In some ways, creating a spectacular event is the easy part. With the right budget and a talented event producer, amazing results are a simple matter of careful planning and execution. However, getting people to show up can be the real challenge. Without an effective marketing effort it can be difficult to build the ‘buzz’ before the event that ensures a full guest list and lots of positive comments after it’s over. But, don’t despair. There are proven techniques to ensure you optimize the return on your event budget – by maximizing attendance and making it easy to follow up. Here’s what you can do:

Theme events continue to be one of the most popular ways to engage and entertain guests. But to get the most from your theme, it must be reflected in every aspect of the event. As an example, Bright Ideas created themed invitations for our Groovy BBQ theme event. From the outset the invited guests could see that creativity and fun were going to be a big part of the event.

The event was well-attended, guests really got into the fun, and our client was delighted with the results. Skip the boring invites. Set the stage for fun and your guests will arrive ready to embrace the theme.

Create a Buzz with Social Media

During your event, create ways for participants to share pictures and comments, with options such as a fun photo booth and wireless Internet capability, so guests can tweet and post their comments and pictures to their favourite social media channels. Also, create a ‘hashtag’ (example: #yourevent) so others can find information about the event on Twitter. This is particularly effective for public events such as product launches and customer appreciation events. All it takes is a prominent guest with lots of followers to tweet or post a picture and you’ve really expanded the reach of your event. It might even get them to check it out in person. Cheap, easy, and effective!

Follow Up the Fun with a Contest

An effective way to cement the memory of an event in someone’s mind is through post-event follow-up. It can be as simple as a short email thanking guests for their attendance and inviting constructive feedback, something more personal such as a hard-copy photo of the guest during the event, or even a contest, where the winner is announced in the days following the event. The winners in the pictures above participated in a gardening planting competition at the event. They decorated their basket, shopped for plants and then they potted their plants. The best basket in each category won a prize and what a prize it was; a complete gardening set!

Top Three Last Minute Spring and Summer Events

Most events require lots of lead time to organize, but even if you’ve put off arranging a spring or summer event until now, there are still ways to host an event that looks like it was months in the planning! Call us to see how we make last-minute magic!

Theme That BBQ

Chances are the annual barbeque is a time-honoured tradition at your organization. This year, jazz it up with a theme. Simple décor elements and activities turn the usual burgers and shop-talk into something a little more fun for employees AND their families.

Race to the Tropics

A car rally features elements of a scavenger hunt, along with some easy navigation challenges. It’s a fun way to incorporate team-building into your summer event. Guests congregate at the finish line to enjoy a catered tropical theme BBQ and awards for the winning teams.

Fun That Floats

A sunset cruise is a great spring or summer activity, especially if you are hosting out of town guests. Go a step further with a Maritime Pub Crawl. Hit a few of the local seaside watering holes and dress up the vessel with a Cruise Ship theme.

Social Media and Special Events

Social Media is now an integral part of the special event landscape. We’ve asked social media specialist Michelle Bucher to tell us how you can use it to build buzz around your event, both before the big day, and during the event itself. Here are 5 tips to help you build buzz around your event, both before the big day, and during the event itself.

Michelle Bucher is the founder of MBucher Consulting (www.mbucherconsulting.com), an interactive marketing agency with a focus on social media management.  She is passionate about social media marketing, and has turned that passion into a business — assisting small businesses and entrepreneurs to make a strong social media impression.

Five Tips for Social Media Event Success

1. Hashtags
Create a short, memorable hashtag for people to use at your upcoming event (ie #summerfest). That makes it easy for attendees to see each other’s tweets and have online conversations about the event.

2. Display your Twitter handle
Publish your Twitter handle and event hashtag throughout your print material. This will encourage people to get social and talk about your upcoming event.

3. Countdown
Creating a countdown on your social channels is a great way to help build hype online for your upcoming event. This also serves as reminder advertising with “mark your calendar,” and “3 days until the event.” From personal experience, we see this as an opportunity to encourage fans to talk about what they are looking forward to seeing, expressing excitement for the upcoming event.

4. Branded Photo Opps
Photo booths and other “photo moments” are a great opportunity to get your corporate brand featured in event pictures that will last for years to come.  Make sure to utilize branding opportunities during your event.

5. Social Customer Service
This is becoming increasingly important for any event. Social customer service essentially gives you the ability to monitor what others are saying about your event, before, during and after your event. Don’t forget to reach out to those people, engage with them, ask questions and share information.

Ask Sharon: Getting Started in the Industry

Sharon Bonner has made Bright Ideas Event Coordinators one of Canada’s top corporate event production companies. With decades of experience in the industry, her knowledge, contacts, and creativity are the key ingredients in Bright Ideas Events’ outstanding corporate events.

How do I get started if I have no experience?

The best advice I can give to you is to get your feet wet as soon as possible.  Volunteer for any and every kind of event so that you can gain all sorts of experience. Try volunteering in an event office preparing for the event.  Then volunteer for set up, event and tear down as each shift offers different exposure.  Don’t be frightened to try anything.  I suggest that you experience all kinds of events from weddings to conferences to corporate events so that you can get a real feel for the type of event best suited to your style.

Do you think formal event planning education is critical?

I think it is good to get some basic education so that you are able to converse with other event professionals. Learning about production schedules, risk assessment plans, waivers, insurance, etc. is always good knowledge to have in your back pocket.  If I had to choose an employee with event education or event experience, I would choose the candidate who had worked the trenches. Experience is key!

Are event planning internships valuable and how do I find one?

Most certainly! I think internships are by far the best way to take a “crash course” in this field. It gives you great hands on experience and looks impressive on your resume. Plus you get a great letter of reference at the end of the internship!

I would suggest that you start searching early on in the year for a position before you graduate. Take time to meet with prospective companies to see what they offer and if they might have an opening for you.  Internships terms are usually 3 – 6 months and are most often unpaid to begin with.

Contest – A Venue to Remember

What’s the most interesting venue you have experienced? Picnic on a mountaintop? Cops and Robbers theme at the Police Museum? Tell us the unique venue you’re still talking about and you could win a $150 gift certificate to enjoy some of BC’s finest sustainable seafood, from the Fish House in Stanley Park. Submit your photo and comments and we’ll enter you in the contest. Plus, vote on your favourite entry and you could win some Bright Ideas apparel. Tell your friends. The most votes wins!

Staff Pick of the Month – Fanny Ly

My favourite event was the Great Gatsby Gala. The ladies looked great in flapper dresses, pearls, and feather boas, as did the men in suave suits and fedora hats. From the décor to the casino games, the era came to life. Low lights, swing music, and classic food and drink finished the illusion. And, if guests showed up without a costume, it was taken care of with pearl beads, silky feather boas, sharp bowler hats, and feather headbands!

The Proven Solution for Great Events

Don’t leave your important corporate events to chance. A great event requires superior planning, preparation, and experience. At Bright Ideas, our award-winning corporate events and satisfied clients are proof we can deliver. Call us or request a quote to find out how Bright Ideas can create an exceptional event for your company.

Want to see more great images from the events mentioned in this newsletter? Visit our portfolio or click a link below:

Feeling Groovy BBQ

Purple Spring Celebration

Gardening Green Picnic

Rock N Roll BBQ

Tropical Paradise

High Seas Celebration

Great Gatsby Gala

Outdoor events are a cost-effective way to host a large group. Add in some blue skies and delicious barbequed goodies and you have a guaranteed all-ages crowd-pleaser. But, if you are planning on hosting a corporate event this summer, it’s already time to finalize your preparations. Here’s what you need to know:

First of all, you need two plans. One for sun and one for rain. Your rain plan will probably include tents, so set them up before you need them. If it stays sunny, they will be used for shade. If it does start to rain,you don’t want inexperienced volunteers putting up tents in a downpour, long after staging crews have gone home

For Bright Ideas’ produced events we always make sure there’s also an entertainment option for bad weather as well. At one corporate picnic, high winds and heavy rain put a damper on our Mini-Olympics. Luckily, we had planned ahead, bringing classic board games, arts and craft supplies, and a white board to play Pictionary. This pre-planning was invaluable, turning what could have been a dreary experience into a fun afternoon reminiscent of those rainy childhood days at summer camp.

Watching the Waste and Choosing a Location

Waste disposal is also a factor that needs additional attention for outdoor events. Make sure to pack in what you pack out, rather than filling up waste receptacles at a public park or beach. You should also check the regulations for your chosen venue against your planned activities, menu, and décor choices. For example some things are not permitted in Metro Vancouver’s regional parks, (smoking, alcohol, balloon decor). It’s crucial to know ahead of time what restrictions might impact your event.

For convenience, it makes a lot of sense to offer a shuttle bus to the outdoor venue. Typically we will advise clients to provide a shuttle from the workplace (where most employees will already have a parking arrangement) to the event location. Another option, when your employees are predominantly from one region in Metro Vancouver, is to find a venue that’s easy to access by the greatest number of people. Also, if you are inviting guests who aren’t employees or family, or have staff coming from multiple locations, this second approach is probably best.

So, outdoor events do have limitations and considerations you need to keep in mind. But they also offer a wide variety of theme options and entertainment activities for your guests. And, as a way to create a family-friendly event, it’s hard to beat the fun that results when you ‘take it outside’.

Bright Ideas Feature Events

Feeling Groovy BBQ

Our client wanted their annual company picnic for family, friends, and top clients to be a 1960s interactive theme at the beach. We delivered with a far-out trip down Memory Lane we called the “Feeling Groovy BBQ”. Highlights included Flower Power Cake Pops, the many hippie guest giveaways, and our Austin Powers look-alike MC. Together with the colorful guest-costumes, the 1960’s music, and the fun activities, this event was a huge hit for everybody as they relived their hippie days.

Swinging Speakeasy
Jazz and gin. Mobsters and molls. Icons of a time known as the Roaring Twenties. We created a gala event centered on a Roaring Twenties and Speakeasy theme. The result captured the spirit of the age, delivered a unique twist to the festivities, and left our client and their guests raving about the experience. It took plenty of planning and there was no room for error, but thanks to our skill and expertise, we were able to deliver 4 outstanding events in 3 days, in a single location.

Snowflake Soiree
Few things are so clean, crisp, and beautiful as light snowfall on sunny winter day. For our Winter Wonderland staff party, we recreated the magic childhood memories of a Canadian winter with our Snowflake Soiree. Bright Ideas transformed a community cenre with large scale snowflakes suspended in mid-air, beautiful stylized ice and snow centerpieces, elegant lighting, and feature décor. Every element of this event contributed to the illusion of a fantastic winter wonderland.

Ask an Event Planner

What makes a successful outdoor event?

Outdoor events can be unpredictable, so good logistical planning is the key ingredient. Think about flow from arrival to the end of the event. Have an interesting agenda with a balance of active and passive entertainment options. It makes sense to have an agenda board somewhere central, so people know what’s going on, and a professional MC can help keep things on schedule.

One thing that we have discovered over the years is that people will turn around and go home if parking is a big issue, so choose your venue accordingly, or arrange for a shuttle bus service. Perhaps the most important factor however, are there washrooms nearby? You don’t want dirty facilities and bursting bladders to be the memories you send home with guests.

How can I protect my event space in public?

In the Metro Vancouver region, new rules mean it’s no longer possible to fence off areas of our regional parks for private events. There are similar regulations in other jurisdictions as well. That makes it a bit tougher to keep out the party crashers, but there are subtle ways to create a private compound in a public space.

We use décor and activity features such as company banners, a bouncy castle or mini-golf course to create boundaries around the central party area.

We will also have our guests check in when they arrive. That way we can give them a wristband. It’s an easy way to identify invited guests and keep the gate crashers out of the food line-up.

When is the best time to hold outdoor events?

Naturally the weekend should be your first pick for events such as company picnics where families are also invited. Sunday afternoons are typically the one time of the week that many people keep free for relaxing or socializing, so it can be a good time to schedule your event. But for strictly corporate affairs, a weekday with an extended lunch break is great for on-premise events.

If your plans involve going off-site, hire a shuttle bus, or choose an afternoon event that runs until the end of the day. This minimizes the amount of driving your guests/staff will have to do.

Another consideration is summer holidays. Scheduling family-friendly events before school lets out is best. But if you can’t find a suitable date, make sure to avoid summer long weekends, or your event could look like a ghost town.

Staff Pick of the Month – Uta Groeber

The best event for me was the “Snowflake Soiree”. I really loved the concept of this event.

On the one hand there was amazing décor with ice-blue linens and ice sculptures on the tables, Christmas trees, and giant foam snowflake hung from the ceiling.

On the other hand the entertainment and service was great! Not only was there a delicious buffet, but also two emcees dressed up as Jack Frost.  How cool is that?  We also had a magician, caricaturist, oxygen bar and an impressive band.

The Snowflake Soiree was noticeable for everyone, especially those standing under the snowmaking machine. Fortunately the snow was not cold! For me this event was one of the best Christmas parties I ever participated in because it was so traditional and authentic.

Missed an Issue of the Bright Ideas Newsletter?

Catch up on all past issues from our newsletter archive on the Bright Ideas website. If you are tasked with planning or sourcing a supplier for your company’s special events, these back issues are a treasure trove of information you can use to create an effective request for proposal.

British Columbia is an unbeatable place for holding any meeting, conference, trade show or convention. Meeting Places offers up-to-date editorial coverage, insight and practical advice for meeting and event-planners as well as anyone for whom group functions are a part of operations. With a comprehensive database of facilities and service providers throughout the province, Meeting Places is your ultimate resource for hosting your best event yet. Read More………..

Click here to see us in the news

Chosen as Canadian Representative for Renowned Carnival of Venice Event

A palace lit by the flames of a thousand candles. A visual feast of performers and décor. A stunning parade of culinary masterpieces, assembled with a historic palette. And amidst it all, masked guests adorned in sumptuous costumes, playing their own part in an extravagant illusion, conjuring history, and bringing magic to a modern age.

This is the unforgettable real-life experience of Il Ballo del Doge. And Bright Ideas Event Coordinators is proud to announce that we have been selected as the exclusive Canadian representative for Il Ballo del Doge!

“We’re so excited to be a part of the 2013 Il Ballo del Doge,” says Bright Ideas President Sharon Bonner. “I think that the twentieth edition of the event could be the best ever. What an opportunity to experience one of the most exclusive, yet celebrated events in the world!”
One of the most renowned events of the annual Carnival of Venice in Italy, Il Ballo del Doge is a masked ball without equal. The brainchild of Italian designer/producer Antonia Sautter, Il Ballo del Doge is held every year in the opulent Palazzo Pisani Moretta – a perfect setting for this amazing evening. Every guest is costumed in one of Sautter’s handmade creations, enjoying a spectacular evening featuring amazing entertainers, incredible cuisine, and a chance to experience a real-life fairy-tale fantasy.

This year’s main event is called It’s All About Amore – with Eros, Romance, and Passion each taking over a floor of the famed Venetian palace on February 9. For 2013, by popular demand, Sautter is also creating a second masquerade ball, to kick off the Carnival. Entitled Frames of a Dream, this event will be held on Saturday, February 2. Guests will enjoy highlights from 18 of the past Il Ballo del Doge events including The Wonders of Love (2004), The Garden of Delights (2005), 2009’s Golden Passion: The Golden Soul of the Serenissima, the 2011 Because Life is Magic edition, and many more.

Both events feature a number of options, including special VIP packages, welcome and farewell get-togethers, tours of the famous ‘glass’ island of Murano, exclusive discounts at Sautter’s boutique, and individualized costume photo sessions, for guests to commemorate this unique experience. To learn more about the events, including pricing, visit the Il Ballo del Doge section of the Bright Ideas website.

Ask an Event Planner

We’re considering a gala event for our company, but we are worried about the guests making the wrong choice or misjudging their blood alcohol level and driving home. What do you recommend?

Legal reasons are just one consideration with this important subject. The risks for individuals are obvious and it can reflect poorly on a company’s image as well. We’re glad that it’s on your event planning checklist. Here’s three solutions you can consider:

Shuttle Bus - Best for small events or when everyone lives in roughly the same geographic area, a shuttle bus is generally your most economical way to ensure a safe ride home. It can also add a fun, group dynamic to the evening.

Taxi Vouchers – You can arrange with your local cab company to accept vouchers to get guests back to their home. One down side… guests have to return later to pick up their car. Encourage them to choose transit, ride share, or take a taxi to the event.

Designated Driver Services – Combines the safety of a sober driver with the convenience of getting your vehicle home as well. In Canada, Operation Red Nose operates during the holiday season, donating proceeds to youth sports. There are also a number of commercial operators offering designated driver services.

Top Three Non-Traditional Holiday Party Themes

Many companies are moving away from the traditional Christmas party, recognizing that the old standbys of reindeers, elves, and Jolly St. Nick won’t always be the right choice in a multi-cultural workplace. Here’s three themes our clients are choosing:

Speakeasy – Flappers, gangsters, and the opulent Jazz Age… a great excuse to dress up and party like it’s 1929!

Casino – A sure-fire bet for fun. Guests can win prizes, or raise funds for the company’s chosen charitable organization.

Winter Wonderland - This elegant blue and white theme is a great alternative to a full-on Christmas theme.

Staff Pick of the Month – Mandy Miedema

Each month a member of the Bright Ideas team chooses their favourite event.

The event I cannot forget is the “Feeling Groovy” BBQ held at the Brock House in Vancouver. Every staff member was dressed up as a hippie and the different stations for the activities were decorated with groovy guitars, peace signs, flower power designs, etc. We created customized centerpieces with a Groovy Bus, Gerber Daisies and Fun Fur.

Since I am not from the 1960’s, it was so much fun to experience the theme. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t that great in July, but that didn’t hold the good experiences back as guests really got into the theme. There were lots of cool giveaways such as peace sunglasses, headbands, peace necklaces to compliment the tie dye t-shirts we offered each guest. It was far out and fun to be a hippie for a day!

Missed an issue of the Bright Ideas Events Newsletter?

Catch up on all past issues from our newsletter archive on the Bright Ideas website. If you are tasked with planning or sourcing a supplier for your company’s special events, these back issues are a treasure trove of information you can use to create an effective request for proposal.

In fact, it’s the unforgettable real-life experience of Il Ballo del Doge. One of the premier events of the annual Carnival of Venice, Il Ballo del Doge is a masked ball without equal. Created for the most discerning of guests, Il Ballo del Doge is designed to surpass the expectations of those accustomed to a world of beauty and luxury. Held in an opulent Venetian palace, it’s a favorite stop on the social calendar for members of the global A-list. Vanity Fair called it “the most sumptuous, refined and exclusive ball in the world.”

This year, event creator Antonia Sautter has expanded her vision, going global with her marketing efforts for the 20th edition of Il Ballo del Doge entitled It’s all about AMORE (Feb. 9, Venice, Italy) and adding a showcase ‘best of’ event called Frames of a Dream, to be held February 2nd, marking the beginning of the world-famous Carnival of Venice.

Bright Ideas Event Coordinators will be the Canadian representative for these events. “We’re so excited to be a part of the 2013 Il Ballo del Doge,” says Bright Ideas President Sharon Bonner. “I think that the twentieth edition of the event could be the best ever. What an opportunity to experience one of the most exclusive, yet celebrated events to be held during the Carnival of Venice!”

Bright Ideas will focus on marketing the gala to individuals of distinction across Canada. The 2013 edition (Saturday, Feb. 9) closes out the two week Carnival of Venice, a city-wide celebration featuring a variety of gala events and exhibitions celebrating the famed canal city’s history, as seen through the art and craftsmanship displayed in the masks and costumes honoring the original festival, which began in the twelfth century. For information on exclusive ticket availability for Il Ballo del Doge, please contact Bright Ideas president Sharon Bonner.

The boat ride back to Vancouver included a Pirate Revue for the “big kids” and a Pirate Storyteller for the little kids.  When we got home, enormous smiles were plastered on every face and a bag full of Pirate booty was every guests’ share of the treasure.  Arrrrr…. It was a great day laddie!

We coordinated many other boat cruises this year. A memorable event for TetraPak included a Dixieland band, pig ice sculpture, chocolate logo and fireworks.

Throughout the summer of 1994 we produced all sorts of corporate events, ranging from Corporate Barbecues to Company Picnics to Corporate Anniversary Celebrations.

By the close of 1994, I was feeling really good about the course the company was taking.  We were coordinating themed corporate events and becoming known in Vancouver for our creativity, innovations, and execution of memorable productions. Bright Ideas was heading in the right direction!

We coordinated all sorts of corporate picnics, themed barbecues and team building events that summer. Below are a couple of photos from a Boston Pizza event. We took top managers from the head office in Richmond and planned an all day team building event with western style eating contests, old fashioned relay races, and customized team challenges.  Then we ended the day with a western style barbecue, followed by a barn dance complete with line dancing and musical bales.  It was a very successful 16 hour event!

We also coordinated company picnics for Trans Mountain Pipeline and Rivtow Marine.  The typical company picnic those days included relay races, a bouncy castle, mini golf and face painting. During the lunch hour we often included a puppet show or a magician. At some picnics, we were accommodating 200 – 300 children.  It was a lot of fun!

Then came the really exciting part of 1993!  I had been reading a lot about how the mobile coffee cart business was a huge hit in Seattle, Washington. I thought that it would also work in British Columbia.  I did a bit of research and then jumped in. Off the deep end and into the mobile coffee business! I created another company called Mocha Motion and eventually purchased three gorgeous cappuccino carts.  I parked the first one outside of Duthie Books at 777 Hornby in downtown Vancouver . I created all sorts of promotions to acquire customers. Our customer base was growing rapidly.  Our corner was a happening spot in the morning!

CBC had a television show called Venture which was focused on entrepreneurs who started new successful ventures.  They came and interviewed me and soon we were in the newspapers, on the television and radio.

At this time Starbucks was not in Vancouver. After I had Mocha Motion up and running for about 4 months and had developed a good customer base, they opened the city’s first Starbucks in the same block.  Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before I lost most of my clients to Starbucks. I moved the cart to 666 Burrard Place and the same thing happened again. It was so disheartening.

As 1993 was winding to a close, I found I was stretching myself too thin.  The event business was really picking and Mocha Motion was gaining momentum.  I was getting tired and needed to make some changes — to ensure I didn’t burn out.  What could I give up? Now that was a really tough decision….

  Next, we started doing some work for Konings Wholesale and Subaru. The word was spreading. Bright Ideas Events was the company to call when you needed creative events and reliable service. Now things were definitely heading in the right direction!

  During the Christmas season, I coordinated a HUGE Christmas Party for 700 guests at the Enterprise Hall on the Plaza of Nations. Looking back, I see now that it was an incredibly large undertaking for me at this stage of my career. The theme was a Traditional Christmas, so I went all out with oversized décor to fill this large, high ceiling-ed space. I brought in 15’ tall live Christmas Trees, flanking them with snow blankets and 20’ tall Snowman from Parade Floats. Another popular feature at this event was the Photo Op Station. I had rented an old fashioned sleigh and nestled amongst the live trees for guests to climb in and get their photo taken. The photos were gorgeous!

  Looking at the photos now, the biggest accomplishment that jumps out of those pictures is the fact that I somehow decorated the pillars to look like Candy Canes. I don’t even remember hiring a genie lift, but I must have. Those poles are about 60’ tall. The effect was stunning! 1992 was drawing to an end and we were already booking events for 1993. There were two distinct seasons appearing in my target market – Summer (picnics) and Winter (Christmas parties). This seasonal trend would sustain Bright Ideas over the next decade, as I built my corporate event planning business. In my next post… on a roll and gaining momentum!