“EG Tips” – The Dry Hire Venue Guide

“EG Tips” – The Dry Hire Venue Guide

by | February 24, 2019 | EG Tips

Although there are certainly many venues out there that can provide everything that an eventprof could need to cater for and invigorate guests there are also times when a higher level of flexibility and control is required. For such occasions, event planners can look to ‘dry hire’ a venue, which if planned carefully will offer the freedom they need to create a very special event.

“Choosing a venue is without a doubt a decision that can make or break your event” and this is especially true with dry hire venues, largely due to discrepancy between venues rules and assumptions that event planners can make. The purpose of this blog post is to give you some insight into this approach and to help you avoid finding yourself in a situation that will cost you lots to fix, or cause you unnecessary stress. Many of the points are also true of hiring a venue in general as well!

So What is a Dry Hire Venue?

When booking a venue, the term “Dry Hire” means that the client pays for the use of the venue space only, generally with food and beverage, furniture, staffing, audio-visual equipment, decorations and theme being organized externally by the client rather than the venue.
You might think of it as hiring the space as an empty shell, as opposed to using extras that are provided or recommended by the venue. Some venues are only available to dry hire, whereas others offer it as an option, or do not allow it at all.

Different venues will include different things (in-house furniture for example) and have different rules (some venues require that you hire their kitchen porters, as they know where everything goes), so it is important to understand this and know what to expect from your venue from the very beginning.

Serious problems can arise when event planners’ discover that their booked venue has restrictions that hinder their event, or unexpected costs that have not been budgeted for.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dry Hire

When faced with the choice of dry hiring a venue, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of the approach:

Dry hire offers greater control but demands more responsibility

Obviously dry hire venues give event planners a higher level of control, making it a great option for highly personalized events such as weddings and product launches. Remember that with great power, comes great responsibility and the entire process of organizing the event will be down to you, with more work, potential problems and variables. People with little or no experience organizing events will need thorough planning and good project management skills to make the event a success.

Be aware of the fact that venues with a lot of character and built in decoration, such as historic buildings or museums, can be hard to theme without appearing tacky or excessive.

Dry hire offers a greater choice of suppliers but often with less experience working at the chosen venue

A large number of our dry hire enquiries stem from a desire to use specific caterers, such as those that have catered for family weddings or corporate events over a number of years, or to provide cuisine with cultural significance, in which case dry hire can be a great solution.

There are, however, benefits in using a venue’s regular suppliers (including in-house caterers) who are familiar with the layout, understand access restrictions and have handled any issues that may have arisen in the past. If you are not emotionally attached to a caterer then at least consider using the venue’s usual suppliers.

Dry hire can cost less… or more

One bonus of a dry hire venue is that the costs are often reduced, as simply paying for the venue without staff and catering reduces the overheads. Clients often consider this option if their team is able to cover certain duties themselves, or when the event does not require much catering, or when they have a good catering deal elsewhere.

Please note that this is not always the case, as some venues are in fact more expensive to dry hire. For example, some venues with in-house catering, may charge a significantly higher amount to dry hire, as the venue has to cover the lost revenue that would be gained from catering spend. You may need to negotiate hard, particularly if you are on a tight budget.

Dry Hire Pro Tips

If you decide that a dry hire venue is right for your event then here are a few useful points that we like to highlight to our clients:

  1. Have a Clear Vision for your Event

    From the very beginning, you should have a clear vision for your event and an understanding of the various elements involved, so that you can establish straight away whether the venue will be able to accommodate. If the venue has restrictions that may hinder your event, you need to find this out before you sign on the dotted line, as changing venue after that point can be very expensive.

  2. Carefully Discuss the Details with the Venue

    Once you know what you need, discuss everything in great detail with your preferred venue. I recommend meeting at the venue itself, walking through the space and detailing everything that you want to happen and who you want to do it, which will unearth any potential problems.

  3. Find Out Exactly What is Included

    4. Some venues will have a detailed document with dry hire FAQs and equipment lists, so ask for that first (if any venue-side event manages are reading this, it is a great idea and something that has saved me a huge amount of time in the long run).
    Specific things to check include:

    • Exactly which spaces and facilities are included
    • What furniture and equipment is included (don’t assume that the tables you see at your viewing
      are included as they may not be, or may even have been hired externally for another event that day!)
    • Who will supply linen, cutlery, service staff, kitchen porters?
    • What staff members will be included? Aside from catering staff think about cloakroom attendants,
      security, event managers, kitchen porters, cleaners…)
    • What kitchen space and equipment will be available?
  4. Introduce Everyone

    Most caterers and suppliers will have worked at a huge number of venues and will be able to iron out the details very quickly. If possible, take a representative from each of your suppliers to meet with the venue, as they will be able to ask questions specific to their needs and will often highlight issues that had not even considered, or taken for granted.

In Conclusion

Dry hiring a venue will often be the best choice for many events and the trick to getting it right, as with many things in the world of event planning, is communication. Understand and communicate the goals and vision for your event from the beginning with all parties involved and your event will be a success (without the stress!)

(Social Coup LLC)

“EG Tips” – The Dynamics of Unique Value Proposition in Your Events

“EG Tips” – The Dynamics of Unique Value Proposition in Your Events

by | February 21, 2019 | EG Tips

Are you tired of everything coming down to money when talking with prospective clients? Are you trying to figure out how to get them to see your value? Hint: it can’t be done in a sales pitch.

As a business, you need a unique value proposition for your event planning services and the events you plan. You must make sure that people understand what makes you different and why they should select your service or attend your event over others. Many times we make the mistake of differentiating on price. “We’re the lowest!” But that only gets you into a bidding war with the competition. So what do you do when your client or attendee is cost-savings focused and is missing the value? How can you help them to see it?

Look Over Here. Did You See That? It’s Value.

Part of the value discussion lies in understanding what your client sees value in. For instance, let’s assume you’re talking with an event client prospect. You think they want to sign with you but they’re hesitant so you throw in an hour of free service. Now instead of a 3-hour event, they can extend it to 4, without paying you anything additional. That’s a great deal if they had wanted a 4-hour event all along but if they didn’t, you’re not saving them money. You’re costing them more for an hour longer with the entertainment, the venue, the AV people, and whomever else.
So before doing anything else, find out what they consider valuable and begin the conversation there.

  1. Show Cause and Effect. Skimping Here, Impacts This.

    If your client is feeling overwhelmed, they may be looking to control something and a budget is a good place to start. They may start whittling away this and that in the hopes of regaining control again. Know that this is just a symptom of a larger anxiety.

    If you come in at this point, with a hardcore sales approach, you’ll lose them. You need to focus your energy on creating a connection. They need to be courted and you do that by showing them you have what they need. But first, you need to figure out what that is.

    Get them off of the nickels and dimes and onto the larger picture. Ask about their vision for the event, their goals, and what they want. Let them bask in the “what will be” for a moment. Listen to what they’re saying. Make note of what they want and how they communicate it to you. What words do they use?
    They should be telling you what they value. If you’re telling them what they value, you’ll be swimming upstream. Instead, find out what they find important and mold your event approach to that. It won’t feel like a sale. It will be a conversation. Next, mimic the language they used when talking about the event. Reiterate their vision to them so they know you’re on the same page.

    Then, talk about how their desired cost-savings only add up to a few dollars. Show what it will impact. Then switch the conversation to what the event could be and what that would mean for all involved. Paint a story that the customer wants to be a part of. You can do this by basing it on what they told you. Then talk about attendee experience. Ask them which scenario provides more value for everyone involved? The cost-savings one or their ideal? The economic outlay is not that much more for the ideal version, but it yields a much larger potential for greater return on investment.

  2. Talk About Return on Investment and Results Not Individual Costs

    For most customers, buying a car is a long-term commitment; at least from the payment side since most people finance them. Have you noticed how salespeople talk about cars? They ask about monthly payment. After all, that’s what most people care about in their budget. It doesn’t benefit them to talk about how much buyers will pay over the life of the loan. Most people would experience buying paralysis hearing that number.
    With events, it’s the opposite. The larger shock is in the line item. Events are something people will pay off at one time, unlike a car. Don’t allow the conversation to turn into an analysis of line-item charges. They’ll experience the same buying paralysis that they would if they saw what they’d actually be paying for a car in the long run.

    Instead, talk about return on investment. It will cost you X, but you’ll bring in Y. (Hopefully, Y will make X look teeny, tiny.) Then show them the results you’ve achieved through other events for clients. Don’t just look at ROI as money. Broaden that definition to show how your efforts have brought in more attendees, grown name recognition, and continued to increase attendance years later.

    Ask the tough questions so they see the hidden costs of how they’re currently doing things. Find out about their challenges. Look for correlations and get them to open up. Ask them problem-solving prompts like, “How is that affecting this?” This allows them to start to see the challenges they may not have seen before. And since it’s them seeing it, not you directly saying “Your problem is this,” they will be more receptive to your planning solution and event expertise.

    Show them what they’re missing or what could be, but make sure you do this step after you know what they value. If not, you could be offering something they are not at all interested in.

  3. Talk About Return on Investment and Results Not Individual Costs

    Because you already know what your potential client finds value in, you can quickly structure this conversation to show what they’re getting from you over and above your traditional services. If you show them value at every meeting and in every call or if you explain they’re getting something with you that most event planners charge for, they are more likely to feel good about spending the money, which brings us to…

  4. Educate Them with Stories about How Your Service Has Brought Success or Solved Problems for Other Clients.

    Have you ever known someone who is so wise it feels like every moment spent with them is a life lesson? You feel compelled to take notes. If you can do the same for your clients (in a humble way, of course), they will see value in simply talking to you.

    This may seem disingenuous but keep track of all the times you counsel them on the phone or over email. They may not be aware how often they lean on you for support or the answers to their questions. This is not so much so that you will throw it in their face one day and say, “Look what I’ve done for you” but so that you can recognize the pattern of the type of help you provide. It may assist you in creating more valuable content or programs.

    You also want to show them best practices you’ve shared with other customers and what’s worked for them. Whenever possible, use clients that are similar to the one you’re trying to win over. That way their success will feel more achievable. Using big name market examples (not your own) that other event planners have been involved with doesn’t bring value to your client. It just shows you can read articles.

    This will help your prospective client place a value on your services that they won’t find with another event planner. Make sure they understand the institutional knowledge you have and the bargain that it is.

  1. Make Sure Your Pricing Isn’t the Problem. Options Are Only Ideal if People Upgrade Instead of Downgrade.

    Nowhere in the event planner’s book does it say that you must offer pricing tiers. However, if you want to do so, make sure they are effective. You do this by avoiding these pricing traps:

    • Too much choice in services offered
    • Too big or little a valley between tiers

    Most people worry their pricing is too expensive and so they end up slashing it and discounting it to the point that they’ve eroded their profit. If you are providing value and serving your target customer, you are generally not charging too much. Look at Macs, for instance. In some cases, those computers cost nearly double what PCs do. And yet most of their users are loyal and won’t ever switch back to PC. Their iPhones have a loyalty rate of 92%. Though Macs are expensive, should they be defined as a luxury brand or are they more of a lifestyle choice? People from all types of household budgets set aside the money for something they see value in. So while price may be a factor for some people, it’s not for everyone.

    Avoid These Mistakes
    Make sure that you don’t make these mistakes which undermine your unique value proposition.

    Too Many Choices

    When you offer too many choices, clients get lost in options and end up making the decision based on their wallets. It’s the only thing they understand.
    Take a look at software and technology companies. They generally offer three options – a free, a middle, and an enterprise option, or three options in addition to the free one. Their livelihood relies on their ability to get customers to opt for something other than free. They need to provide basic service but limit it in some way that will make people buy instead of remaining free customers. If they had ten different choices, customers wouldn’t take the time to assess them and they’d just select the cheapest.

    Too Big or Little Difference Between Tiers

    The same can be said when there is too vast a difference between pricing options. For instance, let’s assume you have two different types of service as an event planner. The first one is standard planning, no frills. Just planning You’re on your own for the day-of management. The second plan is a personal concierge type service where you practically offer to live with the person while you’re in charge of their event.
    Does it feel like something’s missing? How about the “just right” solution?
    If you have services priced at either side of a giant canyon, clients will likely stay on the safe side, the one where they’re not shelling out an exorbitant amount. In order to get them to traverse the great divide with you, you need to first give them some middle ground, a pricing option that is comfortable with a slightly smaller price point but also fewer services.
    Again, you don’t have to offer multiple plans but if you do, you need to take a note from how software companies price.

    • Label one of your options as a “best value” option.
    • Differentiate with something of value. Tech companies often use the number of accounts as a differentiator. And there’s no getting around this. For instance, if you’re looking at social media scheduling software and the free account only allows you to post to two social media accounts, guess what? You’re going to pay for the upgrade. Very few people these days are using schedulers for only 1-2 accounts.
    • Use price anchoring. Having an executive level pricing structure for event planning may not get a lot of bites but it makes your less expensive options feel like a steal. Just as bright light affects the color we see, having an expensive tier on the same page with another option, sets the tone for how people perceive it.

In Conclusion

Clients are busy. We can’t expect them to sort through all the differences in our services and those they’re comparing us to. If we wait for them to derive the value, we’ll likely be waiting a long time. It’s up to us as event professionals to point it out…and often. But to be effective at helping them to see value we have to invest the time in having conversations, not sales pitches.

(Social Coup LLC)

“EG Tips” – 4 Steps to Implementing Diversity at Events

“EG Tips” – 4 Steps to Implementing Diversity at Events

by | February 19, 2019 | EG Tips

When planning your event do you think about every little need or accommodation that you attendees might need? From accessibility to food allergies to religious requirements and more, you need to make sure that you event is set up for success when it comes to diversity.
  1. Start with Your Team

    You need to look at who you are working with and make sure that they understand the importance of diversity for your event. This means putting in place a framework and a guide on what your team needs to know when it comes to diversity.

    • Start to read metrics on diversity and inclusion. For example, there are more CEOs named John then there are female CEOs at large companies. Become educated on what is happening around you so that you can take the steps to change the norm. Don’t only read the metrics, but read the news and see the stories that are happening. Make sure that your team knows your stance on diversity and what they need to do to accommodate all.
    • When assembling your team, try and have diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, personalities and genders. This makes sure that you have thought of everything when it comes to planning your event. Think about your own group of friends, you are not all alike because that would be boring. You have a difference of opinions and ideas that make you see things in a new light. Set up your event team like that.
  2. Think About Event Logistics

    Now that your team is organized you need to start getting your event in order. This means thinking of ways that you can add diversity into your event and thinking about certain scheduling conflicts when it comes to logistics.

    • Whatever type of event you are hosting, whether it is pharmaceutical conference, technology summit or celebrity food event you need to keep your attendees in mind. When it comes to the date of your event, make sure that you steer clear of any major religious holidays and festivals. You don’t want to neglect some of your audience because your show falls on a sacred day for them. You would be losing an attendee and they would be losing out on valuable information from your event.
    • Invite a diverse group of people to your event. If you are hosting a global event, don’t just send invitations to people in your local area. Do your research and find other countries that would have an interest in your event and start placing ads on big media sites in the area. Do whatever you can do get a large group of people at your event from varying backgrounds, cultures, abilities and more. This is good for not only your event, but your attendees because they are able to network and learn from people with different views from them.
    • When thinking about your event agenda try and add some topics on diversity or inclusion. If you are hosting an event with a keynote speaker, considering inviting someone who is a diversity expert who can speak to the audience on the topic. If you have a large tradeshow, add a track on diversity and inclusion in events to encourage speakers to submit topics.
  1. Get Questions Answered During Registration

    If you want to make sure that you are meeting all the needs of your attendees, then ask them specific questions during registration. Registration should be simple for your attendees, but it should also be the place where they can put in any special requirements that they might need for specific reasons.

    • If you are hosting a global event you need to think about the language barrier. Add a section into your registration form that asks people if they will need materials or interpretation in another language.
    • This is also the place to find out of any dietary modifications that you attendees have. I would leave this question open ended because there are many different allergies, medical, personal and religious reasons that people cannot eat certain things.
    • Is your website accessible for those who cannot see? Look for a registration provider that is 508 compliant if you know you will be hosting an event where you will have people who have disabilities.
  2. Cover All Your Bases Onsite

    When you are looking for your event venue it can be a daunting task without even thinking about all the considerations that you need to put in place to make your attendees feel welcomed. There are a few things to remember.

    • If you are looking at a venue with multiple levels, is there an elevator available for wheelchair users or people with disabilities? You don’t want to alienate one of your attendees from the start.
    • When thinking of cocktail hours or food options make sure you have some tables that are lower to the ground so that food is in reach for everyone.
    • Find a venue with close, local transportation options. You want your venue to be easy to get to with multiple ways to do so. Also, consider having parking spaces clearly marked with an international symbol for accessibility.
    • Part of great meeting design is the seating options that you have. It is also important to make these accessible. Offer seating with backs to consider their varying needs, preferences and comfort levels.

In Conclusion

Successfully adding diversity to your event is a big task at hand. While you don’t need to start all at once, you should consider implementing a few options above to get things started. Once it is part of your normal event planning routine, it will be easier to add more options down the road.
Remember, you are there to make your attendees happy and feel welcome.

(Social Coup LLC)

“EG Tips” – 5 Principles to Make Every Minute of Your Meeting Count

“EG Tips” – 5 Principles to Make Every Minute of Your Meeting Count

by | February 17, 2019 | EG Tips

There is nothing as annoying as a conference running late. It irritates the attendees, who then will go home on a negative sentiment; no matter how great the program was. Furthermore it has a negative effect on the success of the meeting, because running late leaves less time for reflection, harvesting and implementation.

How can we make sure, time is not our enemy? How can we make sure that – freely translated from the Rolling Stones’ song – ‘time is on our side’? There are some very simple solutions to this problem.

  1. One Goal, One Mission

    Most meeting-schedules are crammed from minute one to the last second. The meeting owner in most cases has many goals for the occasion, all to be targeted in this one day. The solution is as simple, as it is effective: limit the number of goals to ONE.

    Then take a close look, to see if even this one goal can be achieved in one single day. Maybe it is too much for the attendees to be convinced there is a problem, define what exactly it is, find the solutions and work on actual implementation in just a few hours.

  2. Spacious Planning

    Restrain your urge to estimate everything from the positive side. Transferring 200 people from one breakout session to another, including toilet-stop and getting a drink, is simply asking for trouble. It is better to ‘blow some air’ into the schedule. Embrace the slow philosophy in terms of your events.
    Cancel 20% of programmed items: it will push you into making better choices when it comes to content and it will help you find time to really achieve things.

    Nobody ever complained, when a meeting finished early. So, don’t hesitate to tell your guests drinks will be at 17.00, while planning to finish at 16.30. It will bring you the luxury of having the ten minutes extra time to spend, in case a programmed-item turns out to be even more interesting than expected.

  3. Focus On the Right Things

    When a schedule crashes, it’s often the wrong things that are sacrificed to getting back on track. Already in the meeting design phase, the amount of time for interaction is cut down, and this gets reduced further everytime a speaker is added to the line-up. Just because this one Professor or top-manager ‘simply has to be on stage’, there suddenly is only five minutes left for Question & Answer; completely ridiculous, of course! Or breaks are brought back to 10 minutes for coffee or half an hour lunch, ignoring the importance of networking; an opportunity wasted!

    That is why you need the guts to make choices. If there is a really good reason for scheduling the extra speaker, is it better to have no Q&A-time, then just five minutes… if you take your guests seriously? But even better: give the floor to the people in the room and skip one of the speakers. If you get to be really engaged as an attendee, if the event does end up running late this will be more acceptable than a speaker going over time.

    This at the very least means, planning enough time at the end of the day to summarize and take decisions. Running late earlier in the program can not lead to forgetting about the harvesting.

    Also during the course of the day, delegates need time to convert what they’ve seen, heard and experienced to their day-to-day reality. If you are shooed from one item planned too tight to another, you will not be able to process and implement what you’ve learned. So once again: allow time, to reflect and settle.

  1. Be (Not Too) Strict

    By keeping to the schedule at one point, there’s room for running a bit late elsewhere. That’s why you need to constrain your speakers. Brief them clearly on what their role is and force them gently to stick to that. Too many speakers spend a large portion of their timeslot repeating what someone else already said. By briefing better and making speakers keep the timeframe, you prevent them taking too long.

    On the other hand, you should allow yourself, your guests and your moderator to run late on occasion. If some speaker, discussion, workshop, panel, group-interaction, or whatever turns out to be crucial to the objective of the day, running late is a good option. If you are really enjoying something and you feel the importance of ‘the momentum’, you will be more than happy to put in the extra time.

  2. Find the Right Moderator

    Not every moderator is a match with every format. One will feel very comfortable interviewing or hosting panels, others prefer debating or interacting with the attendees. That leads to a simple conclusion: the better the format suits you, the easier time-management will be for you; simply because you understand the format and you know what the meeting is all about, making decision on anything, including the schedule, is so much easier. Working with the right moderator therefore will automatically mean running late is avoided.

In Conclusion

We can say that running late is not fair. Not to the meeting owner, who really wants to achieve something. Not to the attendees, who deserve a day well spent. And not to the meeting-moderator, who should be given the chance to be more than a time-obsessed dictator.
Taking time to do things is not the solution. It is giving time to things that will bring us to the next level.

(Social Coup LLC)

“EG Tips” – 5 Essential Audio Visual (AV) Questions Event Planners Forget to Ask

“EG Tips” – 5 Essential Audio Visual (AV) Questions Event Planners Forget to Ask

by | February 14, 2019 | EG Tips

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. Is There Anything misleading in My Venue Contract?

    Check your contract (with an AV professional if possible) before signing. In order to better liaise with your venue, be sure you know what comes standard. It is easy to take things for granted (in my case, it was assuming our venue would be providing power). Some venues place restrictions or penalties on the client for using an AV specialist that is not in house. The best time to know this, is up front.

  2. What Can I Get for the Money?

    There is nothing wrong with having an honest conversation about budget at the outset. Clearly express what your budget is and what you expect from your event (do you need it to be sustainable? Will there be live streaming? etc.). Be sure to also go over what equipment you will need (how many mics and in what quantities, soundboards, switchers, projectors etc.).
    Also, if you plan to do a run through – how much and how far in advance you will need to rehearse certainly affects AV and thus, price. Being honest about your budget will make it so that you do not waste time with a company that cannot accommodate your needs. Be sure that you have a real grasp of billing before you begin.

  3. Can You Tour the Venue With Me?

    Event planners all know the value of a good venue walkthrough. However, it can be just as important that you tour the venue with your AV provider whenever possible. Having an AV specialist walk through your venue with you can clue you in to elements that may not have made it onto your checklist like ceiling height & other architectural elements (which will determine equipment). Your AV provider will also be checking for structures that will allow for ease and efficiency of load in, storage & security issues, HVAC capabilities and more.

  1. What Information Do You Need to Get Your Job Done?

    Discuss the AV team’s need for bandwidth, adequate power, and room access. Make sure you know how much time they will need for set up and teardown. How many presenters/speakers will you have? What kind of content will they be disseminating to your audience & via what mediums? What are the preferences of the speakers in terms of software, hardware etc. What kinds of microphones, and in what quantities will you need? Your AV specialist needs to know all of this information in order to set you up with the proper audiovisual technology to make your event run seamlessly.

  2. Who’s On the Team, & What Do They Do?

    All audiovisual teams were not created equal. Knowing who is on your AV team, can clue you in to how extensive the company’s services are. In addition, having a clear idea of who is point person for various aspects of your event can make it so that tiny details like who operates the presentation (the presenter or someone from the sound desk?) and via what medium, don’t fall through the cracks.

In Conclusion

Getting the most out of your AV specialist is a matter of asking the right questions. Novice planners and event veterans alike have a million and one tiny details on their plates. Never be afraid or unwilling to let your audiovisual provider take a few of those details off of your hands by keeping them in the loop from the very start.

Going over items like budget, and contract issues before you choose an AV provider will help to ensure that you don’t waste your time. Once you have chosen an AV specialist, toured your venue with them, asked about their needs, and enquired about the team, you will have a better grasp on your AV providers’ ability to accommodate you.

(Social Coup LLC)

“EG Tips” – 5 Negotiation Mistakes Every Event Planner Should Avoid

“EG Tips” – 5 Negotiation Mistakes Every Event Planner Should Avoid

by | February 12, 2019 | EG Tips

Negotiation is a big part of the job when it comes to being an event planner. From negotiating with vendors and venues, to clients and even employers, the negotiation never seems to end. Below are five common mistakes of new event managers, along with ways you can avoid them during your next big negotiation.
  1. Lacking Confidence

    Negotiations can be intimidating. When you first start out as a planner, these tough conversations might be something you want to avoid. But over time, through practice and experience, you develop the skills and confidence to approach the negotiations in the proper way.

    When you begin negotiations, go in with a sense of confidence and prove that your ideas and needs are valid. By showing a sense of knowhow and holding a firm stance, you are much more likely to get what you want. Coming to a mutually beneficial agreement or compromise is always a positive, but be sure to stand your ground during tough negotiations.

  2. Not Asking For Enough

    It is simply amazing what you can negotiate for. I have used my negotiation skills for everything from professional contracts, to getting an extra-special deal on my yoga membership.
    Oftentimes, items that may seem off the table or out of reach, can still be acquired by using the power of negotiation. It is good to ask for more than what you want or need, in order to meet in the middle with the other party.

    Many planners shy away from this to avoid sounding selfish or needy, but professionals in our industry expect you to come in with strong negotiations. Who knows, you may just get a better deal than you had originally planned for!

    These tough conversations can bode very well for your event budget and the only way to find out what you can gain is by asking and negotiating for more.

  3. Taking Things Personally

    Often times the negotiation process can become a bit awkward or challenging, but you should never take it personally. Instead seek to understand the other party’s point of view. If someone is under estimating your skills, try to see things from their perspective and focus on the reasoning behind their behavior or ideas.
    Approaching negotiations from a business mindset and not a personal one, will go a long way in your discussions and ultimately your agreements. Many planners see their events as an extension of themselves and, while it is good to show ownership, you want to leave these emotions behind when it comes to negotiations.

  1. Losing Your Cool

    The easiest way to lose out on a deal or end a negotiation is by getting angry or upset. No one enjoys working with someone who has lost control of their emotions. This behavior will never lead to any type of successful compromise. “You should always maintain respect for the other party and keep your focus on finding a solution.”

    Keep your head on straight and maintain a calm and cool demeanor. Nice people are much easier to work with and clients enjoy negotiating with patient and understanding individuals. State your needs and negotiation points in a direct, but professional manner. This will always win out over being pushy and difficult.

  2. No Prior Relationship
    As much as we talk about removing the personal side from negotiations, developing quality relationships play a major role in how deals are done. People like to work with real, honest, hardworking individuals. The only true way to prove yourself to a client or vendor is by establishing a quality relationship early on.
    “always take the time to get to know the vendors and venues you are negotiating with. Learn their needs and see their perspective, so you can use that knowledge to your advantage”.
    Do the research, work hard to network in your community and utilize these relationships in a smart way. By putting in the work early on, you will build many connections with vendors, clients or potential employers that you might one day be negotiating with. When that time comes, these individuals will be much more willing to work with you and perhaps bend a little more during the tough conversations.

In Conclusion

Negotiation is a must-have skill for planners on all levels. Oftentimes, simply going for what you want and respecting the other party will lead to success. Whether you’re negotiating a contract, your salary or even your day-to-day expenses, you can learn from the 5 mistakes above. Once you know how to navigate negotiations, the process can become a more enjoyable challenge that you look forward to in your planning process.

(Social Coup LLC)