It’s the Andover Business Expo’s  second year and it’s bigger and better than before. There are over 50 exhibitors, some must-see seminars, including a seminar by entrepreneur & star of The Apprentice, Karren Brady.

Bizpro will be at stand 35, and we have some fantastic prizes to give away in our FREE business card prize draw, including an annual licence for an In Touch CRM, courtesy of Nett Sales, 2 x annual licences for Kashflow accounting software, courtesy of Bizpro & PAH accounting, and 4 weeks FREE telephone answering courtesy of those lovely people at Kendlebell. These are just some of the fantastic prizes on offer, so why not come along to say hello and you never know, you may just walk away with one of our prizes!

Entry to the exhibition is free and there are exclusive show offers that could save your business thousands, plus the chance to win a £1,000 advertising campaign on Andover Sound.

The Andover Expo this year features “How To” Seminars, a Vision for Andover Business Forum and a Business Link Breakfast which you can register for online here: www.andoverexpo.biz

Look forward to seeing you there!

Using a virtual assistant to help out with planning a networking meeting, a product release, a conference or other event can take a lot of the work out of the proposition and still gain a company some very positive public relations in the process.

At Bizpro it’s not only our job to help with event planning, it’s also our pleasure. I, for one, find this to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of working as a personal assistant. It is very gratifying to take the burdens off clients’ minds and help them map out and pull functions that dazzle attendees without breaking their budgets in the process.

So, what can a virtual assistant do to help with event planning? A whole lot more than you probably think!

Some of the things that Bizpro can tackle on a client’s behalf include arranging the venue, helping with the food, getting entertainment in place (if it’s desired) and even managing the guest list and RSVPs. Basically, we can do just about everything that would take a small business owner or staff days or weeks to organise in a fraction of the time.

When an experienced virtual assistant steps in to help with event planning, small businesses gain the skills necessary to pull off a great event. Plus, they can even save a little money along the way. After all, pros in the field have the know-how to cut corners on the expenses without hampering the quality of an event.

Planning

Nothing arranged in the last minute will ever be a true success. For any event you need to start planning ideally 5 months in advance. Put it all down on paper first. Work out what your final outcome will be, what you want to see at the event, and what value you want people to gain from it and then work backwards until it’s all written down. Every last detail.

From that point you can work out what it will take to get you there. You can work out who you need quotes from, who you can delegate to, who is on board. Think of your worse case scenarios and how you would combat them. Write it all down. The devil really is in the detail with events, and nothing should come as a surprise.

Accountability & Responsibility.

Know who is responsible for what areas of the event, from planning and organising through to hosting and ushering the actual event itself. People are like sheep, they need herding. If you are lucky enough to have a team of organisers then make sure you allocate according to strengths and that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. Specify all tasks to ensure that everyone is where of their own areas of responsibility.

Timing

Timing for your event is crucial. Not just on the day, but on the days leading up to it. With a fully documented time plan everyone can be aware of exactly which tasks will be completed by which date. Don’t forget to allow contingency planning. Think about how much time you will need to rearrange certain aspects of the event if issues arise. Don’t be afraid to plan for someone to stand in, in the event of a no show. It’s certainly best to have all the bases covered before you get to the day and find your main act hasn’t shown up. On the same note, it’s crucial that you get firm guarantees from the main acts if you have them and to also keep in regular contact with them, and getting a final confirmation one week before.

Budgets

When working out your budget for an event, make sure that you include as much information as possible. It’s surprising how many people do not account for their own travelling expenses when organising their event. As a rule, if at all possible book the venue without paying a deposit, as a preliminary booking, and get the payment date as close to your event date as possible. There are many hotels which will allow you to pay a deposit a week before, then say 50% on the day and 50% after – negotiate. Your own cash flow is the important one here.

Of course this should mean that you can cancel should you fail to sell enough tickets although that shouldn’t be a problem if you follow the advice detailed in my event planning e-book. Available from Bizpro shortly. Click here to register your interest.