Oct 31, 2012 by Melissa Bailey
W h e n b l a c k c a t s p r o w l a n d p u m p k i n s g l e a m , M a y l u c k b e y o u r s o n H a l l o w e e n . ~ A u t h o r U n k n o w n H a p p y H a l l o w e e n ! & n b s p ; f r o m y o u r f r i e n d s a t & n b s p ;

Oct 29, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
Have you ever called a company to ask a simple question only to receive the run around? Or have you ever gone into a store to purchase a product and the sales person knew nothing about it? Or even worse, has someone sold you something and you asked if the product had a particular feature -- only to find out when you got it back to the office -- it did not?  So, let me ask you a question: How well do your employees know your products and services? When was the last time you trained them?...

Oct 26, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
Every large meeting and conference has a networking element to it; in which most attendees either love or hate. Most extroverted participants look forward to the networking element especially if they have come to the event multiple times. However, what about the first-time or introverted attendee? How can event meeting services organizations convince them to network?  Here are 3 tips that can help you sell attendees on the benefits of networking and subtle ways you can make it very easy...

Oct 24, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
We are all familiar with the sign to the left. It is  everywhere -- at the library, fast food establishments and even rest stops along the highway. While this is great for a traveler or a person who wants to scroll through their emails while enjoying a cup of coffee, how does it translate to a meeting of 200 to 1,000 attendees? Probably not very well -- mostly out of insufficient knowledge and high expectations by planners and attendees alike.  Let's look at what attendees expe...

Oct 22, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
There has been a lot of dialog about crowdsourcing over the last few years and it seems that this planning process for meetings and events may start to take hold. However, is it the right option for each and every meeting and event? Maybe yes and maybe no. As attendees get more vocal and use the technology they hold in the palm of their hand, it will become very apparent that without their input, your meeting is probably doomed. But does it have to be an all-or-nothing approach? It really d...

Oct 19, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
Two great events were held in Manhattan earlier this year where attendees were provided with wristbands to communicate with event organizers, check-in and vote on various food selections. BizBash magazine recently profiled these two events and the unique way they used RFID and NFC technology. Even though this technology has been around for a long time, it has finally made its way into the event stratosphere and with great success.  RFID is the use of a wireless system that uses rad...

Oct 17, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
Ted Rubin, Chief Social Marketing Officer at Collective Bias™ was recently named by Social Media Marketing magazine as the most followed CMO on Twitter -- where he has over 82,000 followers. He recently shared with BizBash magazine the ways he is using social media to build relationships and brand awareness and how this strategy can also be applied to meetings and events.  Below are the highlights from the article, in particular, some effective ways event meeting services ...

Oct 15, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) recently released a new study titled "Exhibitor Staff Practices Summaries" which is a computation of survey results from more than 9,000 attendees and 800 exhibitors. The purpose of the CEIR study is to understand what exhibitor staff characteristics resonate best with attendees in a business-to-business environment.  Lets highlight the key takeaways and how interactive technology tool rentals can help staff better interact wi...

Oct 12, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
AV is such a big part of most meetings and events and getting the equipment right for the room setting is paramount to its success. In addition, the right AV will keep your attendees happy and focused on the meeting materials. Here are the 7 things you want to take a closer look at when evaluating a room for your next conference or meeting: Ceilings. How high are the ceilings? Low ceilings or low hanging lights can interfere with the LCD projector and screen rental set-up.  One way to determ...

Oct 10, 2012 by DeDe Mulligan
You sent out the RFPs, evaluated the AV company responses and narrowed it down to 3 potential providers. Before signing on the dotted line, you want to ask some follow up questions to make certain you are choosing the right supplier for your next conference. Here are 8 key questions to ask your next audio visual provider:  How much and what type of equipment does your organization have in inventory? Many experienced planners know that sometimes equipment requests happen at the las...