Midwest Meetings | Planner's Life

Latest Planner's Life News & Views...

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.

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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.

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...

What Makes Social Event Planners Different From Corporate Event Planners

Social event planners typically manage weddings, anniversaries, parties, and so on. As a social event planner, you'll be interacting with individuals, couples, brides, parents, and many other people – all of whom have the vision of a perfect wedding, anniversary, or party that they have been imagining for months or even years. And this is the key difference: the emotional attachment in a social event is what makes managing these types of event challenging, as well as exhilarating. Full story...

How to Find a Venue for Meetings and Events

Deciding the best event space venue for your event is critical to your program’s overall success. It takes time, but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. It’s actually a fun challenge to find a venue for a meeting, conference or event. Assuming you have already identified the type of event space you are planning and its purpose, many other factors must now be considered as you select the venue itself. And unless logistics and time absolutely prevent it, every event planner should conduct a site inspection before contracting any venue. 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 Impact of Opportunity Costs on Fundraising Events

Every fall, it is the same situation for folks on the gala circuit. Mailboxes and in-boxes fill with invitations to gala fundraisers on behalf of every cause imaginable. The events are often black-tie, always fun and festive, and feature highly regarded honorees, renowned entertainment, and creative parting gifts. For many organizations, the allure of producing a fundraising gala is difficult to pass up. Full story...

The Evolution of an Event

I’m a dreamer. I love to think of ways to make a situation bigger-better-bolder. So when Eventbrite formed a St. Jude fundraising/running team for the upcoming U.S. Half Marathon in San Francisco, I knew it was an opportunity to use our software for a great cause. Here’s how we’re doing it. Full story...

Smart vs. Brave: Where's the Balance?

It’s a good thing to be smart. Sure beats being dumb. But sometimes, being “smart” gets too much emphasis. Sometimes, we start to think smart will do everything. It doesn’t. While smart is essential, and it'll take you far, to really go the farthest distance, you must balance smart with brave. Full story...

Finding Inspiration From Here and There

On the Eventbrite blog through the past few weeks, guest authors have shared what inspires them to host events. Sometimes it’s to make a difference in young people’s lives, other times it’s simply to host a great event within their community. It’s clear, however, that inspiration is drawn from the most unexpected places. Full story...

7 Tips for Surviving & Thriving at Networking Events

Whether you’re launching a startup or looking for new opportunities, networking events are an essential part of the game. Some lucky individuals dive right into these events and come out with five great leads and a new hiking buddy. But for others, these orchestrated events can be a total drag, full of awkward moments and monotonous small talk. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to the networking scene, here are seven ways to make the most of these events. Full story...

Meeting Planner Thrives in Agency Setting

While the jobs of meeting planner and travel manager have their differences, combining the two adds up to business success. That, at least, has been the experience for Maureen Santoro, CMP, manager of group operations for Atlas Meetings and Incentives, who finds many advantages to working within an agency environment. Full story...

Outsourcing Your Meetings, In Full or Part: A Primer

Before starting my business as an independent meeting planner, I was the director of meetings for a large Texas state association. At the time, it never would have occurred to me to hire a third party planner because I had a staff, and we were able to handle all the demands of our meetings. Since starting my business ten years ago, however, I have worked almost exclusively with associations, many that have meeting planners on staff. Full story...

Five Things To Do If Your Speaker Cancels

Meeting professionals share a common nightmare: they spend months organizing the perfect event for their company or association, with an eagle's eye for every detail. They have selected the perfect venue, organized a killer agenda, created amazing menus and scheduled spectacular parties. Then, at the last minute, their keynote speaker backs out. Programs are printed, people are arriving, and there is nobody to take the stage. Full story...

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...

Gen X and Gen Y: Growth in the Meeting Planning Industry

The future of meeting planning is in the hands of younger planners who are enthusiastic about their careers and eager to bring change to the industry. They may belong to a generation that lives and works in cyberspace, but these young planners agree with their older colleagues that face-to-face get-togethers are crucial and cannot be replaced by texting, Skype and webinars. Full story...