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Complete interview and clips from “Batman – The Animated Series” (1992). Includes the following DVD extras: The Legacy Continues, Voices of the Knight, Arkham’s Files The Joker All material copyright to DC Comics and Warner Bros Entertainment Inc.
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Pete Turland and Paul Pigat play their introduction to Pete’s Rockabilly Slap Bass instructional DVD.
First time planners are often stricken with complete fear! Even those that plan events over and over again still fear that something will go wrong and they will be the subject of ridicule. Hopefully we can allay the fears and quell the butterflies in your stomach by helping you through the entire project.
There are a lot of questions you need to ask. First timers probably don’t have the foggiest idea what questions to ask, so, the first thing we’d better do is outline these for you.
Perhaps the easiest way to do that is to fill out a form. (I love forms!)
If you were to phone me and ask me to help you make arrangements for a special event, the first thing I would do is reach for a blank form, and over the phone we would fill it out. When I had all the information, I would be better prepared to help you.
Before you continue reading, you may want to print the banquet planning worksheet(PDF) from my website. That way you can follow along with the worksheet as I describe the planning process. I’ve also included a pre filled sample planning worksheet that you might help.
Let’s begin with fact finding.
PURPOSE
The first question to ask is, “What is the purpose of the event?” This question should be really easy, but it’s perhaps the most important. The purpose of your event will determine your event’s agenda.
DATE
Break out your calendar to decide a date for your event. Look for possible conflicts. It might be tough to get people out to a Saturday night banquet if it’s a three-day holiday. It would be unwise to put on a church social if your local school, where most of your congregation had children attending, were having an open house or play that night.
Pencil in a date and then try to think of possible conflicts. I know of one organization that booked a very popular and relatively expensive Jewish comic into the club house of a predominantly Jewish retirement community. Attempts to sell tickets failed miserably, because they had not realized they had scheduled his appearance on a Jewish holiday – a very expensive oversight!
BUDGET
There are many, many determining factors in establishing a budget. First of all, how many are expected to attend? You might have a pretty good idea for a company party, but in some cases you might just have to make a “guess-timate” until you can get more information. Make the best possible estimate based on what facts you have, and proceed.
TICKET PRICE
Another factor to determine before we select a location is how much your attendees are willing to pay. Sure, we can work the other way: we can pick a location, hire a band, select the menu, etc., and then add up how much it all costs and thus determine how much everyone needs to pay, but doing so will probably leave you hurting in the end.
If you expect 1,000 people, and you determine $25.00 a person is acceptable, then your entire budget for food, printing, entertainment, etc., is $25,000. If you expect only 20 people and you know they won’t come if it’s over $5.00 a person, then you know you’re far more limited.
LOCATION
Determine the geographical area where the event is to take place. If you live in the area where the event will take place, you may already know of various hotels, country clubs, restaurants or catering halls that can accommodate your group. If you don’t live in the area, be sure to go look at the potential location before you book it. If the event is in a distant city and it’s not possible for you to travel there, and the event is a significant one, I suggest you hire a professional meeting planner.
I once attended a banquet in a quaint “50’s malt-shop-type restaurant. The party planner had not gone there to look at the room where the party was to be. She had just taken the word of a friend. True, it was a great restaurant, but their “room” had about 5 permanent booths on each wall. Guests were facing in all different directions. This made it almost impossible for the magician they had hired to perform. To further confuse the issue, it was not even a private room. Restaurant customers could not get to the restroom without disturbing the party, and the 50’s music continued to blare through the ceiling speakers throughout the evening because it was piped throughout the whole restaurant and could not be isolated from one room. A visit beforehand could have prevented this nightmare.
Many, if not most, facilities do not charge a fee for the use of the room but instead absorb the rental fee into the price of the meal. For instance, in our example of 200 people, a banquet facility would be delighted to supply a private room in order to sell 200 dinners.
Usually they will have several dinners to choose from – perhaps a chicken dinner, complete with beverage, salad and dessert, for $12.00 per person; or prime rib at $18.00 each; or sirloin steaks at $25.00 per person. In our example we are charging $30.00 per person. Let’s select the prime rib at $18.00.
Does that include tax and tip? Oh, Oh! Find out if it does, or you may get a surprise at the end of the night. Let’s say it does not. 15% tip and 8% (or whatever) tax makes the dinner a total of $22.14 per person. Our sample budget calls for 200 people at $30.00 each for a total of $6,000. If all 200 people attend, dinner will cost $4,428. That leaves $1,572 for all other costs.
By the way, the facility may ask you for a deposit and guarantee. If you guarantee 200 people, you will have to pay for 200 dinners even if only 175 show up. Generally, a facility is prepared to serve about 10% more people than you guarantee. So it makes sense to guarantee a lesser number than you expect. Even some of those who told you absolutely they would be there, maybe even gave you a deposit, don’t show for one reason or another.
Just to be on the safe side, in our example of 200 people, I would guarantee the restaurant 185. If you’re pre selling tickets, which I recommend, you can always adjust your estimate upwards with the restaurant a day or two ahead of time if needed. Ask the facility about their requirements in regard to a change in the guarantee.
AGENDA
The evening agenda is largely determined by the event’s purpose. A typical event might go like this:
6:00 – 7:00 – Social or cocktail hour
7:00 – 8:00 – Dinner
8:00 – 8:15 – Meeting/Awards/Business
8:15 – 9:00 – Entertainment/Speaker
9:00 – 9:10 – Raffle/Door Prizes
9:10 – 1:00 – Dancing
Having an hour to “gather” is always good. You and the facility both will want everyone present when you actually sit down to eat. It’s been my experience that almost everything starts late, so plan for it and don’t be disappointed when it happens.
Will you be having a cocktail hour? A “Hosted” bar means that drinks are free to the party-goers. If you choose to host the cocktail hour, be prepared to spend about $1200 for our sample group of 200 people. Most organization-sponsored events have a ‘No-Host’ bar, in which guests buy their own drinks. It’s appropriate to announce ‘Hosted’, or ‘No-Host’ in the invitation.
Some form of entertainment during the cocktail hour is certainly a plus. The facility may have music piped in through its sound system, which is certainly the most economical; however, for around $300 you could have live music. Most banquet facilities have a piano, sometimes on wheels, and will let you either rent the piano or use it for free. Fee for the piano rental should be around $50 to $100 and a piano player anywhere from $150 to $250.
Other cocktail hour entertainment could include a chamber group, a jazz or “society” trio, harpist, or a strolling accordionist. A strolling “close-up” magician, performing from group to group or table to table, is always fun. Other forms of entertainment for the cocktail hour could include celebrity look-alikes, mechanical or conventional mimes, a balloon animal sculptor, caricaturist, graphologist, palm reader, tarot card reader, stilt walker, or just about anything else you can think of! Again, your budget is your gauge.
DINNER
This is pretty easy. When the Maitre’d says dinner is ready, have your party sit down!
The vast majority of banquets have certain people assigned to sit at the head table while everyone else may sit where they wish. If you choose to have a head table, you should make small place markers for those assigned to sit at the head table, and don’t forget to discuss table arrangements with the facility.
OPENING
Someone, perhaps you, should step to the microphone and announce that dinner is ready and ask everyone to take a seat. When this has been accomplished your President, or whoever is presiding, should welcome everyone.
It is appropriate at most banquets to have someone lead the flag salute, followed by a blessing on the food. People should not be called upon for these jobs extemporaneously, but should be asked in advance and their names and responsibilities should be listed on the printed program if there is one. Following the flag salute and prayer, your Master of Ceremonies (or who ever is conducting) should introduce the people sitting at the head table, introducing himself last.
THE PROGRAM
If business of any sort needs to be conducted, begin when dessert is finished, or at least served. Make sure that the facility knows that you do not want any bussing (clearing of tables) or coffee served after the program starts, as it can become an irritating distraction and take away from the enjoyment of the program.
ENTERTAINMENT
Following opening remarks, and/or other business, you could either introduce the main speaker, or present some form of entertainment.
This could be the highlight of the evening! There are many outstanding after-dinner performers and speakers. If you really want to have a successful event, hire a professional. At this writing $500 to $1,000 can buy you some pretty top-notch entertainment.
How about a comedian-magician who uses a member or two of your group and does some hilarious bits of business and audience participation magic tricks – 30 or 40 minutes of non-stop laughs!
Or picture this…the dessert has just been served and in walks “Lt. Columbo,” complete with overcoat and cigar…”Oh, excuse me,” he says, “I was looking for somebody else.” All eyes are riveted on this familiar figure as he turns and starts to walk out. “Oh, one more thing, is this the Walker party?’ Then for the next 30 minutes or so he does a comedy routine in the style and delivery of Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo, using names of people in your group.
That will rock your people out of their seats with laughter. These are just a couple of suggestions. Everybody loves to laugh, and a good professional entertainer can make you a hero.
How do you find that kind of entertainment? Again, watch out for the well-meaning friend. Sometimes hiring a friend of a friend who tells jokes or plays the banjo can put a wet blanket on the evening if they don’t live up to your expectations.
Probably the best way to secure talent is to work with a professional talent agent that specializes in special events. Ordinarily there is no fee for his services. He can make recommendations and suggestions based on what your needs are, and work within your budget limitations.
Some entertainers may have special requirements, like a stage, spotlight, two mics or something else, and these items need to be arranged with the facility. There may be a rental fee involved.
RAFFLE/DOOR PRIZES
Giving away door prizes or raffle prizes should not be held until after the entertainment or main speaker. Perhaps it’s an inducement for your guests to stay until the end.
If you’re selling raffle tickets, again you need to make out a budget. How many tickets do you expect to sell and for how much money? Do you want to make a profit? Let’s say you expect to sell 100 tickets to those 200 people expected to come, and we sell them at the banquet for $2.00 each. That’ll give you $200 to buy prizes with. You can put this in your general budget or assign someone to take care of the whole raffle, including purchasing the prizes and selling the tickets.
DANCING
Following the raffle, the formal portion of the program is really over. Your people can now go home. If you’ve elected to have a deejay or band, they may stay for dancing.
The facility might charge to set up a dance floor. Sometimes this is a portable dance floor they build right on top of the carpet. A band will cost anywhere from $150 per band member to $450 per band member for four hours. A small trio of keyboard, drum and guitar could be anywhere from $750 to $1,500.
An $1,800 to $3,500 five-piece band, including a vocalist, is average. If you hire a band, you may be able to use one or more of those same musicians to provide cocktail hour and/or dinner music for a small additional fee. You normally need to make a deposit at the time you hire the band. Anything over four hours’ playing time is considered overtime, and you should talk with the band or agent about the cost of overtime when you make the initial arrangements. Bands also need to take a 10-15 minute break each hour. Ask if the band will supply recorded music during their breaks.
MOBILE DEEJAY
Sometimes you might prefer a DeeJay playing recorded music instead of hiring a band. This gives you the advantage of hearing the original recording artist instead of a dance band’s rendition.
Another advantage is that most mobile DeeJay units will set up before dinner and offer to play dinner music at no additional cost, and of course, a DeeJay does not take a break during the evening, so you have non stop music for your event.
Cost-wise, there is not a lot of difference between a 3-piece band and a DeeJay. Some DeeJays offer a full light-show that few bands do, and even with an additional charge, this could be a real plus. I think it’s just a matter of taste. Some people insist on a live band and others are just as adamant about a DeeJay.
PHOTOGRAPHER OR VIDEOGRAPHER
Video taping an event, except for historical purposes, is unnecessary. Seldom will the video tape or DVD be watched more than once after the event. Yes, maybe a Bar or Bat Mitzvah will watch his or her recording years later when they grow older, and maybe even a bride and groom would watch a well-edited and condensed recording. A company or organization’s banquet, however, will be seldom if ever watched.
I would recommend that you hire, budget permitting, a professional photographer rather than leaving it up to one of your guests or a friend of a friend who only takes photos twice a year. You can have the photographer deliver prints or a CD of digital photographs in which case you could print just the photos you want.
PROMOTION
Probably the most traumatic thing that could occur is that you planned the entire event and then no one came. If it’s a company party and the food, entertainment, drinks and dancing are all free, I don’t think you will have a problem, as long as you let everybody know when and where and that it’s FREE!
But if that’s not the situation, you may need to promote the event. Once you have all the facts (WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, WHO, and HOW MUCH), you can create a flyer – a piece of paper with all the facts on it, designed to motivate people to attend.
If you’re an artist, great! You can create the flyer yourself. If not, maybe someone in your group is and they can help you. Otherwise, you need to “rough it out” the way you’d want it and take it to a graphic artist to do the “camera-ready copy” for you, then off to a printer to print however many you’re going to need. How many you need will depend on how you’re going to distribute them.
The layout, printing, envelopes and postage all need to go into your budget. There are, of course, additional ways you can promote the event – word of mouth, bulletin boards, phone committee, club or company newsletter, posters. If your event will be open to people outside your organization, you might try using the publicity channels of other related groups, companies, schools, etc., as well as your own. Have a “brainstorming session” with your committee, if you have one, to think of all the ways you can get the word out.
And remember that if you want people to come to your activity, you can’t just tell them. You have to tell them and tell them and tell them! Use all the resources at your disposal, and don’t hesitate to repeat yourself. The more times you tell them, the more will come!
TICKET SALES
There are as many ways to handle this as there are ways to promote the event. If you have to lay out funds ahead of time (which is usually the case), it is good to get as much money as you can up front. Pre selling your tickets will help you do that. Of course, your publicity must state your requirements and deadlines. This also will help you get a handle on how many are going to attend. Remember though, that there will still be some last minute cancellations and additions, so stay flexible.
TABLE ASSIGNMENTS
As mentioned earlier, most organizations assign only the head table, and the rest of the attendees are left to sit where they wish. Some groups insist on drawing pictures of the tables on a sheet of paper, numbering them, and then assigning people to specific tables.
I think it’s far more work than necessary, but if you must, then have at it.
Some banquets, especially those honoring individuals or groups, offer entire tables “for sale.” 10 people per table at $30 each means that for $300 someone could reserve a whole table. Make sure you put a “reserved” sign on that table, showing the name of the host.
THE PRINTED PROGRAM
When all the facts are in, if the budget will permit, a nice printed program could be put at each place setting or handed out as people arrive. It should contain the agenda for the evening and credits given to all those who contributed to the event.
Many organizations have been successful in selling ads in the program to defray the cost of printing or even to raise some extra money. I’ve put $250 income under the income column of our example. Don’t you think you could convince 10 people to give you their business card and pay $25 to be advertised on the back page of the program? Of course, this idea could be a little tacky if the event is to celebrate little Bobbie’s 10th birthday. Use your best judgment.
DECORATIONS
This could be a big item or not – strictly up to you. If you picked a beautiful location, and it’s not a special seasonal event like a Christmas or Halloween party, why not just enjoy the facility’s decor? If you feel you need decorations and you have a sufficient budget, call a party decorator who uses balloons. They go a long way towards dressing up a room without spending a lot of money.
Centerpieces on each table look nice. You can ask someone to donate these or have someone clever make something for each table. Many facilities make such a nice table layout that a centerpiece is not necessary. Don’t spend money unnecessarily, but do remember that the nicer the ambience, the better the memories or the event will be in the minds of those who attend, which means that they will want to come to your next event, too!
One note of caution. If you’re having entertainment, be careful that large
centerpieces, particularly balloons, don’t block the view of the performing area or even the people sitting on the opposite side of the table who want to see and talk to each other.
YOU DID IT!
Yes, you will fret and worry until the whole thing is over, but every party planner does. Just relax, do your best and enjoy! (Here’s a secret: If you enjoy what you’re doing, the people you are doing it for will enjoy it, too!)
Knowing how to Plan Effective Audio Visual Presentations is vitally important for every presenter and every business. You only get one chance to give a good and effective presentation and that presentation will have a lasting impression (good or bad) for yourself and your organisation. Your professionalism and abilities are on public display and you want to make sure that the impact is positive.
If your presentation is not effective then you are simply wasting valuable opportunity, time and money for little no result. This is as true for a simple sales presentation or training seminar, as it is for a major event or conference. Audio Visual equipment such as plasma, projector and screen are essential tools for effective presentations. Properly planning and organising the equipment setup for the event is as important as the event itself. Many events start late or are disrupted because the setup was not properly organised and setup was not completed on time. This causes disgruntlement to the people you are presenting to and gets your event off to a bad start. Sure you can apologise but are you still seen as disorganised or unprofessional.
It is important to have or hire the right AV equipment (and staging and lighting if necessary) to aid the presentation and give impact to the event you are planning and to make sure that it is suitable for the size of the audience (whether it be one person or hundreds of people), there are some basic rules to follow.
Use Professional AV Equipment – You should always use professional equipment to project professional image. For instance, if using a projector you should also use a proper projector screen or projection surface. Projecting onto walls often detracts from the quality of the presentation and detracts from the professionalism of the presenter and power or impact of the presentation.
Make everything simple so that you can just concentrate on giving the presentation. If you are mucking around with technology during the presentation you will be less effective.
Planning the detail for your event or presentation is crucial to the success of any event. Don’t leave anything to chance or rely on the common sense of others, this is the first rule because common sense in no longer common practice.
Know or learn your subject or material and rehearse the presentation – This will give you confidence during the presentation and increase your personal effectiveness when you are a presenter or doing any public speaking.
Remember that most presenters are standing to get the full attention of their audience. This can be uncomfortable. It is best to move around occasionally and try to wear comfortable shoes.
Properly organise your Technology – You do not want to be mucking around with technology while you are speaking or presenting. It will distract you and the audience. It is extremely helpful to be able to direct the attention of your audience to a particular point on your screen to refocus their concentration occasionally. You can address both of these things with a small simple (all-in-one) integrated remote control and laser pointer is a plug and play device that attaches to you laptop. It will enable you to start and stop the presentation and move slides backward and forward from any position in the room and its laser pointer can point on to the screen from anywhere.
Have you organised all the AV equipment and display equipment required? I have seen many events ruined because a small detail was either assumed to have been done or completely overlooked. Many times an executive will ask an assistant to hire a data projector for a presentation. Then the assistant will organise just that. When the executive is ready to give the presentation there is no screen or suitable wall to project onto. Nor has there been any thought given to other possible requirements such as:
Coordinating Setup – Will everyone and all equipment required, be there at the same time in time for the setup prior to your presentation or event? Or have you overlooked something? There are logical steps involved here that if not followed it could end up in disaster. Here are some of the things to watch out for.
What size Audience are you presenting to? Do you have the right equipment? Will the presentation be in ambient light or a darkened room? This is important for the size of a screen and strength of projector.
Is the PA system strong enough for the size of the audience?
If you are using a projector then what projector size and attributes are suitable – The projector that you use must be suitable for the size of the audience you are presenting to as well as for the format of material that you are presenting. e.g. If you are using standard PowerPoint presentation or computer files usually an 800 x 600 projector is sufficient. If you are projecting a widescreen video for instance then you will need a projector that will project in widescreen, otherwise you will not be able to see the whole image.
Day Coordinator – Unless you hire a Day Coordinator then you must also take on the additional responsibilities of properly coordinating the event. This includes Coordinating all equipment and responsible persons to be on site before the appointed setup time and you being there first to supervise the setup. This is particularly important where multiple vendors are used to supply equipment. If any equipment is not there then the setup and your presentation or event may be delayed. To properly plan, organise and coordinate the AV Equipment and the Venue properly to avoid problems! Pay attention to the following points for setup;
Where will the projector and/or presentation equipment be positioned? And will there be a safe power source at that position ready at the appointed setup time? This is import particularly import for projectors as they are normally mounted in the centre of the room. You may need to make provision for extension leads and safety. If there is no power source ready for setup it may cost you more money than you were quoted for setup and also delay your start time.
What are you going to position your AV equipment and projector on? If you do not have a suitable (portable or mobile) surface to place your projector and equipment on then you may not be able to suitably position the projector a suitable distance from the screen or wall for your presentation. Using a proper mobile AV Trolley is obviously better than a table for adjusting distance.
Do you need mobility to walk around? Most presenters are standing during their presentation and need to move around while they are presenting. Using an integrated remote control and laser pointer will give you mobility and better control of your presentation.
If you are using a projector then what Size Screen will you need? Making sure that you have the right size screen is also essential. If the screen is too small for people in the audience to see then the presentation is doomed. The best thing to do with screens is to hire them. That way whether you need a small projector screen or even a Large or Giant Screen you can get the right screen for the event size. Once you know the details of your event you can find out more about how to choose a data projector [http://www.ezehire.com/au/rental/data_projector_hire.html].
Will you have written notes that you need to refer to? If so you should consider hiring a Lectern also known as a Podium. Renting a Lectern gives formality and authority to any event although their main purpose is to hold notes and a microphone.
Do you want to record your presentation for future use on your website of training? Most people that don’t record their presentations wish they had. Making a video of your presentation can be used for future training, online presentation to study and make adjustments to future presentation. If you do you, then need to have or hire a Digital Video Camera and have a person or Day-Coordinator to operate it.
Would your presentation and the comprehension of your audience improve if you hand wrote things in conjunction with you AV Presentation? If so, there are three options for this:
- You could use one or two Flip charts on adjacent to the screen for you to write on and let the audience take note from.
- You could have a Whiteboard to write note on.
- Use an Interactive Electronic Whiteboard that will immediately print your hand written notes for later reference and use and dissemination amongst the audience.
That way you can write extra messages that are not in the presentation material for your audience to read.
Will everyone be able to hear you? Do you need a PA system, Microphone or extra speakers if your room is large and you are speaking to a larger audience? If you have to use a wall then avoid gloss painted or glossy surfaces that mirror light.
Have you ordered all the accessories and input devices that you need? Laptop, AV Trolley, integrated remote control and laser pointer, Projector Screen, DVD player, Flip chart, Podium or Lectern would your presentation. Many people fail to plan properly. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
And is all the equipment compatible? For instance – If you are using more than one source of input device e.g. VGA, XGA, S-VIDEO DVI USB1 or USB2 or thumb drive, then you need to make sure that the devices have the correct ports so that you can interconnect the devices and get the signal to the projector.
Can you connect up all the devices or do you need help? If you do not know exactly how to setup the Audio Visual equipment or have any doubts, then don’t risk it. Get professional help and pay someone to set it up for you. Most AV hire companies and hotels have IT staff that can help you. Otherwise you may end up being very embarrassed and ruin you presentation. Even worse if you ruin the presentation, call someone out and get charged extra fees on top of it all and then have to explain that to your boss.
Who do you call if something goes wrong with the AV Equipment? If you have a tech savvy person in your office, then see if they can be at the event on standby in case something technical goes wrong that could ruin your presentation. If you hire you AV Equipment and it is a big event, then ask the hire company if you can also hire the services of a Day Coordinator with technical expertise to setup and look after all of your AV & IT Equipment for the day. Your event will run smoother and you will have the confidence of having someone to attend to any issues and assist you with the event.
Other Tips
Always have water handy when you are presenting. Your throat can get very dry when you are doing public speaking so you should keep yourself hydrated.
Dress for the occasion
Have a break every two hours or so and give the audience a chance to refresh.
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