To Infinity and Beyond

I just returned from a site visit of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. This new facility is a companion to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and features a collection of the world's greatest aircraft, including the SR-71 Blackbird (the fastest aircraft on the planet), the Air France Concorde, the Space Shuttle Enterprise, and the Enola Gay.

Brainium is producing an awards event for a new client at this spectacular facility in April 2006. If you're ever in need of an aviation-themed location for an event, I highly recommend you check this place out.

Good People Make Good Videos Happen

Here I am, hanging out at LaGuardia as I wait for my flight to board (please let someone be late so I can get on this flight with my standby ticket!). I just finished up two successful days of video interviews for an upcoming banquet, and come away with this thought: Do not discount the importance of having a good video crew. Yeah, it may cost a bit more, but boy, is it worth it!

A changing schedule can really throw a wrench into the best-laid plans, not to mention making your crew grumpy if they have to miss part of their lunch! But getting a professional crew on board means they'll do whatever it takes to make you look good. Once again, I've come away pleased with CrewsControl and the crews they provide around the country. If you're in need of a video crew for your next event, interview or tradeshow, give them a call!

Fortune Cookie

This is from yesterday's lunch. Hopefully a sign of things to come? Seems like an appropriate fortune for an event management company.

Are You Ready for Some Bad Entertainment?

Are You Ready for Some Bad Entertainment?

So last night marked the opening of another football season with the game between New England and Oakland. As a huge football fan, I’ve been waiting for this moment all summer long and looked forward to the unveiling of the 2004 Championship banner for my favorite team.

However, as I watched the television coverage of the pre-game festivities, I was again perplexed at how the NFL seems to continually put together bad entertainment events that have little to do with football or its fans. Does anyone else feel this way?

Do you think the NFL ever actually asks its fans (namely men) who they would like to see perform during its major events? For example, while some of last night’s bands made sense from the standpoint of being relevant to the primary football audience of men (i.e. Green Day, the Stones, Ozzy, etc.), I am constantly befuddled when the NFL trots out lip-syncing pop stars on cheesy motorized footballs to “entertain” us. And, while Santana may be a great guitar player, what does an eight year old song have to do with anything? Hello…is anyone listening (or watching)?

I completely understand that football has a national audience comprised of a broad demographic, and that we’re really talking about Hollywood “entertainment”, but who at the NFL really thinks these shows are good? I can’t remember any pre-game or halftime show that made me want to “stay tuned”. My message to the NFL: it’s time to try a new play from the marketing/event playbook.

Let me know what you think. For now, I’ll just be happy that the Patriots won their first game. Go Pats!

Top 4 "First Things First"

Getting ready to manage your company's next big event?

Whether it's a small internal summit for executives, or a large customer user group meeting; whether your new to the event management biz or a seasoned pro, here's the top four "First Things First" the smart event manager does right up-front:

1) Define your event management team
No matter how hard you try, you can't do it alone. Who is going to help you make your event a reality? List each person and his or her responsibilities. Make sure your “core team” is aware of all aspects of the event, not just their individual segment of responsibility. This will help to make your event more cohesive.

2) Get going on an initial budget
Maybe you don't even know how much you've got to spend - maybe you're operating on a shoestring. The best way to manage it is to get everything you need into a spreadsheet, and update items as you determine the costs. The budget is also a great tool to keep you on schedule, and to make sure you don't forget anything. Refer to it often!

3) Determine resource availability
What outside suppliers do you need to make your event happen? You may have design in-house, but need to outsource copywriting, print production and mailing/fulfillment. Perhaps you've got some left-over incentive gifts from another show, or you need to contact a vendor to get some more. As you identify a resource for each item that you need, list them in a "resource" column of your budget.

4) Get buy-off from above
Don't get bogged down in committee meetings, and don't get caught in the never-ending email-respond trap. Instead, have your managers give you some independence to make decisions on your own showing them your plan. You've got an event team, external resources lined-up, and your budget in place. Make it happen!