Business Etiquette Do And Don’ts And The Correct Way To Put Together Your Shows

I was recently bidding for a video projection system and both myself and one of my competitors were presenting basically the same product.

When it get to this point and the product is the same, the client will normally choose the person they like and feel most confident with.

So when putting a show together what are some of the Business Etiquette Do And Don’ts that you should consider?

1) Tell Your Staff First

I remember once I had an idea for a special event and in my enthusiasm and excitement I told one of my suppliers about the event and the possibility of working with them at the event.

Not long after, my Marketing Manager came to see me all upset because she had had 5 or 6 calls from people who wanted to work with us on the project, except she didn’t know anything about it and not only felt stupid to the suppliers, was disappointed with me for not discussing the ideas with her first.

So always begin your projects by having internal meetings and discussing ideas with your team before you announce outside of the company.

2) Lock Everything Down Before Announcing

Make sure your venue, sponsors, suppliers, guest speakers and all the other key elements of the show are locked in place before you announce the event.

There is nothing worse than having to go back to all your invited guests that everything has changed.

3) Plan Your Venue Etiquette

Over the last month I have attended a number of shows where the venue has failed to deliver well.

On 3 occasions electrical power was turned on late, delaying the ingress of equipment.

On one occasion the air-conditioning system was turned off before the end of the event.

Lights that take for ever to turn off during the special reveal, no hanging points for lighting and sound, dirty toilets, poor parking, over eager and hostile security guards are just a few of the problems that you may experience.

The list of problems associated with venues is too long to mention here and all of these problems can affect the comfort and attitude of your visitors.

Make sure that you have discussed all of these points clearly with the venue and discussed penalties for errors.

4) Invites And Thank You.

When inviting guests, the invite should be personalized. “To Whom It May Concern” is a terrible and unthoughtful way to invite.

Invites should be sent out in plenty of time to allow your guest to book the day for you, but not too far away from the event that they will forget.

You are OK to send reminders, but do not over do it and you should probably send a reminder the day before.

Once they have confirmed, paid or responded in some way, always send a thank you note.

Make your guest feel loved and they will love you back.

5) Working With Idiots And Those Who Do Not Care.

A friend of mine was planning a very special firewalking event and contracted a local marketing team to promote and invite the guests.

The marketing team came recommended for having a large database, however it was discovered that not only had they bought the database from a worker at a credit card facility (illegally), but that they also hadn’t made a single invite 2 days before the event.

Never be tempted to work with this kind of group, even if they come recommended.

If you feel something is wrong, follow your intuition as there is probably something wrong.

I once was given some advice (20 years ago) and my mentor said…“If they give you problems before the contract is signed, expect bigger problems once the contract is signed”

These are just a few of the very basic Business Etiquette Do And Don’ts and yet they often get forgotten or overlooked.

Having been in the entertainment and show production business for nearly 20 years, I have seen many of these problems happen over and over again and if you are planning an event, you absolutely must plan for these obstacles.

Business Etiquette Do And Don'ts

Judy Allen, author of at least 10 books about staging and events has put together an incredible resource all about Business Etiquette Do And Don’ts to help you plan the perfect event.

Judy has put together events in over 30 different countries and works at events for huge corporations such as Disney’s Beauty and the Beasts Gala night.