Out-of-Town Clients

We don't have to meet clients in person, to accomplish their goals. "Danny" found us on the web. Danny's company holds an annual conference for about 200 employees, always in a different city/area. 2012 brings them to Seattle. When the conference ends, Danny throws a fun party with a new theme. I love when employers realize the power of showing appreciation for their staff, and know it doesn't have to be a winter party! We provided Danny with theme and vendor recommendations--he made his choices, we're doing the rest--negotiating contracts and making bookings. The key to successful management of out-of-town clients is the same as it is for any client--listen to what they want, and understand their goals. Receiving excellent customer feedback from clients we've never met, is especially rewarding. As in any successful relationship, it's all about good communications! 
~Carol

A Few Tips on How to Manage Day-of-Event Volunteers

Create a Management Plan: All volunteers need to know their job description and purpose. Tell them who is in charge and exactly what (be specific) is expected of them.

Communicate: Emails are great, but in addition, create a shared online page (we love Google Docs) with information that volunteers can easily access.

Orientation is Key: Establish expectations and ground rules all the while making your volunteers feel like part of your team.

Make Sure Volunteers Know Who You Are: They need to know what your organization is about and how to talk about it with event guests.

Recognize and Thank Your Volunteers: That's right, thank them: in the event program, in a personal note, with a gift. No one ever complains about being thanked too much.

Design a Post-Event Survey: Get their honest feedback. What worked? What didn't? How could their experience have been improved? If you ask them, they will tell you and they will happily volunteer for next year's event as well. 
~ Rebecca

Client Testimonial

Excerpts from a recent client testimonial:  "...I don't really know where to begin.  The complexity of our event was quite high--a remote location, 200 guests, no cell service, friends doing a lot of the parts (a blessing and a curse). Rebecca and Carol jumped in immediately. But instead of taking over or becoming overbearing they were extremely easy to work with--they knew I still wanted a lot of control but they also instinctively knew where I was going to fall down and how to jump in proactively and make sure nothing fell through the cracks. They reviewed all my plans, made revisions, suggestions and more. They highlighted things I had never thought of and made improvements on the things I had already mapped out.

On the day(s) of the event they were amazing. They basically worked 24 hours straight.  From 10AM, hitting the ground running, throughout the day managing the kids entertainment, some parking issues, the table decorations, the flowers, the ceremony rehearsal (we were going for the very organic ceremony, but - wow - am I glad they were there to formalize things a bit), managing the caterers and the bar, cleaning up as we partied, and then up bright and early to make sure the caterers were up and making breakfast for out 150 guests that slept over!

I could go on and on about both of them. But perhaps the greatest testimony is that they exceeded all of my expectations and one of my favorite pictures from the whole weekend is of the three of us laughing late at night on Saturday night.

I am eternally grateful for their professionalism and competence in turning our loosely planned, organic affair into a flawlessly executed event that was carried off without a flaw and with wonderful grace. They are truly pros. I would hire them again in a second for even the smallest event I might have."

Harley Sitner