Institute Events

August 2012 Archives

Best Practices and Policies

Special Events and Protocol Blog

A successful event requires just as much behind-the-scenes work as décor and design consideration. At the Event Coordinators’ Network’s 4th Annual Workshop: Rising to the Next Level, one breakout session in particular, Policies and Best Practices in Meeting and Event Procurement, led by Ajay Patel and Sharon Jackson of Business Services, focused on that critical planning.

Excellence through Design and Decor

Special Events and Protocol Blog

The keynote speaker at this year’s Event Coordinators’ Workshop, Mr. Jim Hooker, expanded on his keynote address with a breakout session titled “Excellence Through Design and Décor.”
When creating an event, he advised, keep both the design (the overall purpose or theme of the room) and décor (the actual pieces) in mind at all times so they are in line with each other.

Keynote Speaker: Rising to the Next Level

Special Events and Protocol Blog

This year, the Event Coordinators’ Network welcomed Jim Hooker, cofounder of Stewart and Hooker and former associate senior vice president for Cultural Relations and University Events at the University of Southern California.
In his keynote address, Mr. Hooker spoke about “Rising to the Next Level.” He reminded us that it does not take a large budget to create a great event and having a large budget does not guarantee success. An event becomes great when it maintains consistently high standards and makes an emotional connection with the guests.

Vendor Showcase

Special Events and Protocol Blog

To start off the Event Coordinators’ Network 4th Annual Workshop: Rising to the Next Level with a bang, the Event Coordinator’s Council (ECC) organized and held a robust Vendor Showcase from 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Licensed and approved vendors with talents ranging from fun and funky giveaways, to culinary arts, to decorative items gave attendees a chance to visit and learn more about their services. The ECC highlighted lesser-known vendors this year, giving attendees a new and fresh look at goodies they can use to take their events to the next level.

Professional Organizations

Special Events and Protocol Blog

To join or not to join? To certify or not to certify? Maybe you’ve asked yourself these questions. Four panelists were on hand at the Event Coordinators’ Network’s workshop to provide answers. The organizations represented were the: Georgia Chapters of Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI); Meeting Professionals International (MPI); National Association for Catering and Events (NACE); and International Special Events Society (ISES).

 

Back to School Classes for the Event Planner

Special Events and Protocol Blog

Lower temperatures and longer lines in the Student Center can mean only one thing—the start of fall semester. Welcome back everyone! To kick off the new school year, I wanted to feature some on-campus resources for event planners to get some new skills this semester. Here are a few on-campus and low-cost ways to expand your event-planning skills.

Forms of Address for Institute Leadership

Special Events and Protocol Blog

Throughout the course of this upcoming academic year, you will most likely plan a myriad of events for various target audiences, where Institute leaders will be invited. Even if you interact with the leaders on a regular basis, it's sometimes confusing to determine how you should refer to them in printed programs, on nametags, or within your seating charts. These questions and many others prompted Special Events & Protocol to develop a forms of address document that can be used as a point of reference for campus event planners.