Jun 27, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
You worked so hard with your organization, event planning staff and the show manager to obtain the right position on the floor. You spent hours combing the best marketing materials and tchotchkes to provide. And last but not least, you spent thousands of dollars to fly yourself and staff to the 3-day conference.  When it was all said and done - what was the result? Less than stellar leads and staff that were bored out of their mind.  Before you go blaming the show manager or event ...

Jun 25, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Lighting - just like sound - can either enhance or degrade your attendees' meeting experience. Lighting is meant to set the mood and create an atmosphere where meeting participants feel invited and welcome. Most organizers, when event planning, rely solely on the venue to provide lighting options. However, the right audiovisual rental company can provide a plethora of excellent lighting options for your next event. The key is to determine who can and cannot meet your lighting needs. BizBas...

Jun 23, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
  It doesn't matter how much you hate to do it, it must be done. I'm talking about getting out there and asking for sponsorships for your next meeting, conference or trade show. Most individuals in the event planning arena, postpone this like a trip to the dentist or doctor. And this is knowing that sponsorship dollars are even tougher to get. What can you do to make those dollars flow your way? Eventbrite posted a blog about the 15 ways to perfect your pitch deck of which I gleemed some...

Jun 19, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Have you ever attended a conference so jazzed when you left you thought your feet were off the ground? You heard great speakers, absorbed new content and made a list of 15 things you want to do differently when you return to the office.  The problem?  No one heard what you did and when you share with your team the content, you receive a less than enthusiast response.  This is exactly what happened to Dan Berger and Trever Lynn from Social Tables, an event planning company, wh...

Jun 17, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
I think most event planning organizations would agree with this statement: Meeting planning used to be a whole lot simplier. Food & Beverage, Rooms Blocks and renting Audio Visual equipment was a breeze. No worries about food allergies, attendees going around the block or confusion about what to rent.  In the meeting room, it would be coffee, a stage, podium and PowerPoint Presentation Equipment. Easy-peasy. Attendees were happy. Presenters were happy. Sponsors were happy.  So,...

Jun 13, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
As a meeting planner myself, I understand the struggles you have in achieving maximum attendance at your meetings and events. It seems as if everyone is in "last minute" mode and I know a number of associations have taken the penalty fee stance for walk-in or late registrants. Rather than fighting the attendee to come to your event, shouldn't there be a better way to get them there? Here are 4 ideas that were originally inspired by The Meeting Professional magazine. I hope they help you achi...

Jun 11, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
SAP recently held their Sapphire Now in Orlando for 20,000 attendees. Based on feedback from meeting participants who attended last year's conference, the event planning team at SAP really stepped up to make this user conference everything the attendee wanted. Michael Trovalli, Vice President of Global Events at SAP, recently shared with BizBash, "The top two things (attendees) want is to hear the thought leadership and future vision of the company from our senior executives, which we've alwa...

Jun 09, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Everyone has heard or used them: MiFi. HotSpot. Personal WiFi. But what you don't know is with everyone setting up their individual WiFi system in the meeting room or on the trade show floor, it can wreak havoc on your event WiFi solutions. Here is a definition of MiFi and what four event planners have say about it from an up close and personal point of view.  MiFi Defined A MiFi device can be connected to a cellular network and provide Internet access for up to ten devices. The MiF...

Jun 05, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
I remember when I started blogging and posting on social, my biggest conundrum of the day was to figure out what to post. I didn't want it to be too commercial, yet it couldn't be too simple either.  Now multiply my dilemma by 100 or 1,000 meeting participants just dying to share their thoughts on social. Or not. They may be faced with the same bubble over their head, "What is appropriate to post?"  Why don't you give them some guidelines? We know not all social...

Jun 03, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Gathering timely feedback is one of the cornerstone responsibilities of every meeting planner, and often it is a requirement of the job. However, we all know the saying "Garbage In = Garbage Out" so the question I pose in today's blog is: Are you getting the type of feedback that can improve and enhance your conference?  According to Paul O. Radde, Ph.D., Founder of The Thrival Institute there are four types of feedback, as he conveyed in Successful Meetings Magazine. The first two ar...