Webinars

 
  • This trio who has recently planned large and small events will discuss best practices and what coming together during the times of COVID-19 means in a practical sense. Hosted by VP of Connect, Patrick Higgins.

     

    Learning Objectives

    Elisabeth McGuire, Marketing and Events Manager for Travel Planners International and Katie Bohrer, CMP, Vice President, Meeting Design & Experience for Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) and SURPRISE GUEST Kowana Ragland, CMP the Senior Director at Meetings Expectations talk about recent live events they've planned. This trio who has recently planned large and small events will discuss best practices and what coming together during the times of COVID-19 means in a practical sense. Hosted by VP of Connect, Patrick Higgins.

    To watch the webinar on Zoom, click here

    • Speaker placeholder

    Contact information

    Stephanie Davis Smith, sdsmith@connectmeetings.com 

  • This trio who has recently planned large and small events will discuss best practices and what coming together during the times of COVID-19 means in a practical sense. Hosted by VP of Connect, Patrick Higgins.

     

    Learning Objectives

    Elisabeth McGuire, Marketing and Events Manager for Travel Planners International and Katie Bohrer, CMP, Vice President, Meeting Design & Experience for Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) and SURPRISE GUEST Kowana Ragland, CMP the Senior Director at Meetings Expectations talk about recent live events they've planned. This trio who has recently planned large and small events will discuss best practices and what coming together during the times of COVID-19 means in a practical sense. Hosted by VP of Connect, Patrick Higgins.

    To watch the webinar on Zoom, click here

     

     

    • Speaker placeholder

    Contact information

    Stephanie Davis Smith, sdsmith@connectmeetings.com 

  • Meeting and event professionals around the world are eager to support the safe reopening of hotels, convention centers and other large-scale venues. Join us as we broadcast live from the Wynn Las Vegas, home of the 2020 Connect Marketplace for the first half of this webinar. Then listen to our interactive panel of meeting planners, all of whom have successfully conducted meetings within the last several weeks. They will discuss how they prepared for a safe meeting, how they managed attendee psychology, and what you can do to prepare for safe meetings and events in all venues.

    • Wynn Las Vegas

      Hotel in Las Vegas

    Contact information

    Contact Patrick Higgins for questions about this session: phiggins@connectmeetings.com

  • The challenges facing our industry and the ability to gather our organizations face-to-face to celebrate, train, or launch a new product, etc. with the current environment are clear. Senior management's expectations for improved planner productivity, meeting value and ROI have never been more top of mind. In this session, we will review current market intelligence, learn how to leverage your meeting value, identify budget busters, share cost-savings tips and apply planner’s feedback on managing the pandemic landscape. Reviewing specific methods to reduce risk and generate real cost savings, including metrics to define and measure results, will help you plan and prepare. 

    Learning Objectives

    1. Review current industry trends and how they affect your meeting budget
    2. Share planner’s feedback on managing the pandemic landscape.
    3. Learn how hotels value your meetings to leverage your meeting value to increase cost savings?
    4. Identify and prepare for social distancing and risk management budget busters.
    5. Learn F&B, AV, production and other cost-saving tips and how to prepare a cost-saving report.
    6. Review hotel contract clauses that affect risk reduction and cost containment.
    • Terri Woodin

      Terri Woodin, CMP, is Vice President of Marketing and Global Meeting Services at Meeting Sites Resource (MSR). She has been with MSR since 2012 and is responsible for strategically partnering with MSR customers on all facets of global site research, custom hotel contract negotiations, meeting support services, and Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) solutions. 

    Contact information

    Please contact Camille Moore for questions about this session. 

  • The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the world, and the meetings industry is feeling the effects as events and conferences have been canceled or postponed and everyone’s bottom line is affected. The industry now has to implement new strategies and learn about different technologies to still bring people together when everyone is apart.

    Join BizBash Chairman and Founder David Adler and Connect VP of Content Creation Stephanie Davis Smith for a virtual conversation as they chat with industry leaders—Terri Woodin, Michael Ferreria, Martha J. Sheridan, Nicole Corley and Antwone Stigall, CMP, DES, CED—about the impact the coronavirus has had on the meetings industry. The question is... So, now what? What happens if you’re furloughed? How do you keep education going? How do you deal with work virtually? How are you doing right now? The venue dilemma, from postponing to canceling to deposits, bills and more. 

    • David Adler

      Chairman and Founder BizBash

    Contact information

    Please contact Camille Moore for questions about this session. 

  • Research has shown that traditional marketing tactics aren't working, so people aren't listening to you. What they ARE listening to is what the leaders of their tribe, the Influencers, have to say. Event Influencer Marketing is the best-kept secret weapon, a low hanging fruit that fits neatly in your existing event marketing campaign. Learn the difference between macro and nano influencers and how to identify if they are the right fit for your event. Gain knowledge from the insights of several case studies and see how your event can take advantage of low-risk, high-reward IM campaigns. 

    Learning Objectives

    Learning Objectives:
    1. Engage their event community to grow their event.
    2. Apply strategies tailored specifically for events.
    3. Conduct an influencer marketing campaign that delivers exceptional ROI

    • Rachel_Stephan

      Rachel Stephan is a creative thinker, idea generator, and an event industry speaker on topics that cover event marketing, social media and digital events. What drives Rachel is empowering associations, profit and nonprofit organizations as well as meeting planners to build attendance and grow members’ engagement.

      Rachel channels nearly 25 years’ of creative advertising experience, social media, web and mobile technology to create, brand and promote engaging, successful event marketing campaigns for national and international conferences and trade shows. She holds an impressive track record of breaking event attendance and over 410 successful event marketing campaigns for national or international conferences and trade shows, both public and trade sector. Her creative campaign for the Ontario Hospital Association got first-place wins in multiple categories at The International Association of Exhibitions and Events™ Art of the Show Competition.

    Contact information

    Please contact Camille Moore for questions about this session. 

  • How would you handle an unanticipated budget increase of $40,000 because the venue’s contract had fine print that dictated your client had to use the in-house preferred supplier for all breakout rooms? This webinar outlines the “Buyer’s Right to Freedom of Choice” clause developed by the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association and lays out the 11 points of consideration for building maximum flexibility for choosing third party suppliers to service your events.

    The webinar specifically addresses choosing your audiovisual provider and reinforces that having maximum flexibility in choosing an AV supplier begins before the venue contract is signed! Being able to work with your own preferred AV supplier begins with negotiating solid and comprehensive language into the venue contract.

    Learning Objectives

    1. Understand the 11 considerations of the “Buyer’s Right to Freedom of Choice."
    2. Discuss current industry practices that are inhibiting the choice of third party suppliers.
    3. Learn how to apply the 11 considerations to ensure maximum flexibility in choosing an AV provider.
    • Heather Reid

      Heather Reid is founder and president of Planner Protect Inc., a consulting agency dedicated to reviewing and negotiating balanced event contracts. To date, Heather and Planner Protect have saved clients in the events industry more than $8.5 million in real costs and reduced risk. With more than 25 years’ experience as an independent event planner, Heather helps event hosts and industry professionals negotiate balanced contracts. Planners, venue representatives and corporate events teams all recognize Heather as a trusted and knowledgeable expert in her field.

      She has received awards for her thought leadership and commitment to the field including a Smart Women in Meetings award in the “Innovator” category, and the Meetings & Incentive Travel Canada’s Hall of Fame award – also in the “Innovator” category. She believes passionately in educating event hosts and has delivered numerous presentations to North American meetings industry groups. Through educational videos, webinars and training workshops, Planner Protect reaches thousands of event professionals every year. Heather is passionate about elevating event professionals’ contract expertise to protect their event finances, preserve their reputations and produce successful events.

    Contact information

    Please contact Camille Moore for questions about this session. 

  • Join us for the launch of new study findings from the EIC, in collaboration with IAEE and SISO, on the extent of deceptive practices, consumer fraud and scams affecting the events industry, with an emphasis on attendance list scams and room block poaching and piracy.

    Meetings and exhibitions continue to be impacted by room block poaching. Today, poaching is increasingly extending beyond room blocks into exhibitor services, audiovisual, sponsorships and more. Poachers are businesses that actively seek to deceive, recruit or divert event participants—primarily attendees and exhibitors—away from official room blocks and other offerings and into unauthorized vendors. These businesses use a range of techniques to approach attendees and gain their business.

    Learning Objectives


    1.From Events Industry Council research, gain powerful insight into the industry-wide effects of poaching on our industry, who is affected and how.
    2. Be the first to hear 2019 study results on attendance list scams in the events industry. 
    3. Learn about practical solutions for addressing room block poaching and attendance list scams.
    4. Understand how these scams affect privacy compliance.

    • Michael Owen

      With decades of experience as a provider of entertainment and event management services, Michael shares a wealth of knowledge gained through his career in the business events industry. His company, EventGenuity, LLC, produces business events throughout North America.

      Michael is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and learning institutions, speaking on what’s now and what’s next in meetings and events. He has published articles in Meetings and Conventions, Convene, Meeting Mentor magazine, Connect magazine, Plan-It Tennessee, The Meeting Professional, Meetings Focus and Successful Meetings magazines and as a guest columnist for The Tennessean and Nashville Business Journal. Michael was recently awarded the MPI RISE Award for Meetings Industry Leadership and was recognized for Lifetime Achievement by MPI Tennessee. venues worldwide, negotiate rates and review contracts at no cost to her client.

    Contact information

    Please contact Camille Moore for questions about this session. 

RESOURCES FOR MEETING PLANNERS