A New Adventure!

First, I want to thank everyone for your support over the past few years as I've been running M+M. I'm very excited to announce today that soon I'll be starting a new social media consulting and management business. In the process of promoting M+M on various social media platforms, I found that I greatly enjoy the creative aspect of developing and curating material with which people connect. My goal is to work with three particular kinds of businesses about which I feel great passion. I'll reveal the name and more details about the new venture soon.  If you'd like to get an idea of my work, "like" the Meetings and Milestones Facebook page (it'll be available a bit longer). Onward to a new adventure!

Images and Videos are MUSTS!

Basically, if you're running a business in 2016, you need to be on social media.  Research your target audience to find out the top 2-3 platforms they're on and learn as much as you can about those particular ones. Don't try to be on every platform. The object is to be social which doesn't mean SELL, SELL, SELL! It means being consistent with your posts and presenting information that will help you develop a relationship with your prospective customers or clients. The 80%/20% ratio is recommended. That means 80% of the time you're connecting with your audience by making posts they will find funny, informative, motivational, useful, emotional, etc. that are not directly about your business. The object is to be SOCIAL! Then 20% of the time post about your business and promote your products or services.  There are lots of good resources where you can find types of posts to make.

When you post, you will get more reach and engagement if you include images and videos. You don't have to be a graphic designer. Numerous free tools exist to help you create graphics. Also, you can find apps to make your videos look better. Pictures and videos taken with a cell phone are fine to start.  I'm including a recent video I did. I've learned it's best to turn the phone horizontally. I need to work on my editing but since I was filming my cats, I had to be quick. They weren't going to wait for me to set up the tripod!  

Always Have a Plan B

Today in Houston, TX parts of the city had major flooding again. The last major flood, if I'm correct, was Memorial Day weekend of 2015. Many homes were flooded and some people were just moving back in recently after repairs were completed. How does this relate to event planning, you ask? There are many beautiful outdoor venues in Houston as I'm sure there are all over this country. Many weddings, anniversary celebrations, birthday parties and other gatherings are held outside especially in the fall and early spring before it gets too dadblasted hot in this part of Texas. If you find an outdoor setting that you love and want to sign the contract, be sure to ask about their rain policy. What is their Plan B? How will they make sure your event will continue as planned? Do they have tent insurance? Of course, if there is a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, that's a different matter! Make sure you're clear on what they do in that situation as well. You want your event to go off as scheduled, I'm sure, but you also want to make sure your guests have a great time so that means making sure they're as dry as possible and most importantly, safe!

 

Business Advancement Conference

This past Saturday I attended the Business Advancement Conference in Houston which was planned and coordinated by Kiersten Kindred of Kindred Communications. Kiersten did a fabulous job! For a really great price I had a head shot taken, enjoyed a continental breakfast and box lunch and listened to eight speakers present on their topics of expertise. In addition attendees were able to sign up for a mini-session during lunch with one of several business experts.  The speakers' topics ranged from how to boost your profits to the power of e-mail marketing to public relations to SEO to how to build a website (and more!). I thought the most motivational speaker was Donna Wick of WICKed Publicity.  She spoke about being open and saying yes to business opportunities. I liked her presentation because she told stories about her personal experiences on the road to success and made it real for the audience.

I have planned several conferences since 2009 and so wanted to mention some observations. Registration was a quick process and the head shot area was set up right across from check-in so people could have that done right away. The room was set up comfortably; the tables had enough space to move between them. Breakfast was ready to serve as attendees arrived. I noticed as I read the agenda that no breaks were scheduled during the day. Actually, this is the first conference I've attended that didn't have breaks scheduled. I remember thinking,"I wonder how this is going to work?" I was pleasantly surprised because as far as I could tell, it worked great! When people had to leave the room, they quietly got up and left.  I'd like to try this sometime. I've always felt that it takes too much time to get people back in the room and settled after a break. A 15 minute break can easily stretch to 25 minutes! I also noticed that Kiersten and her team kept a close eye on the time schedule.  Speakers ended on time! The entire conference seemed to run seamlessly. I'm glad I went. It was a great experience and I came home with information I can use!

Baptismal Celebration

On Saturday, April 2nd my niece's son was baptized. On Sunday my brother's family hosted a reception at their ranch not too far from the city where the baby was baptized. This celebration was very casual, very laid back. A few ladies prepared pre-dinner trays of veggies and fruit. A couple of men started up the charcoal and barbequed chicken and steak as seasoned beans and rice heated up on the stove. When all the food was ready, about 30 guests sat down to enjoy the delicious food and great company. Later, everyone gathered around the two cakes. As it was my nieces' birthday, one of the cakes was for her and the other was in celebration of the baptism. Two cakes: you can't get much better than that!  All sang happy birthday to her and she blew out the candles. The group enjoyed cake and ice cream while chatting with each other. The weather was absolutely gorgeous that day. The party couldn't have gone any better if I had planned it myself! To my sister-in-law and niece: great job you two!  

Picnic for Two, Please

To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of our first meeting on October 23, 2004, I planned a surprise picnic for now-husband.  I knew I wanted do plan something special and unexpected so I asked him to meet me at a neighborhood park.  It's a beautiful park, only a small square block, but it has a little bridge and lots of big beautiful trees which provide an abundance of cool shade.  To prepare for the picnic, I packed a blanket, a battery-operated CD player & CDs (this was before smart phones!), cooler, plastic wine glasses (it was outside after all!) in my car and stopped by the store to pick up snacks, sparkling grape juice and some "Happy Anniversary" balloons.  I even bought him a particular DVD he had mentioned which I gladly drove across town to purchase.  I set everything up at the park and awaited his arrival.  He drove up right on time and was totally surprised and pleased as you can tell from the look on his face.  

You, too, can plan something special for your partner/spouse! It just takes a little thought and planning.  Listen to the other person.  When the person mentions something he/she would like, write it down.  I collect a list during the year so I have it come holiday time and don't have to wrack my brain thinking of what to get him.  You can also peruse Pinterest for ideas about practically anything. If you want to plan something special for your partner/spouse but don't know how to start, contact me.  I'd be glad to help!

Picking the Right Flowers

One of the most important elements of party planning is picking the right flowers. Start with the guest of honor's preferences. Does he/she have a favorite flower or favorite color? Another thing to consider is the odor. You don't the odor so strong that it blows everyone away. Also, some people may have an allergy to certain odors. I remember when I was working in an office and one of the staff loved to spray cologne on herself. I could instantly smell it down the hall and it lead to my developing instant headaches. You don't want that! The party would be over before it even began. You want people to at least stay long enough to eat (just kidding!). But seriously, guests should be comfortable and want to enjoy the party. Flowers really contribute to the ambience and the total experience. Don't forget flowers and remember....fresh is best!

Celebrate Spring!

Spring is such a gorgeous time of year. In Southeast Texas, where I live, the temperature at this time of year is in the mid-70s to low 80s.  The azaleas are in bloom, trees are budding; it's a time of rebirth. If the weather in your area is nice, this is the time to get outside and celebrate nature and this amazing planet of ours!  What a time to plan an outdoors party! I have visions of guests on a beautiful green rolling lawn with open-air tents set up.  Of course there would be live music--jazz for me, thank you. The decor would include serene colors like light blue and green.  Hors d'oeuvres would be on the menu; food that guests could easily carry on a small plate as they mingle with each other. Along with the music, you could hear the sounds of talking and laughing.  People just having a good time hanging out together.

   

What's Most Important?

So you're planning a party. What is most important to you: the venue, food, beverages, cake or other dessert, entertainment, decorations or something else? If you have an ample budget, you may not have to make that decision but for the majority of people, you need to decide on which aspect to spend the most money. Is it your vision to have your event at a really cool venue?  Do you want to pick a top caterer to furnish food and beverages?  Would you like a fantastic cake artist to create a masterpiece for your celebration?  How about hiring a band or other performer?  A party decorator to transform the venue into your dream setting? It's important to start with a ballpark budget with a cushion added in as chances are you will probably go over your initial estimated amount.  

Most important to me, personally, would be to make sure my guests had enough to eat and drink.  I definitely would NOT want to run out of food!! I would also want to guarantee that they had a fun experience which means planning some sort of musical entertainment, either live or recorded, and perhaps an activity.  Accordingly, I would spend less on the venue, cake and decorations but that doesn't mean those items have to take a backseat, so to speak.  Pinterest is a wonderful resource for DIY ideas.  Search for your party theme and tons of ideas could come up.  You can check out my boards for inspiration: www.pinterest.com/meetsmilestones  Many decorations are simple to create or perhaps you have a friend/family member who's crafty.  As far as the cake is concerned, I highly recommend the Costco half sheet cake.  This cake is delicious! You can order a white or chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and yummy filling between the layers.  It's less than $20!! (There might be a small charge for decorating it.) Yes, that's right! Less than $20! And no, I'm not being paid by Costco. LOL I've attached a picture of the Costco cake my husband got me for my birthday last month. 

To summarize, pick out the aspects of your party/event which are most important and plan accordingly.  It's best if you can pay as you go so you won't have be stuck with party bills for months to come.  Happy Planning!

40s Theme Party

Recently I planned a 40s-themed party for a Ft. Worth area chapter of the Lions Club. This chapter was celebrating their 75^th anniversary in 2015 so they wanted to have a 40s-themed party as they were established in 1940. I was so excited and thankful that the president of the chapter chose my company, Meetings and Milestones, to plan the party! First of all, I LOVE event planning. Secondly, I love research so this was right up my alley.  After I researched available venues in the area, the club decided on one that was conveniently located and had a beautiful room of ample size. I found a graphic designer who worked with me until we had an invitation design that the club liked that showed a couple dancing dressed in 40s attire.  The invitation included a listing of local shops I found where guests could purchase or rent 40s clothes for the party. Many guests did attend in 40s evening wear which added to the fun of the party.  I also collaborated with an event decorator who displayed 40s movie posters in lighted frames at the entryway. In addition, we booked a 40s band that provided wonderful entertainment. After dinner, it was time for dancing. Those folks can really dance! As it was also a fund raiser for the chapter, there was an auction offering several items. It was a blast! People really got into the bidding and I gave the winning bid on a poster from Casablanca! I so enjoyed working with this group and am so pleased their party was a huge success.

Planning Milestone Birthday Parties

I LOVE planning birthday parties. There are some people who would rather have a small, informal dinner celebration with just family and maybe a few close friends which is totally fine and one has to respect what the person wants. On the other hand, for those who like to party, I'm there! Milestone birthday parties are one of my specialties. I like working with the spouse/significant other or family to plan a special celebration. 

One of the common parts of a milestone birthday is the video presentation. To put this together, the family needs plenty of time to gather photos, song selections, etc. As an event planner, I can connect my clients with a professional who does these. They can be time consuming if the family puts it together themselves, but a professional knows what he/she is doing and can hopefully get it done faster and produce a better video than an amateur.

Another thing to consider would be a group activity. For one surprise party, I created a trivia game which consisted of questions about different topics (movies, TV shows, sports, etc.) from the decade in which the honoree grew up. The guests divided up into pairs and filled out the questionnaire.  Inexpensive prizes were given to the winners. It was a lot of fun & also got people talking and moving.

There are other parts to plan: Save the Date, invitations, venue, caterer/food, decorations, entertainment, etc. Most importantly, I would answer these questions: If this is a surprise party, would the person want a surprise party? If the person knows about it, what does he/she want? What is your budget? (At least a ball park figure is a must!) Again, give yourself enough time to plan all aspects so the evening will go off as smoothly as possible. There's a lot involved. That's why you need an event planner!

How to Find the Best Venue

Say you want to plan a milestone birthday party, an anniversary, retirement party or some other special occasion. How do you begin the search for the best venue? First, you need to decide on a budget (at least a ballpark figure). I spoke to a lady not that long ago about possibly planning her milestone birthday. Her budget was $5000. She was thinking she could feed 100 people a nice dinner and have entertainment and a cake, too. I did a little research for her before putting together a proposal to see if it was even possible. I called a venue I thought might come close and they did (for the rental and catering) but if she wanted all the other things, I didn't see how it would be possible to meet her budget. I suggested she think about having the party at someone's house so she could spend more money on the extras. In the end, she told me she found a place that could do it all. I'd like to know what that place is.  The point is you need to be realistic. If you'd like to spend more on entertainment and food then think about having it at a less expensive venue like a community center, clubhouse or someone's house. My husband and I got married in the backyard of a good friend. My husband wanted a smallish wedding but we still had a caterer, flowers, other decorations and entertainment.  Ideally, the venue should be easily accessible with enough parking as well. In the end, you want to select a place you like but that also stays in your budget.  What you don't need is to be paying party bills for the next several years!

High School Reunion

My high school reunion was the 2nd weekend in October. I was honored to be one of the two co-chairs. It was truly a labor of love. We worked on the reunion for over a year. This picture is of the fabulous Courtyard at Gaslight Square in Corpus Christi, TX. We were so fortunate to have wonderful vendors: Arnold Medina, DJ with Blue Moon Entertainment, Alisa Demers with Ashed Photography and the crew at Gaslight Square and Diamond Point Catering. One of our classmates, Don P., put together a video featuring pics from our high school days and another classmate, Marcie D., made a beautiful cake. People also donated items for door prizes. Several classmates made very generous donations so we were able to pay the bills! LOL

 I really get a kick out of attending my reunions. It's fun seeing people I hadn't seen in many years. We created a Facebook group during the summer of 2014 so we had a head start on finding people. In fact, due to the FB group, I got to know people I never knew in high school.  The reunion festivities were spread out over the entire weekend with an informal gathering on Friday night, the big event Saturday night and a beach party on Sunday.  During the weekend, two of the committee members volunteered to co-chair the next reunion in 5 years.  Thought we'd better not wait a full 10 years!