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 Holiday Party Planning tips, brought to you by Xceptional Events
LITTLE PEOPLE
Don’t just shut them away in another part of the house; enlist them as part of your entertainment. There is nothing adorable then a child singing a song, doing a dance , or telling some jokes. They will feel like part of the event and their parents will love the opportunity to show them off.
AS NOT TO OFFEND
When inviting a diverse group to your seasonal event, use words like holiday on your invites and decorations. Never assume everyone celebrates the same holidays.
CHEERS!!!
A house drink special can also set the mood for your holiday event, i.e. Cranberry Holiday Punch (2 Cups Vodka, 4 Cups Cranberry Juice, 1 1/2 Cups Rose's Lime Juice, 2 Cups Water, 3 tbsp. Sugar) . Combine all ingredient s in a large punch bowl. Add a large block of ice to keep it all cool. Serves 20. Or you can also try 7-Up Holiday Bowl (20 ounces raspberries, frozen, in syrup, partially thawed, 12 ounces lemonade, frozen concentrate, thawed 46 ounces pineapple juice, 64 ounces) . Place raspberries and lemonade in blender, process till smooth. Strain into punch bowl. Discard seeds. Stir in pineapple juice. Just before serving, add 7-Up. 7-Up, chilled (Non alcoholic)
KEEPSAKE
Just a little something to let your guests know you appreciate them. It could be as personal as a ribbon trimmed photo card ( O on a heavy card stock frame, place a 4x6 print of you, the family your pet(s), your staff, etc. Get creative and put a ribbon around the frame or an original design of your own. Put a hole in the upper right hand corner of the card and add some string so the picture can be hung. This way, you have a Keepsake ornament for your guests.) If time doesn’t permit or you need something a little more business-like, compressed T has put a new spin on an old concept. Instead of giving away plain old t-shirts, why not give clients t-shirts in the shape of Christmas Trees, Stockings, Wreaths, Candles, or better yet, create your own unique shape.
THIS IS NOT A SHAMELESS PLUG, BUT…
If at all possible hire an event planner to host the day of. You plan every detail of your wonderful evening then bring in a planner to make sure the event runs smoothly. There is nothing worse than doing all the fabulous planning to end up sweating, tried and stressed when the doors open. You should be at your best to greet your guests.
Show your appreciation this Holiday Season!
The holidays are a great time to share your gratitude with those who have helped you in your career and/or business. Also, it's a great way to stay in touch with those that you might not have spoken to in a while.
1. Remember your customers . :
Get holiday cards that are BRANDED with your company name. You can order them from almost any business supply store, such as Staples and Office Depot for a very reasonable pric e ing.
2. Spice u Up your gifts and be creative .
- : It can be something as simple as a Holiday card , but maybe it’s done with vellum paper and a two-color imprint or clear cellophane. Maybe it’s a tin of holiday candy with a coupon giving them 10% off their next order with you. I’m sure everyone has special clients—you know… the ones you really want to show how much you appreciate their consistency in supporting you.
Regardless of what you get, the goal is to make an impression and send the message that you thought about them and want them to think about you when they’re ready to do work.
3. Lastly, execute your plan on tim e.
- Who wants a Christmas card a week after Christmas? Don’t put yourself in a position where your paying rush charges , because you didn’t plan properly. Many of us do get lost in the holiday craze but in general, give yourself a 2-3 week production window for most products that you order.
Holiday Products that you can brand with your logo:
o Spa-Related gifts
o Thermos
o Mugs
o Picture Frames or Albums
o Holiday Bookmarks
o Tote Bags
o Snow Globes
o Hershey Kisses w/ Tin
o Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Tin
Don’t forget online holiday promotions:
o You can e -mail HTML coupons
o Send "custom" e-card s greetings online
o Decorate your website with holiday glitz, i.e.: a little Santa Hat on your logo.
o Throw contests/sweepstakes and have your sponsor donate a Gift Certificate , . i.e.: "Win a Winter Wonderland Escape to the Catskills!"
o Have a 2004 product sale, making room for 2005 items.
If you are interested in ordering any products, let us know. Gots to Have It can help you brainstorm on creative ideas and process your orders for thousands of items.
Reboot: Unplug to Recharge by Lena L. West
Thanks to the Internet, the world is now a 24/7/365 operation. No city sleeps. The world does not stop if you want to take a break. Geographical boundaries and time zones are fading. The threat of lost clients and opportunities hovers, prepared to strike if you leave your office unattended for even a moment’s notice.
So, what are you to do when you need to take a moment of personal reprieve for the holidays – or otherwise? You guessed it: technology to the rescue!
Use the F-squared combo.
Make folders and filters for all your usual correspondence. Set all correspondence from ABC Company to go into an ABC folder. This way, you can be laser-targeted with replies upon your return.
Do it: http://www.wiscnet.net/clientconfig
Be non-auto responsive.
Don’t use auto-responders! It annoys everyone on e -mail mailing lists to which you might be a subscriber. Also, auto-responders are unbiased – the system will send the same information out to spammers and those up to no good, as it will to a potential client.
Learn it: http://thedabblingmum.com/business/autoresponders2.htm
Get automated – pronto!
If you’ve been procrastinating about automating your business, now’s the time to get moving on that initiative. Why should a potential client have to wait until you come back from holiday vacation to purchase your report?
Do it: http://www.e-calc.net/articles.php?tid=16
Outsource or delegate.
Hire a part-time virtual assistant to handle inquiries, check e -mail and voice mail. It looks great to have a live person answering your phones and it’s easier to play catch-up with a live person than it is to sort it out on your own.
Do it: http://www.bizhelp24.com/small_business/virtual-assistant-1.shtml
Leverage your outgoing voice mail message.
Don’t just mention that you will be out of the office from November 24th through November 28th. Add that you will be back in the office on November 29th, as well.
Update your voice mail message before you leave and if you have an alternate contact person, leave that on your outgoing message as well. Also state your level of accessibility. If you’ll have no access to voice mail and e -mail, say so. And please, please update your voice mail upon your return; failure to do so shows that you’re not a detail-oriented person.
Happy holidays!
Lena L. West is the Founder & CEO of xynoMedia Technology, a technology consulting firm that specializes in helping business es owners who feel like hostages to technology. Sign-up for your free copy of The Technology Planning & Strategy Workbook at http://www.xynomedia.com © 2004 Lena L. West. All rights reserved.
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