Summary: For job seekers, the Internet is both a blessing and a curse. While the web provides greater access to information about job openings, on-line tools make it difficult for event planners changing industries to obtain an interview. Supercharging your job search with traditional tools (i.e. information interviews, broadcast letters and briefs) will help you stand out from the crowd and create a favourable impression.

Event Planning Career Tips: Using Information interviews, Broadcast Letters and Briefs

In an era in which on-line tools and Internet portals dominate the job search landscape, it's tough to stand out from the crowd. Talented job seekers can find their resumes overlooked if their experience does not fit the posted job profile like a glove. For example, if event planners have experience in a different industry, they may find their applications rejected after a few screening questions. 3 traditional tools from the pre-Internet age can greatly assist:

• event planners who are trying to change industries
• professionals from other industries who are trying to break into event planning

These tools will help you rise above the crowd as relatively few job seekers use them anymore. I guarantee you, 90% of the people reading this blog will dismiss the content of this blog entry as outdated, old-fashioned and not relevant to the Internet age. That means that the 10% of job applicants who use these tools will reap the benfits.

Information Interviews

An information interview is a job interview in reverse. It's a chance to get answers to your questions about the industry and obtain career advice from an experienced event planner.

To set up an information interview, contact experienced job planners in your area. Ask them if they would be willing to allow you to interview them for 10 minutes to learn about the profession and obtain career advice. Interviews can take place in-person or through Skype or another on-line meeting tool.

Be organized. Prepare an interview guide with specific questions. Don't outwear your welcome. When you reach the 8 minute mark, thank the interviewer for their time and ask them if they know of:

• companies that are looking for event planners
• other event planners who may be willing to grant an interview
 

Request permission to use the individual's name when making these contacts. Always send a thank you note. It's a lost art. Sending a thank you note wil definitely separate you from the rest of the pack.

Richard Bolles's What Colour is Your Parachute provides instructions to help you prepare for and conduct effective information interviews.

Broadcast Letters

Broadcast letters are resume substitutes. They outline in point form your specific achievements that are directly relevant to the position.

Broadcast letters give job applicants an opportunity to highlight relevant skills and experience without providing details about aspects of their career history that are unrelated to the position.

Copy your broadcast letter on professional stationary. Always send unsolicited broadcast letters directly to the CEO in an envelope that matches your stationary. Mark them "Personal and Confidential", "Personal" or "Private and Confidential". If you are responding to a job posting, send the broadcast letter to the CEO with a copy to the person identified in the ad. If you are applying for a job through an on-line portal, paste your broadcast letter in the space provided for a cover letter.

If you send out 100 broadcast letters, you will usually generate about 5 - 7 interviews.

Executive Jobs Unlimited by Carl R. Boll is an in-depth instruction manual on how to create a winning broadcast letter. This thin, hard cover book has been out of print for some time now. You can still order new and used copies on Amazon, borrow it from the library, or find a copy at a used bookstore.

Briefs

A brief is a bound mini-portfolio consisting of:

• a title page
• your broadcast letter
• a resume customized for the position with specific and quantified examples of your achievements for each of the key position requirements
• client testimonial letters
• references from previous jobs
• press clippings
• relevant blog postings including links
• work samples including photos

If you're just launching your event planning career or you want to transition into event planning from another profession, it's appropriate to use testimonials and samples from school projects, campus events, internships, volunteer work, social committees, or sideline businesses.

There are 2 ways to use your brief.

1. Drop it off or send it in if you are asked for a resume after sending your broadcast letter.
2. Bring it to the interview and present it when the interviewer requests your resume.

For more detailed instructions on how to create a brief, get a copy of Napoleon Hill's classic Think and Grow Rich

Adding these 3 traditional tools to your job search arsenal will ensure that you don't get lost in the sea of appplicants. Your application will get more exposure, create a positive impact and increase the liklehood that you will obtain an interview and receive serious consideration for employment.

(c) Photo Credit: Elliott P.

(c) Photo Credit: Eric Pier

Summary: Twitter Chats have their regular followers yet even some experienced event planners still don't know about them. Here is a quick primer to get you up to speed on the top 10 Twitter Chats that all event planners should add to their schedules.

Top 10 Twitter Chats for Event Planners & Event Industry Professionals

Twitter Chats have been around for such a long time that I could just hear some Twitter veterans groaning as soon as they saw the title of this blog. After all, it's old news. Everybody knows about Twitter Chat, right? I manage the 30,000+ member Event Planning and Management group on LinkedIn. More often than you would expect, I interact with members who are finding out about Twitter Chats for the first time. They are delighted when they discover what a useful resource Twitter Chats can be. So, we're going to cover the basics. I invite Twitter Chat newbies to post your questions. I invite Twitter Chat veterans to post responses, share tips and list any chats or tools for monitoring them that I haven't included.

Twitter Chats - The Basics

A Twitter Chat is a regularly scheduled interactive event that takes places on Twitter. The format for Twitter Chats (also known as hashtag chats) is:

Hashtag (#) + a keyword. Example: #eventprofs

Every Twitter Chat has it's own schedule, format and etiquette. A number of Twitter Chats have online guides, Wikis or Facebook pages to explain what the focus and structure. For this reason, you may want to observe for a few minutes or review documentation so that you are clear about what is expected before you jump in.

Some Twitter Chats take place only once or or twice a week. When the chat is over, there is little interaction unless it's a follow up that is directly relevant to the topic of the most recent chat. Others encourage the use of the chat hashtag for interaction between scheduled chats. Tweeps share information, tips, blogs, and articles using the hashtag. Some Twitter Chats evolve into communities and establish LinkedIn groups to take the interaction deeper than what is possible in 140 characters. Some chat communities have face-to-face tweet-ups. It's the perfect way to take networking beyond cyberspace and into the real world.

If you miss a chat, there is no need to worry. A transcript of summary is usually shared on Twitter within 24 hours. Some chats even have an archive of chat transcripts.

Benefits of Twitter Chats

Twitter Chats provide an opportunity to engage with other Twitter users and discover new people to follow. They give instant access to information to help you keep abreast of trends within the event planning industry.

Twitter Chats & Hashtags for Event Planners

1. #eventprofs Eventprofs: A thriving community of event planners and other event industry Professionals. This was the first Twitter chat for event planners.
   Tuesdays 9 - 10 PM EST/6 - 7 PM PST & Thursdays 12 - 1PM EST/9 - 10 AM PST
   
   • Eventprofs Chat Schedule
   • Eventprofs on Facebook
   • Eventprofs Wiki

2. #TTOT Travel Tuesday on Twitter: Social media travel event. Five questions, every 10 minutes
   Tuesdays 9:30 AM & 9:30 PM GMT.
3. #engage365 Engage 365: For events professionals interested in social media for events & conferences. Similar to #eventprofs, but discussions focus more on event technology, engaging attendees, and event marketing.
   Fridays 1 PM ET.
4. #assnchat Association Chat: Chat for association professionals discussing current industry trends, technology and strategy
   Tuesdays 2 PM ET

5. #luxchat Luxchat: Excellent and highly relevant to event planners who work in the luxury market sector. Usually features a high profile guest. Representatives of a number of upscale resorts have been featured. Some chats are on location.
   Monthly. 3rd Wednesday of every month at 5:30 PM ET
6. #tourismchat Tourism Chat: Bi-monthly twitter chat focusing on social media in the tourism industry.
   Thursdays 2 PM CT, 3 PM ET
7. #speakchat Speak Chat: Engaging. Event planners, professional speakers, and speakers bureaus discuss a variety of industry related topics and issues.
   Mondays 9 PM ET.
8. #tni Traveller's Night In: Covers a new travel topic each week. 10 questions tweeted by various hosts.
   Thursdays 3:30 - 5:00 PM ET.
9. #weddingmarket Wedding Market Chat: Trends, marketing and information for the wedding and bridal markets.
   Wednesdays 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET/6 P GmT.
10. #AVchat AV Chat: All you ever wanted to learn about AV, a key ingredient for many successful events.
    Thursdays 4 PM PT/7 PM ET

Bonus:

The following Twitter Chats are not specifically designed for the event industry but Event Planners will find them extremely helpful chat. They are well worth checking out regularly.

• #b2bchat B2B (Business to Business) Chat: A a lively gathering of B2B marketers
  Thursdays 8 PM ET - #b2bchat Linkedin Group
• #linkedinchat LinkedIn Chat: All things LinkedIn – what you like, what you hate, useful strategies, favourite apps
  Tuesdays 7PM CT/ 8 PM ET - LinkChat LinkedIn Group
• #blogchatBlog Chat:A weekly conversation about blogs.
  Sundays 8 PM CT/9 PM ET - Blogchat Linkedin Group.
• #profschat MarketingProfs: Actionable know-how to help you market your products and services
  Fridays Noon ET - MarketingProfs Linkedin Group

Event industry professionals will find useful content by using the following Twitter hashtags:

• linkevents
• #meetingprofs
• #pcma
• #mpi
• #bizbash

How to Participate in Twitter Chats

• In Search, type in the Twitter Chat hashtag and hit "Enter".
• You'll see all of the tweets that have recently been posted using that hashtag.
• To add your content, type your tweet in the "What's Happening Field". Include the hashtag in your tweet. Presto, it will be visible to everyone monitoring that hashtag.

If you never participated in a Twitter chat, these videos will demonstrate how you can join in on Twitter or using applications like Tweetdeck or Twitter Chat.

Tweetdeck

Tweet Chat

Hoot Suite

Twitter Chat & Hashtag Definitions

Unfortunately, what the Hashtag (wthashtag.com) is no more but this tool is helpful in identifying what the various Twitter Chat & hashtags mean:

• Tagdef Hashtag Look up
  If you have a new chat or hashtag, you can also add and define it here.

Photo Credit: simonwheatley

Summary: It should not come as a surprise to executives that some members of your team have not been exposed to formal events and the etiquette and protocol that go with them. Companies can glean valuable lessons from the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton and add royal touches to their events to create truly memorable experiences. You can use these events to groom, coach and prepare high potential team members to interact with top tier clients and dignitaries as your company grows.

Luxury Corporate Event & Galas: Lessons from the Royal Wedding

(c) Copyright: The British Monarchy, Official Photo, For Edtorial Use Only, All Rights Reserved, Photographer: Hugo Burnand

In North America, there was a time, not too long ago, when semi-formal was the dress code for high school dances. For church, people wore their Sunday best and ladies wore hats and gloves. This started to change in the mid-1960s. We have now had 2 generations raised in an environment in which blue jeans are the order of the day for everything from graduation ceremonies and church to the ballet and symphony concerts. In fact, in generations in which rock and roll and hip hop have been the order of the day, many are not familiar with the classics in music or art. (Public schools have cut back on music and art programmes in many jurisdictions.)

It should not come as a surprise to executives in the USA and Canada, that some members of your team in their 20s, 30s and early 40s have been raised without exposure to more formal events and the etiquette and protocol that goes with them. It is not so in all parts of the world. This could prove to be a strategic disadvantage as your company grows and your business becomes international in scope. It is important to prepare your team as one never knows in which direction the camera is pointing or what antics will be captured for the world to see:

In the next decade, as baby boomers retire, team members will be promoted at an earlier and earlier age. As your company grows, your executive team  and professionals within your organization may need to interact with top tier clients in every corner of the globe. Some members of your team will need to interact with dignitaries and attend state and formal functions. What can you do to prepare your team to interact with ease and comfort in more formal settings?

• Sponsor formal and high profile events.
• Give members of your team opportunities to attend formal functions.
• Provide etiquette and protocol training.

You may want to consider adding formal touches to some corporate events and using them to groom your team. One way to do this is to incorporate some of the elements that the world has recently witnessed in the the royal wedding.

These event elements and trends aren't just for weddings but they can be incorporated into any luxury event.

• Celebrity Guests
• More Formal Dress Code
• Classical & Choral Music
• Flowers
• Gourmet Cuisine
• Formal Dining Etiquette
• Protocol and Etiquette Training

Celebrity Guests

At royal weddings, the presence of celebrity guests and dignitaries is a given. As your company grows, there will likely be a need for executives and other members of your team to interact with top tier clients and dignitaries. Give them practice by providing opportunities to represent your company at official functions, galas, polo events, equestrian events, etc. Bring former CEOs who have a high media profile back to speak to members of your team. Involve celebrities at kick-offs and other important events.

More Formal Dress Code

You may want to consider sponsoring or hosting some formal or semi-formal events and bringing an image consultant on-site to prepare and coach the members of your team.

Hats

Get it right and there will be free and positive media coverage:

What happens when you get it wrong? Negative publicity for and lots of it:

Classical Music & Choral Music

Music played a critical role in the royal wedding. Classical and choral music are important aspects of many formal events and official functions.

may want to consider taking your team to concerts, recitals and religious functions to broaden their musical horizons.

Flowers

Seasonal and organic flowers from Windsor Great Park's Valley Gardens in Surrey decorated Westminster Abbey.

Potted trees lined the Abbey with a stunning impact.

The use of fresh flowers and foliage can be used to add a natural touch and an outdoor feeling to any luxury event.

Gourmet Cuisine

The Royal Lunch Menu has some ideas that would be appropriate for luxury corporate events, formal weddings and galas.

The Royal Lunch Menu

"THE 650 wedding guests went back to Buckingham Palace to feast on a 'best of British' lunch - including bubble and squeak.

They ate more than 10,000 canapes, prepared by 21 chefs using ingredients from all over the UK.

The mouth-watering menu included Scottish smoked salmon roes on beetroot blini, roulade of goats’ cheese with caramelised walnuts, Cornish crab salad on lemon blini and quail's eggs.

Royal chef Mark Flanagan and his team also rustled up a pressed duck terrine with chutney, watercress and asparagus tart, honey-glazed chipolatas, smoked haddock fishcake, poached asparagus spears and mini Yorkshire puds with roast beef."

Read more: The Mirror UK

Here are more details about the reception and parties including menus and decorations:

"The couple emerged from Clarence House shortly after 7 p.m., before heading to the Palace with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Guests arrived at the predinner drinks reception through a candlelit walkway in the palace courtyard, welcomed by bagpipers.

They were served vintage pink champagne, peach bellinis and elderflower cocktails amid the backdrop of the palace's magnificent state apartments. Guests sipped drinks and gazed at paintings by the Old Masters, including Velazquez, Rubens and Van Dyck.

Shortly after 8 p.m., they were ushered into the palace's ballroom for dinner, the room complete with two huge thrones at one end, and an organ at the other.

"It looked absolutely stunning," said one guest. "There must have been at least 30 round tables, with 10 people on each, decorated with beautiful white flowers and candles.

"When we had arrived earlier, we were each given a little envelope with our table name on it, and the tables had a personal touch, too. They had clearly been named after places that were special to the couple and their friends."

Table names included "Lewa" -after Lewa Downs, the family home of William's friend, Jecca Craig, at the foot of Mount Kenya, where Prince William spent several months during his gap year and where he returned several times during his courtship.

There was also, of course, a "St. Andrews" table, after the Scottish university where the couple began their romance.

As everyone present at dinner was deemed "equally important" to the newlyweds, the tables were a mix of royals, family members and friends of the couple.

In keeping with the couple's "organic and local" theme, from the flowers and plants in Westminster Abbey to the canapés served at the lunch reception, guests at dinner were treated to a menu of British food created by Anton Mosimann, a leading chef and owner of the Mosimann's private dining club, where Prince William and Catherine are regulars. Dinner began dressed crab from Wales, accompanied with mini crab timbale, crayfish and prawns, described by a guest as "exquisitely delicious."

A main course of lamb filet from the Castle of Mey, the former Scottish residence of the late Queen Mother, followed, before guests were treated to trifle, chocolate fondant and homemade ice cream in brandy-snap baskets.

The meal, which lasted for about two hours, was accompanied with wines -a white Meursault Burgundy and Pomerol claret and described by another guest as "stunningly good." When the petit-fours and coffee had been served, it was time for the speeches."

Prince Harry finished off the speeches at about 11: 30 p.m., announcing to guests: "Now, we have a bit of a surprise for you all," before they were ushered through to the Throne Room, which had been transformed into what one guest described as "a massive night club."

The room, which had earlier been the setting for the formal Royal wedding photographs, now had a stage, a dance floor and a cocktail bar serving champagne, spirits and mojito cocktails.

"The huge chandelier in the Throne Room had been cleverly covered with a kind of curtain or cylinder, which had laser and strobe lights on it for the dance floor," said a guest.

"There was a huge bar in the middle of the room, lots of sofas for everyone to lounge on when they weren't on the dance floor, and a stage for the band."

At 2 a.m., waiters handed around bacon sandwiches.

The couple and their guests then made their way out into the palace gardens, where, on the edge of the lawn, just before 3 a.m., they were treated to a "spectacular" fireworks display as the couple were driven away in a convertible vintage Fiat 500 with "RAF" emblazoned on its side -albeit just around the corner as they spent their first night as married couple at Buckingham Palace.

(c) Copyright, The Ottawa Citizen

Read more:

A Party Fit for a Princess

Photos:

• The Royal Wedding Cake
• The McVities Chocolate Cake

Formal Dining Etiquette

Definitely invest some time in preparing members of your team who will be representing your company at formal and official functions. An upbeat and enjoyable vehicle would be a cooking team building event that includes practice in formal table setting and a formal dinner or afternoon. An expert in formal dining etiquette can provide coaching and tips during this event. Then, sponsor or host a formal event to give your team more practice.

Continental vs. American Dining Etiquette

Protocol and Etiquette

(c) Copyright: MOD/Crown, UK Ministry of Defense, Photographer: Amanda Reynolds

Every formal event or official function has it's protocol. Before members of you team attend any official function, it is important to become familialr with what is expected. An etiquette coach can work with members of your team and coach them before important events. Here is what people were briefed to expect for the royal wedding

What are some do's and don't for royal weddings and other formal affairs:

Here is a summary of the etiquette guide that guests received with their invitation:

Let's end with some fun, a basic royal etiquette primer provided by Sharon Osbourne: