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The world of event planning has never seemed so healthy, despite what many consider to be an ongoing and possibly deepening risk of recession. We never tire of gathering together for a myriad of reasons and sporting events, social activities, commercial functions, smaller celebrations, society weddings and all the way up to giant conventions and conferences.

At the time of writing preparations were well in hand for one of the leading events in the industry, the Event Production Show, which takes place in central London during the winter. Of course London will be the center of attention in 2012 as the Olympic games get underway, but the British capital is also gearing up for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and numerous other keynote events.

Event production is an exciting and challenging sphere of business. For event planning companies however one thing is a  constant and must be remembered, no matter how small or large the function concerned.

Event planners know that they must live by the motto, to never leave any stone unturned as they put together a first-class event from “soup to nuts.” The proverbial stone, if left unturned, can hide something that will according to our good old friend Mr. Murphy, significantly and adversely affect the running of the event itself. What it means in other words is that every “what if” scenario should be investigated and it is up to event planning companies and their principles to anticipate different scenarios as they lay out the course of the event.

When an event goes smoothly and all those involved go away with good memories, the sponsor of the event is happy, the associated brand is well represented and all attendees are richer for having attended. Yet unless many different stones were turned over to see what was beneath, something untoward could have cropped up to derail the best of intentions. What happens if another event encroaches on yours, causing the possibility of a reschedule? What if a keynote performer fails to materialize? Do you have a backup plan in case of electrical or equipment failure at an important point in proceedings?

It doesn’t matter whether you are preparing for a large family wedding or a qualifying event in the Rugby World Cup, event production must be carefully analyzed from the point of view of a master logistician. When you think that you have covered “everything” go over it all again and ask your “what if” question from a number of different perspectives. That’s what it takes to be successful in this industry.

It has been quite a long time- 1965 actually. However, in one of the unexpected performances in the professional rally race season this year a MINI is atop the leaderboard during a world rally championship event.

After day one of the Rally De France Alsace, a brutally fast event that takes place in roughly the middle of the host nation, the MINI WRC piloted by Danny Sordo was simply one second in front of multiple former world champ Petter Solberg with a Citroen.

Although the superior player within the sport at present – Sebastian Loeb -had pulled out his Citroen earlier on during the event because of terminal engine failure, all of the other championship protagonists remained very much in the fight. That puts the overall performance by the MINI world championship team in a terrific perspective. On one of the more competitive rally race events of the year, this team (only on the 4th competitive event ever) was firmly displaying the potential of the tiny, 300 horsepower and 4 wheel drive car.

The MINI venture is the idea of world rally supremo David Richards, a former champion navigator himself and best known for being linked to the Prodrive Subaru Impreza rally cars, at one time dominant within the sport. Richards was in a position to persuade BMW to permit him to produce a competitive rally team with the goal of setting MINI back on top in the world of rallying, more than 4 decades later.

The whole sport welcomed the return of MINI, after a couple of lean years where rally race events were fundamentally contested between the factory teams of Ford and Citroen. It seems that the world rally race circuit is headed for quite a few competitive seasons ahead, particularly when we bear in mind that Volkswagen has recently dedicated to participating in a full season from 2013 on. All we’d like now is for the WRC to spread its wings a little bit and think about a visit to the USA. While some event planning companies have put forward ideas to help attract the series to the world’s biggest car market, fans in the United States can only wait with bated breath. With Ford, MINI and Volkswagen all found commercially in the US, it would appear to make lots of sense from the point of view of participation, branding and exposure and there’s a great deal of fine territory to select from, too.

One of the coolest event entertainment ideas we recently engaged was the singing waiter concept. Generally, a group of three individuals who are dressed appropriately so that they fit in with the all the other individual staff as waiters bring dinner courses and bottles of wine to your guests. They are outwardly friendly and effervescent, instantly engaging the guests with their charm, although once again they do not stand out “like a sore thumb” amongst the other, regular staff at that particular establishment.

However, when the dessert is in the process of being served one of the individuals will seamlessly convert, midsentence, into song, which is perfectly coordinated with an adjustment to the sound system in the venue by an assistant, backstage. Quickly, the other waiters join in and they begin their repertoire. Of course they are very talented singers and the guests are simply amazed at this transformation right in front of their eyes.

The best event planning companies are constantly on the lookout for innovative and fresh acts to augment their next production. There are literally dozens of ideas for novel event entertainment. How about a living statue, once again to “scare” all of your attendees? What about a barbershop quartet? This is very nostalgic and nothing can beat an a cappella group.

An artist can be strategically placed to create caricatures of attendees and this can be a great keepsake idea too. Following on from that theme what about a sixty second novelist? This guy is quite an entertainer in his own right and arrives with one of those old, manual typewriters. He asks your guests if you simple questions and then turns out their life story in 1 minute flat. Of course it’s written from a creative angle, imaginative, ever so funny and based on the factual information that they supplied him.

Whenever they can, the best event planning companies do their best to tailor make any event entertainment. Many performers and acts are able to customize their individual shows in this way, creating such a memorable experience while also ensuring that brand management is front and center. Remember that the client – the one that pays the bills – wants the attendees to be well catered for and to go away with good memories linked inexorably with that brand name. Its your job as an event planner to supersede all expectations, on a regular basis and with consistency.

It’s easy to understand why we love driving so much. It gives us freedom, the opportunity to get out and enjoy some of the beautiful scenery and there is nothing quite like a great drive in the countryside to take your mind off some of life’s little imperfections! Ever since Henry Ford delivered the original model T to the masses, this style of transportation has been part of our way of life and it’s hardly surprising that it has become intertwined with our very culture and an important part of the special event spectrum as well. While competition is always synonymous with the automobile, dating back to the 1908 New York to Paris Race and others, some of the best automotive related special events are not truly competitive as such, but equally as exciting nonetheless.

Major organizations are always on the lookout for a unique branding exercise, a way to foster customer relations and a vehicle that can provide them with some publicity. A specially designed rally race can help them on all fronts. Working with dedicated event planning companies, these organizations can help to develop specific rally race events that focus on particular selling points, hit all the right buttons in terms of marketing and public relations and help to build that feeling of camaraderie among participants. At the end of a successful event like this all those who took part should go away with fond memories and this, subconsciously, helps to cement that all-important relationship with the sponsoring organization.

A rally race event specifically designed for promotional purposes in this way can be as complex or as challenging as the client and participants prefer. Many of them can take on specific navigational challenges, calling for both driver and passenger to be “on their toes” as they navigate their way across the countryside. Some of them can have additional autotest-style maneuvers, which take place on areas of private land especially prepared for the purpose. This helps to inject an additional element of fun and a little bit of that competitive spirit between all the drivers.

We live in such a beautiful country, where excellent “driver’s” roads are never far away from our towns and cities. It’s great to be able to enjoy exploring these roads along with other like-minded individuals as part of an especially prepared rally race challenge like this. Long may we savor this freedom and our passion for the car!

Proving that no obstacle is too great when it comes to the organization of rally race events, a New England company recently resurrected one of America’s oldest traditions, a 7.6 mile hill climb special stage rising up to the top of Mount Washington.

Vermont SportsCar breathed life back into this event after a 10 year break and there were no shortage of participants who wanted to have a go at setting a new record on the daunting, paved road.

As might be expected, a rally race event like this is very much a challenge. The road is twisty and undulating, goes through a variety of different terrain and it’s not unusual for the weather conditions to change during the course of an ascent.

Rally drivers arrived from all over the country and abroad to take on the Climb to the Clouds auto race and one of the premier teams to attempt to break the record was the Subaru Rally Team USA, who brought former British national rally champion David Higgins over to drive the Impreza WRX STI up the hill.

Organizers and spectators were not to be disappointed either, as Higgins was able to set an all-time record of 6 min. 11.54 seconds, despite inclement weather conditions on the day. As enthusiasts may know the Subaru Impreza has a long and storied history in the world of rally race, notably at world championship level.

Despite the theoretical availability of first-class “rally” roads in the United States, there are only a handful of official events throughout the year. Perhaps the most famous hillclimb version is the Pike’s Peak event, over the Independence Day weekend. Event planning companies who specialize in this type of protection should be lauded for their efforts to bring this most spectacular form of motorsport to reality.

How important is sustainability in the world of corporate event planners these days? According to an annual survey of global meeting and event professionals, increasingly so. The platform Future Watch indicates that more than 40% of these event planners say they are totally committed to weaving that shade of green into the body of their events.

Environmental responsibility has been cited as a significant challenge by top corporate CEOs around the world in other recent surveys. While there may not be such a strong push toward the regulation of carbon emissions in our delicate economy these days, organizations nevertheless see the benefit – both from an internal and an external perspective – of going green.

Corporate event planners who work for very environmentally conscious clients need to be able to go the extra distance and make sure that they apply stringent standards throughout their own supply chain. In other words this means that they have to reach out to venue providers, such as hotels to see just how environmentally responsible they are, in turn. The planners need to be able to incorporate the use of elements that recognize the value of sustainability. They need to be able to use renewable fuel sources where at all possible.

Many events use high levels of disposables and recycling simply must be a top priority. Organic foods should be selected for banquet functions and waste should be avoided at all costs. For example, bottles of water should not be set out for participants as a matter of course, but should be available as and when needed.

Many forward reaching venues are going out of their way to ensure that they are sustainable. They realize that their clients in turn demand this and make sure that they trumpet the availability of energy saving initiatives and other sustainable practices.

Corporate event planners have to tread a very delicate line between the greenback and the green meeting. Budgets are under a lot of pressure and financial conformity does not always, automatically, walk in lockstep with the need to be sustainable.

It’s certainly a good idea for event planners to familiarize themselves with all current and emerging trends in this area and to be ready and willing to incorporate environmentally responsible elements. Its no longer gimmicky or “cool” but an integral part of the industry. Ignore at your peril, but tread cautiously to make sure that you don’t make any hasty declarations or assumptions!