There's one golden rule, in my book - running
successful events is all about developing a good working relationship with your suppliers. Without it, you're in trouble! I organise a select amount of functions and events for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, where I've been working as a PA for over 15 years.

I now work for two members of the management team. This gets me involved in everything from themed parties, to small press briefings, and from seriously high-profile events to away-days for small groups of staff of all levels. This is a significant part of my job. I know that when all my suppliers' teams are on my side, the chances of a great event are much higher!

So how do you start? With the venue. To find venues, make use of all the tools of the trade available to you. Subscribe to professional magazines, register with DeskDemon (www.deskdemon.com), and make sure you're open to all the sources in the market.

Follow up any magazine or website advertisements which catch your eye and contact them for a "showaround". This way you will meet the Conference Team at the venue and develop a rapport from that meeting. Going to exhibitions, too, is a good way to source venue ideas - try The Times Crème Executive PA show, RSVP show, and Confex.

Reader Events are always useful. You'll meet PAs and secretaries who perform the same tasks, make new friends, and develop a huge network of people you can turn to when you need that “certain something”.

Bring in the professionals
You could try using Event Management companies – find firms on the internet. Make an appointment to meet a representative from the companies you choose. If you organise a large amount of events, the event management company will liaise direct with the venues whom they know, and suggest suitable places to you.

Obviously by working this way you don’t necessarily develop a rapport with the venue from the outset, but as soon as you arrive for your meeting you should feel confident that everything has been organised to your exact requirements. If things are not quite right you then have a contact at your Event Management company who will take over the liaison with the venue for you. The good thing about these venue finding services is that they are free, and will also recommend places you may not have heard about. Give them a challenge and they generally rise to it – with great aplomb!

Always make a note of catering companies you hear about by word of mouth. In my experience an event can be classed as “totally useless” if the food has been poor! For some totally inexplicable reason, the food and beverages are always the most important things at events.

Keeping track
As information comes in from venues, you will find it mounts up quickly. Sift through it and keep only the essentials. Make a spreadsheet to detail each place you visit. On this you should include:

Venue – full address and whether:
•	it’s a hotel
•	dedicated conference centre
•	combined hotel and conference centre – if so, you should make a note of where the accommodation is located, for example are there executive rooms in a Mansion Block with non-executive rooms in a modern purpose-built block of rooms
Contact name and details
Convenient public transport arrangements
Parking facilities onsite or very close
Room sizes
Prices

When it comes to catering companies, keep similar records, and note especially any previous events they have supplied to. Be careful about pricing. Most catering companies will give you a rate for each person but you’ll always find there are “add-ons”. For instance, waitress service per hour, delivery charge, tablecloth hire, charge if your numbers drop considerably, etc. Ask them to put everything in writing which will give you a final figure to work to.

To keep up to date with venues make sure you contact them annually – if you haven’t used them during the year – to check that the same person will be dealing with any enquiries you may have. Staff in the hotel and event industry frequently change jobs and you will probably find that your initial contact has moved on.

The art of negotiation
Obtaining discounts is not easy! In my experience to gain a substantial discount I'd really have to use the same place, either hotel or dedicated conference centre, on a very regular basis. This I don't do as I like to get the feel for as many places as I care to visit over the year. If I were to use the same hotel chain for instance, I'd definitely meet my Account Executive or Area Manager before I start to book. I would then offer the number of days I'm likely to be looking at for the next year. The main problem is that new venues don't like to discount until they get to know the people they're dealing with.

Make sure you prepare all booking paperwork in advance with your Accounts Department, and check that all the references received from other venues are readily accessible. I find it frustrating - as despite being from a well-known organisation - I often have to pay up front if I haven't used a venue before. Aware of this, now, I short-cut any delays by sorting paperwork early.

I very much enjoy this side of my role. It can be frustrating, but the satisfaction of seeing my email inbox overcrowded the day after event with messages saying “thank you it was brilliant” makes it all worthwhile.

Theresa Mabbutt is the Lynchpin in her office - a colleague’s nickname from day one - working for the Communications Department. She is proud to have this pet name, as she enthusiastically seeks the elements of success which give any event that “wow” factor.