Feb 24, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
If you are a meeting planner, you know the stress associated with planning and executing a large, complex event. You can be the best project manager and communicator in the world, but when the event actually starts to unfold, things can go sideways rather quickly.  Here are three items that most planners deal with at every meeting and nine strategies to maximize attendee happiness and minimize your own stress levels.  NO SHOWS 10 years ago, the no-show rate was about 5-10% for all...

Feb 21, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Is your conference shrinking or does it experience high turnover? If this is the case, chances are your attendees have not received the kind of treatment they should have; either when registering for the event or at the conference itself. They have the budget approved and they want to be there - but something went awry in the process.   Here are the top three things that drive customers always as identified by Bill Murphy, Jr., an author specializing In leadership and entrepreneurship. ...

Feb 19, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
When Daniel Lamarre, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cirque du Soleil, came to the SID LEE agency in 2010, he wanted a corporate event where business leaders could instill creativity and innovation into their organizations. And out of this collaboration, C2MTL was born - an intensive three-day event now into its fourth year. With 75% of the event sold out with three months to go, no wonder BizBash upholds it as a "must-attend conference" model. Here are seven takeaway i...

Feb 12, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
With the Winter Olympics underway in Sochi, this is an exciting time for us to watch professional athletes all over the world compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. And while most of us watch in awe of these individuals who do things beyond the average person's capabilities, you might be wondering what the meeting profession can learn from these competitors. Here are my thoughts on the five things we all can do to be better meeting planners in 2014 and beyond.  Get a coac...

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 08, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Northstar Meeting's Group recently polled 145 senior executives regarding their position on the intrinsic value of off-site meetings. The results were refreshing and if used properly, should help in your efforts to justify the use of meeting planners within the organization. Here it goes:  VITAL MEETING TYPES Respondents said the following meetings are extremely or very important to the success of their organization:  Training (65%) Board (65%) Annual (59...

Dec 23, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
If you are like me, you dread the "Please step into my office" or "We need to talk" start to a conversation. Immediately, visions of criticism and negative comments jump into your mind. We all think of feedback, even constructive feedback, as a terrible thing and if we don't like it, how could our speakers, sponsors and exhibitors?  But what if we are wrong? That feedback is exactly what strong leaders crave and want - that it makes them a great leader in so m...

Dec 16, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Meeting in a Box. Meeting Toolkit. Audio Visual included as part of the standard venue contract.  This is a meeting planner's dream, right? Easy-peasy. You will handle the AV by rolling in the PowerPoint presentation equipment, following directions or relying on the venue to handle it. One less thing to worry about, right? Wrong!  Audiovisual, computers and connectivity are vital to your meeting. Without presentation services equipment to give you the visuals and proper&nb...

Dec 16, 2013 by Melissa Bailey
    Meeting in a Box. Meeting Toolkit. Audio Visual included as part of the standard venue contract.  This is a meeting planner's dream, right? Easy-peasy. You will handle the AV by rolling in the PowerPoint presentation equipment, following directions or relying on the venue to handle it. One less thing to worry about, right? Wrong!  Audiovisual, computers and connectivity are vital to your meeting. Without presentation services equipment to give you the visual...

Dec 09, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Destination Hotels & Resorts surveyed 180 US meeting professionals about a number of key topics they expect to encounter in 2014. Here are the top 5 meeting industry trends, as identified in the report:  TEAM BUILDING 92% of survey participants want team building activities as part of their attendees' overall conference experience. In addition, if the activity can be tied to a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, all the better. However, they actually want to do somet...