pym 2014-15 digital interactive edition

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2 2014/2015 $15 US

HELPING YOU PLAN BETTER MEETINGS AND EVENTS

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SIMPLE WAYS PLANNERS CAN WIPE OUT BOREDOM, DISTRACTIONS AND CREATE MORE ENGAGING EVENTS.

ALSO INSIDE: COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES13 STEPS TO SAFER MEETINGSDESTINATION GUIDES

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the pulse of the meetings industry.imexamerica.com

Registration is open for IMEX Americathe event that delivers more business, inspiration and global connections every year.

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When youre an event organizer, youve got a million things to do. Online registration with

SkyTeams Global Meetings Program is fast and frees you up to get on with the job. And its

just as easy for your delegates. They enjoy attractive discounts with all 19 SkyTeam member

airlines. And they fl y to join you through the worlds best hubs from our network of more than

1,020 destinations. Organizer incentive tickets and other handy extras add up to a rewarding

level of simplicity for you. Find all the details on www.skyteam.com/globalmeetings

PULL YOUR GLOBAL MEETING TOGETHER IN JUST MINUTES.

PLAN YOUR MEETINGS SPP 203,6 x 282,5 mm Visuel: Global Meeting 19 Remise le : 10/09 OM BAT OM

ALLI_1309070_New_Global Meeting 19_US_206.3x282.5.indd 1 10/09/13 15:26

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10 POWER TO THE PEOPLE Do you know how to design audience-centered meetings? These tips

will ensure that everyone at your meeting stays engaged and goes home feeling valued.

28 COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES START TO FINISH

Follow these marketing tips, and youll break through the noise and set new attendance records.

20 RISKY BUSINESS How to keep your events safe in times of terrorism, strikes and more.

12 3 ways to kill boredom

13 You want me to sit in a FISHBOWL?

14 4 ways to make events more relevant to your attendees

15 5 ways to refocus attendees

16 7 steps to more engaging meetings

17 8 ways to rev up a crowd

25 13 steps to safer meetings

26 Working with the federal government

27 What happens if someone dies at your event?

PYM 2014 | PLANYOURMEETINGS.COM002 PYM 2014 | PLANYOURMEETINGS.COM002

IN THIS ISSUE

5 PYM+ AUGMENTED REALITY CONTENT6 CONTRIBUTORS9 EDITORS LETTER139 THE PRACTICAL GUIDE TO MEETING PLANNING154 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

When youre an event organizer, youve got a million things to do. Online registration with

SkyTeams Global Meetings Program is fast and frees you up to get on with the job. And its

just as easy for your delegates. They enjoy attractive discounts with all 19 SkyTeam member

airlines. And they fl y to join you through the worlds best hubs from our network of more than

1,020 destinations. Organizer incentive tickets and other handy extras add up to a rewarding

level of simplicity for you. Find all the details on www.skyteam.com/globalmeetings

PULL YOUR GLOBAL MEETING TOGETHER IN JUST MINUTES.

PLAN YOUR MEETINGS SPP 203,6 x 282,5 mm Visuel: Global Meeting 19 Remise le : 10/09 OM BAT OM

ALLI_1309070_New_Global Meeting 19_US_206.3x282.5.indd 1 10/09/13 15:26

WEST SOUTH CENTRAL 60 Glendale, AZ

62 Dallas, TX 66 Irving, TX 68 Plano, TX 70 Grapevine, TX 72 Houston, TX 76 North Houston, TX 78 The Woodlands, TX 80 San Antonio, TX 84 San Marcos, TX 86 New Braunfels, TX 88 Austin, TX 90 Abilene, TX 92 Rockport-Fulton, TX 94 New Orleans, LA

EAST NORTH CENTRAL 96 Chicago, IL

WEST NORTH CENTRAL 98 Minneapolis, MN

MID-ATLANTIC 100 New York City, NY

PACIFIC 36 Redding, CA 38 San Francisco, CA 40 Tri-Valley, CA 42 San Diego, CA 44 Reno, NV 46 Las Vegas, NV

MOUNTAIN 48 Denver, CO 50 Breckenridge, CO 52 Durango, CO 54 Glenwood Springs, CO 56 Snowmass, CO 58 Telluride, CO

35 A TOUR OF SOME TOP MEETING CITIES FEATURING HOT HOTELS, AMAZING VENUES AND GROUP AMENITIES


DESTINATION GUIDES

SOUTH ATLANTIC 102 Washington, DC

EAST SOUTH CENTRAL 104 Franklin/Williamson County, TN

SOUTHEAST ATLANTIC 106 Raleigh, NC 108 Greenville, SC 110 Atlanta, GA 116 Sandy Springs, GA 118 Dunwoody, GA 120 Peachtree City, GA 124 Douglasville, GA 126 Macon-Bibb County, GA 128 Savannah, GA 130 St. Simons, GA 132 Valdosta, GA 134 Miami, FL

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005PLANYOURMEETINGS.COM | PYM 2014

Plan Your Meetings Vol. 19, Issue 2 . . . . . . . . . Cover

Hilton Americas-Houston (TX) . . . . . Inside Front Cover

Delta Air Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Caesars Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Power to the People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

Dave & Busters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

Risky Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-21

Communication Strategies Start to Finish . . . . . . .28-29

Mountain Meeting Alliance (CO) . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Visit Redding (CA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Westin St. Francis San Francisco (CA) . . . . . . . . . .39

Visit TriValley (CA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa (NV) . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

South Point Casino Hotel & Spa (NV) . . . . . . . . . .47

Grand Hyatt Denver & Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center (CO) . . . . . . . .49

Beaver Run Resort (CO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Durango (CO) Area Tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Glenwood Springs (CO) Chamber Resort . . . . . . . .55

Viceroy Snowmass (CO). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Telluride (CO) Tourism Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Glendale (AZ) CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Irving (TX) CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Plano (TX) CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Grapevine (TX) CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

JW Marriott Houston Downtown (TX) . . . . . . . . . .73

South Shore Harbour Resort (TX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Crowne Plaza South Central Region (TX) . . . . . . . .75

The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center (TX). . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

San Marcos (TX) CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Greater New Braunfels (TX) COC/CVB. . . . . . . .87

AT&T Executive Conference Center (Austin) . . . . . .89

Abilene (TX) CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Rockport-Fulton (TX) COC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Visit Greenville SC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Hyatt Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina (GA) . . . . 115

Sandy Springs (GA) Tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Wyndham Peachtree Hotel & Conference Center (GA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Douglasville (GA) CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Macon-Bibb County (GA) CVB. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort (GA) . . . . . . 131

Greater Miami CVB (FL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (FL) . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

Westin Atlanta Airport (GA) . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

GO BEYOND THE PAGEThroughout this issue, weve embedded bonus stories, videos and other content using augmented reality. Download the free PYM+ app and scan the pages listed here to unlock those experiences.

HERES HOW1Download the free PYM+ app for iOS or Android: Ez.com/pymplusapple or EZ.com/pymplusandroid.

2Go to the pages listed below or look for this icon.

3Open the PYM+ app and scan the page. Double tap experience to expand to full screen. Double tap again to return to scanner view.

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2 2014/2015 $15 US

HELPING YOU PLAN BETTER MEETINGS AND EVENTS

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE PYM+ APP TO UNLOCK ADDITIONAL

CONTENT INSIDE!PO

WER

PEOPLETO THE

SIMPLE WAYS PLANNERS CAN WIPE OUT BOREDOM, DISTRACTIONS AND CREATE MORE ENGAGING EVENTS. ALSO INSIDE: COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES13 STEPS TO SAFER MEETINGSDESTINATION GUIDES


CONTRIBUTORSTAHIRA ENDEAN, CMP, has spent two decades as a meeting plan-ner and event producer and

knows the power of events as a force to drive connection and positive change. A believer in life-long learning, Tahira holds a diploma in event management, a degree in hospitality manage-ment, is an instructor of Event Management and Sustainable Event Operations at BCIT, and is often found speaking at industry associations on a range of topics, from the possibilities brought by social media to technology large and small, fixed and mobile, and from objective-centered event design to incorporating social gaming principles. Acting as the chief dream wrangler for the highly successful EventCamp Vancouver, Tahira successfully experimented with creating envi-ronments that work and contin-ues to push the boundaries of face-to-face, hybrid and virtual events. A seeker, connector, friend, mentor and mother of two awesome teens, she brings fresh perspective to any project, always looking for the why and the why not. She is the event mar-keting manager for QuickMobile and sits on the Event Solutions Advisory Board. You can follow her on Twitter @TahiraCreates.

GARLAND PREDDY has worked in events management for more than 30 years. While at the

U.S. Marshals Service, she executed many memorable events despite the rules, regulations and

laws that govern them. She is a respected teacher/trainer in the hospitality industry, has been an instructor for George Washington Universitys events management programs for more than 15 years, and has been an adjunct professor at George Mason University. Garland speaks at the Society of Government Meeting Profess-ionals monthly meetings and annual national education conference. She has taught seminars at Destinations Showcase, Affordable Meetings, Springtime in the Park and Connect Marketplace. She was named the 2012 Sam Gilmer Planner of the Year at the annual education conference of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals. Before coming to the hospitality industry, she worked as an X-ray technician. You can follow her on Twitter at @garlandpretty or contact her at [email protected].

JANET ROBERTS is the owner of Content by Janet Roberts, a Green Bay, Wis.,-based marketing

communications service specializing in interviews, case studies, how-tos, social-media management and other services that help people work smarter and live better. Her motto: Let me write that for you!

Janet writes on both sides of the content aisle. On the marketing side, she works with tech-sector companies to help their customers and prospects solve problems, use services more effectively and understand important industry issues. On the public side, she writes for Plan Your Meetings, Encore Atlanta, Larry Chases Web Digest for Marketers, the Direct Marketing

Association and other magazines, email newsletters and blogs on topics from the performing arts to food to marketing leadership. If youre interested in it, she is, too! Connect with Janet via Twitter @evansmom or email her at [email protected]. One of these days, shell blow the dust off her blog, too: contentbyjanetroberts.com.

STACEY RUTH is a principal at Actio Marketing, as well as a clas-sically trained creative

director, writer and designer with more than 20 years of marketing and event industry expertise. As a lifelong entrepreneur, Stacey has been involved in building and marketing successful event orga-nizations. In 2000, Catalyst Magazine named her one of Atlantas Top 50 Entrepreneurs. Event Marketer Magazine twice named The WOW Factory, her endeavor before Actio, one of the Top 100 Event Marketing IT Agencies.

Stacey has been published in several national and local pub-lications including Plan Your Meetings, Meeting Professionals Internationals One+, Events Solutions and The Atlanta Business Chronicle. She is work-ing on her first book, Market Right: A No-Nonsense Guide to Do-It-Yourself Marketing.

In 2006, Stacey became a certi-fied event ROI professional one of only a handful of professionals nationwide who focuses exclusive-ly on meeting ROI. This designa-tion provides her with the ability to help clients create and deliver events that produce results with measurable value to the organiza-tion.You can contact her at [email protected].

He wants a venue for 5,000 on the East Coast...

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EDITORIALVP OF CREATIVE/CHIEF STORYTELLER Kristi Casey SandersMANAGING EDITORKathy JanichCONTRIBUTING EDITORTherra C. GwynCONTRIBUTING WRITERSMonica Compton; Beth DAddono; Tahira Endean, CMP; Claire Gould; Bret Love; Garland Preddy; Laura Raines; Janet Roberts; Stacey Ruth; Jackie Thornton, MS, CMP; Mary Welch

PRODUCTIONART DIRECTORJoshua HartingGRAPHIC DESIGNERMark F. BaxterDIGITAL DESIGNERIan Carson

MARKETING & SALESVICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETINGEvan Casey ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESSusan M. Fox, CMP, CMMDebbie WebbEVENTS & CLIENT SERVICESEmily NorthripSOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERSophia Chin

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT/CIRCULATIONCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERClaudia MadiganAUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & EVENTS COORDINATORAlysia BrogdonAUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT TEAMJennifer Buckley, Karen Welsh

CHAIRWOMAN Diane CaseyPRESIDENTTom CaseyCONTROLLERSusan Gilham

E-mail: [email protected]

Published by Atlanta Metropolitan Publishing Inc., 8920

Eves Road #769479, Roswell, Georgia 30076; 678-837-4004,

fax 678-837-4066. Copyright 2014 by Atlanta Metropolitan

Pub lishing Inc. AMP makes every effort to ensure the

accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be

held responsible for any consequences arising from errors,

omissions or opinions expressed herein. All rights reserved.

Repro duction in whole or in part of any text, photograph or

illustration without written permission from the publisher

strictly prohibited. Publisher reserves the right to refuse

any advertising for any reason and to alter advertising

copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication.

PlanYourMeetings.com/subscribe


ITS ALL ABOUT YOUI have a little secret. Im in love with you and what you do. Truly. Your work has the power to transform the way people think, learn, behave. Your events can inspire your attendees to achieve great things and deepen meaningful business relationships. Or they can cause great despair depending on how youve designed them.

To help you on your heros journey, this PYM Annual features some motherly advice on how to plan invigorating events (see Power to the People on p. 10), protect yourself and your group from all sorts of calamity (Risky Business on p. 20), and ensure that people dont ignore your work (Communication Strategies on p. 28). And, of course, youll find our Practical Guide to Meeting Planning on p. 139. Download the PYM+ app and scan the pages weve marked with the PYM+ icon and youll reveal additional content we think could help.

If youve been to one of our PYM LIVE Events, you know that we also love to love on you face-to-face. So let me know if you will be joining us at any of our upcoming shows. (See schedule at left.) Most of our story ideas, webinars and educational sessions come from your requests and wealth of experience in this industry. Dont forget, we publish new content on PlanYourMeetings.com daily and produce frequent video content on YouTube.com/PlanYourMeetings.

Our mission at Plan Your Meetings is to educate, empower and inspire you and connect you with the resources and big ideas you need to help you plan better meetings and events. Please dont hesitate to let me know what youd like to see as we enter our 20th year or how you think we can work together to move the industry forward.

Plan well and prosper,

Kristi Casey Sanders, aka @PYMLive [email protected]


EDITORS LETTER

From Google Glasses to beta-testing beacon technology, this years PYM LIVE Events have been a blast. Here, Meeting Pools Dahlia El Gazzar (left) and I ham it up at PYM LIVE Chicago.

We are a proud sponsor of the Green Meeting Industry Council and assist with the communications for Skl International Atlanta. Read about our other CSR initiatives at PlanYourMeetings.com/corevalues.

2014HOUSTON, TX NOVEMBER 20 | JW MARRIOTT HOUSTON DOWNTOWN

2015ATLANTA, GA FEBRUARY 26 | HYATT ATLANTA PERIMETER

SAN FRANCISCO, CA MARCH

CHICAGO, IL APRIL 23 | THE SKYDECK CHICAGO

AUSTIN, TX MAY

RALEIGH, NC JUNE

DALLAS, TX AUGUST

NEW YORK, NY SEPTEMBER

DENVER, CO OCTOBER

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT PLANYOURMEETINGS.COM/EVENTS.FOLLOW THE HASHTAG #YAYPYM TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY AND READ EVENT RECAPS ON PLANYOURMEETINGS.COM.

*DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PYM Live )

Power to the People

By TAHIRA ENDEAN, CMP

Put your audience at the center of your meeting and everyone will go home feeling valued. There are very simple ways planners can eradicate boredom, distractions and create more relevant, engaging events.

PYM_2014_audiencemeetings.indd 10-11 7/11/14 10:40 AM


Scan this page for more audience engagement tips.

Power to the People

By TAHIRA ENDEAN, CMP

Put your audience at the center of your meeting and everyone will go home feeling valued. There are very simple ways planners can eradicate boredom, distractions and create more relevant, engaging events.

PYM_2014_audiencemeetings.indd 10-11 7/11/14 10:40 AM


ByLets state the obvious. Meetings need

to be audience-centered, with active and engaged participants. In reality, this isnt always the focus when the planning begins. What we often work with first are the numbers broad demograph-ic information (rarely psychographic information), venue sourcing, budget parameters, audiovisual needs and a basic agenda or grid to fit things into. Too often this puts our focus on the process and not on the people.

But when your meeting is evaluated, its the audience that speaks, not the process. Human beings, when not exul-tant with a result, find it easy to criticize, so you must give them more reasons to praise and share their experience.

To do this, you must learn more about your audience:

Who did you imagine it would be? Who actually came?

How did they move through your event? Were there any problems?

Where did conversations happen in lounges, during breakouts, on the exhibit floor, at networking events, at the gala, at keynotes, in hallways?

What learning were they talking or tweeting about?

How can you improve their event experience?

Dont be afraid, too busy or too unsure about asking participants about what they loved and what theyd change about your event. And why. Sometimes the suggestions will bring you an a-ha moment, but understanding the moti-vation is also important.

Here are some common problems, with ideas, from our toolkit for sim-ply and easily improving the audience experience. Whats in your toolkit?

definition, an audience-centered meeting focuses on an attendees need and desire to learn and connect,

and the meeting is designed around them. That sounds deceptively simple, right? But as anyone

who attends meetings knows, its a rare treat to leave feeling that your needs have been met and to have a sense of euphoria created by the experiences you shared. You cant wait to implement new ideas in your life or business, and are already planning your return.

3 ways to kill boredom1. ENGAGE YOUR PRESENTERS FROM THE BEGINNINGExplain that you want your event to increase interaction and relevance for participants.

2. RETHINK YOUR FLOWKeep your meeting moving with components that add interest and demand interaction. Use hallways for a promotional or CSR activi-ty, a photo station, booths of inter-est, discussion graffiti walls that can be written upon. Consider having ambassadors available to encourage connections.

3. CHANGE THE SETUPTheater seating is a yawn. Classroom seating is great for taking notes, but it kills discussion and interaction. Open rounds and banquet rounds of 10 make conversation challenging. Consider pedestal tables, rounds of five, comfortable lounge groupings, open circles and just plain mixing it up. Use the power of surprise to get brains moving.

WHAT ARE ATTENDEES SAYING?Social media is a great listening tool, if you use it right. To easily monitor what people are saying about your event, create an event hashtag (i.e., #yaypym). Search Twitter for a short string of letters that makes sense for your event. If no one has it, its yours. Put that hashtag on everything from your invites to your websites and presenter slide templates. Then you can use Google searches, twubs.com, tweetdeck.com or your conference app to keep tabs on what people say. Post-show, use the hashtag to create a multimedia recap of the event on storify.com.

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SURVEY SAYSNeed tools to measure audience expectations and satisfaction? Here are a few options. wufoo.com surveymonkey.com constantcontact.com jotform.com

SHAKE UP YOUR SEATINGNeed ideas on how to get beyond theater-style setups? Pick up a copy of Seating Matters by Dr. Paul Raddke. Go to thrival.com to read more or purchase.

This is your guide to seating arrangements that should make your event more interactive and keep attendees actively engaged.

OPEN SPACE | Attendees sit in a circle, denoting that every voice is equal. People come together around topics they care about and choose. Four principles are key those who come are the right people, whatever happens is all that could have, when-ever it starts is the right time, and when its over, its over.

FISHBOWL | Four to five chairs form an inner circle, aka, the fish-bowl. The other chairs are arranged in concentric circles outside the fish-bowl. A few participants are chosen to fill the fishbowl. Everyone else sits in the circles. In an open fish-bowl, one chair is left empty and any attendee can sit there. In a closed fishbowl, all chairs are filled. In both cases a moderator introduces the topic and those in the fishbowl dis-cuss it. Those in the circle listen in.

SOLUTION ROOM | This 90- to 120-minute introductory confer-ence for 20 to 300 people engages and connects participants. It pro-vides just-in-time peer support and answers to their most pressing problem. Also used to describe a strictly scripted closing general ses-sion designed to leave participants engaged, enriched and motivated to put what they learned into action.

WORLD CAF | A flexible format that includes chairs (usually four) at decorated small round tables (like a caf). Three or more 20-minute ses-sions are held. Each begins with a specific question. At the end of each session, each member moves to a new table.

You want me to sit in a ... FISHBOWL?!Compiled by KATHY JANICH


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4 ways to make events more relevant1. USE A PRE-MEETING FOCUS GROUP. It can help you identify com-mon challenges so you can build a pro-gram of innovative ideas and solutions.

2. MAKE PRESENTERS BE SPECIFIC. Presenters topic descriptions must clear-ly outline what attendees will learn, what their takeaways will be and that whats promised is delivered. How? Have some-one on your team talk to each presenter a month before your event. Its your team members job to make sure the presenter understands your audience and that this person delivers what you want.

3. COACH SPEAKERS TO LISTEN.Speakers who listen during their sessions can gauge whether theyre delivering information that attendees can use. Make sure they leave time for face-to-face dis-cussion and feedback.

4. BUILD CONNECTIONS. Have ques-tions texted to the presenter. Have attend-ees answer poll questions. Hold smaller group discussions on specific items in the presentation. Share findings.

NO-CELL ZONESIf bandwidth or tech-driven distractions are a worry, create a no-tech zone, where people relinquish their phones, tablets, etc., in exchange for a more personal, unplugged experience.

TEST YOUR CONNECTIONSDid you know theres an online calculator you can use to see what kind of Internet speed your group will need? The APEX Bandwidth Calculator (Ez.com/bandwidth) errs on the side of too much bandwidth, but it will give you a baseline from which to start venue negotiations. Once youre on-site, you can test the speed in guest rooms and meeting space using the speedtest.net browser or app or TechSpec, an app that lets you rank venues by their connectivity and other tech-savvy amenities.



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5 ways to refocus attendees1. STOP THE SESSION AND ASK PEOPLE TO BE PRESENT. It sounds crazy, but your attendees have invested time and money to be at your meeting. Gently remind them that active participation will help lead to more useful takeaways. Ask them to tuck away their portable devices for 30 or 60 minutes.

2. EMBRACE THE DEVICE. Make sure you have adequate, accessible and financially feasible Wi-Fi. Then provide delightful learning and positive surprises via technology and links to relevant support materials. Your plugged-in audience will thank you.

3. CONSIDER A MOBILE APP OR GAMIFICATION. Think about how either, or both, could enhance the learning, retention or idea-sharing opportunities for your participants, before, during and after your event.

4. TWEETS AND MORE. Have your presenters share tweetable moments and encourage active focused use of mobile devices. Use SMS/text audience question or audience-response technology within presentations. Share a pictorial history of your sessions or trade show on Instagram.

5. WORD CLOUDS. Have people share the top words or phrases from a session via tweet or text and create a downloadable word cloud thats specific to their session.

GAMIFICATIONBefore you add a game to your event, decide how it will enhance learning. It needs to be related to the content or the [desired] behavior/process change, says Samuel J. Smith, managing director of Interactive Meeting Technology (interactivemeetingtechnology.com). The physics industry is the best at gamifying education, he says. They design the questions to get people to learn the thinking process, not to memorize formulas. Remember, he says, the easier your rules for participation, the more people will play the game.

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1. KEEP LEARNING ACTIVE. Work with presenters to create interaction within their sessions. Have participants share case studies or the results of smaller group discussions. Consider using movement.

2. CREATE COMFORTABLE SPACES FOR CONVERSATION. A central lounge can work really well for this, especially for large meetings that can feel intimidating or exhausting. Have members of your team concentrate on connecting people.

3. FOCUS ON THE POWER OF FIVE. Its been proven that any time you have five people together the dynamics of a conversation peak, and the ability to segue between topics and people in the group becomes dynamic.

4. CHANGE THE SEATING. Try formats such as open space, solution room, fishbowl or world caf, in which smaller groups allow both louder and quieter voices to be heard and facilitation brings more overall engagement.

5. CONSIDER A GRAPHIC STORYTELLER. This encourages people to consider their information and how it connects in new ways.

6. THINK LIKE A TV SHOW. Mix up the guests, keep it interesting and add a twist with a new perspective.

7. ADD AN AUDIO OR VIDEO BOOTH. Facilitators can use them to question participants often experts in their own right and create more content that can then be shared.

7 steps to more engaging meetings

GIVE PPT THE BOOTPowerPoint is so 2001. Encourage your speakers to use an online presentation system like prezi.com, which lets them zoom in and out and skip around, or sliderocket.com/product, which lets them create seamless multimedia presentations. If PowerPoint is a must, suggest the HaikuDeck app (haikudeck.com). It gives presenters bold, image-driven templates that make them think visually, not in bullet points. If you want a TED-type format, give them Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. Its a must-read for TED presenters.



8 ways to rev up a crowd1. STRETCH! We have all seen morning yoga, pilates or Zumba get people going each day, but often attendance is light. Why not offer no-sweat exercise breaks that can be done throughout the day?

2. HYDRATE. Offer water-based options throughout the meeting from water stations with plain and flavored water. Low-sugar drinks such as iced or hot tea are other options.

3. CHANGE THE FOOD. Avoid white flour- and white sugar-based products. That means no pastries at breakfast, no pasta at lunch and an emphasis on fresh, flavorful, nutrient-rich options that inspire discussion (wow, carrots!) but wont weigh guests down.

4. CAFFEINE, ETC. Opt for coffee and/or tea. Sodas and other sugary drinks provide no nutritional benefit. They may be requested, but theyre not going to improve attendees ability to learn or engage. Consider a smoothie break and save the alcohol for the end of the day.

5. CONSIDER WALKING BREAKOUTS. Give guests a topic and have them walk and talk and return to report back. If the weather cooperates, add fresh air to the mix; if not, send participants on an exploration indoors. Getting the blood moving improves energy. Be alert, though, to attendees with special needs or physical limitations. You dont want them feeling left out.

6. USE NATURAL SCENTS. Citrus or rosemary, used alone and in their natural state, add a subtle energy to any room and are proven to help memory retention and alertness. Avoid fake scents or fresheners that can trigger allergies. Concerned about refreshing an entire space with freshly cut lemons? Use a scent station, instead. Participants open a jar and see what the scent evokes. Its a restful, playful way to take a short break.

7. SHHHHHH. Offer quiet spaces for reflection and moments to not talk during a meeting a few chairs, a few plants, a tabletop fountain, a view. It wont take long to recharge.

8. ZZZZZZZ. Consider jet lag based on origin cities, whether the industry or organization in attendance is typically a late-night or early-morning starter, and the expectations of hospitality versus business at your event. What if you scheduled conference siesta time instead of a group lunch?

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ON-DEMAND FITNESS BREAKSExercise Bytes are sweat-free, five to seven-minute video fitness breaks that get attendees moving. Organizers have several versions to choose from that target different muscle groups and objectives (e.g., stretch, posture, etc.). Each video comes with an optional animation and spoken intro, and features regular people in business attire doing the exercises from standing or seated positions (for those with mobility issues). Learn more: x-bytes.com.


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With locations all across the U.S., youre never far from mouthwatering food, delicious drinks and great games.

book your event today!

visit: daveandbusters.com/special events

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RISKY BUSINESS

FIVE KEY STEPS FOR CRAFTING A RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN.

1. Develop a crisis plan that reflects the unique situations your company or associate can expect to face.

When I speak on this topic, a lot of people ask me if I have a sample plan I can share with them. I usually say no, Hilliard says, because such a plan depends on your organization, the kind of meetings you have, where you meet, who your attendees are and what you discuss.

If your president regularly attends your meetings, youve got a whole different set of issues from someone whos doing a one-day meeting in St Louis.

Keep the plan manageable so that its easy for your team to use, and update it regularly.

2. Take your plan off the shelf pre-event, and train all team members in every aspect of it.

After 9/11, everybody created elaborate terrorist plans in huge binders that sat on shelves for 10 years. Nobody looked at them, Hilliard says.

Your likelihood of needing that information is pretty low, unless you meet in unsafe areas, she says. Instead, train your people in fire and evacuation drills. Try some tabletop exercises where you walk everyone through a simulated disaster.

I would like to see every meeting planner certified in CPR, AED [automated external defibrillators] and first aid. People are reluctant to do that because they are worried about liability issues. But here I have to take off my lawyer hat and say its better to try to save a life

How to keep your events safe in times of terrorism, strikes and more. By JANET ROBERTS

R isk and crisis management have always been key aspects of meeting planning, but todays world brings challenges that planners couldnt have anticipated a decade ago.In the United States, one nonprofit association filed for bankruptcy after getting hit with a $600,000 cancellation bill. The association had to scrap its annual convention because federal budget cuts under the Sequester eliminated travel for most of its potential attendees.

On the positive side, changes in international banking can make it easier to avoid monetary problems when planning meetings in other countries, says Mathias Posch, president and partner of International Conference Services.

Those risks include unusual fluctuations in currency rates and discovering when it comes time to pay bills that your local vendors want to be paid in euros, francs or zlotys instead of dollars.

Meeting planners often get overwhelmed, says Tyra Hilliard, CMP, an attorney and associate professor in the Restaurant, Hotel and Meetings Management program at the University of Alabama. They say they know risk management is important, but they dont have the money or the time to do it, or they dont know what theyre supposed to do.

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RISKY BUSINESS

FIVE KEY STEPS FOR CRAFTING A RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN.

1. Develop a crisis plan that reflects the unique situations your company or associate can expect to face.

When I speak on this topic, a lot of people ask me if I have a sample plan I can share with them. I usually say no, Hilliard says, because such a plan depends on your organization, the kind of meetings you have, where you meet, who your attendees are and what you discuss.

If your president regularly attends your meetings, youve got a whole different set of issues from someone whos doing a one-day meeting in St Louis.

Keep the plan manageable so that its easy for your team to use, and update it regularly.

2. Take your plan off the shelf pre-event, and train all team members in every aspect of it.

After 9/11, everybody created elaborate terrorist plans in huge binders that sat on shelves for 10 years. Nobody looked at them, Hilliard says.

Your likelihood of needing that information is pretty low, unless you meet in unsafe areas, she says. Instead, train your people in fire and evacuation drills. Try some tabletop exercises where you walk everyone through a simulated disaster.

I would like to see every meeting planner certified in CPR, AED [automated external defibrillators] and first aid. People are reluctant to do that because they are worried about liability issues. But here I have to take off my lawyer hat and say its better to try to save a life

How to keep your events safe in times of terrorism, strikes and more. By JANET ROBERTS

R isk and crisis management have always been key aspects of meeting planning, but todays world brings challenges that planners couldnt have anticipated a decade ago.In the United States, one nonprofit association filed for bankruptcy after getting hit with a $600,000 cancellation bill. The association had to scrap its annual convention because federal budget cuts under the Sequester eliminated travel for most of its potential attendees.

On the positive side, changes in international banking can make it easier to avoid monetary problems when planning meetings in other countries, says Mathias Posch, president and partner of International Conference Services.

Those risks include unusual fluctuations in currency rates and discovering when it comes time to pay bills that your local vendors want to be paid in euros, francs or zlotys instead of dollars.

Meeting planners often get overwhelmed, says Tyra Hilliard, CMP, an attorney and associate professor in the Restaurant, Hotel and Meetings Management program at the University of Alabama. They say they know risk management is important, but they dont have the money or the time to do it, or they dont know what theyre supposed to do.

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than not to because youre afraid of being sued. Some hotel lawyers would disagree, but to me, its a personal and moral obligation.

3. Research your meeting destination for potential risks to attendees.

If your destination is a politically unstable area, especial-ly internationally, contact local authorities, your meeting

venue and any other destina-tion planners who can tell you how to stay safe. Unrest, vio-lence and bombings are one concern, but you must also assess health and safety risks.

Yes, youre staying at a beautiful resort, but how far is it from a major hospital? Is the facility up to standards under the Americans With Disabilities Act, or is it a his-torical property that could be grandfathered in? she asks.

Having local legal advisers also is a plus. Yes, you have a

team of lawyers in the United States, but they might not be up on Jordanian law if thats where your company executives are meeting, Hilliard says.

4. Know what your convention contracts cover and where you stand on insurance.

Your two best mitigation tools are contracts and insurance, Hilliard says. They wont save a life, but they will often save a lot of financial heartache. Things that we think of as routine risks, such as attrition or cancel-lation, can financially cripple an organization if they arent handled in the convention contract.

The contract should spell out whos responsible for injuries or property damage at the venue as well as force majeure issues that would allow you to cancel your con-tract for things beyond your control weather, bomb-ings and employee strikes, but you need to consider your groups unique needs here, too.

If, for example, your conference includes a large num-ber of National Guard members, youd want to include a clause allowing you to cancel the event without penalty should their units get called into active service.

Planners also need to get up to speed on insur-ance coverage, especially on what kinds and amounts of insurance coverage they already have and wheth-er they meet requirements in convention contracts, Hilliard says.

Do you have commercial general liability covering? Whom does it cover? Does it cover you when youre off premises or only at an on-site meeting? Does it cover volunteers as well as employees?

Hilliard says people who attend her lectures or work-shops often ask about getting event-cancellation insur-ance, which can be expensive. Whats your financial loss if the worst-case scenario happens? Can you afford to lose that money? If not, then you need it.

5. Use technology such as computer or smartphone applications to moni-tor risks that could impact your event, such as weather, crime, strikes or airline disruptions.

Technology really is your friend here, Hilliard says. There are so many great apps out there that can moni-tor information and pull it into a single feed so you dont have to keep checking.

I also like the ICE (In Case of Emergency) apps that have contact and medical information on them. Some allow you to scan in your insurances cards. If people dont know who you are, but they have your phone, they can find your information and get help.

A lot of people have crisis plans, but they arent mon-itoring risks on an ongoing basis, or theyre only mon-itoring certain risks like terrorist activity. Maybe not in Dubuque, but theres probably something else they need to watch for.

AVOID MONEY RISKS OVERSEAS

Protecting your events finances is another major issue, whether youre meeting in another country or bringing in a lot of international attendees to an event in your home country.

Posch, whose Vancouver, B.C.-based company plans such international events as the biennial World Conference on Lung Cancer, has three tips for planners whose events cross international boundaries:

1. Mix up your currencies. Know what costs will be in which currency and what the income will be in each currency, so that you limit the numbers of monetary transfers back and forth, Posch says. If you have to exchange currency, try to lock in your exchange rate.

You might not get the best exchange rate, he says, but youll protect yourself against unforeseen inflation or frequent swings in currency value.

By failing to prepare,

you are preparing

to fail. - Benjamin Franklin

PEER-TO-PEER TIPSShortly after the Boston

Marathon bombing, a group of eventprofs

gathered online to discuss what meeting and event

planners should do to protect their groups and minimize risk. Watch the hourlong discussion here:

ez.com/crisisvideo.



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Posch recommends that planners prepare a cash-flow forecast, which projects potential income and costs in the local currency, the income and costs you expect in your own currency, and your potential profit. Use that forecast to decide which costs to charge in which currencies.

You can charge a registration rate in the local cur-rency, for example, but collect sponsorships in your native currency, he says. His company uses mixed cur-rency in its planning.

2. Get an in-country credit card and open a local bank account.

American planners who use only U.S.-based cred-it-card merchants might not be able to charge in cur-rencies other than the U.S. dollar, Posch says. His firm has a European credit account so it can charge in euros, and an Australian card merchant to charge in Australian dollars. You should think about doing the same.

You also should open a local bank account or use a meeting service that can open a trust account for you. Use this money to pay local vendors and meet other cash needs. This reduces your need to move money in

and out of the country and your exposure to fluctuating currency rates.

If possible, open a bank account in your hometown thats linked to a bank in your destination country. This is easier today that it was a few years ago, Posch says, because many banks have partner institutions in other countries and can help you open an account.

U.K.-based HSBC, for example, has banking offices around the world. Bank of Austria has branches in sev-eral countries in Eastern Europe, while Scotia Bank has branches in Latin America.

3. Investigate your local vendors and supplies to make sure theyll be in business when you set up your event.

I have been through hundreds of negotiations with clients who want to hire my company, and I have found that people will negotiate down to the last dime, but only one client ever asked me for a credit check, he says.

Pricing should not be the No. 1 priority anymore. It should be the stability of the company, whether you are in your home country or planning internationally.

What exactly comprises an event crisis plan? Plan Your Meetings asked experienced meeting planners how to best prepare for worst-case scenarios. Here are their top suggestions.

1. Create a binder (paper and/or digital) that contains emergency guidelines and checklists for situations you might encounter during the event. Share it with people who will act as your backup on-site. Make sure your team has a safe word with which to alert security about a potentially violent person or sensitive situation.

2. On the registration form, ask each traveler for an emergency contact name and number and if they have any medical conditions. Include in the binder.

3. On the registration form, ask attendees about food allergies/restrictions. Share that information with every chef and banquet captain. Determine a distribution and communication strategy for each meal function getting special meals to attendees.

4. During site inspections, note where hospitals and urgent-care facilities are located. Place directions and phone numbers in the event binder along with instruc-tions on how to handle attendees who get sick.

5. At site inspections, be mindful of physical limitations/disabilities your attendees have. If you see anything that might affect their mobility, comfort or access, bring it up to your venue contact so it can be addressed. Be on the lookout for potential hazards like stairs and slick surfac-es. If you dont have the luxury of doing a site inspection, arrive a day early to do due diligence.

6. As you contract with vendors, transportation provid-ers and venues, collect proof of insurance (if available) and emergency contact information to keep in your binder alongside any existing emergency plans and pro-cedures they have.

7. Make sure attendees, vendors, transportation provid-ers and venues know who your events emergency con-tact person is, what constitutes an emergency and what they should do if one arises.

8. Get a first-aid kit, or restock an existing kit, with pre-packaged aspirin, bandages, alcohol wipes, cough lozenges and other supplies you can bring to the event. Dont administer medicine yourself (that creates a liabil-ity), but make the kit available to attendees should they need to treat themselves for minor complaints.

9. Talk with the company or clients HR department to identify the corporate after-hours emergency contact person. Youll need this in your binder if an attendee becomes medically fragile and their emergency contact person is unreachable.

10. Meet with the company or clients executive team to chart a crisis communication plan for internal and external messages that might need to be conveyed to attendees, attendees families and/or the media. Keep that in the binder along with any standard operating procedures and guidelines they already have and the numbers of key people who need to review or approve any communications.

11. Work with the client or companys legal or procure-ment team to secure any insurance policies you need to protect your group from liability. Keep proof of insur-ance, instructions and contact numbers in your binder to share with venues/vendors that require it.

12. Distribute a know-before-you-go sheet to all attendees that includes common-sense cautions about the meeting locale as well as basic emergency contact info and instructions.

13. Know what youll do if something happens if your on-site backup gets sick or injured.

13 STEPS TO SAFER MEETINGSCompiled by KRISTI CASEY SANDERS



I handled special events and meetings for the federal government for more than 30 years and taught Doing Business With the Federal Government for 16 years.Up until 2012, when the media broke the story about

Muffingate and then followed with the scandal of the GSA Western Regional Conference, I had always touted the value of government business because:

It represents a solid piece of business. Its relatively recession proof. It bailed out the hospitality industry after 9/11. Its still traveling, often providing protective ser-

vices to the country, while the private sector is canceling meetings and cutting back on travel.

The future of government meetings remains uncer-tain. Government agencies are frozen, afraid to make decisions that will land their events on the front page of The Washington Post.

Federal agencies planning to attend meetings and events must follow specific rules and regulations found in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The FAR allows for cancellation for the convenience of the gov-ernment, so even before 2013s government shutdown and sequestration, the risk that the govern-ment would cancel was there.

Any government contract must protect the agency with an inclusive force majeure (act of God) clause. The clause will alert the other party when, under certain cir-cumstances, the gov-ernment will not fulfill the contract. Make sure your contracts cover the following issues:

AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS | A federal government office must demonstrate that it has money in the

budget to fund an event via an official document of proof. Still, an agency might decide not to spend money allocated and cancel based on unforeseen circumstances.

For example, if Congress has not passed a budget, agencies are only funded for a set period of time and at the previous budget level. New initiatives must wait. Its always wise to include a clause stating subject to avail-ability of funds in (your current fiscal year).

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | No one expect-ed the government to shut down. But on Oct. 1, 2013, it happened and all non-essential activities were shut down for 10 days. As a result, all contracting documents must now include a clause indicating what will happen to programs if the government shuts down again.

GOVERNMENT SEQUESTRATION | In recent times, government agencies have been forced to cut bud-gets by up to 20 percent. If there is money budgeted to fund meetings, the perception of a government agen-cy hosting off-site meetings while employees are fur-loughed is unconscionable.

THREAT OF TERRORISM | In the aftermath of a terrorist attack, things

may shut down, but vendors will still want to be paid.

The government must provide for financial

contingencies to protect itself. Suing the government for breach of con-tract is a lengthy and expensive process. Note to those doing business with the govern-

ment: To be fore-warned is to be

forearmed. To stick ones head in the sand

is foolhardy.

W hether its due to natural causes, neg-ligence or foul play, an on-site death stops your event in its tracks. These tips should help meeting planners handle this particular crisis.

1. If someone doesnt show up for the days activities, dont go to their hotel room alone. Either bring a front-desk worker or the manager on duty to see why the person is missing.

2. If the guest is dead, the manager on duty should be trained on the protocol to follow and whom to call. They also will create a security report. Ask for a copy of this report. If they cant give you a copy, ask if you can take a pic-ture of it with your phone.

3. Dont ever stay in the room alone with a dead or incapacitated person. If the person you arrived with has to leave, go with them. You have to protect yourself. You never know what people might claim after the fact.

4. Never touch anything in a room where someone has passed. If there has been foul play, you dont want to contaminate a crime scene.

5. If a situation is accident-related, take pictures to document what happened. Eyewitness reports may vary wildly from person to person.

6. Follow the communication plan specified by your executive, legal and/or HR team. Dont speak to the media if there is a corporate communica-tions point person. If there isnt, work with the executive and legal team to craft a positioning statement and determine what you can and can-not say.

7. If there was foul play, authorities might inter-view you as a witness. Dont sign anything with-out getting instructions from your legal team.

8. People will want to gossip and ply you with questions, but dont share anything that hasnt been cleared by your executive and/or legal team. If you need to, ask other attendees to refuse press inquiries and resist talking about the situation to others.

9. Remember: Death evokes strong feelings. You may encounter sights and smells for which youre unprepared. Its natural for you to become emotional.

WORKING WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE DIES AT YOUR EVENT?

By GARLAND PREDDY

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COMMUNICATIONSTRATEGIES

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For ideas on how to shake up your pre-show marketing strategy,

scan this page with your PYM+ app to find three more stories we think will help you shake up your game.

CREATE A 365-DAY COMMUNITYThe traditional model of event marketing is broken. Go to ez.com/14tips to learn how to generate buzz before, during and after events in a way that creates a true conference community.

Market Your Event the Right Way

Follow these steps, and success should result.

1. Use multiple channels, including email, website links, postcard and traditional media, online advertising and phone calls. The channel depends on the audience and where it most frequently goes for information. Pre-event marketing is a way to engender enthusiasm when its mostly likely to take hold before the event.

2. Use at least three touches save-the-date, key messaging and dont-miss-out (registration closing). Note: The longer the lead time and the higher the event profile, the greater the volume and frequency should be, with communications reaching attendees every one to two weeks.

3. Focus on whats in it for me from an audience perspective, proclaiming promised payoffs, such as better sales, more efficiency and ideas. This only works if you appeal to what the audience cares about not what you believe they care about.

4. Make marketing topical and varied, and provide a singular call-to-action in every touch. The most common mistake event marketers make is trying to cover too many ideas in one piece. In so doing, they dilute all the ideas, so none of them stand out effectively.

5. Build a marketing calendar with general topics, media channels you will use, and send dates built around other event deadlines such as room cutoffs. This will help drive content decisions as a result in many cases.

When it comes to meetings and events creating the live-event experience is becoming an ever-shrinking piece of the complete solution. What vies with meetings for time, attention and budget dollars is actually pre- and post-event participant engagement. These communications are growing in importance for several reasons:

1. Meetings are becoming just one channel of integrated annual marketing communications, and must align with other communication messages and work effectively in the same media channels.

2. Most meetings are intended to create changed behaviors in attendees, and this change happens best when it is generated over time, with mutual agreement and buy-in.

3. The rise of social, virtual and smartphone technologies create a tremendous opportunity to establish community around a cause, as long as the cause has value to the participants.

Marketing Under PressureTypically, conference content is among the last items finalized, with very little window for advance communication to participants. Adding to that challenge, event lead times continue to be pushed to the breaking point. Marketing, as a result, is understandably and very wrongly limited in frequency, delivery channels and editorial content.

Every event, whether mandatory or discretionary, big or small, has a purpose. Stakeholders must deliver the right information and experience to fulfill this purpose, but attendees must show up primed and ready to embrace their role as well. This means that pre-event marketing often must be developed in advance of fully fleshed out agendas. This is not impossible as it might seem.

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On-site Messaging that Breaks ThroughEvery touch-point, from registration site to PowerPoint, from name tags to video is marketing. That means that every image, word and placement creates the total impression. It also means that the more interactive and immersive the on-site experience is for attendees, the greater the likelihood they will remember the important ideas and make them their own.

Some relatively low-cost ways to do this involve leveraging materials already in heavy use on-site. Take PowerPoint, for example. Adding a walk-in loop to the General Session with did you know facts and imagery that are applicable to the theme and/or the key content can entertain and inform during whats typically dead time. Add a music track and a countdown clock, even a pre-recorded, high-energy voice-over, and you have an attention-grabbing experience for very little investment. Other relatively low-cost engagement tactics include:

1. Floor decals as directional signage that allow for sponsorship messaging; cutouts to support your theme; featured speaker photos; celebrating award winners.

2. In-house TV in hotels and convention centers often will let you provide a PPT file or video spot that can run more than an event agenda.

3. Many name tags (see below) are large enough to hold more than attendee names and roles. By adding imagery, quotes or color-coding, name tags can help attendees easily find their best networking peers, start a conversation or find their right track.

COUNTDOWN CLOCK#PCMACL began its 2014 annual conference with a DJ and a countdown clock. Go to ez.com/7bigideas to read about some other interesting experiments that succeeded (and a few that backfired).

The End is just the BeginningEvents are not isolated moments in time. When attendees return to their jobs, the impact of an event really becomes clear. In order to support new behaviors in attendees, even if its only their commitment to attend the next event and refer others, an ongoing marketing campaign must be implemented.

Post-event marketing ranges from feel-good, immediate and relatively easy-to-execute options (exit surveys, photo websites), to long-term, time-intensive options (online support/accountability communities through LinkedIn, Yahoo, Facebook or intranet sites).

Generally, the longer-term and more intensive the post-event marketing is, the stronger the bond and loyalty participants have for the event. However, few organizations have the motivation or resources to consistently invest in populating post-event marketing with real value and content. Still, post-event marketing can have impact. Try these ideas:

1. Weave the theme into post-event communications as long as it has real meaning and a call to action, not just a label slapped on for effect.

2. Share presentations and provide ongoing webinars between events on similar content.

3. Ensure you solicit testimonials of success from both participants and sponsors even if the event is mandatory since it generates tremendous goodwill.

4. Tell attendees how youre implementing any suggestions from their exit surveys. This makes them feel involved in the process and, thus, have buy-in.

5. Recruit content and speakers from your attendee base, especially if best practices are considered.

6. Leverage friendly competition for awards or sales goals between events. Showcase the last winners on an ongoing event website.

Marketing before, during and after an event is about building an event brand and generating loyalty to that event brand among everyone you want to engage. Successful event marketing creates and demonstrates the value of engagement, and the most successful event marketing does that for the entire life cycle of the event.

NEED SOCIAL MEDIA POINTERS? Join Barbara Rozgonyi for a social media safari in this hour-long session: Ez.com/socialsafari

PYM ALLSTARSDid you know that PYM has a national network of passionate meeting planners who help us define and design everything from our editorial content to our PYM LIVE events? Theyre the PYM AllStars, and you can be one too. Just tweet @PYMLive and let us know what youre passionate about. #yaypym!

OLE Engagement beacons (above) allow customization of events; simply program a beacon and set its range. Attendees who download the free OLEEngagement app (for iOS and Android) will have that content automatically play on their tablet or smartphone when theyre within range. Post-show, consider

uploading speaker slides to slideshare.net (above) and creating social media recaps with storify.com (left).

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On-site Messaging that Breaks ThroughEvery touch-point, from registration site to PowerPoint, from name tags to video is marketing. That means that every image, word and placement creates the total impression. It also means that the more interactive and immersive the on-site experience is for attendees, the greater the likelihood they will remember the important ideas and make them their own.

Some relatively low-cost ways to do this involve leveraging materials already in heavy use on-site. Take PowerPoint, for example. Adding a walk-in loop to the General Session with did you know facts and imagery that are applicable to the theme and/or the key content can entertain and inform during whats typically dead time. Add a music track and a countdown clock, even a pre-recorded, high-energy voice-over, and you have an attention-grabbing experience for very little investment. Other relatively low-cost engagement tactics include:

1. Floor decals as directional signage that allow for sponsorship messaging; cutouts to support your theme; featured speaker photos; celebrating award winners.

2. In-house TV in hotels and convention centers often will let you provide a PPT file or video spot that can run more than an event agenda.

3. Many name tags (see below) are large enough to hold more than attendee names and roles. By adding imagery, quotes or color-coding, name tags can help attendees easily find their best networking peers, start a conversation or find their right track.

COUNTDOWN CLOCK#PCMACL began its 2014 annual conference with a DJ and a countdown clock. Go to ez.com/7bigideas to read about some other interesting experiments that succeeded (and a few that backfired).

The End is just the BeginningEvents are not isolated moments in time. When attendees return to their jobs, the impact of an event really becomes clear. In order to support new behaviors in attendees, even if its only their commitment to attend the next event

pym 2014-15 digital interactive edition

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meeting size

meeting stays

better meetings

meetings spp

event organizer