Planning an event takes seemingly endless time, coordination and effort in order to pull off a flawless experience. There are numerous steps and processes required throughout every part of the event to make it perfect. This is where CVB services teams come in to play.
After the sales process, the services team is your point-of-contact, who will ferry your event to completion. At Experience Columbus, we have a highly skilled team of event planning professionals who are dedicated to ensuring each of your events goes off without a hitch and that you and your attendees have the best possible Columbus experience. To that end, our team has put together a few things to keep in mind on three hot button issues that will help the process run smoothly.
On communication: Ask us anything! We’re your main point of contact as soon as you book so even if we don’t know the answer, we’ll be able to do the legwork to find someone who can. Also, let us know what the roles of the staff are in your organization, especially the marketing contact or trade show manager, as there are many items that could be sent directly to them. Please also let us know your planning deadline so that our team can be prepared to respond when you’re ready to receive the information. And, by letting us know how you communicate with your attendees we can ensure our vast array of marketing materials are formatted properly so when we give them to you, they’re ready-made for distribution. Basically, we don’t want to overload you and will work to streamline communication as much as possible.
On events: Be as specific as possible when giving parameters for events. You already know to include the basics – date, size, etc. – but what have you done in the past, including things that attendees both loved and hated? We don’t want to waste your time showing you a venue just because it meets size requirements and we’re often asked for those that are unique to Columbus, which they all are in their own way, so it’s helpful to give us more – do you want historic? Or a rooftop? Of course, there are so many ways to incorporate local flavor into an event with food trucks, local makers, beer and spirits tastings, etc. and we’ll be sure we make you aware of all your options.
On housing: All clients have different preferences when it comes to housing, so it’s good to set expectations early on. For example, will you want access to the system to provide reports, or will you rely on our team for reports? If so, how often? Additionally, it’s best if right from the start groups know how many rooms are required for staff, VIPs, etc. so those can be protected from the general attendees.
Our enthusiastic services team is ready to help make your next event set the standard for all future events to come – contact us to find out how we can work together! You can learn more about services offered, including site visit itinerary planning or attendance building and marketing materials here.
