Continue read Corwin’s latest post “For Events, Promote the WHY” on the Eventbrite Blog.

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.

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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

Okay – so, we likely agree that fundraising is hard… but instead of being cynical I want to highlight an event that I believe is doing everything right. The BC Lung Association’s newest event The Rush: Race & Urban Scavenger Hunt (Vancouver, June 5, 2010) is a great example of a new, innovative, exciting fundraising event that is sure to to rally to the cause. They’ve recently launched the RUSH campaign and they’re knocking this one out of the park. So in the spirit of support I’m doing a shout out in the shape of an event review. This event deals with some of my most entrenched concerns when it comes to the strategic design of a fundraising event and I figured I’d share my take on why RUSH is being planned perfectly right out of the gate.

Event Overview: RUSH is a brand new event that’s run by the oldest charity in Canada. It’s pretty simple, teams of two scour the city on foot and by public transit to complete a required number of Checkpoint Challenges within a 6 hour time limit; the team who finishes first wins an amazing trip for two around the world! “Think of it like an intense, one day version of TV’s Amazing Race,” said Events Coordinator Marissa McFadyen. “Participants will be asked to do and try things they’ve likely never done before.”

1) The event fits with the current brand and message of the organization. The activity directly correlates with the cause. Participants will be enjoying the fresh, West Coast air while they’re running around their beautiful city, they’ll be experiencing and promoting lung health simultaneously. It is not a disconnected or disjointed event, which to many fundraising events are, and it fits with their other events: The Stairclimb for Clean Air and their Bicycle Trek for Life and Breath. What’s great about RUSH is that it’s not as athletic-oriented as some of their others and pretty much anyone can do it.

2) RUSH isn’t saturating the pre-existing donor base with yet another event (or another gala for goodness sake), it’s reaching out in an attempt to bring awareness to a younger demographic. For such a large organization I can only image how hard this would normally be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m often a proponent for bringing current donors into the mix, mostly because events need that core group to be successful, but in this case, because of the history of the BC Lung Association, reaching out to a new, younger generation is the right way to go.

3) Even though it’s a fundraising event the primary message is fun. FUN! We’re not stupid, we all get it: the event proceeds go towards lung health and air quality research, education, and lung patient support programs, but they don’t beat you over the head with it. Thank you.

4) The only element that I feel could go either way is the $200 minimum each pair has to fund raise. I’m still undecided when it comes to the long-term success of minimums; however, they’ve said that’s a team-minimum (only $100 per person) and they didn’t bury this info deep in the registration detail (upfront is good). If I have to pick a side I’d agree with the BC Lung Assoc. on their minimums because the event will have some significant costs due to all the logistics and activities and without a high level of commitment it could be to difficult to make it a success. It’s a good fit; let’s go with it.

5) Just by its nature a scavenger hunt is exciting and adventurous which means that participants will have a very unique experience. Thank goodness! There are to many same-old-same-old events out there. Creating a memory that will last a life-time is a lot harder than planners think. This highly participatory, activity oriented event will make for some great laughs and a wonderful sense of accomplishment for everyone involved. And with teams only needing two people it can be super easy to get a buddy, partner, or co-worker involved.

In the end, from the way I see it, raising money needs to take a backseat to building awareness through a connected and participatory experience and RUSH looks to do just that. The funds will come if the fundraisers have the time of their life and I’m very confident that RUSHers will love their experience and be fans and followers of the BC Lung Association for a long time to come.

For more information or to register visit www.rushvancouver.ca. Got a question? Contact Destin Haynes, Communications (haynes@bc.lung.ca) or Marissa McFadyen, Special Events (mcfadyen@bc.lung.ca).

Starting a small business is tough and the hardest part for most entrepreneurs is managing their cash flow. One thing I’ve learned in starting my own event management company is that when it comes to cash flow you need cash, without it there’s no flow. I’m hilarious. The trick is getting paid! If you’re not a small business owner you might not find that statement all that profound but for those of us who “live the dream” and are making a living one contract at a time it’s epic.

Here’s some advice with respect to getting paid:

Don’t work for free. Don’t do it. Ever. FREE is a four letter word that should be removed from your vocabulary. What you do is valuable. I’m convinced that the most offensive word in small business is “FREE”, especially to those in the creative sector. Unless you’re new to capitalism, I think you’d agree that the word “free,” more often than not, communicates a lack of value. Whether or not you can manage with a non-billable project is beside the point. When no monetary value is associated with work effort it creates an unstable environment for the sole proprietor, and client alike. Money is the single most commonly used method of assigning commitment and when it’s relinquished it makes for a strained relationship because it lowers everyone’s expectations. If you’re trying to grow your business then charge something, something is better than nothing. The growth potential of your career will depend on your reputation and if your reputation is that you work for free then you’re not building on a very good foundation.

I realize why sole proprietors work for free, they do it for practice, to build their resumes, and they believe it helps them get their foot in the door. The first two reasons make sense but I think that honing your skills and developing report is better served by doing personal or independent projects. However, in the attempt to score a new client you offer your services for free then their first impression of working with you is that you’re free: Client “1”, small business owner “0”. If you’re working for someone else then they’re a client and they should ante up, period. The exchange of money helps communicate a professional level of commitment and you need that.

When it comes to budget constraints, if a potential client says they have no budget know this: They’re wrong. Everyone has some budget. It may be only a few dollars but it’s something. If you’re in the creative industries, your creative and technical contribution should always be associated with monetary value. At minimum make sure that if you’re working for free that it’s truly just your time that is free and that you have zero expenses (gas, parking, meals, rentals, phone calls, whatever).

Don’t be so quick to discount. Discounts are dangerous business. I understand that fear, that some money is better than no money and in order secure a gig you feel you have to provide a discount on your services. Well, first of all, I’m assuming that you’ve appropriate priced your services – discounts on over inflated rates will only work for so long, eventually the bubble will burst. Secondly, if a discount is the only way you’ll be able to land a shoot then try this, request non-financial benefits. If it’s for a charity, request sponsor recognition. If it’s for a business, ask to receive a gift card towards their products. If it’s a service company ask to be added to their marketing material as a preferred supplier.

If you’re looking for some inspiration as to how to set your prices and understand your value I’d recommend Alan Weiss’s Value-Based Fees: How to Charge and Get What You’re Worth. It’s an intense book and I guarantee it will push your paradigm with respect to earning money but sometimes it takes an extreme perspective to get things on the right track.

Bill on time. This is the important business building strategy: bill on time. First of all I have to say that too many small business owners don’t send bills, I don’t get that. I’m a huge fan of sending bills. When you send bills you get paid. If you’ve already received your payment then sending a bill after the fact shows your professionalism. Always send a bill, even if it’s for $1. And send it before you do the work, or as early as possible in the project. It’s a great way to make sure they take you seriously and the quicker you invoice the quicker you get paid.

Helpful Tip: Use FreshBooks. Why you ask? Because its users get paid on average 14 days faster; my business is living proof of that fact. It’s a secure, online service that is free to use if you have three clients or less (if you have more clients there’s a nominal monthly fee). It does more than just make you look organized, you ARE organized. Invoices can be sent by email (links to a PDF, or you can have FreshBooks send them via regular mail). At your discretion your clients can have online access to their invoices and account history – very cool. You can generate invoices based on time, expenses, and fixed cost services/items or any combination thereof. And, they’ve got a great desktop widget and iPhone app.

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Posted by Corwin Hiebert

When someone registers or plans to attend an event that is free they automatically assign that activity the category of “maybe.” If they are not liable for not showing up then it’s no big deal in their eyes. But it’s a big deal for you, the event planner. Your event plan can be seriously impacted when attendance is such a variable.

Consider the poor success of a Facebook invitation. I haven’t seen any official statistics but, in my experience, it’s a miracle even if 1% of the confirmed attendees from a Facebook event actually show up. Sure, there are the exceptions, such as mass bike rides and water gun fights, but event promotion via social marketing tools invokes little to no commitment. And when the commitment level is low it is that much easier for someone to bail.

Discounts are dangerous too. I come across this one all the time. As an event planner you know that fear, that gut-wrenching feeling, of having empty seats and you’ll do anything to fill them. Too often, prices are hacked and slashed to get people in the room. If you discount remaining tickets, you’ve got a couple liabilities on your hands. First of all, you’ve just filled the room with people who have lowered expectations. These low-paying people can skew survey results, create a negative vibe in the room, and may not be the right people for the event. The second liability is that your pre-existing registrants will go berserk on you and demand refunds, thus lowering your overall revenue and negating the funds you just earned by bringing in the cheapies. It’s a trap. Don’t discount. Add value, don’t lower it.

Helpful Tip: Offer deals to event registrants only. When trying to increase attendance, focus on the people who have already registered for your event. By providing a discount on additional passes, they’ll be motivated to bring their own friends.

This blog post was originally published on the Eventbrite Blog on January 19, 2010.

It’s here! Eleven and a Half is Corwin Hiebert’s tell-all event planning eBook. This 18 page down-loadable PDF is crammed full of insights, ideas, and action steps with you, the event planner, in mind.

Whether you’re an event “professional” or someone who self-inflicts events on themselves through entrepreneurial necessity, volunteerism, or an ever expanding job description this eBook will help you make your next event a huge success. Eleven and a Half is written in such a way that any level of event planner can apply these concepts and strategies to any type of event.

You can purchase Eleven and a Half for just $5 USD. Simply click the Add to Cart button at the top of this post to purchase this exciting eBook!

It’s also available to Amazon Kindle users:

Page examples:

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.

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Need some help getting started? Here’s how to sign-up as a Red Wagon Management eBook Affiliate:

1. Log into your existing E-junkie account OR register for a new account if you don’t have one
2. You will arrive at Affiliate Admin;
3. Click Get Affiliate Code;
4. The Select Merchant menu lists the affiliate programs you have joined;
5. Select from the menu which link codes you want to get;
6. Click Get Affiliate Code, then select Common Hop Link (redirects to RedWagonManagement.com) or Direct Product Link (add to cart button for your own site) – the Common Hop Link will also work for future eBook offerings on this site;
7. Paste your link code into the HTML source of your own Web page;
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Questions: If you have any concerns or issues please contact Corwin Hiebert (info@redwagonmanagement.com).

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When meeting other event professionals I’ve come across many different titles but the most common seem to be:

1. Coordinator
2. Planner
3. Manager
4. Producer

I’ve ranked them according to levels of responsibility – at least how I see them. I realize that most people in the event industry wear multiple hats; of course that could be said of most careers these days. However, I’ve been encouraging students of the event industry to be sure they know which type of role they’re looking to fill. To focus on ones’ strengths is huge when involved in bringing an event project to a successful conclusion.

Now, I’m not saying that we should heap new demands on a dying descriptors but I do feel like it’s important to say that roles and title do come into play from time to time. When considering the list above I see too many event planners call themselves event planners when in fact they’re taking on the responsibility and liability which I feel constitutes the title of producer. It’s not that I want to have a fight about semantics but the event biz would benefit from working with consistent terminology. These titles do carry some weight, some level of ranking, that would suit our business well if we operated under uniform definitions. In my view there’s a pecking order when it comes to roles and their are benefit of clarifying the position one carries. There are different levels of leadership (and ownership) with respect to an event project. Here’s how I would describe these roles:

1. Coordinator – tasks are assigned to them, check-list oriented work, heavy on the logistics and event-day operations
2. Planner – facilitating tasks and people, delegating, some decision making power
3. Manager – developing project strategy and direction, leading key elements like goal planning and marketing
4. Producer – the boss, idea maker, initiator, content planning, the final authority (aka Jesus Jr.)

The normal chaos of events can be significantly limited when the event professional(s) know their role. I’ve used these titles as the starting point for an event team (paid or volunteer) for nearly three years now and I’m glad I have.