Event planners are the types of people who like to have their hands in several proverbial pots. To be a successful event planner, you also have to be a good marketer, negotiator, and leader.

In addition, event managers often have to make soirees into fields like design, catering and AV. The field of audiovisual technology especially, is a crucial part of any and every event, and is often a gap in the knowledgebase of aspiring and novice planners. Below are 5 questions Event Planners didn’t even know to ask an AV provider:

1. Have Fun on your Sales Call

   The word “fun” is precisely what you must have to drive break-through selling.
   The point is that it may be difficult for both of you – so do your best to make it fun. Bring upbeat energy to the call, ask about them, and use creativity to move forward toward selling a solution.

2. Positivity is Your Secret Weapon
   How many individuals are bored and/or stressed at work? How many times have you been bored or stressed at work?
   Knowing that a large number of employees are just that – strive to be the bright spot of your prospect’s day! Smile before you make the call, assume that the other person will be glad to talk to you, and when you pick up that phone and call – bring positive energy to the interaction.
   This may sound new-age, but we all have had the pleasure of connecting with someone happy on the other end of the phone, and it does make a difference. Strive to be different and memorable in a good way!
3. Don’t be Lazy and Use Tired Old Sales Scripts!
   Just as an upbeat approach is refreshing, so is a creative approach. Regardless of how positive you are, if you attempt to engage someone with a tired old sales script – you will not succeed. Just imagine a scenario where you are looking and feeling great, and you attend a party in the hopes of meeting a member of the opposite sex.
   You then see a very attractive person across the room, and knowing that you look great – you approach them with confidence. Their gaze shifts to you, their lips break into a big smile, and then you say “Hi, I’m Jim and I’d like to talk to you about why I’m great”. This would never work and you would never do it! So, most certainly it won’t work when you are selling.
4. Don’t Argue with Your Prospect

   Remember, that most people already have their minds made up. Also remember that you are not going to change their mind by arguing with them. If they say “Your Event did not work for my business”… instead of getting defensive and disagreeing – why not use this as a great entrée into discussing what does work for them?
   Ask them about their business, get them engaged and talking, and they will relax. Then, after they have spoken about themselves – you can subtly point out that your event DOES work for many people – so you would love to figure out how to make it work for them. That is really the best approach!

5. Use “Storytelling” to You Advantage

   People, as a rule, like to hear about themselves. So, use the power of story to get your prospect engaged.

In Conclusion

These 5 tips should help get you started on the road to becoming an highly effective, incredibly memorable, and super successful sales person in the event industry.
Just because you are selling booth space, a program at an event, an event overlay, or a sponsorship does not prohibit you from being creative, being upbeat, and having fun calling with an energy that makes their day and yours. So go for it!!!

Like most jobs, the role of speaker has undergone a change in expectations recently. Speakers must now do more than just present. They must interact with and engage attendees. But asking what the audience thinks once during the presentation, when the question-mark emblazoned slide appears isn’t engagement. Interaction must be a before, during, and after conference responsibility for speakers.
The relationship between speaker and conference host is a symbiotic one. A well-known name and hot topic will bring new attendees to the conference, and an impressive presentation and interaction with attendees will bring them back.
Attendees expect interaction and are vocal when they don’t receive it. Conference planners can thank social media for that. In order to meet your audience’s expectations you need to insist your event speakers do the following:

Possess a Social Pedigree
Before awarding any application to present, examine the speaker’s social pedigree. The speaker should be involved in social media, use it regularly, and have a decent-sized following. All speakers don’t have to be Neil deGrasse Tyson with 3.71 million followers on Twitter alone, but anyone you’re considering as a speaker should show an effort on popular social media platforms.
A successful speaker in today’s world must be involved in social media, regardless of chosen career or niche. Social media is a way of spreading ideas and having conversations. Today’s social media platforms are yesterday’s Paris salons, where people are able to exchange ideas and build followings.
The other reason your speaker must have a social media pedigree is because it helps in spreading the news of your conference.

Talk About You
A good speaker has a following, and while not every association conference is of interest to everyone, you might be surprised how many of your members will come just to hear a particular speaker. A good speaker will publicize your event as part of his/her speaking roster. Christopher S. Penn and Michael Hyatt (marketing speakers) do a wonderful job of telling their audience where they will be. When they’re there, they make sure people know that too by posting about the conference.

Show an Interest in Your Audience
In the case of keynote speakers, they often come from broader industries than the niche served by your association. This means they may have to tailor their presentation accordingly. Make sure they have the interest and knowledge about who they’re addressing or you could be dealing with social media backlash. While astute conference goers can draw their own correlations, most won’t bother and they’ll turn off to the message. Don’t put your speaker in that position. Make sure she/he understands your conference audience‘s top concerns and how to connect through them. The little bit of preparation it takes will make you both look like superstars.

Give You Content
If your speaker’s on tour, it’s likely the presenter has something to sell – a book, idea, more speaking engagements, etc. On the other side, you need content. Remember the symbiotic relationship? Request your speaker provide you with a guest blog post (doesn’t have to be unique to your site), article snippet, interview, or additional background into how his idea came about will not only feed your need for content, and publicize the speaker, but also build interest on your audience’s part.

Engage Your Audience Before and After
Keynote speakers used to be rock stars. They’d fly in, give you the allotted time, and duck out a back door. No more. Presenters are discussion leaders so they must be present (virtually or otherwise) to help lead the conversation. Some speakers assign homework, some interact in a conference online community, while some follow the conference hashtag and engage people directly.
Professional presenters spend a lot of time traveling and often can do a little “social” work in between flights. If you’ve selected a social speaker, chances are he’ll do this anyway but make sure you encourage him to engage with your audience before, during and after.
After the conference is over, a great speaker will review the tweet stream and posts from her/his presentation. If you see a question directed to the speaker that has gone unanswered, feel free to pass it along. Answering questions and engaging attendees afterwards impresses the audience and may affect next year’s attendance numbers.

One note of caution: never write into a contract how many social posts are required. This creates an inauthentic situation and goes against the very basics of social media. Engagement is the goal, not a certain number of posts.

In Conclusion

When you’re considering speakers, think of more than the presentation. Consider what they might be willing to do outside of the conference from a content and social media perspective. Engagement is the goal and successful speakers grasp the benefits of that for you, your association, and their careers.

The event and hospitality industry regularly relies on casual event staff and volunteers but this can often bring challenges. This post looks at how to maximize commitment and performance from casual event staff and volunteers.

Casual event staff and volunteers are regularly employed in the event industry to give valuable extra support and input as required. They are commonly brought in for specific tasks, short term projects or to supplement the core team on site at an event.

Many staff are worth their weight in gold and do a sterling job, however staffing issues such as absenteeism, late notification of unavailability and poor timekeeping can cause stress to Event Managers when you least need it. This post focuses on some ways to try to encourage and develop a pool of dependable casual staff.

Pay Above Average
You may not have this freedom but if you can pay above the average or minimum wage, even slightly, this will help inspire greater commitment and motivation.

Ensure Proper Breaks
However pressurized the event and even if you will not get a break yourself it is important that your staff have time out. This will not only help to ensure their welfare but it will hopefully give them time to absorb the event they are a part of, which can often be quite awe inspiring!

Offer Perks
You would be surprised how much the little touches can mean to people. This may be simply saving some cake for them, letting them keep their event t-shirt or uniform, handing them an event goodie bag at the end of the day or ensuring they personally get to meet a speaker or performer at the event.

Try to Utilize Strengths
You have a set role in mind however if you can find out, encourage and develop a person’s particular interests within the event environment this will be rewarded. For example if you have a budding photographer, film maker or social media superhero in front of you, you may be able to use their skills and ideas somehow in future projects.

Brief Staff Fully
It is important to brief staff so they understand their role and what is expected of them. This will also help to take some of the anxiety away for them. It can be quite daunting being part of a large event and not everyone in the events industry is confident and outgoing, particularly if they are just starting out.
Before the day I always talk through and/or send a briefing document about the event detailing important information and try to think about any key questions they may have. This will include practical and logistical information such as what to wear, directions and public transport information, who to ring in case of problems, which entrance to use and who to report to. I also outline their anticipated tasks with a chronological timeline of the day and their responsibilities. Finally I include a paragraph about my company ethos and brand and what I expect from our staff.

Reward Reliable Casual Event Staff
You need reliable casual event staff. Reward dependable staff by ensuring they are on the A-list and ensuring they have first refusal of any additional shifts that come up.

Understand the Role
To be a rounded Event Manager I am a firm believer that you should experience all elements of your event and the different challenges team members face. To do this you need to spend some time in different areas, such as behind the registration desk and serving refreshments. This ensures that you gain a different perspective and truly understand the role every member of staff is undertaking and the traits required by that task. Every single element of your event contributes to the final tapestry. Lead by example and show how you expect each role to be approached but also take heed of the rich feedback this opportunity gives you.

Team Building
This is difficult when casual staff and volunteers often join the team for short periods and at pressurized times, however try to develop team spirit and the sense of achievement that working together effectively creates.

Value Their Feedback
Let staff and volunteers know that you truly value their thoughts and ask for and listen closely to their feedback and suggestions. Your team will often hear insights from guests and attendees which is vital honest feedback you are not aware of and may inspire ways to do things better and differently in future.

Recognition and Praise
Event days are often long and hard. Thank the team and feed back praise from the client, attendees and so forth. Try to ensure casual event staff leave on a high and feeling proud of their contribution!