I was just glancing at the latest questions in the event planning forum, and ran across this one: How to organize a university rave party?

The concept of a "rave party" has changed over the years, so to avoid sounding like someone over 30, I thought that I'd share the question with readers. What would you recommend a university include in its rave party? I suggest the following:

• Begin the event after 10 p.m. and continue it until legally approved hours.
• Hire two or three bands and mix the styles of music (include Jamaican music).
• Project a laser light show on screens and buildings.
• Distribute a range of glow stick promotional items.
• Promote your rave using only social media on campus.

One way to save money is to get the support of the university's school of music and/or performing arts. Of course, the organizers should seek out the support and advice of their university student activities director and his/her resources when it comes to facilities and rental issues.

Please share your comments here or feel free to post on the event planning forum. Thanks!

IMEX Group, known for its annual hosted conference (IMEX) in Frankfurt, Germany, has announced with Meeting Professionals International, Dallas, TX, that it will establish IMEX America for October 11-13, 2011.

IMEX America will host 1,500 meetings and incentives buyers at the Sands Expo Center (Venetian/Palazzo) in Las Vegas, NV. About 80% of attendees will come from North America. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority participated in the launch announcement of Imex America. The program is being supported by other leading industry associations, including ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association), DMAI (Destination Marketing Association International), AIPC (International Association of Congress Centres) and ECM (European Cities Marketing).

The outstanding question remains, how will this partnership impact the MPI educational calendar?

"There will always be a marketplace experience at MPI live events," explains Bruce MacMillan, MPI's CEO. "Just as we have moved away from a traditional tradeshow at MeetDifferent 2010 based on member feedback, we will also continue to evolve our World Education Conference marketplace experience to be reflective of member needs at the time. With the economy recovering we need to create more marketplace opportunities for our members not less".

Hosted buyer programs may be relatively new to some U.S. event planners. Not familiar? Learn what meeting and event planners should expect on a hosted buyer program.

Angela Shumba of Tsaduko Events in a small town in South Africa wanted to know what she should do if she were to organize her area's first bridal show. Robert Chevalier of Chevalier Associates, Inc., a bridal show expert and publisher of Bride & Groom magazine in Shewsbury, MA, offered Shumba his advice, including 10 tips for producing a a bridal show. From understanding the importance of setting goals to establishing criteria for the bridal expo, learn what you should know to organize a bridal show (or what to find at a bridal expo).

Photo: Robert Chevalier, courtesy of Chevalier Associates.

'Tis the season for holiday party event planning, but how can event planners create a festive environment that will not be perceived as excessive or indulgent?

Event planner Greg Jenkins of Bravo Productions, Long Beach, CA, answered my earlier request for readers to share some of their best ideas to save money on this year's holiday party. From establishing the right holiday party theme to menu selection, meeting and event planners can save money and create an event that tells employees and clients that you value and appreciate them.

Read 10 holiday party planning cost saving tips.

If you have some inside tips and suggestions to help event planners on a particular type of event, program or service, feel free to email and contact me! Thanks.

Courtesy photo from Bravo Productions.

Whether you're planning a seminar, conference, incentive trip or even a wedding, one thing is certain: you will want to hold a pre-con meeting with event vendors and suppliers. It is held usually one or two days prior to the actual event, and is different from the walk through that occurs on the day of an event. Event planners should understand the following before attending a pre-con:

• What to expect during a pre-con meeting?
• What is included in the event resume?

Learn more about how to plan a seminar.

Catering can have a big impact on determining the sustainability and creation of green meetings. Not sure how to incorporate sustainability into your event's food and beverage or what to ask? Elizabeth Henderson, CMM, CMP, M.E. Des., director of corporate responsbility for Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Calgaray, Alberta, Canada, suggests 10 ideas and 4 questions that she relies upon to ensure a commitment to sustainability for her events. Learn more.

The European Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (EIBTM) holds its annual congress in Barcelona each year at the Fira Gran Via. This is one of the most popular international event shows that are held. Qualified international meeting and event planners are hosted, and they meet with various destinations and hotels to discuss potential upcoming programs. And it doesn't hurt that this congress is scheduled in Barcelona in December, either... Learn more about EIBTM.

Other trade shows for event planners.

It doesn't make any sense to me why anyone would criticize President Obama's decision to travel to Copenhagen this week when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) elects the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games. From my perspective, it was only surprising that the U.S. didn't confirm President Obama's attendance until now.

After all, Spain's King Juan Carlos and Prime Minster Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero are attending. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is attending. And Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is attending. Each leader represents his country on the world stage, and the Olympics is the most global event in the world. Are some people concerned that it wouldn't be appropriate for the President to attend if the U.S. isn't selected?

I recall being in Paris the day when London was selected as the host city for the London 2012 Olympic Games. To be sure, Parisians were extremely disappointed because they expected to win. But it is protocol to have your highest leaders in attendance when you're among the final four contenders - whether selected or not, and you cannot send your leadership only if you know you will win.

Others have used this event as an opportunity for political criticism, saying that the President must be at home to address legislative priorities. While I'm not even interested in addressing that, I do want to offer a friendly reminder: President Obama does have his own "office in the sky." I suspect the work on his desk will move forward during these days...

The announcement ceremony for the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games is scheduled for Friday, October 2, local time at 6:30 p.m. (New York City is six hours behind Copenhagen). I'm more interested in finding out what event planning opportunities the decision will create in either Chicago, Madrid, Rio or Tokyo once the decision is made.

What would you like to learn about as it relates to event planning and the Olympics? Write me or feel free to post comments here.

I'm certain some sort of apology must have been released, but it seems to me that government event planners should have an appreciation for the sensitive requests that event guests may require -- especially when the State Department is involved in organizing the event with foreign dignitaries in attendance.

At a reception hosted last week by President Barack and Michelle Obama at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yahoo News reported that a family photo of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodri­guez Zapatero, his wife and two daughters -- with the Obamas -- was published on the State Department's Flickr page.

Apparently, there is a Spanish law prohibiting the media from publishing photos of the daughters in print or online. And it's not unreasonable to assume that family members of public officials may not always wish to have their images published. Even if no such law existed, this should have been completely avoided if inquiries were made prior to the event if releasing photos would have offended any guest in any way.

Needless to say, the photos were picked up and published against the family's personal wishes before they were taken off the website.

I'm sure this may surprise many of you given that I've been highlighting the number of job losses within hosptiality recently. But the fall season is an excellent time to check the job boards, and as of the time of this post, the following event planning jobs are posted in general job search engines - remember to also customize your search by changing job titles and inserting your city as well:

• 1,283 event jobs in association event planning
• 3,922 event jobs in corporate event planning
• 2,901 event jobs in government event planning
• 609 event jobs in nonprofit event planning

If you're in the midst of your job search, include the following:

• Event planning job search resources.
• Event planning industry job boards.

What event planning job search strategies have worked for you?