Event Professional Tips

Even well-prepared event and meeting professionals face chaotic situations.

Many event and meeting professionals, including the team at Tinsel & Twine, believe pockets, layers, and dark colors are essential elements of attire.

At its Super Saturday shopping fund-raiser in Los Angeles on May 16, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund attracted a subset of the guests to a V.I.P. area with its own food, drinks, seating, shopping concierge, and other perks.

Ask your designer if he or she will stay for the event's entirety. Jes Gordon, who designed a bar mitzvah in New York (pictured), says her team remains on site for the duration of an event if they are overseeing audiovisual production. If not, they may leave at some point and return for load out.

Producers say the tidier the load in, the more likely a crew can break down an event or meeting in a timely and efficient manner.

When deciding whether to attend trade shows and other exhibitions, about two-thirds of attendees surveyed indicated they rely on content on exhibitors’ websites and emails sent by exhibitors.

Marcy Blum

Saravay notes that speakers should always opt for a dark background with light letters for screen presentations, like this one from DigitalNow in 2015.

When guests can grab individual portions, they don't leave a mess on a buffet. Wolfgang Puck Catering creates action stations offering dishes on small plates and mini verrines arranged on trays and risers, which is both convenient for guests and also remains tidy.

During the opening session at P.C.M.A.'s Convening Leaders conference in Austin, actor Matthew McConaughey spoke briefly about his hometown.

Yifat Oren urges minding the tiniest of details, while not taking one's self too seriously.

(Pictured, left to right): Ira Levy, Jordan Fogle, Kim Graham

From left: Justin Boone, Jaime Geffen, Cara Kleinhaut, Debi Lilly

Timberlake performed a medley of his songs on stage against a backdrop that included oversize blue panels resembling stereo speakers.