Before the pandemic, one could argue that jobs with life-and-death consequences were surely more stressful than planning an annual conference. But things have changed. According to a study by the World Scholarship Vault, event planner stress levels are hitting a new high — the third-most stressful job in the world for 2023. Meanwhile, nearly every article I read or industry panel I attend is proclaiming that our industry is nearing a full recovery. If this were the case, your stress levels … [Read more...]
Skyrocketing Costs Squeeze Event Budgets
Event organizers are feeling the pinch as industry suppliers, venues and transportation companies rebound from the pandemic. Travel costs are rising due to strong demand (led by the leisure sector). Following are considerations gathered from industry media, meetings market surveys and anecdotal reports from Velvet Chainsaw Consulting clients. Event venues are raising rates for basic services like electrical, internet, trash management and catering. Some of these expense increases are due to … [Read more...]
David Beckett Joins the Velvet Chainsaw Team
We are extremely excited to welcome David Beckett, Vice President, Business Model & Performance to the Velvet Chainsaw Consulting team! To me, this is kind of like getting the band back together! I had the privilege to hire and work closely with David at Experient as well as when I was on the board of Eventcore. He knows what it takes to pull off the largest and most complex events in our space. David brings to the table a unique balance of business acumen, out-of-the-box thinking … [Read more...]
[Webinar] It’s Time to Shake Things Up at Your Next Event
There’s never been a better time to experiment with new meeting elements or to say goodbye to some time-worn ones, Dave Lutz, managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, said in this recent VCC post. Dave will talk about his forecasts for future trends for association events at a virtual education session on July 15 at 10 a.m. EDT for the Reston Herndon Meeting Planners, “Ready or Not, Here They Come: 5 Post-Pandemic Conference Design Changes.” He believes leadership will be more open to … [Read more...]
Normal is Over(rated) – For Now
This is a guest post by Joy S. Davis, CAE, based on an email she sent to me after reading Lisa Block’s recent post, “I Am Sorry, But We Are Not All Fine.” Joy is Managing Director, Member Products, for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. Not too long ago, I gently asked my Executive Director to stop opening her weekly columns to members with a depressing reminder of COVID-19 and how weird things are right now. She’s a very upbeat, can-do kind of person, and her columns are … [Read more...]
Leading Through the Pandemic: Generosity + Empathy = Future Brand
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 the pandemic. Although each situation has its own unique issues, we wanted to share some of what we’ve learned to help you with your disruption response and planning. How your … [Read more...]
What I’ve Learned This Year Could Fill a Book
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 in society and the importance people attribute to their affiliation with a profession or business vertical. I have learned more about the importance of … [Read more...]
Free-Agent, Lisa Block, Joins Velvet Chainsaw
While many have been focused this winter on who is going to land free agents like Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, Lisa Block inked a deal to join the Velvet Chainsaw Consulting team! Lisa will join our team just in time for opening day – April 2, 2019 – as Executive Vice President, Conference Strategy & Design. Qualified Lisa is one of the most respected, innovative and experienced event strategy professionals in the majors. Since 1991, she has been responsible for growing and innovating … [Read more...]
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