Behind The Clipboard Expert Event Tips

In this episode, event experts Melissa Howie and Tamara Cook tackle a topic that hits close to home for many in our events industry: BURNOUT. Joined by special guest, Sarah Reuter, CEO of Elevate Travel Co. we explore the signs of burnout from tight deadlines to high-pressure events in the exhilarating but exhausting events world. Sharing raw stories from the front lines, we give practical strateg...

Choosing the right photographer and videographer for your event is crucial; it can make or break your event's visuals with a knock-on effect in many places. So how do you find the perfect shooter? In this episode, we'll walk you through the key steps to confidently select, vet, and brief photographers and videographers to ensure your event is captured flawlessly. We'll dive into what to look for,...

Bridging the gap between study, ambition, and employment is one of the biggest hurdles for budding eventies trying to break into the industry. Tam and Mel are huge advocates for assisting people to get started in event management, but how do you actually get that dream job? Today we discuss ways people can fast track their way to work in events, and how experienced managers can encourage, mentor a...

Today we're bringing you Our Hot list of Event Management Don'ts! We're recording on a Friday, we're exhausted and full of tips from the recent events we've run and attended. We've compiled a list of our pet peeves - all the things people shouldn't do when running professional events - that can send a good event manager in the wrong direction momentarily, or catastrophically. Links to Audio Visual...

Post Event Processes. We know you're tired and hangry and your feet hurt, but there's still work do to! We've done an poddy on post event reporting (see link) but that just makes up one component of what we're talking about in today's show. The actions you take following an event are just as important as your duties pre-event. They are the final steps in extraordinary event management and they inf...

Just keep swimming – No one's going to die – 123 breathe – Be a duck (if you know, you know) Event planning is in the top ten listed stressful jobs in the world. Top ten, people! Right behind surgery, hostage negotiation and firefighting. We only have one chance to get it right and often hundreds of thousands, to millions of dollars have been poured into our ability to make the right decisions at...

'Cost of living' is on everyone's lips, but there are many thrifty ways to stretch planning budgets and still curate events that wow. So how do we impress attendees when budgets are tight and demand is high? Here are our top tips for keeping the wow-factor on a lot less coin. Link to Tam's original article as published in spice Magazine: https://www.spicenews.com.au/spice-loves/event-hacks-budget-...

It's all over the news right now – DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  Mel and Tam believe that a deliberate and considered focus on DEI and safety is critical to creating fantastic event experiences. So, as this is an educational podcast sharing the best tools of the trade, we're giving you a comprehensive checklist of how you can practically insert DEI approaches into your events. Use it as a...

AIME is THE event for corporate Event Managers and the adjacent community to attend in the Asia-Pacific region. People flock from all over the globe to learn, do business and connect with the industry at this fabulously run conference and expo held annually in Melbourne Australia. Tam, Mel and Terence from Known Associates Events share their experience attending in 2024, and the highlights they're...

Tam and Mel attend and manage several IWD events each year. 2024 events got the whole Known Associates office talking about who's doing it well, how some events could improve, and which styles are making genuine, meaningful change. Terence Smith joins the ladies for a robust look at International Women's Day events in 2024. We'd love to hear your thoughts! Connect with us on instgram or LinkedIn....

Today we're talking about our favourite topic – getting drinks! Bar service is often pivotal to live events whether we're serving alcoholic drinks or mocktails. But today we're going to focus on the service of alcohol and the balance between our responsibilities as event professionals, and our guests having fun! This episode was recorded on Whadjuk Nyoongar boodja and we pay our respects to our Fi...

Today we're breaking down things we wish our clients knew . It's a bit of a doozy as we lift the lid on what goes on behind the scenes. From obscure things we have to google to come up with unique ideas, to the amount of time it takes to put together a proposal. Let's go!   BTC Podcast is recorded on First Nations land, Whadjuk Noongar boodjar in Boorloo, Western Australia. We pay our respects to...

We promise not to put you to sleep as we spice up a dry topic, contracts ! Contracts are those multipage nightmares we event managers have to trawl through to ensure we're a) getting the best value for money, b) getting what we actually asked for and c) not getting a bunch of stuff we didn't need or want at all! Behind the Clipboard is recorded on First Nations land, Whadjuk Noongar boodjar in Boo...

Today's masterclass is on a handy little skill called Show Calling! It's a role used in large scale events where there's a plethora of multimedia and talent happening in the room. I'm talking live cameras, several screens with varied content, music, speeches, MCs and performers such as dancers, stilt walkers and singers. Show Calling is essentially being in the control room. You're the conductor....

When you run a large scale event which focuses its formalities and entertainment on stage, you need a tightly run ship to ensure it all goes to plan. From timing, audio visual, and coordinating talent, to wrangling MCs, sound checks and stage plots; your approach to Stage Management plays a pivotal role in getting it right.  So today we're going to give you the ins and outs on how to stage manage...

Once the event's over and your feet have recovered from 38,000 steps in one day, you have one final job to do...the post event report! This is a gem of a task which will help your future-self infinitely; especially if you're repeating the event. Post-event reporting has a few facets to it. Tune in we'll have you recording your successes and improvements like a pro! This podcast is recorded on Whad...

Known Associates Events, where Mel and Tam spend every day dreaming up cool stuff for their clients, is the event company powering Behind the Clipboard Podcast. This year Known Associates turned 15 – that's right, they're moody, erratic teens who like to party and break all the rules. Mel's putting Founder and Director, Tamara Cook, in the hot seat, touching on all the behind the scenes goss that...

Did you know that key team briefings can make or break your event? Often in the chaos before doors open it seems like you don't have time for a briefing - INCORRECT. Making sure everyone on the event site is across the purpose, movements and core details of the event is essential. Yes, you may have sent out run sheets and emails etc. but the briefing is when you know the messages sent, are the mes...

We all know the best events build a brand we can all get around. A brand that sticks in our minds and doesn't leave until we jump on that ticketing website and get it get it! (Did someone say Fyre Festival?) Tam and Mel take you through the do's and don'ts of creating an event brand, from choosing the name and colour scheme, to the applications and places to market your collateral. Giddyup!

Seasoned Event Directors Mel and Tam talk about everything from sleep routines to post event meltdowns, errr I mean reporting, in this deep dive into our event day rituals. We're joined by special guest host, Justine Peovitis from Known Associates, to ask us all the curly questions. www.knownassociates.com.au

Tam and Mel share all their well-worn tips for conducting the perfect venue site visit. Checking for power access, clean and working toilets or whether or not you can turn off a noisy water fountain are just some of the traps people fall into when they haven't thought it all through. This Ep is checklist GOLD for novice event planners! We finish the Ep off with a whiz through some of our favourite...

This is a horror story. An Australian horror story. It's about an event that went all kinds of wrong because the ultimate Audio Visual measures were simply not met.  But don't dispair! We're dropping all the tips and tricks we've learnt along the way so you don't suffer the horror we've endured and your next event can be AH-MAZING!    With love, Mel and Tam xo

We know that in-person events are irreplaceable. You just can't beat human interaction, sensory experiences, socialising with chef-made food and drinks and the subtle picking up on body language cues. All the nuances of face to face events simply cannot be reproduced through a screen. HOWEVER, we live in a world with Covid-19 and it just won't leave us TF alone! Here are some tips to either go hyb...

We are bidding goodbye to 2021 by answering a few questions from you, our stellar Behind the Clipboard family! We're also reflecting on our favourite eps of this season and giving you a sneak peek into Season 6, coming  in 2022. Come visit us at www.knownassociates.com.au for all the blogs on event tips to get you through to the next season. Happy New Year everybody! Tam and Mel xx

We are bidding goodbye to 2021 by answering a few questions from you, our stellar Behind the Clipboard family! We're also reflecting on our favourite eps of this season and giving you a sneak peek into Season 6, coming  in 2022. Come visit us at www.knownassociates.com.au for all the blogs on event tips to get you through to the next season. Happy New Year everybody! Tam and Mel xx