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<\/p>\n\tDDP. What do you think that means? Daily donut portions? Dietaries and drink preferences? Dangerous driving permits? In the world of events, there are words, terms and abbreviations that leave nothing but a trail of confused head-scratching in their wake. Which is why we built a glossary of event terms. Event organizers, check it out below.<\/p>\n
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Here’s a table of contents to help you find terms fast:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t AGM stands for an annual general meeting – one of the largest events on any publicly-listed company’s calendar. The Annual General Meeting often involves the director(s) of the company presenting an annual report of past and projected outcomes to a room full of shareholders. This usually happens sometime after the end of the financial year and before Christmas. AGMs are typically held in large, auditorium-style spaces or venues, and require AV as well as refreshments.<\/p>\n Find a venue for your next AGM with VenueNow<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A as in afternoon and T as in tea time. A\/T is simply an abbreviation for afternoon tea. It’s mostly used for conferences and can be found on most daytime event schedules.<\/p>\n AV stands for audiovisual. It’s a big umbrella, encompassing everything from data projectors to screens and microphones. The vast majority of venues will not include AV for free, as they often source their AV equipment from a third party. Make sure to ask about AV in your first enquiry so you have an accurate quote.<\/p>\n Better yet, let us gather the quotes for you.\u00a0Submit an event brief and we’ll build a personalised shortlist of venues for you, for free.<\/a><\/p>\n Back of house is an event industry term that refers to the\u00a0event professionals\u00a0not seen by attendees, such as culinary or A\/V teams.<\/p>\n When looking at a space plan, if ‘banquet’ capacity is listed, this simply pertains to how many people can be seated at group tables in the venue for a sit-down style event.<\/p>\n The Banquet Event Order (BEO) is a document produced by an event venue that will host an event. It lists the order in which events will happen (the \u02dcevent order’ part of the name). It will also include details such as the event timeline, food and beverage requirements, any AV needs, seating capacity, number of event attendees and more. Once you’ve confirmed your venue, the BEO is usually sent to you by the designated Event Manager for your event.<\/p>\n Breakout rooms are spaces that allow parts of a bigger group, perhaps at a conference, to engage in a separate activation or socialise.<\/p>\n When sourcing a venue, creating a brief is a really efficient way to clearly communicate what you want for your event, when you want it, and how much you’re willing to spend.<\/p>\n Read our\u00a0tips for the perfect event brief!<\/a><\/p>\n Venues, especially large-scale venues, can give you a bump in\/out time. A bump-in time is the earliest time you can have access to the venue and start setting up for your event. Bump-out time is the deadline by which your event and all equipment need to be packed up and out.<\/p>\n Hosting a conference or seminar? Chances are you’re going to want a cabaret setup. We’re not talking top hats and jazz. Rather, a cabaret setup means guests are seated around one side of the table, with the open side facing a screen or stage.<\/p>\n Corkage is for wine, cakeage is for cake. This concept is growing to be standard in all venues that offer in-house catering. Cakeage can be charged either by cake or by head.<\/p>\n This is the number of people that will comfortably fit in your preferred venue or space. It’s one of the most important pieces of information a venue needs to disclose. You don’t want too many or too few people at your in-person events. Like Goldilocks, it needs to be just right. And each event brings its own capacity needs.<\/p>\n Educated and experienced meeting professionals are often Certified Meeting Professionals (CMPs). CMPs are certified by the Events Industry Council, a professional accreditation body who provides industry-recognised certifications. CMPs have comprehensive knowledge in the fields of event planning, preparation and execution.<\/p>\n A delegate is a conference or meeting participant. A day delegate package, or DDP, is a specific package that’s often displayed as a per-person cost, designed for conferences and meetings. DDPs can include things like the use of meeting room\u00a0and conference facilities such as pens, paper, water, mints, morning and\/or afternoon refreshments, or luncheon. The price and inclusion of DDPs vary between venues.<\/p>\n Search brilliant conference venues on VenueNow<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Calculate your event cost in under 5 minutes<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalculate my event cost\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t Dietaries are pretty straightforward; they refer to the special meals you’ll need on your menu. It’s not just vegetarian (V) and gluten-free (GF) any more. There are vegan (VG), dairy-free (DF), wheat-free (WF), paleo (P) and pescatarian (Pesc).<\/p>\n An emcee is\u00a0an entertainment or\u00a0event host. They will often lead activities and introduce performance acts.<\/p>\n Event management software\u00a0refers to the software used to power events. Impactful EMS should include management features for check-in, attendee engagement, sponsor promotion, event production, live streaming, networking, and more.<\/p>\n An event order is an itemised, priced document that lays out all the details and purchases from your upcoming event.<\/p>\n Famil is short for familiarisation. In the events industry, venues can sometimes host a ‘famil’. They are usually private and involve the venue inviting a small group of current or potential clients to experience the property. It is a chance for the venue to demonstrate how they can host an event.<\/p>\n A standard part of any contract, a force majeure clause relieves the venue from any liability in the case of unforeseen circumstances. For example – if the venue suffers water damage from a storm the day before your event, this clause protects them from litigation.<\/p>\n The green room is a dedicated, private space for speakers, VIPs, and other guests to relax or prepare for their sessions. In a world of\u00a0hybrid and virtual events, it’s important to choose event management software that features a virtual green room so you can deliver the best speaker experience possible.<\/p>\n Everyone knows what GST is, the goods and services tax which, in Australia, adds 10% to your purchase. In the world of events, GST can often not be included in the final quote. So, if your quote says +GST, make sure you add 10% to the quote.<\/p>\n In relation to meetings or conferences, a half-day is a meeting, seminar or workshop that takes up only the morning or afternoon. Most conference and meeting venues offer a half-day rate or package, rather than just charging per hour.<\/p>\n Horseshoe seating, also referred to as ‘u-shape’ is a seating layout where tables and seats are arranged in a horseshoe shape, with one end open. Usually used in a meeting or conference-style setup.<\/p>\n Hybrid events are events that mix both virtual and in-person elements. This can include using a platform to host online participants while other attendees join in person. It’s a great way to reach more people and save on costs associated with travel and accommodation.<\/p>\n When a venue says they have ‘in-house AV techs’ or ‘in-house catering’, this means these things are part of their business, and there’s no need to seek an external supplier.<\/p>\n Most venues will require you to pay for your upcoming event before the event date. If you incur any additional costs during your event, such as extra alcohol on the bar, or a last-minute addition, this can be referred to as an ‘incidental’. Incidentals will need to be paid when the event has passed and the account is settled.<\/p>\n This is when a large sheet or curtain is dropped to reveal a special surprise –\u00a0a feature you’re often likely to see at a product launch or similar event.<\/p>\n A small microphone that sticks to your body or clothing. Allows hands-free action from the performer\/speaker.<\/p>\n Live streaming – used to reach\u00a0virtual event attendees\u00a0– is the process of using video to broadcast event happenings.<\/p>\n Morning tea time! Much like afternoon tea, this is a staple of conference menus.<\/p>\n It stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions.\u00a0You’ll often see this abbreviation at trade shows, or in the email signature of someone you may be speaking with from a venue if your event is more corporate in nature.<\/p>\n Typically hosted by an organisation, business or group, networking events are often cocktail-style reception that encourages members from a similar industry to mingle and connect.<\/p>\n One of our event types is an ‘offsite’. This pertains to a group of professionals attending a meeting, workshop or seminar at an external venue, separate to their office.<\/p>\n Pax is just shorthand for ‘capacity’. It’s used in the hospitality industry often and denotes the number of people that a space can fit.<\/p>\n A professional conference organiser is someone who is hired to organise, run and manage a large-scale conference or seminar.<\/p>\n A plenary space\/session is where all members of a conference or event will be in attendance at once, often followed by smaller breakout sessions.<\/p>\n This is a list of suppliers a venue may prefer to work with. Venues will often present event planners with a list of preferred suppliers, depending on what they’re planning on purchasing for their event. For some venues, this list can be quite strict, in that the venue will not allow third-party suppliers or services not on the list to work in their venue.<\/p>\n A proposal from a venue offers the client a breakdown of the different options available to them for their event, including pricing. Clients can receive multiple proposals from the same venue, depending on how many additional requests are made.<\/p>\n A client, or service agent acting on behalf of a client, will send an RFP to a venue, asking for their pricing, availability and packages.<\/p>\n This is a multi-day conference that requires accommodation for its delegates, often in the same venue where the conference is held, such as a hotel.<\/p>\n A showcase is held by the venue, usually once a year, displaying to event bookers and industry professionals what the venue can offer. It’s an opportunity for the venue to showcase its new menus, beverages, entertainment and updated interiors.<\/p>\n When an event planner has found a venue they think will suit their event, they can arrange for a site visit. It involves going to the venue and meeting with the functions manager to discuss and plan how their event will look in the space.<\/p>\n Also sometimes referred to as ‘raked seating’, this is a common auditorium\/forum style of seating where each row ascends higher than the previous, front to back.<\/p>\n If you’ve enquired with a venue and expressed strong interest in booking your event, a venue can place a tentative hold on the space\/venue for your preferred date, for a specified number of days. Make sure you pay the deposit before this date. The venue can still accept other enquiries for this date, but they will let you know if another party is interested.<\/p>\n A common term that pertains to a business or organisation holding an open-forum-style meeting with employees or stakeholders. Leaders\/management will address the audience, who will be able to directly raise issues in the meeting.<\/p>\n A style of seating with one end of the table open, creating a U-shape. Also, see the Horseshoe seating above.<\/p>\n For meetings, seminars or conferences, some venues will have the capability to set up a large-scale video link, where the audience\/speakers can interact with other people remotely via screens.<\/p>\n Also known as hybrid events, virtual events combine in-person and remote attendees. It works by streaming an event live online or via a virtual platform, allowing attendees to join the meeting remotely from anywhere in the world. The virtually hosted element can be interactive with speakers and audience members both on-site and off-site being able to communicate with each other. A virtual booth is a digital space where sponsors and exhibitors can engage with attendees during\u00a0virtual and hybrid events.<\/p>\n A corporate event type is usually more interactive and one-on-one than a conference. Its purpose can be for teaching or brainstorming new ideas.<\/p>\n So there you have it. Hopefully, this glossary of event terms has rendered you a little less lost. Do you now need help actually planning your event?\u00a0\u00a0We can help with that too >><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n VenueNow has you covered with over 2,000 venues across Australia ranging from large event spaces to small meeting rooms.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFind a venue\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n Call our support team on 1300 647 488<\/strong> during business hours AEST.<\/p>\n\t \u00a9 Copyright VenueNow 2026 | SPARE GROUP PTY LTD | ABN 22 607 830 302<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether you’re new to planning events, or new to running events, this handy glossary of event terms will help guide you through the lingo pitfalls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[355],"tags":[1053,9,1054],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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AGM<\/h2>\n
A\/T<\/h2>\n
AV<\/h2>\n
Back of House<\/h2>\n
Banquet<\/h2>\n
BEO<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/venuenow.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/dining-room-768x512.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBreakout rooms<\/h2>\n
Brief<\/h2>\n
Bump in\/out<\/h2>\n
Cabaret<\/h2>\n
Cakeage<\/h2>\n
Capacity<\/h2>\n
Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)<\/h2>\n
Day delegate Package (DDP)<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tHow much will your event cost?\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
Dietaries<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/venuenow.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/sander-dalhuisen-NFlyFizf2JU-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEmcee<\/h2>\n
EMS<\/h2>\n
Event order<\/h2>\n
Famil<\/h2>\n
Force Majeure Clause<\/h2>\n
Green Room<\/h2>\n
GST<\/h2>\n
Half-day<\/h2>\n
Horseshoe seating<\/h2>\n
Hybrid Event<\/h2>\n
In-house<\/h2>\n
Incidentals<\/h2>\n
Kabuki drop<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/venuenow.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/2_giphy.gif\")
<\/p>\nLapel mic\/lavalier mic\/lav mic<\/h2>\n
Live Streaming<\/h2>\n
M\/T<\/h2>\n
MICE<\/h2>\n
Networking event<\/h2>\n
Offsite<\/h2>\n
Pax<\/h2>\n
PCO<\/h2>\n
Plenary<\/h2>\n
Preferred Supplier<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/venuenow.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/jazmin-quaynor-18mUXUS8ksI-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nProposal<\/h2>\n
Request For Proposal (RFP)<\/h2>\n
Residential conference<\/h2>\n
Showcase<\/h2>\n
Site visit\/inspection<\/h2>\n
Tiered seating<\/h2>\n
Tentative hold<\/h2>\n
Town hall meeting<\/h2>\n
U-shape<\/h2>\n
Video link<\/h2>\n
Virtual Event<\/h2>\n
Workshop<\/h2>\n
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