How to Ensure Your Event and Attendees Are Safe

Hosting an event can be one of the most daunting challenges a person faces. Ask anyone who’s done it before, and they’ll tell you that preparation is key to maintaining a fluent order of operations throughout the scheduled time frame. This goal can only be achieved by focusing on your primary responsibility. That’s the safety of your attendees. The following discussion details some of the best ways to accomplish this goal.

Coordinate with First Responders

Most events are usually held at city-owned buildings such as a convention center, civic center and so on. If so, the city will already know that your event will be taking place at their property. First responders may also be alerted by the city to keep an eye on your activity. If you want to maximize safety, you won’t think of this important resource as a backup to your hired security team. You should see these first responders as an intrinsic part of the event and the primary line of defense in keeping your attendees safe. We highly recommend that you coordinate with them to have a solid plan in place and make sure all security personnel are aware of it. Your understanding of the venue and those featured in the program can assist officials to better coordinate in the case of an emergency. These factors will include crowd control, placement of exits, identification of the areas most prone to accidents and so on.

Keep Pedestrians Safe

The first obstacle that you and your attendees will face at the start of the event will be the parking. Therefore, it is highly encouraged to coordinate a proper system for directing traffic with your staff or local police. Parking lots and access roads before and after events can be hectic. Accidents can occur when people are walking around at night trying to look for their cars. Even if a vehicle isn’t moving very fast, pedestrians can suffer serious injuries if they are hit. A great way to keep this from happening is to place cones for cars to note as reference points telling them where they can and cannot enter. Often, confusion about which route drivers must take is what leads to this type of accident.

Assess the Risks

Many city governments will require you to perform a risk assessment at your event prior to letting anyone in. Assessing the risk essentially means making sure that every potential danger has been considered and dealt with appropriately. This could include having faulty fire extinguishers, not having a designated emergency lane in the case of a large fire or having blocked exits that attendees cannot access in case of an emergency. Such an assessment will help you find safety issues that you may not have considered. It will also furnish some protection from potential lawsuits.

Hosting a big event can sometimes make or break a career or a business. If you’re in charge of organizing one, remember that safety is the foremost concern. Without this crucial component, success is out of the question. These suggestions should help you begin to create a safe environment for your attendees.

Planning an event can be stressful. With so many things to worry about, let Brass Animals take care of the music for you. Contact us for a quote!

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Things to do in Austin, Texas

I love Austin, Texas. The combination of food, music, and southern culture speak to my core. Fortunately with the band, I’ve had the opportunity to perform in Austin many times. Because I also have a lot of family and friends there, I’ve started to get to know the city pretty well.

For those who are taking a trip to Austin but don’t know what to do, I’ve put together a few food, activity, and music recommendations that you should check out.

My Favorite Food In Austin

Check out Bangers Sausage House & Beer Garden on Rainey Street. My buddy Ben owns it. They have a killer Sunday brunch, the largest craft beer tap wall in Texas and awesome live music.

Franklins BBQ is world famous but you’ll wait 2-3 hours to get a table and eat. Totally worth the wait if you’re with a bunch of friends.

Salt Lick BBQ is also world famous (I send clients and friends BBQ from here for special occiasions) and has a killer vibe. If you’re willing to drive 30-40 min then you won’t regret the trek.

Blacks BBQ is in town and is awesome. I’m a little bias because it’s my initials “B. Lack” but the brisket is outrageously good. The ribs and sausage is also excellent and their sides are totally worth getting.

Best TexMex options are El Chile Cafe y Cantina, Maudie’s Cafe, and Julios.

Activities
Float the Guadalupe River. Bring a 6-12 pack, tie it up to your tube and float for 2-3 hours on a nice sunny day. The most relaxing thing I’ve ever done in Austin.

Rent a boat on Lake Travis and chill with the other boaters.

Walk by the Texas State Capitol. It’s a pretty cool building and a good selfie pic.

Walk around the University of Texas campus. It’s beautiful and worth feeling like a college kid again. While you’re there. See if there’s a University of Texas football tailgate or game going and crash the tailgate or the game.

Zilker Park is where ACL takes place. So if you want to just chill on a blanket and hang, then that’s a good spot to go.

South Congress Avenue has some beautiful murals worth checking out.
For night life, either hang out on 6th Street downtown or Rainey Street.
In the morning, get breakfast tacos at Torchy’s or TacoDeli (both taco chains)

Austin Music Scene

There’s live music EVERYWHERE. But some of the more famous spots are below. If you want someone to take you from one killer show to the next, then hire Michael, the Texas Music Dude (he’s my cousin).

The Continental Club is legendary. I’ve seen multiple bands that I’ve never heard of before with my cousin and loved it.

ACL Live at Moody Theater is a sweet venue and amazing experience if you can get ticket. Killer feel inside and the sound is great. Free tickets are available for tapings by lottery.

Elephant Room has the best jazz in the city. I’ve seen multiple shows here and the musicians are top notch. Go here for late night to wind down.

The White Horse – features country, bluegrass and Cajun music. And an awesome place to dance the two-step with your friends or anyone that’s there.

St. Elmos Brewing Company has refreshing beer (that’s what my friends tell me, I don’t drink beer) and an awesome outdoor patio that almost always includes a live band performing.

We’ve played there before and the folks took real good care of us.

If you end up visiting something that isn’t on this list that you think I should go explore, then please share your thoughts in the comments.

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Gaining business insights at your event through active listening

A corporate event is a busy and highly engaging time for most companies. This is where the members of the organisation are able to meet and interact with the customers, the stakeholders and even people from the competitors’ camp. Where such a diverse group of people are gathered, managers could apply active listening to gain some important insights that will help them gain a competitive edge over other organisations.

What is active listening?

Active listening is a communication skill which involves hearing the message (both verbal and non-verbal), understanding it and carefully evaluating it before providing a response. By listening effectively to your attendees, you will be able to know what they value and be they your customers, employees, colleagues or even competitors, this will enable you to generate leads that you can convert into sales.

Below are some tips that will help you be an active listener at your event to enable you to gain important business insights.

Tips for active listening

1. Self-assess your communication style

In order to know which areas you should improve in your communication style, always seek to constantly assess yourself. If you take time to think about your current approach to listening and communicating with your audience, you will be able to identify the areas in which you are lacking and which you can improve upon.

2. Ask the right questions

A simple survey will help you know what is in the mind of attendees. While creating a survey may seem like an easy task, many marketers ask the wrong questions and this ends up making the whole thing useless. In order to know what is in the mind of your attendees, you should ask them open-ended questions which allow them to express their opinion on whatever issue. By so doing, you will gain a deeper understanding of their needs.

3. Listen for customer pain points

Know the right questions to ask in the survey – you should seek to know what problems the customers are currently experiencing. Understanding customer pain points is a key aspect of any marketing strategy as it enables you to know their needs. When you understand the needs of your customers, you will be able to turn them into opportunities for improvement to grant you a competitive advantage over others.

4. Analyse the attendance data

The attendance data includes information such as the list of attendees, the discussion points of previous events, the questions and suggestions raised and even the budget used. The data could be collected by accessing the records in the event planning software used. Using this information, you will be able to improve on your other events and you will also get more leads with which you can make a tailor-made marketing strategy.

5. Conduct follow-ups

With the tips offered above, you will be able to turn your events into gold mines or data that can then be applied in making strategic decisions. Since active listening is not a skill that you can master overnight, you should exercise it periodically in order to master it.

If you want to add a unique touch to your event, why not consider hiring a brass band? The Brass Animals have played at a wide range of corporate events and would love to entertain your guests. Contact us today to find out more!

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Planning the Best Office Party

Usually when a business decides to hold a party, it is held off-site. This can work well: the food will be catered, the set-up before and clean-up after will be done by others, and entertainment can be laid on for you, if desired. However, this can all cost a lot and there are issues with this sort of an event. Here are some corporate entertainment budget tips to help you make the most of your office event, be it a retirement, Christmas or celebration of a work milestone being met.

The Problems with Going Out

The price you will pay for a two-course meal – or even a buffet – will be factored to make profit for the restaurant or venue that you are visiting. This usually means that the company can only afford to pay for their employees, which means that people will sit awkwardly by themselves, or group up into office cliques. Quite often the food is not as good as it should be: cooking for parties bigger than six to eight can mean that some receive their food ages before everyone else, some dishes are dry from being prepped beforehand and there is always one waiting, hungry and empty-plated while everyone else is nearly finished their meal.

Often some staff members have partners and/or children at home, which means that they must rush off quite early, leaving the single people to party on.

The Solution

So how to ensure that every employee has a good time, and can stay for the full duration of your event? If you have a boardroom (or another large area: warehouse, classroom, sports hall etc) and basic facilities, why not host the event at work? There is event planning budget software that can help you with the planning, keeping you on track and ensuring you do not forget anything.

In this way, you can provide food and drink for a fraction of the cost, getting staff members to volunteer to help with the prepping in the hour or two before it begins, and have an informal buffet.

This way the food is all fresh, and you will easily be able to cater to any idiosyncratic dietary requirements, and you can let your staff bring a plus-one. This will break the ice between office groups as partners will chat to everyone, and you and your colleagues can put names to faces from amusing anecdotes. You can even get everyone involved with cocktail hour ideas for party games: cocktail making, charades, and so on. Games like this are much more fun when the general public is not sitting in judgement of your party!

If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On

Use whatever is left of your corporate event budget to slot in a live band. Live music really brings any event to life, being able to tailor itself to the mood of the party, ranging from retro to trendy, nostalgic to bouncy. Get a quote today and see how easily you can host an office party in your office!

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How to put on the best cocktail hour

Cocktail hour is arguably the best part of any event. It gives your guests the chance to sit back and unwind with some great drinks, delicious food and perhaps some mood music. If you would like your event to be the talk of the town, a cocktail hour really is a must. We have some fantastic cocktail hour ideas that will ensure your guests will have a great time and that they will talk positively about your event.

Theme your cocktails

Have a go at theming your cocktails to your event. You could be elaborate with this one and create a new drink to match up with your brand or cause, perhaps with the help of a bartender or you could take an already popular cocktail and play about with the name. Either way, theming your cocktails gives a personal touch and makes sure that your guests remember the reason they are at your event. Always make sure you have a non-alcoholic option available too. Make this fun, just because they don’t get to drink it shouldn’t mean they have to miss out on everything.

Seating

Ideally, you want your guests to be able to mingle during cocktail hour. This is the part of an event where they really should be getting to know each other and forming ongoing relationships. This means that you will want to remove as much seating as possible to remove the temptation for people to sit on their own. You should include some comfy seating, however, for those who really do need it.

Mood music

Background music will help your event flow but you need to ensure that it is not so loud or attention-grabbing that it stops people from chatting. Low-key is the way to go. Think about hiring a classical guitarist, a string quartet or even a jazz trio to serve as background music.

Appetisers

With appetisers, it is always important to serve a variety of foods to ensure all your guests can enjoy something. Many planners work with offering something salty, sweet, bitter and savoury to ensure they can appeal to everyone’s tastes. Remember, that these foods should be easy to eat whilst your guests are standing up and holding a glass too.

 

Contact The Brass Animals today if you need help putting your cocktail party together.

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Three reasons music helps fundraisers

So, you have decided to plan a fundraiser. You have everything organised on paper, but you’re debating on whether or not your event needs some sort of music. Perhaps you think it will send you over budget, or maybe you think it just isn’t necessary. We would argue that music has the ability to make or break an event, and here’s why.

Music strengthens our empathy

At a fundraiser, empathy is particularly important as it means that music alone can help people connect to thoughts and feelings on a deeper level. Music can send a message to your audience, so make sure it is the right one by selecting the right soundtrack. A live brass band, for example, can create a lively mood that encourages positivity.

Cultural cohesion

Music has the power to bring people together from all walks of life, all races and all cultures. This feeling of unity and spirit will loosen up your audience and create a more giving and empathetic atmosphere. This will boost your fundraiser no end by creating a sense of belonging, which in turn increases feelings of safety and obligation to the group.

The science of music

Music gives listeners a boost of oxytocin, which is a hormone present to increase social bonding. Sometimes putting a group of strangers together in a room can be a little awkward, which is why we recommend live music to create an atmosphere that feels more like a family reunion than a socially challenging environment. With this increase in bonding between people, they will feel more relaxed and comfortable and would be therefore more willing to donate to your fundraiser and raise more money for an excellent cause.

If you’re still not convinced, get in touch with The Brass Animals and we’ll do everything in our power to accommodate your event. Tie the knot around your whole occasion by bringing together family, friends and acquaintances with the power of music. We believe music will make your fundraiser special and certainly will make for a memorable night.

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4 reasons why your next corporate event should have live entertainment

Entertainment can add a lot of value and enhance the success of your corporate event. And live performances, in particular, can become focal points for attendees. With the help of corporate event budget software, you can book outside entertainment such as bands to help in adding spice and interest to the occasion. Here are some of the reasons why you should consider booking live entertainment for your corporate event.

It engages guests

A live performance is entertaining and fun, which improves interaction among guests at a corporate event. It boosts the energy and mood, thus making it easier to pass important messages to them when the time comes since they remain interested and upbeat throughout the event.

It reinforces the values, mission, and vision of a brand

You can tailor the performance at an event to reflect the values, mission, and vision of your company and give a befittingly positive impression. The same can be done to reinforce the image and value of the event itself by matching it to the intended goals. Guests will more likely be interested in learning more about the company or the event, which generally enhances your brand.

It helps in forging useful business links

Using the live performance as a talking point can be a great way to network. By breaking the ice at a corporate event, entertainment creates the best environment for starting informal conversations that may finally become formal and land your business good partnerships or deals. Good entertainment has been known to create memories that are talked about long after the event is over. This may help in spreading your message to potential partners who did not attend the event through word of mouth referrals in ways you never imagined.

Revitalises and enhances the morale of employees

At the end of a long and hectic year, entertainment at a corporate event might be what your company needs to motivate and give a refreshing break to employees. A properly organised corporate party with entertainment rejuvenates them and gives them a much-needed break before they resume their duties with a more satisfied and refreshed mind.

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