Cause Connection: Converting Gala Attendees into Passionate Evangelists
You’re standing on the stage in the middle of your major fundraising gala, surveying the room. The main honoree is about to speak, and all eyes are riveted on…
You’re standing on the stage in the middle of your major fundraising gala, surveying the room. The main honoree is about to speak, and all eyes are riveted on…
How do you prevent nitpicky comments from clients at a post-event debrief meeting from overshadowing a successful event? Are there any best practices to running a debriefing?
Do you get your entire team together in one place to brainstorm big ideas for your event or company? Howard Givner explores universally accepted rules of brainstorming that may have you checking your assumptions.
Depending on where you live in the world, doing an event outdoors vs. indoors can seem like an easy call. Weather, cost, and time to build out an outdoor space can threaten the success of an event, however beautiful environments and the natural air can provide an incredible and unique experience for guests.
Every so often a live televised event has a production screw up so flagrant it becomes Exhibit A when telling skeptical bosses or clients, “See?…
There’s a clear distinction between designing an event experience, versus planning an event. Experience design applies experiential properties and principals to the event design, while event planning is the organization of event elements to fulfill a set of goals.
What’s the Difference Between A Balance Sheet & A Profit & Loss Statement?
As Event Leaders it is on us to ensure that any person attending an event will have the same experience and this means as event designers we must think deeply about the symbiotic relationship between diversity, accessibility and inclusivity in order for all attendees to feel valued, respected and most of all…
How To “Shrink” A Room When Your Guest Count Is Too Small For the Space?
Entitled. Self-obsessed. Narcissistic. Distracted. These terms carry a strong negative connotation and without doubt are insulting to any person between the ages of circa 22 – 37.
Many of us dread networking and feel queezy at the thought of entering a room and making so-called “small talk” with strangers. What if instead you entered the room thinking about making new connections with like-minded individuals that will help you grow your professional network.
So much like mining for precious stones and mineral, conference experiences are defined by the golden nuggets we forage. It might be that one connection made unexpectedly during a coffee-break, a speaker that inspires one golden idea, or even an event set up we experience in a session that will make a difference in the work we do.
First, make sure your organization is qualified to receive donations that are tax deductible from the donor’s perspective, as not all are. Many industry trade organizations, for example, do not qualify because…
When life serves you up a lemon we don’t need to pucker up and take the sour! In the world of event management, anticipating the unexpected and being prepared is crucial to our success.
Even if the word “sales” is not in your professional title, as event professionals we are always selling. Here are a few tips to help you, the Event Leader, and your organization adopt a “salesitude”.
As an Event Leader, becoming a member of a professional association related to the meetings and events industry is an important step for your career. It allows you to network with fellow industry leaders, and to grow professionally in that network. But just joining and waiting for an email or call isn’t enough…you have to drink the proverbial “kool-aid” to become fully engaged.
In today’s world, Leadership is no easy task. As leaders in the events industry we have all had our leadership style analyzed, our strengths and weaknesses identified, and have taken a barrage of courses on how to work with different generations, cultures, and to deal with diversity in the workplace.
As Event Leaders we are trained to drill down to the minutia and details that are going to make a difference in the outcome of our events. Treat your resolutions the same way.
Managing your stress and anxiety leading up to and during the holiday season can be challenging. Take a proactive approach to managing your stress and anxiety by using many of your skills you use every day in your role as an event leader:
Planning a corporate holiday party? Here are five risk management tips to keep the “Bah Humbug” out of your holiday event.
Retreats are a great way for industry boards to plan the upcoming year, but how do you ensure that they are an effective use of time? Here are two key ingredients!
In this week’s Tech Thursday, Michael Granek, President & COO of ELI, and Kevin from Clark’s AV answer the question “What is a camera riser?”. Kevin shares what the difference is between a regular riser or stage deck vs. a camera riser, and why you need one when having a camera at your event.
In this week’s Tech Thursday, Michael Granek, President & COO of ELI, and Kevin from Clark’s AV answer the question “what is a snake?”. Kevin shares what snakes are used for, the cost benefits of using snakes, and more.
The Event Leadership Institute and Clark’s AV have teamed up to bring you Tech Thursdays, short, micro-lessons about AV equipment and event technology. In this week’s video, ELI’s President & COO, Michael Granek, and Kevin Rowe from Clark’s AV answer the question “What are lumens?”
One of the latest technologies that you’ll start to see more of over the next few years is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). You may have even heard of this type of tech before, but maybe you’re not quite sure what to do with it. To help you decide if RFID technology is right for your next event, we’re going to dive into what exactly Radio Frequency Identification is, what problems it solve, and additional benefits it can provide.
Serving on the International Live Events Association (ILEA) Rhode Island Board for six years in a row, being a finalist in the BizBash Event Style Awards and now, serving as President of her ILEA chapter, it’s no doubt Kimberly Doell, CMP, has made her mark on the events industry.
A common challenge that teachers face is developing lesson activities that provide engaging learning opportunities, but that are also memorable enough that students will retain key points long after the course or program. When I was teaching a course in risk management and law in an event management diploma program, I was faced with this same challenge.
The special event world is demanding and stressful, but can also be very rewarding. The glowing smile of an event guest can’t be overstated. It gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that you’ve put your own personal imprint on that attendee’s experience. Crafting these special memories is a tall order, and constantly pushing the boundaries is difficult.
When Carleigh Dworetzky first began her career in the hospitality industry, she had no idea her career would undergo such an impressive transformation, taking her…
I’ve heard so many event business owners talk about how they can’t stand accounting or say that they “have an accountant for that”. If you’re one of those people, then this article is for you! It’s easy to pass off the elements of your business that you don’t understand (or don’t want to understand), but the challenge is, how do you know that it is being done correctly? The simple answer is, you don’t.
Jennifer Davidson is the Founder and Managing Director of Sleek Events, a boutique events agency with an impressive roster of clients including Amazon Business, Looker…
When Courtney began her journey towards a career in events, the most relevant degree she could achieve was in Recreation & Leisure Services Administration with an emphasis in Special Events from The Florida State University. Since then, the events world has changed dramatically, many leading universities offer event programs and education, and the industry as a whole has drastically shifted, too. With nearly 20 years of experience in the world of events, Courtney has seen many of those changes first-hand.
Today, Event Leadership Institute alum, Siri Brudevold, is an Event Planner at Charles Koch Institute, but her journey towards a career in events didn’t begin there. Knowing she needed to fill gaps in her experience, skills and knowledge in order to better succeed in her industry, Siri enrolled in the 10-week Event & Meeting Management Fundamentals Certificate online course at ELI.
Event Leadership Institute and Montclair State University alum, MarrLa Merritt, has had quite the prosperous career in events. How did MarrLa get her start in the industry and where is she today?
Planning an event requires more than ordering supplies and securing a guest list. Beyond the basics, you need to ensure that your message is not only reaching the right audience, but also eliciting the right feedback. Event audience engagement can reflect how effective your methods are and influence future events in positive ways. Here’s how to measure (and increase) audience engagement at your event.
Caroline Kay is a conference and event planning mastermind with boundless creativity and more than 15 years of business and event management experience. She’s recognized for thoroughly understanding the business needs of her clients and producing events that meet those demands. Her globe-spanning events are meticulously managed and engineered with ingenuity, with a constant eye to ROI for her clients.
Untraditional venues break the mold and can help you deliver an unparalleled attendee experience. Untraditional venues are spaces that were typically not created for events as their main purpose. Airplane hangars, warehouse spaces, breweries, wineries, bowling allies, art galleries, zoos, museums, aquariums, or even parking lots could all make great untraditional venues for conferences, workshops, fundraisers, galas, or other business-related events.
To most outsiders (not us planners), the event start is usually the time the ballroom doors open. To us, it starts at the first drop of creative materials. That said, it’s important that we make a splash, a statement and an everlasting impression as soon as the save-the-date or invitation hit a prospective attendee’s mailbox. Creative materials are what sets up event themes and guest expectations and, most important, what sets us apart from our competitors.
Corinne Kessel, CSEP has more than a decade of experience designing and managing event décor installations in Western Canada. Her hands-on approach, attention to detail, and dedicated team have earned Greenscape Design & Décor a reputation for producing high quality specialty event décor. Her undeniable passion and dedication to the events industry, and the people within it, has positioned her as an industry leader and valued collaborator. Corinne supports those around her, gives back to her community and donates her time to industry associations. Corinne is also a published author, an accomplished musician and most importantly, a tired mom of 2 energetic toddlers!
Kate Bullard is an Events Manager at Baker McKenzie and has over 7 years events management experience in the legal sector. Kate manages a varied programme of events ranging from conferences, roundtables, drinks receptions and other corporate hospitality events. Kate is the co-founder of Eventprofslive, a networking group for corporate event managers based in London and the surrounding home counties.
Looking for an exciting new role? Check out our May event jobs list with over 150 opportunities available in the event and meetings industry right now!
A Senior Event Manager with a passion for delivering amazing, out of the box, creative and inspiring events with a high attention to detail. Michelle is the co-founder of Eventprofslive, a networking group for London & Surrey Event managers. Michelle loves to work with up and coming talent in the industry to help them love being an event manager as much as she does.
Event marketing is an essential step in pulling off a fantastic event. Not only can it help spread awareness about the event, but it can also help you engage attendees before arrival, disseminate important information, and more! And yet, many event planners leave social media as an afterthought when it should really be at the forefront of an event management and marketing strategy.
Communication is key to establishing a life-long donor. For fundraising events, it is so much more than generating one-night revenue (although that is important). The data we can collect before and during an event can translate into a much larger campaign that drives greater value.
One of the main reasons event professionals learn with us is to hone the skills needed to advance their event planning careers, and many of…
Helen Moon, is a CIM qualified events and marketing director with an eclectic mix of experience in the events industry that spans 21 years and includes event production, venue operations, proactive sales and digital marketing. Helen is known for her role as CEO and Founder of EWL Club, Editor of the Diary of an #Eventprof blog, and now Managing Director of EventWell Ltd and co-founder of #EventWell17 and UK Event Wellbeing Week.
Today’s event marketers are tech savvy and data driven. They understand the importance of engaging attendees long before and after the event itself. Delivering personalized experiences isn’t a “nice to have” anymore. Customers expect seamless experiences, interactions and personalization.
Since 1986 Annette Naif, CEO & Creative Director of Naif Productions, has been designing and producing custom events. Helping clients create their unique signature style that translates into a memorable experience has been Annette’s passion from the beginning. The drive to provide a distinctive role for superior personalized service in the event planning industry inspired Annette to launch her own event design company in 2010.
Christy is the founder and CEO of Strategic Meetings & Events, an international, multimillion dollar, award-winning planning firm. A lifelong learner, entrepreneur, teacher, intellectual philanthropist, writer and master strategist, Christy taught strategic planning at the college level for 10 years which inspired her upcoming strategic planning textbook. Her marketing and business acumen was showcases in AMEX OPEN and UPS Store videos, and she has been recognized for her entrepreneurial skills, leadership acumen and contributions to the meetings industry.
Are you looking for a new job? Do you want to launch a career in the events industry? Check out our March list of exciting career opportunities available right now!
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