Monthly Archives: June 2020

ASAE Announces Graham, Steele, Zaniello Receive Highest Individual Honors for Exceptional Leadership

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ASAE will posthumously bestow John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE, past President and CEO of ASAE, with this year’s Key Award. In addition, James J. Zaniello, FASAE, President of Vetted Solutions, will be presented with the Academy of Leaders Award; and Rhea M. Steele, CAE, Chief of Staff of the School Nutrition Association, will receive the Professional Performance Award.

“On behalf of the committee, congratulations to the 2020 Individual Honors recipients. During these challenging times it is important to shine a light on the positive impact that our colleagues have made, not only in their volunteer work with ASAE, but throughout the association community,” said Christie Tarantino-Dean, FASAE, CAE, CEO, Institute of Food Technologists and chair of the 2020 Awards & Recognition Selection Committee.

John H. Graham IV is the 71st recipient of the Key Award, and the first to be posthumously honored.  This award is presented to association chief staff executives who demonstrate exceptional qualities of leadership in their association and display a deep commitment to voluntary membership organizations.

Prior to his death in January, John served the association community as President and CEO of ASAE for over 16 years. Before leading the organization, he was an active ASAE volunteer and served as an ASAE board member from 1994 -1997, a member of the ASAE Research Foundation board from 2000 – 2003, as well as chair of the Foundation Development Committee (2002-2003), and chair of the Key Philanthropic Organization Committee (1996-1997). Since becoming an ASAE member in 1988, he served on several other committees including the Associations Advance America Judging Committee, Foundation Finance Committee, Partners Advisory Forum, Membership Professionals Advisory Council, and the Joint Planning Committee. John was also known for his dedication to promoting ASAE’s Power of A initiative and his unwavering support of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and legislation.

“The Awards & Recognition Committee is taking action to support John’s diversity, equity and inclusion legacy along with ASAE’s ongoing efforts by taking steps to create a more transparent and inclusive awards program,” said Matthew R. D’Uva, FASAE, CAE, CEO, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and vice-chair of the 2020 Awards & Recognition Selection Committee. “The goal of these changes is to create a pool of applicants that reflects the diverse makeup of the association community.”

James J. Zaniello is the 33rd recipient of the Academy of Leaders Award which is given to consultants or industry partners who have demonstrated exemplary support of ASAE and the entire association community. Jim served as chair of the ASAE Political Action Committee (APAC) (2001-2003), as well as chair of the Foundation Development Committee (2011-2012). He has also been active on several other committees since 1997 including the Industry Partner Alliance, Executive Management Professionals Advisory Council, CAE Commission, Healthcare Community Committee, AMC Professionals Advisory Committee, Key Consultants Committee, and Fellows Recipients. Through his professional work, Jim has collaborated with the Florida Society of Association Executives to produce a diversity and inclusion focused research study, and with the ASAE Research Foundation team to compile data for a study that will examine the use of Interim CEOs and Executive Directors.

Rhea M. Steele is the 46th recipient of ASAE’s Professional Performance Award. It recognizes invaluable contributions made by association executives who are at the top level in their organizations but are not CEOs. Rhea has been an active volunteer since 2011. She served as vice-chair (2014-2015), and chair (2015-2016) of the National Capital Area Advisory Council and has been a member of the Gold Circle Awards Committee, the Technology Professionals Advisory Council, and was recently appointed to the CAE Commission. In addition to her committee work, Rhea helps to advance the association profession by leading prospective CAE candidates through the ASAE CAE Exam Kickoff Course and is a co-founder of the Association Women Technology Champions group.

The awards will be presented during the 2020 ASAE Virtual Annual Meeting & Exposition, August 10-12. To learn more about ASAE’s Individual Honors criteria and selection process, visit https://asae-honors.secure-platform.com/a/page/ASAEHonors.

Live Streaming 101

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We asked DIGITELL, Inc., to explain how Live Streaming cultivates a new audience and leverages your content to generate new revenue.

For those of us who may be unfamiliar with Live Streaming, how does it amplify the meeting experience?

Live Streaming is simply delivering the education and experience of your meetings with those who are unable to attend physically.  Live Streaming adds a whole new group of people into your meeting experience. It allows you to reach a greater audience with your message, which benefits your organization and your community.

Why is Live Streaming so important compared to traditional forms of marketing?

Over 80% of people attending a Live Stream have never been to your physical meeting. With a 20% – 40% conversion rate, Live Streaming provides the exposure you need to grow your physical meeting.  It is the most successful and cost-effective marketing you will ever do for your meeting and organization.

What impact does Live Streaming have on revenue development?

There are over 5 ways of generating revenue from live streaming, resulting in significant (non-dues) revenue for your organization:

  1. Registration revenue from the virtual attendee
  2. Virtual pass revenue from the physical attendee to share with their staff who could not attend
  3. Virtual pass revenue from the exhibitors to share with their sales staff who need to hear what is being said in the industry
  4. Sponsorship revenue by exhibitors and sponsors who wish to privately host Live Stream education content
  5. Sponsorship revenue by exhibitors and product showcases between sessions present plenty of options to enhance the Live Stream experience

How does live streaming engage new or existing members?  

The comfort level of people learning digitally has never been higher.  15 years of Webinars and Online Learning and 12 years of Live Streaming events have created an enormous market of digital learners.  With less than 10% of members typically attending a physical meeting, Live Streaming gives you a product to offer 90% of your members who don’t attend and the ability to reach an international community that can’t or is afraid to travel.

What other benefits can only live streaming offer?

  1. It re-engages dormant members who become active spenders of your organization
  2. It can give your exhibitors an additional market to reach for new business
  3. It will increase your physical meetings and add new members
  4. It gives you the ability to reach international markets in their language

To learn more about Live Streaming, contact Digitell.

Moving to Virtual Really Fast

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When that big onsite meeting suddenly must be remote: An essential checklist
By Nancy Settle-Murphy, Guided Insights and Jesse Bibbee, Gazelle Interactive

After months of planning, everything is finally in place for next week’s two-day meeting in London, which will chart the course for the launch of the company’s new product. The 25 participants from eight countries will be convening to make final decisions on pricing, sales and marketing programs, and launch details. 

As the meeting convener and facilitator, you’re feeling optimistic that the meeting will be a huge success. That’s when you get that dreaded email that upends every single one of your plans: “Out of abundant caution… all travel plans are on hold until further notice. This means that all business meetings must be cancelled or postponed, with no exceptions.” Your manager advises you to put your energy into figuring out how to achieve these same goals remotely. “After all,” she says, “Our competition won’t be taking a break. Neither can we.”

As the meeting convener and facilitator, you’re feeling optimistic that the meeting will be a huge success. The hotel rooms and meeting center are booked, everyone has plane tickets and visas in hand, the room logistics and menus are nailed down, and the agenda is finalized. You breathe a sigh of relief, eager for the weekend ahead.

That’s when you get that dreaded email that upends every single one of your plans: “Out of abundant caution… all travel plans are on hold until further notice. This means that all business meetings must be cancelled or postponed, with no exceptions.” Your manager advises you to put your energy into figuring out how to achieve these same goals remotely. “After all,” she says, “Our competition won’t be taking a break. Neither can we.”

If you or someone you know is facing a similar situation, Jesse Bibbee of Gazelle Interactive joined me to create this checklist of steps that we have found to be essential, as a start:

  • First, don’t panic. You will figure out how to do this, especially if you seek out people who have experience designing and running remote meetings and events. Reach out to meeting participants for their ideas and assistance. Brainstorm ideas and divvy up tasks. Make a list of everyone who can play a role and help out, both internally and externally.
  • Design the basic meeting structure, quickly, and then flesh it out. For example, how many virtual meetings of what duration spread over what period of time will you need to accomplish the same goals you had hoped to achieve in approximately 12 hours of your in-person meeting? You might, for example, settle on four two-hour meetings, spread over three days. Not all 25 participants must attend each meeting. Consider how much and what kind of work can be done between meetings, either independently, in small discussion groups, or a combination. Set up a central place where people can post, access and comment on “homework” prior to the next meeting, so you can allocate all meeting time to interactive conversations.
  • Create detailed agendas for each real-time virtual meeting, linking objectives and intended outcomes to conversations needed to achieve them. Instead of merely listing a topic, use action verbs so people can come well prepared. For example, instead of: “Pricing,” try: “Agree on minimum and maximum acceptable pricing at time of launch for each of our five major regions.” Be realistic about how much you can get done in each meeting. We recommend virtual meetings run two hours max. Keep in mind: Not all objectives need to be met through real-time meetings. Open up asynchronous (any time) meeting spaces where people can ask and answer questions, add ideas, brainstorm options, prioritize, etc. Build in time for thoughtful reflection and paraphrasing, especially when working with cross-cultural teams.
     
  • Select the right participants for each meeting. Avoid the temptation to “just include everyone” in every conversation. Managing verbal interactions with 25 people in a virtual setting can be almost impossible, especially when the topics are likely to be complex or contentious. Instead, select only those people who need to participate in a particular real-time conversation, and include others in different ways, such as in a shared asynchronous meeting area or in a different conversation. Limit meetings where in-depth conversations are needed to no more than 6-8 participants, as a rule. If you must include all or most participants in each meeting, enable people to participate in multiple ways, such as via chat, polling, hands-up, or typing into a share space.
  • Establish, communicate and reinforce agreed-upon team norms early on. Such norms, (a.k.a. operating principles), should include meeting behavior and practices, the use of other communication channels, progress reporting, etc. For virtual meetings, norms might include expectations around prework and preparation, punctuality, attendance, level of participation required, and how certain technologies will be used, such as video, use of mute, need to test technology beforehand, etc.
  • Divide and conquer. In addition to asking a team to help with the design of the overall meeting architecture, seek assistance in other areas, too. For planning, you’ll want help creating the detailed agendas for each meeting, which will include identifying the needed prework, establishing participant and presenter roles, pre-meeting communications, and deciding which technology will be needed. For the real-time meeting, you may want to assign roles such as facilitator, timekeeper, scribe, tech support assistant, and action master. In between meetings, you’ll want someone to make sure that pertinent notes are accessible, assigned “homework” is completed and posted on time, and that actions are completed.
  • Select technology that can support your meeting goals. First, take stock of available technology and tools. For example, does everyone have access to video? A shared online meeting app? Audioconferencing capability? Sufficient bandwidth? For those must participate at odd hours from different timezones, are these tools also available from where they will be participating from, which might be their homes for many? Will you need to integrate other technologies you may not have now, such as for polling, sticky notes, dot-voting, etc.? Whatever set of tools you use, make sure all feel comfortable using them well ahead of your meeting. Have a back-up plan in case technology doesn’t work as planned.
     
  • Get the audio right above all. Even if you have the greatest online meeting tools, if people can’t be heard, or can’t hear, then the whole meeting can fall apart. Do a sound check for every possible variation imaginable. If a few people will be participating in different conference rooms around the world, test how well people can hear and be heard. Some speakerphones and conference rooms may distort sound, in which case you may need for everyone to participate from an acoustically private area with a headset. During the meeting, check periodically to ensure that everyone can hear all voices, regardless of location. Build in time for paraphrasing and summarizing questions and responses if needed.
     
  • Connect with video. Apart from the cases where certain systems or locations might make the use of video difficult or impossible, we believe that the use of video is critical for a few reasons. By seeing each other’s facial expressions and gestures, we have a better idea how people are feeling or what they may be thinking, even when they’re silent. Video helps hold people accountable for full participation, as it’s obvious when someone is distracted. Perhaps most important, video can help team members feel as though they’re actually sitting across from each other, in a virtual space. Ask local participants to book a conference room that has video capability if possible. Otherwise, ask people to join using a device that has video capability, either built in or an external webcam. For some, this might require a modest investment, which the meeting sponsor should probably be prepared to fund if needed.
     
  • Embed opportunities for active engagement throughout every virtual meeting. Minimize time spent in passive participation (such as reviewing content that could have been posted in advance), and maximize the number and frequency of participant interactions. Take advantage of peoples’ inherent desire to multitask by building in opportunities to multitask “on task” throughout every meeting. Examples: Soliciting quick verbal responses, polling, dot-voting, use of virtual post-its, hands-up, chat, asking people to type in responses, writing an idea on a piece of paper, etc. Plan on an interaction of some kind at least every 5-7 minutes.

Make no mistake: Being suddenly forced into converting an extended onsite meeting or training program of any kind into a virtual space is not easy. It requires a whole new way of thinking about the kind of conversations that need to take place (and where, when, and by whom) to achieve your intended outcomes. It also means thinking through how best to blend a whole array of asynch and synchronous communications and collaboration options in a way that can make for the most efficient, productive and satisfying conversations. Making such a “conversion” can be arduous and time-consuming the first few times, but with practice and reflection, it may become second nature before too long.

Note: The article originally appeared in Guided Insight’s March 2020 Communique

Nancy Settle-Murphy is the President of Guided Insights. She is a renowned expert in the fields of virtual leadership, remote collaboration and navigating cross-cultural differences, and the author of Leading Effective Virtual Teams. Learn more about Nancy at www.guidedinsights.com.

ASAE to Take 2020 Learning Virtual Due to COVID-19 Public Health and Safety Concerns

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With the public health and safety of the ASAE community of utmost concern, ASAE will hold all meetings, conferences and other scheduled learning programs virtually for the balance of 2020.

ASAE’s learning content has been entirely virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ASAE is currently planning its first-ever fully Virtual ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition August 10-12 to replace the in-person Annual Meeting in Las Vegas that was cancelled last month.

While Washington, DC, and other parts of the country are in various stages of reopening, more than a dozen states are reporting a spike in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations as restrictions have been lifted on businesses and large gatherings. Public health officials have also raised the possibility of COVID-19 resurgence this fall. Potentially exposing those in attendance at an ASAE program to COVID-19 is not a risk ASAE will accept.

“The impact of COVID-19 on in-person events across the association community is truly unprecedented,” said ASAE President and CEO Susan Robertson, CAE. “As was the case in ASAE’s decision to cancel its in-person Annual Meeting & Exposition in Las Vegas in August, our top priority in all of our decision-making about learning programs this year continues to be the health and safety of our attendees, industry partners, speakers, staff and volunteers. The good news is that the pandemic has made us accustomed to rapid change and we have the technology platforms to deliver exceptional learning content and continue to inform, educate and inspire our community in a virtual experience.”

Among the larger conferences on ASAE’s 2020 events calendar is the Technology Exploration Conference (TEC), which was scheduled to take place Dec. 8-9 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, and typically draws up to 1,000 attendees. This conference will also be held virtually.

“TEC 2020 is a perfect event to deliver virtually and, by making the decision now, this allows the staff team and volunteers to focus on planning and delivering the best Virtual TEC for attendees and exhibitors,” said Amy Ledoux, CAE, CMP, ASAE’s Chief Learning and Meetings Officer. “More information will be shared in September.”

Other planned face-to-face meetings on ASAE’s 2020 calendar are being transitioned to virtual as well. The ASAE Learning team, along with content leaders, are focused on reimagining the deliverables, platform and learning experiences needed to sustain association leaders and their staffs through the rest of the year, Ledoux said. ASAE members who are already registered for planned face-to-face meetings this summer and fall will be contacted by ASAE staff and updated on plans for virtual offerings. As was the case with the Spring CAE Exam, candidates for the December CAE Exam will likely have the option of taking the exam at a scheduled testing site or at their home or other location with a live online proctoring option (LOP). The LOP will be dependent on approval from the accrediting body.

Please consult the ASAE website for details about cancellation policies and procedures, as well as updates to scheduled learning programs, meetings and conferences through the end of the year. ASAE’s COVID-19 round-up page also contains a wealth of resources for the ASAE community.

ASAE Virtual Annual Meeting & Exposition Announces Leon Logothetis, Shiza Shahid, and Duncan Wardle as Keynote Speakers for 2020 Event

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The ASAE Virtual Annual Meeting & Exposition will take place August 10 – 12, 2020.  Attendees will experience education sessions, networking opportunities, Centennial celebrations, and the expo hall all through the virtual meeting environment created for ASAE using the Intrado platform. 

“ASAE hosted its first Annual Meeting & Exposition at the Curtis Hotel in Lenox, MA in October 1920. This year’s virtual annual meeting is a testament to the strength, resiliency, and relevancy of the association community as we prepare to host the same event almost exactly 100 years later,” said ASAE President and CEO, Susan Robertson, CAE. “The challenges of COVID-19 impacting every part of our daily lives, along with trying to understand how the association industry can effect changes in the fight against social injustice are complicated to assess, yet critical to act on. Now, more than ever, we must come together as a community to learn from each other, have those hard conversations, and define the work that needs to be done as we move into the next century.” 

The 2020 opening keynote speaker is Leon Logothetis, Global adventurer, motivational speaker, philanthropist, and author/creator of book and Netflix show, The Kindness Diaries.  Shiza Shahid, Co-Founder of Our Place, Founder of NowVentures; and Co-Founder & Founding CEO of the Malala Fund will kick-off day two. The final keynote from Duncan Wardle, former head of innovation for Disney, will address innovation during times of crisis.  

In addition, five Game Changer sessions will allow attendees to hear inspiring speakers from a variety of professional backgrounds who include: Risha Grant, Founder and CEO, Risha Grant LLC, will present key factors for effectively engaging diverse groups and tips to communicate to and attract new markets. Steve Lerch, President of Story Arc Consulting will share how to embrace an innovative culture with stories from his time at Google. #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?, star of the MTV show The Buried Life, and co-founder of The Buried Life movement, Ben Nemtin, will share his message of service, gratitude and endless potential. Afshin Molavi, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University and Co-Director, emerge85 Lab, will share trends on key global issues. The final Game Changer, Priya Parker, author of the The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters, will explore how we can be together apart. . 

To learn more about all of the education opportunities, registration, and events, visit the ASAE Virtual Annual Meeting website. 

NOTE: Members of the press receive complimentary registration to attend the event. Please contact the ASAE Public Relations department to request your complimentary pass. 

ASAE thanks the following Alliance Partners for their continued support of the association community: 

Strategic Partners 
Atlanta CVB
Destination Canada Business Events
Choose Chicago
Experience Columbus
Community Brands
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB
Naylor Association Solutions
Discover Puerto Rico

Corporate Partners
Visit Austin
Caesars Entertainment 
Destination Cleveland
Visit Dallas
DelCor Technology Solutions
Fonteva
Louisville Tourism
Visit Omaha
Travel Portland
Visit Salt Lake 
Visit San Jose 

Event Partners
IMIS by Advanced Solutions International
The Broadmoor
CliftonLarsonAllen
Experient
Higher Logic Manifest
MemberClicks
OpenWater
Discover the Palm Beaches 

Global Partners 
Dubai Association Center 
Korea MICE Bureau  
Singapore Tourism Board M

Tips for Planning a Virtual Meeting

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New to ConventionPlanit.com, may we introduce Mary Ann Pierce, President & Founder of MAP Digital, who spoke to our Advisory Council about getting started with a virtual meeting or event. Mary Ann has produced onsite and virtual events worldwide for the past 20 years. What information should you consider? Mary Ann says to find the best virtual meeting company for your needs, it’s important to qualify your meeting. Sound familiar? Virtual meetings have nuances of thier own, just like a face-to-face meeting. She offers the following qualifying information to consider when searching for a virtual meeting partner:

1. Date(s) of event  

2. Examples of website or agenda that you want to replicate virtually

3. Where are the speakers located (time zones matter!)

4. How many sessions, and what is the format (panels, keynotes, individual presenters, etc/)? Are any sessions concurrent? Will there be slide presentations? Video or audio only?

5. Audience locations / time zones? 

6. Interactivity (ask-a-question, chat, audience response, etc.) 

7. Is admission free? Does it require payment? Is it restricted but free? 

8. Where will your content usage data be sent? 

9. How long do you want the content available? 

10. Do you need video snippets for a content marketing campaign?

About MAP Digital Virtual Events powered by MetaMeetings:

mary ann pierce

For over 20 years, MAP Digital has fused the digital space onto investment banking conferences and CEO-level events. Headquartered in New York City, we produce onsite and virtual events worldwide. MAP Digital: MetaMeetings® platform captures speakers’ presentations from anywhere; and then streams them onto the content-rich, interactive, secure and compliant MetaMeetings® website. There is no limitation in the number of attendees and sessions that can be archived for return engagements.  Attendees’ content usage data is captured and resides in the MetaMeetings platform. Post event the archived videos can be transformed into content marketing snippets amplifying your speakers and brand thought leadership via social media which expands your networks and audience development efforts.

Learn more about MAP Digital. 

We are sad to announce the cancellation of IMEX America

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It is with great regret and disappointment that today we are announcing that we have made the difficult decision to cancel IMEX America 2020, due to take place at the Sands Expo, Las Vegas from September 15-17. 

Our industry has been impacted heavily by the global lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and we know how many of you were looking forward to coming together again in Las Vegas this fall. We’re acutely aware that since lockdown began, IMEX America 2020 has come to represent a beacon of hope for the entire business events community. We assure you, no-one is more disappointed than the IMEX team that we can’t fulfil that expectation. 

However, we must also be realistic about the current reality. There are three main reasons why we’ve taken the decision to cancel IMEX America 2020. 

First and foremost is our responsibility to our exhibitors to deliver a return on the investment they make in the show. We do this through our guarantee of delivering a high quality, large-scale hosted buyer program. With corporate travel bans still in place and uncertainty over continued global travel restrictions, we’re sadly in no position to offer that guarantee. 

Second is the issue of timings. As industry professionals you know that a show of the scale of IMEX America doesn’t happen overnight. Our industry supply chain and the investments that our exhibitors make in the show start now. It’s therefore important that we make this decision at a time when we’re still able to reduce the risk and exposure for our exhibitors, partners and suppliers. 

Finally, IMEX America is a truly global show, with over a third of the 13,000+ industry professionals attending from outside North America. Global travel restrictions and uncertainties around when they might be lifted make it impossible for a large proportion of our exhibitors, buyers and key industry professionals to commit to attending. And, whilst the global events industry is proudly distinct from the travel and tourism sector, nothing has demonstrated our interlinked fortunes and dependencies more keenly than the current crisis. 

It is for these reasons that we’ve taken the difficult decision to cancel IMEX America for 2020. Our team has spent the past few weeks in constant contact with our exhibitors, partners and suppliers and we’ve been overwhelmed by, and so grateful for, the support we’ve received. 

Many in the industry took part in our PlanetIMEX activities during May. We’ll continue to work on this virtual platform and the industry can expect to see innovations and plenty of fresh activity online during September and beyond. We know that nothing we do online can make up for the loss of meeting, celebrating and doing business together face to face in Las Vegas at what would have been the 10th anniversary of IMEX America. We’ll miss shaking your hands, giving our industry friends a well-earned hug and looking you in the eye with a warm smile. However, true to the spirit of IMEX and our heartfelt commitment to the industry we love, we’ll do our very best to deliver our customary high-quality content, business connections plus a dash of fun through our online experience until we can all meet again. 

The IMEX Team will also be extremely busy planning forward confidently and with passion for IMEX in Frankfurt and IMEX America 2021, when we look forward to welcoming back the global business events community face to face.  

We believe strongly in the resilience, flexibility and creativity of our industry. We’re optimistic that meeting face to face will play an important role in helping our economies and all the industries we serve to regenerate and recover. We’re certain that globally there’s a great deal of pent-up demand to come together for both business and for pleasure, once it is safe to do so. 

We WILL meet again and, like you, we can’t wait for that moment to come.  

With very best wishes, 

Ray and Carina

ConventionPlanit.com’s Advisory Council Talks COVID-19

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Since our inception in 2003, our team at ConventionPlanit.com has kept our ear to the ground to understand the current issues that impact meeting professionals. It goes without saying that the impact of COVID-19 on the meetings industry is the most pressing issue of the moment.

ConventionPlanit.com recently held its 10th Annual Advisory Council Meeting (via conference call), which proved to be a platform for industry professionals to discuss their own challenges and share ideas to navigate the global pandemic.

The Council members shared that some of their meetings have been cancelled, some are going virtual, and some are being rescheduled in 2021, depending on the market sector. They expressed frustration over inconsistent policies among hotels with deposit refunds for cancelling or rescheduling meetings. The Council members recommend waiting to cancel a meeting until local or state government has issued an order to increase the likelihood of receiving a reimbursement.  Looking ahead, the planners advise to be prepared to provide justification to travel. There will be fear in meeting face-to-face for many and getting back to ‘normal’ will be a slow process. 

The meeting included a presentation from Mary Ann Pierce, Founder & CEO of MAP Digital, a leader in the virtual events space for the past 20 years. Mary Ann shared tips on delving into virtual events and answered questions from Council members.  (Scroll down to find more from Mary Ann in this newsletter!)

The Advisory Council suggests being strategic when pushing content out digitally and focus on engaging and collaborating with partners to make the content experience-based. Think about what your strategic goals are versus getting content out for the sake of it. Many people are distracted, so less is more.

We asked the Advisory Council when they think they would be receptive to seeing advertising from suppliers, and they suggested when they are able to go back to their offices. In the meantime, relationships with suppliers are more important than ever, and they appreciate personal reach outs to see how they are doing.

The Advisory Council also weighed in on what information they would like to see added to ConventionPlanit.com from suppliers, and they suggested COVID-19 updates displayed on listing profiles. With so much unknown, the more information they can access, the better. Check out the ConventionPlanit.com website under Notices & Special Offers for more.

Learn more about the ConventionPlanit.com Advisory Council.