Expert Advice

Open Forum

Interview with Floral Guru Michael Gaffney
07/22/10
Michael Gaffney is a floral designer and founder of the American Schools of Flower Design. The American School of Flower Design has locations in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and soon San Diego.How did you become a...
Q+A with Kelly Murphy, CMP, CHME
07/8/10
Kelly Murphy is the express sales manager for Phoenix Convention Center & Venues and vice president of HSMAI-AZ. How did you become involved in the events industry? After working as a hotel sales manager for a few years I decided to move on and...
TMI?
06/16/10
I am sitting in the lobby of The Children's Hospital while my 5 year-old is undergoing the age-old tonsillectomy. About five different doctors and nurses came in to ask me a gazillion questions about medications, food, drink, allergies, past and current...
Social Media Networking v. Real Networking
06/10/10
Case scenario: Have you been faced with the challenge of contacting a prospective event client by requesting them to be a friend, poking them, becoming a fan or giving a good old-fashion phone call? What is this you may ask? This may seem foreign to you...
Wait, wait…
05/27/10
I listened to a long voicemail yesterday from a colleague of mine asking me to call a client and explain to her that we were so, so SO busy with events that there simply wasn't one second to call or e-mail. He explained to me, via the magic of technology...

Event Trends/New Ideas

Good Things Come in Small Packages
07/15/10
As I've mentioned before, I am a total sucker for miniatures. Those darling little ketchup and mustards you get on a room service tray? Love those. And how about the beautifully decorated cupcakes magically dwarfed into a bite-sized dessert? Heaven. I...

Suppliers Speak

Don’t Take the Heat: Dealing with High Temperatures at Events
06/24/10
The heat is on, temperature-wise that is! The first thing to remember is the weather cannot be controlled, and anticipating weather needs may help avoid client upsets. Arizona's famous "dry heat" or any extreme summer heat can make for a very...
Steps in Planning and Executing a Successful Golf Tournament
06/21/10
A) Plan your event and set specific goals: When planning your event, it is important to have specific goals. Big goals don't necessarily mean "raise millions of dollars." Set goals related to your specific tournament event. Envision what you can do to...

Running Your Business

Why Social Media isn’t for Everyone
06/3/10
With Social media (SM) on the way to being crowned the buzz word of the decade, I want to shed some light on the more popular sites that promote social media and why you shouldn't be so quick to jump to creating your own Facebook Fan Page or Twitter...
A Day-of Planner’s Guide to DIY Clients and Their Events
05/12/10
Now, more than ever, event planners are faced with a new dilemma in the world of event planning - DIY clients, also known as "Do It Yourself" clients. DIY clients are a new and optimistic brand of clientele. They are technologically savvy, hard workers...