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Advanced Techniques Some people just have to leave their signature on whatever they touch. For some, that signature is a gimmick —a trick. Consider the sleight-of-hand trick used by one veteran volunteer of many auction events. Each year he worked his trick to give the audience the impression of “unparalleled success,” even as the event was just getting started. This person had enough experience , or perhaps it was just good advance information, to know approximately how many people would be attending the event banquet. In making final arrangements for the banquet setup, he made sure the room did not appear excessively large. He said, “Too much empty space makes it look like people forgot to come.” He then made sure that too few tables and chairs were set for the number of expected attendees. He had this done on purpose, with the obvious result that when people were seated for dinner, there were not enough place settings. His goal was not to create a standing-room-only event, although that would have been the outcome had he not also made secret accommodation for the “overflow attendance .” His trick was that he had hidden additional tables, fully set up for dinner. These tables were kept behind closed doors and were ready to be carried out and squeezed in among the other tables when needed. He made certain that accommodation could be made quickly when the “unexpectedly” large crowd overflowed the capacity of the room. If the event failed to attract as many people as expected, the extra tables would remain hidden, and the room would appear to have been set to full capacity. Attendees would never notice attendance was less than expected. Instead, they would perceive the event to be a resounding success from the standpoint of attendance. 24 advanCed TeChniQUes 255 at others? it is usually no accident but the result of planning, hard work, and experience. Getting vips to attend an event is one of the tricks of masterful event planners. not only do the successful planners work to get vips to come but they work hard to get the right vips to come. Who attends an event can take on extraordinary importance. For example, consider the impact on a fundraising event held by a small local charity when it has an internationally acclaimed movie star in attendance. everyone in town will absolutely have to attend. Whether the star has a role in the event or is just there as an attendee does not matter. the presence of the star is enough to set the host organization up for success. is the star really attending just like everyone else? Maybe, but probably not. sometimes a star will just drop in to a charity fundraiser, but that is a rare occurrence. in almost every case the presence of a major personality is the result of a well-planned, lengthy process of solicitation , networking, and very often negotiation over financial considerations. even if the presence of the star is a direct result of a personal connection to a member of the host organization, the process of getting the star to attend usually goes well beyond a simple phone call or e-mail. the host wins big when a star agrees to make an appearance free of charge, as a donation to the charitable event. in many cases personalities are paid to attend. this is not about having the star as an entertainer . people understand stars get paid to perform. this is about being paid to play the role of vip at an event. attendees may not know about that trick. payment may be in cash or special services, such as extraordinary trips or unique gifts to which the host organization has access. stars may be paid to make their role an active one, such as to say a few words or sign a few photos, or they may be paid just to be there—paid to just walk around and be seen. that’s really all it takes to turn a humdrum event into an unforgettable evening. and this will be the case for no other reason than the presence of one or more truly memorable vips. My wife and i were attending a charitable event where one of the most famous actors of our parents’ generation was signing copies of his autobiograThe magic of the trick came when attendance was better than expected. Then, with fanfare from the MC, extra tables were paraded into the room and squeezed...

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