Anticipation is high. Your guests have purchased elegant attire and they’re imagining what the evening might bring. Maybe they’re even crossing off days on their calendars, waiting for the date of the BIG event to arrive. The stakes are pretty high as well, and unfortunately, so is the pressure on you to get everything just right. Ellie Madson, Senior Meeting Planning Specialist at RBC Wealth Management knows exactly how that feels...and has some expert suggestions on what you can do about it.
Q. Briefly tell us about RBC Wealth Management and what you do there.
A. RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) Wealth Management is a full-service financial institution. As Senior Meeting Planning Specialist, I plan meetings and events for our 2,000 advisors. RBC holds approximately 25 meetings per year, including two recognition trips.
Q. What are some notable upscale events you’ve planned in the past?
A. Each year, we plan two recognition trips for our top financial advisors – one for the top 150, which is our Chairman’s Council; the second for the top 250, known as our President’s Council. We hold a gala for each which is an upscale, formal and highly decorated event for these top producing advisors and their guests.
Q. When planning this type of event, what’s the first thing a planner should do?
A. Consider how you can create an experience for the attendees; something that they would not be able to do if they were at that destination on their own. At RBC, we take the guests off-site and create an event that pertains to our destination. For example, our event last year took place in Jamaica. We brought the attendees up to an old plantation house and created a unique atmosphere. We tented the area, hung chandeliers over each table, had custom linens made, created menus that were printed on hand-held fans and ended the evening with a private fireworks display.
Also, when choosing our destination, we want to make sure we schedule during our destination’s best season. So last year’s event in Jamaica took place in April, while the next event, our Alaskan cruise, will take place in July.
Q. When choosing a venue, what do you look for?
A. We need to find a space for these events that can accommodate up to 500 guests. As such, we consider logistics — everything from arrival to departure — to make sure the event flows well. We stagger arrivals so that all the guests aren’t clustered in any one area. We determine the timing and how we’ll move groups from one space to another — for example, from a cocktail area to a mingling area, to dinner and then to after-dinner spaces.
Q. If you need to hire talent (an emcee, entertainment) where do you start? What do you look for?
A. When hiring talent, we like to keep it local because we want our attendees to get a taste of the culture that surrounds them. For example, in Jamaica, we featured several musical acts from the area. This included a Children’s Choir, a Reggae band and a Steel Drum orchestra.
Q. What do you consider when addressing the décor of the event?
A. We like to brainstorm quite a bit about décor. We try to utilize the hottest trends, as well as tie everything into the venue. At our last Gala at the Plantation in Jamaica, we used a variety of candles, muted colors and lace linens, to create a romantic-historic feeling. For us, it’s all about creating a unique experience for our guests.
Q. What are some last minute must-do’s to get done before the event?
A. There are a number of things that you should think about leading up to your event. A few of them include: planning for possible weather delays; confirming transportation logistics including VIP transfers; performing a sound and lighting check and making any adjustments; double-checking seating assignments; making any last-minute script changes; and reviewing timing of your event with banquet and event staff.
Q. Anything else?
A. It’s easy to get carried away with all the details, so be sure to keep your clients goals and objectives in mind.
