As 2015 nears the end, and we anticipate all the events to come in 2016, we wanted to look back on 12 of our favorite blog entries – presents if you will.
On the 12 days of Christmas, EventCheck gave to me:
1. Weather
It can be the bane of a planner’s existence. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with inclement weather.
Best tip: Avoid metal poles for tents due to the risk of thunder and lightning, a not-unheard-of-event, even in winter months, in East Tennessee.
2. Balloons
Professionals transform events, and that is exactly the case with Dianna Glandon, owner of Above the Rest Balloon & Event Designs.
Best tip: “I see balloons as the medium for my art and cringe at the notion that balloon decorations involve nothing more than bunches of balloons stringed to weights.”
3. Challenges
Planners are problem-solvers – because they have to be, as revealed by Mary Bogert and her experts at the Knoxville Convention Center. They dealt with everything from a wedding cake turning into the Leaning Tower of Pisa to a missing shipment of lemons.
Best tip: “You do what you have to do. We will scramble to make sure the event goes as planned.”
4. Themes
From the hippies of the 1960s to the buttoned-up James Bond, event planners pulled off all kinds of themes.
Best tip: Attaching a theme to an event forces a planner to get organized from the beginning.
5. Trash
It’s inevitable at any event. Gay Lyons shared advice on how to go green.
Best tip: It turns out partygoers don’t make the best recyclers, so it’s best to take it out of their hands and go behind the scenes.
6. Menus
The food can be one of the most memorable parts of any event. Planners must choose wisely.
Best tip: Make sure there is enough food without overage that runs up the price.
7. Farm-to-table
It’s popular and practical – and planners are taking advantage of the abundance of local products in East Tennessee.
Best tip: The message that an event will place an emphasis on locally sourced food will increase its appeal.
8. Beverages
Jerry Kruse is a tremendous resource for planners. He pours himself into the business of The Pour Guys.
From a full-service bar to specialty drinks, Kruse can meet the needs of all types of events.
Best tip: Don’t skimp on the ice order. And the mint of mojitos must be properly muddled.
9. First-time planner
Courtney Kliman shifted from television news to development coordinator for Young-Williams Animal Center in 2015. The first-time event planner shared her tips in part one and part two.
Best tip: A planning committee is put in place for a reason – divide tasks and conquer the event.
10. Thursdays
It’s the new Friday. And event planners have overloaded this day of the week.
Best tip: A quick glance of the months on EventCheck Knox indicate that Monday and Tuesday have plenty of availability.
11. Auctions
Morton Massey is an auction guru. And he shared lots of knowledge here, here and here.
Best tip: Place items by type – such as fashion, style, art, home, travel and sports – and display them together.
12. Animals
The Knoxville Zoo and Knoxville Convention Center had tips on how to handle live animals at an event.
Best tip: Animals are, well, animals. They sometimes emit odors, and they aren’t housebroken.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all event planners!
Maria Cornelius, a writer/editor for Moxley Carmichael, populates the EventCheck Knox calendar. It’s one of the best times of the year for her with bowl games, college basketball, NFL playoffs looming – and pitchers/catchers report in seven weeks.