Sep 21, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
You are having a large event with attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, media, and staff. The venue and hotel space is booked, the speakers selected, and the food and beverage secured. Anything else you need to worry about? Yes there is...network connectivity! Network connectivity can make or break your event and having the right Wi-Fi network that includes wireless network array rentals, enough access points, and bandwidth is as important as having dynamic presenters. Lets address the different ty...

Sep 19, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
What does a great speaker look and sound like? It is often hard to put into words, but we usually know when we find them. Besides wonderful peer reviews, it is important to have a checklist of things to ask your speaker during the interview process. Before signing a contract with them, consider the following questions as a useful speaker's guide.    PreparationHow much time does it take to prepare their presentation?How do they tailor their presentation to the audience demographics and...

Sep 16, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
The invitations have been mailed out, the food and beverage has been ordered, and you are anticipating a good number of attendees at your event. What could possibly go wrong? The quick answer is: Plenty! Meetings and events require more that basic logistics and old marketing strategies. Here are some common mistakes planners make and what you can do to avoid them:  No Digital Marketing Strategy. It is time to recognize the power of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. With millions of peo...

Sep 14, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
According to a recent study by New Media Trend Watch, the Milennial Attendee (ages 18-34) has the following technology profile: 91% use the Internet 86% use Social Media 84% view online videos and 62% use Internet services on their mobile devices In addition, New Media's research found that Gen-X (ages 35-46) and young Baby Boomers (ages 47-55) are increasing buying or renting tablets, such as iPads, to access the Internet for mobile web browsing.  Given these stati...

Sep 12, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
Are you evaluating different cities for your next convention or large event? It can be a daunting task, especially since it is often like comparing "apples to oranges". Below are some tips that can make your evaluation process a little easier, especially during the early phase of your site selection journey. Convention Center. Find out when it was built, when renovations occurred, how much meeting space it has, and its proximity to hotels. Ask the follow question of the Confere...

Sep 09, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
Are you looking to give your next PowerPoint presentation some punch? Want to improve your message and have a more successful sales meeting? Then follow these simple, effective tips to make your message stand out: Include no more than 5 bullets per slide Overloading or reading the slide is a big no-no. Make certain that you have large enough fonts that the audience can see the slide from the last row of the meeting. Powerpoint presentation equipment is meant to aid the presenter, not r...

Sep 07, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
We all know AV Technicians are important to the flow of our meetings, but have you ever considered hiring an AV Project Manager (PM), too? A highly experienced project manager works with meeting planners from the pre-planning to the execution stage. Below are some of the key benefits a project manager can bring to your next event: Team Player: They act as a liaison between the technical staff, the meeting planner, the venue staff, and any other partner involved in the meeting. Go-to Pe...

Sep 05, 2011 by Melissa Bailey
S o m e t i m e s i t ' s i m p o r t a n t t o w o r k f o r t h a t p o t o f g o l d . & n b s p ; B u t o t h e r t i m e s i t ' s e s s e n t i a l t o t a k e t i m e o f f a n d t o m a k e s u r e t h a t y o u r m o s t i m p o r t a n t d e c i s i o n i n t h e d a y s i m p l y c o n s i s t s o f c h o o s i n g w h i c h c o l o r t o s l i d e d o w n o n t h e r a i n b o w . & n b s p ; ~ D o u g l a s P a g e l s , T h e s e A r e t h e G i f t s I ' d L i k e t o G i v e t o Y o u H a p p y L a b o r D a y ! Y o u r f r i e n d s a t

Sep 02, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
Imagine a lighting source that is cool to the touch, portable, and self-contained with no cables to run. It uses 95% less energy than conventional lights. It has lamp life of over 50,000 hours. Too good to be true? Not anymore because this is Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and the future is now. At their annual international trade show, Lightfair International, broke their record for exhibitor space and attendees, but the real winner of the show was LED technology, which is estimated t...

Aug 31, 2011 by DeDe Mulligan
At ASAE's Annual Meeting held August 7-9, 2011 in St. Louis, MO, many meeting planners shared their thoughts on how association organizations can focus more attention on membership, marketing, and communications. Here is a summary of their thoughts -- pre-event, at the function, and post-event: Before the Meeting Offer Unique Discounts. We all know about the early-bird discounts, but creative discounts, for a limited period of time, can drive attendance up. For example, a special discoun...