Inspiration Hub

Are you ready to enter the age of experience? A new study from the global agency George P. Johnson Experience Marketing singled out the effective emerging practices smart planners used in the last year to produce transformational messaging. David Rich, senior vice president of client services for the company, drilled down on the trends that are motivating employees and consumers.

Lights are shining brighter. Colors are popping with vibrancy. As the holiday season falls upon us, the drinks and food start to get a little tastier, too. And what better way to talk about Kimpton’s 2020 Culinary and Cocktail Forecast, or what’s up and coming, than over some F&B?

We’ve all done it. Waited until the last possible moment to finish a project. Barely getting the project in on time, much less in quality condition. We do it to ourselves all the time. The battle with procrastination is real and can be somewhat emotional. Although working alongside procrastination can be a delicate dance, to win the battle is very simple. Yet, although winning the battle is simple, it is not easy. I may not have the final answer on how to beat procrastination, but I do have some helpful tips that could help you.

Think about how difficult it once was for two people attending a conference to arrange a meeting. 

First, you had to figure out who was going to be there by browsing a printed directory. Then, you would look up the email address (or phone number!) of the person you wanted to meet and contact them to see if they were interested. If they were, you would check your schedule, hoping for an overlap, and agree on a time.

Audiovisual services are technically challenging and sometimes a bit mysterious, so it’s nice to lean on your partners for support. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Understanding the basics of event sound, video, and lighting technology will help you know what’s available and how those options align with your goals when you meet with AV providers.

Planners have a thousand details to consider when organizing a private event. So how can they keep the vision aligned?

A webinar by Skyline Exhibits aimed to answer that, hosted by Sofia Troutman, senior digital marketing and product innovation manager, and Jon Althoff, senior director of global marketing. The industry experts described how to keep the process focused, as well as some underestimated details that will help ensure your event’s success.

It’s budget season again, when everyone is looking to the coming year and hoping for a crystal ball to tell them what the future holds.  While we can’t answer that, what we can say for sure is going green with your events can save money. When you consider the typical conference attendee produces more than 4 pounds (1.89 kg) of waste per day, more than 2.5 pounds (1.16 kg) of which are landfilled, there has to be a better way!  Our “Environmental Footprint of an Event” infographic has more examples like this to learn more about impacts at events.

Finding speakers is vital for any conferences, as well as conferences,  are essential for interacting with people within your profession. With the increasing number of congresses, you would think it is easy to find a great speaker. There are thousands of speakers, but most of them do not have what it takes to appeal to the audience. The success of an event relies on engaging the audience through effective keynote speeches. The last thing you want is someone who will stand on the podium and talk throughout the session.

The most important trend I’ve seen in food and beverage in 2019 is customization. By curating the perfect menu tailored to guest preferences, event professionals can ensure a higher quality experience for everyone involved. Delivering personalized meals allows planners to stand out—and it can be fun. Here are some my top recommendations on how to utilize current food trends to create a memorable and lasting event.

A recent survey of the newest members of the workforce found that while they expect the organizations they work for to be technologically proficient, it does not mean that they want all communication to happen through electronic means.

You thought your check-in process was smooth as butter — until one of your friends told you that she and her friends feel intimidated coming through your doors. As a result, they frequent your venue less often. 

Today, diversity and inclusion are top-of-mind concerns for all kinds of event creators. Whether you’re in charge of a giant recurring festival or a tiny one-time pop-up, you want as many people as possible to enjoy it. And you certainly don’t want anyone to feel excluded. 

Just like that, we blinked and it’s time to talk about the 2020 event trends. You might be asking yourself, what will be shaking up the industry this year?  How will the industry evolve? We have some predictions! This year we stepped it up and surveyed hundreds of #Eventprofs to weigh in on the hottest trends for 2020. We could list out hundreds of trends but at that point is it even a trend? We don’t think so. Instead, we’re bringing you a curated list of the top event trends for 2020. Buckle up it’s going to be an exciting ride! 

Whether you’re wondering how to fund a fantastic new conference or expand an existing one, a crowdfunding campaign could be your non-traditional route to event growth.

Headlines about airplanes failures, inconveniences on the way to the gate and the idea of being stuck on a plane full of unpredictable strangers can put the planner brain on high alert, but it doesn’t have to be a white-knuckle experience. With busy holiday and conference travel season in full swing, here are some easy tips to manage in-flight anxiety.

Event planning veteran Brad Weaber, founder of the eponymous Brad Weaber Consulting Group, has some news for meeting professionals who may have written off destination organizations as not relevant. “It used to be all about heads in beds; now CVBs are involved in subjects ranging from advocacy and safety to climate change; the role of a destination organization has changed dramatically,” he said.

Accessing and sharing information among various event, venue, agencies and organizations is challenging, but necessary for developing effective situational and operational awareness, and your information must be “consumable” and “actionable” to be useful. Here are some helpful steps to establishing communication with your safety and security team and how to empower them to situational assessment.

“We’ve been trying to get an online educational initiative off the ground for (2, 5, 10+) years...we just don’t know where to start.”

Sound familiar? More and more, having some kind of formal education in place for members isn’t an option, but a must-have. Education is a major join reason, it’s something that your organization can uniquely offer, and (if you want to get real savvy) it’s a huge opportunity to generate some non-dues revenue. And with the all learning management tools out there, you can easily make that program available to all members, all the time.

Even the best planned events can fall prey to emergencies. And whether this emergency is an active shooter, a natural disaster or a medical issue, those responsible for the event are responsible for the well being of all attendees and speakers.

When it comes to entertainment ideas for corporate events, things have pretty much been done a billion times over. There’s the photo booth, cooking classes, live bands, not to mention the escape room. Aimed at creating bonding opportunities for employees, sharing company culture initiatives and sparking collaborations, corporate events usually have strong mandates in mind, yet one of the biggest challenges is that people are pretty much dragged into going there, and end up either leaving early, leaving drunk and/or missing the point entirely. 

Would you like to be seen as an event professional whose opinion is valued and can have a permanent seat at the table where strategic decisions are made? Howard Givner, founder of Event Leadership Institute, shared the secrets to attaining trusted advisor status in an exclusive interview with Smart Meetings.