Event Networking Ideas That Work
Would it surprise you to learn that 84% of attendees come to events for networking? Why? Because even the smallest meeting is the best place to find new leads, clients and prospects. Yet, the thought of approaching random strangers can be nerve-wracking, especially for work-from-home or introverted employees. However, there is good news. This blog...
Eight Event Statistics You Can Use to Help With Your Planning Efforts
Let’s face it: Meeting planning is hard work. Add to that, delivering a “wow” experience to attendees while remaining within budget can make your job even more challenging. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew what attendees wanted ahead of time and moved toward those trends? The good news is, Bizzabo, Statista and Endless Events...
The Pros and Cons of Hiring a Virtual Event Planner
A virtual meeting planner may seem like the perfect solution for your budget-conscious event. However, is it really? How can you know a person who is 200 or 2,000 miles away? Will this be a cost savings or a time-burning headache? These are the questions I’ll attempt to answer today. As with every aspect of...
The Best Mobile Apps for Audience Engagement
Look out over any audience—movie theater, classroom or keynote session—and you will see the ghostly glow of a mobile phone screen reflected on someone’s face. While sometimes distracting or disruptive, smartphones present a tremendous opportunity to harness and engage an audience in real time. There is no doubt that mobile devices are here to stay...
The Best Mobile Apps for Audience Engagement
Look out over any audience—movie theater, classroom or keynote session—and you will see the ghostly glow of a mobile phone screen reflected on someone’s face. While sometimes distracting or disruptive, smartphones present a tremendous opportunity to harness and engage an audience in real time. There is no doubt that mobile devices are here to stay...
Magnetic Membership: Create a Stronger Draw for Your Association
Every now and again you read something that says it better than you ever could. So when that’s the case, I tend to just go with it. Sheri Jacobs of Associations Now lends us some particularly useful information to building a thriving and evolving association within her blog post: Magnetic Membership: Create a Stronger Draw...
Crunch Time: How Big Data Makes Meetings Smarter
You can’t open any techie-news section or blog (including ours) anymore and not fine the term “Big Data” represented somewhere. I read this funny quote about big data, “Big data is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, and everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone...
Shun the Snoozes! Making the Most of Your Speaking Engagement
You’ve been asked to give a big speech or presentation. Congratulations! People want to hear what you have to say. But what’s the most effective way to make sure they listen? Even rock-star speakers can lose an audience without effective preparation. And the tools at a speaker’s fingertips have multiplied rapidly in recent years, with...
Integrating Corporate Social Responsibility Practices at Events
We all enjoy the feeling of satisfaction that comes from helping others. The knowledge of having made a difference can be that much more rewarding when a group works together to give back. More and more, companies are finding ways to tap their employees’ altruistic impulse. Corporate social responsibility has moved from a burgeoning trend...
There’s an app for that: utilizing mobile apps to engage your audience
If you’re planning a major conference, you’ve likely got a few key goals: get people there, get them engaged and make money for your organization. Of these, successful audience engagement likely will have the biggest impact on future years. Providing interesting and unique experiences for attendees, getting their feedback and ensuring they have a seamless...
Hunting Down the Perfect Venue Space
Have you ever been to a party that was so jammed with people you kept getting jostled? Or at a reception that could have been amazing, if only it hadn’t been held in a long, narrow room, or one twice the size the event needed? Venue choice matters. The right space can allow an event...
The Good Samaritan Syndrome: Associations and Volunteers
Volunteers are integral to an association’s success. After all, many associations don’t even have a full-time staff person, let alone the paid people power to execute major events. But it seems to be, we’re in the middle of a volunteer recession, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact,...