The event industry is growing fast. This is great news for planners, but it can still be stressful for your event planning business. Keeping up with new industry terms and trends can be intimidating, but it’s essential if you want to show authority and gain trust from your clients and listeners.
With new trends come event planning industry terms and lingo that you need to know to be successful in your business. Beyond the buzzwords comes the tried and true terminology that every experienced planner knows, but someone new to the industry may be unaware.
Having a long list of event terms at your disposal, no matter how long you’ve been an event planner or speaker, can help you understand the in’s and out’s of the industry and encourage you to be a well-informed professional. This becomes especially critical when you’re pitching to new clients and meeting with collegues.
With all this in mind, we’ve come up with a list of all the planning industry terms you should know to sound as professional and knowledgeable as possible.. We know how challenging planning can be, and having these terms at your fingertips will help you feel confident at your next meeting or networking event.
Event Terms for Every Audio or Visual Event
Airwalls
Portable panels that are used to divide up large meeting rooms or halls into smaller areas.
Aspect Ratio
A screen’s width in proportion to its height. This might seem like A/V stuff, but it’s important for a planner to know what a screen’s aspect ratio is. If the aspect ratio doesn’t match the speaker’s media, the picture won’t show properly.
Attrition Rate
The attrition rate is calculated by dividing the number of no-shows with the number of registrants of the event. This is important to planners as often an “attrition clause” is included in rental contracts for space or hotel rooms.
Back of house
The operations of an event that occur behind-the-scenes.
B2B
Business to Business.
B2C
Business to Consumer/Customer
Blackout Dates
During high-traffic times, such as holidays or during large events, venues and hotels can employ blackout dates. This means certain rates, space or tickets are unavailable for a set period of time.
Breakdown / Load Out / Strike
Breaking down and packing up equipment and all other aspects of the event.
Cancellation Clause
In a contract, the cancellation clause outlines the terms and conditions that allow a company to terminate their agreement.
Change Order
A document a planner provides to a venue or vendor that outlines any changes to an existing agreement or order.
Colloquium
An informal meeting or seminar.
Comp Rooms
Extra spaces or rooms provided free of charge by a venue if a planner books a larger group of rooms.
Conference Pack
A package of materials containing information about the conference, such as schedules, venue details, and maps. Many conferences now offer event apps as well as or instead of conference packs. Also often include gifts and freebies, because of this are often referred to as swag bags.
Consumer Show
Usually part of a B2C event; products, packages, and other deals are offered to consumers exclusively at a consumer show.
Critical Time Plan/Critical Path
The play-by-play of the day. This document details the tasks of the event when they must be completed and by whom.
Day Delegate Rate (DDR)
A venue’s rate, calculated by the number of attendees per day at full capacity. This cost can include equipment use, meals, and refreshments, among other things.
Early Bird Registration
Tickets purchased early for an event are often offered at a reduced cost.
Emcee/MC
Master of Ceremonies. This is the individual, often someone high-profile or a professional speaker, who presides over the whole event. Essentially the “face” of the event.
EMS (Event Management Software)
A range of software products that a planner uses to manage their events and conferences. These can be sold in packages or curated personally by each planner.
Force majeure clause
This clause is written into most contracts and states that a vendor is not responsible if the unforeseen happens.
Occasionally, a speaker may have to cancel at the last minute for personal, travel or health reasons. If this happens, eSpeakers marketplace has you covered. Our experienced team and deep pool of top-level speakers will have you back on track in no time.
Green Room
A private room for event VIPs and other guests and speakers to use for relaxing or entertaining their own guests.
Honorarium
Payment given to a speaker or participant who is working on an official volunteer basis.
Hybrid event
An event that combines a live audience with a virtual audience.
I & D
Installation and dismantle. In reference to a person or persons who will be performing this function.
Incentive Travel
A new way for employers to motivate staff, and an indicator of evolving event industry trends. Employers offer their team travel packages as performance incentives.
Keynote
The keynote address generally occurs at the very start, to set the stage and get the audience pumped up and excited about the event. A keynote speaker is often a well-known person in a certain field relevant to the event. They double as advertising and a draw to the event.
Lavalier
A microphone typically used by speakers on stage who are moving about freely. They are wireless and attach to the clothing of the wearer.
Load-In
The period before the event dedicated to hauling in and installation/set up of the equipment and items involved with the event.
Master Account
This is an account, often set up by the planner or host, to which all costs for a specified group will be charged.
M.O.D
Manager on duty.
No-show
A no-show is anyone, including attendees, speakers, and delegates, who do not arrive at the event without informing the organizers beforehand.
Plenary
A meeting at a conference attended by all the attendees.
Plus Plus (++)
Seen as ++ on the planner’s orders. It symbolizes the levels of gratuities and taxes that are being charged by a vendor.
Post Event Report
A detailed document that lists all the particulars of an event after it is over. It includes the total number of attendees, profits made, incidents, no-shows, etc.
Post Event Feedback
An opportunity for attendees and other participants to offer suggestions, notes, and advice around the event, both positive and negative.
Pre-con
Pre-convention meeting.
Pro Forma Invoice
An invoice that a service provider issues prior to delivery.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
In the early planning stages, a meeting organizer will send out RFPs to potential service and product providers, including all the particulars of the event. This allows vendors to submit proposals to fit those needs.
Rider
Speakers will often have stipulations about specific backstage requests in regards to refreshments and other particulars.
Shell Scheme
A system in which exhibitors showcase their products or services.
SMERF
Acronym for: Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal.
Space only
If an exhibitor opts to rent only a blank space on the exhibition floor.
Traffic Flow
The flow of participants through the convention space as they move between different rooms and areas of the event.
Workshop, seminar, breakout, concurrent sessions
Sessions that occur concurrently with the main events and sessions.
Venue
Where your event is held. It can be anything from a hotel to a community center to a large conference center.
Get Ready for your Next Virtual or In Person Event with eSpeakers
At eSpeakers, we handle the most important part of any event planning: Finding the right person or people to speak at your event.
We learn about your event, its audience and your ideal outcomes, and make it our goal to ensure your experience with us is an easy, seamless one. We hope these industry terms will help you to be the most well-informed, professional events planner you can be, and to kill it in your next pitch meeting!
Good luck, and contact us today to find the right speaker for your next event!
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