There remains a litany of conferences for meeting and event professionals to receive education and valuable networking throughout the duration of 2017. Following are highlights, including events with hosted buyer programs (*), which can reduce or limit the cost of a planners’ attendance.
This list does not contain every single conference for event planners, but we feel that these are the main ones you should have on your radar. If you feel we are missing an exceptional conference, let us know about it and what makes it so great in the comments below!
June 5-7, Santiago, Chile This gathering with exhibitors primarily representing Latin American destinations and services also included dozens of education sessions. Scheduled speakers include Nina Freysen-Pretorium, president of ICCA, and Rajeev Kohli, president of SITE.
June 8-11, Marbella, Spain In a results-oriented business setting, this event is designed to bring together top international agencies, corporate and incentive organizers to meet with international suppliers for a series of one-on-one meetings.
June 11-14, New York City, New York Brought to you by the Professional Convention Management Association, scheduled speakers for this event include bestselling author Luke Williams and Loews Hotels Chairman Jonathan M. Tisch. Watch the 2016 conference wrap-up video for an idea as to what this year’s event will be like.
June 12-16, Las Vegas, Nevada Expect approximately 2,000 participants. Last year boasted a 5:1 planner-to-exhibitor ratio. This year: Keynote speaker Jay Leno! Read more about the 2016 edition.
June 19-22, Las Vegas, Nevada The landmark annual event from MPI, the world’s largest industry for meeting and event professionals brings together more than 2,000 of your peers for industry-leading education and networking. What’ll it be like? Check out the top 15 things you missed at #WEC16.
June 19-23, La Antigua, Guatemala An opportunity to engage with a wide variety of Latin American travel industry professionals. Highlights from the 2016 edition.
June 27, Charlotte, North Carolina PYM LIVE Events are the fastest way for meeting and event planners to research meeting venues, network and learn from their peers, play with new event technology and establish important business relationships. Watch video testimonials of past editions.
July 10-13, Miami Beach, Florida For 27 years, this event full of networking, education and entertainment has constantly evolved. Expect more than 100 speakers and presenters, including bestselling author Jon Spoelstra. The Sports Sales Boot Camp (a “non-nonsense sports sales training course”) and the Sports Venue Design & Build Forum run concurrently with the ALSD Conference and Tradeshow.
July 15-19, Boston, Massachusetts A gathering of 7,000+ business travel professionals seeking education, networking and news on the latest industry innovations. This year’s convention includes speakers Gen. David Petraeus and Olympian Michael Phelps.
July 27, Denver, Colorado PYM LIVE Events are the fastest way for meeting and event planners to research meeting venues, network and learn from their peers, play with new event technology and establish important business relationships. Watch video testimonials of past editions.
August 7-10, Nashville, Tennessee VenueConnect hosts professionals from a spectrum of public assembly venues including arenas, convention centers, amphitheaters, fairgrounds, performing arts centers, stadiums, universities and more, for 80+ education sessions. Read about the conference’s re-branded strategy.
August 10-12, Calgary, Canada From the International Live Events Association, this is billed as “an educational and collaborative experience for creative event professionals to strengthen their creative output, sharpen their business strategies and find inspiration.”
August 12-15, Toronto, Canada This annual event features networking and education opportunities and more than 400 exhibitions with which to engage. Scheduled speakers include Nilofer Merchant, fellow of the Martin Prosperity Institute, and Nyle Dimarco, a past winner of America’s Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars.
August 13-16, Montego Bay, Jamaica An event consisting of scheduled meetings between pre-qualified North American meeting planners and incentive buyers and Caribbean suppliers.
August 22-23, Toronto, Canada Billed as “the largest meeting and events industry trade show and conference in Canada,” this event is centered on education. Scheduled speakers include Event Manager Blog editor Julius Solaris and trend spotter Seth Mattison. Check out some highlights from the 2016 IncentiveWorks.
August 30, New York City, New York PYM LIVE Events are the fastest way for meeting and event planners to research meeting venues, network and learn from their peers, play with new event technology and establish important business relationships. Watch video testimonials of past editions.
September 6-7, Mexico City, Mexico A hosted-buyer program and series of one-on-one meetings, with aspirational education,” the event is said to bring together more than 380 suppliers and 6,400 planners.
September 13-16, Los Cabos, Mexico A blend of incentive travel buyers and industry suppliers that come together for three days of business networking, education and activities that showcase the destination.
September 20, Dallas, Texas PYM LIVE Events are the fastest way for meeting and event planners to research meeting venues, network and learn from their peers, play with new event technology and establish important business relationships. Watch video testimonials of past editions.
September 26-28, Bangkok, Thailand A combo event of Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia and Corporate Travel World Asia-Pacific, this is the only double-billed industry event in the Asia-Pacific region. If your work matches any of the above buzzwords, check it out. Watch a sizzle reel from 2016
October 8-9, Las Vegas, Nevada Scheduled to take place immediately prior to IMEX America, this event is designed as an opportunity for Millennials to meet each other and learn to help those pursuing a career in the incentive travel industry.
October 10-12, Las Vegas, Nevada With more than 12,000 participants last year representing all facets of the global meeting and event industry, many rightfully argue that IMEX America is the can’t-miss show. Before you go, read our 10 essential IMEX America hosted buyer tips.
Watch the promo video from 2016
October 18, Houston, Texas PYM LIVE Events are the fastest way for meeting and event planners to research meeting venues, network and learn from their peers, play with new event technology and establish important business relationships. Watch video testimonials of past editions.
October 25-27, Singapore This B2B show is designed to become the primary event for the Asia-Pacific travel industry, welcoming all sectors, including small and medium-sized businesses. Last year, ITB Asia reported more than 10,000 attendees from 110 countries.
November 15, Ottawa, Canada PYM LIVE Events are the fastest way for meeting and event planners to research meeting venues, network and learn from their peers, play with new event technology and establish important business relationships. Watch video testimonials of past editions.
November 28-30, San Antonio, Texas This show emphasizes thought leadership and best practices in unique learning environments. It’s “the show for shows.”
November 28-30, Barcelona, Spain More than 15,000 industry professionals come together for networking and education in ibtm’s premier annual event. Explore some highlights from last year’s ibtm world
When planning and executing an event, it is important to be efficient and keep things running as smoothly as possible. The following 10 tips will save you from many headaches.
1. Book your venue early!
There are certain times of year when venues are especially busy: post summer holidays, pre-Christmas and during the end of the fiscal year (May and June). If you are looking to hold your event during any of these periods, you must start contacting venues early to secure your date—as far forward as a year in advance, depending on the size of your event.
2. Create a timeline and task list
Before you jump in the deep end, make sure you prepare a timeline and task list for your event that you can refer back to throughout the process. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, but you will thank your lucky stars when you have that to rely on as the big day approaches.
3. Do away with paper forms
If you want to increase event efficiencies, start with your registration process. Collecting paper forms, transferring data to spreadsheets and following up for payment can be timely and complicated. It doesn’t have to be this way. Online event registration systems can save you and your members a lot of hassle. Contact details, payment information and dietary requests can be confirmed with the click of a button and members can often log back in to update their registration. All event registration systems are different, so take the time to scope out options that meet your specific needs.
4. Start promoting early
Most professionals’ schedules fill up quickly. In order to ensure you have the greatest turn out to your events possible, make sure you provide members with plenty of advance notice. Even a “save the date” stating there will be more details to follow solidifies the date in their mind and creates anticipation. Collecting registrations early on will also help you get an idea of how big your event will be so that you can adjust venues as need be.
5. Set registration and cancellation deadlines
The days leading up to an event can be very busy, so setting deadlines for registrations and cancellations is necessary. In order to prepare materials such as handouts and giveaways, you need to know how many guests to expect. You also need to provide venues your guarantee with at least 48-72 hours’ notice, so it is wise to set these deadlines at least 72 hours prior to the event. You can typically increase numbers by a few, but reducing is an issue—if guests are allowed to cancel within this time frame, you will be out for their meal costs, which is never a good thing.
6. Keep attendees informed
Advise your guests of any important information prior to the event. If you are holding your event at a private club or golf course, a dress code warning is imperative. You will also want to advise guests of registration times, to bring cash for draws, and their team mates or starting holes if it is a golf tournament. One email can save you from phone calls and reduce questions at the door.
7. Confirm final details with the venue
Just like you, venues are busy planning many events so it is easy to forget minor details if they were not recorded in the event contract. Touch base in the days leading up to your events to re-confirm any details or additional requests, such as table set-up requirements. All venues create an event sheet which staff at the venue follow, make sure you request to look over this and do it with a fine toothpick to spot any issues/notes that may have been missed. A walkthrough of the event space may also be helpful to visualize the set-up.
8. Always arrive early
You never know what surprises can come up on the day of an event. The room may be set up incorrectly; maybe you forgot important items at the office. You will also want to perform a thorough AV test to ensure all equipment is in proper working order. Encourage your speakers to arrive early as well, so they can get comfortable with the set-up.
9. Greet guests in an organized fashion
The registration desk is your attendees’ first impression of the event. Ensure you have attentive staff and/or volunteers ready to handle the crowd. Name badges that have been laid out alphabetically contribute to a streamlined process. You should also have print outs of attendance lists and methods of collecting payment in case people show up un-registered at the door. Find out where the bathrooms and coat racks are as soon as you arrive, and be prepared for any and all questions!
10. Prepare an agenda with timelines
In order to ensure the event stays on track, a day-of agenda for volunteers and emcees is necessary. This should include any important announcements, speaker names and bios and sponsor recognition. Everyone has busy lives and you don’t want guests leaving early if the event goes over its scheduled end time. This may also cause problems with the venue if they have another group starting promptly afterwards. A jovial emcee who can pleasantly move speakers along will be a great asset to your events.
This may seem like a lot to keep in mind but a lot of it is common sense and will come with experience. As long as you build these items into your event planning task list, you will have nothing to worry about!
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been around for a lot longer than most people realize. The first drones were used by the Austrian military in their attack on Venice in 1849. Quadcopters have been around since 1920. Mini-drones and quadcopters have been used for photography for almost a decade.
As drones have come down in size and price, they have become accessible to event organizers. There are many different types of drones but some of the most popular include DJI Phantom 4 and the Parrot.AR Drone 2.0.
1. Sporting events
They are often used at sporting events as they make it possible to follow fast action across a large field. Drones can get much closer to the action than any photographer.
2. Resort and site tours
Drones make it possible to provide panoramic views of resort properties and zoom in for close ups of some features. Here Sandals provides a drone tour of its Whitehouse property in Jamaica with stunning results.
3. Destination tours
It’s helpful for event and meeting planners to have a way of quickly viewing the key attractions that a destination has to offer so that they can build those that will appeal to participants into their itinerary. Tourist boards and convention bureaus are making use of drones to showcase destinations from unique vantage points.
Here drones provide an overview of Dubai’s top attractions.
4. Meeting highlights
Drones can be combined with footage from traditional video cameras and GoPros to capture highlights from corporate meetings. Lions Club International blended footage of their 2016 convention from various sources together seamlessly to produce a very engaging video.
5. Entertainment
Always ground-breaking, the CCTV Spring Festival Gala for the Chinese New Year is enjoyed by millions of viewers around the world. For 2016, the show featured 540 dancing robots. Zerotech Dobby actually created a dance routine involving drones for the 2017 show.
The most important thing to remember is that using drones is not about the technology. The focus should be on the results and type of footage you want to create. That will drive the decision about whether or not drones are appropriate for your event.
Drones can’t be used everywhere, however. To begin learning about the logistics and laws of using drones at meetings and events, check out The Meeting Professional’s “Game of Drones.”
And if you’re REALLY interested in the future of drones, you can always attend one of the many UAV-specific conferences going on around the world (such as the International Drone Conference and Exposition, this September in Las Vegas).
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Where will you be in your career within the next five years? 10 years? 15 years?
In short, what kind of career track are you on?
These are hefty questions when you consider that most of us who fall into this industry fall in love with it, too.
It’s easy to get entangled with the logistics of the daily grind and the meeting industry can be a fickle mistress when it comes to career moves. There aren’t a lot of such options, but the good news is that there are more than you think.
Consider these paths.
Stay put at the same career level.
Some people realize that they are really good at planning meetings/events and sincerely desire to not do anything different. And there’s nothing wrong with that. As we all have likely dealt with a boss-zilla in our lifetimes, some people are good at what they do but aren’t cut out of management cloth. No problem. If you are happy in the job function, then there are some options in this arena so you feel revitalized/challenged in your work. The first step is to add to your body of knowledge. Growing your knowledge base can help you move into step two, which is expanding your job duties. (The MPI Academy and PYM LIVE offer a bevy of opportunities to help you grow professionally.)
Move up and out.
Still feel like you aren’t able to stretch your wings at your current employer? Then you might need to consider changing employers.
Moving up.
For the folks who are career-minded and see a management trajectory in their future, then building the stepping stones of being a capable manager are critical. Do you know how to manage people, resources, budgets and strategies? This can open doors to being a VP of meetings or a similar leadership position. Remember, you need to tell others of your career aspirations and not just assume that they know.
If not this, then what?
You love the industry, and the industry loves you back. But sometimes, you simply get burned out and need something else. So how do you translate this amazing career of meeting/event management wins into something else altogether different? I have a simple answer for you: Operations. Yes. You saw that right. Operations. The reason is that everything you do as a planner is all about keeping things running smoothly. And guess what? That’s what operations managers too. They oversee financial, marketing, sales, programs, deadlines and personnel, to name a few areas. So this can be an easy leap to make.
None of the above.
Going for the full-scale, “I can’t take this anymore” career revamp? Career coaches are a way to go. Believe it or not, meeting planners end up with a Swiss Army knife of skill sets that can go in many directions. A career coach can help you find a new direction that provides that injection of fresh energy, optimism and renewed purpose that many burned-out professionals crave.
So keep an eye on the prize—be clear on what your next career goals are, and cultivate the skills that can lead to either renewed passion for your current work or help you find rewarding new opportunities.
1. Book your venue early!
These are hefty questions when you consider that most of us who fall into this industry fall in love with it, too.
