While attendees are usually the main focus, it is important to attract and retain sponsors and vendors each year. By maximizing your event technology already in place, you can help them have the best experience possible, feel welcome and included, and help ensure they will be back again next year!
Read MoreWe recently had the opportunity to be a guest blogger for Prevue, a company providing experiential, high-impact experiences for meeting and incentive planners. In addition to guest blogging, we also have the privilege of presenting at upcoming event in Palm Springs - Transforming Meetings Summit. Since we will be pulling back the curtain and showing the attendees the inner workings and behind the scenes details of the gamification and technology being used at the event, we thought it might be good to first discuss what gamification actually is.
Read MoreAre you integrating new technology into your event this year? Congratulations! Isn’t it exciting? Whether you are adding a new event app or implementing online registration, one of the most important aspects to consider is your audience. We love to geek out about a new product, but we always have to remember not everyone is as excited about it as we are! Your audience is the key to your success. It is up to you to prepare them for anything you throw at them, especially if it something new and may seem scary!
Read MoreTo ask or not to ask. That is the question. What do you do when you don’t know what to ask?
Read MoreDoes your list seem to grow faster than you can cross things off? Whether it is to work more, finish a project, relax, or spend time with family, we all wish we had more time in the day. Your time is valuable, and some tasks often need delegating or contracting out to someone else. Letting go of tasks is sometimes difficult, but if you don't have enough time in the day, it has to be done to ensure you are successful. In the long run, delegating or contracting out some tasks helps to ensure the final product (and your sanity) will be better off!
Read MoreThe growing buzzword throughout the industry over the past few years has been “technology.” This push for more and more technology in our events stems directly from the fast pace technology is expanding on our everyday lives. Like it or not, technology is here to stay, and it is no longer a luxury to have for your event. It is required and attendees expect it.
Read MoreSometimes, the answer is easy. It is easy to decide you need an outside contractor for larger and prominent specialties such as furniture rentals, electricians, and catering. That is how is has always been. These have always been separate fields and trades, and are considered highly detailed specialities. Times are changing, though, and planners are now also finding themselves having to decide whether or not to hire a contractor to do something they used to do themselves just a few years ago.
Read MoreAs we wrote in our bit last week, event planners are needing more and more specialties, and some have even begun to break the mold and create specialized event planning services. We realized we may need an example of what we were talking about - just to hit home a little more. Let's do a technology example, since that is where we have the most experience.
Read MoreA new trend is beginning to emerge in the event planning industry - event planners are beginning to become more specialized. As the event planning industry evolves and grows, a new sub-culture within the industry has started to grow with it, as some of the specialized event planners have broken away from tradition and started new companies to help meet these new needs! According to surveys done by MPI International, 45% of event planners are increasing the amount of contractors they hire!
Times are changing. As we all strive to move our industry forward, MPI and Jessie States, CMM, Manager of Professional Development, Meeting Professionals International, agree that "[s]pecialists will drive our industry forward. They will help guide the events marketplace as key identifiers of trends and next practices."
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