With Richelle Ouellette of Alchemy Events

Today in Ticketbud Tidbits, we interview Richelle Ouellette, Co-founder and Head Planner of Alchemy Events. Richelle has created a lot of successful events and has even done receptions for First Ladies. You can listen to the podcast below. The topics of conversation include communication, choosing a venue, and what to look for when hiring planners for your event company.

Topics:

One of the sub-themes throughout our conversation is the importance of communication. Communication with guests, with staff, with volunteers, and with venues. As an organizer, always be listening and paying attention to what people are doing and saying. Be clear about what you want, and if necessary, over-communicate.

Volunteer to Attendee Ratio 

Richelle recommends having one volunteer for every 100 people, although she does mention that she will modify this based off of how much “demand” and line she wants to have. If a decently long line is the goal to simulate demand, she will use a different ratio instead.

Communication

Never take for granted that volunteers know what to do. Go over the whole process with them. At the same time, empower volunteers to fix the situations themselves, if needed. Remember Dwight D Eisenhower’s quote: “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy”.

Choosing A Venue

Write out an outline of what you want out of a venue, including cost. Although you can deviate from it, always do your best to stay on track. Consider whether the venue will have appropriate facilities for the size of the event that you are going to be running.

Hiring Additional Planners For Your Planning Company

Have clear value and mission statements for your event planning company. By doing this, you’ll attract the candidates that you want when you’re looking to expand your business. In Richelle’s case, the other planner on her team is someone that she can really depend on, all while fitting in perfectly with the culture she is trying to build.