The Goal Of A Hospitality Rider

March 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

There is a famous story of a big rock band who made an odd request in their rider.  They asked for the brown M&M’s to be separated out from the other M&M’s.  An odd request for sure, but they saw this as a way to test a promoter.  If they walked in the backstage area of the venue and the brown M&M’s were in fact separated, they knew the promoter had read and paid attention to the rider.

A typical rider has two sides to it: technical and hospitality.  We’ve spent some time discussing the tech part, but today I would like to look at the hospitality side.

When you get the rider from the artist, speaker or band you’re having at your event, the hospitality section could appear overwhelming or even that the artist is being a little big headed.

The goal of this section is to make the performer as comfortable as possible at your event.  In case you hadn’t heard, artists are wired a little bit different than the rest of us.  And you’ve asked them to bring their talents to your event.  For them to be effective, they prefer conditions to be a certain way.

As an artist manager, we encourage our artists to make their riders as simple as possible.  We understand the importance of ministry, and the last thing we want, is the rider to get in the way.

Along those lines if you have an issue or question on anything on the artist rider, don’t hesitate to bring that up to the booking agent you are working with or the artist’s manager.  I would imagine their attitude will be the same of not letting any issues be a stumbling block.

What is the strangest thing you’ve seen requested in a rider?  How did you handle with the artist?

Filed Under: Activities/Recreation, Meeting Set-Up, Site Selection Tagged With: , , ,

Lighting For Your Events

February 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

You’re perception of lights is probably that yeah you need some, but you don’t really know how much or what kind of lights that are needed for your event. Just like sound lighting is a specialized area that is important not to leave out. Lights can enhance an event or make it plain blah.

When you’re planning your event, here’s a few things to keep in mind for lights:

  1. What kind of talent will you have at your event? If the event only features authors or speakers, then your event might be able to get away with a spotlight or two. But if you’re having an artist or band, bringing in more lights is very much encouraged and needed to make their time special. (Side note: The act should have a rider that spells out lighting needs. If you did not receive one of these, asking the booking agent you worked with for one.)
  2. What is your budget? Sure you want your event to look fantastic with fancy movers and an LED wall, but that’s going to cost some money. Do you have the budget for that? More lights equals more money.
  3. What do you want the stage to look like? That’s a big determining factor for lights. If you’re going for something dark and moody or you want something bright and cheerful, you need lights that reflect that attitude you’re trying to achieve.

We’ve talked before about communicating your needs to your sound engineer, but discussing light needs with a great LD (lighting designer) is just as important. When you have an idea of what you want your event to look like (number 3 above), communicating that to LD will help you fulfill your needs. Those LDs will have experiences that could even lead you down a different path.

What has been your experience working with lighting designers in the past?

Filed Under: Meeting Set-Up, Site Selection Tagged With: ,

Seasonal Considerations That Could Impact My Event

January 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine seasonal impact on an event- especially if you are planning it during an entirely different time of year. For each season think through how weather, school schedules, holidays, and venue availability might effect your event.  Here are a few things we have noted about seasons in the south.  See if these observations spark anything you might need to take into consideration for your next event.

Spring:  Weather can be very unpredictable.  Your outdoor team-building exercise may be rained out- so have a great back up plan in place.  It may be 65 and sunny or 50 and rainy, so prepare by thinking through both eventualities and stocking up for both.

Summer: Sun and shade. If you are planning anything out of doors– be ready to provide water and shade.  A friend of mine planned their child’s birthday party outside, and set up a wonderful play area for the children.  Unfortunately, it was an unusually blistering day, and everyone crowded into the only available shade, about five square feet next to a concrete wall.  If it will be hot, plan to make use of available shade from trees or buildings. Purchase some shade tents or umbrellas if necessary.

Fall: School schedules.  Fall is a very busy season for parents and children.  Look at local school calendars before scheduling an event or retreat.  You’ll lose lots of participants if your event is held the night before children go back to school!

Winter:  If you are in an area that receives snow or ice, decide how you will determine if conditions are unsafe, and how you will notify people if they are.  Many radio and television stations will help you broadcast your cancellation, but you will need to set up an account with them first.  If your guests are already on-site, prepare with extra hot drinks and lots of salt-melt.

Year-round: Be aware of conflicts that could make it difficult to book a venue or caterer for your event (like trying to reserve a chapel on a saturday in June) but also use off-season months to your advantage.  Call a few of your favorite spots, and ask them if and when things slow down.  If you’re willing to be flexible you might even be able to negotiate an even better rate.

Instead of wrestling with the season during your event planning, consider it’s challenges, and prepare accordingly.  And don’t forget to choose at least one thing that makes it unique and find a way to highlight it.  You and your guests will enjoy it even more if you do!

Filed Under: Pre-Event Planning, Site Selection Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Christian Meeting Planning Resources – November Update

November 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Here are some great articles we’ve read in November, I hope you find something useful as your making plans for your upcoming meetings and events.

I hope you find these helpful and remember we have many more that might interest you  in the Meeting Planner Resources section of the blog.

 

Filed Under: Budget and Pricing, Christian Retreat Ideas, Cost Saving Ideas, Food and Beverage, Marketing and Promotion, Meeting Set-Up, Post-Event Follow-up, Pre-Event Planning, Site Selection Tagged With: , ,

Top 10 Posts – 3rd Quarter 2012

October 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Fall is here and I for one can’t wait for the changing leaves and cooler temperatures.   This means the 3rd quarter is behind us and it’s time to share our 10 most read posts over the past 3 months. Hopefully this will help you find a great post you might have missed…

  1. What’s A Hollow Square – As in any industry, hotels and conference centers sometimes have a language all their own. Here’s a little help in translating…
  2. Ridgecrest Recipe:  Rutland Chicken – Have you been looking for something new to do with chicken?  Enjoy and then let us know what you think!
  3. 5 Things To Do AFTER Your Meeting Is Over – Everyone has gone home and you want to relax but here are a few things that still need to be done and will definitely help you in planning future meetings and/or retreats.
  4. 8 Ideas For Promoting Your Church Retreat –  If you don’t also spend time on strategically promoting your retreat, you may end up with a great retreat that no one attends. With that in mind, here are 8 ideas for helping to promote your upcoming church retreat.
  5. 3 Steps To More Productive Brainstorming – Brainstorming with your planning team is a great way to ensure you provide an event your attendees will find engaging and worthwhile.  Here are 3 steps to take that will go a long way to making your next session more productive.
  6. 3 Tips To Creating An Unforgettable Event – Here are 3 tips on how to turn your event into an unforgettable experience.
  7. Creating A Standout Womens Retreat – A podcast interview with Chris Adams and Betsy Langmade, 2 of LifeWay’s long-time women’s leaders sharing what they’ve learned about planning women’s events.
  8. 5 Tips For Programming Effective Youth Camps – Brian Mills serves as student pastor Long Hollow Baptist Church and is passionate about reaching young people for Christ. Here are his thoughts on how to program your youth camp for maximum spiritual impact.
  9. 7 Tips For Getting The Most From A Site Visit – Once you decide to make a site visit, here are 7 tips to help you maximize your time.
  10. Meeting Planner Survival Kit – Many planners need to be prepared to address last minute needs and emergencies. Here is a starter list of items you need to have in your meeting planner survival kit to be prepared at your next event.

Which post have you found most helpful?

 

Filed Under: Activities/Recreation, Budget and Pricing, Cost Saving Ideas, Marketing and Promotion, Post-Event Follow-up, Recipes, Site Selection Tagged With: , ,

Top 10 Posts – 2nd Quarter 2012

July 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I think it’s safe to say we’ve entered the dog days of summer and I’m already looking forward to fall. This means the 2nd quarter is behind us and it’s time to share our 10 most read posts over the past 3 months. Hopefully this will help you find a worthy post you might have missed in the past…

  1. 3 Steps To More Productive Brainstorming – Brainstorming with your planning team is a great way to ensure you provide an event your attendees will find engaging and worthwhile.  Here are 3 steps to take that will go a long way to making your next session more productive.
  2. What’s A Hollow Square – As in any industry, hotels and conference centers sometimes have a language all their own. Here’s a little help in translating…
  3. 8 Ideas For Promoting Your Church Retreat –  If you don’t also spend time on strategically promoting your retreat, you may end up with a great retreat that no one attends. With that in mind, here are 8 ideas for helping to promote your upcoming church retreat.
  4. Ridgecrest Recipe:  Rutland Chicken – Have you been looking for something new to do with chicken?  Enjoy and then let us know what you think!
  5. 5 Things To Do AFTER Your Meeting Is Over – Everyone has gone home and you want to relax but here are a few things that still need to be done and will definitely help you in planning future meetings and/or retreats.
  6. Creating A Standout Womens Retreat – A podcast interview with Chris Adams and Betsy Langmade, 2 of LifeWay’s long-time women’s leaders sharing what they’ve learned about planning women’s events.
  7. Meeting Planner Survival Kit – Many planners need to be prepared to address last minute needs and emergencies. Here is a starter list of items you need to have in your meeting planner survival kit to be prepared at your next event.
  8. 3 Tips To Creating An Unforgettable Event – Here are 3 tips on how to turn your event into an unforgettable experience.
  9. 5 Tips For Programming Effective Youth Camps – Brian Mills serves as student pastor Long Hollow Baptist Church and is passionate about reaching young people for Christ. Here are his thoughts on how to program your youth camp for maximum spiritual impact.
  10. 7 Tips For Getting The Most From A Site Visit – Once you decide to make a site visit, here are 7 tips to help you maximize your time.

Which post have you found most helpful?

 

Filed Under: Activities/Recreation, Budget and Pricing, Christian Retreat Ideas, Cost Saving Ideas, Food and Beverage, Leadership Helps, Marketing and Promotion, Meeting Set-Up, Post-Event Follow-up, Pre-Event Planning, Recipes, Site Selection Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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