Inspiration of the day!

Event TaLK

Dreamworks Event Designs presents a new blog post, : Event TaLk! This new blog is for event and wedding professionals to discuss and inspire one another on their most amazing sought after events and how they were inspired as they grow in business.






Please feel free to add any and all conversations, discussions, statements, your true inspiration and what it takes to make it in this industry and who inspired and mentored you to success!! Lets get Inspired!!!

Tips of Staying Organized

Tips of Staying Organized

            The key to any successful wedding is all in the planning. Typically it is not unusual to have small things go wrong but always remember to have a plan and stick with it. It is not the best idea to change it during the middle of the planning process.

            The top thing to remember is not get lazy. Some people like the attention of their engagement period that they end up setting things aside until a later time. It is important not to try to cram everything into a too-short period of time. Enjoy your engagement time for a little while but you have to get started when you can. Planning can be a long process, so just be prepared.

            Buy a calendar or a datebook. These will help tremendously in planning and staying on schedule with everything you have to do. If you have a calendar, it will easily be read and remind you of what appointments you have.  Vendors usually are on time and it would be upsetting to them if the bride or groom forgot or was late to their appointment. As much as the vendor is trying to impress you, they still have the opportunity to turn you down. Being on time and organized with all your dates will help you in the wedding process.

            Setting aside time to focus on wedding details is important. Usually pick a certain day of the week or a couple days to move forward in the planning. Also, get your partner involved. It will help eliminate confusion and it is quality time together.  Sharing duties with your partner is the best way to get things done. Both of you should be involved in every step of the way. Divide the list in half and choose what each person wants to do.  This also means that the two of you have to talk. If you are sharing duties make sure to share those details.

            Being flexible is important because every person cannot agree with everything that involves a wedding. Be willing to bend and if you object to something voice your opinions and try to come to a middle point.  Give each other the chance to express their thoughts.

            Details, Contracts, and Negotiations are something to pay close attention to in the planning process. Make sure you clarify all the details and expectations during the first meeting. A contract that says all the dates, time, and locations is something you need to have. Read all the fine print and spell out everything that needs to be known. Negotiations might be an option for certain vendors but not all of them so pay close attention to when to negotiate and when the right time wouldn’t be.

            Organization is obvious. The more organized you are, the less chance there is that something will go wrong. Keep all your wedding information in one place. You even might want to get a notebook for your maid of honor so she has the information as a backup.  During the wedding process there is a lot of information you will receive and staying organized is a great way to help control everything that is going on. 

5 biggest Event Fears

5 Biggest Event Fears

1.      “No one will come.” If you are concerened about no one coming to your event then make sure you promote the event like crazy so you know the word is getting out there. These days’ blogs and social media are key for making your event known. It is important to set up an online event marketing page that people can easily go to so they can find out more information fast. Another thing that could be a great idea would be email marketing campaigns. This can help communicate event details, send out updates, and offer special promotions or discounts. Also, remember to send out plenty of reminders. 

2.      “People aren’t mingling.” During an event, people who don’t know each other will have a hard time talking to others. Name tags, even though they are not the best accessory, are incredibly helpful in getting people to mingle with one another. A fun fact might be a good idea to put on the name tags so people have something to talk about right off the bat. It is a good idea to place the food, beverages and seating in different areas which will help people move about the room.

3.      “People take off early, or won’t leave.” The key for any event is organization. The event needs to be set up and ready for the “early birds” to arrive. If there are scheduled things going on while the event is going then it is a good idea to hand out printed programs so everyone knows the timeline. It is important to create a good end time for the event and as the hour approaches you might need to gently remind people the event is winding down. But don’t be too strict on exactly what time because most people will not linger.

4.      “Uninvited party crashers show up.”  During most events, people who are not invited will show up. It might be old coworkers, maybe your competition, or even an ex. In this situation you want to be the positive person and surprise them by being the first to say hello. Hopefully any grievances with you will be private and not get interfere with your guests. 

5.      “Someone’s knocked back one too many cocktails.” You will always have that one guests who might get a little crazy with the cocktails and a good way to prevent that from happening is to instruct the bartender to limit the amount of drinks give out to any person. If someone has been over served it would be a good idea to get them a cab or a ride home.

You can do your best to plan for everything and something will most likely happen. If something does go wrong it is important to stay calm and make sure everyone that you are working with understands what is happening. If you are positive about your event, it is likely everyone will think positive about it too. 

The "WOW Factor" of the event

Wow Factor

          Planning an event can be fun and overwhelming but making sure your event has the “wow factor” is important. This can be defined many ways and can be viewed differently. The Event Manager Blog says the wow factor is what makes us happy about an event. It drives us to share a story when we go back home and it induces us to buy a ticket for next year and forget about the prices. It might be easier to have a big wow factor at huge corporate events but it also can be done at simple weddings. When you are hosting an event you want your guests to walk into the room and be wowed. There are two things to pay attention to when trying to produce that amazing event.

          The food is something that will make your guests happy and it will help make the event memorable.  Food is important to any event and that is why you go for a tasting weeks before your wedding. Delicious food can be easily memorable and that is why it is important to make sure it is what you want and what you think your guests will enjoy at your event.

          Linens help dress up a room and set the tone of an event. The tablecloths, overlays, table runners, tie-backs and chair covers are a crucial role in helping make a statement and make the lasting impression you are trying to aim for. There are many ways to dress up your event; you can go for elegant and exquisite or contemporary and colorful. If you have a theme to the event this is a great way to tie that in. Linens can make or break your event so it is important to be able to walk into the room and know exactly that you did your best. The linens are most likely the first thing that people will see and it is important for them to be amazed about how everything looks. If you follow these tips on planning your event, it will have that wow factor that you are looking for. 

The Knot: Destination Wedding Basics

The Knot: Destination Wedding Basics

                The Knot is a web based informal that helps future brides or inspiring planners dream of that perfect wedding.  It also explores the possibilities of brides considering a destination wedding. In the past, going anywhere to get married meant eloping which would mean the couple would try to get away and tie the knot in a more intimate setting. Today, however,  the idea has changed and has a growing number of couples who are traveling to different location of the U.S. for their wedding. Sometimes destination weddings involve just the couple or it can be a handful of friends and family also. The Knot made a list of things that explain why a destination wedding has become a growing trend :

      “They’re Virtually Stress-Free” 

          Weddings can be a very stressful time in anyone’s life. There are so many things to be planning for      and to be organizing that it might take the fun out of the engagement time.  Honeymoon-happy resorts and cruise lines are making it easier and more appealing to wed on their site. Usually any destination you will be looking into will have a full-time wedding coordinator on staff that are familiar with everything you will need. For example, they will know the country’s marriage license requirements and they offer wedding packages that take care of all the ceremony essentials.

            “No Family Drama”

Wedding location is important for everyone involved and it might even become important to long lost relatives. Having a destination wedding insures that the bride or the groom is favoring one side of the family and will be able to narrow down the list faster. For a destination wedding the most important people will be there. There will be little to no “scene-stealing family drama” at destination weddings because people will be more focused on what is really important, the couple.

             “They’re Cost Effective”

Weddings can get high in price rather quickly and the best thing about a destination wedding is the availability to get a package where everything will already be included.  Since   many resorts all over have destination wedding packages it is more affordable to get a package deal then pay for a wedding and everything in it and also be thinking about a honeymoon. In this case, the couple will already be at their honeymoon location.

               “You Call The Shots”

Weddings can link anyone to the traditions of their ancestors and cultures. Couples want their own experience to be unique and reflect on their own true colors. In a destination wedding, the world is your altar. It is also to make your own rules and traditions for yourself and your wedding. You are in charge of your destination wedding so if you want to walk down the altar with no shoes or hire a ukulele band go for it, no one is stopping you.

              “They’re Simply Perfect for Second Marriages”

If it didn’t work out for the first time and now you are in love again, destination weddings are perfect because they are simple and private. If the couple has children, it is a good idea to get married at a kid-friendly, all-inclusive resort or cruise to help your new family do some bonding.

         “They’re a Once-in-a-Lifetime Reunion Opportunity” 

          Destination weddings are a vacation of a lifetime. For a wedding like this it is usually required to     arrive a few days early to fill out paperwork for your special day so by the time your wedding rolls around     you have been relaxing and having fun with your fiancé and your close family and friends. This choice of your wedding will give you the opportunity to spend no-rush quality playtime with your family and friends.

http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/destination-weddings/articles/why-have-a-destination-wedding.aspx

               

                

Branding your Company: How do you stand out above the competition?

Branding Your Company

            Branding a new company might be difficult but there are some things that you need to pay attention to while trying to increase your name recognition. Here are some tips that you should remember while branding your company.

1.     You need to remember to brand your company with a great image and a message that represents your company well. Develop the image that coincides with the brand and your message.

2.     Having a mission statement that represents the company will show the customers the value that you will provide to your clients and customers.

3.     A tagline is important so people can remember it and show who you are and what you do.

4.     Keep up with the media and your website so people can easily go see what you have been up to and look at what experiences you have been able to achieve.

5.     It is important to participate in other companies' events so your name can be recognized and introduced to clients and allow business networking to begin.

6.     Hire an industry professional to conduct a survey about your company so your customers can read other review on your services.

7.     Make sure that search engines will assist others to locate your business easily when  looking for information about your services you provide.

8.     It is important to establish your brand by updating the financial value or potential value that relates to your company.

There is a website available that is extremely helpful in creating your brand and making sure everything is ready to be released. Please visit http://aboutpublicrelations.net/ucmckerns3.htm for more information and about the branding process and tips on how to correctly make your company known.

Dreamworks Event Designs