Environmentally Conscious Meeting Planning Tips for Earth Day
April 21, 2014
At this point, every planner should be doing at least one thing they can say has made their events more sustainable. Here we review some of the common applied ideas and some not so obvious actions you can take to be more environmentally conscious while planning your next corporate meeting. Find something on this list…
Taking Care of the Customer – Making Sure All Attendees Feel Welcome
October 15, 2013
First Time Attendees Host a pre-conference session to review what makes your meeting unique / best in the industry Design a welcome booth or mini-lounge for them near the entrance / registration Include a special thank you gift in their registration packet Organize an ambassador program with volunteers who have attended before Offer contests, prizes…
Mobile Apps – What You Need to Know About Going Mobile
August 26, 2013
What They Offer Attendee Engagement – networking, photos, push notifications, social media integrations Sponsors and Exhibitors – sponsorship opportunity, interactive exhibit hall map, company profiles Program/Content – speaker profiles, downloadable session documents, personalized attendee agendas For Planners – surveys, audience polling, analytics Choosing a Provider Components to Consider Price/Cost – apps are available at all…
How To Make Events Interactive
December 9, 2011
Looking for a creative way to make your special event more interactive? Consider an art contest. We recently managed an open house for a Monroe, Michigan welding company and staged a unique contest that featured welding masks. We contacted a local art college — the College for Creative Studies — and invited students to express…
Our Newest Employee Shares her Event Planning “Nuggets” of Knowledge
February 1, 2013
Time management is EVERYTHING There is no handbook for how to manage your time. Timelines missed, meetings forgotten – this does not reflect well on your professional image. Email is my biggest struggle and I’ve finally found a system that works for me. I only check my inbox a few times a day. Scan for…
5 Tips on using social media outlets to promote your next event
August 3, 2011
750 million people can’t be wrong. That’s how many active users Facebook brings to your event table. Used properly, the Facebook social media website can increase attendance and enhance your event’s brand. Here are a few tips to get you started. Tip #1: Create a group for your event Instead of just promoting the event…
Beer Dinner Basics
February 9, 2011
Restaurants and breweries have long since worked together but over the past couple years they have found a way to maximize the perfect marriage of each industry… beer dinners. Looking in your local newspaper odds are you will find a host of options for beer dinners occurring in your town on a weekly basis. These…
Green Venue Selection Guide Debuts
December 2, 2009
The U.S. Green Building Council has released a new Green Venue Selection Guide: Integrating LEED into Travel & Event Management. If you are looking to host an environmentally friendly meeting or event, you should take a look. http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Archive/General/Docs6275.pdf
Event Pet Peeves
January 8, 2013
I do this with most minor pet peeves. I can’t stand people who complain all the time, and yet sometimes find myself complaining about these individuals. It drives me crazy watching those moms who hover over their kids coddling their every move, yet I find myself regularly sneaking into my son’s elementary school after the…
Events that Give Back
November 1, 2010
Charitable contributions and the holiday season go hand in hand. But lately, event planners are finding that more and more events are incorporating charitable activities into events on a regular basis throughout the year. Keeping in line with the “less is more” mentality, organizations want to stretch event dollars as much as possible. By working…
Green Meetings Glossary
October 19, 2009
Carbon neutral. Carbon offset. Climate neutral. Can you define these green terms? As green meeting planners, Special D Events staff has been studying a helpful green glossary created by Travel Portland. It’s a handy tool, so we thought we would pass it on. meetings.travelportland.com/planners-toolkit/green-guide Enjoy!
