Event Operations

Make Your Events More Inclusive

2022/10/21

In an effort to offer more inclusive events, we should consider all of the factors that could possibly limit or exclude a person from attending an event including physical limitations, phobias and/or disabilities; cognitive impairments, mental health, transportation to event locations. When we think about how EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility) relates to events, it is critical to identify all of the possible ways in which people can interact with our content. Once that has been established, it’s…
Innovative Solutions Needed For Recovery

2022/10/20

For two years, the COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges, halting the global face-to-face meetings industry, where planners spent much of their time cancelling or rescheduling meetings and negotiating penalties. Fast forward to 2022, and the recovery process is full steam ahead, where event planners are run off their feet. It feels like our industry has gone from zero to 100 in the blink of an eye. Clients are looking for innovative solutions to help with the workload, staff shortages…
Ongoing Challenges For Event Planners

2022/10/07

The good news is that 2022 has been a productive year for the meeting and event planning industry. We have seen a resurgence of activity for meetings, events and incentives. We need this resurrection so that planners can start to feel productive and confident again. We need it because it means that corporate businesses are starting to consider live meeting opportunities. We need it because suppliers are becoming very active again with RFPs for 2022 and beyond. Overall, we…
Is Your Conference Measuring Up?

2022/09/23

Strategic direction provided to associations prior to 2020 may not be the direction we would advise today, especially when it is regarding the event execution of their annual conference. The past two-years we have been educated on how to improve digital presence at a faster pace than ever before. The way we executed an event pre-pandemic is now history. The skills we learned, the new habits we developed, and our refined digital presence over the past couple of years…
Build Your Teams Outside the Box

2022/09/22

Everyone is trying to figure out the best way to bring their teams together today. In a world changed by the pandemic and limiting face-to-face interaction for so long, individual preferences have changed. Gone are the days of an easy happy hour and free food to engage your teams. They want more, if they are going to give you more of their time. As an event planner, I’m always working to find new ways to work with my clients…
Tapping into Emotional Intelligence

2022/09/08

Maya Angelou said: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This quote rings true as a human being. That kindness, positivity and an engaged interaction can often change a perspective, a moment and sometimes a life. Have you ever considered this quote as inspiration when looking at how you deliver experiences to your audiences at events? There was a moment this year at the JUNO…
Future-casting Sustainable Event Design

2022/08/26

As event professionals, focusing on our future is essential. We learn from the past, observe in the present, and then design our upcoming events based on our experiences. What we have learned from the past, and continue to observe in the present, is that sustainable event design and social impact are essential considerations for the future of our industry, and for the industries and communities we serve. Business events create environments for innovation, they act as an economic engine and…
Advantages of Pre-Recording Content

2022/08/15

Why pre-record content? In a nutshell, for your sanity! Pre-recording content ensures that everything will be ready to go on the day, limiting the amount of technical issues that could occur. There’s no chance of speakers failing to turn up, having connection issues, forgetting what time zone they are in or any of the other myriad things that can go wrong with a live event. Another important and often overlooked benefit is that it gives your speakers a chance…
Understanding the Value of AV Services

2022/08/15

The audio visual (AV) industry has always struggled to capture and monetize intellectual property, ideation and pre-production work that goes into any event. Typically, an audio visual company is paid for the rental of equipment that is used in an event, and services such as pre-production time, creativity, experience or innovation have been treated as a condition of the cost of the unit cost of that equipment. This presents two distinct but very different problems. First, it unfairly commoditizes…
The Great Comeback of Live Events

2022/07/29

In the darkest days of COVID, event organizers had no choice but to take their gatherings online. A host of new virtual event platforms arose, and there were questions as to whether anyone would ever go back to in-person events. However this year we saw a resurgence in live events that exceeded all expectations. It seems event organizers, and attendees too, can’t wait to get back to meeting in-person. Late in 2021 we saw trailblazers like Salesforce host their…