Jan 31, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
We all know them and love them. Gamers, I'm speaking of...people who love spend time at the computer playing against online villains, trying to work their way through a maze or move up to the next level. According to the Entertainment Software Association: 58% of all Americans play video games The average age is 30 and that individual has been playing games for 13 years and 36% play games on their smartphones. And according to Big Fish, a gaming blog site, this trend is going to...

Jan 29, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
American Express Meetings & Events recently published their 76-page report forecasting “Signs of Stability” as we move through 2014. Below are four trends they garnered from in-depth interviews with planners and suppliers around the world. Today's blog is focused on North American trends. For more information about the rest of the world, please download their entire report.   Trend #1: No Increase or Decrease in Overall Meeting Spend and Individual Meeting Bu...

Jan 27, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Last September and October, Godiva completed a #TruffleTakeoff Tour in New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles to promote their six new truffle flights. Not only could a passerby experience the new line of chocolates, but they could pose for pictures in front of six unique tableaux.  Here is a brief video and summary of what Godiva did and how you can capitalize on this for your next event.  TRUFFLE TAKEOFF TOUR Godiva took this tour to the standard top cities...

Jan 24, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Recently, Corbin Ball shared his expertise regarding meeting curation with Midwest Meetings magazine. He identified six apps that will help spread the word about your meeting, tell a story and/or collect data across social platforms.  I will share in today's blog five of those apps, the number of users on the channel, whether there is a cost involved, what platforms these apps run on, and how they can be scaled up with other interactive technology tool rentals. But first, le...

Jan 22, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
On November 18, 2013, the House of Representatives passed HR 2061 known as the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2013, by 388-1. Below is a summary of the bill, a review of the Senate version, US travel association reactions and key takeaways for us all.  GOVERNMENT AT WORK  The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2013: Discloses direct federal agency expenditures and links federal contract, loan, and grant spending information to programs of fe...

Jan 20, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Whether you are planning a new meeting or considering changing your supplier for an existing one, it is important that you assess the overall capabilities of the AV provider. Without a doubt, it is easier to stay with what you know. However, you have not been totally satisfied with the level of customer service your existing company has provided you, and are left wondering if there may be a better choice.  Beyond pricing, location and interactive technology tool rentals, what should ...

Jan 17, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
  Successful Meetings polled planners in late October of last year and found out a key nugget of information: Meeting net budgets are projected to get smaller this year as compared to last. The rationale is most budgets are expected to remain flat or slightly increase, but expenses such as hotels, airfare, F&B and renting audio visual equipment are projected to be on the rise. So what oh what is a meeting planner to do? Below is the raw data as reported by Successful Meetings, ...

Jan 15, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Tagoras, a marketing consulting firm, and Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, an annual meeting improvement, association and corporate meetings company, recently surveyed 175 meeting professionals about their expectations of speakers -- both in live context and resonating their message to a remote audience.  Here are the highlights from the research:  Killer Insight #1: Surveys are collected, but learning is still questionable.  According to their research, 94% of res...

Jan 13, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
If you kick yourself every time you hold a meeting or conference because one budget item slipped through the cracks, you are not alone. Even though orchestrating the budget is part of your job description, the task can be overwhelming when considering all the items you need to track plus new ones that will be included in your 2014 budget.  Here are four budget items to give more attention to this year:  Budget Blunder #1: You don't receive line item costs because you are t...

Jan 10, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
As you develop plans for an attractive and appealing booth this year, consider the following tips to bring more attendees to your space and ultimately more business to your company's bottom line. Here are a subset of the 19 ideas provided by BizBash, plus a few of my own thoughts on ways interactive technology tool rentals can help as you initiate your 2014 plans. Resolution #1: My Booth will be Interesting and Engaging and so will I.  Here are a few ideas to make this happen: A...