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
Dave Bodnarchuk, Event planning software developer
While he was working as a chartered accountant, Dave Bodnarchuk repeatedly found himself on the organizing end of corporate charity events. But when he looked for software designed with the casual event planner in mind, he came up short. Everything was geared to professional event planners. Bodnarchuk solved the problem by designing his own line of user-friendly event planning software and launching the Edmonton-based EventIQ Inc. in 2002.
[podcast]http://s3.amazonaws.com/albertaventure/Bodnarchuk_March2010.mp3[/podcast]
How big is too big to plan yourself and when do you think people should call in a professional consultant or event planner?
Dave Bodnarchuk: We partner with a bunch of professional event planners who use our software. Our event partners are in the business every day. They know top-to-bottom the details, the logistics, hotels and all that kind of stuff. If you’re doing an event or a customer reception, I think it more depends on how often you do events, and the size and scope, as to when to bring in a professional event planner. If you’re an [executive assistant] or a corporate event planner that does lots of them, then you’re certainly capable of doing them. But if you find that you’re only doing it once every two years and you need to make a big splash, then I think that’s the right time to bring in what I call a professional event planner.
If an organizer is looking for some sort of software to help them organize, how can they ensure they choose the right kind of software to meet the needs of their specific event?
DB: It depends on the kind of event they’re doing. What we found, and the reason that we got into this marketplace, is that there wasn’t specific event registration and event planning software. If you’re doing one event a year, a lot of the software that is out there is tailored to do events every day. Our customers tend not to be those kinds of folks. They’ll do one big signature event every year, and that’s all that they want to do. You want to be really careful that any software you buy, you can turn it on and off if you need to.
In terms of event record-keeping, is there any one big mistake that people make when they’re trying to keep track of all the details of an event?
DB: The one thing that we tell people is to start with simplicity. You can get really, really complex. But, to me, a good event plan is about communication with the members of your committee, or the people who are going to help you out. It’s just a matter of setting deadlines, working back from those deadlines, and as long as you know when the event is going to occur and you start your planning, literally, after you’ve done your last event. That’s the best time to start it.
You touched on it a bit there, but what kind of record-keeping and followup should you do after an event is over?
DB: At the very least, you want to do a debrief of an event after it’s happened. Canvass some of the people. Do a small survey, under six questions. The number one thing we tell folks to do is ask whether they’d recommend this event to their friends, even if it’s a mandatory event. It’s a very simple question to ask. After you’ve done your debrief, make sure you document that debrief. Take notes and think of all the things you would have done differently, because if you wait more than a week, you’re not going to remember it next year. If you have files or copy or graphics, make sure that you bundle them up and put them in a place where you’re not searching around for them next year.
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