The Three Vs Of Big Data As Applied To Conferences July 20, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Many conference organizers are familiar with the saying location, location, location! They know that their conference location has to be attractive to their prospective customers or they won’t attend. Some organizers know the 4Ps of marketing: product, promotion, place and price. So how many meeting professionals are familiar with the 3Vs of big data? Defining … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference data collection, conferences, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals
Your Conference Competitiveness Depends Upon Flexing Big Data Muscles July 19, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Everyone seems to be talking about the tech trend Big Data! According to IBM’s 2011 CIO report of 3,000 global companies, more than 80% identified business analytics from big data as their top priority for business competitiveness. Technology guru Graham Oakes says that 90% of the data ever created has been created in the last … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference data collection, conferences, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals
Six Conference Organizer Operating Styles: Which Are You? July 18, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Many CEOs name driving sustained and steady top-line growth as their top priority for their annual meeting. Yet how many conference organizers and meeting professionals see driving sustained growth as their priority? Even further, how many conference organizers see driving the CEO’s agenda as an essential objective of their conference? Is it even a wonder … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals
Five New Meeting Trends That Will Rock Your Next Event June 27, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Mood rings, pet rocks, the Cha Cha Slide, Red Bull, Tickle Me Elmo, the Thighmaster, awareness bracelets, Flash Mobs, reality TV shows, Starbucks, planking, Zumba and more. These are all fads and trends that have occurred during the past. A large segment of the population adopted these trends and followed them with great enthusiasm for … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, meeting planner, meeting professional
Strategies For Attracting And Growing The Right Conference Audience June 11, 2012 by Jeff Hurt You seldom awake in the morning with people waving money in your face to register for your event. There comes a time in every conference’s history when there is a need to identify and pursue the right markets for conference growth and sustainability. Instead of trying to be all things to all people and offer … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , conference education, conferences, meeting planner, meeting planning, meeting professionals
Rethinking The Event Experience June 7, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Our conferences and events need to create a more powerful attendee-centric experience. The passive conference attendee experience of the past twenty years is not enough. Attendees no longer want to sit for hours and just listen to experts speak. They want to be involved. Attendees are demanding and expecting something different today. Or they will … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult education, conference best practices, conference education, conferences, meeting planner, meeting professionals
Six Habits Of Highly Ineffective Meeting Professionals May 31, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Being a meeting professional can be hard work. Being an ineffective meeting professional is even harder, especially for everyone involved. Six Habits Of Unsuccessful Meeting Professionals In the discouraging tradition of the highway traveled all too often, here are six guaranteed ways to ensure that you and your team are unmotivated and provide a status … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , meeting planner, meeting professionals
Maximizing Your Conference Professional Speaker Investment April 9, 2012 by Jeff Hurt You’ve spent hours surfing websites, reading bios, evaluating presentation descriptions and viewing speaker online videos. You’ve finally reached a decision and secured a professional speaker to keynote your opening general session. You feel relief, accomplishment and maybe even exhaustion. Then you wonder, “Did I ask the speaker to do everything possible? Are there other things … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, meeting best practices, meeting planner, meeting professional, professional speakers, speaker tips
11 Audiovisual Negotiating Tips For Meeting Success April 6, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Registration, room-blocks, ground and air transportation, accommodations, food, beverage, contracts, speakers, insurance, decor, meeting space, room capacities, ballrooms, schedules, room layouts, floor plans, contractors, union labor and much, much more. These are just some of the ingredients needed to put on a great meeting. Of course, we can’t forget that we need attendees, speakers, sponsors … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , audiovisual, AV, conference best practices, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices, meeting professional
Deal Or No Deal: Overcoming Barriers With Hotel Contracts March 23, 2012 by Dave Lutz You’ve found the perfect hotel for your meeting. It’s a great location. You were able to negotiate a good room rate. The concession package and your meeting space flows well too. The Contract’s T&Cs Cause You To Pause The hotel sends you a contract to secure the deal. As you review the 14-page document, you … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , contract negotiations, contracts, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices, meeting professional
