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Redundancy Doesn't Have To Mean The End - Be Brilliant Again |
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Written by Simon T Bailey, author of Release Your Brilliance, and founder of The Brilliance Insitute.
As I look around the world, there is a gravitational
pull to be average, common, just plain ole regular. This happens especially
after you experience a redundancy for the first or second time. Sometimes you
pretend that things will turn around. Well, open your eyes and deal with the
reality that things will only get better when you get better. Simply put, go
and be brilliant again.
Here is the reality, anyone and anything that has
made an impact or left an undeniable imprint refused to be ordinary. The longer
I live and the more I travel, I see men and women playing it safe and living
beneath their potential. I observe people with unbelievable gifts, raw ability,
and uncommon talents who settle for what life has given to them instead of
striving for who they were meant to be.
Prior to your redundancy did you show up to your
place of work to collect a check? However, if you ascribe to being brilliant
again then in your next place of business show up to shift the conversation,
shift market share, shift the thinking, and shift results. If you are not
shifting how you do what you do, then you will be shifted. How do I know? It
happened to me. Now is the moment and now is the time to stand up and SHIFT and
be brilliant or be shifted! There is no room for average thinking, average
living and average results.
Shift happens when the shifted decide to become the
shifter! A shifter is a man, woman, or organization that is “IN IT TO WIN IT.” Anything less is
common, unfulfilling and unrewarding. If you don’t love your job or business,
then fire yourself. Get out of the way, there are a ton of people in the
current job market waiting to take your place. They are hungry, desperate to
add value, and make a significant contribution.
Some of you who are reading these words right now
have “QUIT IN PLACE!” You are stuck
in neutral, waiting for things to shift, but it won’t shift until you shift.
Now, I challenge you to get unstuck by shaking the negative dust of limited
thinking off of your shoulders. Go and be brilliant again. You will be fine.
Here are some practical tips to go and be brilliant again:
1. Be Boardroom-Ready!
My friend of twenty years called me nine months ago and
said she was ready to go to another level professionally. There was a juicy
managing director-level role at her company headquarters and she applied for
it. As she prepared for the interview, we discussed how she was going to land
this coveted role that over 100 people were applying for internally and
externally. To win the role, she prepared a 10 slide PowerPoint presentation
outlining her value in her current role, what she would do within the first 90
days in the new role, and highlighted her point of differentiation. Guess what?
She got it. She told me “Simon, I went in with my boardroom-ready pumps (www.stuartweitzman.com),
boardroom-ready suit (www.sjk.com) by St.
John, and a plan to win.
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Why you need COOL in your event |
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When do clients need that element of COOL in their
events?
There’s
always something cool, new and innovative in event design. Every producer wants
to be cutting edge and every client wishes to wow their audience with
creativity. 20 Years ago, COOL was a Caribbean themed party or a Western
evening. Today this would really be the last resort unless you are in the
social market and it’s the wishes of the client.
In 2011,
COOL is all about being contemporary and simple. The trick for the event
designer is to deliver the objectives without being overt or ostentatious in
their design and planning –make it current and make it exciting without making
it lavish.
Limitations
on budgets have in some ways been positive of the event design industry. We all
need to work harder and smarter to achieve that overall look. Budgets are not
always reduced due to funding; often it is the perception of the customer that
needs to be influenced through the event.
An event
is always a medium for the client to deliver a message, and the channel of
delivery is where the COOL come in. It is more difficult to make the
environment understated and effective than opulent and glaring in the message.
Today’s
COOL is all about subtlety….subdued lighting, subtle entertainment, elegant
linens, clean lines to furnishings and simple, tasty cuisine are the current
trends in today’s market.
Large, sit
down dinners in traditional ‘table of 10’ is rapidly becoming outdated and
being replaced with a ‘networking’ style of event where guests can mingle and
dine in a more casual environment of food stations and casual seating. The
buyer is realising that it’s not particularly effective to invite 500 people to
an event, but only get to speak with 9 of them during dinner. The cost of
delivering large programmes means that clients need to interface with as many
of their guests as possible, and an informal setting allows them to achieve
this more effectively.
The themed
event is dead……COOL is simple, elegant, subtle and fresh.
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Venues used as film locations, by Kristiana Kruysmulder |
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Visiting
film locations provides a thrill for real movie fans and can help provide a
real draw for prospective guests. The UK is lucky enough to have hundreds of
year’s worth of venues crammed into one of the smallest countries in Europe. Why
not take advantage and build your next event around the theme or setting of
your favourite movie?
Wilton House – www.wiltonhouse.com
Nestled
near Salisbury in Wiltshire, the feature film on the life of Queen Victoria,
the recently released The Young Victoria features the lavish Wilton House.
Wilton was used to double for Rosenau Castle, Prince Albert's Coburg Palace and
Buckingham Palace.
In addition to The Young Victoria, Wilton House boasts many other feature film
and television credits. The magnificent House, splendid staterooms and
landscaped grounds have been used for period dramas Sense & Sensibility,
The Madness of King George, Mrs Brown and Pride & Prejudice.
In 1544 the buildings and land were
granted by Henry VIII to Sir William Herbert and are available for weddings,
filming and hire of certain rooms. As the estate is lived in by the current
Earl of Pembroke, the Michael Herbert Hall, built in 1932 in a separate
building on the edge of Wilton Town, is a main event location. This versatile,
self-contained space holds up to 150 for dinner, 275 for a reception, or 360
people in a theatre style presentation, all with dedicated kitchens and
parking.
Stoke Park Club – www.stokepark.co.uk
A film close to many of our hearts, Bridget Jones’ Diary from 2001 featured
locations across London, Buckinghamshire and Surrey. Perhaps the most iconic is
the scene of our heroine’s first mini-break, filmed at Stoke Park Club. In
addition to touring the bedroom, restaurant and 350-acre grounds, Daniel
Cleaver takes Bridget boating on the lake – into which he promptly falls.
Not just a setting for romantics, this is the golf club seen in Goldfinger. It has also been seen as the
interior of the ‘Hamburg’ hotel in another Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies. More recently it
featured in Layer Cake and was transformed into a Hollywood hotel in Bride
and Prejudice.
Having undergone extensive refurbishment, Stoke
Park’s luxury 5 star bedroom stock increased from 21 stately rooms in the main
house to 49 exquisite bedrooms with the opening of the Pavilion building. In
addition the Pavilion houses the new spa and leisure club, with outstanding tennis
and pool facilities, fitness studios and high-tech gym.
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Making your budget go further |
At present
getting the most from your event budget is now more important than it ever has
been, so how can this be done?
Firstly, ask the question, what is really needed on your events? When was the
last time you sat down and thought about the essentials? Now is the time to be
doing this as a few small changes can have a large result in making the budget
go further. Does the event need to be 4 days or can it be condensed to 3? Do
you really need a champagne reception? Would the event suffer if the number of
invited guests were reduced? Is there a need for a new exhibition stand each
time or can it be reused? These examples are all basic questions that should be
asked when writing the brief.
Another way
of getting the most is through communication with your preferred suppliers,
after all you have made them a preferred supplier so its now their turn to show
you why they are the best people for the job. When providing them with a brief,
don’t just email it to them, meet them, talk to them and explain to them what
is essential and what’s not! Likewise when suppliers provide costs ask them if
it can be done any cheaper but without losing the quality, it’s amazing how
often the answer that comes back is, yes! I remember being told as a youngster ‘if
you don’t ask you don’t get!’ Just bear in mind though, even if you have to get
the most from your budget, the event still needs to retain the usual feel of
quality.
Being
creative is a must when times are hard. Thinking of different ways to do things
often produces a new solution that may not be expensive but will have a similar
impact as spending lots of money. When we look at events with limited budgets
we often say to the client its better to do less of something but make sure it
is done well and have an impact. So many events could lose the ‘frills’ and the
guests wouldn’t event notice. The last thing you want to do is reduce the
quality. After we all know its ‘quality not quantity!’
Lastly,
working together is essential, work with your contacts to get the best out of
them, let the recession we are experiencing bring the industry closer together
and stronger for the future years.
Written by Designscene’s
Ben Turner
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COOL Hotels Around The World |
Kristiana
Kruysmulder showcases worldwide design hotels we love to love!
Andels
hotel Lodz, Poland – www.andelslodz.com
Factories have never looked so
good! A former textile warehouse has become the newest 4 star deluxe member of
the Andels brand, with 278 bedrooms and apartments. Bedrooms are the
still-trendy New York loft style with exposed brickwork and bright furnishings,
while a ballroom is the largest in the city. Look out for the spine-tingling
lobby – open circular panels to the atrium above emit changing coloured lights and
give a hint of Space Odyssey.
Banke Paris, France – www.derbyhotels.com
In the
heart of luxurious Paris on Rue La Fayette lies the next in the Derby hotels
dynasty. Open since April this year, the Banke is an amazing 4 star superior
property in a classic Parisian building with North African and Catalan influence.
Dominating the lobby is the sweeping glass dome and mosaic floor while some of
the suites offer spectacular views to the Sacré Cœur. Keeping true to the ethos
of the brand, the hotel also houses an impressive collection of antiquities
from Egypt, ancient Rome, Africa and Asia as well as modernist paintings
throughout the hotel.
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Our Ideas For Planning The Perfect Xmas Party |
Let’s face it, it’s a daunting task. It doesn’t matter who
you are, getting the job of planning the office Christmas Party can be a
minefield of budgets, office politics and creating the right impression.
Don’t be afraid of joiner parties.
Sometimes for small to medium companies the onus is still on
having an exclusive, private event. Bear in mind that joiner parties can offer
you the chance to experience a big-budget theme and venue without the huge
price tag. Taking a table or two at a joiner party is often cheaper than
exclusive parties for smaller numbers, and can be a great way to mix with
crowds other than the same 15 people you see very day!
Be flexible
Often the same package in a hotel or venue will be a lot
cheaper on a Monday or Tuesday than the prime days of Thursday to Saturday. If
you’re working to a budget and you need to get a package price down, ask for
substitutions. In this current climate venues should be willing to work with
you (within reason) on private parties if you have an intelligent suggestion of
a menu change or lower bar threshold etc. If you don’t have to announce the
details until November and you are open-minded about a theme then hold off
booking. If you can fit in with vacant dates a venue still has last-minute,
you’ll always get a better deal. Would you consider lunch instead of dinner? A
buffet instead of sit down? Cava instead of champagne?
Compromise.
You might have in mind an ice sculpture flowing with
imported vodka, but a cool lit perspex centrepiece or a chocolate fountain could
be a fraction of the price. Remember that it’s the overall impression that
counts and no-one will remember the minutiae.
Which brings me to my next point...
What people will remember.
Guests will always remember the service at a party; if they
had to wait ages at the bar for a drink, that their food was cold on service,
that the venue was hard to get to or they queued to get in. Likewise they’ll
remember if they had a great time on the dance floor for four hours or that
their food was prompt and tasty.
I guarantee they won’t remember the exact colour of the
party favours they ripped apart or the flowers they glimpsed in the reception.
Make sure to address service issues beforehand by listing
your expectations for the event organiser and discussing the key points that
must be perfect and the things you care less about / can leave to their
discretion.
Know your market.
For the love of God don’t book a Lady Ga-Ga lookalike for
the Pensioners Knitting Association of Leighton Buzzard. Likewise a karaoke box
filled with Bing Crosby numbers isn’t going to fly with the majority of media
luvvies under the age of 30. If you’re in doubt over something being branded
cool or tasteless, then take a look at your demographic and err on the side of
caution. It’s always better to be safe and aim for classic elegance than to try
too hard to be edgy and fall flat!
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300 Venues That Every Event Organiser Must Visit! |
We regularly get asked “What’s the coolest venue you’ve been
to?”, or “I am looking for a museum or gallery for an event, can you help?”
On one horrible drizzly afternoon, Dave said to himself
aloud “..I’d hate to be out looking at venues in this weather”, and it suddenly
hit home. Why don’t we create a list of the venues that every event organiser
must visit and save some of the legwork: A list that isn’t influenced by
advertisers.
We have placed each venue into a venue-type category.
Naturally, many venues are multi-faceted so it would be wrong to assume that a
venue can only host a certain type of event.
So on to the list……
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20 Event Venues In The Square Mile! |
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The Event Corporate Events Industry's Most Colourful Man Turns 21! |
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When you ask around the events industry as to which entertainment and
event management agencies can make your event ‘memorable’, ‘off the wall’, ‘fun’,
‘crazy’, etc, one name always repeatedly pops up. Adrian Silas. As publisher of
Prestige Events, I have known Adrian for several years and I can vouch he is a
man of amazing anecdotes. For those who don’t know Adrian, simply picture a ‘24-carat
Timmy Mallet on speed’ meets a ‘Joe Pesci/Goodfella’s nothing-but-best-for-my-client,
capiche?’.
Adrian has awarded Prestige Events magazine the exclusive
serialization rights to his highly anticipated autobiography celebrating 21
years in the events industry.
It promises to be a warts-and-all, educational, enlightening,
oh-no-you-didn’t experience which will appear here only. Keep your eyes peeled.
For now I’ll allow The Joker himself to say a few words about his memoirs.
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