Events 201 - what makes a successful event

SHERRYLL SOBIE, WRITING FOR INGITE MAGAZINE CALLED AND ASKED FOR AN INTERVIEW. THE TOPIC – WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL TOURNAMENT, AND WHY DO PARTICIPANTS RETURN?




It was a fun interview, with way too many details for Sherryll, however, helped me identify all the reasons guests thank us for a great event, and sign up year after year. The comment we hear the most – "it was so much fun, with so much to eat and drink, the best organized golf tournament we have ever been to. We will be back next year!"


Here is a sample of the Logotex Golf tournament last year.

A dream day for a golf tournament planner. Pouring rain, we mean a deluge, at 6 am. Tournament organizer sends out an email to every golfer, supplier and volunteer – reminding that the tournament goes forward, rain or shine, and we expect to see everyone at the course at the proper time. Laughingly we guarantee sunshine.. and, of course, the rain slows to a mist around 9:30 am, with sun peeping out at 10:30 am. and a perfect day on the golf course begins.


Thanks to Karen Hamilton of tinybites.ca for photos, and blogging live from the tournament. Photos by Karen Hamilton.

11AM - REGISTRATION AND WARM-UP

The registration booths are stocked with plenty of food and beverages, including Ethical Bean Coffee, Domo Tea, Avalon Dairy, Red Robin, and Colin and Alex’s always so delicious, Made with Love Delectable Edibles. For those who need a stronger pick-me-up, [yellow tail] bubbles and Caesars by Blazes Beans and Mott's Clamato are also floating around.


Keep it interesting - Early bird registrants have time to enjoy snacks, a mini-tradeshow, network, and warm up or with a few balls at the putting green or driving range.

Call to the power carts with teams spread across the 18 holes for a shotgun start. A well organized drawsheet will have all golfers spread out over the 18 holes, evenly spaced foursomes, and a five hour round well on its way from the very first tee shot.

Hole 1A fun activity – Chip in the Umbrella – a great sponsor opportunity for Logotex and a fun contest.


Contests are designed to entertain people at the hole, tee box ambassadors are trained to keep the tournament moving. While one golfer tees off, the others in the foursome try their hand at the contest.


Hole 2

Ice cream samples care of Marble Slab Creamery were being devoured as the sun warmed the golfers up? plus, who doesn’t like ice cream… Bonus part – the sponsor booked several birthday parties, thereby seeing a great return on their investment

Hole 3

A great par 3, with a Closest to the Pin contest plus house-made grilled sausages, available in hot dog format with a boatload of caramelized onions, care of Sebastian & Co Fine Organic Meats.

Hole 4





Sun screen and samples sponsored by Dermal Laser Centre – a nice relaxing tee box


Hole 5

Party on a tee box. Earls Restaurants showcased their new menu - delicious chicken and prawn tacos, complete with beverage samples - Guinness, strawberry margaritas, and more.






Hole 6

Photos - always great memories and excellent sponsor opportunities

Winning competitions- all about the fun… this contest – the Longest Marshmallow Drive- yes, that is a marshmallow at the bottom of the stake.


Hole 7

Golfers love to bet. Hate to be nickled and dimed at every hole, but love the occasional activity where they can bet to win contests. this is a favourite activity at our charity events. Have an amateur golfer hit a tee shot. Each guest has the opportunity to bet any amount of money. They bet they can hit a better shot than the amateur on the hole. If they do, they win double their money back. If they don’t, the money is donated to the charity.


Tournament planners, you can be guaranteed that this game will not cost the charity money. As an example, a fourteen handicapper invited guests to bet any amount - $10 to $100. The charity made over $2000 at this tournament.


We recommend that a small gift is given to every bettor. In this case, high end golf towels from golf resorts around the world were given out. The towels were sponsored. Or, use this hole to give the golfers the golf balls you would have given in the tee gift or loot bag.

We had a hole in one prize at the hole as well : $10,000! Hole in One contest sponsored by Shaw Sabey. (we try to have a hole in one prize at every Par 3 - keeps it interesting)

Hole 8

Sautéed mushroom tartlets topped with chive cream were on the menu at this hole sponsored by BC Junior Chefs. People love the treats at each hole – snacking their way around the golf course takes nothing away from the food and beverage purchased from the golf course. Only adds to the day, and to the memories had at the golf course. Often a marketing bonus the golf course receives without any costs to them.



Hole 9 
Fabulous wine tasting hole – all meeting Liquor Board regulations, and a pleasant treat at the tee box. Bonus for the golfers – a taste of a new product. Bonus for the winery – quality time with the people sampling the products, an opportunity to hand out a business card, network, and create a sales opportunity. We always include the contact information for the sponsors in the print program, as well as on the website.

Hole 10

Another Contest hole - Most Accurate Drive contest; a team photo, and your personalized swing photo Capture Action; plus freshly shucked oysters care of Rodney's Oyster House.


Hole 11

Another $10,000 Hole in One contest sponsored by Pro-Claim Restorations as well as a Closest to the Pin contest sponsored by the BC Wine Institute. Samples of BC VQA wines plus great photo ops


Hole 12
A taste of something sweet. The BC Junior Chefs at this hole delivered ginger snaps topped with pineapple and whipped cream..




Hole 13

Men's Longest Drive contest sponsored by Wolf Blass Wines.

Hole 14

Chef Ryan Stone of Bocuse d'Or was present at Hole 14 to deliver oyster shots with potato vodka and yummy looking salmon tataki.

Hole 15
Yes, real live llamas from Mount Lehman Llamas - what better way to showcase the Wines of Chile. And, how much fun is it to meet llamas on a golf course? People loved seeing these beautiful llamas. The owners, from Mount Lehman Llamas were there all day, teaching people how to pet them, and a bit about them.

On the tee box – fabulous snacks from Sebastian & Co. Fine Organic Meats, with a sample of the signature wines of Chile

Hole 16

Another Closest to the Pin contest and more snacks and beverages. Hills Foods served up kangaroo with cloudberry compote. [yellow tail] had merlot and pinot grigio on hand to complement this lean meat.




Hole 17

Vancouver Trolley Co. sponsored a competition on their putting green




The Vancouver Trolley Co. also sponsored complimentary rides to and from the golf course. While having two ounce beverage samples on every hole will not comprise responsible beverage service, we always insure transportation is available to anyone who chooses.



The Cannery Seafood Restaurant treated players to seared ahi tuna on a bed of potato salad nicoise. people went back to Hole 17 a few times!


Hole 18

This was your chance to give your clubs a rinse, pick up some Worldhost stress balls, and grab a line of Scotiabank 50/50 tickets (who will match up to $2000 to benefit the Shriners of BC). We recommend you identify those who have purchased tickets. We hand out flashing buttons – saves volunteers asking the same guests over and over if they have purchased tickets


Hole "19": puttering about

Tip – always start a team on the putting competition. this actually creates a 19th hole. We make it a regular part of the golf tournament. Helps close the gap between teams starting on Hole 18 and Hole 1. We also consider it the position of honour - and our presenting sponsor and putting competition sponsor is always invited to start at this hole.


5PM - RECEPTION AND SILENT AUCTION

The silent auction is on display for dinner guests, and golfers. While an auction always adds fun at an event, it often results in great values for the buyers. We recommend starting the auction online, or, in some cases, holding an online auction. Gives people more time to shop, and to raise more money for the charity. Example, check out this online auction. http://www.bccarecruisers.com/ – click on auction.

Of course, more fresh oysters, (it is the West Coast after all) served with a fabulous sparkling wine – amazing how golfers and guests can snack their way around the golf course, and still be hungry.


7:45PM - DINNER TIME

Dinner - enjoyed by one and all. We always try to do something different. In this case, several stations, with wine pairings. People can enjoy the flavours of the food. Dining station by station, relaxing with friends.

Station #1

• Pork Tenderloin (from Sebastian & Co. Fine Organic Meats) with Wild Mushrooms in Puff Pastry in Red Wine Sauce – Carved by Chef.

• Roasted Breast of Chicken with a Black Olive Ratatouille and Sweet Red Pepper Sauce


• Oven Fired Striploin of Bison with a Stone Fruit Compote and Saskatoon Berry Wine Sauce


• Braised Beef Short Ribs in a Pink Peppercorn & Truffle Demi Glaze

Station #2


• Fresh Oysters – Donated & Shucked by Joe Fortes


• Baked Wild Salmon Filet – Mini Garlic Prawn Skewer – Lobster Cream Canadian Caviar


• Seafood Platter – Spot Prawns, Scallops, Halibut Fillet, Gravlox, Marinated Mussels & Baby Shrimp

Station #3


• Local Baby Lettuce – Dill, Lemon and Goat Cheese Dressing with Red Wine Poached Pear


• Platter of Rocket Salad, Asparagus, Black Olives and Walnuts Tossed in a Cracked Black Pepper Truffle Oil


• Salad of Couscous, Diced Red Peppers, Onion, Green Peas and Ground Minted Lamb


• Yukon Golf Potato Salad, Grainy Mushroom Mayo, Chives and Diced Prosciutto


• Veggies & Dip

Station #4


• Sliced Fresh Fruit Platter – French Pastries – Assorted Cheese Platter (donated by Avalon Dairy)


• Fresh Fruit Flan & Passion Fruit Cheesecake

8PM - PRIZES, GAMES, AND MORE

Throughout meal time, host a variety of raffles, live auctions, interactive games, and keynote speakers. Always keep it interesting, quick, and end on time. no matter what! We hear over and over, "thank you so much for getting us home at a decent time". We recommend attempting to finish all golf tournaments by 9 pm.

On the way out the door, we often hand out a thank you gift – one that the golfer takes home to spouse or family. What do you think would please your spouse more – coming home after a golf tournament with another shirt or box of golf balls, or a bouquet of flowers, bottle of wine, box of chocolates? Or, one of our favourites – a gift basket with fresh bread, local cheese, coffee, fresh fruit – showcasing the region…

Again, thanks to Karen Hamilton of Tiny Bites for the photos- click here to see more of Karen's photos

Events 201 - what keeps them coming back

Why do events sell out year after year?

So many reasons. Client Appreciation, fundraiser, friendraiser, an event that targets a sector of the audience that may not attend other events.

But the most

Events 101F - Can we get it for free?

Can we get it for free?

The second most asked question for events.

Anything that is necessary to create an event, especially a fundraiser, event committees seem to think it should be free. And for some reason, they believe the event producer should be able to get it for them, for free. "Isn’t that why you hire an event producer – to get things for free". As well as providing free services – after all, it is for charity.

There are no free services. If there was, we would live in a barter world, where money was not a component. This is not the case. Businesses allocate a certain percentage of their budget to marketing, charitable support, advertising, community relations, and sales. A percentage of the budget where “free” falls.

In return for "free", there must be some benefit. This is where most volunteer committees lack the experience to identify the benefits.

Let’s use printing - one of the most requested “free services” for any event. We could use banquet rooms at hotels, golf courses, wine, catering, décor, flowers, gifts, and labour as the example, hwowever, for this post, printing will do.

Free printing is a misnomer. Events are inviting the printer to sponsor the printed materials.

This often is not a wise decision. We advise that events pay fair value for all services. Negotiate a fair rate with the supplier or vendor. If the provider of services chooses to become the sponsor, recognize them as so, offering them the same value as any other sponsor.

Why? Because donated services never work out over time. Donated services are never properly allocated in the budgets, never properly recognized as being sponsored, and committees do not document donated services for the next committee. Events tend to burn out donors - in the long run doing more damage to relationships than all the goodwill, friend raising and fundraising accumulates.

As an example, a volunteer board, who hosted one large fundraiser annually, inevitably had an annual(new) Gala Chair and Gala Committee. Each year, they used an example of the print program from the past year; each year a committee member identified a new printer who would donate their services.

Yes, every year they changed printers. The challenges – they never had the original files, so either an overworked, underfunded staff member (usually new) tried to recreate the program from scratch, or tried to find a graphic designer to donate the services, or the printer tried to recreate the program. The labour costs were horrendous.

“The staff can do this was the common refrain”. Labour costs never factored in. Nor did the committee have to deal with the fallouts – missed work deadlines, programs not completed, other revenue streams missed.

After 10 years of this, the not for profit had a terrible reputation in the city. Not only from printers, but in all industries.

Be aware the power of the negative word of mouth – the world is a small place, the six degrees of separation is down to about four degrees of separation, and negative comments will reflect poorly on the good works of the charity or the not for profit. In this case, attendance to programs decreased yearly, board members did minimal terms, and the major fundraiser of the year decreased in revenues by 11 percent per year.

The worst blow was to their reputation. Finally, a new gala committee, headed by a new chair, identified the problems, and chose to solve the challenge. Chose to hire a printer, to create a sponsorship brochure – a beautiful glossy brochure, mailed out to all and sundry. A brochure that cost more that the last ten years of printed programs. Hired a new company, which have never worked with the charity.

Can you see where this is going? Ten years, ten printers, the new chair had no background, so did not even think about awarding the contract to a printer that had supported them in the past with “free printing”

The next major faux pas… mailed the brochure to the complete database, which included all the past printers who had done programs and “Free Printing”

What did the brochure ask for – among many things? Yes, you guessed, free printing for the upcoming gala. All over town printers were furious, and vowed never to help another charity again. (Yes, poor decisions reflect badly across a larger scale than one would think.)

That year the attendance at the gala was the lowest in history, donations were down, and revenues were minimal. The not for profit was steps away from bankruptcy.

The upside of the story – the founders of the not for profit heard what was happening with their vision, stepped back in, redid the strategic plan, recreated the governance board, refinanced operations, hired a respected event producer and over the next several years recreated their vision.

Leading the not for profit to success, where services are paid for, and sponsors benefit from their support of the event, and the charity. And the charity or corporation does what it was intended to do - stay true to the mission statement or corporate mandate, not produce events.

events 101D - wait until the last minute, guaranteed to reduce ROI

Wait until the last minute!


Want to guarantee all your hard work will produce very little results? Wait until the last minute. Wondering why you read about other golf tournaments raising over $100,000? A gala evening raising over $250,000.00? Why your tournament only raised $5000, your gala dinner only netted $3500?

Wait until the last minute to do what you have had a six months or a year to do. Guaranteed to stress you out, minimize results and waste time and money.

Great events, especially fundraisers, benefit from a dedicated committee, who are self motivated, self directed and passionate about success.

Example: at this moment we have several events ongoing. Two charities are hosting similar galas in similar time frames, with similar resources and similar economic challenges. Both have volunteers on their event committees, both have availed themselves of our full consulting and training resources, and full administration, event production and planning resources. Both events have had several months lead time.

One event will have gross revenues of over $350,000, with a net profit of around $280,000.00. The other event will raise about $10,000 net.

The difference between the two committees – one group followed the timeline and the critical path exactly. The other has been so ingrained in doing everything at the last minute, that no amount of consulting, guidance, meetings, begging or pleading could entice them to change their habits.

How can we as event consultants motivate? Is it our responsibility? Who is responsible to create a culture of success? What makes the difference from one committee to another?

Your feedback would be invaluable.

Events101C - How to create a budget

The starting point as a rule is the development of a budget. This is always the most challenging aspect of any event. What amount of money do you have to spend to get what you want?


As in anything one does, from buying a home to dining out, finances are the determining factor. This isn't a nebulous task. Shaping finances is based on accurate information. To acquire a pre-approved mortgage, all financial factors are taken into account, allowing the potential buyer to stay within their means.

It is the same with event budgets. How much do you have to spend? Whether it is corporate, for profit, charity or not for profit, every business will have an annual budget, long term budgets and strategic plans. Events are a part of the financial plan. The challenge is to use the money wisely, to allot the available resources to cover all areas.

A common mistake that an event committee can make - not knowing when to ask for help. The committee meets, talks about the event, discusses whether they can afford a planner or producer, then decide they can save money if they do some of the work themselves. Budget development is where experience and a consultation can save events the most money.

Why most events go over budget is the lack of knowledge in identifying all the items that need to be included. Labour is the most unidentified expense, often wrapped into staff costs. The other area that causes overruns on budgets - all the last minute items that pop up because no one knew they needed them. Added charges at venues because no one read the contract. What do you mean we have to pay for power?

Most event producers, especially successful ones, love to share, teach and train. Call them. Ask for help. They may even share an event budget from past events. I know I will. We will give you a template should you not know what you need to know, or even what questions to ask.

Determine what is the most important part of your event - is it the activity, the food, beverages, venue, marketing, media, memories? Allocate a percentage of the budget to each line item. Remember, when added up the percentages must not go over 100 percent.

First time events, charities and not for profits with no event experience - ask for help. This is where an event producer can really help. Most event producers may assist with this portion of the development process on an hourly rate. We used to offer this service for free, however, we found that our expertise was taken advantage of and have changed this service to a consulting fee. We charge $1000.00 for budget development. Should we be awarded the complete event contract we apply the consulting fee to the overall event management fee.

The one thing we ask – don’t call us and ask for a quote without giving us information to quote on. Don’t ask for a creative brief just to take it and do it yourself, or give to the just out of school or next door neighbour newly minted event planner. New Event Planners, please, do not send out a false Request for Proposal or Request for Quote, just to get an idea of what you should charge.

Call us, ask us, tell us the truth - we will help. Shared expertise is good for one and all.

Events101A - how much does it cost

The first questions asked of an event planner – how much do you charge? how much will it cost? The response: “we can not answer that question as there are a multiple of variables”. Well, can you give us a ball park figure? Again, the answer “not until we know what you require.”

Any service that includes creative design, production and intellectual property is difficult to quote without information. Rates for event producers are the quintessence of pricing. Why? Most people have no true comprehension of the hours of work involved in creating a great event. In today’s do it yourself world, with the wonderful resources available on the web, people can do it themselves, given enough time.

So, why hire a professional. And, again, how much does it cost?

First, how do you put a value on the inspiration and creativity a great event producer or planner brings to you. Event planners take on most of the headaches and legwork for events, the bonus is the creativity and expertise they bring with the logistics.
An experienced event producer will usually charge a flat fee. This fee is determined by the scope of the event. Usually the fee is based upon an hourly rate of $125 to $250. For budgeting purposes the committee should use 18 to 30 percent of budget. However, smaller events may need a higher percentage in the budget, simply because an event for 40 people often needs equally as much work as an event for 400.

An experienced event producer will have suppliers, venues, and administrative support at their fingertips. An experienced event producer will often get a better rate from all suppliers, for many reasons – loyalty, relationship, and repeat business. Often the better rate comes from the supplier knowing they are dealing with an expert, which makes their life easier. Most event producers will save the client their management fees because of pre-existing supplier relationships.

As an example, I received a phone call from a distraught committee organizing a golf tournament. The committee had not read the golf course contract. Four weeks before their event they realized they were well on their way to losing over $30,000.00. The golf course add ons had not been factored in. I made two phone calls, secured a new golf course, suggested the committee walk away from the $1000 deposit, move their tournament to an even better course, and saved the event $9000.00 in golf course fees with the phone calls.

The committee asked for my help in managing the event. They asked for “day of” management help. As a note, anyone who thinks ‘day of’ management means just showing up the day of is in for a lot of trouble. In our world, day of management means 30 to 40 hours learning about the event, so we can show up the day of, run the event for you, allowing you to be the host of the event.

I digress – we saved the committee $9000.00 with a phone call. Our charge for "day of management" including three staff and 6 trained volunteers, for this particular event? $7500.00. Yes, do the math – the tournament received our expertise and 150 person hours for free, based on what we saved them with a phone call. And, Yes, it was a charity. And, yes, we are still producing their event five years later.

Most event producers go above and beyond to save their clients money; to get the best value for the budget, and to create a rewarding experience for all. Most event producers put in hundreds of unbilled hours – for the love of the event.

Yes, it is always worth it to hire a professional – an experienced, well known, highly recommended professional. As with any other purchase, do your due diligence. Get references, speak to suppliers, volunteers, attendees. Invest in your event success. Meet the producer – is it a good personality fit – that will be extremely important.

So – back to How Much Does it Cost?

Before any event producer can give you a quote, come armed with the following questions and information:

1. What is the event, and what is the result you are seeking
2. Do you want the event producer to play a leading role in creating the event, or do you need an administrative assistant with event experience
3. Is this to be a one time event or an annual event
4. Do you have a date
5. Do you have a venue
6. Is there a committee involved
7. Do you have resources that you can use – in house designer, web manager, content manager, printing, audio visual, graphic designer
8. How many people will attend
9. Food and beverage involved
10. Sports or activities involved
11. Gifts for guests
12. Will volunteers be used in the event

Know yourself and your company – are you a fast food, back yard get together group or are you five star hotels and fine linens group? Do you use professional services in other aspects of your business and are you pleased with those services?

And the big question – what is your budget? (yes, this will have its very own blog) however, google event budget planner. At least you will have a list of possible expenses. This alone will be enlightening.

Do some research prior to asking the question of how much it costs to hire an event producer. if you don’t have the time to do this, then you need an experienced event producer.

Events 101B - the cost of hiring an expert