By Angela Zaltsman When organizing an event, your prerogative must be bigger than just ensuring attendees have a good time, or securing a certain ROI for stakeholders. At the core, the most important consideration of any event is keeping guests and staff safe. While hosting an event, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of all people in attendance. There are many considerations that must be prepared for when organizing an event, so it is important that security…
For the past decade I have been presenting a speaking session called “The Pink Poodle Theory”, which is essentially the “aha moment” of when I discovered that my brain was curating and creating trend forward event designs, quietly while I worked and slept. In my session I speak about how pinterest and other algorithm driven platforms are killing our creativity by taking us on a “see more like this” source path, a path that enables “copycat” creativity. And now,…
As event planners, we often find ourselves juggling a million details to create memorable and successful events. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to overlook a crucial aspect of event planning: privacy laws. You might be wondering, “But you’re an event planner, what do you know about privacy?” Spending more than 20 years working with Canadian federal privacy legislation, I’m here to use that expertise to help educate our industry on this important topic. To make collecting…
We all like to have fun. But what is fun? The dictionary defines fun as “that which provides amusement or enjoyment.” Of course, fun can mean different things to different people. One thing is certain, and that is FUN is the antidote to stress. “PEOPLE RARELY SUCCEED UNLESS THEY HAVE FUN IN WHAT THEY ARE DOING” – Dale Carnegie Work can be difficult and stressful. After all, work requires dedicated focus on the role, task, goal, agenda, and outcome…
by Tahira Endean Event professionals face an alphabet soup of things to think about and manage daily: rising costs, connections, climate change, fundraising, growth, wellness, AI, revenue, quality and so much more. There is a seemingly endless list of challenges, and yet we have a global industry that is busier than ever. Why? Simple. Events matter. They matter because we are humans. We rely on technology, including a rapid global acceptance of AI to support tasks in our business…
When it comes to organizing live events and meetings, the ambiance and visual presentation can significantly impact the overall experience. Lighting is a crucial component of this, setting the mood and highlighting key elements of the event. However, navigating the costs and options for lighting and AV equipment can be daunting for event organizers and planners. Some costs can seem low or high depending on the supplier, making event planners scratch their heads and ask why. Here are the…
by Shannon Byck and Joe Nishi Back in June 2023, we wrote an article on Why Events Need a Great Reimagination, and our biggest take away from the article was that we see this time as a chance to make change so we do not go back to the mindset on how and why we did things before. One key way to change our mindset is to reset how we plan events. When you think of the term program…
Over the past decade, the event industry has experienced significant changes, with the recent pandemic being a major disruptor. As a professional in the event space for over a decade, I have witnessed firsthand how the emergence of virtual events revolutionized the way we connect and engage. However, we are now observing a shift back to in-person events (but rest assured, virtual events are here to stay). Through an analysis off our clients, we have gathered valuable insights on…
We just finished annual reviews for all our association clients – a time to look back, celebrate the wins, and, of course, identify where we can kick it up a notch for the upcoming year. This is our version of a performance review and our strategy session about innovative ways to continue challenging the status quo for associations we serve. We dive into the top five behaviours that can act as a compass for your association’s overall health with…
by Heather Reid In almost every component of the event planning journey we encounter elements that speak to “risk” – the acknowledgement of risk possibilities, the assessment of potential damages, the anticipation of known risks, the planning for mitigation, the back-up plans A, B and C…and on and on. Risks associated with events are wide-ranging: natural disasters, emerging risks, terrorism, collateral damage, health and safety concerns, crime and fraud, reputation and public image damage. One of the most often over-looked…
