Recent Posts

Jun 17, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
  Everyone wants to grow their events and when used properly, LinkedIn can help you make more connections and provide Top of Mind Awareness (TOMA) about you, your organization and events. How? Here are five easy ways to reach new audiences for your next meeting or event:    Tip #1: Make sure everyone in your organization has a complete and active personal profile and are connected to the LinkedIn Company page.    From a credibility standpoint, it is import...  

Jun 14, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
A fast, reliable and secure Internet connection is probably the most crucial part of an event's success and yet, it is probably the most misunderstood metric. And it isn't becoming an easier. Just like a gallon of coffee is priced differently from city to city and venue to venue, so are Internet charges. But unlike coffee where you can have a pretty good estimation of the amount you need based on the number of attendees at your event, Wi-Fi is much harder to understand. Here are four ways corpo...  

Jun 12, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
In a recent study by Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), they polled 2,415 users from six countries and found many employees were very interested in BYOD and even willing to pay for them. Here is a highlight of the study:  With a strong BYOD policy, organizations can save $1,300 per year per mobile device.  Workers are willing to pay $965 out-of-pocket for their own devices and $734 annually for data plans. BYOD workers are happier and more productive, ...  

Jun 10, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
With four generations -- Mature, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y (or commonly referred to as Millennials) --- in the workplace today, it can be a marketing puzzler for exhibitors to determine what will attract each generation to the show and the exhibitor's booth. Of particular concern to event planners are Millennials. Because of their technological savvy, one might ask if trade shows are going "bye-bye" in the next few years. According to a recent study by the Center for Exh...  

Jun 07, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Many times when I speak to planners about their AV and IT meeting needs, their eyes glaze over because the technological options and rate of change can be overwhelming and daunting to them. However, AV and IT (due to increasing bandwidth demands) are what make most meetings, events and trade shows tick. Admit it: without them, your meeting would be dead in the water.  Here is the overarching question... How can meeting planners understand what they are doing when renting audio visu...  

Jun 05, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
  The Convention Industry Council (CIC) Standards Committee headed by MaryAnne Bobrow, President of Bobrow Associates, Inc., determined it doesn't make sense to send suppliers a Wi-Fi RFP form because technology is changing at such a rapid pace. It is better to enter a discussion about attendee, speaker and exhibitor needs while taking into account current and future technological enhancements. Here is an excerpt of what Bobrow shared in a recent CMP Today article and some observations on...  

Jun 03, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Hosted Buyer programs have been catching some traction over the last couple of years. Rather than luring attendees to your booth with giveaways and contests, this system allows "buyers"  (attendees) and "sellers" (exhibitors) to sit across from each other and talk one-on-one for an allotted time period.  According to Smith Bucklin, this is how the system works:    Once a hosted buyer has agreed to attend the show, he or she must commit to make and ...  

May 31, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
With a growing world population, increased concern about global warming and landfill limitations, it is in the best interest of the meeting industry to limit all resources used at any event. One of the ways to get everyone on board and involved is to announce that from now on, all of your meetings and events will be "green". If you have already adapted green policies, great! But if you are looking for ways to improve the ecofriendliness of your event, here are 20 simple ideas th...  

May 29, 2013 by DeDe Mulligan
Every speaker wants to accomplish three things by the end of their talk: Have great stage presence Be well liked and accepted by their audience and Obtain additional speaking gigs or be asked back to speak the following year Chris Anderson, Curator of TED (Technology, Entertain and Design) stated in the latest edition of Harvard Business Review that most speakers miss the boat because they are uncomfortable giving presentations. His mission is to help inexperienced presenter...  

May 27, 2013 by Melissa Bailey
A h e r o i s s o m e o n e w h o h a s g i v e n h i s o r h e r l i f e t o s o m e t h i n g b i g g e r t h a n o n e s e l f . - J o s e p h C a m p b e l l T h a n k y o u t o t h e b r a v e m e n a n d w o m e n , p a s t a n d p r e s e n t . & n b s p ;