![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-10.jpg\")
Rule #1 \u2013\n VIP guests should be welcomed in certain ways
It\u2019s different when your event is to be attended by high officials, ambassadors, or company top management. That is why there are protocols to be put in place.
\nProtocols are actually standards, customs, and rules laid down in writing that are common at certain types of events and that everyone who is directly involved in the event planning must abide by. When it comes to events that are attended by officials, the event manager is responsible for explaining why things are done a certain way to all internal and external collaborators. In other words, if your event is to be attended by a VIP individual, the protocol must be adhered to from start to finish. What speakers go first, who sits where, who enters when, who should greet who…? Managing this kind of events is not at all easy, especially if it\u2019s not something you do every day.
\nIn any case, it would be good to prepare for this type of event on time. Ministers, representatives of ministries, mayors, general managers, or perhaps even members
\nof royal families could one day be part of your event. And these special occasions require
\nthorough preparations. In this regard, if you adhere to and follow these protocol steps in planning these particular events, everything will be fine.
Rule #1 \u2013As an event manager, you should know that it\u2019s not your job to welcome VIP guests. This part has to be done by another VIP individual who is on the team you are working for \u2013 depending on the kind of the event, this could be the company\u2019s general manager or the highest official who is going to attend the event.
\nFor example: you\u2019re planning an important celebration to mark the launch of a factory, and one of the guests is the Minister of Economy. He should be welcomed and greeted by the General Manager of the factory.
\nYour job is to know the protocol and its rules, and this way help your client or the people you work to navigate the event.
\nIt would be good \u2013 once you learn who the VIP is \u2013 to inquire about where the individual comes from, whether there are any special customs there, if the individuals has any religious beliefs, whether there are any special diet requirements, how long will the individual stay, and what language the individual speaks and accordingly secure an interpreter, etc. The more information you have available, the less room for error. Finally, you would not want the people you work with, whom you are supposed to introduce to the protocol, to be poorly or insufficiently informed.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Asian-Chinese-hotel-executive-69085312.jpg\")
Rule #3 \u2013One of the most important things you need to know about the protocol is the seating. If your VIP is also one of the speakers or scheduled to take part in a round table discussion, you need to know where the person is supposed to be seated.
\nFor example: if you need to sit at the table, the VIP\u2019s place of honor is the first seat to the right of the person presiding the event \u2013 the host. The VIP guest subsequent in line by importance should be seated on the left side of the host, and so on. If the individual is only a member of the audience, your job is to clearly mark the person\u2019s seat in the first row (usually with the full name printed on a piece of paper). Also, if it\u2019s possible, you should avoid seating two men or two women next to each other. If the event is a meeting or a conference, the seating is determined by the program and the layout of tables. In most cases, the seating will be British seating \u2013 when the host sits at the head \u2013 or French
\nseating, when the host sits at the central part of the longest side of the table. Other guests are seated according to the protocol, which we explained in the paragraph above.
Just as there are rules for the seating, there are rules for speaking, too. You need to know who should speak first, and who should follow. In most cases, the common practice is for the conference/event to be launched by the host, who then introduces the VIP guest, and then follow all the other individuals in attendance in the order of importance. The reason for this rule is the following: high officials and VIPs tend to have overbooked daily schedules and do not have much time on their hands. It often happens that \u2013 after they finish their speech \u2013 VIP guests kindly thank everyone for attending and excuse themselves.
\nActivities of senior government officials and state representatives are managed by Event Protocol departments. This means that when a VIP individual is attending your event,
\nyou should expect call from some of the protocol advisors who are tasked with going through all the details of the event with you. Be prepared and try to provide as many details and significant information when you answer. In addition, this is always a good opportunity to learn something new, because these people deal with planning these types of events only!
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-Personal-Concierge-141511469.jpg\")
Rule #6 \u2013If you thought that this was the photographer\u2019s job, you were wrong \u2013 it is not! The photographer only takes pictures, and you have to find a spot for each of the guests. This can be challenging because you need to come up with a good placement in the little time
\nyou have. Bear in mind the following: How many people need to be photographed, who is tall and who is short, what is the background in front of which people are to be photographed, is someone there with a partner, and so on. Not so simple, is it?
All this cannot be done well without good communication and respect between all team members. Teamwork in the event management business is crucial, especially when it comes to events that are not planned every day. All of us who are in this business should strive to learn to become as good a team member as possible, and this can be done only by adopting new knowledge. In this sense, if you know protocols and develop your internal and external communications abilities, can come to be quite a valuable link in the planning chain. Also, this can easily make you stand out from the competition because in the eyes of your client you become recognized for being professional and knowledgeable, which is the most important parameter in any job.
\n\n
The post What Every Event Planner Needs to Know About the VIP Protocol? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "Planning VIP events isn\u2019t something we encounter every day. These events are special, and the rules that apply are special and new. In particular if the VIP individual is from another country, with entirely different customs or standards we\u2019re not familiar with.\nIt\u2019s different when your event is to be attended by high officials, ambassadors, or company top management. That is why there are protocols to be put in place.\nProtocols are actually standards, customs, and rules laid down in writing that are common at certain types of events and that everyone who is directly involved in the event planning must abide by. When it comes to events that are attended by officials, the event manager is responsible for explaining why things are done a certain way to all internal and external collaborators. In other words, if your event is to be attended by a VIP individual, the protocol must be adhered to from start to finish. What speakers go first, who sits where, who enters when, who should greet who…? Managing this kind of events is not at all easy, especially if it\u2019s not something you do every day.\nIn any case, it would be good to prepare for this type of event on time. Ministers, representatives of ministries, mayors, general managers, or perhaps even members\nof royal families could one day be part of your event. And these special occasions require\nthorough preparations. In this regard, if you adhere to and follow these protocol steps in planning these particular events, everything will be fine.\nRule #1 \u2013\n VIP guests should be welcomed in certain ways\nAs an event manager, you should know that it\u2019s not your job to welcome VIP guests. This part has to be done by another VIP individual who is on the team you are working for \u2013 depending on the kind of the event, this could be the company\u2019s general manager or the highest official who is going to attend the event.\nFor example: you\u2019re planning an important celebration to mark the launch of a factory, and one of the guests is the Minister of Economy. He should be welcomed and greeted by the General Manager of the factory.\nYour job is to know the protocol and its rules, and this way help your client or the people you work to navigate the event.\nRule #2 \u2013\n If the VIP individual is from another country…\nIt would be good \u2013 once you learn who the VIP is \u2013 to inquire about where the individual comes from, whether there are any special customs there, if the individuals has any religious beliefs, whether there are any special diet requirements, how long will the individual stay, and what language the individual speaks and accordingly secure an interpreter, etc. The more information you have available, the less room for error. Finally, you would not want the people you work with, whom you are supposed to introduce to the protocol, to be poorly or insufficiently informed.\nRule #3 \u2013\n Where will the VIP sit?\nOne of the most important things you need to know about the protocol is the seating. If your VIP is also one of the speakers or scheduled to take part in a round table discussion, you need to know where the person is supposed to be seated.\nFor example: if you need to sit at the table, the VIP\u2019s place of honor is the first seat to the right of the person presiding the event \u2013 the host. The VIP guest subsequent in line by importance should be seated on the left side of the host, and so on. If the individual is only a member of the audience, your job is to clearly mark the person\u2019s seat in the first row (usually with the full name printed on a piece of paper). Also, if it\u2019s possible, you should avoid seating two men or two women next to each other. If the event is a meeting or a conference, the seating is determined by the program and the layout of tables. In most cases, the seating will be British seating \u2013 when the host sits at the head \u2013 or French\nseating, when the host sits at the central part of the longest side of the table. Other guests are seated according to the protocol, which we explained in the paragraph above.\nRule #4 \u2013\n Start of the event and the VIP guest\nJust as there are rules for the seating, there are rules for speaking, too. You need to know who should speak first, and who should follow. In most cases, the common practice is for the conference/event to be launched by the host, who then introduces the VIP guest, and then follow all the other individuals in attendance in the order of importance. The reason for this rule is the following: high officials and VIPs tend to have overbooked daily schedules and do not have much time on their hands. It often happens that \u2013 after they finish their speech \u2013 VIP guests kindly thank everyone for attending and excuse themselves.\nRule #5 \u2013\nThe art of communicating with the staff of other Event Protocol departments\nActivities of senior government officials and state representatives are managed by Event Protocol departments. This means that when a VIP individual is attending your event,\nyou should expect call from some of the protocol advisors who are tasked with going through all the details of the event with you. Be prepared and try to provide as many details and significant information when you answer. In addition, this is always a good opportunity to learn something new, because these people deal with planning these types of events only!\nRule #6 \u2013\n Who should be standing where in photos?\nIf you thought that this was the photographer\u2019s job, you were wrong \u2013 it is not! The photographer only takes pictures, and you have to find a spot for each of the guests. This can be challenging because you need to come up with a good placement in the little time\nyou have. Bear in mind the following: How many people need to be photographed, who is tall and who is short, what is the background in front of which people are to be photographed, is someone there with a partner, and so on. Not so simple, is it?\nAll this cannot be done well without good communication and respect between all team members. Teamwork in the event management business is crucial, especially when it comes to events that are not planned every day. All of us who are in this business should strive to learn to become as good a team member as possible, and this can be done only by adopting new knowledge. In this sense, if you know protocols and develop your internal and external communications abilities, can come to be quite a valuable link in the planning chain. Also, this can easily make you stand out from the competition because in the eyes of your client you become recognized for being professional and knowledgeable, which is the most important parameter in any job.\n \nThe post What Every Event Planner Needs to Know About the VIP Protocol? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2017-06-19T13:03:17+02:00", "date_modified": "2017-12-13T12:30:37+01:00", "author": { "name": "Milica Novak", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/milicanovak/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/Milica-Novak.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-2-1.jpg", "tags": [ "event manager", "event planner", "protocol", "VIP person", "VIP Protocol", "Hot topics", "NEWS" ] }, { "id": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/how-to-be-a-successful-event-planner/", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/how-to-be-a-successful-event-planner/", "title": "How to Be a Successful Event Planner?", "content_html": "How to avoid common mistakes? And if those occur, how to solve them? What advice to give to young colleagues? We asked these questions the experienced regional event professionals from companies, hotels and agencies.
\nIf you are wondering what features you need to be successful in the business of event organizing, most importantly, for a start, is that you are kind and patient. Sociability, understanding of needs, attentiveness and a skill of establishing good relations with people
\nare, in general, important in all aspects of event management. Participants in the survey emphasize the passion, enthusiasm and energy in this business. Without these qualities, it can happen that you quickly \u201cburn out\u201d. Almost equally important is that you are reliable, consistent and self-confident, confident in your abilities and your performance, which will further help you to be able to make decisions quickly, which is one of the skills that the participants in this survey indicated as a priority.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-where-when-who-what-why-h-66887335.jpg\")
If you work in a company and you are responsible for the event organization, it is necessary to handle all the information related to the event, to know its goal, to understand it \u2013 so as to make sure of what you are doing and requiring further in the chain of the organization processes. Also, if you work in a hotel or some other venue, it is necessary to know the premises themselves as \u201cyour pocket\u201d, their surface, capacities, possibilities of adaptation and the like. The more detailed, the better.
The next issue of importance is that you are flexible to the requirements and adaptive to the current or newly emerging situations, which further has to do with empathy and needs understanding, but also patience, as mentioned at the beginning. In order to be engaged in this work, you certainly need to be creative as well, which you will often need for the purpose of creating something unique, or perhaps for solving some problems, or to offset the budget deficit. Precision, accuracy, being organized and skilled are some of the qualities without which you will not stay long in the business of event planners.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/istrazivanje-2.jpg\")
As for the skills, the highest position belongs to the communication skill, listening to speakers and accurate transmission of information. The next important one is the resourcefulness, as well as the ability to set and then achieve the goals. Without organizational skills, those would be difficult to achieve. Negotiating skills are also important in this business, as well as the ability to take all parts of the business as a whole, or, in sport terms, it is necessary to have a good overview of the game, but also to be a team player.
When planning the event, which usually lasts longer than its realization, the event professionals who participated the survey believe that the most important is to well
\ndesign and set up a goal, and, accordingly, create the content, make a strategy and plan, as well as well choose the associates, then clearly define the offers, service and conditions. Timely agree on and confirm the venue as well as the list of participants, and always have a plan B. A detailed plan and the overview of all activities with precisely defined deadlines for each phase of planning the event, but, at the same time, one should take into account not to miss to keep the track of the general picture.
![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/istrazivanje-5.jpg\")
The most common errors of the event plannersAs stated by the event professionals who participated in this survey, the most common mistakes result from a poor communication, failure to envisage a risk, insufficient
\nelaboration of the event or necessary details and timely manner. Therefore, the most common mistakes are the following:
\u00b7 Lack of understanding with the client \u2013 the client thinks of and considers included some of the services or conditions, while the planner does not check those or is not sufficiently clear during the bidding (verbal and/or written)
\n\u00b7 Failure to envisage a crisis situation or risk
\n\u00b7 An unknown number of people attending the event
\n\u00b7 Lack of knowledge about the target groups
\n\u00b7 Inattention to details
\n\u00b7 The information not being forwarded in due time
\n\u00b7 Do things at the last minute
\n\u00b7 Managing the activities orally, without a plan
Unforeseen situations in practice, even with the detailed planning, yet occur from time to time. In such a case, resourcefulness, calmness and flexibility comes into play, and we convey to you a couple of examples from personal experience of event professionals from a hotel.
\nVesna Vlatkovic, Marketing & PR Manager, A Hoteli
\nI was a guest speaker at a meeting where the technique \u201cfailed\u201d, and, instead of a planned PP presentation, I said to the listeners: \u201cAs I know that, when communicating with the customers, you have nothing but yourself, I will turn off the computer now and show you that I can convince you with only the words\u201d. It was one of my best speeches because my adrenalin phase \u201cforced\u201d me to give my best.
\nBojana Kuzmanovic, Manager of the Sector for Congresses and Meetings, MK Resort
\nProblems are solved by a quick reaction and finding an alternative solution. For example, when a video screen in a hall broke, guests were invited to a cocktail while the other hall was set up, in order to continue the smooth running of the program.
\nRanka Gismondi, Event Manager, Milenij Hotels
\nIn the midst of a great outdoor event, it unexpectedly began to downpour and a heavy rain; with a very professional and capable team of colleagues who were involved in the event, I quickly reacted, and the event was moved into the interior, and, within 10 minutes, I agreed an alternative (plan B) with the performers in order to get the whole thing done the best possible in almost the worst possible circumstances at the moment.
\n![\"\"](\"https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/bigstock-174172933.jpg\")
Tips for young colleaguesIt is said, for a reason, that a good advice is gold worth. Experienced event professionals who participated in this study were kind enough to share with us the tips they have for young colleagues. We bring you some of those.
\n\u00b7 Patience ![\"\u263a\"](\"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/263a.png\")
\n\u00b7 Continuously improve your listening skill. Not just to find out what the client is saying, but what he wants as well.
\n\u00b7 There is no second chance.
\n\u00b7 It can never happen to have them ALL satisfied.
\n\u00b7 Patience and knowing that people are different.
\n\u00b7 Take great care of details and make sure that a lot of things are not meant to be accompanying the event.
\n\u00b7 It is important that, in addition to a good event, one should know whom it is intended for; how to get to the target group, and in which manner to measure the effects of the event.
\n\u00b7 Make sure you are well informed before you start the project realization and be persistent with your strong attitudes, but certainly do not let your ego and inflexibility slow down your personal and professional development.
\n\u00b7 Consistency and fairness to people you work with will maybe be of use for you ever more than the budget you have.
\n\u00b7 This is a very stressful job (and to find out how to fight the stress, read the article How to Deal With Stress in the Event Planning Industry) and people often do not understand that, and take the business of an event manager as a kind of \u201centertainment\u201d. This is a job where you are satisfied only after the event on which all other have a good \u201cfun\u201d, as a result of your work.
\n\u00b7 Every mistake should be taken as a lesson learned. You should not let mistakes discourage you, but you should take those as a lesson to learn from.
The post How to Be a Successful Event Planner? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.
\n", "content_text": "Every business is characterized by the key attributes and skills that one need to possess and improve in order to perform such a business successfully. This edition will be focused on our research of which attributes and skills make a successful event organizer.\nHow to avoid common mistakes? And if those occur, how to solve them? What advice to give to young colleagues? We asked these questions the experienced regional event professionals from companies, hotels and agencies.\nIf you are wondering what features you need to be successful in the business of event organizing, most importantly, for a start, is that you are kind and patient. Sociability, understanding of needs, attentiveness and a skill of establishing good relations with people\nare, in general, important in all aspects of event management. Participants in the survey emphasize the passion, enthusiasm and energy in this business. Without these qualities, it can happen that you quickly \u201cburn out\u201d. Almost equally important is that you are reliable, consistent and self-confident, confident in your abilities and your performance, which will further help you to be able to make decisions quickly, which is one of the skills that the participants in this survey indicated as a priority.\nIf you work in a company and you are responsible for the event organization, it is necessary to handle all the information related to the event, to know its goal, to understand it \u2013 so as to make sure of what you are doing and requiring further in the chain of the organization processes. Also, if you work in a hotel or some other venue, it is necessary to know the premises themselves as \u201cyour pocket\u201d, their surface, capacities, possibilities of adaptation and the like. The more detailed, the better.\nThe next issue of importance is that you are flexible to the requirements and adaptive to the current or newly emerging situations, which further has to do with empathy and needs understanding, but also patience, as mentioned at the beginning. In order to be engaged in this work, you certainly need to be creative as well, which you will often need for the purpose of creating something unique, or perhaps for solving some problems, or to offset the budget deficit. Precision, accuracy, being organized and skilled are some of the qualities without which you will not stay long in the business of event planners.\nAs for the skills, the highest position belongs to the communication skill, listening to speakers and accurate transmission of information. The next important one is the resourcefulness, as well as the ability to set and then achieve the goals. Without organizational skills, those would be difficult to achieve. Negotiating skills are also important in this business, as well as the ability to take all parts of the business as a whole, or, in sport terms, it is necessary to have a good overview of the game, but also to be a team player.\nWhen planning the event, which usually lasts longer than its realization, the event professionals who participated the survey believe that the most important is to well\ndesign and set up a goal, and, accordingly, create the content, make a strategy and plan, as well as well choose the associates, then clearly define the offers, service and conditions. Timely agree on and confirm the venue as well as the list of participants, and always have a plan B. A detailed plan and the overview of all activities with precisely defined deadlines for each phase of planning the event, but, at the same time, one should take into account not to miss to keep the track of the general picture.\nThe most common errors of the event planners\nAs stated by the event professionals who participated in this survey, the most common mistakes result from a poor communication, failure to envisage a risk, insufficient\nelaboration of the event or necessary details and timely manner. Therefore, the most common mistakes are the following:\n\u00b7 Lack of understanding with the client \u2013 the client thinks of and considers included some of the services or conditions, while the planner does not check those or is not sufficiently clear during the bidding (verbal and/or written)\n\u00b7 Failure to envisage a crisis situation or risk\n\u00b7 An unknown number of people attending the event\n\u00b7 Lack of knowledge about the target groups\n\u00b7 Inattention to details\n\u00b7 The information not being forwarded in due time\n\u00b7 Do things at the last minute\n\u00b7 Managing the activities orally, without a plan\nUnforeseen situations in practice, even with the detailed planning, yet occur from time to time. In such a case, resourcefulness, calmness and flexibility comes into play, and we convey to you a couple of examples from personal experience of event professionals from a hotel.\nVesna Vlatkovic, Marketing & PR Manager, A Hoteli\nI was a guest speaker at a meeting where the technique \u201cfailed\u201d, and, instead of a planned PP presentation, I said to the listeners: \u201cAs I know that, when communicating with the customers, you have nothing but yourself, I will turn off the computer now and show you that I can convince you with only the words\u201d. It was one of my best speeches because my adrenalin phase \u201cforced\u201d me to give my best.\nBojana Kuzmanovic, Manager of the Sector for Congresses and Meetings, MK Resort\nProblems are solved by a quick reaction and finding an alternative solution. For example, when a video screen in a hall broke, guests were invited to a cocktail while the other hall was set up, in order to continue the smooth running of the program.\nRanka Gismondi, Event Manager, Milenij Hotels\nIn the midst of a great outdoor event, it unexpectedly began to downpour and a heavy rain; with a very professional and capable team of colleagues who were involved in the event, I quickly reacted, and the event was moved into the interior, and, within 10 minutes, I agreed an alternative (plan B) with the performers in order to get the whole thing done the best possible in almost the worst possible circumstances at the moment.\nTips for young colleagues\nIt is said, for a reason, that a good advice is gold worth. Experienced event professionals who participated in this study were kind enough to share with us the tips they have for young colleagues. We bring you some of those.\n\u00b7 Patience \n\u00b7 Continuously improve your listening skill. Not just to find out what the client is saying, but what he wants as well.\n\u00b7 There is no second chance.\n\u00b7 It can never happen to have them ALL satisfied.\n\u00b7 Patience and knowing that people are different.\n\u00b7 Take great care of details and make sure that a lot of things are not meant to be accompanying the event.\n\u00b7 It is important that, in addition to a good event, one should know whom it is intended for; how to get to the target group, and in which manner to measure the effects of the event.\n\u00b7 Make sure you are well informed before you start the project realization and be persistent with your strong attitudes, but certainly do not let your ego and inflexibility slow down your personal and professional development.\n\u00b7 Consistency and fairness to people you work with will maybe be of use for you ever more than the budget you have.\n\u00b7 This is a very stressful job (and to find out how to fight the stress, read the article How to Deal With Stress in the Event Planning Industry) and people often do not understand that, and take the business of an event manager as a kind of \u201centertainment\u201d. This is a job where you are satisfied only after the event on which all other have a good \u201cfun\u201d, as a result of your work.\n\u00b7 Every mistake should be taken as a lesson learned. You should not let mistakes discourage you, but you should take those as a lesson to learn from.\nThe post How to Be a Successful Event Planner? appeared first on SEE Business travel & meetings magazine.", "date_published": "2017-06-15T11:56:03+02:00", "date_modified": "2017-06-16T15:57:17+02:00", "author": { "name": "Miona Milic", "url": "https://www.seebtm.com/en/author/miona/", "avatar": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG-20240224-WA0003-e1728981138373.jpg" }, "image": "https://www.seebtm.com/wp-content/uploads/naslovna-7.jpg", "tags": [ "CHARACTERISTICS AND SKILLS", "event", "event manager", "EVENT ORGANIZER", "event planner", "research", "RESEARCH", "Statistics" ] } ] }