Many of our clients have had to navigate unchartered waters as venue contracts (that were secured years ago) are now being questioned and challenged by members in states that have adopted discriminatory and women’s health laws that go against the mission and values of the association. In response, we posted this article back in April to provide decision-making resources and examples of communication strategies for boards facing these very difficult decisions. Creating a Safe and Welcoming … [Read more...]
Improve Your Output by 10% with ChatGPT
With AI and ChatGPT on the rise, event professionals now have a helpful tool that can elevate efficiency and improve work quality —and you don't need to be an expert to harness its potential. Over the past few months, I’ve tested out real-world applications for leveraging the power of ChatGPT. Here are three work tasks that I’ve found useful so far: Summarizing large sets of comments/content. Initial idea generation for solving a challenge or kicking off a new task. Adding polish … [Read more...]
Five Qualities of an Exceptional Event Project Manager
Our last post, Key Vendor Service-Level Expectations, explored how the events industry is managing through a significant loss of experienced talent. We shared some strategies to help close the gap and navigate this new normal. In the fast-paced world of event planning, strong project management from your key vendors is essential for success. Before joining VCC, I spent more than 20 years leading some of the best technical and event project managers in the large/complex housing and … [Read more...]
Key Vendor Service-Level Expectations
Key vendors who service the events industry lost a great deal of experienced talent during the pandemic and they haven’t fully restaffed. Here’s how event organizers can ensure they are still getting the service they require. Catering and convention services managers, AV/production project managers/producers, general service contractors, and housing and registration service providers — these are the professionals who keep events humming. But during the pandemic, many account and project … [Read more...]
Anti-Discrimination Resources for Associations
IStock Photo by Bulat Silvia Last year’s Supreme Court ruling that repealed Roe v. Wade, leading to some states legislating restrictive access to reproductive rights, are considered discriminatory practices to a growing number of professional associations. Some associations and meeting organizers are reevaluating their site-selection requirements for future meetings as well as how to mitigate fall-out from members as they move forward with meetings at destinations previously … [Read more...]
Event Planning Has Risen in the Ranks of Most Stressful Jobs
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...]
Making Up for Fewer Skilled Workers at Your Conference
Throughout 2022, nearly every meeting service provider continues to be short-staffed and plagued by last-minute no-shows or insufficiently skilled workers. This is having a huge impact on event organizers and their teams during both planning and execution phases of events. More than ever, we need to be running several steps ahead — checking, double-checking, and even pitching in to ensure the attendee and exhibitor experience doesn’t suffer. To best prepare you, here are eight kinds of … [Read more...]
How to Embrace−and Achieve−Goals to Increase BIPOC Representation at Your Conference
Greater Public (GP), an association whose members are public media fundraisers from more than 240 stations across the U.S., plans the Public Media Development and Marketing Conference (PMDMC) each year, hosting NPR, PBS, and community media stations. After the death of George Floyd in late spring 2020, GP embraced the goal of improving its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Nowhere were those efforts more visible and meaningful than in its virtual PMDMC, held over two weeks in July of … [Read more...]
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