Christmas Party Tip No 6!

"On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!"


Our sixth tip to ensure a successful Christmas party relates to the seating plan!

Christmas parties are all about having fun and talking to people you perhaps don't get the chance to on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, it is essential that you have a well thought out table plan. It can often make or break a dinner! You can ensure success by:

• Allocating a host for each table - make sure this is someone that can get the table going!
  
• Mixing up departments so that department colleagues don't sit next to each other
• Trying to have a fairly even number of males and females
  
• Ensuring each table has a mix of staff from the most senior to the junior
• Perhaps asking people to move two places to their left/right after the main course

How do people find out which table they are sitting on?

• Traditional seating plan on an easel. However, if you have a lot of people this can often cause a hold-up when people are called for dinner because everyone tries to crowd around the easel to find their table number.
• Seated-at cards. Instead of the easel, you can produce business card size cards which have the persons name on and their table number. Guests pick these up at a registration desk when they first arrive. There are a couple of advantages to doing it this way:-
• You can see how many people are still left to arrive
• It avoids people crowding round an easel
• Last minute changes can be made a lot easier

We hope that you are finding our Christmas tips useful! Watch out for our next tip coming soon...

T: 01628 891886 / 07958 734383
E: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
W: www.charlotteaikman.com

Christmas Party Tip No 5!

"On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!"





Our fifth Christmas tip is regarding flowers!

With flower arrangements getting ever more expensive, it is worth noting the following:-

• Florists are busier than ever, especially at Christmas, therefore it is essential that you book your florist well in advance.
• If your budget is tight, try to choose flowers that are in season - this will make it considerably cheaper than those that have to be shipped in from far and wide.
• Low table centrepieces are 99% of the time cheaper than high ones.
• If your budget is tight, try to use vases that the florist has in stock.
  
• Try to book a florist local to your event - this will save on excessive transport costs.
• Remember that these days there are many ways in which to make your arrangements stand out - your florist will be able to advise you of all the ideas. Coloured water, fruit, ribbon and other props are just the start....
• Discuss an appropriate pick up time with your florist and the venue. Often the space will be booked out back-to-back for another event, so it is essential that the pickup time is pre-arranged.
• If you are having tall flower arrangements, ensure that the stem of the vase is thin enough to allow guests to see each other from across the table.
  
• Ask your florist to do a mock-up of the arrangement for you to see before the event. This will ensure that no viewing obstructions (as per the point above) occur. It will also help you to plan all the other creative elements of the event (table linen, glassware etc).
• Take a photo of the mock-up flower arrangement. Should you have any problems with the flowers on the night, you will have this photo to compare against.

Charlotte Aikman Marketing and Events has an extensive list of reliable suppliers that deliver to the highest standard. If you are struggling to find a someone to help with your needs, why not give us a call to see where we can help and what we advise.

T: 01628 891 886 / 07958 734383
E: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
W: www.charlotteaikman.com

Christmas Party Tip No 4!

"On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree!"





Our fourth tip is all about the entertainment!

Unless you are having a very formal dinner, relaxed and fun entertainment usually works best.

A magician....
Why not try having a magician who can mingle amongst guests during drinks? If you find a good magician who works with their audience well, it is a relatively inexpensive yet novel way of entertaining people.

Later on you will probably want to have some sort of music so that people can dance - a live band or a dj?

A live band....
A live band is fantastic, but when booking look carefully at the amount of time they will actually play. Usually bands take a break half way through so you need to ensure you have some other form of music during this time. Often the band will put some music on, but double-check. It is also worth asking them to send you a CD of them playing and their playlist before you sign on the dotted line. This way you can ensure that they cover the eras most suited to your group of people.

A tribute band....
There are some fantastic tribute bands around, but there are also some not so great ones! I would definitely suggest using a recommendation if you would like one. They are a great way of carrying a party theme through all elements of the event though.

A dj....
There are many dj's around so as with as with the bands, it is worth going with a recommendation. Generally dj's play a wider variety of music than live bands (but not always of course!) but it is worth stressing the type of music/era that you will want at the party.

Dj's are normally happy to take requests on the night, which is often good for a big group of people with varied taste. You can normally please everyone that way!

There are many more exciting forms of entertainment around. If you would like any supplier recommendations or just some more novel ideas, why not give us a call to see what we can come up with?

T:01628 891886 / 07958 734383
e: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
www.charlotteaikman.com

Christmas Party Tip No 3!

"On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!"






Here goes our third tip - choosing the food!

Once you have decided on whether or not to have a sit down meal or to go with a more simple (and cost effective) drinks and canapes, you need to think about choosing the actual food.

If it's informal drinks and canapes, I recommend you do the following:

• Have substantial canapes or bowl food - this will help soak up at least some of that alcohol!
• If you are having canapes - split them between hot and cold ones
  
• Ensure you have a good selection of vegetarian, meat and fish so that you cater for all eventualities! Anyone who has any particular dietary requirement out of the ordinary will hopefully have told you beforehand so that you can cater for this in advance. The last thing you want on the evening is to find out you have a kosher dietary request!
• Perhaps spread out the food - have some canapes in the first hour and then some a little later on. Or if you are having desert canapes, bring them out a bit later.
• Make certain that any canapes you have are easy for people to eat - if you do a tasting you can check all this then. At the very least ensure there are some napkins around for people to wipe their hands. This sounds obvious, but it's very often forgotten.
• Depending on your budget, I would allocate between 4 and 6 canapes per person. This normally averages out between those men who take a lot to fill up, and the ladies that don't eat as much!
  
• If you decide to go for more substantial bowl food, thai curries always go down well. Alternatively you could keep the food in-keeping with any overall theme you may have.

If the chosen option is a sit down meal:

• Always do a tasting beforehand! You will then be able to check the presentation, portion size and of course the taste.
• Avoid pork - this will ensure you don't offend anyone who has certain religious beliefs.
• Remember to always have a vegetarian option. I try and make this as interesting as possible so that it doesn't look like a second best option.
• Depending on the particular group of people I usually avoid fish for the main course because there are many non-fish eaters out there.
  
• Chicken and beef are the favourite dishes for the majority of people.
• Collate your dietary requirements list well in advance so that you can warn the caterers of any particular allergies or requests.
• Try to choose a balanced meal and not make it too heavy - your caterers will be able to advise you on this.
• If there are any speeches, advise the host that these should be after main course and before desert or during coffee. Do not do them at the start of the meal. If the speaker overruns, the main course could be ruined.

There are many more ways in which you can make your evening extra special. If you would like any advice on any of the above or more, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

Charlotte Aikman Marketing & Events
T: 07958 734383
E: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com

Christmas Party Tip No 2!

"On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree!"






Our second tip to ensuring a successful party is to make it as fun (and quirky) as possible. Nobody wants a formal evening for their Christmas Party!

Maybe try having a theme so people can dress up and enter into the spirit. However, the trick here is to remember not to make the theme too difficult because people often get put off if they have to dress up and can't think what to come as! If full dressing up seems too much, you can always do a simple colour theme - "a touch of gold" or a "hint of red" etc. The options are endless!

Sometimes the best way to come up with ideas that everyone will buy into is to have a party committee which represents someone from each department.

We hope you found this useful. Our third tip of Christmas will follow soon....

Christmas Party Tip No 1!

"On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree!"

No seriously, with only 6 weeks remaining, I am starting to feel the Christmas vibe so I thought I would enter into the festive spirit and give you a couple of pointers each week so as to make that Christmas party or event the one to remember!

So, here goes with your first top tip...

Hopefully by now your planning will be well underway, but, as the saying goes, it is never too late! Therefore, ensure you have got those festive invites out and everyone is talking about it over coffee! Alternatively, another good way to enthuse people is by sending out an update email or putting a flash bulletin out on the intranet.

So, you've had your "partridge in a pear tree", now make sure you look out for my second tip of Christmas - "two turtle doves" and all that!

Theming an event

Are you struggling to come up with a theme for your event? Whether it be for your Christmas party or another event, here are a few ideas.....

Country specific theme-I recently organised a Brazilian themed event, which allowed for lots of creativity, but was surprisingly easy to achieve. For entertainment we had Vincent and Flavia (celebrities from Strictly Come Dancing) and The London School of Samba.




Madame Butterfly - where East meets West …an Oriental inspired garden theme incorporating elegant blossom trees, pergolas, colourful butterflies and a taste of the exotic.

Contemporary Christmas - use silver, navy and white to give it a contemporary and stylish feel!

Diamonds and Pearls - A decadent and shimmering atmosphere with a multitude of pea lights and gems intertwined throughout. This theme could also be incorporated with a black and white theme (see A Touch of Colour below).

A touch of Colour - Often the simplest themes are the most successful. Whether it is the classic and elegant black and white mix or something a little sassier such as shocking pink, a colour scheme always works. The colour can be incorporated into everything – invitations, dress code, drinks, décor, and lighting ensuring continuity throughout.

Grease is the Word- For all Pink Ladies and T Birds, this retro theme would work particularly well at the All Lanes bowling venues which already incorporate a diner and full American cocktail bar.

James Bond, 007 - this is easy for both the organiser to theme and the guests to come suitably attired!

Vintage Hollywood - The glamour of 1950s Hollywood which could also be tied in with an Oscars theme, should your event be taking place in February/March which is close to the Oscars ceremony. Guests can make their entrance up a red carpet, with snapping paparazzi, and enter a world of glitz, elegance and untouchable glamour.

Other ideas include:

• Gangsters and Molls
• Fire and Ice
• 1920s High Society
• Cool Britannia/Best of British

These are just a few ideas, there are many many more! If you would like some inspiration, why not contact us?

Charlotte Aikman
charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
07958 734383
www.charlotteaikman.com

Get smart with your events during tough economic times

There are many ways in which you can make sure your events still go ahead in these tough times. Here are just a few tips:-

• Plan well in advance - ensure the money for the event is allocated in your marketing budget at the beginning of the year
• Understand the event goals - before planning your event make sure you really understand the specific goals for the event so that you can plan it with these clearly in mind
  
• Choose your suppliers carefully and negotiate where possible - this is when longstanding relationships can really help you to achieve what you need to without breaking your budget
• Know your budget - decide which areas of your budget would benefit most from money being spent on them
  
• Be extra creative - think of all the theming you can do yourself without hiring a company to do it
  
• Use different communication tools - instead of printing paper invitations, why not send an email or web-based invitation?
• Target your invitation list - look very carefully at each name on the invitation list to ensure you are only inviting those that will add value or benefit from the event
  
• Food & beverage - instead of having a champagne reception why not have sparkling wine or wine and beer? Instead of having 6 canapes per person, why not reduce it to 3 per person?
• Gifts - cut down on any freebies or gifts which you give at events. These are an unnecessary luxury in tight budgets
  
• Use public transport - when travelling to event related meetings, try using buses, tubes or trains instead of jumping in taxis!
  

There are so many ways in which you can use your budget creatively! If you would like any further advice, why not contact us?

E: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
T: 07958 734 383
www.charlotteaikman.com

Top tips when organising an event!

These are a few of the key things you need to think about when organising an event

• What do you want to achieve from the event? - always bear this in mind when choosing a venue and planning activities
• Choose a date - it's always a good idea to plan well in advance, spaces get booked up quickly
  
• Create your event budget - you will then know what you have to spend
  
• Compile your guest list - it is essential to do this before choosing your venue so that you know your numbers and you can then also ensure your chosen venue is easy for guests to travel to
  
• Factor in setup and breakdown time - remember suppliers will need time to setup the event and break it down afterwards. This needs to be included in the contract
  
• Choose your suppliers carefully - always get 2 or more quotes for each element of the event. This will ensure you are getting the best value for your money and allow you to negotiate with your preferred supplier
• Go on a site visit to your chosen venue before signing contracts - it is amazing what you can find out when actually seeing a venue!
• Think about sending a save-the-date card - if your event is not for a few months, but you want to ensure everyone puts the date in their diaries
• Invitations - send invitations out at least 8 weeks in advance
• Dietary requirememts - remember to collect information about guests' dietary requirements. This will avoid any embarassing moments on the evening!
• Signing contracts - when signing any supplier contracts, perhaps ask a lawyer or an experienced event planner to read through all the terms and conditions
• Food tasting - it is always worth doing a food tasting with your caterer so that you can taste the food but also look at the presentation of it
• Health & safety - remember to fully assess the health and safety aspect of the event and put all the necessary precautions in place. As an event planner, this is your responsibility
• Theming - this is the best part of the job. Try to be as creative as your brief allows
• Post event anaylsis - the follow up and strategic debrief after the event is as important as the actual event. It will allow you to improve on necessary areas should it become an annual event

If you would like any further advice or help on how to set you apart from your competition, why not contact us?
E: charlotte@charlotteaikman.com
T: 07958 734 383
www.charlotteaikman.com