Blogs
Jan 29, 2019
With this month’s focus on YOU (and what subject is more interesting?), it seemed the perfect opportunity to discuss making it a full year of year of YOU, whatever that may look like. To have a successful 2019, you need to be willing to get out of your comfort zone, put in a few extra hours of work every week and stay committed to your goal. If you’ve got the desire to get there, I’ve got the roadmap.
Step One:
Get out of your own way. We are the authors of our success. There are endless reasons why something cannot happen but there is only one reason why something does happen;… more
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Jan 23, 2019
Technology evolves faster every day and that’s a great thing when it comes to the event space. This rapid innovation means there are new event technologies available at a constant pace, bringing new ways to collect data, engage audiences, manage details and more.
But how can event professionals stay on top of these new offerings and figure out what best applies to their needs and challenges?
Read on for our predictions on what’s ahead when it comes to digital and event technology in 2019 and beyond.
Data Is Driving Everything
Analytics augmented by AI
Jo-Anne Kelleway, CEO, Info Salons… more
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Jan 16, 2019
You’ve spent months, maybe even years, planning your next big conference or event. It’s one of your organization’s most significant milestones this year and also, a big opportunity to generate earned press coverage.
If you want to leverage the media and PR opportunities that trade shows and events provide, make sure to do these three things.
Think Local
In the past six years, my agency has managed the public relations for more than 80 conferences and events hosted by Experience Grand Rapids. While the majority of these meetings and groups hosted were from outside of the Grand Rapids region… more
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Jan 09, 2019
It's no surprise that military personnel, police officers, firefighters, and pilots have some of the most stressful jobs. But it may surprise you what the number five position on that list is.
According to recent research from CareerCast, the fifth most stressful role is events coordinator. Travel, long (and often odd) hours, interaction with the public, fixed deadlines, and the myriad details involved all contribute to that stress level.
Yet one of the biggest challenges cited by top experts that event professionals face has little to do with the day to day stress: it's "keeping up with… more
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Jan 02, 2019
Traditional seminar spaces are a thing of the past. Replacing them are engaging, tech-enabled, bespoke spaces that are beautiful, functional and sharable. Events should feel tailored to each attendee and excite from start to finish. By rethinking what each attendee needs from your seminar space, utilizing tech-enabled furniture and understanding the need for collaboration, you can create a space that feels daring, yet completely practical.
Use these tips to create a fresh and engaging space that works for your client and your attendee:
Connect to Tech: The best technology integrates what’s… more
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Dec 19, 2018
Simply defined, the word procurement means “the act of obtaining or buying goods and services”. So, if that’s the case, let me ask a quick question to all the corporate event suppliers in our industry – “Why wouldn’t we seek out more people who do this”?
Taking costs out of the system is a good thing. And so is choosing partners that add value. Collaboration works.
In the events space, let’s take a closer look at procurement and why it makes sense to engage the teams responsible for corporate procurement.
Greater Opportunities
Every procurement initiative has a purpose – find out what it… more
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Dec 18, 2018
“Oh no, the overall satisfaction rating from our quarterly regional meeting is down five percent from last year,” says the CMO, who then asks the event manager to “figure out what happened.”
Meanwhile, a product marketing manager looks at a different report and declares, “Our attendance was up seven percent…that new marketing campaign must have really helped.”
Event planners should be careful comparing one number against another, as two data points usually don’t make a trend. Thankfully, there are some simple and visual methods that can help us react less, lead better, and improve more.… more
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Dec 12, 2018
New marketing-tech companies are popping up left and right, vying to help you capture, convert and close new leads. The 2018 Martech 5000 Technology Landscape Supergraphic grew 27 percent in the last year, to 6,829 solutions. Think about your marketing channels for a minute: advertising, social, video, email, SEO, retargeting – your team probably uses dozens of tools.
The new tools are great, but a negative trend is also developing – marketers are becoming disconnected from their leads. According to Hubspot, 52 percent of marketers believe they are the best source of leads for their sales… more
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Dec 04, 2018
A few years ago I joined the admission team of a prestigious East Coast law school. Their processes were tight and their event menu was well-thought-out. My role was to execute and manage these events to their expected standards, but I knew these events could serve more than their target audiences by bringing in partners who wanted to extend their relationship with our students, faculty and administration.
“What about creating sponsorship opportunities for a few events?” I asked. I had designed, implemented and managed countless sponsorships previously in my career and knew their win-win… more
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Nov 29, 2018
You may know that CVB stands for convention and visitor’s bureau, but do you know all the services available to you by using one? Many of us know we can send RFPs, requests for proposals, or as I like to call them, RFCs, or requests for collaboration, but did you know they’ll plan site visits, share insight on fiscal incentives if any are offered, help secure off site venues, provide valuable information about any upcoming city-wides that many conflict with your program dates and alert you to properties that are rebranding, closing or about to open? And all at no cost to you.
This is part… more
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Partner Voices
Just when it seems like Las Vegas can’t get any bigger, brighter or more exciting for groups, MGM Resorts raises the bar again. The company continues to invest and innovate across its portfolio of Las Vegas resorts, with new attractions and upgraded experiences for attendees of all interests.
Remodeled Guest Rooms
MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with over 5,000 guest rooms and an 850,000-square-foot conference center. It is home to the newly remodeled MGM Grand Studio Tower—700 reimagined guest rooms with a fun mid-century vibe. Nearby, the iconic New York-New York Las more