Saturday, 26 November 2011

Encounter: An Evening with Peter Mansbridge

(Post originally written November 7, 2011)
RECAP & 10 Planning Event Tips- Encounter: An Evening with Peter Mansbridge- November 4, 2011
     What an event! My evening with Peter Mansbridge was exceptional. Let’s start at the beginning. After we checked out coats (for free) and before we walked into the room, my fellow CreCommer Lauren and I checked the board outside of the room to see where we were seated. As we walked through the doors all I could think about was how beautiful and elegant the room looked. The specialty room on the second floor was filled nicely decorated tables, white silk covered seats (I don’t think t was actual silk), and blue lights streaming along each pillar in the room. 

 TIP #1: As soon as people walk into your venue, you want them to instantly feel that have already gotten their money’s worth, and to anticipate how much they are going to enjoy the rest of the evening. 
    There was a woman sitting at a table by the entrance and I assumed she was there to check our tickets; not the case. Lauren and I just walked straight into the room without anyone asking to see proof of ticket purchase. Technically, we could have been average Janes dressed up looking for any nearby events we could get into, which would have saved us each $65, or saved a non-student $200. Not a big deal, just and observation. 
TIP #2: When planning your event, be sure to have 1 or 2 people at the door taking tickets. For events such as this, it’s not likely that many people are going to try and sneak in, but it’s possible!
     Lauren and I wanted to find the other students from our class so we did a lap around the room, looking for our table. Each table had the same beautiful centrepiece, surrounded by elegantly set cutlery, each set complete with a glass of water topped with cranberries for that extra touch of class.

 TIP #3: Subtle and inexpensive things like putting a few cranberries in a glass of water, can leave a lasting impression and can really spruce up the look of an event!
     On our tickets it said “Cocktails: 6PM, Dinner: 7PM”. My plan was to get there by 6:15 but I didn’t get there until around 6:45. Had I left earlier I would have had the pleasure of enjoying FREE martinis during the first hour of the event, as opposed to the one free cosmo I was able to squeeze in at 6:52. Of course, this wasn’t the type of event where people go to consume a lot of alcohol, so I accepted my missed opportunity and saw it as a way to help me stay classy (self-justification). 
TIP #4: If you plan on putting on an event in which the tickets are relatively expensive ($200 for example), it is a good idea to supply your guests with FREE drinks at some point during the night. It’s ideal to have this free period at the beginning because not only is it less hassle, but it’s an incentive to get people in the door early, especially if you want them seated for dinner by a certain time. There was also one bottle of white wine, and one bottle of red wine on every table, which is also a good idea. 
     At 7PM on the dot, Ace Burpee officially started the event as the MC. Burpee, as you may know from hot 103, is a really funny and entertaining MC. He makes himself available for a number of different events and is definitiely a Winnipeg favourite. 
 TIP #5: Having an MC (Master of Ceremonies) that is well known can create buzz for your event, entertain your guests, and gives your event a sense of credibility. 
     After Burpee gave his opening speech, dinner started to come one course at a time. 
Raspberry Sorbet
Salmon
Raspberry Chocolate Charlotte



Beef Tenderloin
TIP #6: Many fancy events have different courses for dinner, as opposed to a main dish and dessert, or a buffet. Tailor the food you choose to suit the type and price of your event.
     At the start of each course different presentations took place on the two TV screens in the room. As mentioned in my previous post, the purpose of the event was to raise money for the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation and the Tallman Foundation. I liked that presentation were playing throughout dinner, but I would have started them around 10 minutes into each course. If you were sitting with your back turned to the screens, you had to stop eating to turn around and watch, while your food got cold. If you continued eating and didn’t watch the videos, it looked like you didn’t care.

TIP #7: It’s good to having something going on during dinner, but make sure to do it in such a way that people can enjoy their meal at the same time. Perhaps have something less important streaming in the background and have the important foundation videos after each course to get full attention. 
     During dessert was keynote speaker Peter Mansbridge. I won’t critique his speech but as you can assume, it was really good.



TIP #8: A good keynote speaker is what ties your event together. It can be the sole reason for the attendance of half your guests. And like having a good MC, a keynote speaker should add entertainment value, as well as credibility. 
     After Mansbridge’s speech, the live auction started. Things being auctioned off were: statues, an in-house dinner for 8, a trip for two to Toronto, etc. From the bidding I heard, it sounded like a lot of money was raised from the live auction alone. There was also a silent auction going on as well (the kind where people write down their bids and the highest bid written down at the end of the night, buys that prize)
TIP #9: Live and silent auctions are a FANTASTIC way to raise money. But you do have to consider the type of crowd you are expecting. For example, if you were to hold an event I which you were targeting students as guests, and live auction that starts prizes off at $5000, wouldn’t be reasonable or ideal. 
     I know this has been an EXTREMELY long post, but I hope some of you were able to find it helpful or entertaining. Although there were a couple of minor details of the event that I would have done differently, overall, it was well put together and seemed to be really well received. 
P.S. Parting gifts = Good!

TIP #10: Stay tuned to see which upcoming events I shall attend next!

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