Event Planning 101

No matter what path in life you choose to follow you are probably going to be in charge of the organization and execution of something. It may be your wedding, a friend's birthday, a loved one's funeral, anything. It is a basic human skill that most people have. This is good for personal social lives, but terrible for the world of professional event planning.

The fact of the matter is, thinking "I did my wedding" or "My parties were always the best in high school," does not translate into success on a grander scale. This belief also causes those "casual-event-planners" to look down on those of us who have done larger ones. To lay it out there: As the numbers increase you don't just have to buy more chips and dip.

I have been involved in planning large fundraising efforts, conferences, banquets, and a number of other events and I wish that I could have documented all the steps necessary. Turns out, though, that it is impossible to record every little thing needed, since there is always something which can be done or improved. The constant need for innovation alone is enough to drive you crazy!

I'm not going to attempt to make a list/timeline of everything needed (probably impossible as things aren't linear), but I will go over a few very important points to consider during every event planning process...

Determine the Purpose

Everything happens for a reason. Events are no exception: None of them happen without a reason. It could be as simple of hosting a dinner for friends whom you haven't seen in a while, but there is still a purpose there. Even if you don't consciously think about the purpose, be assured that there always is one.

Addressing the larger scale purpose is vital. Are you raising awareness for a product? Addressing shareholders? Is it a fund raising effort? Without purpose (and a correct one at that) you will not be able to accomplish the goal(s) of your event, wasting lots of time and potentially lots of money.

A sub-heading of this would be managing expectations. You need to have a budget as well as ensure you are only making promises you can deliver.

Identify the Stakeholders

Like it or not every single event is a business venture, no matter what the size or timeline. Because of this the needs of all interested parties must be taken into consideration. This extends far beyond the attendees.

There could be corporate partners who have paid to be involved with the event and you better make sure that their goals are accomplished as well (this would also fall under setting realistic expectations). There is also the venue, any presenters at the event, etc.

Once they are identified take them into consideration for all decisions. I know it's been said that "You can't be everything to everyone," but as an event planner you must be.

Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate

I can't stress this enough. From the venue, to the marketing costs, to speakers, to centerpieces everything can be negotiated. Do this even if you have a huge budget! If you have lots of cash to work with and you still negotiate it just means you can do more, which is always good. This leads into...

Doing the Extra Things

This is the most vague and hardest part to master. Most every event wants to stick out in people's minds. In order to do that you have to focus on the extras that will make your event "pop". The main things should be done, regardless (having food at a gala dinner), but no one's going to take notice of all that. It's expected. It's everything after the job description which counts.

Notice that I don't say "the little things" like others may/do. They can be small, for sure, but those things often are left unnoticed. Doing a great number of little things is "bringing the event to par". For example people won't notice or comment if their cutlery is perfectly aligned, but they will if it is not. This is an extra you have to take care of, but it's not the "pop" you need.

The extra that I'm talking about is something far more unique. If you're planning a guest lecture for cardiologists, hook up the presenter to a heart rate monitor, project the data, and see when they are nervous during their talk. Give everyone coming to a smaller networking event a key when they come in, and the lock in which it works is their seat. You get the drift.

Don't Sweat Too Hard Night Of

A short-coming of a good number of event planners is that they (myself included) care too much about what other people think. Their value as a human hinges on how the event goes over. Any deviation from the plan is an immense failure. Something I tell all planners that I have managed is that no one knows something didn't go by the plan unless you let them know. Think on your feet, roll with the punches, and even if things aren't 100% be sure to stay as calm as possible. Or at least appear that way.

http://kaparsons.blogspot.com/

Be True to Your School

Welcome.

Right now, you are part of something. You have been a part of things in the past, but this is much different. Over the next 3, 4, 5, or perhaps 6 years (Iím not here to judge) you will be taking the majority of your classes, doing the majority of your studying, meeting the majority of your new friends in the: The Management/Transport Building.

Wait a minute. I signed up to go to the Asper School of Business. Isnít it the Asper Building that Iím in? No. The official name of the bricks and mortar which you are in is, in fact, The Management/Transport Building. This surrounds the Drake Centre, which is the home of the Asper School of Business. Confused? Let me explain

We at the Asper School know virtually nothing about our schoolís past, present or future. Considering I spend more time here than I do at home I think this is a shocking reality. Let us add up the hours. Bare minimum you are here 9-15 hours per week for class, depending on course load and attendance habits. You also may choose to study at the school or come to speak with a professor at one point or another. I would venture that the average student is in the School around 20 hours per week. That is almost a full day!

So, letís recap: You are spending one full day per week, for the majority of the year, for 4 years in this building. It might be a good idea to know what it is called. What do you think would happen if you didnít know your address after living there for 4 years? Your parents would be putting padding on the sharp corners around the house and not letting you play with the small Legos.

This is why you need to take 5 minutes out of your busy day and learn a little something about where you are. I have a brief history of the school that was compiled by Sheila Molloy, the Executive Director of the Associates, and she has kindly allowed me to use her hard work. All factual information in this article has been collected and provided by Ms. Molloy and I thank her.

THE BEGINNING....

The University of Manitobaís Centre for Professional Management Education (predecessor of the Asper School of Business) was founded in 1937. Todayís building, however, was not constructed for some time after that. This is the story of how it came to be:

In 1981 Roland Grandpre became the Dean of the Faculty. He had three major priorities; revise the undergraduate program, build the support of the business community and raise funds to build a new building specifically for the Faculty of Management. Recognizing the significant capital needed to construct a building, he focused on his second goal: Building the support of the Winnipeg business community.

In 1982 Dean Grandpre began the Associates of the Asper School of Business (www.associatesmb.ca). The business community quickly came on board and today the Associates has well over 200 members (visit the website for the impressive member list). The number one goal of the Associates was and is to improve the quality of business education at the University of Manitoba. Our school would not be where it is today without them and all students should be thankful.

Dean Grandpre was not the only person who felt a need for a new building. Students who wanted to actively pressure the University to construct a new building soon approached him. The Dean suggested that rather than protest, the students should do something positive. This was the birth of the ìRace for Spaceî which was a 10k run designed to raise funds, and more importantly publicity, for the new building. The Race was held annually from 1982-84 and the participants ranged from politicians, to faculty members, to students, to a large amount of Winnipeg business-people. Over its three-year life, the campaign raised around $50,000, but more importantly a large amount of publicity and support.

In 1985 ground broke on the Freedman Crescent site, chosen from three options. The site was chosen by architect Etienne Gaboury for its view of the Red River, proximity to both the University Library and the center of campus.

The buildinG....

The building, as designed by Gaboury, is roughly 130,000 square feet and had a price tag of $14.5 million. This was funded, in addition to the private donations received, by the Federal Government. The problem was the Feds didnít give money to the construction of business schools, but rather to institutes that contribute to National improvement. Thus, half of the building was dedicated to the Transport Institute. You can still see the signage denoting areas of the building to this cause. This 50/50 partnership between the Feds and the University is reflected in the buildingís title (The Management/Transport Building).

This is when the naming becomes interesting. During the Capital Campaign for the construction of the Building an Associate by the name of Jack McKeag called a fellow graduate by the name of Bill Pollock. Mr Pollock was the co-founder of what would eventually become Drake International, one of the worldís largest human resource management firms. Mr Pollock made a generous donation of $2 million to the Campaign, the largest made at that time, but he did not want anything named after him. He instead chose for the space within the building that did not house the Transport Institute to be named after his company: The Drake Centre. This dedication was made in 1987.

Israel Asper...

I want to first go on a brief tangent about Israel Asper. This was an amazing man. I think that in order to graduate from our School a requirement should be to have read ìIzzyî by Peter C. Newman. It is an absolutely extraordinary account of the compelling life of Dr. Asper and anyone interested in business would be well served to read it.

Izzyís first donation to the School was in 1997. Through the Asper Foundation $1 million was given towards the creation of the Asper Centre for Entrepreneurship. Three years later in 2000 he made an additional gift of $10 million, and the I. H. Asper School of Business was created (later re-branded the Asper School of Business).

The donation of $10 million went a long way to improve the quality of the school. Its commitment to continuous improvement and to its goal of producing some of Manitoba, Canada and the Worldís most outstanding leaders changed the school forever.

So now you know where you are. The building is just one part of the history of our school. The full history would, and is going to, fill a book. Make sure to take the time to learn some of this history. I guarantee you will feel more pride in your school and in yourself for it.