Strategic planning is sometimes perceived as a solution only employable by larger organizations with deep pockets and resources to burn. I disagree with this, contending that strategy is accessible and beneficial to all sizes and types of businesses — including the brand experience category. From exhibiting to show organizing and everything in between, a clear and effective strategy guides all messaging, media, and measurement, deeply connecting your marketing to your audiences, and driving home long-term results for your brand. 

In the international market, we’re seeing a huge shift happening that is pushing experience toward the center of the marketing ecosystem; that’s exciting for us. Brands are eager to tackle fresh new ideas from strategic marketing partners who come to the table with creativity and flexibility in mind.  

Chatbots, or bots, are taking the tech world by storm, so it’s no surprise have begun to make their way into the event space. These programs, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), have the ability to communicate with users, mimicking natural speech while they answer questions and provide helpful information.

Let’s be honest: We can all let our schedules get away from us. Whether it’s personal or professional, having a handle on your calendar should ultimately generate less stress in your life (and who doesn’t love that?). To help make it a little easier, we’ve split up the typical events for an association’s calendar into three categories to help you organize your key dates with ease!

When two of your event planning tools can work together, they make processes more efficient and can deliver optimal results. Case in point: marketing automation software and your event mobile app. Both do great things on their own, but if they can integrate together, they can become incredibly useful tools for attendees, sponsors and event planners alike.

Let’s face it unless you’re an AV pro, your quote may look confusing to you. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Make sure the AV company walks you through your quote! AV companies should be able to justify EVERY piece of equipment on the quote. They should also explain it all in layman’s terms. Far too often, AV companies just send you a quote and expect you to understand it (or maybe they hope you don’t and just go with it). Unless you have a lot AV experience under your belt, it’s hard to understand what every line means. It’s even harder to understand how it impacts the overall vision of your event.

If you hire speakers for corporate events, you know that choosing the right one for your audience is just the first step. As a 30-year veteran of the podium, working as a corporate put-on comedian, I’ve learned plenty of lessons about the what can go right and wrong on stage. Here is some of my favorite advice for ensuring that speakers have the best chance to succeed.

Green energy and innovative sustainable solutions have been in the event industry’s spotlight for quite some time now – the latest paradigm being the recent EXPO 2017 in Astana. It is evident that our world needs to move away from the ever-increasing power consumption and its severe environmental repercussions, with events spearheading this massive effort.

You spend a lot of time - and money - planning your association’s events. So naturally, you want them to be successful and for your attendees to be engaged. But how? How do you make sure your attendees are having a good time and engaged in your sessions/activities?

Most of the news we hear about cyber-attacks these days are concerning large business entities and organisations. However, the threat is also very real for smaller business that could be financially devastated by the fallout and losses inflicted by a cyber-attack. Hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods in this digital world and what is more concerning, is that institutions with top-notch security systems, such as banks, have been repeatedly victimised by these type of security breaches.

Today there is a lot of talk in the event industry about Artificial Intelligence. Find out how artificial intelligence is changing events, why you should care and what you should consider when evaluating AI for your future projects.

The quarterly business review is an important part of the supplier-management process. QBRs are periodic meetings between the client and supplier partners to review performance metrics, revise priorities, and examine industry trends. Below are seven tips to help meeting professionals ensure more effective QBRs.

A little more than two weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm. Over the course of four days, Harvey dropped 30 to 50 inches of rain on Houston, creating widespread flooding, displacing tens of thousands of people from their homes, temporarily disrupting energy and agricultural production, and causing up to $50 billion in property damage. Nearly 10,000 people ended up sheltering in place at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center.

It can be challenging for businesses to find their place in the vast digital landscape. But when approached thoughtfully, conquering social media doesn’t need to be an insurmountable task, according to Erik Qualman, motivational speaker and bestselling author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. “Don’t jump in and use every possible social media or mobile outlet out there,” Qualman suggested. “I always say focus on one, get pretty good at that, and move on from there.”

This is a letter I’ve wanted to write to you, but never have gotten around to doing. Now that I’ve written it, I might not send it. I’m not very visible to you for most of the year; you only see me at the annual meeting and perhaps a couple of quarterly meetings. I’m a meeting professional with your trade association, working year-round to ensure that your time and monetary investment in being a member pays off for you.

Social media isn’t just a nice to have for promoting your event — it’s essential. But getting your posts to show up in the feeds of event-goers is getting more and more difficult, thanks to changing algorithms. So what can you do?

We talk a lot about the importance of surveying your association’s membership, particularly following events. But let’s say you do survey your event attendees and, unfortunately, don’t get the best feedback. What should your next course of action be? How do you respond to your members (and prospects) and appease them in a way that’ll make them want to come back next year? 

Research has found that mindfulness training alters our brains and how we engage with ourselves, others, and our work. When practiced and applied, mindfulness fundamentally alters the operating system of the mind. Through repeated mindfulness practice, brain activity is redirected from ancient, reactionary parts of the brain, including the limbic system, to the newest, rational part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex.

The people of Texas and Florida are on my mind in the wake of Harvey and Irma. These storms and their aftermath are causing me to feel somewhat helpless. We can (and should) donate to the extent we are able, but what else can we as meetings professionals offer? I’ve lived through a handful of disasters myself, and while these storms’ wrath may be unprecedented, the lessons for our business and personal lives, as well as our role as event professionals, remain consistent

When marketing your association, are there any words you find yourself using over and over? What terms resonate with people? What phrases are actually effective? Well there’s a lot out there about marketing and persuasion, but here are four words you may want to consider when “selling” your association.

Speakers are at the heart of business events and fundraisers. A solid lineup can mean the difference between “wow” and “meh” for your attendees. After all, they come for a great experience, quality networking, and actionable advice — all things speakers contribute to.

When it comes to mobile event apps and event technology of all varieties, event professionals know exactly how true that sentiment is. If an event app isn’t useful, engaging, valuable (and all those other adjectives that mobile event apps have to be), then encouraging attendees to download and engage with the event app will be futile.

As technology makes the world a smaller and more connected place, association leaders in the United States increasingly heed the call to expand to new international markets. Bearing in mind that many sectors and professions are going global exponentially, it becomes imperative for associations to offer international capabilities and incorporate a more global view in decision-making.

From the moment you leave your house in the morning until you come home at night your day can consist of hundreds of professional and personal interpersonal interactions, and research suggests that if you could improve the experience for both parties in each of these interactions the benefits could be greater than you think.