Feb 27, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Have you ever wondered, "Why is my meeting not growing in attendance?" or "Why aren't attendees excited and engaged in the event?" If you have thought one or both of these questions, you are not alone. Below six meeting problems and their fixes aimed to help you with meeting growth and attendee engagement.  Reason #1: Your event is stale.  If you are producing a meeting or tradeshow the same way you were 3-5 years ago, something is wrong. It says to y...

Feb 25, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Yesterday, the 85th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. With over 1 billion viewers worldwide, the Oscars are in a category all by themselves. As an event organizer, have you ever given any thought to what makes the Oscars so appealing and what you can do to mimic this hype at your next awards or appreciation event?  Here are four areas the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences excels at in promoting and hosting their once a year event: #1: The n...

Feb 22, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Your event has been in the works for months and even though February and March can be iffy travel months due to weather, you have planned plenty of time for your attendees and presenters to arrive, right? Maybe so and maybe not. According to FlightStats.com, an estimated 36,680 global flights were canceled and over 560,000 were delayed in just the last 30 days --- mostly due to weather. So what can you do if a significant number of your speakers and attendees get stuck either at home or a...

Feb 20, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Think back to your last meeting or event: Were attendees confused or frustrated with your signage? Were they constantly getting lost and asking others for help in locating breakout rooms or finding a particular trade show floor exhibitor?  You can spend the time, money, and effort on printed signage -- but in the end, most attendees do not see it because it is not vibrant or visible enough to get noticed. In our real-time interactive world, do you really want to trust those posters a...

Feb 18, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Pinterest is a photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests and hobbies. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own pinboards or 'like' photos. With over ten million unique U.S. visitors, it is by far the fastest growing social media channel.  If you are not familiar with Pinterest, it allows you to create or contribute to a series of boards. In the audio visual...

Feb 15, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Even though we are seeing better economic times, many meeting and event planners are still faced with stagnant budgets. With certain revenue opportunities in question, such as sponsorships and trade show participation, planners are constantly looking for ways to cut costs AND keep attendees satisfied. Below are seven simple, yet effective ways to cut costs out of your budget that should have minimal impact on the attendee:   BEVERAGES Eliminate individual servings of water and soda....

Feb 13, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
The ASAE Foundation, Exhibition Industry Foundation, Freeman, Gaylord Entertainment and the PCMA Education Foundation recently completed research about the future of convention exhibits and tradeshows. They gathered data from a variety of forums including LinkedIn discussion groups, PCMA Leader Summits in Toronto and Nashville and the PCMA Master Series where they interviewed over 300 industry professionals about what they predict the tradeshow arena will look like in 2016.  Scenario...

Feb 08, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
When was the last time your attendees had a gut wrenching laugh or had fun all the way through a speaker's presentation? Are your events just the opposite -- solemn and serious? After all, isn't fun and laughter reserved for only children? The answer categorically is: NO! Laughter and fun have been proven to improve every aspect of adult life from enjoyment in a work environment to getting the most out of a meeting and event. Still not sold? Here are the five reasons why you wa...

Feb 06, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Last Sunday's Big Game is probably one of the most hyped, talked about, and watched sports game on TV. It is bigger than the World Series® and the NBA® Finals. It has broad mass appeal and it provides something for everyone. It is a reason to gather at someone's home or a local establishment. Even if you do not understand football very well, it is a game you would go to, just so you could scratch it off your bucket list.  What is it about last Sunday's football game ...

Feb 04, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Three short years ago, Blackberry was sitting pretty. They had roughly 40% of the smartphone market share and every business professional I know was carrying one. How the world changes in a flash of time. Just last year, Blackberry considered selling its RIM operating system to Amazon or Facebook as an attempt to save the company. A few days ago, they introduced a new version of RIM, but it is probably  too little, too late for the Canadian phone company.  Palm was the darling of s...