Work-Related Event Ideas

Need to plan an event for your fellow colleagues? Trying to spice up the office life? Well look no further! Here are a few ideas to keep in mind when you want to show your employees just how much you truly appreciate them. 

1. Team Building event. Go to a local park and have everyone participate in a service event, like a clean-up. You can make it fun and interesting by offering incentives, throwing a bbq at the same time, live music, games, and even a bouncy house.
2. Picnic/BBQ
3. Take Your Dog to Work Day
4. Staff-Appreciation Day. One idea for this day would be to host a breakfast or lunch for the employees in which the boss/managers will do all the cooking/serving and the subordinates will be waited on.
5. Have a monthly birthday party! Take one day out of each month and throw a little party with cake, ice cream, the works, and celebrate all the birthdays of all the employees who where born that month.

Issues with Social Media

In the new, exciting, and ever changing world of Social Media its sometimes difficult to keep up with all of the updates and new platforms let alone learn how to use them effectively. 

You think after an entire semester of attempting to establish myself professionally in the world of social media I would of mastered everything by now but sadly this was not the case. I still found myself coming up short, I still felt as though I was having difficulties reaching my target audience or just difficulties navigating through some of the social media platforms themselves.

So i did some research and uncovered some simple things that I previously didn’t know and that many of my friends and peers didn’t either. 

1. Utilize sites like HootSuite and TweetDeck. Sites like these are basic social media dashboard applications that help you effectively manage you social media account. Becoming HootSuite certified is also an awesome addition to your resume! 
2. Follow and interact with the people who share your content! If you want to build more of an audience you have to interact with them! That’s a give!

Check out these sites for more tips on how to not only build your audience but effectively market yourself or your brand!

• 26 Tips to Create Social Media Magic for Your Business
• 6 Social Media Tips that will Improve your Marketing
• 10 Great Social Networking Tips and Tricks
• 5 Ways for Brands to Improve Social Media
• Hootsuite

What’s the point?

Have you ever stopped what you were doing and asked yourself…what’s the point? 

In order to have a successful event, regardless of what type of event, you need to stop and ask…what’s the point?

Ask yourself why you’re about to put all this time, energy, effort, and money into planning this event. What is it’s purpose? There are many reasons why one would plan an event including;

• raise money
• celebration
• fellowship of organization
• promotion of organization
• community awareness
• entertainment

The key to planning and implementing a successful event is to understand what you want to get out of it. If you know what the point of your event is and have it clearly defined it will make the planning and implementation that much easier and less stressful. 

IT”S FESTIVAL SEASON!!

 

It’s that time of the year and if you’re anything like me going to as many festivals as possible this summer is a must! But going to a festival involves much more than just simply showing up…

Here’s what you need to know and keep in mind when planning to attend a festival:

1. Figure out how you’re going to get there. With a lot of the larger festivals parking and traffic tend to be pretty chaotic, try and carpool with friends some festivals offer a forum for people to search for carpool or camping companions on there websites. Also some festivals offer various buses from hotels in the area. 
2. Figure out where you’re going to crash. Many festivals offer camping grounds and sites or you can always stay at a hotel in the area just try and find one as close to the festival as possible. 
3. Packing your bags. So of course we all know to pack plenty of extra underwear but here are some things that  might slip your mind.

• Camera. You’ll want to capture these memories
• Sweatshirt/Jacket. the temperature tends to drop quite a bit at night where these festivals are held.
• Snacks! Bring some snacks along, it will save you money as well as keep you energized between meals! Try granola bars, fruits, or trail mix as some healthy energizing snacks.
• CASH MONEY. Most likely the festival you’re attending will have ATMS but those ATMS also come with long lines and unwanted fees.
• CHARGERS. Who wants a dead phone?
• Water. That’s a given! Please make sure you stay hydrated
• Bug Spray
• Umbrella or a Poncho
• Small/mini first aid kit. You never know
• Hand Sanitizer
• Deodorant…trust me you’ll need backup
• Sunscreen! 

Things to think about.   

• Before arriving see if they have a map of the festival grounds up on their website…sometimes they will send you one. Study the map and designate a meeting spot for you and your friends just in case you split up or get lost
• Figure out what acts you want to see most and which ones you are willing to skip as well as  what order they are playing. This will help you a lot with managing your time as well as allowing you to see most if not all of your favs! But don’t be afraid to go with the flow and stray from the plan, these festivals are all about enjoying yourself and living in the moment. If you have an urge to do something that wasn’t intentionally in the plan, by all means do it…follow your urge.
• Check the festivals website for all prohibited items… the last thing you need is to get kicked out!
• DOUBLE CHECK! Before you leave make sure you have all of your tickets, passes, etc.,
• Don’t leave your things just lying around. People will take them.

3 Common Event Planning Mistakes/Pitfalls

Here are just a few of the many common mistakes/pitfalls in the world of EventPlanning

1. Variety – Make sure each of your events is special and unique in it’s own way! If you have an event coming up that is very similar to an event that didn’t do so well in the past consider changing things up a little bit. 
2. Weather! – If you are planning an event that is outdoors make sure it’s on a nice day and have a rain date just in case! 
3. Event Fatigue- Try not to stack up your events one on top of the other. Spread them out if you can but not to far out that you’ll loose any momentum if you’re running a campaign. 

Event Planning -Infographic

So bare with me here, this is my first time ever making an infographic..better ones to come!

FIRST EVENT – of the semester

So as you all already know I am currently a senior in college and for my senior seminar class we have to run a campaign! My groups campaign focuses on animal abuse and negligence and in an effort to raise awareness and funds we set up a event table at a job fair held at my school! Even though I’m personally not in the photo (because I was taking it) I still had a great time! 

Yes there were times where I was freaking out trying to get everything in order but it turned out to be such a success,  I couldn’t of done it without my team!  The feeling after planning and hosting a successful event is well worth the stress before hand! 

I’ll make sure to keep you all posted on my campaign implementations! 

 

Lets talk about Flyers!

Flyers are an awesome way to promote your event…yeah it sounds a little old school compared to all the breakthroughs in social media and technology in terms of promoting events BUT its still another way to spread the word!

Flyers can be super easy and cheap to make or if you have the money and not the time you can get them professionally done.

If you’ve decided to DIY here are some tips for making a flyer that will be sure to grab your target public’s attention!

What to put on your flyer

• Headline! Make your headline to your flyer is big and bold so it can be seen from a distance! Also try and make it short yet clever so your audience can remember it and doesn’t take them 10 years to read.
• Basic information. Please don’t forget to put the basic NECESSARY information on your flyer such as; the time, date, location, and contact information. Also if the event your hosting is accepting donations or requires your audience to bring particular items make sure you include that information on your flyer as well!
• Picture(s)! Everyone loves to look at pictures! Use a picture appropriate to your event and target public! Try not to over clutter your flyer with multiple pictures or use pictures that will take the attention away from the information provided on your flyer.

Ways to make your flyers STAND OUT:

• Try using neon colored paper or paper other than the color white to help your flyer stand out. Just make sure the color of the paper doesn’t overpower the actual text or pictures on your flyers. If you choose to use neon  make sure you use dark colored font to contrast.
• Add a picture! Depending on your audience and your event you might want to add just one picture or multiple. Just remember sometimes less is best…you don’t want to crowd your flyer with unnecessary pictures. KEEP IT SIMPLE!
• Font! Use simple, easy to read, large, thick font! This is important because not only will it be easier for your audience to read but it will also be easy to photocopy unlike all the other cool funky fonts. You also want your audience to see your text from a distance.
• Can your flyer be seen from a distance? Test it out! Hang up your flyer and take about 5-6 big steps back, if you can’t read the headline then you need bigger or bolder font.

Where to put your flyers!?

• Hang your flyers in places where you know there is high traffic
• Hang your flyers where you know your target public frequently go/visit
• Personally distribute your flyers! This gives people a chance to ask about the event, and allows for personal interactions giving you even more of a chance to sell your event!

Remember KEEP IT SIMPLE! Don’t overcrowd your flyer with unnecessary information and photos, this can confuse your audience and potentially turn them away before they get a chance to read the information that is actually important to the event.

There are many programs/software you can use to create your flyers that are free and easy to use. Some of these programs might already be downloaded on your computer such as Word, other more advanced software’s you might need to download online!

Get creative and have fun with it…but remember, and I can’t stress this enough, KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Check this podcast out for yummy event food ideas!

Check out this podcast my homegirl Brittani, health expert and fitness guru, and I made recommending healthier appetizers to serve at your next event, meeting or party!

Nutritious food options for your next Event!

Event Planner Essentials!

When it comes to planning events there are two things that are absolutely necessary if you want to remain sane and ultimately have a successful event and they are; to-do list and a planner. Here’s the planner I’ve been using for the past year

Make a daily to-do list To-Do lists help you prioritize your time plus it feels good crossing things off the list once they are completed.  Try and make your to-do list in the beginning of the day. You can make a daily, weekly, monthly, or even a yearly to-do list based upon your goals.

Planner Planners come in all different forms; weekly, monthly, day-by-day. Planners help keep you on track and remind you of things that you would otherwise forget!