Don’t Underestimate the Brainstorm

Brainstorming is an integral part of most creative businesses, and the event industry is absolutely no exception.  In fact, we at BENG! love the brainstorm session portion of our projects that we offer "Free 'Storms"for our clients.  It's a great way to get our team to relax and in the right state of mind, and our clients follow quite quickly. We keep our brainstorms open, free and easy - as they should be. Of course we have creative objectives to reach, but sometimes you need to break the ice before you can move forward on a project. We believe the brainstorm does both: 1 - it takes you right to the heart of your project. 2 - It gets you in creative line with your client, team and sets you on the right track for your project. 

How do we do it?

There are so many articles out there that negate the positive elements of brainstorming. We agree the traditional brainstorm where everyone gets a pencil and a notepad and goes around the room taking turns on ideas isn't the most effective way to get to your creative objectives. So, how do we do it? How should you do it? Here are some helpful tips:

1. There Is A Time and Place For Everything

Know your audience, know what you are trying to brainstorm about and feed into it. You need to find the right time and the right location to create an environment that fosters creativity. It's not about sitting in a room and not coming out until you're done.

2. Understand your objective

Know before you begin what you are going to discuss, plan your meeting attendance accordingly and have a plan. You cannot expect that everyone sits in a room and shouts out ideas until the perfect one arises, you need to nurture the environment and the relationships. You foster the ideas, and 

3. Be prepared
Get some research done. Think about what your goals are and how you want your team to achieve them. Come to the meeting prepared with "thinking" points so that you can share and provide input to the conversation. Everything is a work in progress during a brainstorm...so no one should feel under prepared, but you should at least have had a moment to think about the topic.

4. Guidance is Key 
Define a clear leader in the brainstorm. The person should be in charge of the open flow of conversation, ideas, and positivity. Sometimes the best work is found when going off topic, but you have to know when enough is enough. Also, having a leader will help your team feel safe and comfortable, knowing that negativity wont have a place in the room. 

5. Don't Force It, Sometimes 2 Times is A Charm

Sometimes we have to do more than one brainstorm. The questions and ideas that come up in the first one lead to more roads to explore and that can take time. Don't worry if you don't leave the room with a concrete idea or direction...brainstorms can help you in the right direction and sometimes you need more than one.

Tips on how you or your agency brainstorm? Any unusual places? Let me know nicolen at bengny dot com

Dealing With Employees - The Temp Staff Revolution

The new agency format is one like ours. We keep it small and simple and we hire in expertise on a project by project basis in an industry or area we feel we need to bolster up on. It makes our lives easier, and it allows our clientele to get exactly what they need and want. The task – sometimes hard – can be to manage all of the temporary employees that fall under your hat. There are times when you work with a team you are familiar with and that you love and trust – otherwise you wouldn’t have hired them in the first place. But then there are times when you hire someone because they have something that you need – something that you can’t produce your event without. Whether it is as simple as man power and an extra set of hands or elevated expertise in a very specific area – non-profit fundraising for example. So how do you manage those new and fragile relationships?

• Know the person and get references. You can go to an event staffing company for simple man power needs – although make sure you communicate exactly what that person will be doing so that you get someone qualified. If you are looking for specific expertise, you will want to ask around in your network, if you don’t already have someone. Make sure you get references and have an interview. Time is always short. Work always has a deadline. Believe me know I know. I don’t think I have ever done an event where timing isn’t an issue. But time spent on interviews before the project will save time during the project.
• Clear and Concise Job Descriptions. Communicate exactly what job you need fulfilled. It sounds simple, but so many times discontent during a project comes from people feeling they are in over their heads, or doing things that were not communicated to them at the beginning.
• Make sure they understand who they are working for. They will be a representation of your company and will need to make sure everything they say and do works for you. They are technically under the umbrella of your company so make sure they understand who you are and how they should talk to your client – if that is what they will be doing. 
•  Bad Seed? Find out what is going wrong. Is it fixable? Sometimes it is a conversation and sometimes it’s a personality clash. When it comes to your small business, you can’t afford to hide and hope that their attitude blows over. You are only as good as your last client.  It’s easier to let an employee go that doesn’t fit than to see your client walk away. 

What are your tips for managing your temp staff?