How to Moderate a Panel

Moderating a panel discussion is a lot like being a TV talk show host. It’s a lot harder than it looks, and is an exercise in ‘planned spontaneity’ (think about that). A good panel discussion can…

When Should Venues Disclose Pricing?

Today’s planners are used to getting information quickly, and that includes pricing and availability. If you withhold pricing until the client comes to your space, there’s a pretty good chance…

The Scary Numbers Behind the Marriott-Starwood Merger

When Marriott announced in November, 2015, that it was merging with Starwood to create the world’s largest hotel company, it met with mixed reaction from meeting planners. Some worried about diminished competition for their business, while others brushed it aside as having little impact on them.

3 NYC Event Agencies Named to Crains’ Best Places to Work List

In addition to their ranking they all three have another commonality: each has provided their employees training through Event Leadership Institute (ELI). Employees of all three of the event planning firms cited the tuition reimbursement and the focus on employee development as one of their favorite perks.

Event Leadership Institute Announces Launch of New Hybrid Course Format

Call for Salon Leaders The Event Leadership Institute will be launching a new hybrid course model in early 2016, marrying the most successful elements of…

Key Ingredients for Event Success – Part 1: Defining the “Why”

Ok event holders (clients) and do-ers (planners) – it’s time to get real. Whether you’re internal to an organization, independent, or part of an event agency, you know the critical part of the event process is defining the “why” of the event on the front-end and the second is taking the time to do a thorough debrief on the back-end…

Event Planner vs. Event Designer – What is the Difference?

s the wedding and event industries have grown markedly over the last ten years, what was once an over-arching profession of “event planner” or “wedding planner” has been slowly divided into a number of factions – planner, designer, and stylist – each title referring…

In Search of Inspiration

I am in the business of good ideas. Some people look at my business and see that I make flowers or print stationery or plan parties. I believe, however, that all of those things are actually by-products of what I actually sell – which are good ideas. And let me tell you…

A Tale of Two Vendors: How One Call Could Save You $12K in A/V Charges

Brandt Krueger, meeting & event technology consultant, and ELI instructor, shares strategic insight from the field on how to negotiate your next AV contract.

It’s Lonely At The Top | Calling All Event Business Owners

Owning and running a small business is a lot like being President of the United States. Just about everyone can envision the power and stature…

6 Planner Pet Peeves Regarding Event Venues

In preparing the content for my upcoming Venue Sales Accelerator course, I interviewed dozens of planners and asked them what their pet peeves are when…

ELI Featured Planner: Jeff Kalpak

Howard Givner, Executive Director of ELI, sat down with Jeff Kalpak, President of Barkley Kalpak Agency, to find out more about his career in the event industry. Jeff has over 25 years…

The Results Are In! Average Score of ELI’s Event Design Skills Quiz is 51%!

As event professionals, we’d like to say that we possess (naturally) an excellent sense of style, exhibit a certain amount of creativity and offer a solid understanding of design. We follow the latest trends, can identify couture by designer name, select furniture pieces to help make a venue feel more intimate, and know what colors…

A Trip to Turkmenistan

Two of Event Leadership Institute’s professors, Kevin White & Brandt Krueger went to Turkmenistan to teach event management…

Podium vs. Lectern: What’s In A Name?

If I asked 1,000 event professionals to give me the name of the upright piece of furniture with the slanted top that a speaker stands behind to deliver her speech, the vast majority of you would say “Podium.” And you’d be wrong. But really…

Top 5 Hybrid Meeting Mistakes

With so many meetings having some kind of online component, it’s no wonder that more and more planners are trying to get educated on the topic of hybrid and virtual meetings and events. Learn from those bold planners that…

Proving Your Value with Digital Credentials

Last month I moderated a roundtable for heads of in-house event departments, and one of the main issues to arise was the challenge of proving the value of in-house planners. “Executives in my company still don’t know what we do,” said one person. “They think they could just…

The 4 Traits of a Successful Wedding Planner

On TV or in the movies, it seems like a clever kit and a bossy demeanor is all it takes to quit your job as an accountant and become a wedding planner. After planning and designing weddings for nearly 13 years, I can tell you that no major crisis was ever averted with the use of my…

Addition By Subtraction: Dropping Low-Margin Clients to Grow Your Business

You’re a successful small business in the events industry looking to break through to the next level. Your work is good, your reputation solid, yet your growth still comes in the “two-steps-forward, one-and-a-half-steps-back” mode.

Golden Globes & CES Teleprompter Fails Yield Lessons for Event Pros

Two major, and very public, teleprompter gaffs were made in 2014 before we could even get to February. The first immediately went viral, as director Michael Bay walked off the stage at a keynote for Samsung at…

When In Rome . . . (How Local Intelligence Can Save Your Event)

If you’re a planner based somewhere outside the United States, and you were looking to host a corporate event in the U.S. in November, you might look at the calendar and stay away from the fourth Thursday, being Thanksgiving. It’s a national holiday that’s sure…

Death to the 60″ Round

The 60 inch, or 150 centimeter, round banquet table, seating 8 or 10 people, is possibly the worst invention in the history of the hospitality industry. Having spent over 20 years producing events, I know I am risking…

Top Mistakes Planners Make When Ordering AV

In the process of preparing the lessons for my upcoming 5 week online course, Technical Meeting & Event Production, I thought about the most common mistakes I’ve seen meeting and event planners make when it comes to ordering AV…

5 Event Management Principles Every Planner Should Know (But Most Don’t)

Most event planners today are self-taught and learn on the job. Either they wing it, and hopefully learn from their mistakes, or they learn from someone who winged it. The best case scenario is…

Why Event Planning Businesses Fail

Nobody wants any advice on how to plan, design, execute and manage their events. That part they have down cold. It’s all the other stuff on the business side that proves challenging to them.

Measuring Value: It’s Not A Pipe Dream

A common sequence surrounding a discussion of ROI in the meetings industry: Speaker says measuring ROI is essential for validating and continuing to have…

Being There: Mr. Spock, Pro Football, & the Value of Live Events

If you were Mr. Spock, the logic-driven Vulcan with the pointy ears on Star Trek, you’d probably make some very logical conclusions about our society based on your observations. Any on many of them, you’d be dead wrong. Pro football games, like the meetings…

Are You Producing Yesterday’s Event?

You’re in charge of the annual (insert your event here). It’s long since become a staple of your organization’s calendar, the event around which everyone plans their schedule. It takes up several months…

The Wrong End of TED

“We’re going to do something different for our meeting this year. It’s going to be like TED. Everyone will have 18 minutes to speak, and that’s it! No more long presentations. It’s going to be great!” So says many a meeting planner these days. And…

Landing The Million Dollar Event

At some point in your tenure, if you run an event planning company or agency, you’ll aspire to land the really big project, the mega event, the million dollar event. OK, it doesn’t have to be a million dollars; it can be $100,000, $250,000, etc. The number is variable; the key element is…

The Debrief from Hell

You’re sitting across the table from your client, pleasantly chatting about the event you produced for them two weeks ago. You’ve got lots of ideas on how to make it even better next year, and are even thinking about whether you should raise your fee next time, when your lead client contact drops the bomb on you…

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