Event budgets are getting slimmer by the day but expectations are still sky high. At Azavista, we put together a few suggestions around where you can start trimming your costs, without impacting the overall quality of your event.
The days of serving chilled Kir Royale as a luxurious welcome at the door are slowly slipping away. Yes it does give the event an aristocratic feel, but it can be taken away with no one particularly noticing. Guests can access the bar, or take a glass of wine from the waiters circulating around the venue.
When you have table-side service, guest rarely notice what brand of wine you are serving. Keep an eye on quality though by tasting the different wines offered and making a selection that satisfies your palate...as well as your pocket. Tip: Try the house wine. It may pleasantly surprise you!
The deteriorating effects of soft drinks to your health and figure are known. Help your guests shed an extra pound by getting creative with everyone's favorite free beverage: water. Regular ice water becomes a gourmet option when you serve it in glass canisters with a few slices of citrus fruit or herbs such as mint or lavender. Another option is to substitute bottled drinks with beverages you can purchase by the gallon, such as iced tea and lemonade.
Now that we have the drink part figured out. Lets get to the food. Every event planner will arrange an assortment of snacks or hors d'oeuvres to accompany the drinks being served. If you have a dinner following, you can choose to down-grade the appetizers. Instead of serving caviar and salmon crostini, replace them with a mix of dry snacks or warm dips with bread sticks.
Centerpieces can take up a big chunk of you budget, and then you see hundreds of dollars worth of flowers just being thrown away. Substitute the flowers with decorations like candles, ornaments, fruits & berries. You can re-use these centerpieces for future events. This will give your budget a breather and its a great step towards sustainable and green planning.
Hotels and convention centers are a revolving door: When your group is moving in, someone else is moving out. Chances are, the group before you also had a presentation, dinner and cocktail. Contact the organizers beforehand to find out who their vendors are and whether you can share labor and/or equipment costs.
We hope these tips will help you cut costs in an efficient way for your next event!
Sources:
http://eventplanning.about.com/od/eventplanningbasics/a/6-Targets-For-Trimming-Event-Costs.htm
http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=42141
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