I am often contacted by law firms whose large-scale or high-profile events are overwhelming their marketing team with the tasks and details needed to produce the event successfully. While I always recommend contacting an event planner before the going gets tough, I’ve learned that we can get-going with just 3-6 weeks notice if everyone has a clear picture of their roles and responsibilities. So we developed a quick-pick list of short-term event planning services to rescue our legal marketing friends, but helpful for other event planners as well:

REGISTRATION RESCUE

You need this if … you’re waking up in the middle of the night dreaming of clients out in the cold, standing on registration lines like tourists at the TKTS booth.

We arrive early, handle guest check-in at the registration desk, and clean up, so you can focus on developing relationships with your attendees, rather than managing logistics. Give us your guest list three days before and we’ll print and stuff your name tags too.

LOCATION RELATIONS

You need this if … you think the terms apron, boneyard and crescent all refer to things in the kitchen and you’d like to keep it that way.

Following your site selection and contract signing, we facilitate venue arrangements through clear and consistent communication in advance of the event and manage the needs that arise on-site during the event.

VENDOR RE-DEVELOPMENT

You need this if … you’ve talked to your go-to AV guy about microphones and a screen but can never seem to get through the estimate sitting in your inbox, especially since his equipment descriptions don’t contain any vowels.

We finalize proposals from vendors and manage their tasks through the event, including catering, consulting, destination management, entertainment, event design, graphic design, photography, printing, promotions, production (audio-visual, lighting, staging, videography), and transportation, among others.

The TASKMASTER

You need this if … every to-do on your legal pad is turning into you-do-two (because each task takes more steps than expected) or you-do-too (because swamped team members need more advance notice).

We lay out the list of roles and responsibilities in a detailed timeline, from the start of our involvement through the post-event debrief, and check in regularly with each person involved to report back as each task has been accomplished.

BRIEF RELIEF

You need this if … it all started with one partner, but nine others keep calling and sidelining your day as you go on a wild goose chase for just “one more thing” they need to know about the event.

We develop and update a Master Event Plan of all the services and event details, from the start of our involvement in the event planning process, and provide it to you as a reference on a regular basis.

When time and resources are tight, the key to producing a successful event is to have very clear, delineated roles, starting with the ones listed here. If you need to be rescued – or just need more info, including pricing for these services – email me at ginger@gingerdonnanevents.com.

There’s nothing like a hurricane to make you focus on your emergency plan, at home, at work or for events. The stories we’ve been hearing from clients, vendors and volunteers are tough but luckily, not heartbreaking, since those we’ve talked to have come out the other side safe and sound. We didn’t have any events taking place for the past week but we’re never in the clear when it comes to upcoming events. September and October are still a part of hurricane season, not to mention the unthinkable, like once-in-a-century earthquakes and the ever-present threat of terrorist attacks.

Inclement Weather: For outdoor events and festivals, just a little rain can make for a complete change of plans including back-up indoor space, rescheduling or the cost of additional tents with or without sidewalls. For meetings and conferences, a little rain typically won’t change much, until the winds pick up and transportation gets difficult. The date of the event is too late to talk to your venues and vendors about flexibility in case of cancellation or postponement.

Natural Disasters: Just because the news says a hurricane is on the way, doesn’t mean you and your vendors are on the same page in terms of when force majeure comes into effect. Hurricane Irene hit New York Saturday afternoon but what if you had a brunch scheduled for earlier that day that no one planned to attend because they needed to be in their homes when the storm hit? Don’t wait to communicate.

Terrorist Attacks: It was one of many people’s first thoughts when the earthquake hit, because the threat of terrorist attacks has not gone away. You need to know your venue’s evacuation protocol, including when to stay put. Event planners are not first responders but they should be first communicators when an emergency happens just prior to or during an event they’ve organized. This doesn’t (necessarily) mean you get up to the podium and start pointing at exit signs but you do talk to the security/police and your client to confirm proceeding with the first step of a pre-established plan.

Coming soon: Our September newsletter shares our emergency plan for a 300+ person conference this past spring. Not on the mailing list? Sign up here.

As I was unburying my car today – from another three inches of snow – I was thinking about winter events and what about them convinces invitees to leave the comfort of their own toasty homes:

• Serving hot apple cider (with rum) or cocoa (with Bailey’s) upon entry
• A well-manned coat check – because nobody likes it when their coat is held hostage
• A venue with a fireplace, as long as the room was sufficiently cooled: Fire + Crowd = Miserable Sweltering
• A raffle to win a vacation to a warm location, a hot stone massage, or a Netflix subscription

When it comes down to it though, no matter the season, the people in the room are what matter most. So the best tip I have today is sharing the RSVP list along with the reminders to reply because I’ll happily unbury my car again to spend time with dear clients and colleagues.

What do you think makes a winter event worthwhile?

This week, my good friend and event partner Jo Beyersdorfer was in town helping with our events for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Autism Speaks. We got to talking about the ups and downs of working with small towns when planning large-scale events as she just completed the first Dirty Dancing Festival. One of the challenges of planning an event in a small town, far from commercial areas, is access to materials. Jo shared with me a wonderful idea that she and her business partner implemented for the festival. When hardware supplies were in need, her connection to the local community sent out a mass email requesting the materials.  Soon, trucks began to arrive, dropping off tables, chairs, equipment, you name it, and all it took was a list, a roll of masking tape, and a sharpie to stay organized, so Jo could return borrowed items after the event.

In planning this week’s Light the Night Walks, we relied on the local community – individuals and small businesses – to provide food and entertainment donations, keeping the cost of the events low, so more of the funds raised could go to cancer research. The response was overwhelming and a testament to the fact that if you ask, they will come. Many non-profit organizations struggle with managing the communications with all of those who would like to help. But the benefits to doing this, more than cost savings, is that community contributions bring with them a feeling of ownership and involvement that cannot be acquired by simply extending an invitation or a volunteer T-shirt. By involving the community on a deeper level, you create partners in the event, who perform outreach wherever they go and create the energy that takes an event, from just something that happened, to something that people remember and return to next year.