The New Nation - Internet Edition

Farizaa Sabreen

Every time when you saw a programme like 'Bridal Festival' or any award ceremony or those concerts and fashion shows you would have wondered how people managed to set up such dazzling shows. Every infinitesimal detail from your entering the venue to your going out is a result of scrupulous planning and that is event management for you.

In the last ten years, there has been enormous growth in the event management business in our country. Event management is a way of outsourcing occasions that are a combination of business and social. Events can be as diverse as weddings to political party launching. For any business meeting or social occasion you can think up, an event management team can be called in to organize it.

Planning an event is a protracted and nerve-racking affair; it is also a expensive one. Event management teams have contacts within their field in order to obtain the best price quotes and the most reliable service.

You may think that catering is the most stressful thing to deal with, but have you taken accommodation and entertainment into consideration? How about staff for the event, the room size where you will be holding the event, seating arrangements and, of course, the budget for the event? These are all factors that a professional event management team will have first hand knowledge of.

No matter what the type or size, if the event is an important one, you should consider contacting an event management team. They can deal with conferences, award ceremonies, product launches, gala diners and corporate activity days, to name a few. When you contact an event management team, ask what their qualifications are, and then ask for examples of previous events they have managed.

"I'm familiar with both sides of event planning: as a client and a services provider. I served 7 years as event manager for a large organization and also been a guest at many conferences and seminars - large and small, private and professional. I understand the stress of coordinating internal and external resources and I know what works," said Khandoker Saeed, an event manager. "I will minimize my clients' stress and concerns, manage the planning and event with professionalism, maintain the budget and timeline as agreed, and infuse the project with creative ideas to craft a unique and successful outcome making it a positive experience for everyone," he added.

Event management is one of the fastest and the most glamorous upcoming professions today. One can take it as a lucrative career. Because, it is an excellent field to make money. Nowadays event management companies hire lots of young people as event coordinator. The main job of an event co-coordinator is to supervise the various stages of planning in event management.

An event manager has to first design the basic framework, after which he prepares the marketing plans, hunts for sponsors, works on the logistics, locates the site/destination, contacts vendors, hires performers, prints/mails invitation cards, creates menus, looks after the stage/lights, books the artistes, arranges for transport for different people, and on the D' Day co-ordinates, plans and finalizes every aspect of the event. Event managers usually start working months before the event.

Analytical thinking, critical thinking and problem solving are abilities that are a must in this field. You should be able to acknowledge a problem, recognize that it has to be solved then and there, and always think on how the situation could be avoided in future. This involves the ability to effectively coordinate and organize oneself, others, information and/or situations at a personal and/or organizational level.

If you are looking for an energetic event management company, a company that will offer you fresh ideas, value for money and a wholly professional event, then you have come to the right place.

Some Bangladeshi event management companies are as follows-

Triune Exhibition and Event Management Services

Over the years, Triune has made its mark as a successful Event Organizer and Managers, which has now become one of the major activities of the Group. This has led it to launch a separate company under the style of Triune Exhibition & Event Management Services (TEEMS).

Triune Exhibition & Event Management Services, offers Event Management Packages to its clientele, managed by its unique team of professional and experienced Account Managers. By understanding your business needs, a one-stop, first class tailor-made program is designed to match your exact requirement and budget. Offering a wow factor with a fresh out look and empathic vision, our services are one of distinction - Events from the unconventional to the sublime. Events, they are able to undertake are: Launchings, seminars, symposiums, workshops, meetings: annual general, regional, board Meetings etc, dealers', agents' conference, incentives, fairs/exhibitions, social events: marriage Ceremony, Birthdays, etc, press conferences, and more.

CEMS

Conference and Exhibition Management Services (CEMS), being the pioneer in this concept in Bangladesh is the first and only professional Exhibition and Event Management Company in Bangladesh, this year, celebrates its 12th year of Professional Exhibition & Event Management. Since its inception in 1992, CEMS, in this span of 15 years has become an undisputed leader in the region as an exhibition organizer and event management company organizing exhibitions, trade shows, fairs, conferences, seminars and undertaking Event Management tasks like product launches, marketing campaigns, business programs, public relations, venue management and various event management services. Ms. Meherun N. Islam is founder and Managing Director of CEMS.

This year they arranged 2nd Dhaka Motor Show 8th Textech int'l expo' 2007, Dhaka international fabric show 2007, 4th Machine expo 2007, Bangladesh Textile Garment Technology & Machinery Exp etc.

Destination Management Companies

Destination Management Company (DMC) is a company that specializes in the organization and logistics of meetings, incentives and events. With their in-depth knowledge of the field. They have many years experience in organizing programs, and their creativity, the key word when working with a DMC is 'customized'. No matter what the event or the occasion, Destination Management Companies will always find a surprising and tailor-made solution.

Besides organizing meetings, incentives and events, a company offering Destination Management will also arrange social, partner and pre- and post-meeting programs. Other special services include catering, dinners and entertainment. If you wish, a DMC will even make hotel reservations, arrange transportation and provide travel management, guides and hostesses. Destination Management Companies remain behind the scenes while ensuring that everything runs according to plan.

JPR Events

As an experienced Events company having organized over 200 successful events across the globe the company's international network of connections within the entertainment sector is almost unparalleled in the sub-continent. JPR is now extremely competent in coordinating artists from one place to another. The key is to ensure details of the events, itinerary and other logistical aspects are communicated to all parties concerned. They specialize in Asian stars whether from the UK, India, Pakistan or Bangladesh but can help source any production you are looking.

JPR EVENTS [formerly BRAT PACK] was formed by Mishal Karim at the age of 17 [1995] straight after completion of GCSE and A LEVELS from Dulwich College, one of the UKs best know private schools. He partnered with Sharif Nashashibi who had just graduated from Westminister another renowned private school and together they realized that their network of contacts in all the other private schools was extensive and decided to host events for the wealthy teen JET SETTERS. Holy Branson, Anthony Rothschild, Patrina Kahashoggi, Jasmine Al fayed and many others all attended these events and hence the company was given the suitable name, BRAT PACK. The launch of BRAT PACK took place a Hanover Grand on July 11th 1995.

During his time Mishal was the first Asian ever to achieve what he did in the UK promotions circuit controlling a database of several thousand clubbers and till date no promoter has achieved the dominating status he did in the industry at by the age of only 21. The success story was due to the fact that he started at only 17 a retained his private school wealth clientele who all enjoyed attending JPR events because they knew exactly what kind of crowd to expect attending. The success over the years got Mishal considerable press being featured in Company magazine, the most successful magazine for teenage women at the age of only 21 and a full 45-minute documentary by CHANNEL 4 on young entrepreneurs at the age of only 24 called FLASH. The documentary was seen by 2,000,000 viewers in the UK and was shot in both London and Dhaka. Mishal was the first ever Bangladeshi young entrepreneur to receive so much media attention in the UK and set a benchmark in the entertainment business. After graduating he decided to relocate to Bangladesh, what he considered an emerging market to pursue the next phase of his life.

Photos: Sharif Khan

Sumona Ahmed

You might be able to lie with the best of them, but what happens when you have someone else in the hot seat and you want to know the truth? Did your girlfriend really go to the movies with her brother, or was it her ex? Was your pal Rumon really out of town on your birthday, or did he forget like every other year? Did your colleague never get the message that you needed his help to meet a deadline? Is that car dealer being honest about the price?

Unless you strap each suspect to a lie detector (or get them drunk until they don't know the difference), you may never know the truth -- that is, until you learn how to see a liar's true spots (Note: may not work on lawyers or politicians).

Nice knowing you

It doesn't necessarily take one to know one. What it does take is for you to know the potential liar. You can surely detect whether your girlfriend or buddy is lying; it's a tossup with your colleague; and you can always suspect a car dealer to try to get a better price.

In order to detect if someone's lying to your face you have to know them pretty well. If your girlfriend's present behavior is a deviation from her usual behavior, it's a good sign that she's hiding something under her hat and earrings.

If she's usually a fast talker and pretty animated, yet today she's sitting down with her arms crossed while talking to you and speaking slowly, then maybe there's something you don't know. If she never looks you in the eye and now she's practically drilling your pupils with her stare, you may want to get the truth out of her.

A liar's behavior tends to be irregular as they're either nervous, feeling guilty, or using their brainpower to think up the lie as they go along.

Body language

In order to spot a liar, use a person's usual behavior as a measuring stick to see if they're stretching the truth (hey, you don't have Pinocchio's nose to rely on, work with me here).

But when it comes to reading a person, body language speak volumes. There are some gestures and mannerisms to look out for in order to catch a liar, so long as they differ from the person's regular actions.

l rapid eye movement

l crossed arms

l constant fidgeting

l eyes focused to the right (indicates use of the creative side of the brain)

l eyes focused firmly on an object

l rubbing eye

l eyes either wide open or partly shut

l legs crossed when seated

l legs not planted firmly on the ground when seated

l holding an object or gripping ankle, knee, or skin of a crossed leg when seated.

l touching face, such as lips, cheeks, chin, nose, etc.

l playing with hair

l tugging ear

Although we've always been taught that lack of eye contact is a dead giveaway of a liar, it's not necessarily evidence as we have been conditioned to look another in the eye when it comes to business and sports, in order to psych-out our opponent. We have almost been raised to be good liars.

Many of the aforementioned gestures such as the ear tugging, eye rubbing, mouth covering, and nose tapping can point to a liar as the liar's body language is saying, "I can't believe what I'm saying!"

Find out your girlfriend's lying thanks to what she sayst

Verbal clues

While body language can be a good indicator of a liar, a person's unconscious mannerisms aren't always reliable. It's your job to play detective and put the puzzle pieces together, by using the subject's speech.

Repeating the question

If you're dealing with a bad liar who was caught off guard, they may need to buy time in order to ad-lib the lie or excuse. When you hear, "What did I do last night? Oh, I went to a movie. Who did I go with? I went with cousin Babu," you might want to keep probing for the truth.

Hesitating

Unless they're professional actors, liars tend to stutter and hesitate out of guilt and the inability to improvise.

More info than you asked for

On the other spectrum, the liar might be so paranoid about being untruthful that they'll offer much more information than you asked for -- liars know that a good liar tells more details in order to look innocent. So when your colleague goes off into a tangent about how he never got your message, but he did get a weird message on his answering machine that made him laugh, and that made him think of the other night whent you might have to ask him to revert to the topic at hand. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

I'm not being defensive. Who thinks I'm defensive?

You could be dealing with a paranoid guy, but if he starts to get defensive about why you're asking questions -- "Who wants to know? Why are you asking me these questions? I've never let you down!" -- then you'd better keep asking.

Look for inconsistencies

If parts of the story don't add up, just keep asking for clarification. Don't badger the person; simply ask for explanations.

My word of honor

Acting super defensive can be the biggest admission of guilt. So when you ask your girlfriend why she has that purplish mark on her neck and she tells you that the neighbor's cat bit her the other day, and adds any of the following: "I would never lie to you," "Believe me," or "I'm serious," what you've got, my friends, is a person trying to make themselves feel better about lying. Besides, if you believe it to be true, then it is.

Your gut is never wrong

Sometimes you don't need clues to tell you someone's lying -- your intuition can be enough. If you just have a funny feeling, give the person the benefit of the doubt until you have proof, but don't be afraid to find out the truth for yourself.

Spotting a liar is easy if you know the person well, or at least think that you do. Look at what they're telling you with their body and gestures, and listen to what they're saying and want you to believe.

But before you catch them and yell out "liar, liar, pants on fire," play along. They won't realize that once you've caught on to their lying ways, you'll know the truth every time.

It comes as no surprise for us today that teenagers and even very young girls are starting to wear make-up. I cannot say exactly what the right age is when they should actually start wearing them for this is a subjective matter and the decision on allowing their young teens to wear make-up lies solely on the parent. However, in my own personal opinion I would definitely prefer for my young girls to start wearing make-up only when I feel that they are old enough for it so as to avoid for them to easily mature and develop wrinkles in their early 30s.

With the influence of the media and the abundance of beauty magazines, it is but natural for teenagers to be trying on different beauty cosmetics in the hopes of looking like the magazine models or trying to imitate their idol actresses and singers. It is during this crucial stage that they begin to experience insecurities about themselves so guidance is very much important to avoid her from walking on the wrong path.

With regards to make-up, if she tries to put on herself that you have a talk and give her advice on how to do it and what she could possibly do. Try to go with her when she shops for cosmetics to ensure that she buys those that are right for her age and in order that she wouldn't be wasting much of her money on unnecessary buys. I would also suggest that if she possesses extra sensitive skin and is prone to pimples and breakouts that you consult with a dermatologist to help her combat these skin related problems for quite often circumstances like these can make her feel insecure with her looks.

It is essential that you let your teen understand that there are certain aspects of her physical appearance that cannot be changed and so she has to accept that. It is then important that she just focuses more on her assets and always has a positive outlook that every girl is beautiful inside and out. It is also important that she takes constructive criticism positively and never allows others to make her feel ugly. As long as she is confident, her beauty inside as well as outside would definitely show.

It would be best that since she is still young, she would stick to the make-up products suited for her age and not on products that are catered for the adult women. Products targeted at the youth contain very delicate ingredients for the young teen's sensitive skin. Also, let her apply make-up that is light or mild to make it look more natural.