General terms

Amenities:  This word can refer to a property’s features and facilities, as well as often complimentary items offered in a venue, such as free food or drink, office supplies, or concierge services.

B to B:  business to business: describing or involving business arrangements or trade between different businesses

B to C :  business to consumer: describing or involving the sale of goods or services directly to customers for their own use

Back of the House : Support and service areas usually not seen by guests of a hotel

Banquet Event Order (BEO) / Function Sheet: List of Instructions that outline all event logistics and instructions a venue needs to successfully execute an event. This document details the timings of the event, space or room setup, menu selections, audio visual requirements, and how the event will be run.

Black Tie: Required dress is formal; tuxedos for men and evening dresses for women

Business Attire: Required dress is what would normally be worn at the office, i.e., business suits

Casual Attire : Generally considered a middle ground between business formal wear and street wear, but its definition can vary widely among different organizations

Centrepiece : Decorative item for the centre of a banquet table.

Concurrent sessions: events happening or existing at the same time

Conference pack : a pack of items that could include a schedule or program of events, a map of the venue and information on venue facilities

Cut-Off Date: This date refers to when a facility releases a block of rooms or space.

Day Delegate rate (DDR):  is a charge by a venue per attendee, per day for an event, based on a full day’s meeting

Early bird registration: tickets and services purchased before a specified date are available at a reduced fee.

Force Majeure Clause:  This clause is included in most venue contracts to prevent the facility from being held liable should it not be able to hold up to their end of the agreement due to circumstances that are not within the venue’s control. These circumstances include events such as a natural disaster or other ‘Acts of God’.

Lectern: A stand placed at the front of the conference room on which a speaker may rest notes or books. Can be free-standing or table-top and often fitted with a light.

No-show: An expected guest (i.e. delegate, hotel guest, attendee) who does not attend and hasn’t advised the organizer or hotel of a planned absence or delay.

Pre registration: booking onto a meeting or event prior to the day of the event.

Setup and Take Down : process of preparing equipment for an event and taking apart that equipment after the event

Waitlist: A client is ‘waitlisted’ when an event, session, or space is fully booked. They can be held on a waitlist for cancellations and if a spot becomes free they can be offered the opportunity to attend.

Event types

Auction sales: a usually public sale of goods or property, where people make higher and higher bids (= offers of money) for each thing, until the thing is sold to the person who will pay most.

Award Ceremony: An event where the performance of individuals and groups in a company or industry are recognised. It is used to honour and motivate key staff.

Break-Out Sessions : small group sessions, panels, workshops or presentations, offered concurrently within the event, formed to focus on specific subjects

Cocktail party: a formal party with alcoholic drinks, usually in the early evening

Colloquium: a meeting in which a lot of people discuss something formally

Consumer show: B2C exhibition or showcase of products

Conference : a large meeting dealing with a particular subject

Congress: a large formal meeting of representatives from countries or societies at which ideas are discussed and information is exchanged

Concert: a performance of music by one or more musicians or singers

Exhibition: an event at which objects such as paintings are shown to the public, a situation in which someone shows a particular skill or quality to the public, or the act of showing these things

Fashion show: a show for the public where models wear new styles of clothes

Festival: an organized set of special events, such as musical performances

Fundraising Event : A special event aiming to collect money or other resources in order to support a charity campaign, a cause or an organization.

Gala Dinner:  a glamorous social event involving a sit down meal, dancing and entertainment. Often used as a great fundraiser

Hybrid Event: Event that combines a live, in-person audience with a virtual, online audience.

Incentive Travel: A form of group travel, paid by companies to reward their top performers or customers by sending them on unforgettable trips of a few days’ duration. 

Masterclasses: A seminar, a class or a workshop for advanced audience conducted by an expert in a particular field.

Meeting:  a planned occasion when people come together, either in person or online, to discuss something

Networking Event: An event, specially designed for the purpose of building relationships and/or creating new contacts among individuals or groups of people that share a common interest

Preview: an opportunity to see something such as a film or a collection of works of art before it is shown to the public

Product Launch: The introduction of a new product launch to the marketplace. usually the primary purpose is to build sales momentum.

Roadshow: a series of shows or events that take place in different places around the country, for entertainment or in order to give the public information about a company, product

Seminar:  A meeting that is organised to inform a group of people about a specific topic, or to teach a specific skill.

Team Building Event : Activities or events designed to bring together a group of people, increase motivation and promote cooperation, so that they may work effectively as a team.

Trade Show:  event where a specific industry meets its peers

Virtual event: an event that takes place entirely online, such as a webinar

Webinar: “Short for Web-based seminar, a webinar is a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web using video conferencing software. A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements: the ability to give, receive and discuss information in real-time.

Welcome Reception: the opening of an event where welcome drinks and canapés etc are served

Working Lunch: a lunch over which business is discussed

Workshop: Similar to a Seminar, however workshops generally have more hands-on and group activities. The sessions are quite interactive and require individuals to participate.

Finance

Deposit: A partial payment to secure the fulfillment of a product or service

General terms of sale: arrangements for a sale that are stated by the person or company selling the goods or services and which the buyer must agree to

Incidentals: Minor, miscellaneous expenditures

Inclusive Rates: Rates that include service fees, gratuities and taxes

Invoice: a list of things provided or work done together with their cost, for payment at a later time

Master account: An account set up to which all charges for a specified group should be applied (often by the host or event planner).

On Consumption : paying only for what has been consumed as opposed to paying in advance

Paid Out:  A form that authorizes cash withdraws which will be charged to a master account or guest

Payment Schedule: Outlines the amount owing and agreed date/s at which payments is due by one party to another.

Proforma Invoice: an invoice, usually one sent to a new customer, asking for payment before goods or services are supplied

Proposal:  A written offer from a vendor to a prospective buyer, produced in response to an inquiry

Quote: the price that a person or company says they will charge to do a piece of work

Registration Fee:  Cost of attending a conference. Fees can vary according to the time of registration, level of participation and also membership type

Request for proposal (RFP) : A formal request by an event or meeting planner, which lists/details all of the specifications required for the event, sent to suppliers in order for the companies to draw up a proposal of their services and bid for the business.

Room Hire Rate : the fee to rent the room

Food & Beverage

A La Carte: French term that translate to ‘from the menu,’ referring to items selected individually as opposed to offered in a package.

Appetiser : small bite-sized food served before a gala dinner

Bed and breakfast : a room to sleep in for the night and a morning meal

Bowl food: a substantial alternative to canapés. A range of high quality savoury and sweet small dishes, served in small bowls or other small containers, to be eaten standing up with small forks, spoons or chopsticks.

Buffet :  a meal where people serve themselves different types of food

Canapés: a small appetiser often served before a meal and eaten with the fingers. Can be hot or cold

Cash Bar: bar at an event or function where guests can purchase drinks as opposed to an open bar where alcohol is provided for free.

Coffee break: a short rest from work in the morning or afternoon

Continental Breakfast – a breakfast that normally includes: an assortment of different bread with butter/jam/honey, cheese, meat, croissants, cereal, pastries, fruit juice and hot beverages

Corkage Charge: A small charge applied for bringing outside alcohol into a venue or facility. The charge is normally made per bottle.

Family Style Service : Food served on platters at the center of the table (rather than on plates in the kitchen) so guests can serve themselves while seated

Fork Buffet: a buffet style eating arrangement where all food provided can be eaten with a fork

Full English Breakfast : a traditionally British breakfast consisting of tea, coffee, juices, toast and eggs (fried, scrambled or poached), bacon, sausages, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes.

House Wine: generally the cheapest and usually the best value wine available at an event or restaurant

Open Bar: bar at an event or function where the alcohol is provided for free. This may or may not be budgeted after which the open bar will convert into a cash bar

Refreshments: A light snack or drink.

Roll-In Meal:  Buffet presented on a moveable cart

Sit-down meal: A sit-down meal is served to people who are sitting at a table

Layouts

Auditorium / Theater-style Layout: A meeting room or hall set up with chairs set in rows facing a stage or podium. The inner chairs directly face the front of the room, while the outer chairs may be angled to provide a better view of the stage.

Banquet-style: Also referred to as ‘Pod’ or ‘Round set’, this seating arrangement is designed for large audiences for events such as awards ceremonies and galas, where there are typically round tables of 8-10 guests seated.

Boardroom-style Layout: Designed to facilitate conversation, preferred for training or committee meetings, this seating arrangement sees delegates seated facing each other around a square, rectangle, oval, or round table.

Cabaret-style Layout: A number of small round tables are laid out with chairs facing the stage area, with a gap closest to the speaker/performer so that no attendees have their backs to the front.

Circle-Style Layout : Layout arranging seats in a circle, where the inner space of the circle is not used.

Classroom / Schoolroom Seating: Rows of square or rectangular tables and chairs all face the stage or podium, directly facing the speaker or screen.

Conference-style / Hollow Square Layout:  Also referred to as ‘board-of-directors set-up’ or ‘boardroom set-up,’ a room will feature chairs arranged around a table, with everyone facing in for a discussion. If there are too many participants to fit around one boardroom table, several tables may be used. Hollow square means that there is space in the center between the tables.

Reception-style:  Designed to encourage participants to network and a common set up during a cocktail reception. High-top tables are placed throughout the room with limited or no seating provided.

U-Shape Seating:  Tables set up in a U shape with chairs arranged around the perimeter; chairs are placed outside and sometimes inside too

V-shape Layout:  Room set up with tables and chairs in rows forming a V-formation facing the stage.

Technology

Amplifier (audio amplifier): Increases the amplitude of sound to a level suitable for driving loud speakers

Augmented reality: images produced by a computer and used together with a view of the real world

Attendee relationship management: Software that allows event planners and managers to create a database of contacts so they can better monitor, manage, and maintain contact relationships.

Audio Visual:  equipment that produces  recorded pictures and sound

Backdrop:  painted curtain or drape used to re-create a scene for a photo shoot

Backlight: A type of illumination from behind the subject or stage

Bandwidth:  refers to how much data can be sent over an internet connection (e.g., hardwired ethernet or WiFi).

Customer relationship management (CRM): A shared online database system that stores a major list of contacts and their details. This system allows companies to manage their interaction, event attendance history, and communications with their clients in an organized way.

Front Projection  : A projection system which includes a projector unit and a separate screen. The projector is located in front of the screen, and is typically mounted several metres away from the ceiling, floor, or in the rear wall.

HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface: a brand name for equipment used for sending uncompressed digital signals from a sound or video source to a computer or television, screen

Lapel, Lavalier or Pendant Microphone: A small microphone that is clipped onto a person and is hands-free.

LCD: liquid crystal display = a way of showing images on electronic devices using a liquid that reflects light when it receives an electric current

LED: light-emitting diode: a device that produces a light, especially on electronic equipment

Livestream: to broadcast video and sound of an event over the internet as it happens, or to be broadcast in this way:

Overhead projector: a device that makes large images from a flat, transparent sheet and shows them on a white screen or wall

Rear Projection: A projection system whereby an image is projected onto the back surface of a screen. The projector unit, light and sound board, technician etc are all located behind the screen.

Roving Microphone:  A microphone brought to audience members who have comments or questions

Table Microphone: Stationary microphone set up at a table

Video conferencing: a system that allows two or more people who are in different places to talk to and see each other using electronic technology

Virtual reality: a set of images and sounds, produced by a computer, that seem to represent a place or a situation that a person can take part in

Webcast: a broadcast made on the internet

Webinar: an occasion when a group of people go on the internet at the same time to study and discuss something

Wireless: using a system of radio signals rather than wires to connect computers, mobile phones, etc. to each other