An interview with JNR Incorporated–
Top Professionals Share How They Deliver the Wow Year After Year
This is the second of four sections on how meeting professionals create new and memorable programs, year after year, with the same clients.
About JNR Incorporated
JNR Incorporated is a full service incentive marketing company headquartered in Irvine, California. Jim Jalet, President and CEO developed the company over twenty seven years ago offering corporations the highest level of product and service available. JNR’s sixty-five employees deliver award winning programs that produce exceptional results and lasting impressions. JNR’s wide range of marketing programs include corporate incentives, incentive travel, meeting or convention, debit card program, merchandise and recognition, special event or entertainment. Two of JNR’s top professionals were interviewed for this article.
Bring to Life what is Already There
A good point to remember about incentive program planning is to not to re-invent the wheel. Examine what your venues and locations already have to offer. Linda Cote, with JNR Incorporated, explains, “We wanted to fill the evening with more than the headline act. Because you have to import so much décor and entertainment to an island like Kauai, events can become expensive and difficult to produce. In discussing this with our client, we agreed it would work out well if we incorporated much of what was already at Kilohana. We decided to combine some of the activities that Kilohana already offers, like the sugar train rides, the old plantation house and the shops. We will bring in a tattoo parlor, dart boards, lounge furniture, pool tables, air hockey, flashing neon ice cubes, and neon caps to give the party some fun elements without incurring a tremendous amount of additional cost.”
How do you find the Wow?
JNR’s savvy incentive clients are also up on all the latest shows and trends. Because of this, Linda stays one step ahead of them. She tries to attend as many of the industry event trade shows as she can find time for. One example is the annual Event Solutions “Idea Factory/CaterSource” tradeshow and conference held every year in February. Another, the International Association of Corporate Entertainment Producers (IACEP), offers an annual conference in September that includes three full days of fresh and exciting corporate entertainment productions. At this year’s show, Linda reviewed 22 different shows in less than 72 hours!
Linda also recommends staying in tune with the trendy TV shows such as “Dancing with The Stars” as you can get great new ideas. Clients are watching these shows too. “But”, she cautioned, “You have to filter out what will work and what won’t, and you have to make sure that you stay on top of the trends without slipping behind them.” Gen X and Gen Y like groups like edgy talent like “Sugar Ray”, but these groups are too untested and many don’t work well as corporate entertainment. One of the oldest and most reliable themes around is the old variety show concept. “Think of how popular ‘America’s Got Talent’ has become, says Linda. “Different acts, all within the same show add interest and variety. Get into the habit of watching the awards shows—from the Grammys to the Academy Awards. You will see emerging trends in décor, colors, textures and designs. And the talent seems to go through trends as does the staging”
“Watch for emerging talent trends as well”, she says. “There’s Drum Jungle and Drum Café, and all the new electric violin acts like String Theory. Surprise entertainment continues to gain popularity,” said Linda. She recommends becoming a close and personal friend to one or two trusted entertainment brokers. These brokers can make or break an event for you and can be your best ally in a competitive and time-challenged world.
Linda further recommends developing a knack for finding the most talented décor companies. You can search the local area where the event will take place or you can bring your décor company with you from locale to locale if you prefer. Décor is the single most consistently important element that will give you an outstanding event production. “You can change the mood in a flash”, says Linda. “Stay on top of trends in décor, such as the new chameleon chairs. True to their name, the chair can be changed with a different color or fabric and will change the mood of a room instantly.”
Doing Things Differently
Try adding a few of these special twists recommended by Ms. Cote:
1. Consider splitting the awards recipients into two groups with awards presentations running simultaneously in two different rooms. This can be done prior to the awards banquet. Of course, you will need two different executives available a the same time to present the awards, but it will make the awards segment of the evening flow much quicker prior to the fun part of the evening. When you meld the two groups back together for dinner, the awards have been distributed and then it’s time to eat, drink and celebrate success.
2. Try scheduling the awards ceremony on the middle evening of the program rather than reserving it for the final night. The Welcome Reception can be Night One, Night Two can be a free night and Night Three is the awards night. From there, Night Four can be a dine around night, and Night Five can be the theme party night.
3. To make a mandatory sales meeting a little more interesting, try putting the final night headline entertainer into the sales meeting as a keynote address speaker if your entertainer has speaking ability. As an example, Mick Fleetwood offers both keynote addresses and musical entertainment.
Make Things Personal
Linda is always looking for the personal touch. She adds it to the gifts that the winners receive to complete the experience. For example, this year she commissioned a local artist on Kauai who creates handmade Koa gift boxes. Boxes will be presented to the spouses and significant others of program winners during a special recognition breakfast to honor supportive partners. Prior to that breakfast, the winners are e-mailed a template to write out their own personalized note of appreciation to acknowledge their spouse or guest. Linda will print out these sentiments on a custom note card and enclose them in the boxes for guests to discover at the breakfast. How special is that?!
Conclusion to Part One:
The ability to bond with clients and vendors simultaneously is a necessary skill as an event planner. You have to pull the dream from the client and make it reality with your talented staff and vendors. You learn to meld current trends into concepts and then actual productions at your chosen hotels and venues. You take certain elements from past programs and make them seem like a fresh new production with just a few changes. All this and more Shakes Things Up and delivers the wow the way you want it—year after year.
Sidebar—A Moment of Doubt
Linda shared a thought that even the most experienced of event planners can have a bad day. When asked if she ever has a moment of doubt, she responded, “Of course I do. Everyone does. It’s the day when you come to work and while you are waiting for the computer to boot up you noticed your proofs did not come back the way you ordered them.”
Linda continued, “Then you find none of your vendors have responded to important e-mails from the day before and your phone calls have been left unanswered because they are out of town on another program. And your client is out today because their child is sick. It’s that moment when you feel no one is focusing on your project and you begin to wonder when they will. And in the meantime, deadlines are looming.”
But when you are someone who delivers the wow like Linda can, you don’t lose faith in your vendors, even on an occasional bad day. You know they share the passion and the vision and the events always turn out exceptional, year after year.
