It's in the Little Details

Happy hump day everyone! Today does not feel like a hump day for me though; I know it's meant to be the day everyone is just trying to get over and get on to the weekend, but I woke up with a spring in my step ready to take the day!

You're probably (well hopefully you are) wondering about the title of this blog and "whatever could it be about". Let me paint you a picture first!

So imagine this: you are doing a business event (or having your wedding/anniversary dinner/any type of event), the caterer's have all of their food ready to bring out at the exact moment you planned, the decor was set up hours before and you don't have to worry about last minute touches. The DJ or live band has everything ready to go and they know all of the transitions, all the outfits are pressed and steamed, and the only nerves you feel are for your speech later. Sounds like a perfect event right? It only is depending on your smaller touches!

It's true when people say that first impressions matter. Did you know that within 30 seconds to a minute of someone walking into a new place they make up their mind about if they will enjoy it that day or not? I have learned this first hand and let me tell you, it sticks in your mind the whole event!

Here are some small things that you might not have thought about for your event.

1. Greeters- it is NOT enough to just have one or two greeters at a sign in table. Weird right? You need greeters at every point of entry in the building, so that if they have to walk down a hallway, they know where to go. If there is another hallway/door after the sign in table, you need greeters there too to make sure that everyone who is coming in, actually has a ticket.

Sounds like a simple thing right? Well, we have been to a few events where we were able to walk in a different entrance than they had planned, didn't see the sign in table, and just walked into the event itself and sat down without so much as a soul saying a word to us. Want to know why it was so easy for us to just waltz in? No greeters at every entry. Disclaimer: we did have tickets and found out about the sign in table by overhearing some other guests lol But the fact that no one was there to tell us where to go or welcome us, left a bad first impression for the event ahead.

2. Food and beverages- believe it or not but people gotta eat and stay hydrated! Now we are not saying you have to go all out with caterers and a five course meal to have a successful event, however, you need more than just water to keep people's energy up to last the whole event.

Now you can get away with just coffee and tea if your event is just 1 hour, but if your event is between 2-4 hours you should have: coffee, tea, water, and some small appetizers/snacky bits like fruits, veggies, and a pastry of some sorts.

If your event is 4+ hours you need at least 1 meal (could even be finger sandwiches, but you need something to keep the energy up) as well as coffee, tea, water, and some small appetizers/snacky bits like fruit, veggies, and a pastry of some sorts.

If you do not wish to do catering and you have a 1-2 hour break, make sure to send out an email ahead of time stating that there will be a break where they can go out and get some food or they can bring something to eat during it. This email should also state the names of food places that are within walking/short driving distances and a map of where to find them. Of course everyone is an adult and can see when things are taking place, but it's by the time frame that they will assume what kind of food/drinks they will be getting from said event.

One last tip about drinks! If you happen to be serving alcohol, you are required by law to have some sort of food out to make sure to soak it up a little bit, and to have the name and phone number of a local taxi service for them to use later if need be. For food that goes best with alcoholic drinks we would suggest any of the following: pizza, skewers, spinach dip with bread, sushi (if you're brave lol), basically anything with bread and maybe some veggies because the bread really soaks it up and makes it a safer night for the guests.

3. And the last thing that people usually gloss over is if you have any guest speakers they should be as charismatic off stage as they are on stage. I've been to plenty of events where the speakers come onstage amazing, kind, generous, they want participation, they seem very loving, and then they go backstage and hide or when they pass by people they don't even try to make eye contact. I wish I was kidding! It just adds a sense of truth to your event if their presence is the same throughout the night.

Now that I've rambled on for a while, go forth and create great events! There are of course more details people miss, but these are the top 3 that we find people miss out on the most. If you have any other suggestions/comments please feel free to either comment on here, facebook, or instagram, we'd honestly love to hear from you!

I will see you all next time!

Xoxo,

Callista