San Juan Island – Congratulations!!

Want a very special place to hold your next event or corporate retreat? Not only is San Juan Island beautiful as well as protected forever, now it's also acknowledged as the top island in the US by TripAdvisor! Kudos to all!!

From our good friends at the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau:

San Juan Island Voted Top Island
2013 TRIPADVISOR TRAVELERS’ CHOICE ISLANDS AWARD

Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, WA – March 26, 
Good things come in pairs! Today San Juan Island was acknowledged as the top Island in the United States by TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice® Islands awards. Yesterday, President Obama established the San Juan Islands National Monument, which includes 955 acres of cherished land throughout the San Juan Islands archipelago.
 
Travelers’ Choice® awards honor top islands around the world, based entirely on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers. In total, more than 100 winning islands were named across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, South Pacific and the U.S.
 
“We’re delighted that San Juan Island is honored as both the top island in the U.S. and as a top four world pick in the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Islands awards,” said Deborah Hopkins, Executive Director for the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau. "We'd like to thank the travelers who have made this win possible, simply by sharing their love of the sparkling waters, abundant wildlife, outdoor recreation and vibrant arts scene that San Juan Island offers on TripAdvisor."
 
“Whether you’re looking for idyllic palm-lined islands, or islands that offer a more cultural experience, you’ll find inspiration in these lists,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.  “From the world famous to the hidden gems, what unifies every award winner is the fantastic feedback from travelers across the globe.”
 
The San Juan Islands are a magnificent 172-island archipelago in the heart of the Salish Sea in Washington State. Washington’s newest scenic byway, the Islands attract visitors year-round to the three main islands of Orcas, Lopez and San Juan. Extensive national, state and county parks, and new national monument status, preserve a coastline renowned for whale and wildlife viewing. Boat and kayak tours offer up-close views of wildlife and uninhabited islands.
 
The complete list of 2013 Travelers’ Choice Islands can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Islands

TripAdvisor®—the world's largest travel site*—offers advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 200 million unique monthly visitors**, and over 100 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com.

Photo by Mark Gardner via SJI Visitors Bureau and shows the Cattle Point Lighthouse, part of the new San Juan Islands National Monument
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, January 2013
**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, January 2013 ©2013 TripAdvisor, Inc.
All rights reserved. SOURCE TripAdvisor

Wing Luke Museum Auction - This Saturday!!

Just a quick reminder that the 2013 Dinner & Auction to benefit the Wing Luke Museum will be held this coming Saturday, March 23.  Tickets are still available to this wonderful event.  If you're unable to attend the dinner and live auction, you can still participate and bid by proxy. The artwork being auctioned is breathtaking and other items include luxe weekend getaways. A must-attend event.

Celebrate Year of the Snake

Celebrate Year of the Snake is the signature dinner & auction for the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. Enjoy dinner, drinks, good company, and lively bidding. The auction features art from renowned and emerging artists, wine and unique experiences. All proceeds raised from the event supports The Wing's educational and public program

Tickets levels:
General - $200 after Feb 28, $210 day-of
VIP - $290 after Feb 28, $300 day-of

Erin go Bragh and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's the one day of the year when we're all a little bit Irish. Of course, we Yanks have adopted St. Patrick's Day as a holiday of our own and our celebrations tend to be more, shall I say 'boisterous', than the original.  But even if you don't have Ryans or O'Tooles in your ancestral background, there are lots of fun ways to celebrate. We're trying to decide if we'll share these at the office....or take them home all for ourselves. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The fun gang at Cupcake Royale have a killer cupcake that's available only through March 17. Here's their description —   "Introducing our booziest cupcake yet - Irish Cake Bomb! The luck of the Irish blended this moist chocolate cupcake with Ballard based Hilliard Brewery's Stout and filled the cake with a bomb of decadent Jameson Whiskey buttercream frosting. Not stopping there- the cupcake is crowned with a whipped Irish Cream frosting and dusted with shiny gold sprinkles and shamrocks. Truly the pot-of-gold at the end of our cupcake rainbow!"

Not to be outdone, The Confectional offers their Bailey's Chocolate Chunk cheesecake only during March.
"This staff favorite is made only for the month of March each year. Real Bailey's Irish Cream in the batter and chunks of rich dark chocolate inside, bake up to some serious perfection. We can't get enough of this one for ourselves! Baked on our chocolate crust."

Waterways Easter Cruises – Book NOW!!

The sunny days last weekend were just a teaser of things to come. It's still Winter, but there's a cherry tree in full pink glory out front and the currants in the back yard are also in bloom. Spring, and Easter, are just around the corner.

Apropos to the promise of Spring, our friends at Waterways Cruises reminded us to book now for their Easter Brunch and Easter Dinner cruises on Sunday, March 31st.

Celebrate Easter with an extraordinary brunch or dinner cruise aboard a beautiful Waterways yacht! Easter Cruises feature a champagne toast upon boarding, live music and an expansive array of Northwest brunch or dinner favorites. Make your dining experience even more special with handcrafted cocktails, personalized cakes, flowers, or other cruise enhancements!

Easter Brunch Cruise
Easter Brunch Cruise departs at 11:00 am on Sunday, March 31 from the Kirkland Marina Park. Tickets are $59/General, $54/Senior or Military, $32/Child (5-12 years old), no charge for children 4 and younger.* BUY TICKETS ONLINE

Easter Dinner Cruise
Easter Dinner Cruise departs at 4:30 pm on Sunday, March 31 from the Waterways Cruises HomePort. Tickets are $62/General, $56/Senior or Military, $35/Child (5-12 years old), no charge for children 4 and younger.*  BUY TICKETS ONLINE

Call 206-223-2060 for groups of 8 or more guests.

Planning ... Planning and Timeline Process

MANAGING THE DETAILS
This is what meeting and event planners are famous for and everyone has tools to help them be successful. Everyone develops his or her own style and methods, but generally detail management includes these elements:

• TASKS... determine the tasks needed to be completed to ensure a successful event


• ORDER... determine the order in which these tasks need to be completed


• DEADLINE... determine the time by which they need to be completed


• DELEGATE... determine if, and to whom, they can be delegated

This is where you'll hear those magic words:
TIMETABLES, WORKPLANS AND CHECKLISTS

THREE-PART TIMELINE
One simple way to begin managing your information is to break your timeline into three parts:

1. PRE-EVENT or MEETING
2. ON-SITE
3. POST-EVENT or MEETING

You can then add the functional sub-categories under each part, like event design, speaker recruitment, marketing and promotion, registration, site selection, etc. Determine what needs to be accomplished during each phase.

MANAGEMENT TIMELINE
(SAMPLE TIMELINE)

12-18 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT

• Suggest program and "needs" list subjects
• Define audiences
• Determine needs
• Draft theme/title
• Determine pricing
• Establish program budget
• Select dates
• Conduct site inspections
• Book meeting, banquet, and sleeping room space

9-12 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT

• Determine speakers
• Determine agenda: business and social
• Contact speakers
• Contract for event-specific social media app
• Contract transportation: ground and air
• Coordinate facility needs
• Send "save the date" mailings to audiences
• Solicit exhibits and sponsors

6-9 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT

• Review program needs
• Review audio visual needs
• Review and refine budget
• Review and release social media app to attendees
• Select catering and event menus and themes
• Communicate with vendors
• Establish registration procedure
• Design registration materials
• and so on...

USING A WORKPLAN
Once you have determined the tasks, give them a deadline and delegate. Responsibilities may be assigned to individuals, groups, committees, or suppliers, such as hotels, caterers, etc. Even if you are the ONLY person working on your event, suppliers or vendors do have a place in your delegation timeline. They need to get back to you in a timely way that works for you; you need to get signed contracts and guarantees back to them. Through the WORKPLAN you can manage the details.

Planning ... Good Planning Starts With A Budget

PREPARING A BUDGET
Preparing a budget is critical to effective meeting or event management. The budget provides you with the control and accountability for all meeting revenues and expenses. Your meeting objectives will influence both the revenues and the expenses of the program. Whatever the goal, it is important to document everything you commit to spending so you know at any time where you stand financially. A well-developed financial plan is a tool to guide the planner in making decisions and identifying priorities throughout the event.

REVENUE
There are two concerns in creating a budget: revenue and expenses. Revenue is determined if you are going to expect income. How will it be generated? Registration fees, exhibitor fees, sponsorships, individual event fees, concession fees, are all ways money is brought in. How much income will you expect to receive in each category?

EXPENSES
After determining your NEEDS PROFILE and your SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, you can develop a list of expenses involved or anticipated with each item. Don't forget the costs of administration, phone, mailings & emails, faxes, staff, and supplies—in other words, your overhead. Experience helps in this process, but if you are a novice, you can do some research with vendors to determine reasonable estimates at this stage.

GOOD PLANNING AND BUDGETING
Good planning results in meeting your objectives. During the budget portion of planning, determine what your financial goals are as well. Determine what the group expects to gain. Should the meeting make money, lose money, or break even? If the group wants to make a profit, the amount or percentage should be determined in this initial stage.

SAMPLE BUDGET WORKSHEET

EFESTĒ Event Planner Open House

We just got the following from our friends at EFESTĒ. Sounds like a good chance to check out not only a great venue, but also some super vendors!

When: Thursday, February 28, 2013 from 3:00pm to 7:00pm
Where:  EFESTĒ Winery, 19730 144th Ave NE, Woodinville

Planning an event? Then don’t miss this opportunity to see our venue and taste our fantastic wines paired with samples from our catering menus.

Our in-house caterer will be firing up the pizza oven and serving tantalizing tastes from their most popular menus.

A number of other vendors who can help you create the party of a lifetime will be joining us including:

• Green Apple Catering
• ABC Special Event Rentals by Cort
• Fun Frames Photo Booth
• Fena Flowers
• Jay Hayes, DJ of Mobile Celebrations
• Nash Fung Seattle Magician
• Studio Baisa Fotograferie

RSVP now, and come see why EFESTĒ is the place for memorable events!