always send a reasonable rider: provide a room for the entertainers (it is important as they will want to let off steam when they have performed, but also for changing), soft drinks, refreshments and somewhere secure to leave personal belongings.

Some events also require technical riders, which we confirm in writing and verbally. However, we have had two recent situations where the production company failed to bring any of the equipment confirmed in the contract and detailed rider. Our entertainers were put in an impossible position of potentially performing without vital equipment. The production company sorted it out, but I have no doubt they blamed the musicians when it was their fault.

Feeding entertainers

Some clients ask why entertainers should be fed. If you are asking them to arrive at 6pm to set up and to play until midnight, then take the equipment away, that is a long time. It is tiring and often the venues either don’t have any food to order on the night or it is very expensive. Most venues will provide a ‘Suppliers’ dinner’, which is more basic and cost effective. As a rule, if they are performing for two hours or more, or are required to be at the venue for at least two hours, you should provide them with a snack and soft drinks. If performing for more than two  hours, a hot meal is required.

3) Alcohol: This is never a good idea when performing and I am sure you want to avoid the Blues Brothers’ gig scenario where ‘The fee was $200 but your band drank $300 from the bar.’

We have a policy of no alcohol while performing; the client should provide only soft drinks. However, some clients wish to ‘thank’ the entertainers or make them feel part of the party by having free access to the bar. I always recommend clients to offer drinks after they have finished, a gesture that is very welcomed!

4) Fees: In this age of limited budgets, all event planners are wanting to reduce spending on suppliers. However, there is a fee level threshold that if you go below it, there is no guarantee the entertainers will show up.

We have recently had enquiries for a cover band and DJ/disco for £800 on a Saturday night and an Irish band to play on St Patrick’s Day for £250. In both cases, Viva Live Music wasn’t able to assist because the fee levels were too low for professional musicians.

We use minimum fees as recommended by the Musicians’ Union and Equity as we only use professional performers and if you want reliable, high quality entertainment, you have to pay a reasonable rate for it. Clients don’t necessarily realise that the entertainer isn’t just working for three hours at the venue, but also the time rehearsing, planning the entertainment and his/her years of acquiring expert skills.

A number of clients look on the Internet for the best price, but entertainment isn’t a product and the quality of the entertainers, including their experience and expertise, does cost more. We regularly hear cases of DJs or entertainers having let down a client at short notice. In most cases they were booked at the pub, from the internet, or because they were a friend of a friend.

To discuss your event entertainment and to ensure it is stress free, do give me a call on 0844 576 3015 or email [email protected].

 

Events staff supplier commits £100k to skills training

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Events staff supplier and training provider Off to Work has pledged to invest £100,000 into the training of its casual staff team this year, as announced at the company’s recent Event School.

Inspiring service staff, hospitality and events professionals to be more creative in the way they style, design and market all aspects of their events offering was central to the theme of this year’s Event School, an initiative created and run by Off to Work to deliver a programme of practical skills training to its staff teams, clients and to students and the wider events and hospitality industry.

Event School saw workshops in event photography, wine buying for events and designer cocktail mixing combine with lessons in persuasive copywriting, proposal crafting and effective use of technology and social media, all hosted at Off to Work’s dedicated London training academy, the London Irish Centre, in Camden on 9th and 10th April 2013.

“We understand the huge steps many of our clients have been making in the development of their service product and it is our commitment to provide them with a staffing resource that mirrors their service standards,” said Robert Persson, director of operations for Off to Work.

“We have always been 100% committed to the training and mentoring of our team and this year we’re pleased to pledge a £100,000 investment into training initiatives especially for our casual staff team. While people may work for us on a casual basis, their commitment is far from casual and so we are eager to give these ambitious staff, at all levels, the opportunity to develop their experience and career with Off to Work.”

Workshop speakers included Simon Owen, director of Red Photographic, Miriam Staley, former finalist on The Apprentice and now managing director of speaker sourcing agency MakeWaves, Carlos Blanco of Blanco & Gomez Wine Merchants, David Wise from Wise Productions and events consultant Emma Boardman of The Lovely Party Company. Off to Work was also delighted to have the involvement and support of ISES, with operations manager Toni Griggs leading the workshop on event marketing technology.

Former Off to Work employee Keri Moss, winner of Masterchef: The Professionals and now head chef at The Corner Restaurant at Selfridges, also joined Nick Mead, director of Eden Caterers, Vicky O’Hare, managing director of Party Ingredients and Gerald Aberdeen, executive head chef for Table Talk, in a lively panel discussion about the challenges of designing menus with locally sourced produce when the UK’s seasons are so temperamental. They also discussed the opportunity the events industry has to speed up how quickly it takes lessons and influences from the food and dining trends paved by the fashionable restaurant set.

Sharing positive feedback on her experience at Event School 2013, Jada Johnson, events manager for Eden Caterers, said: “We all found it to be informative and worth our time. I really enjoyed my two classes. The copywriting class was really good, with some good techniques I will be putting into practice in our blog and in my proposals. I’m sure you were all really pleased with the increased turn out on last year. The list of attendees also meant that I met some interesting people.”

The workshop programme was followed on the evening of 10th April by the Off to Work London Staff Awards, a special celebration of the star performers within the Off to Work staff team. Prize categories ranged from Staff Member of the Year – won by Himali Ginige Palihawadana – and Best Event Porter (Peter Korkhill), to Best Supervisor (Vittore Zanardi) and Most Improved (Alessandro Riccarelli).

Free technology breakfast briefing – 14th May, Prince Philip House

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Learn about social media campaigns, connectivity and RFID implementation designed to maximise the event and delegate experience in 2013 at a free breakfast briefing on 14th May at Prince Philip House.

Speakers include Andi Allen from Reflex Limited and Richard Hughes from Max WiFi, who’ll look at what organisers need to know about connectivity in the live environment, including digital signage.

Mike Fletcher, freelance multi-media writer and editor, will look at inspiring social media use within live environments and how to measure its success, while Richard Smith from Excelerated Apps will explain how to use RFID and NFC technology to put social media at the heart of your events.

Registration from 7.30am, briefing begins at 8am prompt. Breakfast and networking from 9.10am -10am. To reserve your free place, email Becci Thomson or click here for more information.