A celebratory event is a great way to show your employees how much you value them.  It’s also an investment in engagement and culture building, so it makes sense to spend your resources (including time and budget) wisely by making thoughtful event planning decisions.

Elettra recently worked with the Vancouver Airport Authority to produce just such an event. The first annual YVR Stars celebration was a cocktail party and awards show to honour the airport workers and volunteers who go above and beyond for customers. The event was a great success and inspired us to offer insight into how smart decision-making can lead to a top-notch corporate event. Here are four tips to take your appreciation event from ho-hum to stellar:

1)   Let your guests be your guide.

Start your event planning by mapping out everything you know about your guests. From this, create a guest profile to guide the planning process. Check your all decision against that profile. This includes everything from your venue location (is it convenient and easy for your guests to get to?), to the food and beverages you’ll serve (have you considered a variety of dietary needs?).

At YVR Stars, the nature our guest list – which included shift workers, 9-5 office workers, and volunteers – shaped the event. We chose a time that made sense for all workers and ensured it was drop-in style so that shift workers could stop by on a break. We even created plan for getting the invitation to guests who don’t work at a desk and therefore might not be able to receive an invitation via company email.

2)   Set the mood.

Have you ever been to an event that was billed as a celebration, but somehow just felt flat? Well, the truth is, mood doesn’t create itself.

Oftentimes lighting gets overlooked or even cut out entirely due to budget, but it really is critical for setting the tone. House lighting will never deliver on a party atmosphere, but proper lighting design adds drama, sparkle, and even the opportunity to brand the event through use of coloured lighting.

You might not think about the connection between food and mood, but have you ever been standing at an event for 30 minutes before a server finally appears with a tray, but then can’t even make it ten steps from back-of-house before his/her tray is empty? A hungry guest is one that doesn’t feel valued. When planning an occasion, collaboration with your caterer doesn’t stop at selecting a menu. Work with them to ensure that the food is tasty (you can even ask to do an advanced tasting), plentiful, and ready to go the moment your first guest walks through the door.

Of course setting the mood doesn’t stop there.  Décor and entertainment are also important. Don’t just hire a DJ, actually work with her/him to develop a playlist that suits your guest profile. For YVR Stars we injected some fun with a Tap Snap photo booth. Décor-wise, you can see from the photos what some colour can do.

3)   Say it out loud.

Though treating your guests to food and drink is a great start, showing your appreciation is about saying it out loud. In the case of YVR Stars we accomplished this through an awards show presentation. The program provided an opportunity to share and celebrate the stories of workers who went to great lengths in the name of customer care. This was backed up with a thoughtful gift in recognition of their efforts. We also spread the love around the room, incorporating reflections on everyone’s efforts and gave away many stellar door prizes that were a fit for our guest profile.

4)   Bring in the experts.

Creating a successful event is not about ticking off a to-do list. It takes strategic vision, technical know-how, strong supplier relationships, and, most importantly, time. If your company could benefit from this assistance, then it’s a good idea to call in an expert. Look for an experienced event planner, someone who views challenges as an opportunity for creativity. A good planner will act as your partner, providing smart counsel and making sure every last detail is considered. Together you’ll make event magic happen.

Elettra Communications has a combined 35 years' experience creating successful events of all shapes and sizes. We've done it all, from award shows and galas, to fashion shows, launches, and corporate celebrations. Our services include:

• Event feasibility studies and budgeting
• Venue selection
• Event planning and execution
• Collateral production
• Show scripting and direction
• Entertainment programming

Contact us for a complimentary one-hour brainstorming session at info@elettra.ca.

BC Aviation Council's Silver Wings Awards at YVR's South Terminal

The critical first step in planning a gala is selecting the right venue. To help take anxiety out of venue choice, here are some tips from Elettra’s event team.

Decide whether you prefer a traditional or non- traditional venue

Traditional venues include hotels, conference centres, and restaurants. A non-traditional venue can be anywhere, really – a farmhouse, an airplane hangar, or an outdoor plaza to name just a few. The appeal of non-traditional venues is obvious – they tend to be more interesting, creative, and unexpected than the (often) beige four walls of a hotel ballroom. Start by asking yourself if this element of surprise is important to your organization and your guests.

While the cost of hosting at a hotel or conference centre may seem high at first glance, remember that a non-traditional venue is usually a blank slate. That means you’ll need to consider the cost of bringing every single spoon, glass, and chair to the event site. Not to mention the audio-visual and décor required to make the space come alive and the extra event planning and labour hours required to pull it all together.

But when it comes together…wow, you can truly blow your guests away! Elettra worked with the BC Aviation Council (BCAC) on their Silver Wings Awards. For their 20th anniversary they didn’t want the typical hotel ballroom, so we turned YVR’s South Terminal into a gala awards show venue, complete with staging, AV, and a dinner buffet. It was so worth the time and effort to create something unexpected for BCAC’s guests.

Venue size

A half-full room, no matter its size, suggests that an event is not a success. Before booking your venue, do some serious thinking about how many people will attend. Is your invite list 500? Consider realistically how many people will come at the ticket price point you are setting.

Hotel and conference spaces offer a bit more flexibility on room size as ballrooms often have air walls that can divide up the space. This means you can often make adjustments to your venue footprint once you have a sense of how ticket sales are going. In a pinch you can also use pipe and drape to section off a space, but this isn’t ideal and it’s much better to choose the right size of space in the first place.

Location & accessibility

How easy is your event to get to? The answer to that question has a direct bearing on RSVP numbers. Is your event in the downtown core and starting right after work? Great. Have you chosen a far-flung spot that’s not easy to get to via transit? No problem, but you’ll need to budget for shuttles or taxi vouchers to facilitate guest transport.

Atmosphere & décor

Oftentimes hosts treat décor as a “nice to have,” but it’s every bit as critical to the event’s success as food and drink. A good event manager will insist that this is part of the plan. When choosing your venue, consider what it will take to create the desired atmosphere for your guests. If you choose a beautiful spot like Vancouver Art Gallery’s Rotunda, it might not take much more than a bit of lighting and some florals, but if you choose a windowless ballroom or a warehouse, be prepared to devote some serious budget and effort to creating an atmosphere worthy of your event.

Have an event you need help planning? Contact Gwen or Simone at Elettra Communications. We have a combined 30 years' experience in creating successful events of all shapes and sizes.