Dinner Party Wars - 1 year later

With "the Golden Colander"!

Have you ever watched a reality show and thought "I could do that"? This is what led my cousin Jacqui and I to being on Dinner Party Wars  which aired yesterday on my very favorite channel Food Network Canada.

Now we watch a fair amount of FNC at our house and when I saw the ads I thought "I could do that" and went on line to see who could! (that was August 2010) Great news - I could apply on line to be on the show! Two glitches - who would want to do this with me AND they film in Toronto and I live in Vancouver! Who did I know that is fun, loves to cook and lives in Toronto - ba da bing, Jacqui! I send a text message "do you want to go on food network with me?" "of course" and now, the rest is history.

Captured forever and on TV. Here is the weird thing. I never wanted to be on TV. Never. I am at heart a Producer, the girl behind the curtain who makes sure the show goes on - and is never seen. Would I do it again? Probably not. Did we have the best time ever doing it? Heck YES!

The things we enjoyed the most included

• the production team - experts at what they do, with a vision, keeping it fun
• spending more time together as cousins than since we were kids, a total blast
• cooking - we cooked and tasted and cooked some more and loved it
• eating and drinking and laughing and enjoying the other dinner parties
• the competitors were good opponents, they kept us on our toes!
• the hosts are just exactly as they appear on TV - warm, witty, edgy, fun - they totally embrace the experience

Last night Jacqui flew to Vancouver so we could watch the show together, and this was the perfect dessert to a smorgasbord of fun!

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/dinner-party-wars/video.html?titleid=255588&type=specialshow

Latte Minded Events

Latte Tulip by Mike White

Could I please have my event with half the fat, a shot of hazelnut, served long?

Today I would like my event large, with soy milk, extra foam and a shot of vanilla.

One event artfully designed, honey on the bottom, half-caff please, extra hot.

Of course that doesn't make any sense, but I believe we are seeing this expectation on many levels. When we can go into any number of fantastic coffee shops around the world and order our coffee exactly the way we like it, naturally we want to be able to translate this sense of satisfaction in the immediate experience to the rest of our lives. We can go online and order custom almost anything, but when we attend an event or conference we are stepping into a group experience, and our individual tastes must all be blended, ideally into a brew we can all enjoy.

Imagine as the meeting planner if you could create an event that perfectly satisfied. Where every session exceeds expectations, the rooms are always the perfect temperature, the company inspired, the food plentiful, healthy and delicious, the transportation not onerous, the technology awe-inspiring, the staging and sightlines ideal, the take-away learnings easily applied. For every single attendee.

Imagine attending your own "ideal" event. (please add a comment with what you would like to have included and share your own ideas) Where would it be? Who would join you and who might you meet? What topics would you want to learn about / share your own knowledge on? When would it be - time of year, weekend or weekday? What would you want to take away?

I sometimes imagine myself in the position of barista. All day, every few minutes, you are pleasing someone, managing their need, delivering to or exceeding expectations, in a pleasant and relaxed environment and that must be satisfying.

We look forward to seeing how the blending works for EventCamp Vancouver 
In the meantime, it is back to roast up some new event ideas!

Why I love Camp

When I was 12 we moved to a much larger city. While the move was good and I have many friends from that era of my life, what I looked forward to eagerly every year was going back north to summer camp. The anticipation of seeing my old friends and meeting new ones, the discovery of new skills such as archery and new ideas was exciting. Imagine for example we could build and then sleep in our own lean-to, or make our own banock over a campfire! At camp you get to do things that you would not otherwise experience.

As we plan for Event Camp Vancouver, I am finding myself with that same sense of nervous anticipation and true excitement.  When we first sat with our amazing host committee and decided we were going to do this, we had no idea it would grow so organically into the program we currently have, or that there would be so much support from our community, as so many people stepped up to think about how they could contribute to making it all it could be. You will find many delightful surprises, all thoughtfully designed to add to the overall experience.

We are excited to share our venues with you, to share the harbour and mountain views on the five minute walk from the Westin Bayshore to the Convention Centre  and to learn from each other in unique and inspiring settings. Historically Event Camps (the previous six) have left participants feeling a sense of collaboration and a desire to continue to build and nurture the business relationships within this supportive community, and to find ways to work better together as our industry rapidly evolves.

True to camp, we know that when you arrive with a sense of adventure and a desire to learn and grow already in place that the possibilities are limitless. We look forward to sharing this journey with you!

You can check out more details at http://www.eventcampvancouver.com

Warriors and Artists

The artistry of Underground Circus

"Warriors and Artists" This is how the hosts of So You Think You Can Dance Canada described their top six dancers. They are correct. Performances of this magnitude take endless rehearsal, injuries and dedication to make it all seem effortless.

My children both have their black belts in Tae Kwon Do. Three years of diligent practice of both body and spirit so far in this journey. In their recent testing they excelled at both forms (the black belt form has 81 synchronized moves), board breaks and sparring. Warriors and Artists.

This is also how we can describe Event Designers and Producers. Recently a fabulous colleague, Brock (@BLDBrock) was sharing success from an event in Lake Louise which had been particularly fabulous, but like all events, simply a ton of work. Or in this case, tons and tons with multiple trucks going out for multiple events over a number of days. (Our team had just done an event with a similar amount of trucks the month before and fully appreciate the efforts of driving 1000km with everything, loading it in often through inconvenient pathways, and making it all gorgeous). This was his takeaway "You event girls are TOUGH! You are mothers and lifters and moves and designers and you get right to work and you don't stop until it is perfect - whatever it takes". Warriors.

Each event we do also has to be aesthetically right. Right for the venue, right for the client, right especially for the guests. Artists.

We are perfectionists, logisticians, creators, budgeters, innovators, rule-shakers. We take on a challenge and we refuse to accept average. Artists. With our teams we begin the load in and work for 8 or 12 or 36 hours to get everything right, then rehearsals, then change into event clothes, welcome the guests, watch them have an excellent time, and then strike to do it all again another day. Warriors.

Giving each event thoughtful attention to details, engaging the suppliers to share the story and deliver beyond expectations - this to me is what brings the magic to what we do. The hours can be long and the work arduous, but when you see a well designed event come to life and guests share, learn, connect, enjoy and clients' objectives achieved, that is when this Artist Warrior stands back and smiles.

Success - Whatever that Means

 

Ultimately there can be no success or happiness if the things we believe in are different than the things we do. Freya Madeline Stark

People who know me see me as being very busy. I am. Most of this is my own fault as I am unable to do anything halfway, and once I commit to something I don't back out. (I am not alone in this, I am instead surrounded by like minded friends and colleagues) Would I like to be less busy? Really what I want is longer days and more time!

To me success is in the people that we get to share our lives with. My family that is the fabric woven together that surrounds me, strong and warm, resilient and forgiving. The many women in this picture above have all impacted me in many ways, and they all remain five years after this was taken people I look forward to spending time with, and that I know I could rely on for anything, even if we don't see each other enough.

Professional success can be rated in many ways, by awards won, by events produced, by how well known you are. For me, professional success is building strong teams that enjoy collaborating to produce incredible and always different events for a variety of clients, again and again. The teams evolve and change to suit the needs of the event, but I have stood as the doors open to countless events produced by our team and heard the gasps as people arrive and experience the many aspects of an event, or heard the buzz after a great presentation that inspires new thinking, two reasons we do what we do.

As I mature in the event planning profession I enjoy seeing the impact of the industry and sharing ideas with people who all are in this to make a positive difference. Again, success.

What does success mean to you?

The Tahira Ranch

DJ Cowboy Crawford

This may be my favorite text ever received. "We are having fun building the Tahira Ranch."

Why do I love this? Because there was obvious shared joy in this project and the way they honored me with this simple text made me incredibly happy. You know when a team is having enough fun building anything to stop and tell you about it - well your guests are going to be blown away. 

Cowboy Ring Leaders survey the scene

It all began at work one day when the discussion began about the need for a "unique teambuilding concept" and I said "Call the boys in the Callaghan." What was a bit of an off hand suggestion became a memorable day and living proof about how amazing collaboration can create a simply awesome guest experience.

Everyone who touched this project added to it, culminating in an event that had a site added to in ways we could not have imagined, with an unprecedented level of detail, an eye to safety at all times, and at its core, a day the guests will long remember.  This would have been an easy project to take the first (good) concept and run with it, but as we looked collectively at the overall goals of the meeting and objectives of the client, those involved took the responsibility to go the extra mile, and revisions were undertaken, and approved. An incredible amount of energy was brought to implementing the ideas that required thought, effort and enthusiasm to bring to life. The end product, simply outstanding. We were open to ideas, to sharing collectively, to collaborating, to trust in our partners and the result exceeded all expectations.

They say I inspired them, and if this is the end result, then I sure hope to keep inspiring everyone I have the opportunity to partner with. Allen, Craig, Krystle and all the cowboys - we can't wait to come back!!

Back to Meeting Basics

The girls - ready for a three day hot load in

First let me state categorially how much I LOVE MEETINGS AND EVENTS!!

Now, not every day and at every minute because what we do is often undervalued and underrated and EVERYONE I know in this industry gives it 110% with varying amounts of appreciation... but when it all comes together, and especially when we have surmounted some major challenges - well there is simply nothing more satisfying.

Now, this world of social media has really opened us as planners and producers up to it all - the good, the great, and the truly petty. Here is my beef though - we seem to be doing a pretty good job of figuring most of it out - but sometimes the basics, and many of those basics set by the venue, by agreed-to and much-needed sponsorships or by simply not focusing on the right things, well these seem to be the little things that seem to be the areas people notice... (ps they are noticing them because they affect their comfort!!)

So here is my list - and please, feel free to comment, agree / add, disagree - a discussion about how we can keep getting better is surely beneficial!

1. Room temperature. So here is the thing, I am a Producer married to a Facilities Manager. I know much more about HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) than your average planner. But still getting a room temperature that is comfortable is always a challenge, and people always complain. So here is an idea. Start 1/2 a degree below comfortable. When all those 98.6 degree people come in it gets to comfortable. Keep it regulated to room temperature.
2. Room temperature fact. Men and pregnant women will always be warmer than all other women. My best tip - bring a pashmina. They are small and fold up smaller. They are like wearing a blanket (don't tell the men), but pick a flattering color and now you are warm and you look "mahhhhveous"!
3. Sound. The biggest challenge I have ever had selling is selling sound. Here is the thing - we don't notice good sound - where you can hear everything clearly as the proper delays have been built in, the room acoustics and session design considered, and techs who know what they are doing have set up the room. You do notice bad sound. Enough said.
4. Where's the beef? Ok seriously, how about we start serving lunch like we would eat at home - and just a little tiny bite of dessert to get us through... Salad, whole grains, lean protein, hold back the simple carbs - please, please set the participants up to participate in the afternoon. (full disclosure: nutritious, sustainable, brain-friendly food is a passion shared with many, but especially with Andrea Sullivan aka @brainstrength)
5. Tables, chairs, couches, balls - we don't mind, we even like mixing up our seating, but please think about what people will be doing in that session - would tables aid them in note-taking making the session more memorable / engaging? There is not a right or wrong, it is just about making people comfortable.
6. To mobile or not to mobile? Now, I love a good mobile app as much as or maybe even more than most people - but what if you (gasp!) don't have a smartphone, or what if (like me) it is at the end of its now usable life and just won't quite happily load that app? Provide options - a handout, a link emailed to them they can go to later, anything to help navigating the meeting easily!
7. Readerboards and mobile signage - I know - it seems an impossible task to keep these up to date sometimes - if we can schedule our tweets (Ok I suck at that) why can't we have just one person in charge of making sure our signs (paper and electronic) have been flipped to the right day?
8. My Technology doesn't work! Again, apparenly this is simply a matter of inputs and outputs - yet we still see it fail. Really, unless there is a major power outage and we can see our speakers respond positively to the crisis at hand, I don't think these are failures that are necessary. Set, test, set, test the speaker's data - pay attention during the whole show, and much can be avoided (we ALL have stories!)
9. No hybrid monitoring. If you open the world up to a live stream - have a live stream host. We have some superstars in our indstry that simply make this seamless - invite them to be part of the success.
10. Unsustainable. Again - we know how to bring sustainability into our meetings. We have publishd standards, but it doesn't need to be complex and if you start at the beginning, working with suppliers who share your values, examining the supply chain and integrating this into your overall planning, well, voila, we are taking small steps together - this is all good.
11. Have a backup plan and communicate it to your staff. Running out of _____; a particpant needs to make a change; a true risk management scenario presents itself - you need to have had the discussion with staff, vendors, volunteers before the event - then the response is manageable and controlled - not always easy, but possible to do with the least amount of guest impact.
12. Smile. You know at the end of the day we are there to make sure that everyone else has a good time. It is easier when you can do it with a sense of humour and share some joy with your team.  During one of our hardest meetings what my team remembered "every time you passed music playing you danced a little". Why not?

Don't get me wrong - I am all about trying new things - the things that scare the heck out of you when you try them - and weeping with joy when they succeed, and examining them to death when they don't... but the basics - we know how to avoid these. Work with your vendor team - all of them - set the expectations, and let them all collaborate with you to success!

Please - share your stories and thoughts!