In a world where the show must go on, a new and increasingly popular avenue is virtual conferences. We are seeing many organizations adopt this method and hold informative, productive, and connective online events. Follow the tips and tricks below to get the most of out attending your association’s [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it impossible to hold in-person association events. Many associations are now looking to host virtual events to keep their members engaged and to provide new revenue generating activities. This article will explore options to pivot your cancelled events and will hopefully give you a [...]
Every national association has different wants and needs from its conference host city. This blog is not meant to convince you to choose one city over another. Instead, I hope to break down the major decision factors when planning the geographic location of an association conference. For simplicity purposes, [...]
During the busy gala season, there seems to be a different gala dinner every night of the week. The events may vary in terms of the menu, the entertainment, the venue and the cause, yet there seems to be one major commonality: the attendees. When you attend these events [...]
Managing a major national association event like a convention, symposium or annual conference can be a challenge for any event manager. Usually such events are the largest an association can offer to its members, and they provide opportunities for new business connections, professional development, networking and more. It takes [...]
Jennifer Schrafft is a Certified Professional Coach who does regular speaking engagements throughout the year. Recently, she participated as a speaker in two association conferences that I managed. I sat down with Jennifer to find out what makes a positive speaking engagement for her and how we can work [...]
One of the key elements to running any successful association trade show is shipping. That’s why association trade shows need a transportation broker and logistics manager. Having now planned a national (or Canada-wide) trade show tour that included exhibitors participating in anywhere from one to four cities on the [...]
There are three keys to success in planning the perfect association conference, meeting, tradeshow, or gala event: preparation, negotiation, and flexibility. As a meeting planner, the more you know about exactly what you need in a space, the easier the search for the right place will be for you. [...]
An essential part of any successful association event is giving away promotional products to promote the association, promote a sponsor, and to say thank-you to your event delegates and speakers for participating in your event. But have you ever wondered the best way to do that? Besides incorporating ways [...]
Keeping to a schedule is critical to ensuring a successful event. Creating a Run of Show (ROS)—a timeline/schedule of events—prior to the event is a great way to plan out the timing and order of all the moving parts. To begin, meet with all stakeholders and find out what [...]
