 Unconventional Wisdom |
From monthly committee meetings to the annual corporate bash, three industry experts give tips to plan an event that will leave participants counting down the days until the next one
Interviews by Emily Senger
Ian MacGillivray, Conference Planner
In a market brimming with event planners, Ian MacGillivray saw the need for a company that takes a different approach to conference planning. “We hire business people and then turn them into event planners, not the other way around,” he says. In 2004, Oomph! Events Inc. was born, and the Edmonton-based company that bills itself as “the best in conference management” began organizing every little conference detail, from the initial concept to the final cleanup.
How do you get people to meet your deadlines?
Ian MacGillivray: The first thing is communicating that you have a deadline. I think, often, we forget that little detail, that I need this answer by a certain date. I also think making sure that the person who needs to meet the deadline understands the importance of the deadline and how missing it might impact the overall project.
What kind of costs can you negotiate with a venue and what is fixed?
IM: Typically, catering costs are pretty fixed. They have a set menu and prices on the actual food. Usually space rental is negotiable, in particular in hotels. If you’re booking a bunch of guest rooms in the hotel, typically they’ll negotiate fairly well on the actual conference space. They’ll always want a guaranteed minimum, the minimum number of people or the minimum amount you’ll spend on catering – that’s usually negotiable.
Are you seeing any increased willingness to negotiate in the economic climate we’re in now?
IM: Yes. Alberta venues are still pretty busy. In particular for the bigger events in conference centres, we only have one conference centre in Calgary and one in Edmonton that can handle the big ones, so they’re still busy. Hotels are a little hungrier, for sure, and they’re willing to negotiate a bit more.
What kind of tips do you have for organizing an event from a distance?
IM: There are certain things that do need somebody locally on the ground. Definitely, sponsorship is one of those things. Sponsorship is about relationships, so you need to either find a partner or send somebody to travel to that place to be there. Otherwise, honestly, we’ve done an event in Vancouver and the first time we set foot there was the day before the event set up.
What kind of things do you do to maximize attendance at your events?
IM: In this day and age, there is such information overload that relying on just emails and sending out brochures isn’t working as much anymore. Have strong partnerships with associations, or groups, or networks where your target audience already belongs. Have that organization market the event for you; it’s a lot more authentic when it’s coming from them. Definitely social media is starting to play more of a role, depending on the audience. I mean, if it’s a bunch of grey-haired oil executives, those guys aren’t on Twitter and Facebook, but if it’s a youth conference, or a professional conference where the audience is fairly wired, then you want to be playing it on Facebook and tweeting about the event.
What are your tips for keeping a cool head on the big day of the conference?
IM: [Laughs] That’s an experience thing. You can only have a cool head if you’ve been there and done that. If you don’t have event professionals involved, then you should probably involve one on site. I’ve got a few people that you could throw any curveball at them and they’re cool, because they’ve seen it and done it before.
