Recent Posts

Aug 23, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Encouraging attendees to post to your conference Facebook page can seem overwhelming -- a bit like herding cats. However, with over 1 billion users and growing, it is a safe bet that most attendees have a personal Facebook account. With that many users, it would be unwise to ignore the power of this social channel.  Your goal is to request attendees to take a more active role on your fan page. The key is to encourage social conversations between those that are there and those that are ...  

Aug 21, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
As much as we would like to get away from PowerPoint, it is still the number 1 presentation method used by most speakers and facilitators. However, now more than ever, you need to review the slides to make certain the message is right for your audience. You can no longer take for granted that presenter is the subject matter expert on effective PowerPoint presentations. You are. But you have so little time -- how will you manage?  Take the next 5 minutes to read this blog for eff...  

Aug 19, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Show managers often hear complaints from frustrated exhibitors asking a simple question:   Where have all the attendees gone?  At the Exhibit & Event Marketers Association's Red Diamond Congress held at the end of July, meeting participants heard a new perspective about attracting attendees: the 1% solution.  The One Percent Solution: Sell Your Way to the Top One Percent by Brian Osterhaus surmises that there is a simple, yet effective framework to build a winni...  

Aug 16, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is going to unleash to the world a comprehensive Meeting Design Toolkit on August 20th and will include the following:  How-to Documents Worksheets A Case Study  Implementation Phases and  Tutorials on how to use the toolkit.  This downloadable document will be free to all MPI members and will be found at  ww.mpiweb.org/FOM.   Here are MPI's 5 principles for best practices in meeting desig...  

Aug 14, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Icebreakers are a great way to help set the tone for a meeting or event, especially when you have a lot of individuals in attendance that do not know each other. Icebreakers help participants to relax, get to know each other better and create a team environment.  The key to a great icebreaker is the content and the timing. It needs to fit the demographics of the group and it can't be too long or too short -- it needs to be just right.  Here are four ways to break the ice: &nb...  

Aug 12, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
If you are new to the meeting and event industry and need to rent audio visual equipment for the first time, it can be a little scary -- especially if you are being told what to do by everyone from the speaker to the hotel sales staff. Now is the time to take a deep breath and take control of your event, especially since you are paying the bill! Whether your meeting is 10 or 10,000 attendees, it is important that everyone in your audience see, hear and use their tactical senses to digest t...  

Aug 09, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Believe it or not, the 2012 London Olympics sent zero waste to landfills. Through a concerted effort of recycling and composting (62% of it) plus converting the remaining waste into energy, they achieved this amazing feat. Considering the London Olympics hosted over 12 million individuals at 26 different venues throughout SE England makes their results even more remarkable.   The International Olympic Committee did not do this alone. They had help from the European Pathway to Ze...  

Aug 07, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
In the July edition of PCMA Convene, four individuals shared their thoughts on the ongoing debate about "free vs. fee" Wi-Fi and creative ways to keep these costs down. One thing is for certain: Wi-Fi demands are not going away. In fact, with the increase in native apps and processor speed, Wi-Fi will continue to be more and more important in the event industry.    As the "free vs. fee" debate rages on, it is clear most individuals do not want to pay for it. I...  

Aug 05, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Have you ever thought... Wouldn't it be great to collect photos, videos, and text content from as many attendees as possible on a real-time basis? Now there is a way to do so! With the assistance of mobile devices, great apps and interactive technology tool rentals, meeting organizers can easily gather data from attendees. While there are many benefits of allowing attendees to create and curate event content, the best benefit is your ability to use their words when selling next y...  

Aug 02, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
It is hard to believe that the end of 2013 is only 5 short months away! Because I usually start any new year with a few meeting industry predictions based on the experts in the field, I thought it would be appropriate to look at a few more trends as we move toward the close of 2013.  Andrea Driessen, Chief Boredom Buster for No More Boring Meetings recently shared in MPI one+ magazine her predictions as to what is on the meeting horizon. Below is a synopsis of her thoughts and ways in...