Conferencing for beginners

With conferences and teambuilding as the cornerstone for a successful working team, it is pertinent to ensure that when planning a conference, all the bases of a basic conference are covered.

As with any event, conferences can take up a chunk of one’s allocated budget, but they are important for brainstorming ideas, informing about a product or service, building team spirit, debating an important topic and more.

The basics of a successful conference include ensuring all the following features are taken care of – that of –  food and beverage, venue, number of attendees, and any extras, including that of accommodation – should this be required.

From a one-day standard conference to a launch, weekend getaway or business team build, the number of days and guests should be decided before a venue is contacted, as this may determine how the costs are charged. For numerous Hotels that offer conferencing facilities, there are packages on offer to accommodate certain types of conferences or guest numbers.

When it comes to the venue – it is pertinent that the venue offers the required amount of space to accommodate the number of guests, have in-house catering, as well as all the bells and whistles such as projector, screen, audio and all the other little details that are essential in ensuring the convenience of relaying information.

Whether you are seeking a one-day conference with lunch, or a weekend conference that requires a large amount of food to be catered for, the food should cover all the needs of those attending – from vegetarian to food sensitivities. This information should be relayed to the venue/Hotel months in advance in order for any requests to be taken care of timeously. Following up prior to the conference is a must to ensure all goes smoothly.

An important feature that many event planners should include on their “to-have” list, is entertainment. This would be in the form of an MC, interesting speaker, visual presentation or similar form of entertainment. Attendees of the event only have a relatively short attention space, therefore providing a brief span of entertainment will allow for conference goers to refresh their focus.

For more information on how to plan a successful conference contact 033 234 4071 or visit www.grannymouse.co.za.

Long known as one of the most romantic wedding venues in the KZN Midlands, Granny Mouse Country House & Spa’s charm and on-site facilities, including a gorgeous chapel and Spa, make this venue a bridal couples dream. We chatted to Operations Manager, Ane du Preez about some of her favourite wedding memories.

“We just love hosting weddings here at Granny Mouse, and the entire team gets behind ensuring that the bridal couple have the most amazing day, but that’s not to say that we don’t have a few giggles along the way.

According to du Preez, there are a number of things that come to mind, but she certainly has a few that have stuck in her mind.

Firstly was the wedding of Jamie-Lee and Faruqui, who were married on 26^th March 2016. It was such a beautiful wedding, and at the end of the night, the bride had something up her sleeve, but it had taken her quite some time to build up the courage. Jamie started singing a song for her new husband, which came as a surprise to everyone and certainly took his breath away.

Another incident that comes to mind, was the wedding of an international couple Carla & Grant, who had enlisted the help of a friend to make a carrot cake for their wedding day, the only problem was that when they came to cut the cake, they realized that the cake was raw! Being the happy couple that they were, they laughed it off and said it would go down as a funny story for them to treasure forever!

Perhaps the funniest wedding memory du Preez has, was that of another couple, who’s brother almost had to go to the wedding, shirtless! Arriving at the property straight off an international flight, the brides brother soon realised that he had left his dress shirt behind and couldn’t well stand at the alter with no shirt on under his jacket. He rushed off to reception, hoping to find a solution, and quick thinking Granny Mouse General Manager, Sean Granger, lent him a Granny Mouse shirt, much to the bride’s bemusement.

At Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, the team really goes above and beyond to ensure that every little detail is taken care of.

To see how we can make your wedding dreams come true, visit www.grannymouse.co.za or contact Ane du Preez on 033 234 4071.