I was entertaining at a private event in Houston, Texas a few years ago and there was a professional rock balancers there. Yes, there is such a thing as a professional rock balancer. The art of rock balancing takes a ton of patience and concentration. The guests on the terrace were gathered around this man watching him balance the rocks. You could hear a pin drop as they focused on his every movement.
Unlike the rocks in this photo to the left, his stones were all different shapes and sizes. He didn’t go from the largest stone at the bottom to the smallest at the top. What he created looked like an impossible piece of art. No glue or other things held the rocks together. It was a combination of perfect balance, skill and patience.
One wrong move and the entire stack would come tumbling down and it did. The guests would let out a sigh and cheer him on as he started again. They soon become silent and let him focus. They wanted more than anything to see him succeed.
The corporate event planner flew him in from California and the event company went out and bought rocks for him. Sometimes when you need someone that is the very best at what they do you’ll need to fly them in from other places around the world.
We’ve all had times when everything seemed to be going our way and the next second something happens and it all comes crashing down. It could be as simple as a storm moving in and the power being out at the restaurant you had reservations at to something more serious like financial or health related.
We all hope for the best, but also have plans in place if something bad happens …. or at least we should.
If you are a corporate event planner you need a corporate event planning checklist. Think of it as your recipe for the perfect cake. List everything you require for the perfect event, but also have a plan B next to each thing on the list as a last minute backup to cover a mini disaster.
Having a wonderful reception outside under that stars? What if it starts raining? Having all your guests shuttled to the event from your hotel? What is the highway is shut down due to an accident? I’m not saying to stress yourself out by worrying about every little thing, but have a backup plan in mind.
Event Planning Guide
Your corporate event planning checklist will probably start getting really long. Don’t be afraid to delegate things to others in your company. Have a committee to plan the event and do the tasks needed to make it a success. It’s not easy at times to give up control to something that is important to you, but there are times you have to.
There are times that people on the committee won’t work out well and you’ll need to find someone else. There are times when one person will try to take over everything and boss people around. That won’t work out well either.
You need to be a team that is willing to work together to get things don. You have to understand that not all the ideas will be great ideas, but don’t put those anyone down for not having the best ideas.
You need to have a group that is willing to work together to get things done. One person could be in charge of finding convention centers, banquet halls or other places for corporate events. Another person or group of people could be responsible for planning the meals, etc. I’d highly suggest having at least 2 people on each portion of the committee to give a second opinion.
I’ve heard more than my share of horror stories about companies putting someone in charge of a certain portion of an event only to find out they either didn’t do it or what they planned ruined the entire event.
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul J. Meyer
Just like the rock balancing artist it only takes one wrong move to make something so perfect become a disaster. Think of everyone on your committee or every box on your corporate event planning checklist like one of the rocks or stones in the rock balancer’s piece of art. You all have to work together perfectly to make it a success.
I’ve been entertaining and motivating guests at sales conferences, awards banquets, conventions and other corporate and association events for over 30 years. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t at most corporate events. I’ve seen little things make the event a total success and other things bring everyone down.
I make my portion of your event as stress free as possible. There are many times I’ve already checked out the room I’m presenting in, did a sound check and have everything in place before the person that hired me even knows I’m there. If plans change I’m able to adapt my presentations in order to fit those situations. Just like the rock balancing artist I know it’s all about patience, skill and concentration.
As you make your corporate event planning checklist and come to the section on motivational speakers and entertainment, please write me name in there, John Pullum and give me a call. I look forward to working with you.