Seminar for personal assistants: skill of firefighting is the main thing in event arrangement
ABT-ACTE Russia educational session «When a personal assistant is ... an event manager» was devoted to attention to details, double checking, conclusions and the need for change. The event was held in the Savoy on April 24 with the support of the French-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Air Charter Service, luxury hotel operator Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and McArthurGlen, owner, operator and developer of designer outlets.
The educational session gathered personal assistants, coordinators, reception staff from companies like Kaspersky Lab, Prahs, EuroChem, JP Morgan, Covidien, Social Discovery Ventures, Danfoss, Citibank, Rosbank, Zimmer and others. More than a third of participants admitted that event arrangement was already one of their responsibilities. The others will probably have to deal with this hard task in the future.
«Any corporate event is a project and it should be regarded correspondingly», is the opinion of Irina Zernova, business process and administrative director of Visa. The speaker divided all the events into several types: internal (for employees) and external, local and outdoor, as well as those organized with the help of an agency. At the same time, Ms Zernova supposes, cooperation with an event agency does not waive responsibility off the organizer, but requires even more control. Only a double check or even a triple check, which is better, can guarantee that the event will be a success.
Nevertheless, the speaker says, there are no events that go 100% smoothly: «No matter how well-prepared you are, there will be emergency situations all the same. The main thing is the skill to put out fires, to react to non-routine situations quickly. I remember having an event in Hotel National. There was a very pleasant old man in the cloakroom, but he could not cope with the large flow of guests alone. We had not foreseen this, but found the way out quite quickly: our girls started helping him. Remember that „the theater begins with the cloakroom“ and pay due attention to details».
The expert stressed that after the event is over you should thank everyone who took part in its preparation, and hold a blamestorming: you should discuss what you liked and what you didn`t. Such «lessons» will help you not to repeat your mistakes.
Ms Zernova brought the example of the event Mikhail Gorbachev took part in, which she visited when she just started working in the American Chamber of Commerce (her previous job). There were more guests than it had been planned — so hotel staff and the organizers had to carry extra tables into the hall right during the event in order to provide seats for everyone. And although it is a very rare situation — on the contrary, usually about 10% of guests do not arrive at all — at all the events Ms Zernova arranges, there is an extra table, even though it is in the corner and not laid.
After the expert shared her experience, she stressed that in order to arrange a good event you needed practice and a certain cast of mind. «Some people just can`t work in this area because are not able to see the overall picture. It is normal, because people think in different ways, some are more suited for other types of work», Ms Zernova summed up her speech.
Managing partner of «Geran and Partners», Anna Sverdlova, who had made the way from an assistant to business owner, spoke about her career and the mistakes she made on her professional way.
Ms Sverdlova started her career as a reception secretary, and it took her about 2,5 years to become an administrative assistant of minister’s adviser in the Embassy of Israel in Moscow. «Event arrangement for state officials is a separate matter. It implies a great number of issues connected to the protocol and security issues — including even removing the flooring in the room where the first person will stay», the speaker said.
A reception was planned during one of the visits of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. «I studied in detail what kosher food was, we even sent the menu to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Everything seemed to be all right», the speaker recalls. «But in the morning on the day of the reception an inspection from the synagogue came to check what meals would be prepared and whether everything met kashruth rules. It turned out that kashruth requirements apply not only to the meals themselves and the way products match, but also to the dishes in which food is cooked and served. For example, you cannot use frying pans that were used for frying pork. And we had to purchase a huge amount of new dishes in a short time, so that it was kosher as well. What conclusion did I draw out of all this? When you arrange an event, of course it is important to do the home assignment and to examine all the details carefully. But you have to talk to people as well, to find an expert, if necessary. In my case it was enough just to call a synagogue and to consult a rabbi beforehand».
No matter how interesting your work is, you realize you need change sooner or later. As she did not see any further prospects in the Embassy, Ms Sverdlova changed her job and started working in the American Chamber of Commerce. «My mistake was to start thinking about changes too late. And you have to do it almost from the moment you have a new job. It is a way to attract a favourable situation. You start having interviews — you learn to speak about your experience, to position yourself in the right way, reply to arguments of HR agencies and employers».
Everyone who deals with event arrangement has a huge amount of contacts. Besides, assistants communicate with high-ranking partners of their chiefs. The speaker advised to regard any person you deal with during your work as a prospective employer or a person who could give you a recommendation.
Ms Sverdlova learned a lot during her 8 years in the Chamber, including the skill to help people and to smile no matter what happened. «If guests of the event see you running somewhere with a serious face, they have an impression there is some problem. You have to save face and to be always charming and smiling», the expert noted.
Ms Sverdlova drew conclusions out of her further work as well. Thus, when she was head of public relations office in Italian bank Inteza, she proved in practice that what was good for events in Moscow did not always work in the regions. For example, Administration of the Mayor of Krasnoyarsk did not appreciate invitation letters signed by hand, and at a press breakfast in Nizhny Novgorod that implied catering zones and high tables, guests started looking for seats, so organizers had to bring in chairs.
What a business charter is needed for? Is it luxury or a business tool? According to senior VIP manager of Air Charter Service Grigory Murashov, the answer to this question largely depends on the category of passengers. All business charter passengers can be divided into 5 groups: businessmen, royal families, celebrities, state officials and just well-off people. Depending on their goals and targets, planes and the range of services provided onboard also differ.
Celebrities tend to be in the limelight all the time, so for them a flight by a business jet is often a way of self-advertisement. For example, when she travels somewhere, Victoria Beckham always posts her photos near a business jet in Twitter and gets thousands of likes. And for businessmen a business charter is a business tool in the first place. Luxury and superfluities, the colour of leather seats are not important for them. They appreciate a high service level. «Businessmen appreciate it when a person responsible for their flight reacts quickly to all the changes in their schedule and flight geography. Besides, they usually need a mini-office on board — telephony, internet, an opportunity to communicate with colleagues. Sometimes talks are held right during the flight». Besides, on top of everything else, business jets help state officials demonstrate independence and the status of the country they represent.
«Apart from the main goals of business aviation there are indirect goals as well. For example, one of our customers, a business owner, decided to make a surprise for the most successful employees after a successful financial year and arranged a flight to the Maldives for them», Mr Murashov said. «Moreover, almost till the moment the plane landed the passengers did not know where they were going: all the services were notified of the flight secrecy, passports and boarding passes were not given to passengers, all the labels were removed from their luggage. The flight crew said when the plane approached the islands some of the passengers even jumped for joy. So tasks and goals can be different. And a charter can be a universal tool for any of them».
Administrative assistant of HSBC Bank Irina Buryak shared her practical experience and gave advice on events arranged to promote the image of the company. For example, you should take into account the place of the venue, so that guests do not refuse to visit it after the working day. There is heavy traffic in Moscow, there are traffic jams in peak hours, there are problems with parking places. So it is recommended to hold events in the center of the city, because many guests will prefer to use metro. The speaker noted that although there were a lot of venues in the center of the capital, it was hard to find a suitable one for 100-150 persons. There are venues mainly for groups of not more than 70 persons or for 400-500 persons.
«By the way, many restaurants offer their own alcohol. But we cooperate with a trade company that we trust and want to bring our own drinks. This aspect should be discussed with the manager. You can pay a so called corkage fee — 200-300 roubles per bottle you bring», the expert said.
Ms Buryak said it was important to work out and to plan beforehand what providers you may need for your event. Depending on the type of the event they may be a catering or a transfer company, a music band. «If you invite musicians, request their technical rider (requirements to sound equipment), that should be handed over to a restaurant or a club manager from the start. If the venue does not provide all the necessary equipment, you will have to look for an additional provider», the speaker noted.
Ms Buryak said she preferred not to resort to event agencies in order to arrange events, because it was an extra element from the financial point of view, and besides it was hard to control what was going on and difficult to convey your ideas to them. «Agencies usually have their own ready-made event concepts that they try to offer you», the speaker said.
As guests are often late, the speaker said it was necessary to put the time of the event one hour earlier in the invitation letter. «And if you have a business breakfast or a cocktail party, do not forget to prepare badges for guests to make their communication easier», Ms Buryak added.
Shopping can make the schedule of your event or business trip more interesting. Good shopping is one of aspects of a trip to remember. Tatiana Zaytseva told seminar participants about designer outlets McArthurGlen. 20 outlets are situated in 8 countries: Great Britain, France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Germany, Holland and Canada. All the outlets, be it Barberino 30 minutes away from Florence, Parndorf not far from Wien, Troyes in the French region of Champagne or Cheshire Oaks 35 minutes away from Manchester reflect local style and colour.
«Boutiques of luxury brands, such as Prada, Fendi or Dolce&Gabbana, are situated around the central square of the outlets, and a little farther there are more budget-friendly ones. There is an information desk, a café, restaurants, kids’ playgrounds, parking. You can not only shop, but also recreate here. If a lot of guests are expected, we can even close the outlet for the invitation-only event. Depending on what you prefer, we can arrange a VIP-transfer, a VIP-reception with champagne and presents, offer a shopping consultant. We offer our partners an additional 10% discount in our shops, as well as other opportunities», Ms Zaytseva explained.
You can bring an outdoor event to the new level by working with luxury service providers. Konstantin Yakushev, Russia and CIS consultant of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts gave his recommendations.
The speaker called for live communication with service providers, it will help you avoid a lot of problems. «Asian mentality is completely different and their particular feature is the fact that it is not customary to ask about anything. So to arrange a successful trip or event you should ask as many clarifying questions as possible», Mr Yakushev stressed.
Nowadays there are a lot of hotel service consolidators. The speaker advised to choose a hotel through such systems, but to address the website of the hotel directly to book rooms. «When we receive a booking at the second or the third stage, we know almost nothing about the customer and his needs», Mr Yakushev said.
The expert noted that when it was necessary to accommodate a CEO, you should provide as much information to hotel staff as possible before he arrives. There are important rules regarding smoking in rooms, allergy, food restrictions. Again, you can order transfer from the airport, fast track services, a personal meeting in the hotel, and you do not need to look for another provider in this case.
«Nowadays there are club floors in many hotels. They are not just rooms with a better view, but a kind of a hotel in the hotel: guests have a separate check-in procedure, access to the club lounge, professional concierge service, opportunity to use a meeting room and other small surprises — for example, having your suite ironed», Mr Yakushev explained. «The extra charge you have to pay for this category can be called a token price — as a rule, it is 10-20% of the room rate. But advantages of such accommodation are often very important for business travelers. Especially on such destinations as China, where the problem of the English language is still very acute and you`d better not go for a walk around the city on your own without a card with hotel address in hieroglyphs».
The speaker pointed out another feature of Asian countries. If in Europe there are not so many restaurants in hotels, the situation is the opposite in Asia. «Historically, the reason may have been in hygiene and safety, but all top restaurants were opened in hotels. So even locals in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai or Singapore like going to the restaurants that are situated in hotels. Many restaurants also offer private lounges, which may be very convenient for business meetings», Mr Yakushev noted.
The speaker also advised to contact providers beforehand if you need special offers. «There are certain dates when the hotel is ready to offer corporate buyers special rates. We often receive requests and we understand that theoretically we could postpone the event for several days, but its dates have already been fixed. So we advise you to start event preparation from data collection — it is quite possible that the rates for the first week of November will be lower than for the second or the third week. It lets you save budget considerably», the expert noted.
And finally the speaker reminded that you should not be afraid of asking for advice and requesting for something. «Managers of luxury hotels do not like the word „no“, we are always ready to offer you several alternatives. The most horrible thing for hoteliers is an unsolved problem of the guest», Mr Yakushev added.
The event ended with a traditional lottery. Prizes included day planners from МсArthur Glen, L’Occitane make-up kits from Shangri-La hotels, a certificate for 1 thousand euro from Air Charter Service, two certificates for business breakfasts in the Savoy. And after that everyone who wanted could have an excursion around the hotel.
«I have just joined the Association, and it is the first ABT-ACTE Russia event I have attended», financial and administrative department assistant of Zimmer Ekaterina Mikhlina shared her impressions. «The seminar was very informative. I have been working in the business for 7 years and held quite a lot of events. Today there has been everything that a novice assistant who is only starting his career in this area may need. It was also very interesting to learn about business charters».
Some were even inspired for new professional achievements by the event. «The seminar has given me an impulse to grow further. I have decided I need to get one more education in the field of event arrangement», Ksenia Fedorova, personal assistant of managing director, head of marketing and sales department of EuroChem admitted. «In my previous place of work I arranged events, and here I have not had any yet. But after today`s business breakfast I will go to my boss and tell him about my wish to deal with it».
Natalia Travova