Jodie McLean 0:04
Hey, I'm Jodie Event Manager, business owner, educator and podcast host. I'm an introverted homebody want to be wine master. And I truly believe in the power of events to inspire delight and ignite human potential. Every week, I take you backstage into the wonderful world of business events, and give you the insider scoop on how to take your events to the next level. Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and listen. Let's get into it. Welcome to another episode of the events insider podcast.
Jodie McLean 0:42
I'm your host, Jodie. And today we are diving into some of your most asked questions. Now I have the privilege of running masterclasses and going to venue familles. And I guess just being active on social media, and so I get asked questions about event planning quite often. And there are some recurring ones that come up all the time. So today, I want to answer them all in one single podcast episode for you. Now, whether you manage like small board meetings, or really large conferences, a lot of the questions will be relatable, regardless of the type or size of events. So I know that you're going to get something out of today's episode.
Jodie McLean 1:23
So let's kick off things with what I think is my most asked question. And that is, What software do you use for event planning. And I get why because the right tech can honestly make an admin task 1000 times easier. But I think people assume there is one magical event planning software that does everything they need. And the reality is that there isn't, it really depends on the kinds of events you run and what you want the software to do, as to which one will be best for you. Now, having said that, I will share the main software that I use and what I use it for.
Jodie McLean 1:59
So first up is Asana. So this is a project management software that is not specific to events. And many people use it for all kinds of businesses and roles. The other two popular project management software's are Trello, and Monday. Now I use Asana because that's what I'm used to. I've used Monday with a client and didn't love it for how I work and Trello visually doesn't appeal to me. I like lists, and it looks very chaotic from the images that I've seen. But in fairness, I haven't trialled it. Now most companies would probably have a system that they use already. So whatever you're already using is probably fine. Just find the best way to create a project with tasks so that you can track what you need to do tick it off when you've done it, so that nothing gets forgotten.
Jodie McLean 2:50
Now for Event registrations, I typically use either Humanitix or EventsAir. So Humanitix is my go to for simple events that are either free or ticketed. But they're not sort of complex multi day events with optional functions and accommodation and all of those kinds of things. For that I use EventsAir in which describes itself as an all in one event management software. But to be honest, I mainly just use it for the registration function, and none of the actual planning or budgeting functions. Now the thing to note about registration platforms like Human itix or Eventbrite is that they do have a booking fee for ticketed events, which you can either absorb as the organiser or pass it on to the attendees. So that's important to remember. But for free events where there's you know, the ticket is $0, then there's no cost to you. So it's a great and really simple to use option. And if you ran the same event, year after year, or every single month, you ran a similar event, then it's really easy to duplicate the event page and just update it with new info for the next one. So really easy.
Jodie McLean 4:00
And the third piece of software that I use actually probably the most is plain old Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, depending on if I need to share it or not. You know, it's nothing groundbreaking, but bloody useful for many things. And I mainly use it for budgeting and run sheets. So if you actually go to events academy.com.au you'll see I have a run sheet template and an event budget template that you can grab and it comes with a training video showing you how I use them. So if you don't already have templates to use, then they're there for you and already set up for events with examples in there. But honestly, you don't need any fancy software, Excel or Google Sheets does everything you need when it comes to event budgets and run sheets.
Jodie McLean 4:46
Okay, the next question is how do you find the right venue and your event venue can honestly make or break your event? I mean, sometimes it's less important but it does play a huge role in how your event is perceived. How output flows and the experience and the service that guests receive. So we do want to make sure that we choose the right venue. So where do you find it? Well, online menu directories can be a good resource. So often you can search venues by location or size or type, which then kind of narrows down the overwhelm of options and gives you sort of a shortlist of options. Otherwise, social media, mainly Instagram can also be helpful for this. So following accounts that feature venues in the city that you hold events in, and then you can easily click to that venues account and see what it looks like. And I personally like to go to the tagged photos tab, and see what the venue actually looks like from people who've tagged it, not just you know, the professionally edited photos that venues posts that were taken sort of like 10 years ago. But also don't underestimate the power of a simple Google search. So I know it feels like it can take hours searching on there, or, you know, it's always the sponsored ones that come up, or the same venues come up all the time. But my tip for Google is to actually use Google Maps. Because often we're searching in a specific geographic area, we already kind of know where we need to host our event. And Google Maps sometimes uncover some hidden gems that might not otherwise, feature on the first page of Google or in a venue directory, you know, they might not be a typical venue, or they might be a new venue, or they just don't market themselves to the events industry. So that can be a great way for finding hidden gems. The other avenue you can use is just tapping into your professional network for recommendations. So Facebook groups are great for this. But also asking people you know, who plan events if they've got any recommendations. And if all of that fails, or you're really short on time, then I'd consider using a venue finding service. So it's often a free service because they get paid in commission from the venue. So it's a great option to outsource that part of the planning without actually having to pay for it. And they're usually very knowledgeable and quick, the thing that I would just bear in mind is that they may not cast the net as wide as you might, they'll often have preferred partner venues that they know they get good deals with. So if you're not looking for anything out of the ordinary, and you give them a clear brief, then it can be a really good option for you. Okay, moving on to
Jodie McLean 7:19
Question three, how do you come up with your creative ideas? Okay, this is where the fun begins. So always start with a clear brief, you need to know your events, objectives, the target audience and the budget, before you do any of the creative thinking or any further planning. And that may sound boring, but getting clear on those things will actually guide your creative process. I promise you that. So for inspiration, I'll often turn to Pinterest, social media, and also chat GPT. So I find these platforms really helpful with sort of the big picture idea generation. And also, you know, just getting crazy ideas. And then we can always rein it back in later. So I spend some time getting inspired, looking at what other people have done, you know, going down rabbit holes and just really opening up my mind, then it's important to break down. So either as you're going or after that jot down every idea that comes to mind, no matter how random it seems. Because from there, you might find you have a couple of ideas that could work for your event. And then you can start exploring them and fleshing them out and doing research on different suppliers that could help you execute that. The other thing I do is I also keep a note on my phone with event ideas. So both ones I've done in the past that worked well. And once I come across or think of that might suit a future event. So that's everything from you know, an event theme to a specific supplier or venue. Anything that I come across that I think is good, or would suit the kind of events I do I make a note of it. So I'll often actually go back and just peruse this list when I'm starting to plan a new event to see if there's anything on there that stands out or would work for that event.
Jodie McLean 9:05
Okay, the fourth question I get asked a lot is, what do you do when you have a small event budget? Now, I've dealt with this a lot, and I'm gonna give you some budgeting hacks I use but firstly, I want to say that I know it can cause a lot of stress. But the reality is that it's not on you. Like, I'm assuming you're not the gatekeeper of the event budget. So if that's all you've been given, then that's not on you. However, I do totally appreciate that, you know, the success of the event will reflect back on us as the ones who planned it. And you know, the feedback always comes back to us. So I do get it. So I think it's important from the get go, that we do manage expectations. And when I say that, I mean both the event owner so you know your boss or whoever was tasked you with the event and the event attendees. You know, there's a huge range of events out there and at the end of the day, it could be a super simple low cost event. that still gets a great result if people understand what they're signing up to attend and what the experience will be like. So, with that being said, I do have a few budget hacks to help you maximise your event budget. Firstly, if you can byo consider BYOD. Bring the beverages either to the venue or to your office. And when I say byo, I don't mean the guests bui hoeing. But I mean, you as the event organiser, so that way, you're not paying the marked up rate on drinks, and you can pay the retail price instead. So obviously, this is specific to events where you are serving alcohol. But maybe there are other things that you could byo so if you're consistently hiring AV into your office for events, could you consider buying a PA system to use outright that you can use over and over again, you know, being able to bring in or reuse things, instead of paying through a third party is going to save you a lot of money. Just bear in mind that this often means a bit more work on your end. The second tip would be to use preferred suppliers. So having suppliers that you use regularly and keep going back to because they're going to give you better rates for repeat business. And when you're in a bit of a bind, they'll often do what they can to help you out. So if you do run similar regular events, try to set up a good working partnership with your suppliers, or negotiate an agreement at the beginning of the year for say X amount of business and maybe even offer to pay upfront in exchange for a discount. And the third tip for dealing with a small budget is to prioritise what is going to make the most impact. If we can't do all the things, then what are the one or two things that we're going to focus on and do well, you know, if we can't do a three course lunch with beverages, can we do just a beautiful grazing table and a freshly squeezed juice, and that's it. Or if we can't afford a DJ, do we curate a playlist ourselves and set up a cool photo booth. So people have a fun activity, and there's still music and vibe. And no one even notices that there's not a DJ, whatever it is for you and your events, think about one or two things you could prioritise in the budget, and everything else is going to have to either drop off, or you can DIY it.
Jodie McLean 12:16
Now, the last question I'm going to answer that I get asked in various forms is, what is your number one tip or hack or piece of advice? It varies from person to person. But essentially, what is the best tip? And it's kind of a hard one to answer because, you know, how do I summarise all the things I've learned over the years? How do I pick just one thing to say? And I guess the good thing is that I don't have to just pick one, you know, I've got a whole podcast and events Academy and Instagram, where I can share lots of lessons and tips. But to answer the question, I think the biggest thing would be to think inside the box. You know, we often think of restrictions like a small budget or a lack of time as these negative things. But the reality is that when you have total freedom comes total overwhelm. So I find limitations and restrictions are actually a blessing and can be used to guide us in our planning and help us get creative. So I would say get clear on your event parameters. And then think inside the box to curate the best event experience you can within those parameters.
Jodie McLean 13:24
So that is a wrap on today's episode. I hope it was a good one for you. But before you go, if you haven't heard we recently launched EA Live, which is events Academy's first in person workshop. So it's a one day intensive specifically for admin professionals where I will be teaching you my event planning blueprint. So walking you through how to plan events, giving you real world examples. And there's some practical sessions, you're literally going to walk away with a framework for planning any type of business event, and lots of tips and ideas as well. So head to the link in the show notes for all the info and to secure your seat. And I look forward to meeting you in person. Until next week. Have a wonderful week and I will chat to you then.
Jodie McLean 14:12
Thanks for listening to this episode of the events Insider PodCast. If you loved it, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, share with your friends and I'll chat to you next week. Bye
