When it comes to charity events are you doing the same old thing as everyone else?

In this day and age, we find that the charities are hitting up the same people over and over to donate to causes. In our midsized community we need to look for something new and refreshing to keep the donors looking to our client organizations year after year.

Here are 5 fresh ideas for your next charity events:

1. Get rid of the Live auction:

Beyond having to beg for those items that are worthy of high dollar bids, your bidders have the opportunity and funds to purchase these items on their own. So why continue with the painful asking, gathers and bidding for a live auction. Change it up! Try a 50/50 auction instead. One chance for one price, pair this with the one of the other items below and your event will be the hit of the town!

2. Choose a common household product to create a fashion show:

Here in our community, one of the best fundraisers in town is the Bubble Ball. A fashion show where the fashion is made of Bubble Wrap. Local artist and celebrities are asked to create their fashions sticking with the theme of the show. Music is set to the parade of unbelievable, unique and outrageous fashions with the main component being Bubble Wrap. Other items that would lend themselves to fashion shows might be duct tape, rubber bands, and recycled plastic.

3. Create a game show fund raiser:

A client came to us to change their yearly gala to something else. After many hours of brainstorming, we changed their event to a game show gala. With a Family Feud atmosphere and the right family members, we have taken this event and quadrupled the money collected. Not only has this event become a great yearly event that raises 4x the amount it used to, but the attendance has risen as well! Everyone is excited to see the ‘families’ play and the show is short and sweet. No long lectures, no long auctions and it is easy for attendees to give.

4. Scavenger hunt – pay to play:

Connect with local artists for the donating of a painting. Offer tickets for clues of where the artwork is hidden in the city. Create small teams or pairs to scour the city, collecting queues and ultimately finding the artwork! Make sure you have a camera set up to capture the expressions of the winners.

5. Race around the City:

In the spirit of The Amazing Race, have teams pair off and run thru the community going into different businesses for an activity. Make money by charging an entrance fee and by gathering pledges that each team gathers (like the old fashion walk-a-thons). Make sure you reward the teams at the end with a party and winner recognition!

Use these ideas to change up your charity event this season. The donors already know it’s a good cause – but it’s up to you to plan the spectacular party!

Lighting is one of the best elements to set the mood for your event. By changing the lighting in the room and taking out the florescent lights, you create the color, mood, and direct the audience’s attention to where you want.

Here are 5 techniques to set the mood with lighting:

1) Use uplighting around the room

Removing the florescent lighting in the room and replacing it with uplights around the wall or on the architectural elements in the room will create a dramatic and more creative look.

Imagine walking into a room washed in blue up-lights with your winter event, or a room glowing with red up-lighting with your Fire and Ice event. What if you changed the up-lighting on the walls depending on the timing of the programing? Say your event is Fire and Ice and you start with red lighting and move it to blue during the evening to signify the change from Fire to Ice. You will want to play with the colors and your theme to see what works best.

2). Use a Gobo for added decor

A gobo is a piece of metal that fits into a lighting instrument that has a negative cut of a logo or names. They also come in color and made of glass for more intricate designs or multicolor logos.

For large walls or lighting on the dance floor these make a wonderful impact and can help your theming or your branding of the event

3). Use a projector for lighting

Projectors are now being used for lighting and at times might be more economical than lighting. This is also a wonderful way to create a look of moving objects or changing looks on a large wall.Imagine covering a large ugly wall with moving snowflakes for a holiday show. This will save the cost of the drapery and labor to put it up.

4). Set the stage with lighting

Use lighting to direct your audiences’ attention to different areas in the room. Say you have a large new product you want to reveal and you have it hidden behind drapery until the big reveal. When the timing is right, the stage goes dark and the lighting all moves to direct everyone’s attention to the new product and the drape drops. This is a jaw dropping moment at events.

You will also want to use lighting on stage to highlight your speakers, especially if you are videotaping.

5). Pin spot lighting for your centerpieces

You’ve spent lots of time and money on those amazing centerpieces and you’ve removed all the overhead lighting and replaced it with up lighting around the room. You don’t want to loss the drama of the centerpieces when people enter the room or when they are at the tables for dinner.

Adding pin lighting, either from the ceiling and lighting each table centerpiece or lighting the centerpiece from below, will certainly add the element of drama you are looking for.

Lighting can drastically change the mood of your event, nothing is worse than a space with fluorescent lighting that flatters no one. Be creative with your light, and change the way the room feels.

We get it, you’re busy, your time is important and you have a lot of things to check off your to-do list. Being in the event industry is non-stop, you can’t remember the last time you had a free weekend, and time = money! Luckily we have put together a list of ten business practices to save time.

1) Schedule in advance

Your calendar is your best friend. Write down your deadlines and event dates so you know what your month looks like at a glance. This way if you get a call out of the blue for a quick job, you know if you are available or not.

2) Be organized

Nothing is more distracting than a messy work-space; make sure you tidy up your area every now and then. Have your contact information in a specific area, so when you need to make a call you know exactly where to go.

3) Save your files!

Being organized in your physical space is just as important as being organized in your cyber space. Working in events you are going to have endless documents and images that you need to be able to find instantly. Have detailed files where you save everything, that way when a client wants a copy of their event images, you know where to go! Don’t forget to back up your work; computers crash and you can’t afford to lose everything.

4) Meet your clients virtually

Attending meetings is essential for every business; it’s how you expand, but they also take a lot of time. Consider a meeting on Skype or GoToMeeting. Make sure you are still professional and watch your background space, but you are still getting face-to-face time in the comfort of your own office.

5) Manage social media better

In this day and age, social media presence is essential to your business. Don’t waste your time posting every single post by hand. We prefer HootSuite or Buffer to schedule social media posts in advance! It’s super convenient and allows you to post your content days or weeks in advance.

6) Delegate!

This might be hard for some, especially small business owners, but once you get more exposure, the more work there is. You cannot do everything by yourself so hire someone to help you! Find someone that is passionate about your business and will help you succeed.

7) Know what’s important

There will always be things that fall on the same deadline; you have to learn how to prioritize them. Take charge on what is the most important and (delegate!) those that others can complete.

8) Have an end time

Being an Event Planner, you may have crazy hours. Take advantage of your office days. There is always going to be more stuff to do, learn to end the day at a reasonable time. Enjoy the days where you aren’t running around at an event, take a class or spend time with friends and family.

9) Turn your attention to one thing at a time

This may sound insanely hard to do, but hear me out. Focus your time on one thing; whether that is a client, a task or an employee, they deserve your undivided attention. Event planning is a juggling act, keeping everything balanced is tough. Focus on the task at hand. An email or text can wait for you to finish up.

10) Schedule breaks

Things get hectic and you get stressed, and it may seem like the best idea to power through the day. Take a break when things get tough, clear your mind and come back to the task at hand refreshed. It will amaze you what a walk outside or a tasty treat can do for you!

Whether you just started your business or you have been doing it for thirty years, you know how important time is. There never seems like there are enough hours in the day. Follow these 10 practices to save time in your business so you can succeed!

Don’t have any local news programs interested in covering your next event? No need for them now, because with the newest event technology, Periscope, you have your own personal TV channel. This is a live streaming app that broadcasts your video directly to your viewers. This app is fast and easy, there is no time spent editing, simply stream your events or exclusive interviews to your viewers and, BAM!, done. This is a new way to connect to your audience in an authentic way; check out some of Periscope’s perks!

Social media

Your next question may be “How will people find me on Periscope since it’s so new?” Twitter is the owner of this new technology phenomenon, so once your broadcast is out a link is sent to your timeline! Hype up your event on social media beforehand, this way your followers have something to look forward to. Much like a live broadcast your followers can ask questions or tell you what they think about your topic/event. This is great since they can be part of the conversation and can engage in your event more than ever!

Account

Make sure your Periscope account is unique and searchable; for event planners let your followers know what you plan post, use key words and be sure they understand it is about event tips or showcasing the end result of your amazing event! The best part is how shareable it is, no need for any hassle.

Behind the scenes content

Events can get crazy (we know!) but use that to your advantage; broadcast behind the scenes shots. Sometimes things go wrong and you need to think of a creative way to fix it; showcase that and viewers can awe in amazement by your super powers! Photos are great, but go to the next level by sharing a 360-degree view of your event space, giving viewers more insight into your event with Periscope.

Lights, camera, action!

Before you start streaming there are a few things to think about ahead of time. Be careful about shaky cameras. Your video is live and you want it to look presentable. Also remember to go over your talking points before the camera is rolling. Most importantly: Be YOU! This is about showcasing your event and having your personality shine. Remember to let those you are interviewing know that they have one take. It may be intimidating for some, but you get more authentic results in the end.

Use Periscope to your advantage, give your audience something they didn’t even think they needed! Still want more information? Check out another great blog, The Social Tables Blog, for more insight on this powerful new technology!