May 17, 2017 by Donna M. Autuori
George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” I am sure there are some people who would disagree, but not many. Food definitely speaks to most of us and can be a great draw at a trade show booth. The question is what is the right food to serve? And, what foods should you avoid having at your booth? Convention Halls Set Guidelines for Food in Booths In part, the answers to those questions rest in the regulations presented by the various trade show venues ...

Nov 17, 2015 by Karen Daniels
As a financial conference planner, it’s up to you to anticipate the reasons people attend a conference and provide solutions that will help your attendees satisfy those reasons. These reasons may be a desire to gather new knowledge within an industry, to network, as well as taking advantage of an event location, making it a mini-holiday. You can’t always control where your event is held, but you can create an Outstanding Financial Conference that leaves your attendees feeling satisfied and...

Nov 10, 2015 by Anonymous
Wellness is a trending buzzword for workplaces and business events—and for good reason! For business meetings, events, trade shows, and conferences, happy, healthy attendees are far more likely to: Engage with other guests Interact with exhibitors Share and network through social media Attend sessions more frequently Report higher satisfaction levels about the event itself (Most importantly) RETURN year after year! Happiness, however, can seem quite elusive. Here are some tips and tren...

Jul 07, 2015 by Karen Daniels
Even with the online world at your fingertips, attending events and trade shows continues to be a prime opportunity to generate leads and gain customers. Unfortunately, we all know that trade shows can be costly for your company—both in money and time. This heavy investment can leave you wondering—is the ROI from trade shows truly worth the effort? Although the high cost of trade shows may tempt you to focus your marketing dollars on Internet leads rather than belly-to-belly events, the mos...

Dec 30, 2014 by Anonymous
If you’re gearing up to create some spectacular events in 2015, there are a few elements that have to be included if your event is going to be powerful and memorable for the attendees. As we’ve written about before, interactive technology is big and only going to get bigger. Interactive technology is becoming one of the must-have elements for any successful event today. We live in a time where using a touch screen is becoming second nature. In fact, you’ve probably experienced touching a ...

Nov 20, 2014 by Anonymous
Events are fleeting, but their environmental impact can last forever. Delightfully, we live in a time when environmentally responsible options are not only tolerated, but encouraged! Modern Event Planners no longer need to make sacrifices in order to meet the green standards that their clients and attendees now prefer. Best of all, many green options save money as well as resources—leaving budget goals met, and allowing for upgrades in other areas! Think Local While it’s easy to dream of e...

Aug 06, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Last October, the Green Meeting Industry Council launched a campaign titled "Ask for It". The intention of this campaign is  to promote the APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards. These standards (APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards) give meeting and event organizers a comprehensive roadmap for improving and measuring event sustainability for years to come. Standard Benefits These standards have three major benefits: They break down the sustainability techni...

Apr 24, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Earlier this month, several of my peers gathered in San Francisco for the Sustainable Meetings Conference hosted by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). The focus of this conference was:  Shorter presentations with audience interaction Visitation of sustainable locations in San Fran - from a green hotel to a farmer's market and Providing a more flexible event format to meet attendee needs.  This conference got me thinking about sustainability. What is it? H...

Feb 26, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Although the industry has been talking about this for a long time, there isn't one place to go to see the standards and certifications for going green. This blog brings the event information to you, will help you wade through it and gives you a few simple steps to bring your meeting to a more sustainable level.   STANDARDS  APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards The Convention Industry Council and ASTM International teamed up to complete nine individual standa...

Oct 25, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
"Going Green" is something you probably talk about when conferring with your meeting stakeholders and it is absolutely the correct thing to do. However, if you are like most planners, the tried and true way of doing things seems to be less costly than the green approach. But what if I told you going green is probably less expensive than you think, when you consider the total cost of a particular item. Would you do it then? Below are 2 ways to go green that should reduce or at le...