4 Event Resources to Check Out

Here are some more resources to help you in the event planning process.  Enjoy them.

 

1.  www.venuesonline.com

 

2.   www.iapco.org

 

3.  www.tia.org

 

4.  www.iasbweb.org

 

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

Unique Entertainer Friday

This week we have a nostalgic act, The Spinners.  You have no doubt heard their many hits, in fact, they are probably your guilty pleasures, don’t worry me too.  This R&B sensation has sold more than 60 million albums as well as a string of Grammy nominations.  They are great for corporate events, special events at trade shows and more.

 

 

For more information on pricing and to book The Spinners for your event, go to my website and contact me today.

 

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment

www.impactentertains.com

 

 

I Need a Celebrity Act that Isn’t Six Figures!

I often hear clients tell me this  exact phrase.  There seems to be a common misconception that most celebrity acts are ridiculously expensive and most are well into the six figures.  That may be true for a small portion of the celebrity talent including the hot acts touring right now, legends and others.  Think Rihanna, Madonna, Matchbox Twenty, etc…  All these acts have sold millions of records so they are going to be higher priced.  The price also depends on what type of event it is.  Some acts get more money for corporate and private events than they do at fairs and festivals.  All that being said, here are some acts that are under six figures.  Many are well under that number, some just a little.  Keep in mind that an act many only cost $20,000 but may have a $10,000 rider, meaning their production, travel, etc…  These acts range from legendary bands to younger singers.

- The Spinners

- The O Jays

- Lloyd

- Kool and the Gang

- Ashanti

- Blues Traveler

- The Pointer Sisters

- Starship

- Survivor

- Chris Cross

- The Gin Blossoms

- America

- Salt N Pepa

- En Vogue

- Tyrese

- Blackstreet

- Lil Jon

- Dionne Warwick

- Winger

- Eve 6

and many many more.

For more information on pricing for any of these acts or if you need some ideas for affordable celebrity talent for your next event, conference and more, go to my website and email me today.

 

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

Set Sail for Meetings and Events

Planning a meeting, event, incentive and more is an exciting project to take on and a cruise is one of the most creative and unique places to hold your next event or meeting.  Check out Seasite below for your all in once resource.

 

www.seasite.com

 

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

3 Team Building Ideas You Can Use

Team building activities can be fun or serious, or somewhere in between.  Here are a couple of team building ideas you may want to use.

1.  Adventure Programs - This is a good opportunity to get your team out of the office and into an unusual environment in which they must rely on each other’s skills and creativity. Activities may include camping, canoeing, a safari or an island scenario. Team members are provided with the equipment needed and must work together to “survive” the wilderness. These activities offer both mental and physical challenges, depending on the capabilities of your group.

2.  Scavenger or Treasure Hunts – Whether using a map, clues or a list of goal objects to be found, team members must think together to solve the puzzle you’ve laid before them. Prompts should be challenging enough that not everyone will be able to solve them; if the activity is too easy, participants may find it silly. This is a fun, relationship-building activity which allows a team to get to know a location and use their combined mental skills to solve problems, manage time, prioritize, and make decisions.

3.  Mental Problem Solving – This type of team building activity calls upon your team members to put their heads together to work out a complex problem and find solutions or answers. Exercises can be focused around real-life business scenarios, such as devising new methods to solve a pressing client dilemma. Or the exercise can be presented just for fun, such as with a “murder mystery” game in which team members must use their thinking caps to deduce the identity of the perpetrator.

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

Unique Entertainer Friday

This week we have comedian and celebrity roaster Jeff Ross.  If you have ever seen the Comedy Central roasts, then you know how brutal Jeff can be.  He is the king of the roasts and insults.  He is great for colleges, nightclubs, and young hip crowds.

 

 

To have Jeff Ross roast your group, go to my website and shoot me an email.

 

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

More Event/Trade Show Marketing Ideas

1.  If you belong to a trade association, you might want to consider having an annual open house in order to better educate the public about your industry.

2.  Contests or sweepstakes are a cheap and easy way to collect names for your mailing list in addition to their inherent promotional value.

3.  If your thinking about exhibiting at a trade show, visit as an attendee first to get an idea of the other exhibitors and of how well you could do with a booth.  Ask the other exhibitors if they come back to the show year after year, a good sign, and check out the booth layout to see where you’d like to have your booth next year.

4.  If you can’t decid at which show you want to exhibit, and you have a limited budget for trade shows, ask your customers which trade shows they attend.

 

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

Marketing Your Incentive Trip

Perhaps you have planned an incentive trip that you think is guaranteed to blow everyone away.  You have booked exclusive accommodations, celebrity speakers, headline entertainment, dinner in a wonderful new venue and more, but you find that enthusiasm for the program could be much higher.  What is a planner to do???

Here are some questions you should ask that can help solve the question of why there is not as much excitement as there could be.

1.  Was the marketing leading up to the trip as exciting as the program you planned?

2.  Were the tactics you used to motivate potential attendees effective?

3.  Did they feel if they didn’t qualify for this trip, they were missing out?

Everyone is quick to build a creative program, but it is also important to get the strategy and planning done upfront.  It is vitally important that the marketing campaign creates expectations of what attendees will take away from the program.  There must also be a commitment to the program from the leadership, management, etc…

There are a lot of cool programs that are fun but don’t tie in to your company’s core values, business objectives and more.  If the program does not tie in, it will not have the same staying power as one that is interwoven.  You should look for ways to build excitement leading up to an incentive trip.  You can try thing such as having a giant calendar to count down the days until it arrives, send employees home with a small souvenir from the destination you will be visiting and use direct mail as well.  Bottom line is that marketing your incentive trip is equally as important as planning the trip itself.

 

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

 

Unique Entertainer Friday

This week we have a classic rock celebrity act, Starship.  With hits such as We Built This City, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, Sara and many more, they are a great band for your special event at a trade show, corporate event, conference and more.  The best part is that they are very affordable, which is always nice.  For more information on booking Starship for your next event, go to my website and contact me today.

Here is the video to one of their most popular songs.

 

 

Brings back memories huh?

Joshua Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com

Do You Need Event Insurance??

Event planners are often puzzled over whether to purchase event insurance, and if they do, exactly what they need to insure.  Below is an overview to help you find the solutions.

Insurance associated with events covers and protects planners in several specific areas.

- General Liability insurance protects against a company and all parties involved in the event, the planners, venue, caterer for losses due to bodily injury or property damage caused by the insured employees or agents.

- Liquor Liability insurance is sometimes needed, especially if you are in a venue in which the bartenders are not covered or if you directly employ any part-time bartenders.

- Cancellation insurance will protect you in case of unforseen situations such as weather or something else happens that requires you to cancel your event.  This helps you cover many of the costs and deposits already paid.

Our society is very litigious and it is always best to protect yourself to avoid a larger problem later.  To obtain event insurance, call your own insurance agent and explain your needs and they will help you determine the best plan.

 

Josh Gair – Impact Entertainment Services

www.impactentertains.com