Monday, June 27, 2011

Brian Olsen - Rockin The Canvass

Brian Olsen's Art in Action is an explosion: a colorful display of paint, energy, music and passion. Using fingertips, palms, elbows and up to three brushes in each hand, Brian paints portraits of famous people including musicians, sports figures, and top corporate heads on a four and a half by six foot canvas in just a matter of minutes. His creations are choreographed to music that is powerful and stimulates the senses. Brian’s Art in Action is described as "an emotional experience" taking his audience through an amazing journey of excitement, suspense, cheer, and surprise. His ability to captivate his audience and share the experience of color, music, and action is a way to bring people into the world of art and creativity. It is a new artform that brings people together to share the explosion of art and stir up the personal creativity we all have within.

Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net
Share/Bookmark

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Power of Promotion: Social Media

It does not matter how wonderful your event is if no one comes. I just heard of a recent event in which the planner was expecting 2000 people to attend over 3 days. Final count was 200. A huge loss in many ways.

We at Pierce Events use Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and even this blog to keep up to date with clients, friends, other event pros and those interested in the events we produce.

Social media is a great way to engage with your audience, or potential audience, before and after your next event. Social media platforms are the quickest, most effective way of reaching out to your audience to promote your event and increase attendance. When combined with traditional advertisng just about anyone can launch an effective campagin. So what are some of the best ways to harness the power of social media to help spread the word of your event? Here are some important things to keep in mind:

Start NOW – The earlier you start spreading the word, the better off you’ll be. Get your event listed in Facebook Events and start sending out introductory Tweets about it. If you have videos, get them uploaded early. You want buzz about your event to build.


Update Often – The more updates you make and information you add about your event, the more contact you will have with your audience. In turn, the more likely they will be to attend and spread the word of your event for you. Content is king, so keep it coming.

Aim Wide – One post won't do much. Get your event information in front of as many people as many times as possible. Hit Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Blogger to promote your event.
Remind Them – Don’t forget to keep reminding people about your event as it approaches. Keeping your event at the top of peoples’ minds leading up to it does not give them a chance to forget the event.

Post-Event Follow – If you’re going to promote your event via social media, wrap up with it as well. Share photos, videos, and quotes through the same channels you used to promote. This will give those that did attend a chance to recap the event and those that didn’t a chance to see what they missed.


Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net
Share/Bookmark

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Reality TV and Bridal Shows

Shaun Pierce & Randy Fenoli
of TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress"
It's not hard to find some reality TV show that is connected to a wedding. Bridezilla, Best Cakes, Win Plastic Surgery. It's a bit sickening if you ask me.

So when we were approached and asked to assist in a bridal show with Randy Fenoli of the TV show "Say Yes to the Dress" I wasn't sure about it.

First, we don't often do bridal shows. I'm asked every month to buy a booth or sponsor something. The ones I've attended seem to be informational overload or just plain ineffective. We do not mass produce weddings and for me to even try to talk to 300 brides in a day doesn't do anyone any good. But I knew the person producing this one and I did it more as a favor then really expecting much from it.

I did not know what to expect from Randy either. I've seen his show, but to be honest watching people shop for a dress is not must see TV for me.

Randy was very nice. He was a fashion guy who happened to be on TV. Not a TV guy trying to fake knowing fashion. He spoke to the audience in real terms. Not everyone can do a fairytale big budget wedding and your wedding doesn't become any less important if you have a tight budget.

Many of the things he spoke about are at the core of our philosophy when we work with clients. Your wedding should be as unique as you are. It's should tell your story. Experts are there to give advice, not orders.

We have built the bridal services division of Pierce Events not by attending bride shows, producing slick marketing pieces or advertising campaigns. We have built it by understanding our clients needs, meeting those needs in every way possible and understanding it is an honor to a part of such an important event.

It's always nice to make new friends who do what they love and love what they do. After all weddings don't happen without love.


Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at http://www.pierceevents.net/
Share/Bookmark

Friday, May 6, 2011

Your Own Royal Wedding

You could not escape the univeral coverage of the Royal Weddings. For brides to be it was a living wedding catolog full of ideas galore. The question is how do you create a wedding fit for royalty without the bank account of the Queen Mother?

What you do need, first and foremost, is to let the theme of opulence and sophistication inform all of your decisions. You need a dramatic location or a location that can be made dramatic. Kate and William had Westminster. If you can find a location in your budget that  grandis and historical, that will immediately set the tone. If you’re restricted to halls that don’t have such intrinsic elegance, you simply have to create it with décor. Lots and lots of white flowers, gold and silver, candles, and crystals amp up the royal vibe.

We at Pierce Events can design the royal wedding of your dreams with gold dishes, candelabras, white flowers, and sparkle everywhere.


David Tutera, wedding planner to the stars and host of WE TV’s “My Fair Wedding,” talks about how you can ahave your own version of a royal wedding. Watch David's tips for how to affordably carry out the theme of opulence and sophistication into every detail.

Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at http://www.pierceevents.net/
Share/Bookmark

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Event Symphony - Cinema Cake

One of the things I love about what I do is meeting other talented people who are passionate about what they do. I constantly discover new and exciting things to offer clients.

An event planner must rely on a team of dedicated peofessionals who are the best in ther perspective areas. When the pieces come together, it's like a symphony that can stir emotion, exhileration and a lasting impression.

Recently we traveled to Atlantic City, NJ to meet other event professionals from the Northeast region. I was introduced to so many new and improved event elements from technology to design. Each person I met shared their expertise in a specific area of event production. There are many things I could share with you, but let me focus on one that really impressed me. It a new twist on classic video production.

Many brides are forgoing video on their wedding day. Family and friends have camcorders. Professional video doesn't always fit int the budget and how often will you watch a video after the wedding? Besides, do you really want someone sticking a camera in your face all day capturing your every move?

Before you answer, let me introduce you to Dave Williams and CinemaCake Wedding and Event Filmmakers.

Dave and his team seemlessly blend into the background with small and unobtrusive cameras. Often you don't even know they are there.

They capture moments that most of us miss in the whirlwind of a wedding day. The set up for the ceremony. The bride and groom preparing. That breathless moment when they step forward. The thoughts of parents. The emotions of the moment.

They capture the grand enterance and first dance. The amazing part is you and your guest view this beautiful produced video at your reception. With constant editing throughout the day, the folks at Cinemacake will deliver and unforgetable moment for you and your guests.

Check out the video and the reaction of the couple. It's a powerful example of just one part of the symphony. If you are as impressed as I was, contact us to talk about bringing Dave and his team to capture your celebration.

Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net
Share/Bookmark

Friday, March 11, 2011

Prom Problems - Beyond Dirty Dancing

Prom is a rite of passage for many young folks, but planning it can be a source of stress especially when it comes to choosing entertainment.

Often you are not sure who or what you will get for entertainment. With all the lewd and suggestive music out there, the wrong choice can bring the wrath of parents and administrators.

 “Grinding,” a current dance style, has hit the radar of many parents and other adults and has put high school dances under scrutiny. Many parents and school administrators across the state and even the country have expressed that they feel this dance move is inappropriate and vulgar. They are doing everything they can to find a solution to this problem, even if the solution is to ban dances altogether.

Dancing partnered with the lewd, offensive and suggest content that makes up most of the Top 40 playlists creates an uncomfortable situation for parents, teachers and student alike.

At Pierce Events we launched a solution to the problem 10 years ago. It a fun show called "Clean Beats". It assures planners and parents that objectionable or suggestive lyrics or topics will be excluded and we control unacceptable dancing. If a song falls into the "gray area" we won't play it.

Is the dance still fun? YES! We are entertainers, not just DJ's. We keep the party going with exclusive dance mixes and radio edits of the top hits and interact with the audience to maintain control and high energy.


Our "Clean Beats" program has been hosted in schools all over Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia with rave reviews from students and parents. We are part of a nationwide network of responsible DJ's that have pledged to maintain certain standards.

We have dates available for Prom and offer budget friendly solutions for schools. Contact us to find more about our "Clean Beats" show. http://www.pierceevents.net/



Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net
Share/Bookmark

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Charity Funding 2.0

One of the most successful ways to enhance a fundraising event for non-profit groups to raise money through an online auction. Pierce Events offers charity organizations, schools and churches a turnkey solution to efficiently take fundraising efforts online. Even with the best attended events, many donors cannot attend on a certain date or time. With an online auction, donors from anywhere can participate. It provides auction item donors broader exposure and the charity a larger pool of donors.


Here are some tips for online auctions:

1. Market Your Online Auction –  Make sure to incorporate email, social media, and local radio and television stations into helping market your online auction.

2. Solicit Sponsorships - With a well promoted auction you will be able to solicit larger items. Remember that you can give back to your sponsors by putting their name and logo in front of desirable supporters, on your auction home page and in your emails.

3. Find The Right People - List the job functions required for your online auction, then enlist help from people with skills that match your requirements.

4. Creative and Informative Item Descriptions - Make sure your item names are descriptive, but also intriguing and interesting. Remember to also include detailed descriptions that include all terms and conditions.

5. Set Reasonable Starting Bids - Inflating opening bids and values will not result in higher bids or revenue if they are unreasonable. It is generally best to start the bidding at approximately one-third of the actual item value.

6. Stagger The Addition of New Items – Instead of listing all of your auction items when the online auction opens, try staggering the addition of new items. This encourages return visits to the auction site, and also allows you to stagger opening and closing dates.

7. Solicit Specific Auction Items - Tell people what auction items you are looking for and the approximate value range desired.

8. Use Reserve Prices on Key Items – Make sure to set reserve prices on any items that are purchased or on consignment so you don’t lose money. Also, always set reserve prices on any items that a donor requires cannot be sold for less than a certain amount.

10. Recognize Donors – Show your appreciation to donors by providing recognition and links on items that they have donated.



Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at http://www.pierceevents.net/
Share/Bookmark