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Latest Planner's Life News & Views...

5 Places To Get Visibility For Your Event

Creating buzz and visibility for your event is a big key to filling your workshops and seminars. After all, if people don’t know about your event, it is hard for them to buy a ticket. There are hundreds of ways to promote your workshop, but the good news is that you don’t have to use them all. Just choose a few that you are comfortable with and really saturate them before you add another method.
Here are 5 places in the social media world to get visibility:
Read more from Daphne Bousquet, CMP

Ten Meeting Professional Resolutions For Personal And Professional Development

It’s the start of a new year and most people are thinking about their New Year’s resolutions.
Have you made yours yet?
If one of your goals or New Year’s resolutions is to increase your personal and professional development, here are a few ideas that you might want to consider. Hat Tips to Catherine Lombardozzi who helped further this thinking.
Read more at Midcourse Corrections

Tortured by Nights of the Round Table

Do you use round tables (aka “rounds”) at your events? Then read on, prithee!
A medieval fantasy
Sadly, it’s not clear that King Arthur’s famous Round Table ever actually existed, let alone King Arthur himself. But let’s succumb to a romantic fantasy for a moment (or longer if you like) and assume that there really was a Round Table that looked like the picture above, and you were one of these fabulously clothed dudes hanging out on blocks that were de rigueur for luxurious seating in the 5th century.
How would that work for you? Read more from Adrian Segar

Magic Month: Top 5 Tips For Booking Magicians At Corporate Events

When you’re exploring the history of cups and balls or writing an A-Z of magic, it can be easy to forget that the real reason people come to Sternberg Clarke is to book entertainment for corporate events andweddings. Fun as Magic Month has been, it’s important to keep things on track and so, if you’ll permit us to talk business for a little while, perhaps you’ll find our Top 5 Tips for Booking Magicians for Events useful...
Read more :

25 Events You Must Attend Before You Die

Not all events are created equal. Some events manage to capture the collective. They become part of our lives. Here is a list of those events that became unique experiences and some good reasons to attend them, as soon as possible.
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while. Let me clear my conscience though. It takes a while to collect meaningful items. Hence why you’ll share this post like crazy after reading it.
This is going to be one of those articles for event professionals to find inspiration. It is also going to be useful for attendees looking for a unique experience.
It is very complicated to write a collection of must attend events that will universally apply. Events are a very subjective experience. The REASONS WHY WE ATTEND EVENTS can be very personal.
Read more…

The Rise of Event Planner 3.0

Most event planners go through their careers reacting to assignments given to them by their bosses or clients. Someone says, “We’re doing an event. Here are the details. Go work your magic.” And to be fair many planners do in fact work some impressive magic in planning out these events. Let’s call that mentality Event Planner 1.0, which represents the vast majority of our industry. Read more from Julius Solaris

Event Spaces – Size Matters But So Does Shape

Of course every aspect of a venue must be considered in the selection process. If the venue is a hotel you must consider the guest rooms, amenities, catering, convenience and price. Any one of these factors could cause you to decide against a certain property, but before taking any of these other factors into consideration you should, in my opinion, decide whether the actual event space will optimize the effectiveness of the event.
Read more from Jay Ward at Go With Genesis

DEALING WITH INEBRIATED GUESTS

An over-served guest can ruin a function faster than a plague of locusts or an afternoon thunderstorm.
How do you keep that lushy board or family member from taking over your carefully planned affair?
The most important decision is whether you should invite them at all.
Is it truly unavoidable? When was the last time someone in your family, social group, or organization paid our friend the consequence of denying an invite? If they have a problem, maybe this is exactly what they need. If an invitation is absolutely necessary, decide next whether you might save everyone a lot of headache if you sit down with this person and discuss the importance of their self-control. Few people will feel comfortable doing this, but if the relationship is a special one and you are concerned about them, it may once again be what they need.
Read more from EventJuice

Throwing Events Under a BIG Moving Bus

As anyone who is familiar with the event industry knows, the recession has been tough on our business in more ways than one...
So, it was with complete and utter shock that I started seeing a series of Tweets going out by a virtual event company called ON24 with messages such as:

Read more at Trade Show News Network

Naming your event company - what's in a name

Choosing any kind of name is always a bit daunting, isn’t it? If you’re naming a child, you’ll look for a name that you think will suit its personality, and (hopefully) be on the lower end of fueling taunts and beatings in the schoolyard. The same applies when you’re naming your business: you’ll want something that stands out, but in a positive way.

Read more from EventJuice

What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day

How much does the first hour of every day matter? As it turns out, a lot. It can be the hour you see everything clearly, get one real thing done, and focus on the human side of work rather than your task list. Read more from Kevin Purdy

4 Event planning tips from the hunger games

Though The Hunger Games might not be your idea of a great event, as he read this science fiction story, Mike McAllen began to see powerful lessons for event planners. He shares his takeaways here.

Six Habits Of Highly Ineffective Meeting Professionals

Being a meeting professional can be hard work.
Being an ineffective meeting professional is even harder, especially for everyone involved.
Six Habits Of Unsuccessful Meeting ProfessionalsIn the discouraging tradition of the highway traveled all too often, here are six guaranteed ways to ensure that you and your team are unmotivated and provide a status quo, boring conference. This is the conventional guide to achieving stress and discord among stakeholders. It is a handbook for creating doubt and suspicion regarding your experience and talent.
Read more from Jeff Hurt

The secret to successful meetings? Prolific discoveries

Pro-lif-ic: Fertile; producing offspring or fruit in great abundance.
Every now and then, a word catches my attention. I mull it over, trying to find something new. This month, that word isProlific.
Intriguing word, with lots to think about as it relates to meetings and events. After all, it's the "fruit" that comes from our events that shape the quality of the attendees' experiences.
Read more from Donna Kastner @ Cvent

Hoping for the Best, but Planning for the Worst: Risk Management for Meeting Planners

Say you've planned a fun-filled team building event for your company; you know the event inside and out, every second of the day has been accounted for, all details are outlined to a tee, you know the event inside and out and you have a weather backup in the very unlikely event of rain.

But what would you do if one of your colleagues and guests suddenly collapses? It shouldn't take a catastrophe before we realize the importance of having a risk management plan.
Read More from the meetingproblog

Skinny Socials: Healthy meals for corporate groups

Karen Bobos, an exercise physiologist and personal trainer, launched Skinny Socials in late January. With the tagline "Because parties should be fun, not fattening," the company organizes health-conscious cocktail parties, breakfasts, and luncheons for corporate groups, serving low-calorie food and drinks prepared by an on-staff culinary expert.
Read More... Jenny Berg

Event planners: Beware of scams targeting YOU

I first became aware of scams targeting event planners in the fall of 2011 when my company received a request to plan a birthday party from a prospective leisure client (not our specialty).
Scenario: The request came from a Yahoo email address; details (e.g. address and phone number) were left blank on the contact form. We took the precaution of requesting a phone number and an opportunity to speak briefly. There were excuses about being off-site that further raised my antenna. Read More: Anne Thornley-Brown

10 Simple event pleasures

Working with a team that "gets it"
Hearing the gasps of surprise and delight when guests enter an event you have spent months planning
Seeing the cameras come out as guests can't believe their eyes in a new destination
Trying something new (hybrid, sheer projection, a mobile app) and seeing the positive results Read More: Tahira Endean CMP

6 Tips towards not having pointless meetings

Whether it was ad hoc or a scheduled one, most meetings don’t seem to help at all when it comes to getting work done. You would think that getting everyone who is involved in the project to sit down and talk through the problems that cropped up, then brainstorming for ways to solve them with, would be helpful one way or another. Well, these guys at WebEx say that meetings are pointless. And I’m quite sure most of you agree, because somebody went and made this: a calculator to figure out how much money was wasted just by having meetings!
Jokes aside, a badly managed meeting will take employees away from what they are being paid to do, leaving phones unattended, emails unanswered. And worst of all, most of the time, people come away from the meeting with more to do than accomplished – great, just what I needed, more stuff to do. But that’s not to say that meetings should be completely taken out of the workplace. Here are some suggestions to help speed things along in a meeting. Read More:

How Did You Get Here?
by Linda Leier Thomason

Renee Price is passionate about her industry and has a lot to say. Here she shares perspective on creating winning situations for both properties and planners, keeping current on industry trends, and receiving feedback from clients that improve events and morale.
Read More Here:

The 66 most innovative event professionals

In an industry that’s constantly in flux—with a steady stream of style trends, technological developments, and new ideas—staying ahead of the curve is difficult, but required. Here are the event professionals who rise to that challenge. They use events to advance business goals, they delight guests in unexpected ways, and they move the industry forward.

Read More: BizBash

5 Things Virtual Event Platforms Can Learn From Pinterest

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that “lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.” (source: Pinterest). While I haven’t created my own Pinterest boards, I’ve been reading about the service. And, I’ve visited the Pinterest pages of a few friends. During the course of learning more about the service, I’ve come to the conclusion that virtual event platforms can learn a lot from Pinterest.

Read More:

5 Startups for Meeting Planner to Watch

There are many ways that event planners can make their jobs run a bit smoother, and be more effective in their day-to-day jobs. Sometimes, these efficiencies can mean the difference between a successful event or losing a client. A great complement to an event planner's life is technology. There are a few startup companies that have recently been launched that should definitely be on the watch list for event planners. Here are the top 5 startups for event planners to watch (in no particular order): Full story...

Art Supplies: Creative Team Building in Chicago

Companies can brush aside that familiar work environment for…a paint brush. The Chicago Art & Design Center hopes that its Corporate Events Program will open the doors to organizations looking for a more left-field approach to team building. Created in partnership with the Windy City Fieldhouse, the initiative fosters creative thinking, personal growth, collaboration, and of course, fun. Full story...

The Attendee Hierarchy of Needs: A Framework for Making Better Decisions

What if there were a framework for making great decisions about features, programming, and technology for events? I’ve been thinking about it for a while—especially since my TSNN blog post on an attendee’s technology wish list. Full story...

Medical Meeting Planners Look for Ways to Coax Docs to Events

Are you a medical meeting planner and having a difficult time coaxing health care professionals (HCPs) to conferences and trade shows? No wonder - given the tangle of regulations, both from the government and self-regulating bodies (such as the PhRMA Code) that, in the first case, require disclosure of spend on HCPs and, in the second, limit gifts and giveaways. Full story...

The Case for Smaller Room Blocks

One problem I see time and again is organizations reserving a hotel room block that is much too large and then paying attrition damages. There are any number of reasons why an organization may overestimate its rooming needs, including faulty historical data, a sudden downturn in the economy that causes a shortfall in attendance, or simply being overly optimistic. Full story...

Young Planners Speak Out

Millennials are said to be creative, multitasking, fun-loving, knowledge-seeking job hoppers - and they're well on their way to reshaping the future of the meetings industry. Here, five promising young planners bear out the stereotypes of their generation while sharing their perspectives on meeting planning. Full story...

Where Are You Going From Here? Keeping An Eye on the Future...

With a decade of experience in developing and implementing meetings, conferences, and events ranging in size from 45 to 28,000 attendees, Mitchell Biersner, CMP prides himself on the expertise to maximize ROI for organizations and clients. Full story...

5 Gifts for the Meeting/Event Planner in Your Life

For someone who leads a busy and sometimes overwhelming workday everyday, what should you buy for a meeting or event planner? We came up with a list of five items that fit the lifestyle and come in handy like hand-warmers on a January day in D.C. If you’re debating what to buy, see if any of these catch your eye. Full story...

125 Tips for Today’s Meeting Planner

The industry is different today than it was 20 years ago. In fact, it’s different than it was just a few years ago. There’s plenty of advice out there about how you can do your job better in today’s shifting world, but instead of making you look for it in all those different places, we put it all in one place for you. Read on for inspiration, advice and ideas about programming, budgeting, food and beverage, travel and, well, everything meetings. Full story...

Instant Team Building: What’s Up With the 30-Minute Debriefs?

It’s happened before and it seems to be happening with increasing frequency. It’s the focus on instant results. “Hurry sickness” is a disease that is now plaguing corporations all over the globe. It is not surprising that this has been showing up in team building sessions in North America for well over a decade and it’s not getting any better. It’s spreading. Yes, it’s important to adapt and to be responsive to the client’s needs but when the thinking is flawed, is this the most prudent course of action? Full story...

The #Eventprofs Pre-Holiday Soiree: Only The Beginning

On a faraway Monday night back in the month of November, Liz King Events, together with eventwist and a host of other wonderful partners, hosted a lively evening of food and fun at the financial district’s first gastropub, The Fulton. Actually, it was only a couple of weeks ago, on the 14th, but it seems like a million years ago. Full story...

Four Event Marketing Predictions for 2012

Tablets. Social media. QR codes. Hybrid events. All of those have redefined tradeshow and event marketing in 2011, so what will 2012 bring? How can marketers embrace the latest trends to make their events more exciting and engaging? Here are my four event-marketing predictions for 2012. Full story...

Ten Enemies of Innovation: Break Free, Think Fresh

I had a conference call with a client with respect to an upcoming leadership meeting. I’ll be helping the organization think about some of the barriers they have toward innovation and what they need to do to overcome these challenges. As we were talking, I scribbled down a short list of some of the issues I was identifying. Full story...

Why It’s Okay to Outsource Your Ticketing

All six of my office telephone lines light up. Stepping away from my desk for even the briefest of moments means at least 20 missed calls, so if I allow myself to do the math, I should have over 100 calls if I dare step out for lunch. Full story...

Open Bar vs. Cash Bar: A Right Answer?

Recently, I attended an annual fundraiser that featured a cash bar. In addition, there was a champagne table that was $10 per glass. In exchange for this, you received a raffle ticket for prizes announced at the end of the night. I raised an eyebrow at this for a couple of reasons. Full story...

Conference Planning and a Conference Planning Checklist

Anytime we try something new can be intimidating. Very intimidating. And conference planning is no exception. Luckily, there are so many ways to help in the world of conference planning. The array of helpful conference planning tools out there to assist in getting the planner on track are unbelievable. Full story...

Two Difficult Meeting Planner Personality Styles

Recently, I was a keynote speaker for a conference where the meeting planner was cagey and hard to get in touch with. I wrestled with getting contact information from her to help me do pre-conference interviews. This meeting planner was clearly reluctant to reveal too much information about conference delegates or the organization. Full story...

How Do Sponsors Evaluate Sponsorship Proposals?

How sponsors evaluate proposals depends largely on the type of proposal you prepare and who you submit it to. So, I’m going to try to provide some insights for a few typical situations. Sponsors always look at the last two pages first – the benefits you are offering and the amount you’re charging. Full story...

Top Chef Approach to Designing 5-Star Event Experiences

My presentation style is high-energy, with a flair for exploring possibilities and "what if" scenarios. When conference attendees are getting weary, I'm a good choice to wake 'em up, make 'em think, and help 'em dream of something better. That said, there's only so much high-octane delivery an audience can take in one sitting. Full story...

Things I Learned at Perfect Business Summit to Help My Business

Perfect Business is a conference designed to inspire entrepreneurs and provide them with the resources they need to be successful. There was a great lineup of speakers and while there were some snags logistically (wait for my future blog post on that!), there were many great lessons to be learned. I'm a big believer that you can glean good tips from anything - and I certainly got my fair share at this conference. Full story...

3 Reasons Why You Need an Event Planning Business Plan

When we become self-employed we often try to reduce workloads. Especially on tasks that we think will take us away from the overall success of our business. There are many self-employed event planners. At networking events I often ask these event planners if they’ve taken the time to do an event planning business plan. Quite often the answer is no. And then they say, “Oh, I know I should do one, but I’m just so busy trying to drum up business that I don’t have time.” Full story...

A Wedding Planner Has Many Big Days - and Flights

Recently, I asked my 17-year-old godson what he thought he might want to do when he grew up. He replied that he definitely wanted to do something that involved lots of travel, implying that he thought all the travel I do is pretty cool. It is, but it’s also work. I like to say I get married 10 times a year. Full story...

Why Event Planners Need to be Good Listeners

Event planners are sometimes like consultants - solving problems is what they do. So when a client runs into unforeseen issues, it is second nature to jump in and "fix the situation." It turns out that just listening is a key element of problem-solving. Full story...

How to Throw a Client Party That Doesn't Suck

When you're planning any kind of party or event for your clients, keep one overriding imperative at the top of your priority list: Make sure it doesn't suck. The stated purpose of a client event might be to celebrate a holiday, recognize a milestone together, or simply say thank you for their business. But there's also a bottom-line business reason for spending the time and resources that go into a client party: retaining or gaining business. Full story...

Shortcuts Can Short-Circuit Corporate Event Effectiveness

Instant coffee. Instant messages. Emails that circle the globe with the click of a mouse. We've come to expect everything in an instant. When it comes to corporate event planning, many companies also expect instant results. This shows up in these ways. Full story...

Frustrating Facilitators and Annoying Attendees

All meetings are good in theory. But as every worker knows, few live up to their potential: A leader who distributes a poorly crafted agenda, a colleague who dominates the conversation, a participant who struggles with the projector for 15 minutes while everyone else checks their watches. These and countless other conference room characters can derail almost any gathering. Full story...

Planner’s Diary Part II: The Mankato Marathon

Once upon a time, a marathoner came to the Greater Mankato CVB and said, “You know, Mankato should put on a marathon.” The conversation went to the Chamber of Commerce, then to the City of Mankato, and from there, the CVB took the reins to bring that runner’s vision to life. Full story...

How to Become the #1 Tweeter at a Conference

In 2010, at MPI WEC, I unknowingly became the #1 tweeter in Vancouver, BC when I had no cell phone access and only wifi. The side benefits were hyper-networking by meeting people and gaining fans and trust with people I didn’t meet. Here’s the top 10 tips from my experience that I’m applying here at the GMIC conference. Full story...

Jury Duty Through the Lens of an Event Planner

Three decades, a half dozen summonses, and I've managed to sidestep this civic duty every time. My employer would send a letter and I would be excused. A few weeks ago, the next summons arrived, but now I'm a solo-preneur. I'm sorely tempted to write a letter. I'm incredibly busy (who isn't?), but then, my conscience kicks in. Looks like this is my time to serve. Full story...

The Biggest Event Marketing Mistake I’ve Ever Made

I remember it was quite a while ago. I got hired as marketing person for a conference. I was specifically looking after the website.

At the time online was something really new for the industry. Websites were mostly brochureware. In fact most meetings, conferences and events just converted their brochure into a (dis)functional website.

I was quite excited to be working with an international conference. Don’t get me wrong, I had some experience already running informal and entertainment events, but this was my first shot at the meeting industry.

Read More from Julius Solaris

9 Things an Event Planner can Take from the NFL Playoffs

It’s that time again– for our monthly “9 things” segment! It only made sense to write about what is on everyone’s mind this month (well, mine at least)– the NFL playoffs. In a previous ‘9 things’ we discussed what event planners can learn from the NFL Players, but the playoffs is a whole new world, and above all else it’s an event.
Read More:

Lessons for event planners from Netflix

Adrian Segar believes there are event planning lessons to be learned from Netflix’s adjustment to the way customers view rented films. He shares his insights here.

Read more at The Event Roundtable

6 Last Minute Forget-Me-Nots for Event Planners

After all the time and effort of planning your special event, the last thing you want is for a small detail to wreak havoc on your big day. Sometimes, the tiniest details have the most lasting impression on guests. Okay, I’m trying not to harp, but you get the idea: you never know what minute error will turn into a disaster.

Read more from Vixtorix

7 Event Planning Mistakes to Avoid

Planning an event can be a lot of work, but if you fail to plan the event properly, you can soon find your special day becoming a nightmare. No matter what your expertise level is, here are seven common planning mistakes that most people make that you should avoid:
More from EventChecklist.net http://www.eventchecklist.net/event-planning-mistakes/#ixzz27fY31hCx

6 TIPS FOR STAYING CALM WHEN PLANNING EVENTS

Before I got into the event production world, I spent nearly two decades working in the field of acupuncture. As manager of a Chinese medical office, I had an extended opportunity to hone my skills in client (or in this case, patient) relations, small business management, and conflict resolution. By applying some of the basic tenets of zen philosophy and an awareness of the body/mind/spirit connection, I developed my abilities to stay calm and diplomatic in the midst of chaos and stress.
Read more from the conference publishers & Jenise Fryatt

6 Incredibly boring and monstrous mistakes in digital education

The majority of online education is poorly designed and extremely boring.
We’ve all attended Webinars that make root canals seem more exciting!
Six Big Online Education MistakesUniversity Professor Guillermo Ramirez, author of The Virtual Presenter, believes that online education is here to stay. Unfortunately, most organizations continue to deliver poor online education experiences.
Here are six online education mistakes most organizations make.
Read more from Jeff Hurt

Severe weather contingency like a pro - Sherry Cummins

When I was a young child, we didn't have a basement in our home to go to in inclement weather but the neighbors did. One day in particular I remember it being very dark and sitting with my friends in that basement, the moms all gathered around the transistor radio as we waited for the storm to pass. I recall it as a little frightening with a certain "romance" and excitement. As adults we know there is nothing romantic about an incoming storm, particularly with the unfortunate news we have seen lately across our nation. As the frost of winter is forced to give way to the beauty of spring and summer, cold air mixes with warm air and causes a bit of a stir. Thunder and lightning are the least of the weather conditions that may threaten the groups at your hotel or resort.

Read More:

Trade show planning flowchart: your prescription for pain-free exhibiting

How do you prevent deadlines from sneaking up on you? With life moving at internet speed, it’s nearly impossible. Over the years, I’ve found a sure-fire prescription to prevent the rampant spread of the much feared disease, “Deadline Eruption Syndrome.”
In fact, the preventive measure prescribed here is a time-tested remedy. It can help you avoid that sick-to-your-stomach feeling brought on by the avalanche of missed deadlines, missed opportunities and missed sales from trade shows. I am betting this prescription, when consumed regularly, will keep you healthy, wealthy and wise when it comes to trade shows.
Read More: Skyline Trade Show Tips

The 7 habits of highly effective travelers

When people hear that we’ve been traveling around the world, they often imagine the two of us relaxing on a beach, drinking mai tais and reclining under flaming tiki torches.
Sure.
In reality, it’s no wonder that the word “travel” is derived from the French word travailmeaning “to work hard, to toil.” While we may occasionally indulge in beachside cocktails here and there, our days are typically filled with on-the-fly problem solving in ever-changing contexts: finding decent places to sleep, negotiating safe transport, and keeping ourselves well and well-fed so that we may focus on understanding the places we visit and the people we meet.
Read More:

How QR Codes Combined With Conference Applications Generate More Leads and Engagement

Even with an army of attendees all armed with iPad meeting apps, it is a never-ending challenge for exhibitors and conference organizers to connect with them one on one and leave an impression that sticks.
That is exactly where Quick Response (QR) codes excel.
QR codes are those black and white squares you see popping up in printed advertisements, on product packaging, and at events.
Unlike traditional product bar codes, QR codes are designed for people to walk up to and scan using a myriad of free applications from their Android, Blackberry, iPhone smartphones or iPad tablets, essentially working like an offline door to online content.
Here are some specific ways QR codes can help event attendees, exhibitors, and event organizers improve the conference experience.
• QR codes transform typical attendee nametags into digital business cards. Instead of exchanging business cards, simply scan the QR code of the person, and the meeting app sends his or her information to the other person’s iPhone, Android, Blackberry or iPad digital directory. The QR code can incorporate a security feature that prevents anyone who is not part of the convention from obtaining that contact information.

High-Maintenance Speakers: What’s Your Celebrity Liability?

Get event pros talking about negotiating talent contracts, and next thing you know, you’ll be browsing The Smoking Gun’s ever-growing online collection of ridiculous celebrity riders just to shake your head over items like Van Halen’s infamous aversion to brown M&Ms. Full story...

Medical Emergencies and the Meeting Planner: How Would You Respond?

Many meeting professionals have experienced an attendee’s medical emergency at an event. How a planner deals with such a situation it as it happens and after it happens affects not only the attendee’s quality of life but also an organization’s image. Full story...

Event Coordinator Ranked CareerCast.com's 6th Most Stressful Job

With a stress score of 49.85, Event Coordinator lands the #6 spot on the list of most stressful jobs, according to the 2012 CareerCast.com Job Stress Report, an annual survey of 200 different professions that measures work environment, job competitiveness, and risk. Full story...

Top Ten Sound & Sight Blog Posts of 2011

This year's top 10 blog posts once again proved that Sound & Sight readers are a progressive bunch interested in improving their skills with regard to events and social media. The list includes two posts offering social media tips; four about event planning & production; and three posts on ways to use social media specifically for events. Full story...

3 Event Planning Websites Worth Visiting

Before I started to write this article, I did a Google search of "event planning websites." Within milliseconds, the return was over 90 million possible websites to choose from. Obviously way too many for me to know which ones are better than the others. Full story...

K-State Event Planner Sends a Message of Food Safety

Renee Hultgren is events manager at Kansas State University Olathe, which had its grand opening in April. This conversation took place at Hultgren’s office in the International Animal Health and Food Safety Institute, the first building on the 43-acre Olathe campus. Full story...

A Well-Fed Attendee is a Happy Attendee

Preparing and providing food and beverages for 300 to 500 guests can be daunting. And keeping that many people engaged, excited and satisfied at the same time is certainly a challenge. Here are some things that work quite well. Full story...

Special Event Pros Forecast Color Trends for 2011-2012

The future looks bright—the future of color palettes at special events, that is. In the latest online poll from Special Events, respondents say the hippest color palette for special events this year glows with neon colors. Next come monochromatic palettes or variations on a single color. Third are palettes based on colors found in nature, followed by those featuringmetallics. Palettes based on neutral tones and on primary colors tie for the fifth spot, followed by pastels, favored by a scant 2 percent of respondents. Full story...

American Express Launches Service for Ad Hoc Meeting Planners

American Express Meetings & Events has launched "Meetings Expert," a new program that provides resources for people who are not trained meeting planners, but are nonetheless asked by their employer to plan a meeting. Launched last week at IMEX America, Meetings Expert connects ad hoc meeting planners with experts who can negotiate on their behalf all aspects of a meeting contract — including conference rooms, sleeping rooms, food and beverage, and ancillary spending — provided their meeting includes at least ten guest rooms per night. Full story...

The Headaches of Doing It Yourself

I know, I know: you do it all by yourself. You program your meetings, decide your catering, perfect your invitation lists, plan your seating arrangements, set up your venues, book your own speakers, and work all day and all night to pull off your perfect event. Now you’re absolutely exhausted, and you’re too stressed out to enjoy the work you’ve done. Full story...

5 Reasons People Go to Sporting Events (And What We Can Learn From Them)

Attendance at sporting events is huge. Major League Baseball alone brings more than 70 million fans to games each year. Not everyone goes to watch the game, though. The environment is something that you can’t experience while watching at home, and this experience is what keeps fans coming back. Here are some of the top reasons people attend sporting events, other than watching the game. Full story...

People You’ll Meet at a Conference

Thom Singer

Several months ago, I was at an event with “thought leader extraordinaire” Matt Church, and we were talking about the meetings industry. Soon we were joking about all the people you can expect to meet at a conference, and I’ve been collecting ideas about “-ists” ever since that conversation. Here are some of the interesting personalities who often show up. Full story...

Social Media Guru Keeps Planners Tuned in to Technology

Calling Dan Parks an early adapter is a serious understatement. Parks has devoted his career to being ahead of the technology curve – especially when it comes to meetings. Parks is president and creative director for Corporate Planners Unlimited. But he is probably best known as a social media guru for meeting industry insiders. Full story...

Top 5 Reasons to Host Your Holiday Event After The Holidays

December is full of dates with conflicts, busy schedules, tight wallets, and expensive holiday venues. Know how to plan a successful event with these five reasons why you should book your holiday party after the holidays. 1) Save Money. Just like a wedding, the less likely a venue is to have business on a particular day or weekend, the easier it is to negotiate prices. Conference centers, hotels, and more offer more bang for your buck during slow-business such as January. Full story...

Overconfidence Is Good for You

We recently shared with you news that ambition drives happiness. Now a new study shows that an inflated belief that we can easily meet challenges or win conflicts is actually good for us. Researchers have shown for the first time that overconfidence actually beats accurate assessments in a wide variety of situations, be it sport, business or even war. Full story...

Four Reasons Why Meeting Planning is Like Playing Rugby

About 10 years ago, I helped found a women’s rugby football club in New York City. For those first few years, as we struggled to build a strong team, we often felt like the Bad News Bears. Now, the Village Lions RFC Women’s Side features players who represent the United States in international play and is a serious contender in national championships. Full story...

Lessons From an Event Planner

No matter how many events I plan or problems I anticipate, a new one always arises. There will always be little glitches or unexpected issues that come up. Always. The trick is to know that they will happen and understand that it will not effect the overall outcome of your big day. Stay calm and problem solve (or let someone else problem solve for you). Thinking on your feet will get you far! Full story...

Chat Recap: Natural Disasters and Your Events – How to Prepare

For those of you new to chat (or for those of you who are slower, like me), I thought it might be nice to try and condense our #eventprofs chat into bite-sized chunks. Below, I've outlined the major points in our conversation since there were a lot of great suggestions and links. I've tried to condense it all into a format that should be digestible. Full story...

How to Manage Expectations to Avoid Negative Event Coverage

You don't need a complicated social media policy full of legalese to mitigate against this risk. You just need one web page or blog post, written in straightforward language, explaining what you're doing, how participants can engage, and how they can get help if they need it. Full story...

Choose an Event Production Team That Has Your Back

Here is a reality clients rarely consider. Your event is three hours or three days long. As the event producer, it will take between 65 and 350 hours to plan this event, from initial concept through the final paperwork and compiling all the details with each of the suppliers who will make it happen. Full story...

Event Planning: Proving Your Value to Senior Management

This week I have a very interesting assignment: I'm facilitating a continuing education workshop for training and development professionals at a Toronto university. You see, long before I became involved in event planning, I was a training and development professional. During the course of the workshop, it struck me that learning and development professionals and corporate event planners have a lot in common. Full story...

Seeing Yourself as the Source of Everything?

You may feel that the people and events in your life are good at pricking you in the right spots, at the right time to provoke a certain emotional response. But these people and events are not the source of these emotions – you are. It’s natural for the people and events that make up our environment to affect, and even dictate our moods. But it can be an enlightening exercise to take a step back and realize that in reality, you are the source of your own happiness or lack thereof. Full story...

Scam Alert: Are Poachers Responsible for Your Attrition?

I got a call from an association planner friend of mine the other day asking if I had ever heard of a certain company. I had to admit that I never had, but asked why and what was up. The tale she began to weave was familiar to me. Full story...

Event Planners: Consulting Partners or Order Takers?

What is the role of event and meeting planners? Is it to translate a client's vision into reality? That's part of it but experienced event planners can add a lot more value. With a wide network of contacts, event planners can help clients save money on resorts, event venues and transportation. Full story...

Corporate Event ROI Measurement: 5 Elements to Consider

To demonstrate bottom line impact and the ROI from corporate events, 5 of the elements to consider include 1) Promotion, 2) Sales, 3) Team Engagement, 4) Client Appreciation, and 5) Employee Appreciation. From product launches, advertising initiatives that include events, and trade shows, it's possible to tally the number of leads and inquiries generated. Assign a dollar value to the leads and inquiries that result in business. Full story...

CareerBuilder.com: Working as a Meeting Planner

Planning an event for just one family is pretty challenging, as anyone who's thrown a reunion or wedding can attest. Meeting planners, who often work with large companies or industry groups, have a job that is many times more complex. And the work they do can make a huge difference to an organization's momentum and morale. For example, employees can leave an event invigorated by a roster of great speakers, or frustrated that they never got the chance to network with important colleagues. Full story...

A Wedding Planner’s Top Tips for Cutting Your Big Day Budget

If you’re overwhelmed by the seemingly endless list of costs associated with the Big Day, you’re not alone. With the U.S. economic recovery still on shaky ground, brides are spending decidedly less today than they did two years ago, according to BRIDES magazine’s 2011 American Wedding Study. On average, a wedding cost $26,501 in 2011, down more than 5 percent from 2009, the last time the survey was published. Still, that’s up $8,000 from almost a decade earlier. Full story...

Choose the Meeting Venue With Confidence

Whether the event is across town or across the nation, knowing how to choose the right venue is a process that can be broken down into manageable tasks. Ask a lot of questions to make sure the perfect facility is found. Know what you don’t want. Taking into account the attendees, their locations, the budget, and the required facilities, the first step is to eliminate, eliminate, eliminate. This step will narrow the options down significantly. Full story...

Detroit-Based Meeting Planner Launches Event Company

Detroit-based meeting planner Latisha Johnson has opened her own full-service business, Prestige Meetings and Events, offering a range of services including event design, vendor management, and event logistics. Johnson has more than a decade of experience as a professional meeting coordinator with the Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. Full story...

Lessons Learned from an Event Planner

In my more than nine years as a contracted event planner, I have learned five important points about the business: 1) people underestimate the time it takes to do everything, 2) people think they know what they want until they have to explain it, 3) being nice matters, 4) things look different once you get to know someone, and 5) committees are not what they seem. Full story...

5 Things You’ll Forget That Your Event Planner Will Remember

I talk to people all the time who plan their own fundraisers, parties, and events. While things seem to go off without a hitch, they simply don't realize the amount of money they could be saving by hiring a professional. Yep, I said it. Sometimes paying someone can save you money, and headaches. If your event goes just as it's planned, you may only be losing money. However, if there's a need to cancel or a natural disaster, you could find yourself up a creek. Full story...

It’s Time For Today’s Technology-Focused Hotel Salespeople To “Go Old School”

I sometimes change roles to the demand side when it is time for KTN to conduct our own conferences and meetings. I recently had such an experience as our KTN team was planning a two-day conference in three locations. Now granted, this was not a huge piece of business by anyone's measure, as we were planning for a two-day meeting for 35 people and only a block of 10 rooms. However the dates were completely flexible, and our date range was right in the middle of hurricane season and our locations were small cities right on the Gulf or Atlantic Ocean. So it would seem that all the hotels would need some extra business then. Full story...

Trivia Questions for Liz King, Event Planner and Social Media Maven

I can think of no better way to kick off this new blog series than with social media expert Liz King. Liz is the owner of Liz King Events, a unique event planning company based in NYC which specializes in integrating social media into live events. An award-winning blogger who lectures nationally about social media, she was recently named a top “40 Under 40″ up-and-coming meeting and event planner by Connect Meetings magazine. Her latest project involves integrating social media into the workplace. Full story...

Five Things to Know About Event Planner Dana Wilkey

She helped Taylor Armstrong throw a $60,000 tea party for her daughter Kennedy's fourth birthday on season one of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Now, event planner Dana Wilkey, who happens to be a friend of Armstrong, is joining the cast of Bravo's hit reality show. The USC grad, 37, is the proud mom to her 22-month-old son John Cayden Flynn, and is planning her wedding for next year. Although loved ones and the glitz and glamour of 90210 surround her, Wilkey is at heart a goofball who experienced tragedy at a young age. Full story...

A Behind-the-Scenes Look At An Event Planner’s Behind-the-Scenes Work

"Do you want round tables?" the janitor asked. My first thought was, Does it matter? But Charissa Bowditch, program coordinator for the Department of Continuing Education, treated the question seriously. Full story...

Tips for Planning a Kosher Meal

Planning a kosher F&B event requires a lot of careful planning with the right partners. Even the best-intentioned event planners can make mistakes, which can be quite disturbing to observant attendees. Take heed of these words of advice, observed during my 24 years in the kosher catering business. Full story...