If you are about to undertake planning a conference for your company or organization for the first time, don’t be overwhelmed by the scope of the task. Staying focused, organized and referencing checklists will help you get started. Consider the following conference planning basics:
NEW YORK — Walk through the doors of Daniel Gardiner Morris’ Williamsburg, Brooklyn, letterpress studio and you may find yourself stepping back in time.
Letterpress, the 15th-century printing art of locking movable type into the bed of a press, inking it, and rolling or pressing paper against it to form an impression, is a family craft passed down to Morris from his great-grandfather. Now making his own impression in the industry, Morris decided to breath new life into the art by opening The Arm Letterpress, 281 N. 7th St., in 2005.
It wasn’t easy at first.
“I had to adapt a lot to find a way to make it work,” Morris said. “We’re in an expensive neighborhood, but there’s a lot of good energy here.”
The Arm is a public access letterpress studio, teaching facility and commercial print shop that attracts a variety of users. It houses equipment including Vandercook proof presses.
The users of the studio are typically artists, graphic designers, art directors, crafters, poets and musicians.
“Anyone who needs printed goods, but wants to take control of the process,” Morris said.

While it’s not as common as offset printing, letterpress printing uses high quality papers and inks to create especially lush impressions. The technique can be used for invitations, announcements or art projects and is easily recognizable by the raised impressions of the letters left on the backside of the printed product.
“We teach classes and workshops in the use of our machines and make the facilities available for artists and designers interested in using letterpress for their projects,” Morris said.
For more information about the studio and workshops, Morris can be reached at dan@thearmnyc.com or check The Arm’s website at www.thearmnyc.com.
The Arm uses EventWax!
Daniel Gardiner Morris — “Up to now, we have used EventWax exclusively for booking our classes. We run a basic intro class a few times a month and also some more specialized classes in advanced techniques, bookbinding, etc. We will soon be adding some salon style events and film screenings and plan to use EventWax to manage the reservations for those too.”
Event planning tip
Daniel Gardiner Morris — “I don’t know that I’d consider myself an event planner. But I’d say as long as what you have happening is worthwhile and you are hosting it in a location that is easy to access you should do fine if you can get the word out.”
Hey! If you would like your business, event planning service, or event featured in EventWax’s Spotlight, shoot Jen a request at jen@eventwax.com.
As its name suggestively hints, Chicago pub fixture Matilda & BABYatlas, serves up a good dose of intrigue and spirit in this popular North Side destination.
Matilda, at 3101 N. Sheffield Ave., offers customers three distinct experiences — the warm and inviting main bar, the dark and celestial BackBar and the vibrant and sultry BABYatlas for dancing.
“We offer superior service in an upscale neighborhood bar and restaurant that does not take itself too seriously,” Owner and Operator Kevin Abercrombie said.
Abercrombie has watched Matilda grow since infancy. The establishment was built in 1994. A few years later, Abercrombie was hired on as a bouncer checking IDs at the door. From there, he worked in every capacity of the restaurant including dishwasher, construction and repair, server, bartender, manager to finally sole owner.
Matilda’s namesake intrigue is based on a close encounter during the bar’s construction. According to Abercrombie, the name was inspired by the 1994 film “The Professional.” After long hours of construction and a few drinks, Abercrombie said the original owner swears (on the Bible) that he saw a ghost bearing the resemblance of a young Natalie Portman (who starred in the movie) hovering over the southwest corner of the main room. When others turned to look, she flew through the windows along Sheffield Ave.
Another notable coo, Matilda offers free party space in the downstairs BABYatlas room and in the BackBar. BABYatlas is available for parties from 20 to 50 people and features its own bar and separate sound system with a song library of more than 12,000 songs. The BackBar is available for parties up to 80 people. Two smaller parties could also share the space.
“We are typically booked up with weekend events one to two months in advance,” Abercrombie said.
Matilda has an attractive main menu, stating its cuisine is made from scratch and with fresh ingredients; a catering menu; and two bar packages for fund-raisers.
For a closer look at Matilda, go to matilda-babyatlas.com or call 773-883-4400.
Matilda uses EventWax!
Kevin Abercrombie — “I have used EventWax annually for our New Year’s Eve party with great success. Of great benefit to me is the ability to contact attendees both prior to and after the event. Each of the last two years I used the customizable promo code as a benefit to repeat customers and their friends. This year, I customized an additional text field for customers to let me know who referred them to our NYE party. Employees were given an incentive of $5 for each person that used their name as a referral. I have also used [EventWax] to host two charity events. For all events, having an alphabetized and pre-paid guest list has made the check-in process simple for both the customer and my staff.”
Event planning tip
Kevin Abercrombie — “Start planning with few and simple rules. Each event has its own intricacies and each customer will only want to change the rules to fit their particular event anyway. By offering only a few, steadfast rules, the customer feels like they are in charge throughout the process and appreciates the flexibility in setting up their event.”
Hey! If you would like your business, event planning service, or event featured in EventWax’s Spotlight, shoot Jen a request at jen@eventwax.com.
Ready to plan your first fund-raising event, but not sure where to begin? Here are 12 tips gathered from various popular fund-raising sites to help you get started.
1) Create a mission statement for your event. State what your fund-raiser is about, where the money raised will go, and create a compelling call to action. Include this information in your marketing materials.
2) Set a goal. Make your goal realistic while aiming high. Announcing it publicly will keep you focused on achieving that goal.
3) Engage your planning team. Make sure everyone on your planning committee takes ownership of their individual tasks and the overall success of the event.
4) Make it fun. This is especially important if you are relying on volunteers to help run your event. Bringing in free pizzas for lunch goes a long way and gives everyone a chance to bond in a relaxed atmosphere.
5) Reach out to established agencies. Consider aligning your event with a national or local organization to help create more awareness.
6) Set a date. Choose a date far enough in advance to give you ample time to prepare. Be aware of conflicting local and/or national events, as well as holidays. Or coordinate your event with a significant date or time of year. For example, raise money for melanoma research during Skin Cancer Awareness Month (May).
7) Determine your help. Put out a call for volunteers and utilize their areas of expertise and/or connections. Create committees and subcommittees if the event size calls for it. Hold periodic meetings to monitor the planning progress.
8) Set a budget. Create a budget that keeps operating costs at a minimum so you can make a profit. Estimate attendance, cost of decorations, refreshments, printing, mailing expenses and so on. Set the couvert (the cost of expenses per person) and then the ticket prices.
9) Select a venue. Consider the Lions Club, American Legion, town halls, galleries, schools and churches depending on the nature of your fund-raising event. Check out restaurants and catering halls, too. Book the venue as far in advance as possible, and ask for a non-profit discount. Contact local law enforcement for procedures you may need to follow for public venues. Determine the need for security and liability insurance, as well. Click here to read more about how to select a venue.
10) Consider a featured speaker or honoree. Choose someone who has a relationship with your organization or cause, or someone who will add an element of glamor or urgency. Consider a high-profile businessperson or celebrity, but be mindful of your budget. Some speakers require payment.
11) Sponsorship. Approach businesses to help sponsor various aspects of your fun-raising event. For example, a local restaurant could donate part of the catering. Or, ask local businesses to donate items for auction. Provide donors with letters expressing the nature of the gift, cash value and tax-deductible information.
12) Create invitations. A great cost-savings option for invitations is using online event registration. On EventWax, if your event is free, the service is free. Planners also save on the expense of traditional paper and postage invitations. On the invitation, the speaker’s or honoree’s name should be prominent. Include tax-deduction information, a description of the organization, sponsors and donors. Invite reporters and photographers to your event for publicity.
To read more about getting started fund-raising click here.
Superbowl Sunday is most celebrated huddled around the television on an over-sized, comfy couch with friends. Check out these tips to make your party a success.
When: Superbowl XLVI (46) will be held Sunday, February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. This will be the first Super Bowl to be played in Indianapolis and the fourth time the championship game is played in a cold-weather city thanks to the stadium’s retractable roof.
Pick a theme: Before you send out your invitations, decide if you want to kick your party up a notch with a festive theme. Have your guests wear the jerseys or colors of the teams playing, creating an in-house rivalry. Or, base your theme on the teams playing. For example, if the New Orleans Saints make it to the Super Bowl, pair it with a Mardi Gras theme.
Read this article for more about themes.
Send out invitations electronically: Using online event registration, you can quickly announce your Superbowl party and easily keep track of attendees. On EventWax, use custom form fields to ask your attendees, for example, if they are bringing an appetizer or dessert. Or which team they will be rooting for. This will give you, the planner, extra information if you are planning your menu or if you are handing out fun team paraphernalia. To read more about how to use EventWax’s custom form fields, click here.
Food and drink: Superbowl parties are celebrated with festive, casual fare. Expected spreads include chilis, dips, chips and salsa, wings, ribs, Italian beef and bacon-wrapped most things.
Check out allrecipes.com for more Superbowl recipes.
Next, pair your menu with the right brews. Not unlike wine, the right beer can or should be served with your Superbowl menu. To play it safe, ales go with about anything. But, if you want to read more about the precise brews check out this article.
EventWax’s online event registration tool offers more than just the ease of registering attendees and collecting payments. Here are five quick tips on how to use e-mail to communicate with your attendees.
EventWax Send E-mail How-To:

Location plays a major role in making your event green.
Here are 7 tips for selecting the perfect green destination for your next event, according to the Convention Industry Council’s 2004 Green Meetings Report.
Minimal Best Practices
Strongly Recommended Best Practices:
The following cities have been recognized by Best Places to MeetGreen as verified green destinations:
Unverified destinations include:
Your event buzz begins with hashtags.
By definition, the # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics on Twitter in a Tweet. It gives users a method of categorizing topics. For event planners, it’s an easy way to get feedback before, during and after your event.
I found these tips helpful in using hashtags for your event as outlined by Mopwater Social Public Relations.
Your event’s hashtag also can:
Measure your hashtag’s popularity with Hashtracking.com, a service that tallies the number of tweets generated, number of impressions, the reach of audience, the top ten Twitter users by number of impressions and the top ten Twitter users by number of tweets.
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