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Posts Tagged ‘Howto’

Are you looking to host an event, party, conference or workshop?  If you have done so before, you know event planning can be a headache.  And, if you haven’t, you’re probably already overwhelmed!  Continue reading to discover a checklist that will help you ensure you’re prepared for your upcoming event.

Nail down the basic information.  Be able to answer these questions:
1.    What is the purpose of your event?  (Informational, fundraiser, social, etc.)
2.    What is the name of your event?  This should be catchy but relate to the purpose of your activity.
3.    When will your event take place?  (Date and time)
4.    What is the draw – a performer, speaker, fundraising activity?  If a person or group needs to be booked, are they available?

Determine what the physical needs for your event are.  What about:
1.    Physical space – Will your event take place at a banquet, conference room, dance hall?
2.    Tables and chairs?  If you’re having a meeting, presentation, or a dinner, how do you want the tables arranged?  Consider this when evaluating venues.
3.    Food and drink – will a meal be served?  Snacks at breaks?  Beverages?  Sometimes this is bundled with your location, depending on location; otherwise, you may need to book a caterer.  This is a good thing to keep in mind when booking a venue.
4.    Equipment – will you need any audiovisual equipment for the event?  Possible equipment includes televisions, public address systems, computer projector and screen, overhead projector, and so on.  Will your venue supply such equipment, is it available elsewhere, or do you need to rent it?
5.    Security – is your event large?  Do you need a safety and security staff to ensure the well-being of your guests?
6.    Lodging – is your event a multi-day affair, will guests be traveling long distances, or could guests be too tired or intoxicated to make it home?  Consider reserving a block of rooms at a nearby hotel to make available to your guests.  At a minimum, include information on nearby lodging in the materials you send to guests.
7.    Transportation – How will your guests get to and from your event?  Will they drive themselves, and, if so, is parking available?  Is public transportation available?  You may wish to use a coach hire service to provide transportation for your guests.  This is especially advisable if alcohol is to be served at your event.

Advertising
1.    Do you need to advertise your event?  This may depend on the goal of the event and the intended audience.
2.    If so, create an advertising budget and goals.  Is the event public or private?
3.    Identify advertising methods – email and the web?  Radio?  TV?  Newspapers?  The correct medium for you will depend on the type of guests you’re trying to recruit.
4.    Design and distribute your ads, emails, letters or so on with adequate time to receive responses.

Last minute details
1.    Confirm details with the venue, caterer, transportation service, etc.
2.    Confirm any talent (band, speaker, performer, etc.)
3.    Confirm equipment needs are met and all equipment is working properly
4.    Review and confirm the guest list
5.    Get a good night’s sleep!

If you’re a business professional and you’re ready to try something new, think about writing a business book. Writing a book about your expertise in a specific industry or even business in general is an excellent way to expand your business and branch out into speaking and consulting. It lets you try something new, but you don’t have to completely abandon the field you’re in.

The Booming How-To Market

How-to books are very popular—there’s always one or two on the bestseller list—and many people like reading books to learn more about their own industry, learn about industries that are new to them, find ways to advance their careers, and figure out how to deal with difficult business situations, like having a boss or a co-worker that they don’t get along with. Some people read nothing but how-to and self-help books. With thousands of topics to write about and a growing interest in self-improvement, your possibilities are endless!

Modern Printing Technology Makes Publishing Easy

In the past, publishing your own business book was expensive and time consuming because getting book ready to print and finding a reliable, inexpensive printer required lots of research and work. Plus, self-publishers had to guess how many copies they were going to need.

But these days you can offer print-on-demand copies of your book, which means the book isn’t printed until someone buys it. Or you can offer your business book in a downloadable PDF format so that printing costs are avoided altogether and people can start reading your book immediately after buying it.

Get Industry-Specific

If you have years of experience in one particular industry, then you can write a business book that describes the steps that you took to be successful in that industry and the mistakes you learned from along the way. You can help people who are just starting out to overcome the learning curve, and learn how to follow your steps themselves so that they can achieve the same kind of success that you did.

Plus, many companies looking for ways to save money use well-written industry-specific business books as training materials. You could even offer to customize certain parts of your business book to meet the specific needs of a company if they buy a set number of books.

Writing a Book is Easier Than You Think

The writing task is often overwhelming to people, but you can start small. Books don’t have to be extremely long to be popular. You can write a short, fifty- to 100-page e-book about some aspect of business that you have a lot of experience in and test the market by selling it directly on the web. You can also use an e-book format to write business books for specific businesses, like training manuals or other how-to books or guides.

What Are You Waiting For?

Writing a book not only allows you to try something new, but if you are creative in how you write the book and how you market the book, the venture can be very profitable. If you’re ready to move on and try a different career but you don’t want to start over in a new industry, take the experience and credentials that you have and try writing about that industry instead of just participating in it. You will get a chance to branch out, do something different, and still use all the years of experience that you have built up.