By Arthur Johansen
05-11-2020
Empty chairs at empty tables, where the events are hosted no more.
- Travel Directors: An entire industry of professional contract event staff that you hire to work the event the day of, also referred to as the “TDs” (sounds like “tee-deez”). These professionals are not simply temporary hired help, but industry professionals who have a lot of experience with all the logistics of event planning, as well as managing large groups of people to ensure they have a positive experience whilst at the event. If you want to connect with TDs, this article suggests 6 Linkedin groups you should join if you are in the event management industry:
- AV= Audio/Visual: This term refers to all the technology aspects of the event that will need to be set up at the venue. Now that we are doing virtual events, each attendee of every virtual event needs to manage their own Audio/Video to make sure they can hear or be heard and see or be seen during the call. The ‘Audio’ refers specifically to what you hear: the music, the voices of the speakers, any video presentations. There are usually high-quality speakers that are being used at live events.
SPECIAL NOTE: Don’t get confused about the word ‘speaker’ because there are two types of speakers at most events:
The person who is usually in the front of the group, giving a presentation to the rest of the group. They are speaking about a topic and so we call them “the speaker”.
The ‘Visual’ /ˈvɪʒ(j)ʊəl,ˈvɪzjʊəl/ refers to the components, or parts, of the technology system that allows the audience to look at, watch, or view something. The screen at the front of the room or on the stage is often what everyone is watching.
I look at the presentation. I am watching a video presentation.
I view the presentation. I have a good view of the presentation.
I see the speaker’s slideshow. I can/can’t see the speaker’s slideshow.
‘Visual’ is also used to describe any objects that the presenter is using to show the audience what they are talking about. It could be just the slideshow, but it could also be real objects. Having a real object instead of just a picture of an object can really grab the attention of the audience. Here is another area where hosting events online cannot compare with live events. You simply can’t reach through the computer screen and show someone your physical product.
Steve Jobs revealing the first iPhone was a masterful use of a visual at a live event.
The Audio/Visual equipment are often expensive computer and presentation systems that need to be so well-designed that it works perfectly during the event. When it works perfectly, we can say “Everything went off without a hitch.” That means nothing bad happened like a computer malfunction or the speakers being too loud or quiet. If you need to communicate with the person in charge of the A/V for an event, look at this link for some terms to be familiar with:
- Burnout: If you have ever felt tired of sitting all day listening to presentations, you may have experienced burnout. Maybe you are feeling that right now. One quick way to combat this is to stand up and stretch often. Try it right now for a couple of minutes! When a flame is dying, and all the energy is used and the light is going dim, we say the fire is ‘burning out’. This is a great way to describe our own energy
and our ability to listen, and pay attention to, the speakers at an event that has been going on for hours or days. There can be specific kinds of burnout: Zoom burnout (also called Zoom fatigue) = spending too much time staring at a computer screen, watching and listening on a Zoom call for virtual events.
- Caterer: This person or company is responsible for all the aspects of food and gastronomy. [If someone figures out a way to cater food to all the attendees of a virtual event, it will be a miracle.] Sometimes, the food at an event is referred to as ‘the catering’, as in the example: “When is the catering coming?” OR: “What restaurant is the catering from?” OR: “Who is doing the catering?” However, gastronomy is an appropriate term when the food at an international event is being supplied by a catering company that serves food from a specific country or region. According to Wiktionary:
- Gastronomy: is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating.
With this definition, it is more than just putting some snacks on the tables for people to eat. This is one aspects of live events that people will surely miss during the virtual events.
- BEO = Banquet Event Order: This is an old hotel industry term that has carried on into the Event Management lexicon. The BEO is the actual document (may have a digital version, but most places still use a documented printed out on paper) that details all the specific details of your event. On this document you will find the most important information of the event such as:
- Contact info (information) of the important people, like TDs, that you will need to be in touch with before, during, and after the event.
- The location and details of the space, or venue, to be used for the event. If it is a hotel, for example, you will want to include the specific rooms and locations in the hotel that are to be used.
- The event dates.
- The times of the event, from the pre-event activities to the post-event parties.
- The number of guests that are expected to attend in total throughout the event.
- The gastronomy and catering plans.
- The transportation and vehicle parking situation at the venue.
If you would like an English version example of a BEO as a Word doc I can email it to you, just click here.
- CVB= Convention and Visitors Bureaus: What is the purpose of a CVB?
A simple Google search of ‘CVB event planning’ states that: CVBs give planners access to a wide range of services within their destinations, including but not limited to: arranging site inspections, checking hotel and meeting space availability, and linking planners to expert local service providers. CVBs and their destination experts serve as extensions of your planning team. These will be great resources to know whether venues are open again for live events, or if you will still need to plan for a hybrid or virtual event.
- Venue: The ‘space’ or location of the event is also known as the venue. This is usually a hotel or exhibition hall. 2020 has introduced us to many online venues, which are usually referred to as platforms. And because of the pros and cons that I have mentioned, many events are experimenting with a hybrid model of in-person and virtual events.
- A hybrid: is a mix of two different kinds or styles. Instead of events that are only at a physical location, or events that are only online, now there are events that are mixed with both in-person sessions and online sessions. This allows people to get together in person and network face-to-face, as well as enjoy the catering and team-building activities, but may also avoid the need to have large rooms filled with people, therefore saving on costs and logistics at the venue.
- Incentive trips: (Sounds like “in-ssen-tiv”) These are activities and outings for the company to reward its employees for doing good work or meeting certain goals and objectives. There is often good food and some form of entertainment provided. Usually the employees know about these trips long before they happen, and that has the effect of incentivizing (sounds like “in-ssen-tiv-vize-ing) the employees to work hard to obtain the goals that must be met to take the trip. These kinds of experiences would be very difficult, if not impossible, to have as a virtual event. There is something more special and exciting for people to get together in-person to celebrate and be inspired.
- QBR = Quarterly Business Review: A QBR is typically when the executive level of management meets together to talk about their expected earnings for the next quarter, and what adjustments they need to make to their current plans. This is usually done as a 1-day or a weekend retreat at a location other than the office. The location is supposed to encourage close collaboration with the executives, so the venue is often away from other employees, family members, and day-to-day office operations. This way the executives can focus on discussing and brainstorming their ideas and plans without other distractions.
- General session: (also known as the plenary session) This is the large meeting at the beginning of the event to get everyone informed of the big picture and theme of the entire event. After this meeting, people are usually divided up into smaller groups and are then dismissed into other locations at the venue for different activities.
- Team-building: This is my personal favorite, because the team-building activities are usually fun and creative ways to get people to work together. I had a great experience when I used to work at The Disneyland Resort in California: I would teach groups of students about Walt Disney and his leadership style, and I would have them do team-building activities together in the middle of Disneyland with crowds of people all around. The students enjoyed this, and it definitely created many memorable experiences for them. Here is a website with a fantastic list of team-building activities:
