Every business owner and employee should have a clear idea of who their ideal client is.  That person who will provide your business with a key relationship, someone you love to work with and who speaks positively about you to everyone they meet. In identifying your key client, it's important to think about what and how much business they will give you, who they could refer you to, how enjoyable it will be working with them and how you can foster and develop that relationship.  An ideal client for Functions & Events would be the PA, EA, event organiser or meeting planner that has mulitple events to organise throughout the year, and doesn't want to waste time ringing round umpteen venues trying to find suitable spaces.  Functions & Events can help these people by providing them with multiple venue options so they get variety with their functions, and if one venue is unavailable, there will certainly be other options that are available.  If you know someone who could benefit from the services Functions & Events offers, direct them to our website www.functionsandevents.co.nz or get them to give us a call today 09 573 0078.

I was going to write a piece about important the little details are and then I came across this blog - says it all I think!

http://customerservice.eventmagazine.co.uk/2012/06/26/little-things-mean-a-lot-customer-service-for-the-events-industry/

Having the right venue for your function can make or break the success of your event.  Here are a few things to think about when choosing a venue:

1.  Guest numbers.  It may sound like an obvious one, but make sure the venue you choose can comfortably accommodate your guests.  If the venue is too small, uncomfortable will be the word of the day; too large and it will be difficult to create a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.

2.  Convenience.  You want your venue of choice to be easy to locate, have plenty of parking and be easy to access.  If you choose a venue that is hidden away and difficult to find, your guests will end up being stressed, late or possibly lost!

3.  Wet weather options.  If your function is being held at a fickle time of year weather wise, ensure your venue has wet weather cover or is a venue where the rain won't impact your event.  Keep in mind the average temperature and make sure there is adequate air conditioning in summer and heating in winter.  It's super hard to concentrate if you're sweating up a storm or chilled to the bone!

4.  Venue Inspection.  The majority of venues will welcome an inspection by their clients as it gives them an opportunity to showcase their site as well as meet their customers and get a thorough understanding of their needs.  By meeting venue staff, it helps you to feel more comfortable that you have chosen the right venue for your function and confident that the event will run smooothly.

5.  Venue Services.  Make sure you have a good understanding of what services the venue provides.  Do they supply food or do you need to organise an external caterer?  Are staff provided with venue hire?  Are security staff included in venue hire?  Are there any restrictions the venue has in place?  For example, some venues have decorative restrictions where you can't attach decorations to walls.  Can you play our own music or does it have to be the house music?  If you have special dietary requirements, can the venue accommodate those or are you allowed to bring your own food?

These points are a small snapshot of things to think about - when organising a function there are a multitude of things to think about!  However, if the basics are covered, the rest is easy!

Happy New Year everybody! The teams at Functions and Events are ready for another big year and have a lot of things in the pipeline.

We are already working on packages for Auckland’s big events coming up such as pre-game hospitality packages for the Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park and the New Zealand v Ireland rugby match, we have function space in the heart of the Viaduct for the Volvo Ocean race allowing those who get in quick enough to book prime location to welcome those for the Auckland stopover not to mention we will also be at convene to showcase the many venues we have throughout Auckland and Christchurch.  It’s going to be an exciting year and with the help of our clients we hope to make it a memorable one.

Handy Tip:  Social Functions – When organizing a function, ask for input or ideas from your guests. You don’t want to be booking a venue that half your staff or colleagues despise or find it hard to organize their transportation to and from. Also, think about the smaller things, do people have enough time to get there after work, does everyone know the dress code and what time do you expect everyone to arrive? As the last thing you want is for the bulk of the food to come out when barely any of the guests have arrived.

What a fantastic year we had last year at Functions and Events!

Rugby World Cup turned out to be a great success for our venues and was great for those corporates that organized their functions from multinationals such as DHL right through overseas agents from England, France and South Africa to name a few. With events such as corporate hosting on the viaduct, pre-game hospitality only a stone’s throw away from Eden Park right down to dining in exclusive dining rooms all over Auckland for those who wanted something a bit more intimate while watching those last teeth clenching knockout matches.

With Christmas queries coming through by the dozen shortly after the final whistle there was no time for the team at Functions and Events to wind down – with all kinds of events such as cocktail parties in The Elephant Wrestlers sun kissed courtyard, social drinks and nibbles in the bustling viaduct, ladies lunch in the new Merchant Bar and Kitchen in Albany right through to intimate sit down dinners for 60 in the stunning Bridgman Room with Valley Rooftop Terrace our clients definitely found themselves spoilt for choice.

BUT IT DOESENT STOP THERE!

With 2012 bringing wonderful and exciting new things the team at Functions and Events are working hard at offering client packages for Bledisloe Cup and other Eden park Events not to mention day time corporate and business meetings in our fully equipped and exclusive function rooms if you’re planning something this year and want to have a stress free time doing it – contact us now and let us cater to your taste, needs and budget!!!

Handy tip for the New Year: When dealing with clients in today’s modern society, too many people are hiding behind their emails while trying to build relationships. Try giving your valued clients a courtesy call to see how things are and if they are happy with the service they are currently receiving– you will be surprised at the new opportunities that will arise. These may be referrals for companies and contacts that are interested in your services through to finding out further details about your client and what processes they make when making decisions which will help you find ways to further apply your goods and services to their company.