Mirror Me Photobooth
Our Mirror Me Photobooth is one of our most popular rentals!
Here are 5 reasons you should get a Photobooth for your event!
Saves you MONEY-
Instead of hiring a photographer, you can rent a photobooth and get your pictures immediately
Makes your event Memorable- Everyone enjoys a good time, make sure you and your guests remember it with physical or digital pictures
Builds Connections- Great for groups and for new friends
Non Intrusive- Everyone gets to choose their pose along with a countdown timer! No off guards here!
It has a Mirror!- Know exactly how you look prior to the picture with the Mirror ON the Photobooth!
Event Planning Tips: 10 Mistakes Most Event Planners Make
I'm going to share with you the top 10 mistakes that I see most event planners make. My goal is to help you avoid making some of these same mistakes that could cost you a lot of money. Let's get started.
Mistake number one is the failure to identify the event objectives. This is a very common mistake, so be sure to know 100% what your management or your client expects from this meeting list your three top objectives. Examples would include education, recruiting, customer retention, awards, presentations, new product rollout, executive installation, et cetera.
Mistake number two is the failure to budget properly. Many planners make this mistake by overlooking some very costly items. Specifically consider speaker, travel, artists and entertainment, backstage demands, audio, visual requirements, power fire permits, Internet costs, program handouts, shipping charges, union overtime, decorations, security, and afternoon break refreshments. Don't overlook these costs.
Mistake number three is the failure to select the right facility. This mistake can destroy even the best event. Things to consider when planning your event are location, location, location. Take into consideration the following items, the locale of your attendees, the proximity of the event to the airport, easy access to freeways and other major thoroughfares and very important traffic patterns. Meeting room location, meaning room size and parking availability and fees will also affect your attendance.
Mistake number four is the failure to hire the right speaker or entertainer. You may imagine that you are alone in your worries over the event but it is also your entertainer’s worst nightmare to have an event flop. To avoid this, be sure to use a reputable skilled speaker or entertainer whom you've personally seen or whose references you thoroughly checked. Making sure you have the right people for the right job will ensure that your event runs as smoothly as possible. Also, as a bonus tip, be sure you carefully read their entire agreement before signing.
Number five is a failure to identify and secure a solid prospect list in advance. I can't tell you how many times I have seen events fail because of this one factor. Secure your entire prospect list or marketing partner commitments in writing before securing your date. Be Sure your list has all names, titles, mailing addresses, email addresses, social media contacts, phone numbers, et cetera. And if you're using a marketing partner, be very specific in writing about what they will send out and where your attendees can register if you don't reach them. Trust me being diligent about this kind of stuff will save you a massive headache if anything should go wrong and the reassurance of having it will make you feel more confident in your demands.
Number six is the failure to prepare a marketing plan. This definitely ranks in the top three with regards to the importance when planning an event. Be sure to lay out your marketing timelines. Set goals, and create marketing target dates, plan your contacts by social media, mail, email, telephone, et cetera.
Mistake number seven is the failure to secure strong contracts. Here's where you can really run into trouble. Do not promote your event without legibly signed contracts for every aspect of your event, including your speaker, the facility, and all other contractors. Period. As I mentioned before taking these steps will guard you against potential future mishaps. Whether that is a contractor who tires to alter the agreement or a late speaker you’ll have all the paperwork to hold your position.
Mistake number eight is the failure to create the right environment with the hundreds of details you plan for every event. Don't overlook your meeting environment, lighting, seating, room temperature, music, decorations, signage, audio visuals, and the location of the restrooms are all key factors. Get in writing which room you're getting at a hotel or conference center or you will might have the meeting stuck in the most inconvenient location two miles from where you’re staying with the pillars and in the basement.
Mistake number nine is the failure to secure the correct audio visual equipment. Oh boy, I can remember one time my clients spent over a hundred thousand dollars for a beautiful stage production complete with the latest audiovisual equipment. Everything looked fine until the speaker came onto the stage and, after a moment, looked dumbstruck. He was missing an important piece of equipment to give his visual presentation. We thought we ordered what his staff requested for him. Obviously, we hadn't. This was a powerful lesson. I want to help you avoid, get it in writing. Request a written list of audiovisual needs from every presenter or entertainer and feedback from them. Stage a thorough run through well in advance of your event start time to be sure everything works properly. If there are going to be surprises you’d rather reveal them before your event rather than in the middle of it.
And finally, mistake number 10 is the failure to market the event properly. Once you've created your marketing plan, stick to it. Once your event is booked, it's critical that all of your marketing contacts go out as planned. Preplan your blog posts, your social media posts, email messaging, et cetera. That way your messaging stays on time while you handle the hundreds of other details associated with your event. And remember, use every means available to reach your attendees. One method alone does not reach everyone because of all the different generations in today's marketplace. Hopefully with these tips in mind you can avoid some of the common pitfalls of event planning. Even though it may be impossible to anticipate every single problem that could occur with the right forethought and planning you minimize the chance of something catastrophically unexpected ruining your event. I wish you good luck on your future events and hope these tips were helpful.
How to host a successful event (9 Tips)
Welcome to the Event Series
We absolutely love working onsite at events. After all of the grueling hours and paperwork and schedules and negotiations that we go through in the planning process, there's nothing more fulfilling than getting on site and seeing your event come to life from the ground up. So here are nine tips on running a smooth event.
Be the First to Arrive. Except for the venue manager, you need to be the first person on-site at your event. You are bringing all the different elements together at this event which means you need to be there to be able to communicate where people need to go, where resources need to be placed, and any other minutiae that happens while they’re on-site to make sure that your load-in is flawless.
Strangle the Load-In Schedule. If a delivery shows up an hour late, that could completely derail your entire process so you need to know your load-in schedule backwards and forwards and be on top of any service provider that doesn’t show up when they’re scheduled to.
Work Smart, Not Hard. Think every process through the next steps. What are the next 5 steps we need to tackle in order to get to that end goal and find a way to make steps 1-4 as easy as possible. Trim them down, streamline those processes, make sure they are simple so that once you get to the last step you’ve thought through the most efficient process possible.
“Always Carry Pants.”My friend told me his old boss at a department store would tell him to “Always Carry Pants.” In other words, if you’re carrying around a clipboard with a determined look on your face and a dedicated ‘move forward’ towards that crowd, they’re going to separate for you, no question.
Listen. Sometimes your attendees don’t want any sort of explanation, don’t want to hear from you, they just want to talk at you. They want to complain, make sure their concerns are being addressed, or just like to chat. In this time that you’re using to listen, you should be able to figure out whether or not you’re actually going to be able to do anything to help them.
Not Every Concern is Critical. You’re going to hear a lot of feedback from your attendees who are going to give you pointers on XYZ or everyone is going to have a comment about everything. But, not everything they are going to complain about is something that you can solve. Be sure to prioritize.
Just Say Yes. Someone comes up and says that it’s too cold in the room, “Yes, of course we definitely understand and we’re working on it right now.” No need for explanations, no need to go into details.
Have Support. When I started out I used to run conferences single-handed, from registration, to AV production, to getting everybody on buses and shipped out to a reception venue off-site. Now, I’ve realized how bad an idea that is. We are so much better at producing events when we have a team of skilled professionals bringing together all of the elements with one person serving as the ring leader.
Eat, Drink, Sit, Breathe. Event planners suck at personal wellness. We are really bad at recognizing that yes, we have a lot of work to do, we have to get it done, we work ourselves to the bone BUT you’re going to do no good for your event if you’re passed out in the corner, so take care of yourself. Being on-site can be pretty stressful but it is also one of the best parts of planning events. If you follow these tips you’re going to see your events running smoothly on-site and you’re going to be set up for success. What are some of the things that you do on-site at your events to make sure they run smoothly? Leave a comment below.