Nov 01
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners ASAE & the Center, green meetings, meeting education, Washington DC
Here is an exciting, free learning opportunity for association professionals in the Washington, DC area that sounds too good to pass up! It is also being put on by our industry partner, The Convene Green Alliance:
What: Carbon Footprinting Made Easy 
Learn about today’s green meeting trends and define and explore renewable energy credits, carbon offsets, and other resources that meeting professionals can use to reduce the carbon footprint of future meetings.
When: November 8, 2011
Where: ASAE Headquarters Conference Center
Cost: FREE to association professionals
Registration and Additional Information: www.convenegreen.com
CP Director of Communications, Al Rickard, CAE, will be attending the event (and sharing the highlights with us). Say hello if you see him there!
Oct 31
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners florida hotels, Marriott, meeting experiences, meeting ideas, team building
Do you roll your eyes at the thought of participating in a team building activity, or do they send you into a planning frenzy to find an out of the box activity for your group? 
Us too…until we came across a unique idea from the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort.
Now your group can participate in a customized flash mob!
Flash mobs have become the latest craze and are popping up everywhere from TV shows like Modern Family and Glee to YouTube videos. (In case you are wondering what a flash mob is, it is a large group of people in a public place who suddenly break out into a synchronized activity, usually a dance).
The reasonably priced packages at the resort range from a choreographer to teach a dance to some or all of a group (maybe the Executive Committee learns a dance to surprise their group!) to inclusion of a videographer and even customized t-shirts.
If the video becomes a viral success, Marriott will even invite the guests back for a free stay!
Interested? Post a comment for more information.
Sep 14
Ashley ChalmersTips meeting industry
Summer is over, and everyone’s back from vacation.
This means that everyone is also back on the road commuting. Worse, they all seem to be driving to and from work on your road at the exact same time as you! Plus, construction crews never seem to take a vacation – there are still lanes closed and backups everywhere.
It’s enough to make you telecommute every day (if you can!). But if you’re like most people, you have to deal with rush hour most days.
How can you make your commute more bearable? Or, better yet, more productive?
ConventionPlanit.com offers these tips:
1. Listen to a book. Audio files of books can be easily downloaded to all types of mobile devices or ordered on CDs and even (gasp!) cassette tapes. If you’ve never done this, you’re missing out – listening to a book is fun, relaxing, and even educational – think of all the professional development books you want to read but never seem to get to! Check out websites such as www.audible.com,www.booksonaudio.net, www.theaudiobookstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and more. (For the busy meeting professional, ConventionPlanit.com recommends Monday Morning Leadership by David Cotrell, The Perfect Board by Calvin K. Clemmons, CAE, CMP, and Seating Matters).
2. Get satellite radio. Tired of the same old AM/FM radio stations? Fear not – there’s a world of stations on satellite radio, including live audio feeds from leading news stations such as CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and FOX News. For music lovers, there are stations devoted exclusively to Jimmy Buffet, the Beatles, and countless other bands. Throw in various sports channels, comedy stations, and hundreds of others, and there is something for everyone. Check it out at www.siriusxm.com.
3. Try different routes. Traffic patterns are always changing, and there might be a faster way to work you haven’t tried yet. Or at least it will lend some variety to your daily routine even if it isn’t faster. You can also save your sanity by leaving at different times on different days – this can also open up new route options and maybe save you time if you’re not driving in the heart of rush hour.
4. Stop for breakfast along the way. It might cost a little more to buy breakfast than to make it at home, but it could break up your commute into more manageable segments. You can try different places and maybe even meet some interesting people.
5. Take the train or subway. Not everyone has this option, but it has its advantages. You can usually get some work done and you can even check out the latest on www.conventionplanit.com.
6. Ride your bike. Sound crazy? A growing number of Americans are doing it. More cities are putting in bike trails and bike lanes and educating motorists on sharing the road with bicyclists. Plus, think of the money you can save and the health benefits! You also arrive to work energized and ready to tackle the toughest challenges. You might even qualify to have part of your biking expenses covered by your employer! Visit the League of American Bicyclists website to learn more.
ConventionPlanit.com salutes dedicated commuters everywhere and we wish you a speedy and relaxing commute wherever you are!
Sep 08
Ashley ChalmersNews, Tips for Meeting Planners economy, per diem
These new rates, announced by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), are for non-standard areas (NSAs) of the continental United States, and are in effect October 1, 2011, through September 30, 2012.
The complete FY2012 rates can be viewed at the GSA per diem website.
Highlights:
• The standard continental United States (CONUS) per diem rate for lodging applies to destinations that are not listed as specific destinations remains at $77 per night.
• GSA noted that its data shows that the ADR for hotel rooms has not yet returned to its pre-2008 levels and that while some areas have increased, others have remained flat or fallen below FY2011 levels.
• Of the NSA rates that did change from FY2011, most rates did not increase or decrease more than $5.
Information courtesy of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Sep 01
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners green meetings, meeting planning services, overseas meetings
Where is that RFP?! And that set of green meeting resources…it was here a minute ago! I know I had that list of money-saving tips for the next convention, but now I can’t find it!
If you’ve ever scrambled to find things in the rush of day-to-day business, you’ll appreciate the many ways ConventionPlanit.com can keep you organized and ensure that what you need is literally a click or two away on the web.
Here’s how:
• ConventionPlanit.com offers three different options for submitting online RFPs, and each one ensures that your RFP is easily accessible if you need to check specs or see where and when it was sent. Best of all, the 24-hour RFP Response Guarantee even ensures that you don’t have to get on the phone to follow up.
• Leading destinations, convention centers, hotels, resorts, and other meeting service providers are always there in the online searchable database, complete with all relevant meeting specs so you can instantly make apples-to-apples comparisons to speed your decision-making.
• The latest “Divine Deals” are listed online, helping you take advantage of the best special offers in the meetings industry.
• “Stellar Tips” has hundreds of excellent meeting tips for saving money and improving your next meeting, searchable by keyword. You’ll never lose this list and you can even win a $50 American Express gift card by submitting your own tip if it gains the most votes from other meeting professionals during the next month.
• Green meeting resources include links to industry organizations focused on green meetings, such as the ASAE Convene Green Alliance, plus many articles and white papers.
• Best practices in the meetings industry, including those created by the Convention Industry Council Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and other groups are all listed.
• Dates and locations for future meeting industry conferences are listed in the “Save the Date” section.
• For global meetings, up-to-the-minute currency exchange rates, conversion tables, international telephone country codes, time zone maps, value-added tax information, and weather forecasts are all available from one webpage.
• Past issues of the ConventionPlanit.com e-Alert, including the headline for each issue, can be easily searched and accessed.
Many of these are listed under the “Planning Resources” tab on the ConventionPlanit.com home page. Look for the “Meeting Tools” and “Planning Resources” dropdowns from this tab and you can see most of the resources.
Aug 24
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners crisis management, meeting planner help, Tips for Meeting Planners
The earthquake yesterday that was felt over much of the East coast got me thinking…what are the proper safety procedures for earthquakes? Many schools in California teach earthquake safety, but out here this is certainly not the norm.
Here is some information from FEMA to help keep you safe:
Stay as safe as possible during an earthquake. Be aware that some earthquakes are actually foreshocks and a larger earthquake might occur. Minimize your movements to a few steps to a nearby safe place and if you are indoors, stay there until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe.
If Indoors:
- DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
- Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
- Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
- Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
- Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
- Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
- DO NOT use the elevators.
If Outdoors:
- Stay there.
- Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
- Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.
If in a Moving Vehicle:
- Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.
- Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.
Information courtesy of fema.gov
It is a good idea to become familiar with safety procedures for any situation. To learn more, be sure to check out our previous post on handling crisis situations for your meetings.
Aug 03
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows attendee interaction, meeting experiences, meeting ideas
As the meetings industry emerges from the economic downturn, all organizations are putting more focus on strategies to drive attendance and manage costs.
At a Bisnow event held in Washington, DC, four association CEOs offered some of their best ideas in these areas.
The executives who led the session and the ideas they delivered include:
Julie Coons, President & CEO, Electronic Retailing Association
- Build community by driving attendees to the exhibit show floor by offering more activities, food, and networkingthere. Make your meeting space a “cocoon” where members can see everyone.
- Every industry has its rock stars – use them as speakers instead of paying for outside speakers.
Craig Purser, President and CEO, National Beer Wholesalers
- Make sure your meeting focuses on your mission. It should be like a seven-course meal rather than a country buffet – everyone will come away saying they enjoyed a “great meal.” Also, ask members what they want to consume before you set the menu.
- Pay attention to the “next generation customers” in your association and make sure you meet their needs.
Howard Nusbaum, President and CEO, American Resort Development Association
- Set up a “speed dating” session where members (customers) sit in an area of the exhibit hall and give exhibitors a chance to do a series of 10-minute presentations.
- Create “councils” that represent certain segments of individuals and have them plan activities at the meeting to personalize the involvement of members. This is especially useful for trade associations where the organization, not the individual, is the member.
- Associations are like churches and the CEO is like the minister – members are coming to your association to feel better about themselves. You have to give them a spirit of success.
All of them urged attendees to be bold, demonstrate leadership, and not be afraid to “blow up programs” and try new approaches.
Jun 08
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners meeting experiences, meeting ideas, meeting planner feedback, prezi, technology, Tips for Meeting Planners
So, exactly what is a “Prezi?” 
We first heard about it after a member of the ConventionPlanit.com Meeting Professionals Advisory Council told us that it was one of the hot things for 2011.
It does have a cool name…and it’s free… so we thought we’d give you the lowdown.
But first, we want to clue you in on what a Prezi is NOT:
- It’s not what you call your boss or the head of your association who carries the title of “President.”
- It’s not a new device like an iPad or a Droid – although you can view a Prezi on a device like that.
- It’s not a phrase you utter in anger when something bad happens at your meeting.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s the deal: A Prezi allows you to “create astonishing presentations live and on the web,” according to www.prezi.com. The website also talked about “stunning” presentations, so it got our attention.
Basically, it frees up your creative mind when you’re building a presentation, because it allows more flexibility than traditional PowerPoint presentations, and even has zoom-in and zoom-out features to examine details or view the big picture.
There’s a creative presentation online called “How to create a great Prezi” that offers a quick look at the possibilities. So we encourage you to check it out.
We even created a quick Prezi on “How We Made the ConventionPlanit Flash Back to the Future Video.” You may like that one too. It was fun and took less than an hour to create. So try one yourself and see what you think.
Like anything else in life, a basic version of the Prezi software is free, and it costs money to upgrade the capabilities. But the upgrade cost is reasonable. We’re not even getting a commission for telling you all this.
Have you created or viewed a Prezi? What did you think?
Jun 01
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners ASAE & the Center, green meetings, social responsibility
Organizations are beginning to place more importance on developing social responsibility strategies – which help accomplish business goals and reinforce values of an organization.
At a recent ASAE Convene Green Alliance CGA) Focus Forum, Jim Clapes, manager of conferences and events for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), detailed why and how his association has conducted several legacy projects at USGBC annual meetings during recent years.
In 2008, for example, USGBC members volunteered to develop a green building education program and successfully integrated it into the K-8 curriculum in the Boston school system.
“We tried to capitalize on the building industry that was happening in Boston at the time,” Clapes explained. “The American Institute of Architects and the Boston Society of Architects were both meeting in Boston that spring, so that was a nice tie-in.”
The success of that effort drove USGBC to sponsor two legacy programs in Phoenix at its 2009 Annual Meeting. There, members built a net-zero energy LEED Platinum home that was given to a needy family at the end of the conference. The organization also built a solar commons in the light rail right-of-way that will provide solar energy for the Phoenix community for years to come.
In 2010, USGBC obtained community grants to conduct six legacy projects at its Chicago annual meeting, including building a Habitat for Humanity home, creating a mobile food market for underserved communities, planting a rooftop recovery garden, assisting a family shelter service, teaching elementary school students about environmental issues, and helping underprivileged youth with cleanup and environmental sustainability projects.
Clapes offered these tips to meeting professionals looking to create legacy programs:
- Identify the needs of the city/community in which you are operating an event
- Work with local communities (conference host committee, organizational chapter leaders, and experts) to select the highest value needs
- Leverage corporate partnerships and other nonprofit partnerships
- Measure the community impact and tell the story
Has your organization developed a social responsibility strategy? What are your thoughts on legacy programs? Share your challenges and success stories with us!
Apr 13
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners attendee interaction, Event Industry Networking, meeting experiences, team building, unique activities
Guest post – provided courtesy of AmEx OPEN Forum and written by Katie Morell.
Ahh, team building. These two words produce feelings of dread in many employees and bring up images of ropes courses and awkward renditions of Kumbaya around a fire pit.
Back when I lived in San Francisco, I worked for a company that was obsessed with team building. Instead of going to a ropes course, we went to a climbing gym. Even though I found it pretty fun, many of my co-workers did not like the idea of dangling from ropes while everyone looked at their backsides. These individuals bowed out of the activity and stood in the corner pouting…not much ‘team’ building happened that day.
Next, we went to a nature preserve. This time I was uncomfortable. I already have a difficult time with the concept of zoos—I’d rather just watch lions and tigers on Animal Planet. But on this particular day, I remember riding in an open-air wagon and staring into the eyes of a 1,200-pound water buffalo. Mrs. Buffalo was sitting less than 10 feet away from me and there was nothing but air separating us. I recoiled and urged the driver to go faster. I don’t exactly remember much ‘team’ building with that experience either, seeing that it took me about 30 minutes to calm down from my near-death experience.
So how do you plan an event that will cater to your entire team?
According to Kate Nasser, a.k.a. ‘The People-Skills Coach’ and president of CAS, Inc., a consultancy for corporations, governments and mid-sized businesses based in Summerville, New Jersey, it is important to determine an objective before diving into a team-building activity.
“Team building can be fun and boost morale,” she says. “It can also be designed to help address a work or communication problem.”
‘Fun’ team building
If you want your activity to strengthen bonds between employees, ask them what they want to do, suggests Nasser. “Expect that you will get diverse views, but know that they will be more engaged if the activity represents their definition of fun.”
Ropes courses and water buffalo aside, my former employer did execute one effective team-building activity. The objective was to strengthen bonds with our organization and it worked…and cost nothing.
We all crowded into a conference room and in the middle of a table sat a stack of index cards. We were instructed to tape one index card to each other’s backs and grab a pen. For the next 20 minutes, we rotated from person to person, writing something nice about them on their index card.
At the end, we all reached around and grabbed our cards to see more than 20 positive messages about ourselves. I hung mine on my bulletin board and so did many of my colleagues.
Nasser recommends going to a bowling alley and breaking up into teams. “It is easy and cheap—just make sure to bring small prizes to make it even more fun,” she suggests, adding that books such as Team Games for Trainers and The Big Book of Team Building Games are also filled with ideas.
‘Problem solving’ team building
If there are problems within a team, first sit down with employees individually to find out what they would like changed, Nasser recommends.
“Hold conversations with the promise of confidentiality,” she says. “Most teamwork problems are rooted in a lack of respect for diversity or communication problems.”
If respect is the issue, Nasser recommends this exercise: Have each person bring a photo of themselves doing something they love—something that reflects who they are as a person. Then, go around the table and have each person explain why the photo makes them happy or proud. “Make sure these are not work-related photos,” she says.
Play 20 questions—after someone describes their photo, give each person around the table the opportunity to ask for more information. At the end, “people will be talking to each other like human beings—this works really well.”
Another option is to instruct each member of your team to take a personality indicator test. “I recommend the Keirsey Temperament tests,” Nasser says. “Everyone can take the test, print off the results, and bring it to a team building meeting. Then everyone can guess each other’s type. It is a very insightful exercise.”
Once finished, participants then list one or two effective ways others can communicate with them. “To make it really fun, print up a sign for your desk that alerts others on how to communicate with you. For example, mine would be ‘Give me the big picture and get to the point.’”
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