Office Party Games

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Anna

Corporate parties can be dull, boring and full of awkward moments. But they don’t have to be, you can make them fun, memorable and classy. You can easily turn your party into a corporate wonderland by incorporating office party games. There are different office party games for different occasions; some are complex and need some preparation while others are super easy and all you need to play is a group of people.

What Are Office Party Games?
Office party games are usually regular adult party games that have been modified or toned down for the office. The most successful games used at corporate events are ones that involve teams, use team building exercises and foster learning new skills as well as benefit those participating. Team building activities for the workplace are now widely used at lunch events, corporate parties and even at regular meetings to engage employees and create team work.

How to Plan A Party:
Before we talk about corporate party games you can use, here are 4 aspects of party planning that you need to remember when you plan a party at home or in the office.
Music – using the right music combination and the right genre will set the tone of your party; music should be closely connected to your party theme. Sometimes an 80’s playlist will be just what you need instead of Mozart or Bach’s beautiful symphonies. Hire a DJ, a live Band, Make a few CD’s – whatever your budget allows you to do, but do some thinking and planning ahead of time to incorporate music into your party.
Food and Drink – what kind of event are you holding? Is there’s a sit down dinner component or will everyone grab some hors d’oeuvre with a drink? Think about how much time you can allocate to food consumption and plan your menu accordingly. Take the activities that you’re planning for your event into consideration. If you’re planning a scavenger hunt you might not have enough time for a sit down meal for example.
Entertainment – people come to a party to interact, show off their new shoes/or girlfriends, eat, and have fun. Create a plan and schedule for the entire party and include entertainment such as games, physical activities, picture taking, contests and if your budget allows some sort of paid entertainment – magicians, comedians, singers or speakers…depending on the mood of the party.
A Host – no matter how small or large your party is you should have a host. This should either be you – the person planning the party – or if you will be busy running the event behind the scenes someone who you trust and who is liked by the attendees. The host needs to know what is happening at all times, what comes next and be responsible for the progress of the party.

Party Game Ideas
Here are some entertaining and unique office party games that are easy to create and implement for your next party.

Shoe Shuffle
You are either thinking of a classic Sex and the City episode or you’re thinking about the odor from all those shoes. Well it’s neither actually b/c the only shoes you’ll be putting on are your own and this is a really fun team building game for any occasion. Here’s how it goes: ask everyone to take their shoes off and put them into a big pile at the end of the room. Break the crowd into two teams and line up the two teams on the other side of the room. The task is for each team member to find their shoes and then run (in their shoes) back for the next person in line to do the same until everyone is finished. The first team in which everyone finds their shoes wins. It’s important to have a good mix of men and women on each team to keep the game fair, after all let’s face it running in stilettos can be a little challenging.

Balderdash, Fictionary or Pictionary
These games are based on defining words and getting points; the wackier the words are the more fun the definitions become especially when you are trying to convince an intelligent group of co-workers that you know exactly what “gaberlunzie” means. Do you? You don’t have to be boring with games that everyone is familiar with, you can get creative and fun as long as you put a little effort and plan ahead.

2 Truths and a Lie
This game works exactly how it sounds, each person tells 2 truths and a lie about themselves while others try to guess which one is the lie. This is a great game to play when a group of people don’t know each other very well. It breaks down the ice and gives a chance for people to get to know each other quickly.

A Few More Party Ideas for Adults:
How about a scavenger hunt around town? It’s super easy to organize and is a great game if you’re holding an event outside. Click here for more info on how to organize a scavenger hunt and a few other party games for adults.

  • Why not plan an Office Family Feud? Click Here fore a list of questions and detailed instructions.
  • Charades is also a great game to play especially when you don’t have a lot of resources, all you need is a theme (movies for example) and a few ideas (movie titles)
  • Last but not least – Desk Robber, steal one item from each person’s desk during lunch time and present it at your party, others have to guess who the item belongs to, which makes for great laughter and elevated spirits.

Office party games are fun to plan and execute and are a great addition to any party, BBQ or corporate events. Whether you need to fill up a window of time or create focus in your event I recommend using office party games to make your event a success.

Posted in Corporate Event Ideas, Event Organization, Teambuilding | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Meeting Minutes Sample You Can Use

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Anna

I don’t know about you but I always keep my own meeting minutes. I don’t summarize the entire meeting but I always keep my own notes and have a meeting minutes sample that I want to share with you.

Why? Because once you find a meeting minute format that works for you, you can train your staff and coworkers to follow it as well, therefore synchronizing your efforts and saving a lot of time for everyone.

Meeting Minutes Sample
Before we get into meeting minutes check out this post on the proper meeting agenda format [yes there are free templates that you can download there too.]

A few things to remember before you start typing or writing away. Taking minutes is pretty much an art form. Remember the kids in college whose notes you used to photocopy ALL the time versus the “one photocopying stand” ones. Well minutes are kind of like really good lecture notes that are hard by come by.

Here’s a free meeting minutes sample that I use all the time.

How to Take Meeting Minutes

  • Be objective. Only write down the facts that were presented in the meeting, DON’T add your own take on things or draw any conclusions. Don’t write “we’re going to come over budget” if someone says “we spent an extra 5,000 on tablecloths”
  • Get organized. If the meeting is going in a thousand different directions break your notes into a couple of sections and add your notes into the appropriate section as the meeting progresses.
  • Work around the action items. People tend to be sidetracked, keep the minutes close to the action items to keep the minutes focused.
  • Don’t make it personal. Don’t use names if possible and don’t get into he said, she said. The minutes of a meeting should focus on the decisions that have been made and the tasks that have been assigned.
  • Writing meeting minutes is the perfect time to be boring, avoid personal observations especially if you have something to say about the person making a point and specifically if you disagree with that point.

Meeting Minutes Format:
These are the must have components of any meeting minutes

  • Date and time of the meeting
  • Meeting participants and who was absent
  • Action items – who is to complete them, by when (due dates)
  • Next meeting date and time
  • Here are a couple of tips additional items that should be on your list

Also see:
How to Conduct A Meeting

A Few More Meeting Minutes Tips:
Think about what you like to have on hand when going over your meeting minutes. For example, the presentation or report that was being presented at the meeting? Solution: Attach handouts and presentations electronically. A few templates from Microsoft that you can download and use.
Don’t forget to cross reference the meeting minutes with the agenda of the meeting, this will make sure that you didn’t forget anything and that all areas have been covered.
When you’re e-mailing the meeting minutes to the attendees (and those who missed the meeting but need to be filled in) write the action items in the body of the email. I find this to be a very proactive and helpful approach.

Finally don’t throw out or delete the draft of the meeting minutes that you’ve been working with at the meeting before you send out the meeting minutes and see the email and the file in your Sent Items. Check to see that the file opens and that it hasn’t been corrupted because if this was your only copy no great meeting minutes sample is going to save you now.

Posted in Meetings, Templates | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Summer Party Themes

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Anna

How do you know that summer is almost here? The sun is shining, the birds are singing (that is if you can see and hear anything from your office window) and your calendar is suddenly getting crammed with events that have “year end” and “summer” in the title. Well then this is a perfect time to organize a summer party and I’m going to help you get started with a few fun summer party themes.

Easy Breezy Summer Party Themes

Let’s start with the more obvious summer party themes. Choose a movie, play, book that you and your friends or colleagues love and go with it.
For example: “Alice in Wonderland” “The Godfather” or “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars” if you want to get real geeky.

Before choosing a summer party theme take these into consideration:

  • The age of the attendees: will there be children at the party?
  • Will the party be inside/outside: you can get really creative with the decorations if you’re holding the party outside without worrying about burning the house or office down.
  • The food: think about the food that you will be serving first and then modify it according to the party you are planning, this will help prevent putting a dent in your budget.
  • Music: here are some great movie scores to help you get into the mood of your summer party theme.

Summer Party Themes with a Statement
If you are looking for something a little more edgy for your summer party theme or if you’re entertaining a crowd that loves to support a cause or show appreciation for something then try: a “Red, White and Blue” party, do a “Christmas in July” theme (check out these tips from my “office Christmas party” post for inspiration) or choose your favorite baseball team and throw a “Red Sox” appreciation party.
The most important thing with these types of summer party ideas is to get extra creative. Think about simple ways in which you can substitute a real airshow by getting the kids to do a show of skills with their toy airplanes.
Make it feel like “it’s Christmas” by inviting Santa over with some presents or arranging for a picture taking corner with Santa.
Here are a few additional ideas that you will surely useful.

Other Summer Party Ideas
When looking at summer party themes you can always approach the problem through food, yes food. Take “Turkish Delight” as an example, you can make that the focus of your party and create a whole theme around foods from around the world, think of a beautiful Arabian Nights theme that you can try.
See Also:
A great birthday party checklist that you can use to plan any party.
If you’re looking for an event planning template here are some great ideas.

It’s important to remember that keeping an open mind and searching outside the box is the key element for searching through summer party themes, and if you can’t make up your mind between two party ideas, don’t worry since you’ll have plenty of time to experiment and try out new themes throughout the coming months.

Posted in Event Organization | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Simple Birthday Party Checklist

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Anna

Checklists don’t need to be complicated, if they are it turns them into to do lists, which are a completely different deal. This is why keeping your birthday party checklist is important. It will help you stay organized and go through the party planning process in a jiffy.

Birthday Party Checklist

A a good party checklist is one that can be used for all kinds of events: birthday parties, office parties even baby-showers. All good parties have a few things in common and these are: good food, good entertainment and a good atmosphere. However you do need to keep track of the planning process and that’s why an event checklist template is an important tool to use. Here’s a short and general birthday party checklist that will get you started. Please note that this is a very general list and each point is later broken down into a detailed to do list depending on the type of party you are planning.

A Simple Party Planning Checklist:

  • Define your budget
  • Decide on a venue and book it
  • Make a guest list and send out invitations
  • Create a food & drink list of things you need to buy or order from a caterer
  • Create a decorations/party favors and a party supply list
  • Decide on entertainment and make a list of party games

Read this post on how to find the perfect event planning template to create your own birthday party checklist.

A Few Additions to Your Party Checklist
These are important points that always get overlooked and someone ends up scrambling last minute to purchase, create or organize these things which always puts a strain on your initial budget and adds to the stress of party planning.
Tip 1: leave a few extra dollars unspent for cases of emergency
Tip 2: Create a playlist, in case your entertainment plan fails
Tip 3: Have a designated coat-check or bag area
Tip 4: Buy lots of ice, you can always use it for another party
Tip 5: Prepare lots of party games for adults

Useful Resources for Your Party
Here is another great birthday party checklist and at the end you’ll find lots of useful tips for planning your birthday party so it’s definitely worth to check out.

If you have the additional resources and want to do something nice for your guests I recommend investing in some party favours, here’s a great list where you can get ideas for things you can purchase or DIY.

No matter what time of birthday party you are planning making it a success is relatively simple if you have the right tools and you set your mind to sticking to these tools. Use a birthday party checklist and stick to it, especially when you have a lot on your mind and very little time to get to it all. Start early and do one thing at a time and your party will be as enjoyable as you envision it to be.

Posted in Birthdays, Templates | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How to Achieve Your Goals

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Anna

Goals are the single most important aspect to make you successful in the corporate world. Actually goal setting is everywhere, we just call it different names. Crossing the street, negotiating a contract and making dinner all depend on being able to set and achieve goals. The question is, how to achieve your goals successfully and with minimal effort.

How to Achieve Your Goals – But Really Achieve Them

Most experts will tell you that to be able to achieve your goals you will need to do 3 things: Set goals correctly, follow through on the goals you set and evaluate your efforts. However there are a few “minor” aspect or qualities one must develop that are essential to be able to fulfill the 3 factors mentioned above.

Setting Goals or SMART Goal Setting

You’ve probably heard of setting “SMART goals” (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) Read about them here or on Wikipedia. Setting goals is like laying the foundation for your house, it must be solid and so should be you goals. On top of being SMART goals, you must also believe in your goals. The goals you set should also come from the heart, these should be things that you really want, or in other words you must have the understanding that you need them to succeed. The purpose of setting goals is to make sure that you take charge of the task or event that you are planning and on the greater scheme of things be able to take charge of your professional and personal life.

How to Achieve Your Goals or Getting Things Really Done

The question here is how to achieve your goals in practice, once all the smart words and tactics have been read and used. Here’s the keyword you need to remember: Persuasion. To achieve your goals you need to learn to persuade yourself and others and here are a few points to get you started:

  • People are more likely to believe and follow an expert. Meaning if you read something in a book you are more likely to believe and use it than if you heard the same thing from a friend. This is why self-help books are actually useful, even if you’re reading them consciously to help yourself understand how to achieve your goals. Use this knowledge when presenting or arguing, use facts and figures from experts instead of “gut feeling” explanations.
  • People don’t pursue their goals because they are afraid of failure, build your own confidence and persuade others to believe that you know what you’re talking about.
  • Use an active voice to set your goals and objectives. When trying to achieve something use action verbs at the beginning of your sentences.
  • Be persuasive, describe and demonstrate what success will look like once what your are arguing or negotiating for is achieved, paint a positive, beneficial and realistic picture for yourself and others.

Tip for event planners: Visit this page for additional skills for event contract negotiation strategies.

Evaluating Your Work

Set dates and deadlines for evaluating and reviewing your progress, how are you doing in terms of achieving your goals? Do an analysis of your progress, assess what and who is keeping you from achieving your goals. Look at your goals again and re-evaluate how to achieve your goals by first re-evaluating the goals themselves and then by looking at the ways in which you have been working towards actualizing them. An event evaluation form is one of the most important forms to use on a regular basis to evaluate progress.

Goal setting can be a very powerful and positive experience when done correctly, when you think about how to achieve your goals think outside the box, think about all the factors that will influence your goal setting process as well as the process in which you will engage on the way to achieve your goals. Don’t underestimate the influence of your environment on your ability to achieve your goals and focus on ways to influence those around you so that they are “working” to actually help you achieve your goals.

If you found this info useful and want to know more, i recommend checking out “How to be an Expert Persuader” by Michael Lee click here to find out more.

Posted in Education, Helpful Information | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Office Party Themes

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Anna

Although it’s still freezing outside most stores have already switched into spring and even summer mode, this put me in a real party mood and which means hat many companies are waking up from a long winter nap. What better way is there to wake up than throw a fun, budget sensitive office party?! Fresh office party themes is what you’re going to find below to help you plan and rejoice.

Office Party Now?
How do you know that it’s time for a party? Well usually we organize corporate parties for a few reasons: to motivate employees, celebrate success, announce changes, say goodbye or welcome someone to the team. But really things don’t always need to be so “structured.” Many companies use weekly meetings to “throw a party” to elevate moral in the office and to engage in some team building activities

If you notice any of the following symptoms:

  • office blues
  • employees coming in late
  • deadlines not being met
  • employees falling asleep at meetings…then it’s definitely time to think about how to motivate your employees and having an office party is an excellent choice.

3 Fun Office Party Themes:

Theme 1: A Chocolate Fiesta
Think Charlie at the Chocolate Factory meets Max Brenner or if you have no clue what I’m talking about here, think a chocolate explosion in a chocolate lab. Your main feature and decorations will be the food, i.e. chocolate.
Decorations: In terms of color palettes you can use browns, bubble gum pinks, blacks and whites. Here’s an example of using simple color and food to decorate and a few more hands on items for decorations.
Food: Ideas for food are really endless and it all depends on how much you can invest into the party. Here are a few ideas that you can make yourself or order from a caterer. Because chocolate is so powerful make sure to have lots of milk and water around to dilute all that sweetness. You can hang signs with “make your own drink” recipes that people can make from ingredients that are found around the party room, this will be a short and delicious game people can play.
Things to consider: although everyone loves chocolate not everyone can have it. Make sure to have a few sugar free items on the menu…actually there are delicious alternatives to chocolate made from carobs and lots of sugar free chocolate where you really can’t tell the difference from the real thing.

Christmas in July:
People love Christmas when Christmas is loooong gone because they can enjoy the idea of Christmas without all the chaos involved: visiting family, buying presents, cooking huge meals… This makes Christmas in July one of my favorite office party themes. You simply have to follow the rules of an office Christmas party.
Decorations: pull out the office Christmas decorations and use them all in one room, the more then better. Depending on your cleaning arrangements it would be great to use fake snow…if you’re having the party in the summer months, don’t use fake snow and don’t use this office party theme in March or April.
Things to consider: give each employee the assignments of buying a present that they will use for a gift exchange game at the party, however set very specific limits on how much money they can spend, usually the limit varies between 10-20$.

Back to the 80’s Party:
One of the many ‘s office party themes…you know 90’s, 20’s, 60’s. The theme should be decided based on the demographics of your organization. If most people listen to “way back playbacks” from the 80’s then this is the perfect theme for your company. However if most listen to Mozart and Julia Fischer then you might want to go with one of the other office party themes, here are a few other office party ideas that you can consider.
Decorations: I found this great story about an 80’s party which has some great decoration pictures as well, but basically the rule is to follow a theme with colors when decorating and to bring “back” everything that reminds you of the 80’s like this list.
Things to remember: if the majority of the company falls in the “appreciating the 80’s” category you should go for this office party theme and simply send out an 80’s guide for those who aren’t so familiar with the 80’s, they will be after your party.

The last thing to remember when deciding which one of these office party themes will be your theme is that hopefully you’ll be holding more than one party this year. You can ask all the participants to leave their feedback about the party at the end of the event or through an online survey and even ask them to suggest office party themes that they would like to see being utilized at the next corporate event.

Posted in Corporate Event Ideas | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Party Guide: St Patricks Day 2012

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Anna

St Patricks Day has been celebrated by the Irish for the past 1,000 years, although modern day celebrations are VERY different from the way it has been celebrated even 100 years ago. Whether you are hosting a party or planning a night or day out here’s your guide to St Patricks Day 2012.

St Patricks Day 2012 Here We Come…But First Some Background:

Just like today in the past the holiday always fell right in the middle of lent but all food and drink prohibitions were lifted to celebrate this special day. By 2012 St Patricks Day has actually become a five day festival hosted in Ireland and attended by more than 1 million people. But of course the festivities are also extended to the rest of the world, although not a national holidays in 2012 St Patricks Day will be celebrated on most continents.

Here are the Essential Components of St Patricks Day:

St Patricks Day Parade – the highlight for most people, lasting for up to 5 hours in NYC. Actually New York was the first city to ever host the St. Patricks Day Parade when Irish soldiers marched through the City in 1762. This year the parades are promising to be bigger and better with lots of music and greenery. Check when a parade is being held near you.

St Patricks Day Food – Can’t wait for your first sip of this year’s green beer? Well if you’re planning a party here are some St Patricks Day Recipes without which I would not dare throw a party. As the old Irish proverb goes “Laughter is brightest where food is best.”

St Patricks Day Games – What’s a St. Paddy’s party without some drinking games? These aren’t hard to come by, however if you want to add some class to your party and make sure the event is fun especially for people who don’t know everyone at the party add a few party games for adults to the mix, if these aren’t enough here are a few more games and St Patricks Day activities for your to consider.

“Ireland is where strange tales begin & happy endings are possible.” Charles Haughey hopefully St Patricks Day 2012 will be a special one for you…and that you remember most of it or at least the milestones and activities you set to do, based on this post of course!

Posted in Holidays, St Patricks Day | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Pot of Gold: St Patricks Day Recipes

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Anna

St Patricks Day is coming up and what kind of a holiday would it be without some authentic holiday food?! St Paddy’s day reminds me a lot of Halloween because of all the fun you can have with dressing up, partying and of course eating. The main difference however is that St Patricks Day Recipes have a rich history and almost each recipe can stand as a meal on its own.

St Patricks Day Recipes – Private Collection

I’ve collected some of my favorite and actually probably everyone’s favorite St Patricks day recipes that are both simple and delicious. Hope you get to try them all this 2012 St Patricks Day.

St. Patrick’s Day Appetizers

Of course the emphasis of these appetizers and all the recipes here are on food you can serve at a party. Meaning food that you can grab and eat on the go, preferably doing all the eating with one hand. Here you’ll find great Green themed recipes like Hummus, Dip and Nachos.

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Recipes

These recipes have a little more “meat” to them
Corned Beef – I found this great alternative to corned beef, it’s still not steering away from the Irish stream of pies so it works. Here’s a corned beef pie recipe I dare you to try. Or if you want to keep it traditional go for this recipe.

Irish Soda Bread - a recipe from one of the most beautiful food blogs I have to warn you, if you’re in the midst of cooking do not visit the blog because you will be there for hours drooling over these recipes wanting to give every single one a try.

Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie – whatever you call it, it’s relatively simple to make and it’s food that everyone is familiar with and will eat under all circumstances Here’s the recipe.
Colcannon Potatoes – great recipe and can be done in combination or instead of the Shepherd’s Pie.

St. Patrick’s Day Desserts

Finally what St Patricks party would it be if there weren’t a few sugary green deserts? Here are some fun desert ideas. Also check out this link for a Pot o Gold recipe that you can use to decorate any desert you choose, very convenient.

Hope you can try all of these St Patricks Day recipes and turn some of these into your permanent party guests. Feel free to add additional recipes in the comments. Happy St Paddy’s.

Posted in Holidays, St Patricks Day | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

7 Team Building Activities That Will Bulletproof Your Team

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Anna

Any good manager knows that a cohesive team and great people are the secret component of any successful operation. There are hundreds of team building activities that are said to increase productivity and team cohesiveness, but how do choose what’s right for your team?

Team Building That Is Right for You
A good team is a living organism. Just like “you are what you eat” a team is just as good to the extent you invest in it. Before you choose the team building exercise you want to begin with consider these 3 important aspects of team building activities:

One Goal – a good team is one that has one goal, where this goal is understood and “visible” by all members of the team. It’s important for all members to have the understanding that they are working towards that one goal even if what they are currently doing in their day to day tasks doesn’t seem to be all that connected to this goal. [To demonstrate this you can use team building games to show how everyone is needed and interconnected to attain a certain goal.]

Two Way Communication – listening is an important quality that all members of the team should develop. Team members need to feel that there is someone who is listening to them and that their feedback is valued not only by the manager but by other team members as well. [Round table discussions, where everyone is given an opportunity to speak and is respected is a great way to hold meetings on a regular basis as well as mediate conflict...a post with rules of the round table is coming soon.]

Three Point Follow Up – team building is a concept that needs to be reinforced time after time to be effective. Follow up should occur right at the end of the team building session to receive feedback, then a week after the event took place and once again a month following the event.

*Ideally team building events should be part of your organizational culture and there shouldn’t be long breaks between team building sessions so that teams can build on previous events and learn from their success and failures. Here’s a great article on team building success that I recommend checking out.

7 Team Building Activities

Disclaimer: for the record, “together” is a keyword for all these activities, I’m a strong advocate of eliminating competition as much as possible from any team building activities. Competition should be done against a third factor, such as time or a previously set record and not set teams up against teach other. This requires a little more skills and organization but will yield greater results in the long run once this become part of the organizational culture.

Building Together: team building games for the workplace are a great team building activity and can easily be organized using just whatever is available in your work environment.

Role Playing: an important part of learning is being able to be able to take on someone else’s role. This enables team members to see themselves from the side as well as being able to view situations from another person’s point of view. “CEO for the day” is an example of a very empowering role playing game.

Team Lunch: food brings people together, whether this happens in a form of a fancy dinner or a potluck it’s very easy to bond over a good meal.

Happy Hour: going for drinks after work is a very popular team building activity, the question is whether it is appropriate for all?! I think that it certainly depends on the culture of the organization and the people in the team. Although it can be a lot of fun I would recommend taking caution with this one.

Partying: taking on the responsibility of organizing a party for the team or department is one of the most simple and beneficial team building activities for the workplace that your team can engage in around the holiday season and to celebrate success.

Volunteering: many charities have group volunteer options; for example you can help run a local event by integrating the team in all the aspects of the event, this will show how well the team works together outside the workplace and in a different.

Fundraising: this can be used to reinforce the concept of having one goal, by fundraising as a team for a local foundation through initiatives such as heart month.  for example.

In conclusion, there are many more team building activities that you can investigate but remember to be different. Did you know that companies like Google and Cisco give their employees time to work on creative projects of their own, during company time. If your main resource are the people that you hire why not give your most valuable resource the time to focus on developing themselves and the work environment they are part of. By making quality team building activities a part of your corporate culture you are in fact increasing your ROI as well as their commitment to their team and the company.

Posted in Corporate Event Ideas, Teambuilding | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Grammys 2012 Event Review

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Anna

Recently BizBash did an amazing review of the Grammys. Not of the “who wore what” and “who brought who” but of the more interesting side of the event: the lighting, the stages, the opening acts and location. So here are some points to review and learn from as well as my own observations that can be applied to the next event you’re planning.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good:

  • The Lighting was the big winner at this year’s Grammy awards. What your event looks like and what you’re highlighting has a strong effect on the mood of the attendees. “LED set, LED lighting, LED screens, LED stages, LED backdrops. LED has completely taken over.” Javier Velarde

 

  • Audience interaction and involvement through team building games, singalongs and direct participation engages and catches peoples attention much better that a straight forward lecture or presentation. “The David Guetta, Chris Brown, Foo Fighters, and Deadmau5 mash-up was spontaneous and fun, and you could clearly connect with the live audience’s energy. J. B. Miller

The Bad:

  • Consider your audience carefully, their age, their interests before making decisions about the topics, themes and offers you are preparing for your event. “They try to make things interesting on the show by doing unusual pairings, but they don’t work as often as they should” Paul Creighton

The Ugly

  • Test your entertainment decisions with different people, there’s a chance that that genius performance or funny host you’re planning on hiring is funny…but only to you. “The Nicki Minaj performance was scarier than an actual satanic visitation.” J. B. Miller

These are just some of the highlights from the article, you can check out the entire thing right on BizBash by clicking here.

Posted in Event News, Memorable Event | Tagged , , | Leave a comment