Okay – so let me play “opposite George” on this one and see if I can defend the value of the event-day check-in: How else will we know if they’ve arrived? What about their name badge? We have to get them their name badge! We need to give them their welcome package!

I can’t do it. I can’t defend the check-in. In short, it’s a pointless bottleneck. As an event planner, if you insist on giving away stuff, make it voluntary (staff a station and let people come to you), or if you have no shame, put stuff on peoples chairs. If you insist on using name badges then set that up near the coffee station (don’t worry, they’ll find you). Don’t make people line up to enter an event to collect something that’s not imperative to their experience. Besides, line-ups kill the mood every time. I think I’m grumpy today.

Download for FREE on iTunes

Enter my savior. Eventbrite Easy Entry offers eventholders a sleek digital replacement for traditional paper check-in. Yahoo! Now, this isn’t new technology but it’s now crazy affordable, check that… it’s FREE, and it’s connected to one of the simplest and cost-effective event registration systems out there.

The app features a digital list that grabs attendees as they register. It also syncs regularly with Eventbrite’s server, so you can offer multiple entry points for an event and each iPhone will be updated. And it allows you to review orders, so you can see each attendee’s payment total and method. It’s more reliable than a clipboard and simple to use!

Features:
- Log in with your Eventbrite user account
- Review orders for your event as they are placed
- Check in attendees at the event
- Sync attendee status across multiple devices
- Wirelessly updates attendance status in your Eventbrite charts and reports on Eventbrite.com

I’m over the moon about this app and I can’t wait to test drive it November 4th at CREATIVEMIX (bummer that I have to wait that long). If you’ve used it at your event let me know how it went!

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert

Now, for whatever reason, my brain got sidetracked the other day with all of the things that I HATE about events (and event-related marketing) and I went OFF on a mental tangent that produced some totally useless but funny images (at least to me, I giggled as I photoshoped). So, I’m going to call this a little window into everything that I think is sick and wrong with respect to events. Here’s some event promotion FAIL items that I’ve received in the past when attending an event, conference, or tradeshow; a couple at the end are just for fun – I got carried away.

Stress Squeeze Toy	Silly Putty
Logo Launcher	Game Cube
Frisbee	Credit Card
Snuggie Blanket	Pack of Smokes

Now I have to get back to work. The moral of the story is: cut out the crap. We’re going to continue with what we did last year: keep things simple like not giving people a name badge or a printed program and making everyone use ceramic coffee cups filled with Ethical Bean Coffee – that kind of stuff. How we’re going to get people there is still being worked out. Chime in if you like.

So if you’re planning an event do the world a favour and don’t destroy the earth one tchotchke at a time. If you need gifts or giveaways for your event be smart and order it from Saul Good Gift Co.

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert [This post can also be seen on CREATIVEMIX.ca/blog] ]]> http://redwagonmanagement.com/promo-fail/feed/ 1 http://redwagonmanagement.com/reduce-reuse/ http://redwagonmanagement.com/reduce-reuse/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:03:45 +0000 Red Wagon Management http://redwagonmanagement.com/?p=445

9. Reduce and Reuse

Here’s an excerpt from the eBook eleven and a half:

Clearly we’re going to get to the idea of green event planning but I want to kick off this section with a simple plea: stop the noise. One of the underlying themes behind the recent trend of sustainability is the call to de-clutter and simplify as much as possible. The call to reduce the flow of useless information, both verbal and written, belongs at the core of any green or eco-friendly event planning strategy. The justification for this can be easily witnessed whenever someone says, “We always do it this way.” The new era of sustainable event planning is one that hails innovation and clarity of purpose. If something must be done, be sure to do it with as little spending as possible, produce as little waste as is manageable, consume little energy, and, for goodness sake, ensure it has strategic priority. You’ll see what I mean. Keep reading.

When I think about the sustainability of an event, I like to think about the reoccurring ones as they’re the most likely to have a stable audience. When an event happens at regular intervals, monthly or yearly, there’s a unique opportunity to plan in such a way that you’re engaging the new attendees and re-connecting with the returning ones. The event plan should take full advantage of the fact that you’re not starting from scratch all the time. There are countless examples but for now try this on for size: All signage should be reusable. Stop making single-use signs. If the signs are branded that’s fine but ideally a sign could be used for more than one event. Don’t bother with putting a date on the sign; if they’re people at the event they already know what day it is. If you need to put a bunch of content on it then do it up on a printed page so it can be removed. When it comes to sponsors, have a separate sign for their logos or, even better, find ways to recognize sponsors without signage. Now, let’s not forget that the materials used to make the sign should also be recyclable (I’m so done with corrugated plastic and vinyl lettering).

Now, let’s use this sponsor sign scenario to revisit the noise issue. Think back a few years. Yep, that’s right . . . 1999 is a good place to start. Brand recognition and logo positioning were everything. Companies paid big bucks to have their logo splashed on everything in order to get as many impression counts as possible. We do not live in that era anymore. Sponsorships are more about strategic alliances, partnerships, and, ultimately, relationships. A gigantic smorgasbord of sponsor logos communicates none of these values. When wanting to highlight sponsors, keep it verbal or, at least, digital. Shy away from stacking logos on pages or signs because all it does is decrease the impact of any one logo and homogenize the contributions. I know that most planners like to assign metal categories, like platinum, gold, and silver, and that the bigger the logo the more love the company gave; but come on . . . let’s get with the times.

Let’s talk paper. Most brochures, flyers, info sheets, PowerPoint notes, and program guides are absolutely useless and are of no value whatsoever to event attendees. When an event includes the spoken and/or written word (which is pretty much every event with the exception of parties and maybe street mime) the gathering should have valuable content that communicated with purpose. It used to be that printing on recycled or post-consumer paper was the latest thing; that’s now the bare minimum. What’s trendy, in my books, is no printing at all. Another case in point is the program guide. What’s wrong with a program guide you ask? In most cases, it’s redundant, as the content has already been published online. Republishing a website in print format is a total waste of time and money. Event planners need to organize events in such a way that attendees don’t depend on printed material. The cunning use of LCD projection or announcements is a start, or making a website viewable via a mobile device; these are ways to stop the printing press in its tracks. For a small conference you could easily save $5,000 by not designing and printing a program guide. If you’re worried about hanging people out to dry, set up some computer kiosks in the lobby with the event website as the home page (or as the desktop screen saver or wallpaper showing the schedule).

The rise of the eco-conscious event industry has been much slower than one would hope. Events are by and large still grossly wasteful and the planners who bring it all together are often ill-equipped or inadequately empowered when it comes to making the decisions necessary to bring sustainable practices to their event project. When I say “your father’s eco-friendly event,” I mean that there’s already old school eco-planning and we should not fool ourselves in thinking that we’re doing something good by doing the basics. The basics are not good enough anymore. Blue bins, bottle recycling, name badge drop boxes, printing on 10%post consumer paper, or even reusable trade show bags are not bad in of them selves they just don’t make an event sustainable. Single-use items are major waste makers; just because you recycle them doesn’t actually account for a whole lot. Oh, and don’t get me started on branded gift bags!

Cut out the crap and simplify.

Want it all? Download the event planning eBook eleven and a half ways to help make your next event a huge success for just $5.

Our consumer society wastes a tremendous amount. With billions of tonnes of garbage going to the landfill every year not only do we pay with our dollars but also at the cost of polluting our environment. By eliminating baskets, outer shipping boxes and unnecessary packing materials and filling our custom designed recyclable gift boxes with premium organic and local products, Saul Good has developed an easy way for people to thank those we care about most while positively contributing to the world we all share and live in. Their gift boxes offer the finest, green, fair trade products available, and are assembled in Vancouver-BC. Visit their site at http://www.itsaulgood.com

Sure, there’s some great options out there and I realize that sometimes it’s worth sticking with the suppliers that you know and trust, but for me – I’ve seen to much and been left wanting to often. Getting up and running with GiftTool was fast and unbelievably easy. I’ve moved ALL my clients onto GiftTool (I started with the Camp Moomba Yogathon in March 2007 – using their super-cool pledgeathon system) and I’ve never looked back. To-date I have processed over half a million dollars in transactions using GiftTool and I’m confident that each purchase, donation, and sponsorship was managed perfectly.

I’ve been actively involved with event registration systems since 2004, from both the architect and management  level – both proprietary applications and international enterprise-level systems (impressive in their own right), and as a result I have e a very discerning eye. I’m not an expert but I’m picky. Truth be told, I am very proud of the work GiftTool does and am so glad they take their job as seriously as I do. They make me look good – and in this very difficult business I feel like it’s like a free gift.

My gift to you is this: email Ashely Anderson, tell him Corwin Hiebert sent you, and ask for a quote – you’ll feel like it’s your birthday (and your clients will love you).