Expert Advice

Event Trends/New Ideas

20 Tips to Transform Conferences into Year-Long Collaborations with Meeting Apps
10/3/11
The results of a conference seem to always sound the same: Great ideas heard and contacts made. Then the weary conventioneer heads home, is greeted with a mountain of e-mail, to-dos and colleagues who remained in the trenches, uninspired. Give...
What Pops Gets Attention!
09/27/11
Historically, there have been only two types branded retail establishments—traditional “brick and mortar” businesses and online stores. Recently, however, savvy marketers are turning to a new trend–the pop-up store. This marketing tactic entails a...
8000 Reasons to Be on Twitter: The #Eventprofs Group
09/9/11
If you've never ventured into the world of Twitter, you might think that it is basically a lot of noise. If so, you would be right. As one of the largest social media networks out there, the amount of junk is massive—and for first timers, it can feel...

Running Your Business

The Buck Stops Here
09/16/11
Have any of you been in a dollar store? Why didn’t somebody tell me about this place earlier? Who needs Disney World when you have the dollar store? I ran in to gather a few paper products for a birthday party and was wowed by the many, many things I...
In Events, Timing Is Key
09/1/11
In some events, getting attendees from one room to another can be similar to herding cats. These ideas may not apply to you (or maybe you’re already doing them), but if you need to educate a client on the value of strict time management, let’s consider...
A Day-of Planner’s Guide to DIY Clients and Their Events
08/31/11
Now, more than ever, event planners are faced with a new dilemma in the world of event planning - DIY clients, also known as "Do It Yourself" clients. DIY clients are a new and optimistic brand of clientele. They are technologically savvy, hard workers...
Word of Mouth
08/19/11
For those of you who follow me regularly, you’ve heard me say, “All you have is your name.” Today, more than ever, our brand is only as good as our last job, our website and the buzz that follows us. In a world that is so bombarded with social media,...

Open Forum

Am I More Than a Meeting Planner?
08/15/11
I'm just the planner. How many times have you said that, or heard a colleague or teammate say that? We are often told to remove the words "should" and "can't" from our vocabularies—and now is the time to also remove the phrase "just a meeting planner."...

Suppliers Speak

Seven Ways to Avoid or Reduce Hotel Attrition
08/8/11
1. COMMUNICATE...Talk to the hotel to reduce the room block so that they can give you credit on resold rooms. Also, rebooking a future meeting/group into the hotel will help as most hotels will give you attrition credit for a future meeting or group. 2....
Creating a Win-Win Negotiation with a Venue
08/8/11
Vendor savvy is a skill that has always been critical for the successful meeting planner.  Now more than ever, skillful negotiating can mean the difference between whether or not you retain your job.  Unfortunately, many event planners today...