Confessions of an Event Planner: Case Studies from the Real World of Events--How to Handle the Unexpected and How to Be a Master of Discretion

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xix

1 Meetings, Mayhem and Margaritaville 1
Em finds herself in a distressing real-life situation that tests her ability to walk the fine event planning line of giving her clients what they want and keeping the guests safe.

Q&A and Assignments 34

2 Sun Jammin’ 49
Em and her staff fall into a delicate situation when their client’s mistress—who is also his executive assistant—decides that she wants to go on the company trip. The situation is serious, as the client’s wife and children are on the program as well.

Q&A and Assignments 72

3 You Want Me To Try Alligator, Rattlesnake and What??? 91
Em experiences the difficulties of managing a client’s demanding wants and whims during a site inspection and finds herself in a sticky situation.

Q&A and Assignments 111

4 Wedding Daze 121
Em saves the day—or rather the cake—when attending a personal, not professional event, and takes her creativity to new levels.

Q&A and Assignments 124

5 From City Lights to Desert Nights 127
Em and her team are faced with handling their first death on a program, on top of handling the ongoing hijinks of some well-known attendees during their event.

Q&A and Assignments 148

6 Inventive Incentives 161
Em’s innovative design creativity helps one company with limited funds meet their company objectives by developing a multi-tier program that has three events taking place at once in three different parts of the world.

Q&A and Assignment 164

7 All Hail (or Oh, Hell) to the Man Who Would Be King 167
Em and her team handle a difficult client on top of an intricate event program. They must devise ways to manage both successfully making this a true test of their talents.

Q&A and Assignments 184

8 Long Commute to Work 189
Em sets out on her own to do a site inspection for a client and then heads to a nearby destination to check it out as a possible incentive destination for other groups.

Q&A and Assignments 197

9 Guests Gone Wild 205
Em and her team have to deal with an abusive guest who goes out of control, is fired on the spot and is sent back home but not before causing more havoc and added drama.

Q&A and Assignments 215

10 Taking an Ethical Stand 221
Em has to make the decision whether to keep or “fire” a client. She has her personal and company’s reputation at stake and knows that sometimes it is best to walk away.

Q&A and Assignments 227

11 Social Agenda 231
Em and her team take on their first nonprofit event and experience firsthand the challenges nonprofits face when creating events with limited funds.

Q&A and Assignments 248

12 Rocking the Casbah 255
Em has another encounter with DiamondDiva but this time around she is going in knowing exactly what to expect and how to handle her client demands in a way that causes her no stress and protects her client, her company and her own composure.

Assignment 257

Conclusion 259

Final Assignment 261