Welcome to Morsels and Nuggets, our blog about the juicy bits of industry information we come across in our daily lives, peppered with our own perspectives. Think of us as your gold panners as we scour the world, online and on foot, to bring you our highlights from countless hours of reading, research, networking, conferences, webcasts, seminars, webinars and as many other "nars" and educational opportunities that exist out there.
Please don't make us use the horse to water analogy. We've done the work for you, so read it. Enjoy!
If you are like me, walking into a large tradeshow or convention can be a daunting task. At times it is hard to find the exact exhibitor or company you are looking for. So, what if there was a site to match buyers and sellers prior to the show, and allow them to stay in contact throughout the year? Read more »
When it comes to social media, many professionals (us included) find themselves asking “Is anyone really reading this?” In addition to personal blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, there are a ton of ways to connect with your technically savvy audience… that is if you can get them to read it. After participating in a webinar hosted by Event Marketer, I learned a few tips that every business person should know.
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Although the economy isn’t the best, popular trends and ideas are still blooming. In 2009, Event Marketer recorded 67 trends. Of these 67 trends, there are close to 20 that they claim will drive the industry in 2010. And good news – budgets are up in 2010 ranging from 5% to 15% and there’s an increase in renewal of programs that took place in 2008.
It’s no surprise the hottest thing right now is social media technology. Companies are starting to create apps for both the iPhone and Blackberry that are a direct connection to their website or any other point of interest. Some other trends in 2010 are Strategic Brand Ambassadors, Hybrid and Digital Events, Influencer Upgrades and Transactional Elements, such as retail. Tactical Social Media is also becoming more and more popular. Since technology is playing a big role in 2010, companies are starting to create more video games as a way to attract others. For example, the Army has created a video game that is used as a recruitment tool. Anyone can play, and it’s while they are playing when recruiters begin to tell them how good they are in certain areas and how they would do great in the Army. Read more »
Here’s my take on Event Marketer Magazine’s webinar titled, “Mastering the Emerging Hybrid Event Model: Profitably Blending Digital and Physical Experiences.” Representatives from IBM, GPJ and Cisco discussed, “What are hybrid events?” Are the effective? Are they “green”? The answer is yes – they have all of these attributes and more. In brief, hybrid events are a holistic approach to designing events and event marketing, web-based communications, and mobility solutions. The digital space — both Web and mobile — has amplified the reach, scale, effectiveness and measurability of the traditional event marketing model. Couple that with the current state of the ecomony and the desire to green the world, and it’s no surprise the hybrid approach is becoming increasingly more popular. Hence, the virtual event. Read more »
STOP!! Take a minute and think about all the times you had to present some sort of information. How did you do it? Was it via a video conference or a PowerPoint? Was it successful? Entertaining? Did you enjoy it? OF COURSE NOT! Very few people actually enjoy this necessary evil. That’s why I’m happy to share with you a new presentation tool called Prezi. Yes, that’s right I said Prezi. This new media is similar to that of Microsoft PowerPoint, the purpose being to present information through a slideshow of facts, statistics, opinions, pictures, and any other information you wish to share. Prezi is the new and improved PowerPoint, the cooler, younger sibling if you will.
Visit www.prezi.com/learn to get started. I would suggest viewing the 3 minute demonstration that is provided under Prezi Academy, Lesson 1. I viewed the demonstration and after just 3 minutes I was able to start my own presentation. All you’ll have to do is double click and start typing. Read more »
Last week I attended events hosted by three of the main industry acronyms, Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), American Marketing Association (AMA) and Meeting Planners International (MPI). I met terrific colleagues, picked up some great information and acquired two new books to read, “Marketing to Women,” by Marti Barletta and “To Do, Doing, Done!” by G. Lynne Snead & Joyce Wycoff. My book report list is expanding and perhaps one of these days I’ll return to reading for pleasure, aka the hilarious memoirs of Miss Chelsea Handler, but for now I’m enjoying devouring all of this delicious educational content.
The PCMA program featured a keynote presentation titled Live Out of Character and Thrive!, presented by Juan Ortiz, V.P., Business Development, BluePay Processing LLC. He poked fun at our different personality traits and ended up delivering a rather inspirational talk. Witty and energetic, I would recommend Juan for speaking engagements, particularly ones involving students or a younger demographic. A self-proclaimed big kid, he would capture the attention of such an audience. Afterwards we held our first Chapter Relations Committee meeting of the year, our mission being to bring education to our members in outlying states and chapters. I’ll be sure to post all of the Midwest Chapter events we help organize. And yes, for those of you who can’t attend, I’ll keep you in the loop and report back. Read more »
Yesterday I attended the CRAVE Business Chat at Chicago’s Ruby Room on Division. The topic was “The Challenge of Authenticity™: Personal Branding for Entrepreneurs, Consultants & Small Business Owners.” Many of our clients are small business owners, so I like to keep up on the challenges and concerns of this demographic. Plus, I’m a big fan of what CRAVE Chicago is doing and who couldn’t use a refresher on personal branding?
You can’t be everything to everyone. Those are six very powerful words. Say them with me ladies, you can’t be everything to everyone. This phrase is also applicable to our male counterparts, however I was in a room with all women during this seminar so I can’t help but feel a kinship with my sisters. Kumbaya. The truth of the matter is, women struggle with this issue more so than males, and the experts attribute this to our programming. But that’s not the road I’m going down. I want to share what I took away from this seminar so that you can apply these strategies in your life and in your business, even if the differentiation between the two is barely observable to the eye. Read more »
This thought-provoking article written by Albert Z. Carr was published in Harvard Business Review and was a topic of conversation at the Executive Breakfast Club’s January seminar. As strong proponents of both business and ethics, Plan Ahead Events is a huge supporter of this organization.
The article, “Is Business Bluffing Ethical?”, compared strategic business decisions with that of a strategic poker player operating within the rules of the poker game. The author makes the argument that though bluffing and deceit are not desirable qualities in an individual, such traits are typically acceptable, even respected, in a great poker player. There is simply a different set of rules which poker players operate within and these rules are separate from each poker players individual set of morals. Though teaming up with another player at a table to cheat the rest of the “honest” players out of potential winnings would be theft – and deliberately distracting others at the table may be dishonest – the art of bluffing is admirable to those in the poker world. Read more »
For those of you who couldn’t attend the PCMA Convening Leaders meeting in Dallas and missed the live webcasts, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. We took diligent notes and are sharing our take-aways with you. Below is a compilation of the morsels and nuggets that are not to be overlooked.
Don’t let the title fool you – this conversation was between CEO’s, not for CEO’s, and is perfectly relevant for those of us with big dreams that are still moving up the ladder. The two guest speakers were Gerald Arpey, CEO of American Airlines, and Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines. Props to Southwest! If avoiding the monster known as O’Hare Airport wasn’t enough, they offer free 100-calorie packs AND peanuts, no luggage fees, cocktail coupon books, VIP … I mean open … seating for all, and flight attendants donned in shorts and polos. What’s not to love! Back to the task at hand … due to the economy, business travel is at a decline. Airline companies are trying to keep their fares low but are finding it difficult to stay out of the red. Travel is essential for business activity, and with the decline in travel more and more businesses are starting to turn towards technological availabilities, such as webinars and video conferencing. Arpey believes that technology is an enabler of more travel. Although there are no statistics to back this up, he believes that by the use of technology, more people will want to travel to certain places for vacations, meetings and conventions.
