Recent Posts

Jul 15, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Can you believe it? The Risk Management Society (RIMS), an organization of more than 11,000 risk management professionals, took some...(gulp)....risks at their annual conference last April. Christopher Durso from PCMA caught up with Stuart Ruff, RIMS Director of Meetings & Events to discuss the five choices they made and the impact it had on their attendees. Here are the highlights, along with a few of my own observations of how interactive technology can help. 5 Risk Factors Hire a Co...  

Jul 11, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
While more and more attendees, exhibitors and speakers are moving to mobile apps, there still seems to be some hesitancy on the part of those responsible for event planning to do so. If you are not sold on moving to iPad rentals or the use of BYOD, here are 9 benefits of this technology and great testimonials about it.  Easy Peasy Mobile Benefits No more paper! All the information is in one or more app. This makes it really easy on the attendee to find the information, espec...  

Jul 09, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
According to the May 2014 Virtual Edge Institute Digital Event Benchmark Report, hybrid and virtual events are trending upwards. This conclusion was reached by surveying 200+ event planning professionals. Below is a capsulation of that report, along with my own observations about the importance of keeping face-to-face meetings alive.  Survey Results 65% of meeting producers said their goal in producing online events was to provide education to those attendees who cannot physicall...  

Jul 07, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
Whether you are managing a nonprofit, association or corporate event planning staff, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is all the rage with attendees. They want to do good and give back. But the truth of the matter is they have very little time to serve on boards or do manual labor. Given that criteria, here are three apps that can run on iPad or laptop rentals. They can give attendees flexibility in their giving or you can set a goal as to how much you want to raise by the end of your conf...  

Jul 02, 2014 by DeDe Mulligan
At last March's, South by Southwest conference, interactive event technology was all the rage. From virtual reality to 3D printing, marketers were showing their offerings to the 150,000+ attendees. While BizBash highlighted many of the innovative offerings, I am going to focus on five of them and include trade show technology rentals that you can use today to help your products stand out from all the rest.  SPOTIFY THE HOUSE Spotify, an app that allows you to stream millions of songs, of...  

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,...