EVENT DESIGN, PLANNING & PRODUCTION

3.15.2011

Inspiration to Execution in David Merrill Style

Inspiration is the air that event planners can't live without. At The Events Company we constantly look for inspiration. Sometimes that includes attending industry conferences. Our team spent the last 2 days at the Northeast ISES REC. David Merril of AOO Events shared his top 10 tips of Inspiration to Execution. It was a refreshing presentation and represented much of our mantra and how we help our clients meet their event goals.

10. Constantly search for inspiration. We find inspiration everywhere and look at ways that we can take inspiration and translate it into an event element. 
9.  Learn How to Edit. Loved this, as designers we can get caught up in our creativity and forget about ensuring profitability. At the end of the day we have to make money otherwise we won't be in business to continue helping our clients. 
8.  Event Design is NOT Egocentric. Too often we can get so psyched about our design that we forget that the person writing the check has to be the one who likes the design. If the client or the event committee doesn't buy into the concept, then the excitement for the event is diminished and can be detrimental to the success of the event.
7.  The biggest risk in life is to not risk anything at all. Playing it safe will never make an event memorable. We pitch ideas that are out of the box and I know we push our clients out of their 'comfort zones' but they trust us and are willing to take that risk. My son, Sean, lived his life by this mantra.
6.  The devil is in the details. The smallest details can make the biggest impression.
5.  Learn to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. In Steve Merrill's words "There are no small budgets, just small ideas." One of the biggest ways we help our clients is to help them maximize the bang for their $.
4.  Satisfy the Senses. An event experience isn't just about the visual, give the guest a multisensory experience that they can participate in.
3.  Stay Cutting Edge. We've built our company on staying on the cutting edge. It's our job to know what the latest and greatest elements are that we can bring to our clients. It's our job to know how to source them.
2.  It Takes a Village. We're only as good as the event teams that we build. Our second core value is 'Respect our Vendor Partners' - we share our vision and then use their expertise to help get us there.
1. There is no such thing as an Original Idea. Translate ideas and make them your own.

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