Conference Innovation While Traveling at Warp Speed July 23, 2020 by Lisa Block Navigating change during a crisis is not for the faint of heart. During my career leading association event teams, I regularly recalibrated and redefined team member roles in order to drive innovation and improve our meeting experiences. Not every effort was a rousing success but attempting to inject new conference elements made us more nimble, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Event Planning, Hybrid & Virtual Tagged With: , benchmarks, confererence planners, event planners, hybrid conferences, meeting planner roles, pandemic, virtual conference, virtual conferences
The Future of Face-to-Face is Cloudy May 27, 2020 by Lisa Block I am getting a little overwhelmed by the many predictions that so-called experts are sharing about the future of face-to-face meetings. The range of opinions–from wild optimism to frightening pessimism–is exhausting to wade through. The news cycle of 24/7 pandemic coverage, conversation and debate has obscured the fact that travel and meeting attendance are not … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Hybrid & Virtual
Virtual Events: Strategy Before Execution April 28, 2020 by Lisa Block My mother used to tell us that “things are going to be different” as we drove home from our annual summer beach vacation. It was her way of getting the family focused on the upcoming routine and discipline of school and work. I remember feeling that her words were both a warning and a promise of … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Hybrid & Virtual Tagged With: , how to executive virtual events, online strategy, virtual events, webinar fatigue
Leading Through the Pandemic: Generosity + Empathy = Future Brand April 8, 2020 by Lisa Block This is the first in a series of blogs posts, written collaboratively by our team, which uncover lessons learned in advising our clients on their events in the time of COVID-19. Over the past 30 days, the VCC team has helped dozens of conference and show organizers with their decisions on how to respond to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model
Go Forward, Cancel, Postpone, Wash Your Hands, Rinse … and Repeat March 12, 2020 by Lisa Block The disruption to the live events industry due to the Pandemic COVID-19 is unprecedented and impossible to escape. With the mixed messages coming at us from so many different perspectives, it is difficult to gain clarity. What we may believe personally is sometimes in conflict with the practices organization and business leaders decide to follow. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Hybrid & Virtual Tagged With: , canceling, cancellation, checklist, coronovirus, COVID-19, pandemic
Key Takeaways from PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2020 January 21, 2020 by Lisa Block The Professional Convention Management Association’s Convening Leaders in San Francisco In early January served as an engaging and energizing way to kick off a new year and a new decade. I’ve been a regular attendee and active volunteer in PCMA for over 25 years and continue to be impressed at their willingness to take risks … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , central hub, central zone, Convening Leaders, finding your tribe, networking, PCMA, Professional Convention Management Association
What I’ve Learned This Year Could Fill a Book December 19, 2019 by Lisa Block After nearly 30 years leading the event development and execution at the Society for Human Resource Management, I took the leap earlier this year to join the remarkable VCC team and focus on helping associations and organizations improve their annual events. The work we do has reignited my deep appreciation for the role associations play … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Hybrid & Virtual Tagged With: , annual conference, annual convention, business health, leadership buyin, strategic planning, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting
Five-Step Framework for Effective Collaborative Design September 10, 2019 by Lisa Block Your conference strategy should include a plan to inject fresh content or experiences each year as part of an ongoing improvement process. There are a million ways to make these improvement plans. Some work and many don’t. Working with one of our clients, we devised a simple framework to help develop innovative plans for meaningful … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , annual meeting changes, change mangement, conference best practices, effective collaborative design, engagement, meeting planning best practices
Fostering a Winning Conference Culture June 17, 2019 by Lisa Block I have been struck by the disparity in how an association’s organizational culture translates (or doesn’t translate) to the on-site implementation or planning of its live events. There are many associations that tout their open and supportive cultures. But when it gets to “go time,” does that culture manifest at your conferences and meetings? Online … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , big tent, conference planning, event planning, meeting planning, on-site culture, radical hospitality.
