There are so many great events that happen during the summer, but for some people the greatest event is the State Fair! Here in Des Moines we are proud have the Iowa State Fair, one of the largest in the country.Not only do people come from around the nation for our fair, but many corporate companies have State Fair themed events. Keep reading for food and entertainment ideas to make your next event a success. As a general rule state fair food is insanely awesome and either fried or on a stick, but how do you make Fried State Fair food on a stick unique and interesting for a corporate event?1) Deep-Fried Twinkie:Ahhh a classic! This delicious deep-fried treat is a must have for any party. Yep, we know you love them but for a higher-end event consider deep fried cheese cake pops.
Photo Source: Willow Bird Baking2) Cheese: Cheese, period. You can fry it, melt it or smother it on almost anything. It is a staple state fair food. For an upscale feel, hire a food truck that specializes in the ooey gooey deliciousness! 
Photo Source: Memphis Daily News3) Corndog: Another great go-to-snack, the corndog! Step it up a notch with Lobster corndogs… this will really get your guests talking with their mouth full!
Photo Source: Style Me Pretty4) Corn on the Cob:Always a classic dish for the fair! The good thing is this can be dressed up very easily. Serve as an appetizer on a stick or use it during the main course.
Photo Source: Style Me Pretty5) Cotton Candy:This may not be the easiest to enjoy without getting slightly messy, but when you have cotton candy in a tub guests can eat it right then or take it home. We find attendees want a treat for the moment and a treat for later. Plus, you can choose the flavors that are unique and different or dyed into the company colors. 
Photo Source: Chocolate Story BookEntertainmentOkay, we’ve visited the foods. Now how about your entertainment? Of course you can choose to have the standard midway games, but there are ways you can take it to the next level as well!Here are 5 ways we’ve found that our clients love to step it up:
Custom photo booth – we have had great success and fun creating photo booths that are interactive. This has included duplicating the American Gothic painting and allowing guests to become the couple in picture, which has been a hoot! – and the longer the night goes on the more fun it becomes! – Have a photographer there to help guide the subjects and print photos on site. This makes for a memorable keepsake.Caricature artist – Make this unique by having a roaming artist that walks around to guests instead of vice versa. Also create a custom logo’d canvas for them to draw on. Having them walk around will help with those guests that are reluctant or shy to have their caricature done. This is another item for them to take home and you bet it gets featured on the social media!What fair theme is complete without carnies? The balloon man, the inflatable items and the games. Have a few of these characters set up around your event to really set the mood.
Create games of chance – it’s really easy to do a balloon popping game, a weight or age guesser or a ring toss game.Dunk tank – this might not work for all events but if you can get your CEO to sit in the dunk tank, this is a real winner and your guests will stand in line just to get the chance to dunk the CEO.We like to end the evening with a wonderful headliner. As with all fairs, yours should include a concert. Consider the crowd and pick your headliner carefully to ensure you entertain the crowd and send them off with a wonderfully warm feeling of the all-American pastime of the State Fair.
Tracy Fuller-White has owned and operated an event production company for 30+ years and has done events nationally and internationally for fortune 100 and fortune 500 companies.
Movies are definitely a trend setter for event themes. If you think we’re wrong, let us just say these two words “
Vendors play a big role in what we do as event planners. Without them there would not be a complete event. Because of this we like to take time and highlight some of our favorites.So this week we’d like to highlight Crème Cupcake. Cupcakes with a twist are what this Midwest cupcake company offers – a cupcake store that pairs drinks and cocktails with specific cupcake flavors during their happy hour.Being a fellow Entrepreneur, we sat down with the owner of Crème Cupcake, Christina Moffatt. We asked her to share some defining moments in her career and how she became the successful business woman that she is. See what we were able to find out:After working for 10 years in corporate U.S.A., Christina decided she was tired of seeing people with no happiness in their day. Her mission became to find what makes people happy. The answer, she discovered, was cupcakes and dessert.A baker since she could hold a measuring spoon, Christina combined her culinary skills with her management and marketing experience to create Crème Cupcake + Dessert, which expanded from a home-operated bakery to a commercial kitchen in less than a year.In May of 2015, Christina partnered to take the dessert lounge concept nationally through franchise agreements. 1. What was the defining moment when you made the decision to go into business for yourself? When I booked 1000 cupcakes for the Bravo Gala I realized this could be a full time career. 2. Did you work another job and run your business at the same time? I worked full time for 6 months while I built my business on the side. 3. If so, at what point did you decide to quit working for someone else and work on your business? After I booked the 1000 cupcakes for Bravo Gala, I ran cash flow projections to figure what I needed to produce every month to cover all my expenses and pay myself. 4. Can you give us a small idea of how that decision changed your business? It became serious with marketing plans, networking with right client/ referrals and thinking as a business rather than a hobby 5. What are some of the most important decisions or aha’s you’ve had in opening a business? You have to use tools and peoples expertise that are available to you. You can’t do everything or you’ll do it all poorly. 6. What are some really surprising things you’ve learned about having your own business that you would have never guessed before starting your business? Something is always going to break or you’ll have an unexpected expense so you have to manage your cash flow wisely. 7. At what point did you finally decide to hire your first employee? And how has that advanced your business? When my days were topping to 18-hour days I knew I couldn’t keep going at that pace. I also had a wise mentor named Tracy Fuller tell me "Be happy where you are with your business or hire people so you can grow" 8. Are there any tips or trips you would like meeting and event planners to know when working with you to get the best outcome for their event? I love Planners! They are a great referral source for us! The more precise on delivery time, directions in the building of where to set up down to the table being labeled is awesome. Saves us time from butting in to their day to ask questions. Want to know more about Christina and Crème Cupcake? Follow them on Twitter @cremecupcakedsm 
Social media has become so important to events that some would flop without it. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram capture important event moments and let people know details at the drop of a hat. But what about Snapchat?Most people think of snapchat as an app that features a disappearing picture, solely used by young adults and teenagers. However, some fail to see the significance snapchat can bring to an event! According to an 
So, you have an event and you plan on playing some music in the background…No biggie right? Not quite. Before you plug in your iPhone to play your favorite tunes, you need to know a little bit about music licensing and how it affects your events.Licensing for music is as big of a deal as using someone else’s artwork on your PowerPoints and not paying for it. If you don’t get the proper licenses, the penalty can be huge. As event planners, this is all very confusing and time consuming; trying to figure out who, what, and when of the music licenses – plus how they work!Although getting licensing isn’t the most convenient task on your event planning checklist, it beats the alternative. The alternative to purchasing a license is to contact each artist who’s music you intend to play and get their written permission. You may also have to ask your band to play original material only. We all know that when we hire a band to play covers, that having them only play their original tunes might not be the best request.Can you image trying to track down the correct people and having them respond to this request? It would take one person dedicated to this specific task many hours and many weeks to complete. This would require you knowing your playlist well in advance. Doesn’t sound like a task I want to take on. I am sure the hours I would spend research, making phone calls and sending emails would be more than the cost of the license itself.When researching licenses you might find that the responsibility falls to the venue to purchase and hold the licenses for music. However, many venues are now passing on that responsibility to the entity holding the event. Check in with both the facility and licensing bureaus to make sure you are covered in order to avoid the high penalties if you aren’t.We searched the internet to locate the best descriptors of ‘what’ license you need and ‘when’ you need a license. Here’s what we’ve found:1. There are three different licensing entities (ASCAP, BMI, & SESAC). Each one is a little different.2. For just ASCAP alone there are over 100 different license types and each one has pretty strict usage rules.3. For each event type, there are different rules which can get fairly specific4. Pricing for the license depends on the type of the event and how many attendees you will have at the event.5. Charity events are NOT excluded from needing a license for events (usually they are covered under a one-time event license)6. Copyright law says events for only friends and family do not need a license – Hey wedding planners, you’re in the clear! Based on a chat conversation with Frank at ASCAP online. Connect Here → 
Tracy Fuller, President of Event Heroes, believes in empowering other event and meeting planners to help make the industry a better place. Working together to learn from one another and killing others with kindness are two principles she lives by. When she’s not busy pulling off events that wow or training the next Event Hero, Tracy enjoys sipping wine with friends, painting in her art studio, and attending other great events in her city.
It’s summer, which means you probably have a calendar full of weddings to attend this season! The wedding industry is always changing, so we put a list together of the hottest wedding trends in 2016. Be on the lookout for these trends:Two for one dress: More and more dresses these days are being made convertible. Go from formal to party with one motion!Midnight snack: Weddings go late and what’s more appetizing than a midnight snack?! Mini burgers and dessert bars are becoming increasingly popular as an after hour snack!Metallics: This material is all the rage for weddings! Dress it up or down and use it in almost any piece throughout the wedding, from invitations to dresses to the dining room!Mix up the centerpieces: Gone are the days of the exact same tables. Use this as an advantage and be creative in what you choose for each table.Signature cocktails: The bride and groom show off their personalities by each offering their own personal cocktail concoction. Although a little pricy, this detail shows guests a more intimate connection.Weddings are evolving every year and getting more personalized and detailed. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!Let us know what you see at your weddings this year and comment if you are seeing any new trends!
We all have those moments during work when we should be doing our tasks but are just blocked. You know there is a deadline, but nothing is coming to mind. You are… stuck.Being in the event industry clients are always expecting more. What happened last year just isn’t good enough! During these times one of the best things is to just take a break!Now you might be thinking that taking a break is wasting time, but studies have 
Cold calling. We’ve all been there. Wanting to get our name and brand out there for the world to see our talent. Most of the time these calls are frustrating and take forever to reach someone to make an impact.Sometimes all the effort leads to nothing and we are back to square one. But in today’s world of technology and social media, do we really need cold calling?There are so many different ways to get your career as an event professional to the next level without cold calling. First you need to know who your audience is. Are you planning weddings, corporate events, charities?The first way to advertise your business is LinkedIn. There are millions of professionals available to you, just by the click of a button. It is completely normal to message a professional you do not know personally. Make sure you write your own message – not the pre-written one LinkedIn provides.Another idea is simply emailing the person you are trying to contact. Most websites provide that information if you look close enough. It is acceptable to write another email a few days with no response, just be respectful of their time.A less direct approach is Facebook advertising. Your company may do many different events, but with Facebook you can narrow down who you want to advertise to. Be specific in your words and after awhile those people you have been trying to reach for a year might be contacting you.Lastly is 
When doing event setup you need to take good care of the venue. Tracy Fuller gives a short tip how to do just that! Watch below!
Engaging in conversation can be somewhat of a sport: listening to others ideas, collaborating, discussing deep subjects. It is something I love to do and find it to be essential to my wellbeing and the health of my mental state. I have learned to enjoy networking and find the new ideas and meeting new people fascinating. During various conversations I learn new things about the other person as well as myself with each and every encounter.As an entrepreneur and with any social career where you find yourself interacting with others, conversations are bound to happen. Some discussions can lead to career advancement, building relationships within your business community, or just creating a valuable connection or future friendship. Therefore, it is something that cannot be ignored in most instances. Conversing doesn’t always come easy, but I have found that applying the following tips in my conversations can help get the ball rolling: 1. When introducing yourself, use both your first and last namesWhen you meet someone for the first time, use both your first and last name. I know there are tendencies to use first names only if the other person does, but sometimes your last name can be a conversation starter or help others recognize what they have heard about you and your business from others. If this is all positive conversation, this will add instant credibility to your conversation. I like to say what company I am with as well. Sometimes others may have heard of your company only, so it’s a great way to put a face with the name. 2. Mirror body languageIf the person you are talking to is standing with their arms crossed, cross your arms. Exchange a few sentences and then uncross your arms, see if they do the same. Subconsciously we follow each other’s body language and maybe you can encourage them to open up. If not, offer a pleasant ‘nice to meet you’ and move on to the next person or group. If they don’t open up maybe someone forced them to attend this event and they are just not in the mood to share. 3. Focus on others firstI find it fun to play a little game and watch the conversation. I ask the person I am speaking to what they do for a living, wait for the answer and see if they ask me. If not, I move on to the next subject and ask another question. I am waiting to see if and when they will ask about what I do, about my family, or something to engage the conversation both ways. 4. If you listen, they will think you are smartThe person conceived as the smartest person in the room is the one that is the best at listening, weighing the conversation, and then speaking. Be a great listener and you will project the interest that others are seeking to have fulfilled. 5. Put away the cell phoneThis shouldn’t have to be said but a cell phone in your hand that you check often lets the other person know that they fall second to whoever or whatever is on your phone. Turn off the ringer, put it in your purse or pocket, and have a real conversation that you are engaged in with the person standing right in front of you. 6. Don’t interrupt with ideasI know you may have that great idea that just came to your brain that has to do with what the other person is talking about and if you don’t blurt it out it might disappear. Hold that thought! Literally. Give the person speaking the opportunity to finish their thought before you give them that really awesome idea that will save the world. 7. Know when to dig deeperSometimes a person needs to talk things out, so know how to ask questions that keep them talking. Make sure the conversation stays positive and keep asking those questions that can’t be answered with Yes or No. Encourage them to talk through the issue and keep your eyes open for what is really being said. Remove the emotions. This will lead to more productive outcomes for everyone involved. 8. Know when to stop diggingI’m not talking spouses or family members here. We all know how to push buttons of those that are closest to us, but for casual conversation if the content becomes negative, change the subject. If the conversation continues to be negative, politely excuse yourself and find someone else to engage. We all know that person that loves to have toxic conversation all the time! 9. Focus on the person you’re in conversation withNo eye darting, nodding to others, etc. There is no better way of making someone feel insignificant than you looking for your next target for conversation while talking to them. 10. Look into their eyesWhen being really engaged with someone, look into their eyes or at least at their face when speaking with them. I know this is a no-brainer, but sometimes it is hard to do. Make sure you are not looking at body parts that make the other person uncomfortable. 11. Open yourself up to othersWhen networking, don’t stand in the corner with your arms crossed and a scowl on your face. Smile, drop your arms to your side, and stand flat on your feet. This is a power position and an invitation for others to approach you. You never know who your next client is going to be!Next time you are out 
Tracy Fuller, President of Event Heroes, believes in empowering other event and meeting planners to help make the industry a better place. Working together to learn from one another and killing others with kindness are two principles she lives by. When she’s not busy pulling off events that wow or training the next Event Hero, Tracy enjoys sipping wine with friends, painting in her art studio, and attending other great events in her city.