Top Tips Of A Venue Finder
Finding a venue for an event is an exciting task. Whether it is for a wedding, wake or birthday party, choosing somewhere that has the right atmosphere for the occasion is challenging, and the rewards of getting it right are immense. Whether it is for a client, a friend or for yourself, doing the rounds and finding out just what is out there is definitely a job worth doing. Some of my favourite venues have been found by accident, whilst out having a drink with some friends, and others have been a major mission to find the perfect place. Here are my top tips as a venue finder.
Tip 1: Always keep your eyes and your mind open.
No matter what you are doing or where you are going, there is a potential venue in every place that you visit. As a professional venue finder, I am asked to find locations for films, conferences, parties, and charity events as well as all the other usual celebrations that happen throughout the year. Each cafe, museum, pub, office and open public space can be commandeered for the right price. Peoples homes are often an overlooked source for venues. If you find yourself admiring the stunning light, architecture, decor or layout of someone’s home or garden you can guarantee that it will be a perfect venue for someone’s event.
Tip 2: Try out every facility.
Being a venue finder, I have to get it right first time for a client, and there is no way I can overlook a thing. This means that for each venue I try all the facilities and services to ensure they are up to the high standards my clients expect. Each event is unique, and for my clients, it is the only time that event will happen and there are no second takes in this business. If the venue is a hotel, I will book myself in for as long as is needed to make sure I have personally tried and tested everything from the complimentary soap to the PA system. This is where the job really has perks, although it would be impossible to try everything on the menu, I have to make sure I sample a fair proportion of what is on offer. So cocktails and a la carte, massage and therapies all need to get past my quality control!
Tip 3: Get plenty of photos.
Part of being a successful venue finder is being able to express to a client why a particular venue is ideal, and try and convey your own personal excitement. I find that the best way to do this is to take plenty of photos of the things that will impress your client and show why the venue is ideal. Although venue brochures are useful, you need to sell a place on a particular aspect, something that maybe the brochure doesn’t include. If you find that some venues are a great all-rounder, it would be useful to create a catalogue of images that can be used for a number of clients.
Tip 4: Present a stunning portfolio.
The portfolio presented to a client is reflection of the skill and attention to detail that is necessary in the job. Presenting a shoddy portfolio or missing an important aspect of the brief will see you losing a client to a different venue finder. This is an essential platform to prove that you can get the best deals on the best venues and able to pull more strings than anyone else.
Dom Donaldson is an expert in the events industry.
Find out more about Venue Finder at http://www.click4venues.com
Credit Problems and Poor Credit Can Affect Your Entire Life
Poor credit means more than not being able to get that fancy Jag you always wanted. As a stay at home mom, it is more serious than paying more for auto insurance, or not qualifying for a “preferred” rate on a loan.
Bad credit can affect every aspect of your life, from your living arrangements to your job to your family. That’s because the credit system was originally built on trust, and once you break that trust it can be a long hard road back to financial security.
You can hurt your credit in many different ways; by paying bills late, or defaulting on loans, or having a car repossessed or a home foreclosed on. Unpaid medical bills, early termination fees on mobile phone or satellite television services, all of these and many other factors can adversely affect your credit standing.
If you have poor or bad credit, you won’t be able to get a reasonable rate on a car or home loan – assuming a bank will give you one at all. You might even have trouble qualifying for an apartment or house to rent, and some companies (particularly ones in the high end retail, finance or business arenas) reserve the right to deny employment based on an adverse credit score.
The assumption is that if you can’t honor your commitments, you aren’t to be trusted, and this can hurt you in other areas of your life as well. If you are a stay at home mom, how do you explain to your children why people keep calling on the phone and knocking on your door?
Children are quick to spot a lie, and even quicker to see hypocrisy – and if you can’t keep your promises, how can you teach them what it is important? Ethical and religious concerns can come into play here, as well, resulting in an enormous burden of guilt.
The best thing to do is be honest. Explain that you made a mistake, and it will take time to fix, but you are going to try to make up for what you did wrong. They can see how unhappy you are, and you can use this opportunity to come up with ways to save money as a family and get out of debt.
Learning how to manage your money and teaching your children by example may take time, but it will pay off as you start to raise yourself out of debt one month at a time. Your children will learn from watching you and be better able to implement these lessons in their own lives from the beginning.
The stigma attached to debt can drag you down into depression and cause severe damage to your self esteem. Don’t despair – you can be debt free if you put your whole heart into the effort.
Trying to dig your way out of the quagmire may seem impossible, but with hard work and conscientious attention to every single penny that goes through your hands, you can rebuild your credit and regain your dignity as well as financial stability.
Rayven Perkins has been a stay at home mom, surviving on one income, for over 8 years. Visit her site http://www.stay-a-stay-at-home-mom.com/poor-credit.html for more important information about the pitfalls of poor credit and ways to reduce your expenses.
Monaco – Defying The Recession
The Monaco Grand Prix held at the end of the May shows Monaco in her full glory to the world for a Sunday afternoon, and this year was no exception as Lewis Hamilton won the race for the first time.
Monaco is known the world over not just for the best Grand Prix of the F1 season, but for million and billionaire residents, glamour…and some of the most expensive property in the world.
But with the world on on the brink of a possible recession and falling house prices both in the US and Europe, Monaco could buck the trend in the years ahead and see surprisingly big gains in prices while those around her go into freefall.
Part of Monaco’s price increases in recent years, and for the medium term future too, is that new housing being built is for locals, and a strong new supply of openly available apartments is unlikely to happen for ten years – and with strong demand and little supply it suggests further price rises are likely for this year and next.
British citizens have moved to Monaco in high numbers in recent years and as UK taxes show no sign of falling this large group is expected to swell further in 2008.
Previously a relatively small group of Monaco residents, the number of British people living in Monaco has doubled in the last three years since 2005, with some 3000 now claiming residency in Monaco.
Attaining residency in Monaco necessarily means renting or buying an apartment. The lowest priced property on the market at the moment is a 30m2 studio with a 7m2 balcony in the Fontvieille district at 720,000 Euros. With closing costs this rises to over 800,000 Euros. As well as buying a property, to gain residency in Monaco a bank account needs to be opened in the Principality, with account opening deposits varying between 100,000 and 500,000 Euros.
Mid range is a 210m2 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Monte Carlo, close to Casino Square, at 4,200,000 Euros. And at the top end is a three floor penthouse apartment in the well known Eden Star development at 25,000,000 Euros, equivalent to around 16 million Sterling.
At the opening of Monaco’s new consulate in London recently, Prince Albert of Monaco acknowledged the important contribution British people are making to his country, and said he would like to see more in the Principality. Prince Albert is particularly keen to see British entrepreneurs move to Monaco, but one travel guide for the country doesn’t think Prince Albert has fully thought through his ideal scenario.
‘Prince Albert said recently that he welcomes British entrepreneurs moving to Monaco, but that he wouldn’t be distributing leaflets on London’s streets to get more to do so. But he is missing the point. The costs involved in moving to Monaco are prohibitively high, even compared to London standards, and if he is serious about British talent moving to Monaco while we don’t expect Monaco to remove the financial barriers he could move to lower the bar a bit at least.’
A well respected US magazine recently claimed Monaco has the most overpriced real estate in the world, claiming the rental returns as part of their figures meant the tax haven’s property costs were unduly high.
In response a Monaco internet site says the American magazine are wrong, and have forgotten why Monaco’s property prices are high in the first place.
‘The error they made was comparing Monaco with places like Rome, Warsaw, Los Angeles and Vancouver, and they also overestimated closing costs. While admittedly high in Monaco at around 11 per cent, it’s not common to be 20 per cent that their research was based on.’
Monaco property buyers would find it difficult to find anything at all for 700,000 Euros, even for the smallest studio apartment, and realistic starting prices are from a million Euros.
Prices last year rose dramatically, with the Casino Square area seeing price increases close to forty per cent, and in Fontvieille, close to the helicopter pad which connects Monaco with Nice Airport, prices nearly doubled.
Overall it is thought that demand has grown by around thirty five per cent over the last five years, with few new Monaco properties becoming available to meet the new buyers expectations and putting pressure on already high real estate prices.
More information for property in Monaco can be found at both http://www.monacoproperty.net and http://www.yourmonaco.com/real_estate
Monaco – Defying The Recession
The Monaco Grand Prix held at the end of the May shows Monaco in her full glory to the world for a Sunday afternoon, and this year was no exception as Lewis Hamilton won the race for the first time.
Monaco is known the world over not just for the best Grand Prix of the F1 season, but for million and billionaire residents, glamour…and some of the most expensive property in the world.
But with the world on on the brink of a possible recession and falling house prices both in the US and Europe, Monaco could buck the trend in the years ahead and see surprisingly big gains in prices while those around her go into freefall.
Part of Monaco’s price increases in recent years, and for the medium term future too, is that new housing being built is for locals, and a strong new supply of openly available apartments is unlikely to happen for ten years – and with strong demand and little supply it suggests further price rises are likely for this year and next.
British citizens have moved to Monaco in high numbers in recent years and as UK taxes show no sign of falling this large group is expected to swell further in 2008.
Previously a relatively small group of Monaco residents, the number of British people living in Monaco has doubled in the last three years since 2005, with some 3000 now claiming residency in Monaco.
Attaining residency in Monaco necessarily means renting or buying an apartment. The lowest priced property on the market at the moment is a 30m2 studio with a 7m2 balcony in the Fontvieille district at 720,000 Euros. With closing costs this rises to over 800,000 Euros. As well as buying a property, to gain residency in Monaco a bank account needs to be opened in the Principality, with account opening deposits varying between 100,000 and 500,000 Euros.
Mid range is a 210m2 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Monte Carlo, close to Casino Square, at 4,200,000 Euros. And at the top end is a three floor penthouse apartment in the well known Eden Star development at 25,000,000 Euros, equivalent to around 16 million Sterling.
At the opening of Monaco’s new consulate in London recently, Prince Albert of Monaco acknowledged the important contribution British people are making to his country, and said he would like to see more in the Principality. Prince Albert is particularly keen to see British entrepreneurs move to Monaco, but one travel guide for the country doesn’t think Prince Albert has fully thought through his ideal scenario.
‘Prince Albert said recently that he welcomes British entrepreneurs moving to Monaco, but that he wouldn’t be distributing leaflets on London’s streets to get more to do so. But he is missing the point. The costs involved in moving to Monaco are prohibitively high, even compared to London standards, and if he is serious about British talent moving to Monaco while we don’t expect Monaco to remove the financial barriers he could move to lower the bar a bit at least.’
A well respected US magazine recently claimed Monaco has the most overpriced real estate in the world, claiming the rental returns as part of their figures meant the tax haven’s property costs were unduly high.
In response a Monaco internet site says the American magazine are wrong, and have forgotten why Monaco’s property prices are high in the first place.
‘The error they made was comparing Monaco with places like Rome, Warsaw, Los Angeles and Vancouver, and they also overestimated closing costs. While admittedly high in Monaco at around 11 per cent, it’s not common to be 20 per cent that their research was based on.’
Monaco property buyers would find it difficult to find anything at all for 700,000 Euros, even for the smallest studio apartment, and realistic starting prices are from a million Euros.
Prices last year rose dramatically, with the Casino Square area seeing price increases close to forty per cent, and in Fontvieille, close to the helicopter pad which connects Monaco with Nice Airport, prices nearly doubled.
Overall it is thought that demand has grown by around thirty five per cent over the last five years, with few new Monaco properties becoming available to meet the new buyers expectations and putting pressure on already high real estate prices.
More information for property in Monaco can be found at both http://www.monacoproperty.net and http://www.yourmonaco.com/real_estate
