Texting During An Event

We know that texting when we are driving, when we are in face-to-face conversations and during church is not acceptable, but what about texting during an event between the meeting planner and the provider?

Of course I keep my phone on silent, but the ability to communicate with my client during an event has been extremely helpful. This line of communication between you and your client during an event can make sure your guests are comfortable, update on the location of your keynote speaker, and let them know just when the VIPs are ready to enter the stage. Not only that, but texting can keep the catering company on track, allow you to know when to release guests for dining, or get the temperature adjusted in the room to keep the guests comfortable.

Therefore, I’ve gathered my top tips for maintaining your professionalism while using the great tool of texting to communicate with your client and vendors during an event:

1. Mimic your client’s communication style

Make sure you know the best way to frame things for your client. Be sure to keep the text professional and keep the slang words and emojis for your personal text.

2. Make your texts clear

Texting is for short messages. Because they are short, they can at times be misunderstood. Instead of shooting off a quick message that wasn’t well thought out, take a minute to make sure your message can be easily read and understood without creating any hard feelings or misinterpretations.

3. KISS – Keep It Simple Sweetheart

Don’t be long winded on your text messages. Save the novel for email communication. Understand that a quick text to have the heat in the room adjusted is just that. No more needs to be said. Make sure your communication is not quip or snarky on text. This can easily be misread.

4. Respond Promptly

The reason I love texting for events is because I don’t have to open my email, comb through all the junk emails and find my client’s correspondence. I can quickly get the message and pass it along to others and solve the problem quickly. I am also less likely to miss something.

5. Be Patient

Yep, I just said quick, quick and quick; now I am reminding you to have patience.The fact is, your text might have come at a bad time and can’t be immediately responded to. Don’t continue to send texts over and over; give your recipient a bit of time. If you don’t get a response in a very long time…Pick up the phone and call.

6. Don’t completely give up on the old-fashioned phone call 

Yes, I love the ease of texting, short messages and quick responses, but sometimes the best way to communicate is still hearing a voice on the other end. You can learn a lot about what is going on with the person by hearing what and how they say it.

7. Finally, don’t text more than necessary, know when to end the conversation

I know sometimes texting ends abruptly, but if the information flow has come to a stop and all the necessary information is exchanged, end the chain. Don’t get stuck with having to have the final word.

Use texting to your advantage with your client and vendors during an event. It will save you from running from location to location to communicate simple requests, or the loud interruption of a radio that comes on at inopportune times. Make sure you have a list of all the cell numbers you need from your clients and your vendors and if you are sending a text to a new number, or haven’t communicated in a while, make sure to introduce yourself again to those you are texting. “Hi, this is Tracy Fuller, ………”Happy Texting!

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Event Technology: Instagram Stories

If you stay up to date with social media apps, you may have noticed a new feature in Instagram. The photo-sharing app recently added a ‘story’ option for users. Similar to Snapchat, a user can now upload a picture or short video for followers. Unlike regular posts, these only last 24 hours.

This is an unexpected change for Instagram, which seems to take this idea from another popular social media tool, Snapchat. So how does this effect the event world?

We all know that live feeds are becoming popular, and that Snapchat is great for communicating directly with attendees. However, Instagram is still more popular and has double the users Snapchat does (around 300 million!).

For events and event planners, who already have a good following on Instagram, and may struggle with Snapchat, this is your golden ticket! Now you can tease your audience with behind-the-scenes peaks, your planning process and more!

It is more common to post multiple times on Snapchat than compared to Instagram, so use these stories to give you more exposure to your followers! Use it to your advantage, because stories appear at the top of the screen, every time a user opens the phone app.

For those not familiar with Snapchat, but want to get the most out of the Instagram stories, know that these can range a lot of different topics! Tease guests with previews of your next event, or if the theme is a secret give them hints. Show off your event team and your work area. The possibilities are endless!

With new updates to social media apps coming in lightning fast, it is crucial that you stay updated; especially if you are targeting millennia’s who are tech-savvy. Just think of this as one more opportunity to reach out to your audience and gain potential attendees!

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Nostalgia Marketing

Everyone likes to feel young, no matter what their age! We have been thinking about this idea with events. How can we bring that feeling back just for a night? A trend called nostalgia marketing, that’s how!

Think back to your childhood or young adulthood, how playing a simple game or listening to an artist brought so much joy. Why not bring that back for your guests?! A popular term for this is ‘throwback’. Brands have been doing this for a while, applying old-school artists or retro games with their products and commercials.

Applying this trend to events is easy to do and will bring back a lot of good memories for event attendees. One rule to follow when applying this is knowing your audience. You want to make sure you hit their sweet spot, and bring as much nostalgic value as you can!

For those in their mid-20’s, think about setting up karaoke and dance stations. Popular video games, including Dance Dance Revolution and Sing Star. Popular music choices like Britney Spears and *NYSNC will drive them to the dance floor.

Another idea for a group would be a game party. Use a little imagination and create over-the-top “games such as inflatable Twister, Jenga, Pop-a-Shot, and an updated version of foosball.” This will bring guests back to a simple time and bring back great memories.

The possibilities are endless, and everyone can transform back to a special time in their lives for a night.

For more check out what BizBash had to say in their article here!

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Landing Your Event Dream Job

Working in the event industry is fast-paced, always changing and fun! It also happens to be one of the fastest growing fields out there. With Universities creating specific majors and people with experience, you may be wondering how to land your dream event job.

We created ideas on how to land that job and be the best Event Hero you can be! Using these tips and utilizing your inner Hero, you will be one step closer to landing that job!

  1. No experience is too small: You may not hit the jackpot in the beginning of your event career. Don’t let this bring you down! Any related experience is good. Find part-time jobs, or offer to work for free and volunteer your time. It may not be exactly what you are looking for, but can lead to new things. Who knows, if you do a good job, they might hire you!
  2. Know which field you want to be in: You may think, “I want to work in events”. Well, which industry? Do you want to plan, work as a coordinator for a company, and which specialty? Remember there are wedding planners, corporate planners, non-profit planners and the list goes on! Find your passion and pursue that venture.
  3. Educate yourself: Some people may go to college and study Event Management or similar areas. Some work their way up. Either way, you need to be informed! Take a class, get personalized coaching, or attend an event webinar. Consistent self-improvement is the key to success!
  4. Stay up-to-date: The event industry changes at lightning speed, with new apps, trends and technology coming out all the time! Subscribe to magazines or read articles that appeal to you. One of the best places to get all of your information in one place is Feedly. Personalize it to your exact taste and always see the latest news!
  5. Network: Not having any luck getting into the event world? Well it is time to network! This is an easy, natural way to meet the people you want to work with. Join LinkedIn, groups and conferences to connect with other event professionals. Be prepared with your elevator speech (See our article on how to write an elevator speech) and know your talking points. But mostly be yourself!

Remember to determine how your current set of skills, in any area, would translate over to the event industry. Working in the event industry is one of the best things to do! With hard work and determination, we know you can land anything!

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