At a recent client event, I was reminded that sometimes “simple” is the best approach for events these days. We used to spend weeks designing and mailing invitations, compiling invite lists, dealing with caterers and collecting RSVPs. Event planning usually required starting at least two months in advance and then slogging through all the details. Then we bit our fingernails about attendance – would anyone come?

Happily, things have changed. The event last week was almost a last-minute idea. Neither we nor the client had high expectations, but we needed to shoot photos for another purpose, so we thought we may as well use that as an excuse to gather some local reporters and stakeholders. We contacted a local restaurant that wanted to increase its profile, promised to feed the invitees some really good food and “voila!” the event was a breeze and a success.

All in all, we spent about 6 hours making everything happen and our client chipped in some time, too. The food costs were minimal, thanks to our restaurant partners. Attendance exceeded our expectations, everyone had fun, we got the photos we needed and we may even end up with some media coverage about the company’s products.