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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State Fair Themed Event: Unique food and Entertainment Ideas

There are so many great events that happen during the summer, but for some people the greatest event is the State Fair! Here in Des Moines we are proud have the Iowa State Fair, one of the largest in the country.

Not only do people come from around the nation for our fair, but many corporate companies have State Fair themed events. Keep reading for food and entertainment ideas to make your next event a success.

As a general rule state fair food is insanely awesome and either fried or on a stick, but how do you make Fried State Fair food on a stick unique and interesting for a corporate event?

1) Deep-Fried Twinkie:

Ahhh a classic! This delicious deep-fried treat is a must have for any party. Yep, we know you love them but for a higher-end event consider deep fried cheese cake pops.

Photo Source: Willow Bird Baking

2) Cheese:

Cheese, period. You can fry it, melt it or smother it on almost anything. It is a staple state fair food. For an upscale feel, hire a food truck that specializes in the ooey gooey deliciousness!

 

Photo Source: Memphis Daily News

3) Corndog:

Another great go-to-snack, the corndog! Step it up a notch with Lobster corndogs… this will really get your guests talking with their mouth full!

 

Photo Source: Style Me Pretty

4) Corn on the Cob:

Always a classic dish for the fair! The good thing is this can be dressed up very easily. Serve as an appetizer on a stick or use it during the main course.

Photo Source: Style Me Pretty

5) Cotton Candy:

This may not be the easiest to enjoy without getting slightly messy, but when you have cotton candy in a tub guests can eat it right then or take it home. We find attendees want a treat for the moment and a treat for later. Plus, you can choose the flavors that are unique and different or dyed into the company colors.

Photo Source: Chocolate Story Book

Entertainment

Okay, we’ve visited the foods. Now how about your entertainment? Of course you can choose to have the standard midway games, but there are ways you can take it to the next level as well!Here are 5 ways we’ve found that our clients love to step it up:

1) Custom photo booth – we have had great success and fun creating photo booths that are interactive. This has included duplicating the American Gothic painting and allowing guests to become the couple in picture, which has been a hoot! – and the longer the night goes on the more fun it becomes! – Have a photographer there to help guide the subjects and print photos on site. This makes for a memorable keepsake.

2) Caricature artist – Make this unique by having a roaming artist that walks around to guests instead of vice versa. Also create a custom logo’d canvas for them to draw on. Having them walk around will help with those guests that are reluctant or shy to have their caricature done. This is another item for them to take home and you bet it gets featured on the social media!

3) What fair theme is complete without carnies? The balloon man, the inflatable items and the games. Have a few of these characters set up around your event to really set the mood.

4) Create games of chance – it’s really easy to do a balloon popping game, a weight or age guesser or a ring toss game.

5) Dunk tank – this might not work for all events but if you can get your CEO to sit in the dunk tank, this is a real winner and your guests will stand in line just to get the chance to dunk the CEO.

We like to end the evening with a wonderful headliner. As with all fairs, yours should include a concert. Consider the crowd and pick your headliner carefully to ensure you entertain the crowd and send them off with a wonderfully warm feeling of the all-American pastime of the State Fair.

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Event Trends Based On Movies In 2017

Movies are definitely a trend setter for event themes. If you think we’re wrong, let us just say these two words “Great Gatsby”. Yep – so as you can see knowing the upcoming movie releases and staying on top of the most popular movies can definitely help you get ahead of the curve with your clients and their theme parties.

2016 was definitely a big year for highly anticipated movies and remakes. For example, this year’s Tarzan might not be the most popular of movies released, but you still can’t go wrong with a jungle theme. Waiters dressed as jungle guides sporting pith helmets will be sure to add that memorable touch to the jungle theme. 2017 also has some promising excitement for those who love movie series. So we looked to the biggest movie releases to determine hot event themes that you’ll likely begin planning now and sharing a fun element that you can add in.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

AYE! What’s better than a pirate-themed party? We love decorating for this type of party and even have the pirate statues to prove it! To add a unique element to this theme have netting hanging through the entry walkway for guests to walk under as they enter. Place “treasures”, fake sea creatures, and imitation seaweed in the net to look like a catch from the bottom of the sea. Don’t forget to hire a “Jack Sparrow” to greet guests!

Star Wars: Episode VIII

Everybody who was around in the 80s had a heyday when Star Wars: Episode VII came out – so you can only imagine that this movie will also gain some attention. Food is always a fun way to get creative with themed events. Find creative ways to make the oh so popular red and green light sabers – one way we’ve seen is with dipped pretzels. What would you use to create light sabers?

Wonder Woman

Everybody loves Event Heroes – I mean, super heroes 😉 This is one theme that will not die out no matter what the year. Super hero theme parties are great for hiring local models or actors to dress as the super heroes and welcome guests. This would be a great woman-empowering theme. For a fun touch, have wonder woman props for a fun photo shoot.

Resident Evil: The final chapter

Although you won’t find many zombie themed corporate events, zombies are the perfect setting for Halloween parties. Zombie themed everything has taken off the last couple of years from zombie food joints to zombie runs. For a scarier theme party, hire actors decked out as zombies to walk around the party aimlessly. If you’re looking for something low key, have zombified appetizers. We suggest a venue for this theme that is dark and bare with cement floors. Something fashioned to look post-apocalyptic would be perfect for this theme.

Avatar

When Avatar was first released, it blew audiences’ minds. Nobody had used that quality of CG yet. Not only was the cinematography amazing, but people loved dressing up as Avatar characters soon after. For a unique spin on this event theme use lighting to recreate the glowing grass, shrubs, and trees. You want guests to feel like they are visiting another world with this theme party.

While upcoming movies are a great way to determine event themes, some will stick around longer than others. Be sure to keep an eye out for the hype leading up to them and watch if they are trending on different social media platforms.

Need a full theme party with entertainment and decorations? Click on over to Event Heroes theme pages and pick a party with all the elements and suppliers you need to throw a party to be remembered for years to come.

What would be your favorite theme party to throw? Let us know and share what you would do to make it unique!

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You Should Know: Christina Moffatt

Vendors play a big role in what we do as event planners. Without them there would not be a complete event. Because of this we like to take time and highlight some of our favorites.

So this week we’d like to highlight Crème Cupcake. Cupcakes with a twist are what this Midwest cupcake company offers – a cupcake store that pairs drinks and cocktails with specific cupcake flavors during their happy hour.

Being a fellow Entrepreneur, we sat down with the owner of Crème Cupcake, Christina Moffatt. We asked her to share some defining moments in her career and how she became the successful business woman that she is. See what we were able to find out:

After working for 10 years in corporate U.S.A., Christina decided she was tired of seeing people with no happiness in their day. Her mission became to find what makes people happy. The answer, she discovered, was cupcakes and dessert.

A baker since she could hold a measuring spoon, Christina combined her culinary skills with her management and marketing experience to create Crème Cupcake + Dessert, which expanded from a home-operated bakery to a commercial kitchen in less than a year.In May of 2015, Christina partnered to take the dessert lounge concept nationally through franchise agreements.

1. What was the defining moment when you made the decision to go into business for yourself? When I booked 1000 cupcakes for the Bravo Gala I realized this could be a full time career.

2. Did you work another job and run your business at the same time? I worked full time for 6 months while I built my business on the side.

3. If so, at what point did you decide to quit working for someone else and work on your business? After I booked the 1000 cupcakes for Bravo Gala, I ran cash flow projections to figure what I needed to produce every month to cover all my expenses and pay myself.

4. Can you give us a small idea of how that decision changed your business? It became serious with marketing plans, networking with right client/ referrals and thinking as a business rather than a hobby

5. What are some of the most important decisions or aha’s you’ve had in opening a business? You have to use tools and peoples expertise that are available to you. You can’t do everything or you’ll do it all poorly.

6. What are some really surprising things you’ve learned about having your own business that you would have never guessed before starting your business? Something is always going to break or you’ll have an unexpected expense so you have to manage your cash flow wisely.

7. At what point did you finally decide to hire your first employee? And how has that advanced your business? When my days were topping to 18-hour days I knew I couldn’t keep going at that pace. I also had a wise mentor named Tracy Fuller tell me “Be happy where you are with your business or hire people so you can grow”

8. Are there any tips or trips you would like meeting and event planners to know when working with you to get the best outcome for their event? I love Planners! They are a great referral source for us! The more precise on delivery time, directions in the building of where to set up down to the table being labeled is awesome. Saves us time from butting in to their day to ask questions.

Want to know more about Christina and Crème Cupcake? Follow them on Twitter @cremecupcakedsm

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Event Technology: Snapchat

Social media has become so important to events that some would flop without it. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram capture important event moments and let people know details at the drop of a hat. But what about Snapchat?

Most people think of snapchat as an app that features a disappearing picture, solely used by young adults and teenagers. However, some fail to see the significance snapchat can bring to an event!

According to an article written by Nick Borelli on EventMB “Having a platform that pushes people to watch the content they initially signed up for or forever losing the chance to see it has made Snapchat second only to Facebook in average time spent on the platform by users”.

Snapchat updates can be posted in seconds, in many different forms, including pictures and videos with unique features. This allows events to showcase many different points of view: from other attendees, the band, the event planner and everyone else at the event!

Snapchats can be sent to individuals or the masses! Blast out your event every step of the way and show guests things they normally wouldn’t see! This can be used pre-event, during and post-event.

Use exclusivity to your advantage, only send certain content to VIP guests and let them know it! Unlike a Facebook event, others will never know, and those receiving it will feel extra special.

If you plan far enough ahead, make your own snapchat filter and encourage others to use it. This will be uniquely yours and anyone in the area will be able to use it! Talk about capitalizing on FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – only those who attended the event are able to use the filter to share with their followers.

A filter is an extension of the photo or video. For instance once the picture is taken different features can be added. From a black a white photo to the time you took it! Locations or event names can also be added and show where/what that person is doing. The branding opportunities using these filters are not to be missed and can spread very fast!

The best part about Snapchat is that once your event gets enough attention, the attendees will be doing all the work! They will be sharing your event with everyone and you can sit back and admire a job well done!

Snapchat is still underrated in some circles, but you can use this as an opportunity to show the amazing experiences you create for attendees at your events!

Share your thoughts and experiences with snapchat with us as well!

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Music Licensing for Events

So, you have an event and you plan on playing some music in the background…No biggie right? Not quite. Before you plug in your iPhone to play your favorite tunes, you need to know a little bit about music licensing and how it affects your events.

Licensing for music is as big of a deal as using someone else’s artwork on your PowerPoints and not paying for it. If you don’t get the proper licenses, the penalty can be huge. As event planners, this is all very confusing and time consuming; trying to figure out who, what, and when of the music licenses – plus how they work!

Although getting licensing isn’t the most convenient task on your event planning checklist, it beats the alternative. The alternative to purchasing a license is to contact each artist who’s music you intend to play and get their written permission. You may also have to ask your band to play original material only. We all know that when we hire a band to play covers, that having them only play their original tunes might not be the best request.

Can you image trying to track down the correct people and having them respond to this request? It would take one person dedicated to this specific task many hours and many weeks to complete. This would require you knowing your playlist well in advance. Doesn’t sound like a task I want to take on. I am sure the hours I would spend research, making phone calls and sending emails would be more than the cost of the license itself.

When researching licenses you might find that the responsibility falls to the venue to purchase and hold the licenses for music. However, many venues are now passing on that responsibility to the entity holding the event. Check in with both the facility and licensing bureaus to make sure you are covered in order to avoid the high penalties if you aren’t.

We searched the internet to locate the best descriptors of ‘what’ license you need and ‘when’ you need a license. Here’s what we’ve found:

  1. There are three different licensing entities (ASCAP, BMI, & SESAC). Each one is a little different.
  2. For just ASCAP alone there are over 100 different license types and each one has pretty strict usage rules.
  3. For each event type, there are different rules which can get fairly specific
  4. Pricing for the license depends on the type of the event and how many attendees you will have at the event.
  5. Charity events are NOT excluded from needing a license for events (usually they are covered under a one-time event license)
  6. Copyright law says events for only friends and family do not need a license – Hey wedding planners, you’re in the clear! Based on a chat conversation with Frank at ASCAP online. Connect Here .
  7. Licenses are based on the TYPE of event, not who is hosting the event.
  8. There are 3 licensing entities that you need to consult with on your event.

CAUTION: Pay for only one license from one licensing bureau and any song used that doesn’t fall under their license is susceptible to a fine. I suggest playing it safe and getting a license from all 3 entities so that you don’t have to waste time figuring out which songs are covered by a specific entity. Whereas if you get all three, you’re covered no matter what.Here are the links to all three licensing agencies:

Although music licensing can be quite confusing, I found the online chat to be most helpful. ‘Frank’ from ASCAP answered all my questions and was very courteous. I didn’t find an online chat at BMI or SESAC, but both have phone numbers for you to contact them.

**Event Heroes, having this event knowledge in your arsenal will keep your clients abreast important information and prevent them from having to pay heavy fees for something they weren’t aware of.

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Hottest Wedding Trends: 2016

It’s summer, which means you probably have a calendar full of weddings to attend this season! The wedding industry is always changing, so we put a list together of the hottest wedding trends in 2016.

Be on the lookout for these trends:

  • Two for one dress: More and more dresses these days are being made convertible. Go from formal to party with one motion!
  • Midnight snack: Weddings go late and what’s more appetizing than a midnight snack?! Mini burgers and dessert bars are becoming increasingly popular as an after hour snack!
  • Metallics: This material is all the rage for weddings! Dress it up or down and use it in almost any piece throughout the wedding, from invitations to dresses to the dining room!
  • Mix up the centerpieces: Gone are the days of the exact same tables. Use this as an advantage and be creative in what you choose for each table.
  • Signature cocktails: The bride and groom show off their personalities by each offering their own personal cocktail concoction. Although a little pricy, this detail shows guests a more intimate connection.
  • Weddings are evolving every year and getting more personalized and detailed. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Let us know what you see at your weddings this year and comment if you are seeing any new trends!

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The Importance of Taking a Break

We all have those moments during work when we should be doing our tasks but are just blocked. You know there is a deadline, but nothing is coming to mind. You are… stuck.

Being in the event industry clients are always expecting more. What happened last year just isn’t good enough! During these times one of the best things is to just take a break!

Now you might be thinking that taking a break is wasting time, but studies have found that short breaks throughout the day are actually pretty good for you!

Think about it: after a heavy workout we rest our bodies, but after an intense meeting? We usually head back to work. But our minds need rest too!

Here are some ideas:

  • Take a short walk. This can be in your building or around the block. Fresh air can do wonders!
  • Get some coffee! Caffeine will give you that jolt of energy you are craving!
  • Go to the break room. Catch up with co-workers or grab something to eat to re-energize!
  • Watch a funny video. Laughter will take away some of the stress of the workday for a few minutes!
  • Check your social media. See what people are up to today! Just make sure you don’t get lost in your phone.

After these breaks go back to your desk a new person! You got a little perspective in your time off and maybe that sparked an idea!

It is hard to continue to be cutting edge, but in the event world it is expected. That is a lot of pressure! So next time you can’t think of the next best idea, relax and take a short break, and a couple minutes later your mind will be clear and focused!

And don’t forget the ultimate work break: A vacation!

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Cold Calling: Relevant or In the Past

Cold calling. We’ve all been there. Wanting to get our name and brand out there for the world to see our talent. Most of the time these calls are frustrating and take forever to reach someone to make an impact.

Sometimes all the effort leads to nothing and we are back to square one. But in today’s world of technology and social media, do we really need cold calling?

There are so many different ways to get your career as an event professional to the next level without cold calling. First you need to know who your audience is. Are you planning weddings, corporate events, charities?

The first way to advertise your business is LinkedIn. There are millions of professionals available to you, just by the click of a button. It is completely normal to message a professional you do not know personally. Make sure you write your own message – not the pre-written one LinkedIn provides.

Another idea is simply emailing the person you are trying to contact. Most websites provide that information if you look close enough. It is acceptable to write another email a few days with no response, just be respectful of their time.

A less direct approach is Facebook advertising. Your company may do many different events, but with Facebook you can narrow down who you want to advertise to. Be specific in your words and after awhile those people you have been trying to reach for a year might be contacting you.

Lastly is networking. Join groups with similar interests. Or simply get involved with your community and help out when needed. Volunteer your services and maybe it will catch someone’s eye! A lot of different people act as board members on any given charity. When you put yourself out there good things come back!

There are many other ways to reach executives or the decision makers of companies today. Be creative and do some research on the person. If they are super involved in social media, tweet at them! Maybe it will catch their eye and start a conversation.

Cold calling is in the past, it is time to start moving forward and gain clients without the frustration!

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Event Setup: Gaff Tape

When doing event setup you need to take good care of the venue. Tracy Fuller gives a short tip how to do just that! Watch below!

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