Seven Ways To Make It Easy For Your Association Members To Do Business With You June 7, 2010 by Dave Lutz This post is by Dave Lutz, Managing Director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. No matter how the economy is faring, either you make it easy for your members to do business with you — or they’ll vote with their feet Organizations that have a bright future are focused first on the customer and second on improving … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Technology Tagged With: , association
Six Social Media Event Marketing Blunders To Avoid June 1, 2010 by Dave Lutz This post is by Dave Lutz, Managing Director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. Blogs, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter: More organizations are trying their hand at these cool Web 2.0 tools to help grow their show and attract future members — with mixed results. Unfortunately, most attempts at using social media to attract attendees or increase the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , blogs, facebook, Social Media, social media for events
The Quest for Continuous Meeting Improvement May 28, 2010 by Dave Lutz Every business seeks to hire and retain exceptional talent. Organizations that demonstrate that they care for their people are making an investment in their future. We’ve all heard it many times over. For meeting professionals to bring the greatest value to their organization, they’ve got to be strategic. The path leading to the executive table … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , blogs, conferences, logistics, meeting planner, strategic thinkin
What’s Your Experience With Attendees Staying Outside The Hotel Block And Driving Pick-up To The Max? May 17, 2010 by Dave Lutz This post is by Dave Lutz, Managing Director, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. Why do attendees choose to stay outside the official conference hotel block? How do you manage it? What strategies have you used to drive maximum pick-up of your block? We’re looking for more examples and experiences to share and add to our list. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, driving pick-up, hotel block, meeting logistics, meeting planner
Did You Budget For Attrition This Year? May 10, 2010 by Dave Lutz Before the Great Recession, strong growth in occupancy and room rates helped many groups avoid guest-room attrition and other performance charges. With the dramatic decline in leisure and business travel, all of that has changed. The tide has turned. This year and into 2011, many groups can expect their room pickup to be down 10 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, attrition, conferences, meeting planner
Six Best Practices For Creating An Online Interactive Exhibitor Listing That Gets Results May 7, 2010 by Dave Lutz I’m blogging as part of the TSNN blog team. My posts will focus on technology and business processes that help move the needle for growing your show. Here’s my first post. We all know that measuring ROI from tradeshow participation is like painting a moving car. Buyers are at various stages: awareness, consideration, preference and purchase. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , event technology, technology, tradeshow
7 Annual Meeting Improvement Tactics During Tough Economies May 4, 2010 by Dave Lutz In a down economy, an organization’s worst survival tactic is to make budget or staff cuts. A weak economy should provide the impetus for us to work smarter and pull the trigger on those initiatives that may not have gone over well even in better times. Organizations that make the right moves will rule the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, event, meeting planner, Social Media, tradeshow
Breaking Down Association Silos And Playing To Win April 26, 2010 by Dave Lutz Formerly titled Playing To Win, 2009 Edition Belonging to your association and attending your live events are no longer the only ways for your members to build their network or receive just-in-time education. How will you continue to meet their needs? By breaking your staff out of their silos and making sure they share the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, Convene, nonprofit, Patric Lencioni, PCMA, Politics and Turf Wars, silo mentality, Silos
Attending To Attendance April 16, 2010 by Dave Lutz These days, potential attendees need all the help you can give them to justify their participation in your event. Here are three approaches you can take. Associations are pulling out all the stops to attract qualified attendees to register for their conferences. Some are leveraging social media to help (video testimonials, blogs, and tweets), while … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , association, conferences
Emotional Connection, Brand Loyalty & Cinemas: The Art Of Storytelling March 8, 2010 by Dave Lutz A little over four years ago, I left the C-suite to begin the next chapter in my life. During my first few months, I had the opportunity to do some serious soul searching and self discovery. Like many of you, I have a passion for learning. I initially focused much of my reading around increasing … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, conferences, content, delivery, storytelling
