Browsing Category »Blog and Industry News
September 3rd, 2018 @
Ryan Gould
Uber-novelist Stephen King once offered some deep insight into hype and buzz. He said when the message lands, and there then becomes a groundswell of genuine interest, that becomes “buzz.” It almost always portends good things (the success of your product launch, new feature rollout, etc.)—and creating that spark is what marketers live for. Marketers should pay attention to this insight because it goes straight to the heart of why consumers get excited about certain things.
It’s also what any brand that is planning an event should be hoping for. Getting the most bodies through the door at your next event will likely hinge on how well you did at creating genuine buzz. Here are four ways to achieve that and ensure there’s much anticipation for your next event.
Create an outstanding event website
The first thing you’re going to want to do is create a website specifically for your event. It’s not enough to link to a page on your company website. And since this will be the official landing page for your big event—the point of contact where leads convert to attendees—you’ll want it to pack a punch. It should be well designed, elegant, direct, bold and offer a positive user experience. The colors you use should be simple, yet keep with the color scheme of your overall brand.
For an example of a group that did bold right, look no further than the website for the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. The Ethics Centre’s annual forum for international speakers has imbued their event website with the same provocative attitude that defines their organization. The site is simple and understated yet visually compelling and, above all else, interesting. They prime their audience with a 30-second promotional spot that further whets their appetite to attend.
Other examples of effectively designed event websites.
RELATED STORY: 10 lessons for creating social media videos
Select the right social media channels
The goal of event marketing is to reach people where they are. And in 2018, people are on social media. However, the success of your promotional message depends on how well you execute a social strategy as well as choosing the right platforms. The platform you choose depends principally on your brand and the type of event you’re promoting. And if you’re a B2B operation, you’re going to want to focus heavily on LinkedIn.
For professional networking platforms, this one is hard to beat. Users tend to be older, more affluent and more educated. A quarter of adults in the U.S. who are online use LinkedIn, as do half of all college graduates. So if you’re looking to invite folks to your next trade show, conference or event, you’ll find no greater pool (there are now 500 million users on LinkedIn) of potential attendees.
A prime example of a brand doing this well is the DIG Interactive Conference. This tech conference and media company from Charleston, S.C., does everything right with their LinkedIn promotion; including publishing short (about 25 words) promotional posts hyping their authoritative and renowned guest speakers. And their efforts seem to be generating buzz, as they routinely notch thousands of attendees at their events.
Of course, LinkedIn is not the only social platform out there. Consider these stats.
Ultimately, knowing the stats of all these platforms, as well as who is using them, is going to dictate on which ones you focus the bulk of your marketing efforts. The final step to round out your social strategy is to create a branded campaign around those platforms you’ve selected and incorporate targeted content to promote your event.
RELATED STORY: 6 B2B social media marketing tips for eventprofs
Launch an email campaign
If you already have a robust email list, that will make promotion even easier—especially if many on your list are attendees from previous events. You’ll want to send an initial email to your targets about 16 weeks before the scheduled event. This is just an initial announcement email covering the particulars: date of the event, location, when registration opens, link to your event page, etc.
The key with any email campaign is to nurture rather than inundate. So, wait until 10 weeks out to send the next message. Now that the audience has been primed, it’s time to appeal to them on a more personal level. Segment your list so that your audience is receiving more targeted emails that speak to them as individuals. After all, segmented emails generate a whopping 58 percent of all revenue for business, and it will be just as effective at helping to generate interest in your next event.
Be sure to send the final email two weeks before your event, urging recipients to register before it’s too late.
Don’t worry if you don’t have an existing email list, you still have plenty of options. For instance, you could look at partnering with a publication that has a similar audience, consider purchasing a targeted email list or look into cross-promotional opportunities.
RELATED STORY: Event marketing strategies for tough economic times
Enlist the help of influencers
The days of celebrity endorsements driving consumer behavior are all but over. Today’s generation craves authenticity, thus most of their consumer behavior is driven by peer recommendations. Even the algorithms of social media channels are putting a premium on user sharing nowadays.
Enter influencer marketing.
Statistics show that this tactic delivers an 11x higher ROI than other forms of digital marketing. And some 94 percent of marketers who invest in influencer strategies report the tactic to be effective. So, if you want to create interest in your next event, you’ll want to get the message out with the help of the very people who are speaking directly to your target audience.
Many influencers with a large audience have spent years endearing themselves to their fans and building trust. The most valuable influencers to your event promotion are going to be the ones who enjoy that level of earned respect. Therefore, you will likely have to offer social incentives. Whether that’s early access to your event, VIP perks, promotional swag, etc., you’re going to need to get them excited before the event to ensure they spread the word among their audience and build that anticipation.
Explore some of the best free tools to find influencers.
How well you convert hype to buzz not only depends on using the strategies above, but how uniquely you use the strategies above. Can you think outside the box and create an event page no one’s seen before? Will your social campaigns rise above the competition with an interesting branded message? Will your email marketing standout? Those factors are up to you, and the more creative you get is all but guaranteed to translate into more attendees.
The post 4 ways to build anticipation for your next event appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
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Blog and Industry News
August 20th, 2018 @
Elise Keith
The interview for that new job you’re hoping to get. The coffee date with your personal hero and, hopefully, future mentor. The make-or-break sales demo with that perfect-fit client. The last-ditch attempt to mend a broken partnership.
When everyone in the room understands what’s at stake, engagement is automatic. We don’t worry about engagement in these situations. Instead, we focus on success.
When you are clear about why your group needs to meet and what you want to accomplish together, engagement is natural. Sadly, many meetings lack this clarity.
The good news: Every meeting can be as focused, compelling and engaging as the high-stakes meetings listed above when you follow these five steps.
1. Define what you want people to contribute.
Get clear about what you want to help each person actively do or say during the meeting. Engagement involves more than simply paying attention; active engagement results in observable behavior.
It helps to visualize the meeting in advance and think through everyone invited. Picture in your mind what each person will do in your best-case scenario. That’s the engagement you want.
Tip: If you picture someone just listening quietly, they probably don’t belong at your meeting. Of the 16 types of meetings businesses run, only two (training and broadcasts) expect a passive audience. The rest of our business meetings are not spectator sports; only active players belong in the game.
2. Ask for engagement.
Do you want written feedback? Verbal input in a go-around? A show of hands? Get specific and provide examples.
This seems obvious, and that’s actually the problem. To the person leading the meeting, it’s obvious how things should play out because they thought about it in advance. Meeting leaders frequently forget to fill everyone else in, though. They don’t give people advance notice about how to prepare for the meeting, and don’t ask clear questions during the meeting—then they get frustrated when no one participates.
Remember, you must explicitly ask for engagement to get engagement.
RELATED STORY: How to improve meeting outcomes
3. Make space for people to engage.
Make sure you have enough meeting time for engagement. For example, to get feedback from 10 people with each speaking for just two minutes, you need 20 minutes.
Many leaders prefer meetings with five or fewer people because it’s far easier to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute in a small group.
We can’t keep all meetings tiny, though. With more people involved, you have three options:
- Make the meeting longer so everyone has time to speak.
- Break out some facilitation skills. There are great ways to engage larger groups, all of which require advance planning and some know-how to pull off.
- Accept that you’re going to basically ignore some of the people in the meeting.
That last option is the default choice in most corporations. It’s also a lousy way to treat people.
4. Acknowledge contributions.
At the very least, people who contribute to the meeting deserve thanks.
For many individuals, speaking up in a group means taking a personal risk. Some people are shy, and some environments are hostile. Whether the risk arises from internal or external factors, it still takes courage and effort to overcome. When this contribution is then glossed over, when it’s dismissed or when you haven’t made time for it, people learn that the risk was not worth the effort.
Many high-performing teams make a point of reserving time at the end of each meeting for sharing appreciations, where individuals publicly thank one another for specific contributions. This is a fabulous way to acknowledge the value people bring, improve team relationships and reinforce the benefits of contributing for those who might be reluctant to speak up.
5. Use what you receive.
Most importantly, make sure contributions made during the meeting impact what happens after the meeting. With our high-stakes meetings, this is a no-brainer. Can you imagine a sales person failing to send over a contract after a successful demo? Hardly. In these cases, we know that the decisions we make in the meeting will result in action after the meeting.
That shouldn’t be different for other meetings, and yet too often it is.
For example, strategic planning workshops are notorious for creating a significant outcome that never gets used, and not because they fail to engage participants. It’s possible to run a fabulously engaging workshop to build out your company’s strategic plan, only to then have that plan sit on the shelf for a year.
When it comes to engagement, the rule is use it or lose it. Clever facilitation tricks can’t get people engaged if they learn it doesn’t matter. When people see they made a difference, however, they’ll contribute again.
Every meeting presents an opportunity for engagement and the creation of new value. For some meetings, this opportunity is obvious. For others, we have work to do. When you follow the five simple steps outlined above, you’ve got a great shot at transforming every meeting into one worth your team’s investment.
RELATED STORY: Top tools for audience engagement
The post 5 steps to improve engagement in meetings appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
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Blog and Industry News
August 13th, 2018 @
Tiffany Graham, CMP
So, strategic meetings management…disclaimer: This is a rant.
First of all, if one more person says the word “strategic,” I am going to scream. I personally like the word “plan,” it’s parsimonious all by itself. Not pompous or self-important, but simple and easy to understand.
Before the industry gets all in a ball about it, I’m not saying that strategic meetings management (SMM) isn’t important, I’m simply saying that I was terrified when I first heard the term. And then as all the articles and white papers rolled out, I got so overwhelmed that I said, “Forget it!” I know I’m not the only one that felt that way. With all the talk about ROI, stakeholder management, phases, cross-functional teams and enterprise-wide goals, who wouldn’t run away?
RELATED STORY: Make SMM your best career buddy
If studies are correct, the average company spends 15 percent of its collective time in meetings. The whole point of SMM is that if your company spends nearly one-sixth of its time in meetings, then someone should really be making sure that the time and money is well spent.
With quantitative cost savings being a huge part of SMM, many planners focus on reducing attrition and cancellations (which by the way, are both the bane of my existence). But guess what, every time they (read: internal clients and/or the “higher ups”) look at the bottom line, what’s the first to go? Say it with me: Travel. Which means that some of the meetings you’ve already ruminated over and planned are about to be cancelled. And to your dismay, they really don’t intend on rescheduling, they just know this has to be cut, not now, but right now, as in yesterday.
So, let’s talk about that. How the heck did you just amass cancellations equivalent to someone’s salary? Does that mean they’re letting me go tomorrow? I mean literally, the cancellations amounted to $71,680.53. I think I better find a way to use that. Some way, somehow. You would think they wouldn’t cancel because perhaps, maybe, they can keep a co-worker from being downsized. But nope, even after explaining to them that they can host the meeting with an ROI for $72K or totally lose $71K, they still cancel the meeting.
RELATED STORY: 5 tips for presenting financial information to company executives
Maybe we shot ourselves in the foot by telling them they had to have their requests in at least three months in advance. We knew that they wouldn’t know who was attending 90 days out. Like, why would they know who’s attending when they don’t even know what they’re going to talk about (i.e. the agenda); as in, why are you even trying to plan this meeting when you don’t have a purpose, an agenda or know the people that you want there?
So, let’s say they decided to hold the meeting, but they’ve rolled out this self-service policy where attendees can book any way they like versus going through our travel management portal. Now whose bright idea was that? What happens if something happens? How do I know where my attendees are because I don’t have an arrival/departure on them? It’s called duty of care, people. Why did we even bother selecting a travel management company as part of our SMM process? What a waste of time!
After saying all that, what did I really say about strategic meetings management? It’s probably time you instituted your own company’s plan. Because you are in the trenches and know why all of the above matters and can draft a policy that will make a difference. After all, policies change behavior, right?
The post When clients don’t get strategic meetings management: A rant appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
Category :
Blog and Industry News
August 13th, 2018 @
Tiffany Graham, CMP
So, strategic meetings management…disclaimer: This is a rant.
First of all, if one more person says the word “strategic,” I am going to scream. I personally like the word “plan,” it’s parsimonious all by itself. Not pompous or self-important, but simple and easy to understand.
Before the industry gets all in a ball about it, I’m not saying that strategic meetings management (SMM) isn’t important, I’m simply saying that I was terrified when I first heard the term. And then as all the articles and white papers rolled out, I got so overwhelmed that I said, “Forget it!” I know I’m not the only one that felt that way. With all the talk about ROI, stakeholder management, phases, cross-functional teams and enterprise-wide goals, who wouldn’t run away?
RELATED STORY: Make SMM your best career buddy
If studies are correct, the average company spends 15 percent of its collective time in meetings. The whole point of SMM is that if your company spends nearly one-sixth of its time in meetings, then someone should really be making sure that the time and money is well spent.
With quantitative cost savings being a huge part of SMM, many planners focus on reducing attrition and cancellations (which by the way, are both the bane of my existence). But guess what, every time they (read: internal clients and/or the “higher ups”) look at the bottom line, what’s the first to go? Say it with me: Travel. Which means that some of the meetings you’ve already ruminated over and planned are about to be cancelled. And to your dismay, they really don’t intend on rescheduling, they just know this has to be cut, not now, but right now, as in yesterday.
So, let’s talk about that. How the heck did you just amass cancellations equivalent to someone’s salary? Does that mean they’re letting me go tomorrow? I mean literally, the cancellations amounted to $71,680.53. I think I better find a way to use that. Some way, somehow. You would think they wouldn’t cancel because perhaps, maybe, they can keep a co-worker from being downsized. But nope, even after explaining to them that they can host the meeting with an ROI for $72K or totally lose $71K, they still cancel the meeting.
RELATED STORY: 5 tips for presenting financial information to company executives
Maybe we shot ourselves in the foot by telling them they had to have their requests in at least three months in advance. We knew that they wouldn’t know who was attending 90 days out. Like, why would they know who’s attending when they don’t even know what they’re going to talk about (i.e. the agenda); as in, why are you even trying to plan this meeting when you don’t have a purpose, an agenda or know the people that you want there?
So, let’s say they decided to hold the meeting, but they’ve rolled out this self-service policy where attendees can book any way they like versus going through our travel management portal. Now whose bright idea was that? What happens if something happens? How do I know where my attendees are because I don’t have an arrival/departure on them? It’s called duty of care, people. Why did we even bother selecting a travel management company as part of our SMM process? What a waste of time!
After saying all that, what did I really say about strategic meetings management? It’s probably time you instituted your own company’s plan. Because you are in the trenches and know why all of the above matters and can draft a policy that will make a difference. After all, policies change behavior, right?
The post When clients don’t get strategic meetings management: A rant appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
Category :
Blog and Industry News
August 7th, 2018 @
Kent Emeson
It’s no secret that the economy affects the events industry. When event budgets are slashed, event attendance drops, attendees are less willing or able to travel, and those attendees who do show up feel the effects of the economy. Even in good economic conditions, exhibitors are being forced to scrutinize every detail to prove the value of their events.
The upside, however, is that with good strategic planning, a little creativity and a few tweaks to traditional event marketing strategies, corporate marketers will be able to continue holding successful events, even when recessions hit. Here are some strategies and tips you can use to drive attendance and ensure your organization continues allocating dollars towards events during tough times.
Prove yourself through Return on Investment (ROI)
If you don’t utilize metrics and measurement strategies or can only make one change to your event marketing strategy, start implementing a ROI tracking program. Expect CEOs, CFOs and managers to ask you to justify the expense of every event, if they’re not already.
Some of the most basic metrics can record the largest areas of ROI: cost per attendee, cost per square foot, cost per sale and cost per lead. Calculating your revenue from events can be obtained utilizing several techniques. The easiest is to track all purchases made by event attendees on-site. Always track who comes to your event (electronically, if possible) and then check the list of actual attendees against your current database.
In order to institute metrics quickly, most marketers advise hiring a company familiar with how it is done. Some methods they may employ include polling attendees before and after a show via e-mail or surveying attendees during a show.
RELATED STORY: ROI metrics and measurement objectives for events
Build pre-event marketing strategy
Brand, brand, brand and brand again … remember it takes seven times for a person to see a brand before they will recognize and remember it. If you have the budget for traditional marketing, then ensure you have a complete integrated event marketing campaign that includes direct mail. Make sure it stands out with bright colors and/or unique shapes (we sent a baseball bat-shaped invitation that was long and skinny for an opening day product launch at the local baseball stadium) and send at least three different mailings to the same list. Use the same type of look and feel throughout all your pre-event marketing.
RELATED STORY: Tips to help attendees justify coming to your meeting
Should your budget be a bit less, you are in luck. Social media marketing has taken off and is considered greener than traditional direct mail pieces. It may take more of your time, but it will pay off in the end. Some of the digital ways you can reach potential attendees are e-newsletters (make sure these are worthwhile to your audience by being half informational and half promotional), blogging or vlogging (again ensure your topic is current and use your brand to enhance the blog or videos), and creating a Facebook page, a LinkedIn profile and/or a Twitter account. Also advertise/promote your event on various industry-specific social networking sites and groups.
Another way you can use social media to create buzz about your event is to have the thought leaders and speakers who will be giving presentations at the event help spread the word in advance. Have them connect to attendees through social networks or via Web sites and e-newsletters to give a preview of the types of useful information they will be providing attendees.
RELATED STORY: 6 B2B social media marketing tips for eventprofs
Think outside the box
The best way corporate event marketers can adjust to the economy is simply to have an open mind and be willing to make changes. Using metrics to prove ROI should help everyone weather the financial storm and come out the other side with a new set of tools for successful event marketing.
In my future monthly columns I’ll be going more in-depth about how to implement some of the strategies mentioned above as well as other topics relevant to event marketing. If you have a specific topic or questions you’d like addressed, please comment below or email me.
RELATED STORY: ROI metrics and measurement objectives
This story was updated in 2018.
The post Event marketing strategies for tough economic times (UPDATED) appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
Category :
Blog and Industry News
August 7th, 2018 @
Kent Emeson
It’s no secret that the economy affects the events industry. When event budgets are slashed, event attendance drops, attendees are less willing or able to travel, and those attendees who do show up feel the effects of the economy. Even in good economic conditions, exhibitors are being forced to scrutinize every detail to prove the value of their events.
The upside, however, is that with good strategic planning, a little creativity and a few tweaks to traditional event marketing strategies, corporate marketers will be able to continue holding successful events, even when recessions hit. Here are some strategies and tips you can use to drive attendance and ensure your organization continues allocating dollars towards events during tough times.
Prove yourself through Return on Investment (ROI)
If you don’t utilize metrics and measurement strategies or can only make one change to your event marketing strategy, start implementing a ROI tracking program. Expect CEOs, CFOs and managers to ask you to justify the expense of every event, if they’re not already.
Some of the most basic metrics can record the largest areas of ROI: cost per attendee, cost per square foot, cost per sale and cost per lead. Calculating your revenue from events can be obtained utilizing several techniques. The easiest is to track all purchases made by event attendees on-site. Always track who comes to your event (electronically, if possible) and then check the list of actual attendees against your current database.
In order to institute metrics quickly, most marketers advise hiring a company familiar with how it is done. Some methods they may employ include polling attendees before and after a show via e-mail or surveying attendees during a show.
RELATED STORY: ROI metrics and measurement objectives for events
Build pre-event marketing strategy
Brand, brand, brand and brand again … remember it takes seven times for a person to see a brand before they will recognize and remember it. If you have the budget for traditional marketing, then ensure you have a complete integrated event marketing campaign that includes direct mail. Make sure it stands out with bright colors and/or unique shapes (we sent a baseball bat-shaped invitation that was long and skinny for an opening day product launch at the local baseball stadium) and send at least three different mailings to the same list. Use the same type of look and feel throughout all your pre-event marketing.
RELATED STORY: Tips to help attendees justify coming to your meeting
Should your budget be a bit less, you are in luck. Social media marketing has taken off and is considered greener than traditional direct mail pieces. It may take more of your time, but it will pay off in the end. Some of the digital ways you can reach potential attendees are e-newsletters (make sure these are worthwhile to your audience by being half informational and half promotional), blogging or vlogging (again ensure your topic is current and use your brand to enhance the blog or videos), and creating a Facebook page, a LinkedIn profile and/or a Twitter account. Also advertise/promote your event on various industry-specific social networking sites and groups.
Another way you can use social media to create buzz about your event is to have the thought leaders and speakers who will be giving presentations at the event help spread the word in advance. Have them connect to attendees through social networks or via Web sites and e-newsletters to give a preview of the types of useful information they will be providing attendees.
RELATED STORY: 6 B2B social media marketing tips for eventprofs
Think outside the box
The best way corporate event marketers can adjust to the economy is simply to have an open mind and be willing to make changes. Using metrics to prove ROI should help everyone weather the financial storm and come out the other side with a new set of tools for successful event marketing.
In my future monthly columns I’ll be going more in-depth about how to implement some of the strategies mentioned above as well as other topics relevant to event marketing. If you have a specific topic or questions you’d like addressed, please comment below or email me.
RELATED STORY: ROI metrics and measurement objectives
This story was updated in 2018.
The post Event marketing strategies for tough economic times (UPDATED) appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
Category :
Blog and Industry News
August 6th, 2018 @
Jessie States
Meeting and event professionals can no longer wholly rely on satisfaction measurements to justify spend, and as they seek to determine the true business value that their meetings drive, they are finding the added benefit of heightened roles within their organizations. Indeed, proving the value of their meetings has, in turn, proven the value of their roles as experience designers, strategists and internal consultants.
RELATED STORY: Prove your worth and the value of your work
But why is measurement so important for meeting professionals and the companies they serve? Here are some of the reasons why.
1. Clarity of purpose
By clearly understanding the measurable outcomes, meeting professionals can make their meetings more cost efficient and can more clearly align their activities, content and environments with clear objectives.
2. Quantification of meeting success
Meeting professionals and the organizations they serve learn just how much needs to be done to accomplish their goals by creating, deploying and reporting on measures of meeting success. This allows them to establish budgets, make strategic decisions about meeting logistics and design, set future goals and establish realistic expectations. And by understanding an event’s strengths and weaknesses, meeting professionals and stakeholders can better concentrate resources where they are needed most and leverage assets.
RELATED STORY: How to improve your meeting outcomes
3. Creation of better measures
Gaining insights into meeting and event performance relative to objectives requires trial and error in order to get the most meaningful information for the lowest cost. Implementing an intentional and planned strategy for understanding the business value of events leads meeting professionals to develop better measures over time, making the process more valuable.
4. Comprehensive measures
Each individual measure can be assessed for value. New measures can be introduced to help understand and use that information. This process results in more comprehensive views of the business value of meetings and leads to a better understanding of the contribution of meetings to an organization, and in many cases leads to good approximations of ROI.
RELATED STORY: ROI metrics and measurement objectives
5. Easier evaluations
Successful strategies for understanding the business value of meetings lead to a process for improving meetings. This is central to assessing value. As meetings become “better,” they become more clearly aligned with objectives, therefore more efficient and effective. The reduction of time, money and personnel, combined with clearly stated objectives, makes the actual costs and benefits of meetings easier to evaluate. Events with unclear purposes are difficult to assess, because proper budget allocation and meeting outcomes are speculative.
RELATED STORY: Transform your event team from order-takers to trusted advisors
If you are ready to begin measuring the success of your meetings, and position yourself as a business driver at your organization, check out the MPI Academy’s Business Value of Meetings certificate program.
Visit the MPI Academy to browse the professional education offerings from the world’s largest meeting and event industry association.
The post 5 reasons to measure business value of meetings appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
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Blog and Industry News
July 30th, 2018 @
Jennifer Juergens
“The conference costs what?” That may be the first sentence a potential attendee hears from her boss when asking to attend a conference, training or networking event.
So, despite all the hard work you’ve put in securing that famous keynote speaker, the terrific educational breakouts and the great networking opportunities, whether or not the attendee can actually attend may simply come down to dollars and cents.
RELATED STORY: Why should I attend thee? Let me count the ways …
Focus on the benefits of attending
To help attendees communicate the benefits of attending your meeting to their bosses, provide a list of what’s on the agenda—but it’s got to be all about what they’re going to get out of attending and what they’re going to take back with them to help their day-to-day productivity and/or that of the organization.
“Meeting planners not only have to pay a lot of attention to content, but what are people really going to take away from the meeting?” says Joan Eisenstodt, founder of Washington, D.C.-based Eisenstodt Associates, a meeting consulting, facilitation and training company. “I’ve done this with printed and online brochures: ‘Here’s specifically what you’re going to get by coming to the meeting.’ And once they are at the meeting, I give them a worksheet on what they’ve learned, how they are going to use the information and how it’s going to impact their businesses.”
In the LinkedIn post “10 Steps to Maximize Your ROI at Microsoft Inspire,” Microsoft partner development manager Justin Slagle explained how conference attendance can be a big monetary commitment.
“By the time that you factor in the cost of the registration, employee salaries, travel expenses and opportunity loss from being out of the office, it’s easy to see how attending Inspire can set you back $20,000+,” Slagle wrote. “However, those that plan properly can see a 10-100 times return on that investment!”
For another conference, Microsoft Ignite, the company tweeted an offer of attendance-justification assistance.
The link included a letter explaining how attendees would meet other tech professionals, learn about leading tech in hundreds of hands-on demos and connect with experts.
Microsoft is not alone in helping their attendees justify the meeting to their higher ups. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology also have similar letters potential participants can give to higher ups to justify attending their annual conferences.
“I think using a [templated] letter can be used as an idea,” Eisenstodt says. “But I’d be careful if several people in one company plan on sending that same letter to the boss. If I was a manager I’d want to know what they are planning to attend, what specifically they plan to get out of it and suggest an employee do a written report so that others in the organization can benefit from what they’ve learned.”
RELATED STORY: 6 steps to creating a targeted marketing strategy
Don’t forget to market the meeting destination
One of the mistakes meeting planners make to justify the meeting, Eisenstodt notes, is marketing a destination as fun.
“It’s great if you can take the family to a particular destination but meeting planners need to look beyond the fun factor,” she says. “We need to help the organization look at the destination and ask, ‘What is in that destination that will contribute to their learning?’ Find like businesses and take them to see a business like theirs. If it’s a manufacturing company, take people to another manufacturing company.”
“In Daniel Pink’s book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the Future, he points out that medical schools and law schools are taking students to art museums to become more observant. They use it as a teaching opportunity.”
NewCo Bay Area Festival in San Francisco adopted this format for their February 2017 event by mixing sessions with a field trip-style format allowing attendees to sign up to visit area companies such as LinkedIn, Pandora and Paypal.
“Attendees want peer-to-peer learning. As meeting planners, we need to intentionally design the meetings and let attendees know how we’re going to help them connect with peers to help them solve problems,” Eisenstodt says.
Finally, Eisenstodt adds, follow up with attendees and get testimonials to use in marketing next year’s meeting.
RELATED STORY: Creating memorable events focusing on the beginning and end
5 additional tips to help attendees justify coming to your meeting
- Potential attendees will need to do research on the conference: Give them as much information as possible on speakers, sessions, networking opportunities and what they’ll get out of each.
- Let them know who else will be at the conference—and from what companies (for possible networking opportunities).
- Give them a sample letter they can give to their bosses (point out that it should only be used for ideas, not verbatim).
- Add testimonials from previous years’ attendees they can show their higher ups.
- Suggest they offer to share any knowledge they’ve gleaned from the meeting with other employees—and help them to do so.
RELATED STORY: The hidden impact of post-event marketing
The post Tips to help attendees justify coming to your meeting appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
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Blog and Industry News
July 23rd, 2018 @
MaryAnne Bobrow
Thousands of event grants and other funding sources are available each year in the United States alone from a variety of sources. Grantmakers include the U.S. federal government, state governments and a variety of other organizations including pharmaceutical companies. Major companies (Microsoft and Target to name just two) offer grants to local communities, especially in disadvantaged areas. Nonprofits also offer grants and other funding, often through a sister foundation.
RELATED STORY: 3 tips for focusing events, including nonprofits and NGOs
Types of event grant and program funding opportunities
Types of funding include emergency funding, debt reduction, faculty/staff development, fellowships, program evaluation, endowments, scholarships, sponsorships, research and even conference/seminar grants. Overarching the multiplicity of funding available are four main types: Competitive Funding, Formula Funding, Continuation Funding and Pass-Through Funding.
- Competitive Funding, also known as discretionary funding, is simply a competitive process of proposal selection based on the merits of the application, evaluated by a reviewer or team of reviewers, where the recipients are not pre-determined.
- Formula Funding is given to pre-determined recipients and are non-competitive.
- Continuation Funding is where grant recipients are given the option to renew grants for the following year. Some restrict their programs to existing grantees, while others accept new applicants.
- Pass-Through Funding is given by federal governments to state governments for further distribution to local governments.
Although the four types are different, most programs share the restriction that funds received may not replace existing resources. Think here in terms of an MPI Chapter Grant. This would be a competitive grant because others apply for grants as well. If awarded, the funds are designated for a specific purpose, such as membership recruitment. The funds do not replace existing chapter funds; they are earmarked for use with the specific purpose of member recruitment.
Who is the fundraising professional?
The person responsible for any type of fundraising, be it sponsorships, donations or other funding programs has a degree of accountability for the revenue-generation within the fundraising process and are directly responsible for fundraising.
In some instances, this person may be designated as a grant writer. The individual may be an independent contractor or an employee of the organization, both of which are compensated for their services. In other instances, the individual is a volunteer who has similar responsibilities in his or her volunteer role but is not compensated.
Members of the event grant and project funding team
Just as the meeting professional has a framework for competencies to do one’s job, so does fundraising require skills necessary to apply for, execute and comply with the requirements of the specific funding program. Depending on the type of grant or other funding, the team may include:
- the person responsible for managing the grant,
- the individual or team responsible for conducting research and writing the report,
- and the individual ensuring compliance with all aspects of the funding program (this may be the same as the person managing the grant)
Those in academia are well-versed in these types of projects and often collaborate with others both in and outside of the educational institution to which they belong. This post focuses only on the management and compliance issues of the event grant and funding process and not on the research or subject matter expertise aspect.
Why you need an event grant or project funding project manager
In every project that requires adherence to deadlines, deliverables and compliance there must be a manager. This project manager is responsible for setting up the structure of the project, including timelines, action plans, deliverables and compliance measures. The project manager is an essential member of the team and keeps the group focused.
The responsibilities of the project manager are not dissimilar to those of a meeting professional planning a meeting or event. The manager must do/consider the following.
- Ensure there is a strategic, program-centered approach to the project.
- Is the project right for your team or perhaps too big, too small, beyond the scope of subject matter expertise?
- If the project is too big, can we find a partner?
- Ensure uniqueness.
- Does the project align with your mission and vision?
- Research all opportunities.
- Will it benefit your customers/members?
- Connect what you want with the funder’s needs.
- Clearly state your proposal and include supporting data.
- Don’t rely on emotions—determine what will capture the funder’s attention (this is all about the funder).
- Funder must believe that your proposal is something that can be done before agreeing to pay for it.
RELATED STORY: Using storytelling to create successful fundraisers
Key elements of a event grant or project funding proposal
You will need to describe the program or event that requires funding. Make sure to include the following elements in your proposal:
- Overview
- The Needs Statement
- Summarizes the problem the action, and the solution
- Needs Statement process
- Define the problem
- Describe implications
- Relate your organization’s mission and the funder’s
- Identify gaps
- Provide supporting data
- Data and statistics
- Key sources are federal agencies, state agencies, foundation website, articles and journal collections and news outlets
- Bibliography
- Websites or other resources consulted
- Brief bios of the authors
RELATED STORY: 5 tips for speaking confidently and influencing undecided stakeholders
What should be included in your program design description
Don’t forget to mention what the program’s S.M.A.R.T. goals are, what success will look like and describe the program or event using a narrative framework, as outlined below.
- Goal-setting
- Use S.M.A.R.T. goals that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-based
- Narrative Framework
- Significance (problem)
- Innovation (context)
- Approach (plan)
- Environment (qualifications)
- Approach (goals)
RELATED STORY: To work smarter, set S.M.A.R.T. goals
Next steps once the funding is granted
What happens if your event grant or project funding request is granted?
- Review the funding requirements and begin essential project management steps, including timelines and related roles and responsibilities.
- Share with all team members
- Set up a reminder process to notify team members of upcoming milestones.
- As project manager, ensure that all financial transactions as they relate to the spending of grant monies is accurately documented and ties directly to deliverables as described in the accepted proposal.
- Set up your timelines early enough to ensure last-minute submissions are included (the more comprehensive your responses, the more likely they are to be well-received).
- Review and complete all compliance requirements, checking them twice.
- The fulfillment of your obligations as a grantee are vital to achieving additional funding.
Project management of a funding opportunity aligns well with the duties of the meeting professional in that the processes of a project manager are like those of a meeting professional designing and producing a meeting or event. Should you be requested to assist with project management in your organization, use this information as a starting point in developing your processes.
In the end, awareness of the conditions upon which the funding is awarded is critical. Non-compliance, even partial compliance, can mean the return of all or part of the funding. Observation of all requirements will ensure a successful funding experience and can certainly lead to more funding adventures.
RELATED STORY: See all 33 skills you need to be an effective planner.
The post Understanding the event grant and program funding process appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
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Blog and Industry News
July 16th, 2018 @
Michael Pinchera
You’ve already got a laundry list of necessary and/or helpful accessories that you pull out of storage and ship to your meetings and events. Here are some more options that you may have overlooked or not previously considered—and better yet, the functionality of these items are useful beyond on-site management, they can all be incorporated into your daily job to enhance productivity and/or just make life easier.
Smart power strips
Setting up your base or office onsite comes with a variety of simple tech challenges that vary from venue to venue—connecting to the net, printers and securing enough power plugs for all of your essential devices. Power strip surge protectors have eked into our daily lives over the years, yet, too often, are left out of the onsite travel kit. If you do bring a surge protector along to your event, chances are it’s old (maybe the indicator light blinks incessantly, not a characteristic that inspires confidence), or ugly (its once-clean off-white color deteriorated into a sickly yellowed plastic that looks like a 1990s tower PC from the room of a chain smoker?). If that sounds familiar, then it certainly doesn’t have the now-necessary USB charging plugs required to power the myriad of portable devices found onsite.
My power strips fit the above bill, so I was excited to try Accell’s Powramid Air ($35.99), when they offered a trial.
Not only does it look awesome—like a sleek UFO, with a softly glowing center—but the six outlets are perfectly spaced to accommodate large plugs (you know, the kind that would typically overlap other ports, limiting the number of devices you can connect or requiring you to shuffle plugs around like a puzzle trying to find the positioning that allows the most plugs to fit). And there are two USB ports!
The Powramid Air is lightweight, yet solid and simply works. The price is slightly more than your standard power strip, but due to the design, you can actually utilize every port. The next step will be an equally attractive device with more USB ports and a built-in wireless charging component.
Smart watches
As we’re increasingly connected to everything and on the receiving end of constant auditory signals screaming, “Look at me—you’ve got an important message!” I’ve managed to find some semblance of peace for more than three years thanks to the Moto 360 smart watch. How so?
When smart phones first came out, like most people, I was quick to apply custom ringtones and notifications—the sounds were fun for about a week, then I’d change them repeatedly, bored or annoyed quickly. Over time, I grew to despise the demanding sounds and increasingly kept my phone on silent-vibrate—unless urgent messages were expected. Like many users, I even began feeling phantom vibrations—there was no call or notification, but my expectant senses told me the device was buzzing.
That was all resolved after I began using a first-generation Moto 360 Android smart watch in 2015. I’ve always loved watches, but the miniature hockey puck-looking thing now on my wrist acts as my lifeline to the connected world while freeing me from the beeps and rings. You see, my phone is now on “silent-vibrate only” 24 hours a day, but I don’t have to keep it on my person because my Moto 360, connected via Bluetooth, gives a little vibration on my wrist when my attention is being summoned. From that point, I just quickly glance at the watch for calendar reminders, to read and respond to text messages and to answer (or decline) calls. All the while, the phone—taunting my attention with promises of breaking news, Words with Friends opportunities, Twitter mentions, etc.—remains untouched somewhere in my general vicinity. When working conferences and in my daily life, the effect is one of less distraction and greater focus on what’s important—if I’m not looking at my phone’s screen, I’m not being pulled into unnecessary tasks.
Since the introduction of smart watches a few years ago, prices have plummeted. Worried about the lasting functionality of such a device? Don’t be—my Moto 360 is the oldest model Android smart watch, yet it still does everything promised when it debuted in 2015. Even the battery and wireless charging base continue to function perfectly. After about a year, I did replace the leather band with a silicon version, for both comfort and appearance, but that was merely a $10 enhancement via Amazon that took about 60 seconds to change out.
First-generation Moto 360 smart watches are now available for $40 or less, refurbished. The slightly thinner newer generations sell for as little as $200 new ($70 used). Of course, there are a bevy of other Android smart watches, many virtually identical to the Moto 360, save for cosmetic differences, from manufacturers such as LG, Huawei, Fossil, Samsung, etc. The Apple Watch offers the same benefits to the end user—potentially more benefits if you’re dedicated to that operating system landscape—starting at around $150 for Series 1. Regardless of the brand, just remember, these wearables can’t do everything you’d ideally like (not yet, at least); they are, first and foremost, watches.
Smart locks
I’ve not yet tested such devices, but I can envision the usefulness especially onsite during a meeting or event. You need to secure items (think of materials left overnight at exhibition booths or even in rooms), usually you just have to trust onsite security or remember to swap keys between whoever is closing a room at night with whoever is opening the room in the morning.
Enter the Tapplock one, a super-versatile smart padlock that can be accessed by numerous routes. Tapplock one can store the fingerprints of up to 500 individuals, or you can use the smart phone app to remotely unlock (and even view access history!).
The world of smart locks is one I hope to explore the next time I’ve got the need.
What do you recommend?
What devices do you find enhance your onsite productivity that you think peers have overlooked? Let us know in the comments below!
The post Overlooked smart tools for onsite productivity appeared first on Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International.
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Blog and Industry News
