Tag: event management

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Hiring event management support

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Event Management Support | Contract Role in Sydney

Do not apply for this role if you are fond of hand holding. Please apply for this role if you are looking for an organisation that respects a healthy work life balance and has a supportive, dynamic and fun working environment where team members are encouraged to make their mark and ‘shine through’.

WARNING ROLE SIDE EFFECTS:  This role will also offer up a healthy amount of learning and development preventing the onset of boredom.

Best Case Scenario (BCS) is a high energy, dynamic event management workplace where B2B events are marketed and managed by BCS on behalf of their clients from the following industries: Technology, Education, Financial Services, Government and Health.

If it’s variety you are looking for as well as continual personal and professional development then BCS is waiting for you. We encourage our team members to make a mark in the events industry and many of the team publish their experiences on the BCS blog section, as well as share experiences via social media. Below is just a sampling of BCS team generated content.

Australian event professionals reveal 6 meeting and event trends for 2019

Is event social media marketing enough of a drawcard?

Delegate journey mapping, why do delegates have varying experiences at event?

Client Video: Intel Extreme Masters

We encourage staff to be proactive and share their successes.

Where are we?

We are based in the heart of one of Sydney’s most vibrant suburbs, Surry Hills.

Who would suit this role?

We would love to hear from you if you grasp information quickly and manage a project almost immediately. This job would suit an individual who has a minimum of three years event experience and looking to progress their career in B2B events.

  • Dynamic and adaptable? then most certainly apply, as BCS manage multiple events on behalf of our clients, each event is different so if you are always looking for new challenges and opportunities then look no further.
  • A bit of a dynamo at administration. The position requires an individual who has extremely strong administration skills that include – managing budget spreadsheets, using excel or word for project management purposes.
  • Showcase great interpersonal skills, as you will be working with clients up to executive level. Nurturing client relationships and managing client expectations is an important part of the skill set required. You will also need to effectively support and muck in with BCS team members.
  • Troubleshooting on your feet is a piece of cake for you
    The position requires you to think on your feet, multi-task and use your initiative when needed.
  • A snap shot of your tasks
    • Marketing support (not a necessity but some knowledge an advantage)
    • Pre-event planning & deliverable execution with clients & vendors
    • Maintaining operations budgets (high proficiency of excel)
    • Data Management (excel and capability of grasping new software if required)
    • Venue search and negotiation (managing information and presenting it clearly – project management)
    • Food and beverage management
    • Audio visual coordination
    • Logistics
    • Speaker management (document and track all speaker requirements – project management)
    • Sponsor management (document and track all speaker requirements – project management)
    • Vast administration support

Skills & Experience

  • Proficient MS office suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
  • Ability to multi-task and excellent time management skills
  • Ability to work independently
  • Ability to organise workload efficiently
  • Calm exterior under pressure
  • Project management skills
  • Organisation of travel arrangements
  • Strong organisational skills
  • Deadline oriented
  • Ability to travel interstate

Interested? Please send your CV to luli@bestcasescenario.com.au

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Event social media marketing

A photo of a tablet with an online marketing strategy mapped out

How can event planners differentiate their event social media marketing?

Hypothetically speaking let’s say an event planner secures a speaker with a very active social media profile. Let’s imagine it is Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, first on the list of top 10 CEOs using Twitter, with 2.34 million followers. Let’s take this dream scenario to the next level, Eric is so impressed by the content of the event he happily ‘boasts’ he is speaking on more than one occasion. Job done?

Event planners have every reason to believe they have hit the jackpot, especially since research conducted by CEO.com revealed social media adoption is sluggish among Fortune 500 CEOs: 61% are not active on any of the major social networks, so this is a dream situation.

Let’s get back to reality, when it comes to event social media marketing a robust plan should be launched at least 14 weeks out from the event date.

Recently, Best Case Scenario was approached by an organisation who had an established event but wanted to increase their delegate attendance by 30%.  This wasn’t an unrealistic goal, we researched their target audience in terms of potential growth and also reviewed the event’s social media footprint.

We were very impressed with the volume of attendee-generated content during and post-event. To us, this was more than an Eric Schmidt moment.  It was the event attendees who were consumers of the event generating content.  According to a Comscore study , when people are exposed to a mixture of user generated content (UGC) and professional content, engagement can increase by up to 28%, taking the burden off event organisers.

Leveraging this content for our client’s next event is a no-brainer but is often overlooked in social media marketing plans. It’s easy to get mislead by vanity metrics, such as likes and followers.

The below principles for event social media will avoid any over reliance on an Eric Schmidt moment.

  • Event content should be at the heart of the social media campaign
  • Make conversation a focus, as well as a structure around storytelling for each topic focus
  • Address the delegate journey from awareness to registration in your social media planning
  • Encourage collaboration with clients, sponsors and media

Do not use social media marketing as a stand-alone campaign, leverage traditional marketing opportunities also such a PR, Telemarketing etc…

Jen Murray has worked in the field of event marketing for over 20 years. Recently she earned herself a Diploma in Digital Marketing (Distinction) from the Digital Marketing Institute. Her background includes working for organisations such as Polycom, BancTec and Gartner.

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Delegate Journey Mapping

A photo of bright coloured hot air balloons on the sky

It’s a common situation one delegate had an extremely valuable experience at an event, while another delegate felt the event did not deliver on its promise.

That’s because there are some variables that cannot be controlled, for example, perceptions. We all know that people see the world differently.  Delegates with the same background and profile have different perceptions of their event experience.  Delegate A expected the content to be more detailed while delegate B is pleased with the depth of content.  This situation could also have been impacted during the pre-event marketing phase and expectations set through messaging.

What can be done to limit poor delegate experiences ?

Conference and Incentive Travel provide some great tips to engage delegates at events.  It’s also important that the planning stage includes a methodology that plots out these tactics.  The tool we use helps influence perceptions and set realistic expectations it’s simply called delegate journey mapping. The benefits of mapping out every possible touch point a delegate, speaker, exhibitor and salesperson experiences certainly outweighs the time spent building it.

To save time for our clients we have a standard journey map that features the most common touch points.  We then layer this with specifics from our client’s brief. Our journey map is based on 100’s of events from small round tables to large conferences with exhibitor floors.

We find that journey mapping is most beneficial for organisations exhibiting at 3rd party events. It’s an excellent bridging tool between sales and marketing. It may seem obvious, but it simplifies communication between them.  A great example is the lead generation process. It’s a common practice that business cards are scanned as opposed to sitting in sales people’s pockets, but this practice is often overlooked.  A delegate journey map provides sales with an ideal journey the prospect should be experiencing on the stand and why.

Our delegate journey map also explores beyond the event itself.   It addresses the delegates recollection of the event when they return to their office and the effect it has beyond the day after that and beyond that again.

It may seem like an obvious method to have control over delegate experiences but often it’s a missing piece from the planning and execution phase.

Drop me a line if you would like to review our basic journey map, I would be happy to walk you through it. Email Stacey at stacey@bestcasescenario.com.au

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When does corporate entertainment stop being entertaining

A photo of a waiter pouring champagne into glasses at an event

I’ve been to over 200 corporate entertainment events this year and I I’ve seen it all: from champagne serving aerialists, food drones, ball pits and other ‘playful’ entertainment to break the ice amongst delegates.  As an event planner I have to keep an open mind and consider all options, however, knowing when to draw the line can make or break an event.

There is no denying that the power of downtime and entertainment at a corporate event is essential. I think most event planners are certainly under pressure to find that one thing that hasn’t been done before and talked about for weeks after the event.  I have come across some hum dingers in my day like the trend of placing food on people’s bodies during lunch.

So how can some businesses make bad entertainment choices?  it happens when an organisation starts the planning phase being too inwardly focused. It starts with management saying they saw X entertainment at an event they were at, or a mate of theirs has a friend who is a comedian, but really their experience is limited to telling a few jokes at a dinner party.

Always put the audience first

Indeed start planning with internal ideas and brainstorming. However, I think most entertainment failures happen when the focus is taken off the delegate profile. The simple question of ‘Does this suit our audience’? should be asked when considering each act.

It’s also important to have a backup option for any ‘unforeseen disasters. Back in the 1990’s an ex-colleague of mine organised entertainment for some bank executives in the UK transporting them on the Orient Express to the opera.  Unfortunately the train broke down, so the executives had to board a bus, surprisingly a first for some. However, this perceived disaster was rectified by a fantastic experience at the Opera, entertainment that matched the audience profile. The fact they had to get back on a bus didn’t seem to bother them.

Consider the audience generation gap

One other important consideration when sourcing entertainment is how does one bridge the gap between generations? Millennials, Post Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers, finding entertainment that can bridge these generations can be difficult.  As a rule of thumb:

  • always look at your audience profile first, then decide if one or multiple acts are required to satisfy all generations.
  • make sure you get references directly from corporates who have used them in the past
  • search the entertainers profile online, you may find some honest reviews
  • use an agency where possible, their reputation is heavily dependent on an act, they have done the ground work in terms of searching for the best

If you are looking for an act that appeals to many generations and are professionally trained, we recommend The Starletts, visiting Australia for a limited time in 2019.

A poster for The Starletts Australian Tour
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Australian Commission on safety and quality in healthcare

Image of a surgeon operating, indicating healthcare

Best Case Scenario Event Management are delighted to be one of two professional conference organisers selected to be on the supplier panel to provide event management services to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQHC).   This type of news does wonders for the BCS team morale, just recently we were also selected to be on the Microsoft supplier program.  There is no doubt it’s our longevity in the marketplace (operating since 2007), experience and our ‘go beyond to deliver excellence’ mantra that makes us the event support of choice.

"It’s great to be involved in an initiative that makes a difference to people’s lives. We are looking forward to working with ACSQHC to deliver events that have an enormous impact on society".

Luli Adeyemo, Founder of Best Case Scenario.
ACSQHC works in partnership with patients, consumers, clinicians, managers, policy makers and healthcare organisations to achieve a sustainable, safe and high-quality health system. Over the next four years, the Commission’s strategic priorities are in the areas of:
  • Patient safety
  • Partnering with patients, consumers and communities
  • Quality cost and value
  • Supporting health professionals to provide safe and high-quality care
Please follow us on Twitter to keep up to date with our work @BestCaseEvents
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Microsoft at eResearch Australasia

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The Best Case Scenario team are in Melbourne this week at Pullman Albert Park, project managing Microsoft‘s silver sponsor investment at eResearch Australasia, 2018.

Their mission during the conference is to ensure they meet Microsoft’s clear business objectives:

  • Generate awareness of the Microsoft Azure platform to researchers at the event
  • Drive engagement at the exhibitor stand
  • Capture event highlights

Of course their engagement and planning of this event began well in advance of the conference, the team used their unique process and methodology to ensure that both Microsoft employees and conference delegates have an enjoyable experience when they visit the Microsoft exhibitor stand.

Team Best Case Scenario Responsibilities

  • Project manage the entire process end to end, from booth design to customer experience on the stand.
  • Create a ‘show book’ for all Microsoft staff attending the event to ensure they were fully briefed on the journey of the delegate while on the stand.
  • Ensure staff readiness, the show book is instrumental to this and included a checklist so all staff are prepared on the day.
  • Liaise with exhibitor stand designers to ensure the exhibition stand was configured to constantly drive engagement.
  • Set up and manage the lead generation process to ensure all leads are effortlessly captured during the conference.
  • Select merchandise that will excite, delight and engage conference delegates.
  • Manage all legal and logistical requirements to run a competition for delegates.
  • Test all Microsoft devices and demos pre-event.
  • Prepare and present a comprehensive post-event debrief for Microsoft.
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Turning away clients helps our event management business

Rock Paper Scissors image

Seriously, I don’t like turning away business, but I had to graciously decline a brief recently. It’s important to me that we are a perfect ‘fit’ for our clients and our team remain focused on what they do best.

A taster of the brief…

“to manage a Halloween party for 60 students and teachers, (with a $400 budget for the tap bar – ‘at least’)”.

On the upside, Best Case Scenario are appealing to the millennial generation, after all 13% of Millennials are making B2B buying decisions, and an additional 28% are influencing that decision-making (source: SnapApp).

My business relies heavily on customer referrals, this means referred business is a better match for our services – because the person making the referral knows both us and the referee. Organisations do not want to spend time waiting for a PCO (Professional Conference Organiser) to get up to speed with their industry, hence why we get our bulk of referrals from within Government, Health and Technology sectors.

We especially enjoy sitting in a room with a group of like-minded people shooting ideas around –

  • how to do we get the most out of sponsorship investment at a Cybersecurity event?
  • how can we simplify Artificial Intelligence and demonstrate its capabilities?
  • who can we get to talk about different technology issues, such as security, data, automation?
  • which influential people from Government can we bring together to have a conversation that can make a difference?
  • how can we get more from this event, as it’s not just an isolated activity – we need more than just a one hit wonder!
  • And our ultimate favourite: Why would a person attend this? What’s in it for them?

It’s easy to see why the student Halloween party didn’t really push our buttons, I’m sure it will be a really fun event, but our passion lies in making a difference for our clients and the industry they are involved in.

For those of you in doubt of the types of events we work on see our case studies or Success Stories as we like to call them. There is a recap over our 2018 event schedule.

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Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence 3rd Party Events

Image of a Microsoft office building
The Best Case Scenario event management team are delighted to be part of Microsoft’s goal of successfully demonstrating the practical use of AI today. Microsoft will demonstrate how they are taking an industry-leading approach to responsible and ethical AI. Our job is to ensure that they get the most out of their sponsorship presence at three AI 3rd party events.

The Planning

The team really enjoyed taking part in the journey of providing input for the build and visuals for Microsoft’s exhibitor stand, it is very innovative, creative and interactive with the aim of taking delegates from a general understanding of AI to getting hands on with their tools. Our expert events team started their event management support in Sydney  on September 10th at IoT Impact, a two-day learning campus for Australian business executives. The Best Case Scenario Event Management team will then work with Microsoft on the AI & Machine Learning Summit, September 11-13. It doesn’t stop there, the third event where Microsoft will demonstrate their leadership in AI is at AI Digital Summit Victoria (October 18th).

Juice Bar Powered by AI at the AI & Machine Learning Summit

Microsoft at AI and Machine Learning Summit

Delegates will experience their very own perfect juice powered by Microsoft Azure.  The delegate stands in front of a screen that has a webcam behind it, they are shown three images to evoke a reaction – the AI platform matches the attendee reaction to the images to a juice.

"It’s an event series like this that the team at Best Case Scenario excel at, their ability to move onto the next event seamlessly and get the most out of sponsorship investment through efficiencies and adaptability is of real benefit to our client's ROI".

Luli Adeyemo, Founder of Best Case Scenario.
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Spice News monthly guest columnist

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Each month she will share her opinions and insights that will delight and entertain readers. Read her latest piece on Human Rights and Technology.

Luli’s content is an honest and sometimes harsh observation of how we as an industry have a responsibility in making digital inclusivity a reality. Her intention is to generate awareness, educate and create action among event and marketing managers when it comes to web accessibility at events.

Spice News is full of fresh ideas and techniques, it’s the most comprehensive news service for the Australian MICE and event management industry.

Spice News and Luli Adeyemo at Best Case Scenario Event Managment
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Web accessibility is the future

close up image of an eye

Results from a poll at a recent webinar saw 100% of respondents indicated that web accessibility is a priority for their future events. This is a great indication to me that web accessibility and inclusion is indeed at the forefront of Australian event planning.

Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) invited us to host a webinar for their members on July 12th, it gave us an opportunity to interact with an influential audience who can bring about change.  The audience included marketing/event managers from Government, major event venues and technology organisations.

Conversation starter

The purpose of the webinar was to assist our attendees to start a conversation around web accessibility within their organisation. We have made the slides from the webinar available on SlideShare for everyone to share.

Questions asked…

Questions were asked during the webinar that really demonstrated to me that interest in this area is genuine and growing. For example, one delegate is planning to build a new website for their business and asked if there is a list they should use as a guideline to ensure accessibility. Another question was around colour contrast and its importance. If you are curious to find out more watch the recording of the video below.

Change from the top down 

The usual step after someone takes our web accessibility health check is to review the results internally and start a discussion with their IT department. This is great, but I’m also of the opinion that change needs to take place from the top down.

Organisations want their events to be web accessible and this is an excellent place to start as event websites are like the windows to the soul of a business. However, a total cultural change comes about from executive involvement. My hope is that every webinar, blog, article published on web accessibility will eventually reach the powers that be and it will be seen as a team effort.

Where do we go from here? 

Well, I’m going to continue to host a series of free webinars on web accessibility. Each webinar will take delegates further along the journey of web accessibility, the next one is a practical, hands-on webinar. I have invited Humanitix to participate, an amazing Australian charity that is changing our events industry for the better – both social inclusion and accessibility are top of their agenda. Peppermint magazine has described them as ‘change makers’, they have won numerous awards, most recently Microsoft’s Hack4Good at PwC’s Barangaroo offices, focused on hacking solutions for people with disabilities.

BTW – 100% of participants who offered feedback on our webinar said they would recommend it to a work colleague 😉

Join, participate or just observe the conversation now and tag us on Linkedin / Facebook @webaccessibilityforeventplanners