Secure Parking

These may seem like the small things but they can escalate into large issues if not taken care of properly. Traffic flow and parking all contribute to the safety of your attendees and clear signage can help ensure that everyone knows where to go.

Giveaways!!

Providing your event attendees with some kind of giveaway is a nice way to thank them for supporting you at your event. Depending on your company or organization, you might be able to give away an existing product you already have or seek sponsors for giveaways so you don't have to spend additional funds on promotional items for one-time use. But don't let keeping costs down lead you astray — what you giveaway reflects on your organization.

Keeping a history of your events is great for many reasons. Sharing your event via your website is a great way to show community interaction and another side to your company or organization. This requires photos but doesn’t necessarily mean hiring a professional photographer. If your budget allows for it, great. If not, talk to your employees and find out if anyone enjoys photography as a hobby or has a natural inclination for taking great photos. Ask that person if they’d be willing to take some shots of the event. Just remember, if you intend to use photos with identifiable people in it, you’ll need to get photo releases. Also, capturing quotes from attendees is another great way to document the success of an event. These quotes can be used, again with permission, on your website and in future marketing materials, if applicable.

Participants have newly enjoyed fun photo booths which capture fantasies at events.

Staffing

Any event needs to be properly staffed so it’s imperative that you have your staff on board for the occasion. Make a schedule that everyone is comfortable with and accommodates your team members’ personal lives (particularly if your event is on a weekend). The worst way to start is to have an event staffed by unhappy employees.

Gettign the word out!

These days people are inundated with social media, email and snail mail alike, but the fact remains that most people report they prefer to receive communications by email. Do you have a reliable email database that you can use for invitations?

If your event is more general in nature and does not require invitations, you can select other tried-and-true options to spread that word such as:

• Newspaper event advertisements, both print and online
• Calendar announcements, both print and online
• News advisory, with follow ups with specific reporters, and
• Posters distributed to businesses and displayed on community bulletin boards
• Social media posts with event details scheduled over time to build interest.

Venue Policies

Before you sign anything finalizing your venue selection, make sure that you’re aware of any terms and conditions they may have, many of which might deal with timing. Ask to hear how much advance notice the venue staff requires to avoid fines or penalties for things like event cancelation, receiving shipments. Additionally, you may have specific time windows during which you or the event staff can handle tasks like receiving shipments, set-up and breakdown, and more.

Acoustics

Acoustics are particularly important at any event with key attractions like notable speakers or live performances. You don’t want your experience to be so loud that your guests lose their hearing and voice, or that the sound is so diluted or warped that they miss one of the highlights of the evening

Facilities and Equipment

Stemming from our discussion about budget, you’ll also need to make a list of all of your different equipment needs. This includes things like tables and chairs, silverware, dishes, tablecloths, decorations, visual or audio equipment, electrical supplies, lighting, and whatever else you may need. 

Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to see what your venue has, what they do not, and if there are any needs that they won’t be able to accommodate. If you do need to outsource any of your facilities or equipment needs, see if the venue works with any preferred suppliers that they know and trust, or that could offer you a discount.

Layout & Signage

In addition to décor, factors like space layout, seating and table arrangements and signage, can really make or break your event, especially when it comes to how people will flow through the space. This is especially important if you have things like keynote speakers or a performance that will need to be on a stage, and also tends to get more complicated as you deal with larger spaces.
In terms of signage the hottest new event Decor is having lit words to describe your event.
This is done in Trinidad by TrueEventsTT

Decor

How you choose to decorate is one of the best ways to customize your venue space, as well as convey your event’s theme and tone to your audience. It also gives you additional opportunities to deepen your attendees’ engagement with your event, and provides additional sticking power after your event is over. Do you or your venue have somebody on staff to execute décor without a hitch? If not, you’ll need to find somebody that’s highly regarded, trustworthy, and really understands everything that your brand is trying to convey with this event.

There are reasonable Decorators in Trinidad for reasonable prices.
These include:

• Buzz Concepts
• Brian Pantin
• Allison Leeloy
• Karen Thompson
• Gail Cabral

Have you ever had experiences working with these professionals?
Give us your story...

Budgeting

Before you start shopping around for a venue for your soirée, make a detailed list of all possible venue-related expenses. This should include things like facility costs, food and beverage expenses, equipment rentals, staffing needs, office services, payment options and more. You also ought to inquire and see what they might be able to include for free, or at a discounted cost as a part of a package. It never hurts to ask!

Make sure that you get quotes from multiple venues as the first response you get may not be the best deal that you can get. Once you receive multiple proposals, you can use them as leverage and gain additional negotiating power to get even better deals at your desired venue. 

Remember the budget does not only include the venue but it includes:

• Promotions
• Graphics
• Music
• Entertainment
• Clothes, Hair and Make up
• And all other expenses that come to mind.