Mar 29, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Have you ever driven home and not remembered the trip? Been in a meeting and not remembered the presenter's name or topic? Or worse, come back from a three-day conference chalked full of education, only to remember a few tidbits? Why can't we remember the details when asked to recall them?   According to Gregory Berns' blog post titled "Neuroscience Sheds New Light on Creativity", the brain is lazy and ultimately our past experiences have a dramatic affect on our c...

Mar 27, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
In the 20+ years I have been a meeting planner, it used to be all you needed for your meeting to be successful was to secure a speaker and room, LCD projector and screen rental, podium and microphone. Set up the room theater or classroom style. And if the meeting was long enough, provide some food and beverage. It usually took all of one hour or less to schedule and after it was over, you repeated the process for the next meeting. Oh how things have changed!  Nowadays, the need for W...

Mar 25, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Over the last three weeks, Washington has been busy with the government sequester, GSA's Meetings Management Program, and Senate Amendment 67. All these initiatives will have some impact on travel and the meetings industry. Below is a summary of each initiative, what impact it will have, plus how corporate meeting planners can create a strategy and have a voice in the process. GOVERNMENT SEQUESTRATION Failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach agreement on $1.2...

Mar 22, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
It used to be that the term "On-Demand" applied only to movie and TV shows. It is a great concept -- individuals viewing the shows they want, when and where they want to. All they need is a computer or TV and credit card. But now, on-demand is transferring to other elements of our lives including meetings and events.  Due to technological advances, we are becoming a "no wait" society. According to the New York Times, Google engineers have discovered that, if we ha...

Mar 20, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
With all the sights, sounds and visual stimulation we are bombarded with everyday, have you ever wondered what the most effective method is for retention of your conference information?  You aren't the only one --- and a recent PCMA article by Barbara Palmer titled "Audio/Visual Neurological" identifies the best ways attendees learn and retain information.  Andrea Sullivan, Organizational Performance Consultant for BrainStrength Systems aptly put it this way, "...

Mar 18, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
There is a new social channel on the block and it is called Vine. Accessed through an iPhone or iTouch, users create short looping videos that are very easy to make. Videos you post to Vine will appear on your Vine profile and the timelines of your followers. You can also share your video posts to Twitter and/or Facebook. Vine is all of one-month old but because of its simplicity and shortness, it is considered the hot new backchannel to promote your meeting or event. You can qu...

Mar 15, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Planning your next meeting or conference and need to send out a series of RFPs from the food and beverage to renting audio visual equipment? You are not alone! Meeting planners, no matter the size of the meeting, desire to obtain high quality responses so they can move forward to the next part of the logistical process. What is the best way to make this happen? Here are four steps that should make it easier for your vendors to respond and give you better quality quotes in the proces...

Mar 13, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, launched a worldwide rebranding effort to all their employees over a two-day period in February 2010. Because of DSM's strategic and successful use of meetings and events to promote the new brand identity -- Bright Science. Brighter Living™ --  they received the 2012 Recognizing Industry Success and Excellence (RISE) Award for Organizational Achievement from MPI. In the latest edition of MPI&#...

Mar 11, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Are you looking for a better meeting? You want to enhance the meeting experience for your participants and you know you need to do it in order to keep attendees coming back, your trade show thriving and sponsors satisfied. So how can you do it -- given the fact that you have so little time and no budget increase?  Just like anything else in life, your meeting or event requires a plan that will focus on the attendee, exhibitors, sponsors, presenters and suppliers. How can you make you...

Mar 08, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a conference formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading." Over a four day period, 50 speakers each take up an 18-minute slot about their message. More than 1,000 people attend the event and it is always sold out one year in advance. This year's conference held from February 25 through March 1 in Long Beach, California was no different, but the tact to find interesting and informative speakers was. Take a quick peek at one of the 3...