Bay Magic Meetings & Tours

Nowadays the off-sites are being looked at by many Tour companies like Tour Company Northern California, Tour Company Wine Country as either unnecessary "non-essential" functions of a meeting that should be eliminated, or planners are faced with budgets that just make no sense at all. Recently, we were contacted by a major corporation about planning a dinner event for 30 people on very reasonable budgets! Which was supposed to cover everything including dinner, drinks and transportation? I had to tell the planner that a typical cost for such an event would be about twice that much and they are most likely going to have to stay in their hotel for a casual dinner instead.

Now, there are tight budgets and then there are just crazy ones, and clearly the people who had planned for Group Tours Northern California, Wine Country Group Tours this company's meeting budget had either completely underestimated the expense of such an event, or dismissed its value relative to the other aspects of the meeting. My guess is that it was some of both.

Still, there are some creative ways that you can plan an event that will excite your attendees and give them a chance to socialize after an intense day of education or strategic Event Planning Northern California, Event Planning Wine Country without busting your budget entirely. These can apply to all types of meetings, and by being flexible; you can still plan a great off-site event that will be a highlight of your group's meeting.

Here are just a few ideas to keep in mind that might help:

Take advantage of existing relationships and referrals: Ask your hotel or meeting venue for recommendations to local venues, like restaurants in the area or other local attractions that they have worked with or have contacts with. Often these will be local businesses that highly value the relationship they have with your hotel, and will be willing to work with you to negotiate a favorable price.

Be flexible on dates and times: Try to give destinations a few different choices that might work for your event. If they are busy one day they might just be willing to give you a great deal on a different day, especially if it's on fairly short notice. And with the state of things right now, it's pretty likely that you will find a place that has availability on at least one of your preferred days/times.

Think about more casual events like hors d'oeuvres receptions and buffet stations, rather than sit-down dinners: This can save as much as 50% on food cost in some cases, and usually there will still be plenty of food.

Limit your beverage selections: Nothing can be as much of a budget-killer as an open bar. Try going with beer and wine only, and stick to the house brands or even negotiate a lower corkage fee and bring in your own wine from a local merchant.

Secure off-site event sponsors: Don't be afraid to contact some of your top suppliers and vendors to see if they would be willing to sponsor an event or a portion of it, like the beverages or the transportation. It's good exposure for them and they may even find it to be a good opportunity for some face-to-face time in a casual setting.

Explore Multiple Transportation Services: local bus and limo companies are willing to work on pricing when the events are not on their busy dates. Transportation Services Northern California, Transportation Services Wine Country, Go with recommended vendors from the hotel or a local transportation management company to secure the best quality and pricing. Stay away from busy event days - especially Saturdays! Weekends are the busiest times for event venues. These are the times you have to compete with local groups like parties and weddings for the best venues, and they aren't likely to give you a great deal for a date they know they will fill up anyway.

These are just a few ideas to get you started on the process of planning an event and still keep your meeting budget on track. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding any aspect of the process. Thanks for visiting Meeting Advice Pros and for reading our blog! Stay tuned for more info in the future.

Bay Magic Meetings & Tours, LLC are the best to provide these kinds of services like Tour Company Northern California, Event Planning Northern California more alike you can contact us at here 925-932-(TOUR) 8687 baymagictours@gmail.com, david@baymagictours.com.

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