Inspiration Hub

Finding a job in events is tough. But being an event manger, I believe, is one of the best jobs in the world if you find the right one. Obviously, I’m biased, but I believe one of the best event roles is as an in-house, corporate manager, as for the past 10 years I have been lucky enough to work as one in the law field. I also actually do love Mondays, which not many people can say.

If you’re an association professional, you probably…

• Work practically 24/7
• Wear many, MANY hats
• Struggle to get things done - and get them done RIGHT
• Know what burnout feels like

Yup, burnout is REAL, especially in the nonprofit space. So how can you overcome it, so that you don’t resent your job?

At the end of the day,” according to Janet Sperstad, CMP, “we’re all human.” 

That observation is at the heart of a new study that Sperstad, program director of the meeting and event management degree at Madison College, is writing with Amanda Cecil, Ph.D., CMP, associate professor and chair of Indiana University’s School of Physical Education and Tourism Management.

There are two key factors that contribute to the success of a conference. On one hand, we have attendee satisfaction, and on the other, the need to ensure the best possible Return on Investment (ROI).

The integration of technology to attendee-centric conference management, creates unique and impactful experiences in revolutionary new ways. The immersion of big data in our industry is a true catalyst for success and – if used properly – can lead to more accurate and faster ROI measurement in addition to greater delegate engagement.

After visiting multiple venues in multiple locations, it can be easy to forget what questions you need to ask to ensure that you get all the information you need to make an informed decision. Here are a few things to keep in mind while you tour each venue. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it is a good place to start if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed.

Being memorable as an exhibitor is extremely important for a successful show.  Keeping your brand front of mind is achieved in many ways; a strong physical presence at the show with ample space, a “stand out” display with a clearly stated message, well-trained staff who work as a cohesive team, diligent follow-up, and perhaps an appropriate giveaway.

Studies show that we have 7 seconds to capture someone’s attention. That means your trade show booth must be designed with the correct intentionality. In this blog post, we’ll discuss a few ways you can become a better “attention grabber.” What are the goals of your booth? Are you looking to distribute giveaway items, trying to get direct sales, or simply collect information of the visitors? No matter which it is, understanding what your goals at the trade show are will help you dictate the appropriate ways to grab an individual’s attention.

What stresses out your employees? Deadlines? A never-ending to-do list? An overflowing inbox?

While the concept of work-life integration is designed to reduce workplace stress, sometimes it can have the opposite effect, as schedules become blurry and we try to cope with being “always on.”

You have to invest in marketing to create excitement, attract press, and ultimately sell tickets to your event. But it’s challenging for a busy organizer to stay on top of marketing trends and know which efforts to invest in. This month, we’ve curated the most on-point marketing insight from experts around the web to help you take your event marketing to the next level.

If there’s one thing that’ll set a meeting professional’s teeth on edge, it’s a costly surprise—especially when it’s one that could have been addressed in the contract up front, and even more especially when it comes to costly attrition. While there are any number of ways to approach attrition in negotiations, here are some strategies that attorney, speaker, and College of Coastal Georgia professor Tyra Hilliard, Esq., PhD, CMP, outlined in a recent MeetingsNet Master Class webinar that can help you negotiate an attrition clause that’s fair to both parties.

You spend SO much time planning your meetings and events - especially the big ones. So isn’t it a shame when after months and months of planning, suddenly it’s all just...over? Well it doesn’t have to be!

There are actually several things you can do to keep that post-event excitement (and chatter) going. Take a look!

Last month, we had the opportunity to come together as a meetings and business-events industry to promote the value of face-to-face meetings. On April 6, more than 100 events were held in nearly 25 countries across six continents as part of the second annual Global Meetings Industry Day, a Meetings Mean Business Coalition initiative.

I’ve been doing research into and thinking about the mass-personalization wave that is dramatically changing what and how we buy as consumers. I’ve learned that personalization can be achieved in a number of ways.

Along with live video and chatbots, gamification is one of the most talked about event trends at the moment. Even though the term has spread like wildfire throughout the events industry, there is misunderstanding about what gamification is and how it can be use to enhance an in-person event.

It seems that over the last 12-24 months, our industry’s lists of trends and buzzwords have frequently reflected the popularity of incorporating interactive elements into event design. Long before our industry’s trade shows, educational events, and news publications started focusing on this “trend,” however, many of us were already racking up success stories driven by effective experiential event design. The companies who have been doing this for years are typically those who take a more strategic approach in helping corporate clients achieve their meeting, event, and incentive goals. Here at Kuoni, we refer to the practice as “client enculturation.”

In today’s competitive workplace, it’s important for school leavers and graduates to consider the different ways that they can stand out from the crowd and catch employers’ attention. While top final year grades or a degree are well regarded, on-the-job experience is also a must for those looking to secure that all-important first full-time role. This is especially the case in the brand experience industry, where exposure to the pre, during and post-event delivery stages is invaluable.

hen it comes to launching surveys to collect feedback at your event, the faster you can launch them, typically the better the response! While event apps have made the process of launching surveys and collecting feedback faster (remember how painful paper surveys were?), the actual quality of the feedback is still dependant on the questions you ask.

 That’s why we’ve put together the following best practices for gathering feedback using your event app. With your EventMobi event app, you can launch 3 different types of surveys: live polls, session surveys and event surveys.

As event professionals, we’re constantly hunting for new ideas that could help us design better meetings. With this in mind, we browsed through the TED archives and discovered a few amazing videos that will give you a dose of inspiration.

Give them a watch. We believe these ideas are worth adopting at your next event.

Now that the calendar has passed the Easter season and the warmer weather is returning, event participants will welcome the opportunity to spend some time outdoors.Taking the group outdoors, even for a little, will breathe new life into what could be just another mundane indoor meeting or event. Even if the entire event can’t be outdoors, arrange an outdoor break, snack, lunch dinner, concert, or other entertainment

Here are 8 practical considerations that need to be built into your plan for outdoor events.