On February 12, 2013, Executive Order No. 13636, aptly named “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity,” was signed by President Obama. From this executive order, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was tasked with the development of what has become the granddaddy of cybersecurity frameworks. You won’t find a security professional alive that doesn’t have a love-hate relationship with the NIST framework.
At the recent Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) Summit 2022, hospitality industry visionary Michael Dominguez, CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), “edutained” attendees with his “State of the Industry” trend forecast. Michael delivered what can best be described as a full semester of macro and micro economics in an hour—in his signature high-energy, engaging and accessible style.
When successfully executed, webinars contribute significantly to demand generation efforts and offer a valuable experience for the audience. More than half of marketers cite webinars as generating the most qualified leads of any content format they use. But to maximize a webinar’s impact on the marketing funnel, event professionals must treat webinars as true events with the same attention to planning, goal-setting and follow-up given to other events.
With two years of various restrictions, work-from-home conditions and fewer options outside of our homes, we had ample opportunity to reflect on and reassess what it is attendees will most desire when they return to the show floor. At the top of the list is the one space many of us may have taken for granted prior to 2020: the outdoors.
With a renewed gratitude for gorgeous scenery and fresh air, folks are far less inclined to settle for the mundane, florescent, insular and frankly, boring indoor environments of past live events.
As an event planner, you’re in the business of attention. You likely spend your days searching for ways to generate buzz and sustain audience engagement—an increasingly difficult feat in a highly fragmented marketplace. So it makes sense that you and others are looking toward a new trend: non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Remote, hybrid, on-site–whatever work style your company utilizes affects how you are able to promote employee connectedness and positive work culture. Having a strong sense of belonging in an organization directly impacts employee happiness, productivity and the longevity of their time with a company. A study by McKinsey Global Institute found that employee productivity increases by 20-25% in organizations where employees feel connected.
This year, marketers continue to find themselves in a tough spot as COVID-19 and other viruses such as monkeypox impact the event industry. Cancel an in-person event? Postpone it? Move it to a virtual platform? Even with limited viable options, major events scrambled and struggled to change course in an efficient and gratifying manner.
Believe it or not, a successful event organizer recently said to me, “Now that face-to-face events are back, I can forget about event tech.” He had been in the business a while, but this comment made me realize that he is probably a dinosaur living on a different planet. Or not? This organizer is my friend, and we had a fascinating debate on this subject. He said that my reaction was a bit extremist.
It’s hard to know what to feel when you hear “rebrand” during a company meeting. As marketers, we may feel excited about the opportunity to make changes to reach new audiences, explore new and interesting design concepts and develop a lasting communication system. In any rebrand, there are challenges to maintaining the essential parts of your company and not to stray from who you are. How much do you draw from history? Will your rebrand alienate your current client base? What happens to your internal shared identity?
Some folks can get really caught up in the “grass is always greener” syndrome. I can understand that tendency, of course, as I have my fair share of lawn envy, and I mean that both metaphorically and literally. Lately, for me at least, it’s been about automobiles. It seems everywhere I go, my eye is catching that certain car that makes me salivate. After the initial emotional rush, I can usually remind myself that I currently don’t have a car payment and then take a moment to recall exactly how much I dislike those.
