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!
