Gloria Petersen - The Art of Professional Connections: Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining

Book 4 of 4

Gloria Petersen

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Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining

Copyright 2013 Gloria Petersen. All rights reserved.

E-Book design and formatting by www.YourEBookBuilder.com

Illustrations by Michel Wentling, artwork@azcaprint.com

To my clients and associates:

Corporate executives,
small business owners,
and all those who participated
in the development and endorsement of
my four-title book series,
The Art of Professional Connections.

Satisfied clients and new career opportunities are the end result
of every successful business interaction.

The Art of Professional Connections is a series of four books designed to enhance the leadership qualities and effectiveness of corporate CEOs, company presidents, and their management teams. It also serves as a practical guide for new hires to prepare for leadership roles in their respective careers, especially when interacting with clients and peers, both domestic and international.

This book, Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining, addresses the basics of organizing business eventseverything from cultural events and sporting activities to educational conferences and trade shows. You will learn what you need to know about staging, hosting, and participating in events. It will guide you step by step from the initial planning stages to the last and most important step afterward: the debriefing. It will make you comfortable being the host or being a guest, being a participant or merely a spectator. Most importantly, this book and this series is about being prepared, about creating the right conditions and the best atmosphere for solidifying relationships with clients, customers, prospects, and employees.

The first book, Seven Steps to Impressive Greetings and Confident Interactions , serves as a guide to project a professional presence, to upgrade the quality of your interactions with others, and as the foundation for all four titles.

The second book, Success Strategies for Networking in Person and Online , identifies a wide range of mingling and networking options. It will address not only your in-person interactions and present success strategies, but also the importance of building your online presence with care, and protecting your reputation as you do so. It is strongly recommended that you use this book as a preparation tool to ensure successful interactions at networking events and receptions.

The third book, Dining Strategies for Building and Sustaining Business Relationships , will take you step by step through the details of a successful business meal. It will address orchestrating and managing the logistics of a business meal, showcasing manners, and handling mishaps. The book will also give you tips on everything from setting up the appointment and securing a strategic seating arrangement to wine pairings, the ritual of toasting, and global dining Use this book to ensure a successful business meal experience, whether casual or formal.

The entire series, including this fourth title, Event Strategies for Successful Business Entertaining , will groom you to be an asset to your company and prepare you for career advancement in domestic and international markets.

Is business entertaining on the rise, or are companies becoming averse to entertainment and gifts? There seem to be mixed feelings about business entertaining today, due to the scrutiny that corporations now receive. While some companies are cutting back to avoid accusations of lavish spending, or to prevent the possibility of a backlash for inappropriate behavior, or to negate any conflicts of interest that may arise from such events, others are increasing the level of their entertaining, changing from sporting events to formal events, or becoming more creative at lesser expense.

On the other side of the equation is the question of customer loyalty. Todays business climate shows that customer loyalty is not to be based on the type of entertainment received, but instead on how the event or gesture made the customer feel. Customer loyalty cannot be built on creating a feeling of obligation. It has to be based on feelings of appreciation.

Business entertaining will never totally go away, because too many business opportunities would be lost, and organizations or institutions that accommodate entertainment needs would suffer as a result. It would create a domino effect: the restaurant, hotel, airline, sporting events, cultural events, and overall meeting planning industries depend to some extent on the entertainment industry. Plus, guests and customers expect to be made to feel appreciated and special. Employees need to keep their training, their new-product awareness, and their service techniques up to date. Business entertaining and company- or association-sponsored conferences accomplish that best.

Just what is the answer? Go ahead and entertain, but do it for the right reason, and be sure that your social skills and professionalism are intact and your motive is ethical. Also, realize that employees are customers too. The future of your guest relationships and the morale of your employees are influenced by how they are treated and made to feel special.

Whether you are planning a business event or simply participating, knowing all the behind-the-scenes preparation that goes into it will give you a better appreciation for the event itself, and for the people involved. Before you can begin planning, you will need a road map: a guide that outlines all the different paths you can take and highlights any detours you may face, based on your needs and the desired outcomes.

To begin the process, consider the following options:

1. A meeting is a gathering of people for a discussion that typically takes place over a meal at a conference or small-event meeting room.
2. An event is something that is planned months in advance and happens for the purpose of education, for introducing new products or services, or for a celebration. Like a meeting, an event takes place on specific days and at specific times.
3. An activity or exercise involves direct experience and participation for enjoyment, for making introductions or creating new relationships, or for reinforcing a learning skill.

Protocol plays a major role in planning events, while the etiquette involved may vary. As with any industry, etiquette/protocol experts and meeting professionals will differ on their advice. This does not necessarily mean that someone is right and someone is wrong. It means that at times there are different approaches based on different experiences. When faced with conflicting information, ask for the history or strategy behind the approach. Then select the approach that matches your expertise, needs, and industry.