I also plan corporate events and in the recent months have faced many clients who have struggled in justifying the expense of pulling together an event, whether large or small. I say, embrace events in today’s economy. You may not have to host as large of an event, but by pulling together an event, you are enabling yourself to connect with clients who, in turn, will help fuel your business. For example, if I am at a local resort and I need to get more group business, but the leads are dry and I have need to step outside the box in order to bring business in, I should consider a client event. By hosting this event, I can pull in partner vendors to assist in implementation (and most often than not, they are willing to help out in trade because their involvement may lead to business for them as well) and then bring all my clients or the ones who are close to booking together at one time in one place. You have just managed to save your time, your energy and believe it or not, money. In this economy, that is the bottom line. It is no secret that the dollar will stretch a little more when you have more people attending. . . think of it as buying in bulk. So, when the boss comes at you and is looking for an idea to get maximum exposure and a high ROI, go ahead and throw an event into the ring. After all, all you need is one booking and your ROI will be a success. I smell a promotion! Let me know if you have any ideas for making impressions in today’s struggling economy!