Start with the End in Mind

Donna Sanford
Founder and former Publisher of EXPO Magazine
Program Consultant for the Virtual Edge Summit
dsanford@virtualedge.org





If you’re like many in the event industry, 2011 will be the year you go virtual. And you’ll likely call someone like me to ask “how,” when what I wish you’d ask is “why.”

Do I think you should produce a virtual or hybrid event? Maybe. OK, probably. But for the right reasons – not because it’s trendy.

What I want to know is what you hope to accomplish with a virtual event. Are you trying to “tease” potential attendees to come to next year’s event? Or is your goal to make those who couldn’t attend physically still feel a part of the event? Are you hoping to position yourself as an education resource for your industry? Or is revenue your ultimate objective?

These are all legitimate goals, but each requires a different approach in terms of content and production for a virtual event.

If you’re going with the “tease” to try and give the 70 percent of your potential audience that never comes to your event a taste of what it’s like, then consider simply livecasting your keynotes and a few of the stronger breakout sessions. Maybe include a few video interviews with attendees talking about key takeaways from the meeting.

If the immersion of your home audience is what you want, then I’d suggest a robust offering of sessions and networking opportunities, with plenty of two-way communication. Add a streaming studio with “color commentators” who fill dead air between sessions and during food functions. And consider some product announcements and demos from exhibitors or sponsors so the home audience feels like they, too, got the latest news from the show floor.

If revenue is your goal, I’d up the ante on the above hybrid event and offer all the education sessions. Make it an on-demand event for at least six months, and include scheduled Q&A sessions with key speakers throughout the six months. Consider certification and accreditation for the online audience. Marketing will be key here to continue to drive attendees.

If positioning your organization as an education resource for your industry is what you really need, what could be better than a year of well-planned, well-executed Webinars? Not everything has to be a full-blown virtual event with an exhibit hall and a networking lounge. Add a link to a well-stocked resource room to your Webinars and you can become the go-to source for industry education.

For even more insights into the right kind of virtual event for your organization, I really recommend you attend the Virtual Edge Summit in Las Vegas, January 12-13, co-located with PCMA's Annual Meeting: Convening Leaders. There are 36 great sessions on every topic you need. It’s a full-blown hybrid event, too, so if you can’t make it in person, plan to attend from your office!

If you’ve got virtual questions, start sending them my way, and I’ll be sure to get them to the right VES speakers and get you some answers. I look forward to a discussion here or on Twitter at @virtualedge and #VES11.

Implementing APEX/ASTM Standards at Convening Leaders

Michelle Stoddard
Specialist, Project Management
PCMA




When the PCMA Green Task Force began discussing the new APEX/ASTM Standards on a spring 2010 conference call, I started to think of how PCMA could teach its members about these new standards.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the APEX/ASTM Standards, they are guidelines to produce more environmentally-friendly meetings and conventions. CIC has been working on them for a few months now, to produce a set of industry standards to make meetings more sustainable. Currently, CIC and the APEX/ASTM Standard Committee are working on finalizing the 9 standards to prepare them for voting, to be approved and published early 2011.

Now, PCMA’s annual meeting, Convening Leaders, already has an incredible number of components, forcing our meetings team to be spread pretty thin. I approached PCMA’s Vice President of Meetings & Events, Kelly Peacy, to see if she thought it would be possible to attempt two of these standards (On-site Office and Food and Beverage) for the January 2011 meeting.

Kelly agreed that PCMA should showcase these standards and asked that I work with Vicky Betzig on the Meetings Team to implement them. After reading and reviewing the list, we found that PCMA already meets some of the requirements; however, there was room for growth. By early fall 2010, we decided that our goal would be to achieve level 1 for all aspects of the On-Site Office and Food and Beverage Standards.

These standards are not just for planners, half of the requirements are for suppliers as well. It is important to distribute the supplier requirements to all parties involved as soon as possible. The MGM Grand was happy to work with Vicky to respond to what items they already do and what they can do by January. Make sure you leave yourself time to work through these standards, and keep in mind the meetings contact at the conference center will not generally have this information readily available.

Since Vicky and I began this process, we have developed an implementation and marketing plan, in order to understand what needs to be completed by January.

We hope that by working to achieve these standards for the 2011 PCMA Convening Leaders, we are able to produce documents to assist you in implementing these standards for your own organization’s meetings.

Please join us on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 for our education session, Implementing Environmentally Sustainable Standards, at Convening Leaders, to see the case study on what was done and to learn tips and gain tools for you to use when exploring these new standards.

If you have any questions relating to APEX/ASTM Standards and how we implemented them at Convening Leaders, feel free to contact me at mstoddard@pcma.org. I look forward to hearing from you.

SMM At PCMA Las Vegas

Posted by:
Jennifer W. Brown, CMP
President, Meeting Sites Resource




For those of you attending my Strategic Meeting Management (SMM) workshop at the PCMA annual meeting: Convening Leaders in Las Vegas this January, I am looking forward an interactive discussion and analysis on how to get the most value and ROI from your SMM plan.

The big picture goal of course will be on "how to demonstrate real meeting value to senior management" and specific metrics to define and measure success. Whether you control enterprise wide meetings and events for your organization, or only meeting activity in a corporate office, division or department, SMM is a game changer and will play an important role in your overall success. Meetings are big investments and a carefully planned and implemented SMM plan can save 14%-24% annually, which clearly will peak the interest of senior management.

"Value" has different definitions by different stakeholders, which will be revealed during the critical SMM needs assessment and action plan phase. Often, too much emphasis is placed on cost savings and not enough focus on meeting design, architecture and attendee experience / learner outcomes. We all want to squeeze (and demonstrate) more $$$ to the bottom line, however, if you save money but do not achieve meeting goals and objectives, that is not ROI, but ROB (Return On Budget), which is an "F" by SMM standards.

We’ll also discuss additional SMM components, including the need for robust technology that drives data management, including cost savings and risk reduction report by meeting.

I look forward to more dialog on this topic in Las Vegas. Participating as a driver of this essential business initiative will have a big impact on your organization...and career!

If you have any initial questions or thoughts on the SMM initiative, please send me an email...I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at jbrown@meetingsites.net.

Jennifer W. Brown, CMP is President of Meeting Sites Resource, a global Specialist in meeting site research and hotel contract negotiations. The company also offers professional meting support services, custom meeting education, SMM consulting and advanced meeting technology solutions.
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To learn more about Jennifer's session at Convening Leaders, visit pcma2011.org or contact communications@pcma.org for more details.

Never Replace Face-to-Face

Posted by:
Jordan Schwartz
CEO, Pathable



Perhaps it sounds heretical coming from the president of an Internet-based “social media company”, but I don’t think on-line social networks and communities can ever replace the power and value of face-to-face meetings.

At this point, you might be asking “but isn’t that your business?” No, it isn’t. Here’s why:

The value that on-line social networks for events provides come from the way they can enhance and extend face-to-face meetings, not replace them. Here are three simple ways:

1. Increased Attendance: On-line social networks are uniquely suited to set off viral marketing cascades: one person posts a note to Twitter or Facebook and all of their friends see it. If only a small percentage of those respond or “retweet”, you can quickly build a chain reaction where your news or message can flow through to an audience of thousands. By leveraging this network effect, you can get the word out about your event in a much more effective way than traditional ad buys or other channels.
2. Increased Satisfaction: If your attendees are coming to meet each other and build new relationships, they will judge the value of your event on their success at achieving their goals. If they walk away with a passel of new connections and relationships, they’ll be back next time. If they don’t, they may not.
3. Extended Duration: Typical face-to-face events last anywhere from several hours to several days. It’s a rare event that lasts all year. But that’s exactly what on-line communities can do. And not only do they extend your event for months after it’s over, but think about what kind of value a 24 / 7 tradeshow can offer your exhibitors!

With Thankgsiving wrapped up here in the U.S. and more holidays on the way, we’ve had many opportunities to see how emotionally impactful getting together with people face-to-face can be. Looking someone in the eye, hearing the silence between their words, feeling the grip of their hand: these powerful experiences can’t be matched by words or pictures on the screen.

But if you want to get the most out of the face-to-face experience, taking advantage of all that on-line communities and social networks have to offer is essential.

None of this is to say that virtual meetings and hybrid meetings (i.e., meetings with both an on-line and physical component) don't have value: they do! The way information can be transmitted and ideas exchanged without the accompanying travel costs (both time and money), are fantastic and these types of meetings will continue to grow with good reason. But will they replace face-to-face completely? Never.

Attendees at your events have a limited time to see each other, so they want to make the best use of the time they have. How can you help? Provide them with the tools to get to know each other before they arrive, to set up meetings in advance and to stay in touch when the event is over.

And that is enhancing and extending the face-to-face meeting.

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To hear more from Jordan, be sure to attend PCMA's 55th annual meeting: Convening Leaders in Las Vegas, Jan 9-12,2011.

Jordan's session, Successful Online Communities for Events, will help you identify best practices in building an online community, create synergy between face-to-face and online communities, and utilize online activity to improve year-round relationship with your community.

Giving Back: Community Service as Part of Events

Posted by:
Debbi Beldon, CMP
Experient National Account Manager




Community Service is an important part of my life. I have served on the committee for an annual local industry event that raises money for the Food Bank of the Rockies for years. I am currently serving as the Chair of the National Network for the Needy Committee for PCMA. Community Service has always been important to my company, Experient and I am grateful that they give us the ability and support to participate in some very important activities.

The Denver Experient Office holds an annual event called Pack for Impact that combines raising money and doing good work. We collect leftover convention bags and spend the afternoon with clients and supplier partners at the Food Bank of the Rockies stuffing the bags with food with the children that participate in the Kid’s Café program to take home every weekend. This year, in addition to actively stuffing 500 bags, I am very proud to share that with the help of some very generous sponsors we presented a check for $7,750!

I know that many groups include some community service component in their events, so I was curious to learn what groups were doing at their meetings.

I spoke with Diane Miller, Senior Coordinator Meeting Services for the Church of the Nazarene. She told me that they have been holding service projects at their events since 1987. The Church feels that it important when they go into a city – that they don’t just “take” – hotel rooms, food and beverage, etc. but also “give back” to the community. I was most impressed that at their Youth Conference, the service project is mandatory. Attendees are instructed to bring two suitcases – one for their personal belongings and one filled with food. Once the teens get to the event, they sort the food and fill boxes that will feed a family of four for a week. In 2007 in St. Louis they were able to provide enough food to feed 10,000 families! According to Diane, they believe that if you can expose these teens to service early enough, hopefully the practice of giving back will stay with them for life.

I then reached out to Heather Plush, Senior Meeting Manager at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Heather explained that they have done a community service project the past two years. The last two years their project was an adult “paint by numbers” activity where attendees could come and paint for as long as they had and then the paintings were donated to a local hospital. This year, they are working with the USO, selling specially designed children’s books in their bookstore for attendees to purchase. The books are equipped with recording devices and after the event, NCSL will send the books purchased back to the USO who will send them to parents on active military duty. Those parents can then record themselves reading the book to their children.

I spoke with a corporate planner that is celebrating their 25th anniversary, so every employee has been challenged to commit 25 hours of volunteer service over the course of this year. In an effort to support this challenge, six charities were showcased at a networking event at their office. A pre event video montage (viewed as pre-work in the virtual environment) described the charter and works of each organization prepared the attendees to meet with charity representatives and discuss the possibilities for personal and team volunteer opportunities. Additionally, they incorporate volunteer and community/charity work at almost every internal event.

If you are doing a Community Service project at your events – thank you. If you are not, maybe you should ask yourself why not? The projects are good for the community and rewarding for your attendees that participate. If you are concerned about not knowing how to get started, contact PCMA who has a Community Service committee and may be able to guide you. The Convention & Visitors Bureau in the city where you are meeting is a great resource for ideas. Destination Management Companies can also help you put on a great event.

If you are attending PCMA’s annual meeting: Convening Leaders, be sure to attend our session “Giving Back to Your Host City”.

Why your story matters…

Posted by:

Sue Hershkowitz-Coore, CSP

President/Owner, High Impact Presentations




If your best prospect agreed to give you just 3 minutes to persuade them you were their best choice, what would you say? Oh, and they’re also asking 5 of your competitors all who pretty much offer what you do (think Gala, MacIntosh, Fiji apples). You can create a Powerpoint if you want, or anything else you think might give you the edge.

So what would you do?

Tell your story. Tell them what about your product, service or idea drives people to do business with you. I don’t mean your beautiful ballroom. I mean how you watch brides walk into the ballroom and see them choke back tears (don’t ruin the make-up [humor is fine]) when they see their dream wedding come to life. I don’t mean how you love what you do. I mean how when people write to you after your program and tell them you changed their life, transformed what they do, that they applied your principles the next day – even though they weren’t yet feeling totally confident – and BOOKED the business! It’s your story that matters.

Telling your story requires you know what you offer. That sounds so obvious and really, it isn’t. It’s not the tangibles but the intangibles. The confidence they can feel because of your attention to detail. The time they’ll save because they can depend on your abilities. The sales momentum they’ll generate because of the learning environment you provide.

Pay attention to what people say when they use your service or product. Start journaling the things that happen that are special, unique, interesting to you.

Use your 3 minutes to tell your story. Generate emotion. If you have time left, back it up with the features that enabled the story you just told. No time for facts? No problem. Email them as soon as you leave the meeting. Thank them, remind them of how they’ll benefit and give them a link to the details they’ll use to justify choosing you.

Your story is your differentiating factor. Let them hear it.

If you're interested in learning more about storytelling, check out my session at PCMA's 55th annual meeting: Convening Leaders.

Be a Storyteller: How to Present Ideas Memorably
Meeting and convention managers need every tool to persuade stakeholders that their ideas and meetings have value. Following an interactive program on how to vastly improve your presentation skills, take part in small group exercises where you will "tell your story" and receive feedback. Discover specific, practical concepts to tell your story confidently and competently.

Are questions scary?

My life has been about questions. I think it is a deep-seated cultural/religious thing!

As Chair of PCMA's Student Task Force, I served on the PCMA Annual Meeting Planning Committee. In that role, bouncing around session concepts, speakers and design with PCMA members and staff, it was evident that I drove Chair Neil Schriever a little meshugge! (C'mon .. no 'poor Neil' comments! And Neil? If it makes you feel better, I am sure my parents (of blessed memory) felt the same from all my questioning.)

Why and how?

In addition to being curious, I am a questioner, aural learner and an MBTI "P" who needs to ask and hear questions out loud to process the information. My learning preferences made me as curious about room sets and delivery formats, about interactivity in sessions, about how students would be incorporated into the entire Annual Meeting, as others were about session titles and speakers.

I asked lots of questions and to many, questions are scary. Questions make us think differently and delve deeper. Brainstorming (v. Q-storming™) is easy because it allows all ideas to be put on the table; Q-storming™ makes us consider all angles before we make final decisions. It can take a bit more time and often, in this process and in life, decisions are needed quickly.

There was lots of good that came from the questions during the AMPC experience:
- Students will be seen and heard from more, beginning at the Student Union on Sunday. [Note: MegaMentors, among PCMA professionals, are still wanted. A commitment to being with us on Sun., 1/9 from noon - 3 and a desire to help students grow is all that's needed. Email me at eisenstodt@aol.com if you can and will participate.]
- PCMA will incorporate some new informal learning venues and ventures including facilitated discussions of general session learning applications.
- A session where you can learn to ask better questions will be held on Monday, 1/10.

So why ask?

Why not?

Convene On Site: PCMA Masters Series

Posted by:
Chris Durso
Executive Editor, Convene

This post was posted, with permission, from the PCMA Convene Blog.

The PCMA Masters Series program held at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel last Thursday offered a terrific assortment of big-sky and ground-level insights (some of which I tweeted throughout the event), but for me the grand unifying takeaway was the fact that you can't separate a meeting from its parent organization, and vice versa. An obvious conclusion, perhaps, especially considering the topic was "Associations and Meetings of the Future: A Look Ahead to 2020," but there it is.

The panel was moderated by Greg O'Dell, president and CEO of the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, and featured (picture above, left to right) Chris Brown, executive vice president of conventions and business operations for the National Association of Broadcasters; Abe Eshkenazi, CAE, CEO of the Association for Operations Management; Karen Hackett, CAE, CEO of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Scott Hunt, executive director and CEO of the Endocrine Society; and Peter O'Neil, CAE, executive director of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. As this distinguished group of association executives speculated first on the issues that would face their organizations and then those that would face their meetings in the short- to mid-term view, they couldn't talk about one without referencing the other. Or, even when they were talking about one, their comments had relevance for the other.

When Brown, for example, said, "We're all getting used to being always connected, always on, always available," and "Associations going forward are going to have to be more nimble" -- he was talking about how associations need to figure out how to serve their members in the "do-more-with-less" environment of the last several years. But he very easily could have been talking directly to meeting professionals. Ditto Hunt when he noted that associations have a growing role to play in helping members decide "what is important and what isn't. ... How do you stake out your space when they are getting 120 e-mails a day and clicking right through them like a shotgun?"

The last word goes to O'Neil, who, reflecting on the oft-heard death knell for the annual meeting, said: "The annual meeting is dead. Long live the annual meeting." He added: "What can be better, different, or more for our meeting? ... How can we make that experience live the whole year?"

Storytelling as a Sales Tool? Seriously?

Posted by:

Sue Hershkowitz-Coore, CSP
President/Owner, High Impact Presentations




It seems like everyone today talks about the importance of story, of telling your story and of differentiating your idea with story. Consultants and bloggers explain the different types of stories and companies jump on the bandwagon.

Why? Because a good story starts a conversation. And a conversation can start a relationship. And a relationship can move mountains.

What makes a good story? It’s relevant, authentic and intriguing (or at least interesting) to the listener.

What makes a great story? When the teller isn’t always the hero. It’s a lesson learned the hard way. Sometimes there are twists and surprise endings that don’t make the teller look good at all, except for the fact she/he is telling it, to underscore that lesson learned.

Whether you’re an executive trying to make a point, a parent or teacher attempting to persuade a child, or a sales professional trying to motivate a buyer to act, tell your story to help the other person trust your message.

We (staff, clients, customers, children, students, etc.) are hard wired to buy into an idea based on emotion and justify with logic. That’s just the way it is.

Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? Would love to hear from you.

If you're interested in learning more about storytelling, check out my session at PCMA's 55th annual meeting: Convening Leaders.

Be a Storyteller: How to Present Ideas Memorably
Meeting and convention managers need every tool to persuade stakeholders that their ideas and meetings have value. Following an interactive program on how to vastly improve your presentation skills, take part in small group exercises where you will "tell your story" and receive feedback. Discover specific, practical concepts to tell your story confidently and competently.

I Work in Living Laboratory...And I Love It

Sometimes I think about how lucky I am to work for an organization like PCMA that encourages risks and innovation. It keeps us sharp and on our toes and no day is like the one before. At no other time in the year is this more true than when we are preparing for our signature event, Convening Leaders, which will take place this January 9-12, 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

At PCMA, we work in a true "incubator for new ideas". Whether it is a room set, a technology application, a luncheon menu experience or an education format, we like to throw ideas in the incubator and see what happens. Sometimes these ideas grow and sometimes they don't and that's OK because as an organization for meetings industry professionals, it's our responsibility to take that risk so our members don't have to. They will see what could work for their meeting and what DEFINITELY won't, which is often just as good.

This year at Convening Leaders Las Vegas, we will continue our living laboratory of ideas, with many different types of experiences that you won't want to miss. For example, how will we transform the 16,000-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena into a more intimate setting of 3,000 for our General Sessions? Or, what will happen when we take some the "traditional" learning out of the session rooms and create self-directed learning opportunities and other education formats in our new "Learning Lounge"? This year, we will take all of these new and untested ideas one step further and explain the how and the way behind them. We realize everything at the PCMA Convening Leaders program can be a teaching moment and this year in Las Vegas attendees will gain an even better understanding of our ideas.

Where do these ideas come from? Sometimes our PCMA members are my team's best resource, they tell us what they would like to see tried at our program. They tell us what they like and what they don't like and we make adjustments. Sometimes we rely on our vendor partners to help us come up with a new way of doing something. Sometimes we just make things up that we think might be interesting. Often it's a combination of all of these things. Do you have ideas or concepts you would like to see us try? Let us know! In the meantime, I hope you'll register for the PCMA 2011 Convening Leaders program in Las Vegas, visit pcma2011.org/.

The Masters Series Uncovered – a look at the creation of a PCMA Masters Series program

The Masters Series Uncovered – a look at the creation of a PCMA Masters Series program

For several years PCMA has been offering its Masters Series programs in a variety of settings – at our annual meetings, leadership and education conferences and as stand-alone events with various chapters.

These programs provide a forum for acknowledged thought leaders to deliver professional or executive level education on applied business topics to the meetings and conventions industry. The chief objective is to introduce meeting participants to new ideas and best practices which will influence the way they conduct the business of meetings and conventions.

Developing the Masters Series program for October in Washington DC involved several steps outlined below. I hope you will find them to be a helpful guide that you can utilize when planning your next educational program.

Reaching Out

Knowing the program was planned for D.C., one of the first steps we took was to crowdsource the Capital Chapter Leadership to ask for topic suggestions from their members. What needs did they have? What issues were keeping them up at night? What programs did they already have planned? Within a week’s time several members of the Program Committee and Board of Directors submitted their thoughts and suggestions for our consideration. Some identified specific speakers they had seen in the past while others shared topic ideas they had received from members. We also reached out to John Truran at Keppler Speakers for his recommendations as he has been a long time supporter of PCMA and Keppler is one of our Communication Partners.

Location is Key

Most often when we hear the phrase “location is key” it refers to real estate or a venue. In our case, we saw location as yet another way to help us identify a topic. What did we know about D.C. that could help us determine an appropriate program? We know the region is comprised of the largest concentration of association headquarters in the entire country. We also know from previous Masters Series programs that the majority of people who attend come from the region where it is being held. Finally, we know that PCMA’s Capital Chapter is our largest chapter and has very active members who are passionate about creating quality education experiences. With this understanding we focused our attention on topics that would be of interest primarily to the association community as well as to those who provide goods and services to these organizations.

Brainstorming Creates Clarity

With the information we gathered from the above steps, we brainstormed ideas with key members of our team here at headquarters and it led us to a topic which resonated with many of us. The association world as we know it today will be undergoing a major transformation over the course of the next ten years the results of which will have a significant impact on meeting professionals. We can sit by passively and react to the changes or we can become active participants in shaping the future. It soon became evident that the content of the program would focus on two areas – what will the association world look like in the next ten years and how will the expected changes impact meeting professionals.

The Crystal Ball

While it was tempting for a fleeting moment to entertain the idea of bringing in a wizard or fortune teller to help us see the future, we determined the best approach would be to reach out to those in our industry who are intimately involved in looking beyond the day to day activities of the association world. We wanted to hear from several different voices who could offer their perspective on association life by the year 2020.

Our gaze began to shift to the people at the very top of the association world. When developing the list of potential industry “futurists”, we wanted to insure that we had a diverse panel so that we would hear from both men and women who cut across generations. We also secured a moderator who will move the conversation forward, keep panelists on track and engage the audience in meaningful discussion.

The End Result

Will this Masters Series program deliver on its objective to introduce attendees to new ideas which will influence the way business is conducted in the years ahead? We think it will, but what do we know. It really is up to you to be the judge if we have succeeded. So make a commitment to be there - October 21, 2010. And bring your crystal balls!

For more information on the upcoming PCMA Masters Series: Associations and Meetings of the Future – A Look Ahead to 2020, visit pcma.org/mastersseries.

Posted by: John Potterton, CMP, Vice President of Education, PCMA

Engineering Education Strategies for Next Generation Conferences and Events

This is not your Grandma's conference learning strategy.

Traditional conference strategies of attendees sitting passively, listening to a talking head is out. Seeing your conference attendees as participants, co-creators, experts and advocates is in.

In the digital age, people are learning in new ways that are both communal and autonomous. They contribute to Wikipedia, comment on blogs and teach themselves programming. They follow links and discuss issues in online chats. All of these acts are collaborative and democratic, and all occur amid a worldwide community of voices.

So how does this affect the traditional conference or event?



Research from MIT, Duke University and the University of California illustrates that learning itself is the most dramatic medium of change. Technology has not created this shift. The ability for people to engage in shared and interactive learning that is built within the structure, organization and model of the Internet has created this societal change. The Future Of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age [PDF] discusses this dramatic shift and addresses ten principles for future learning.

On June 16, 2010, 10:30-11:45 am, at PCMA's Education Conference at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, I will facilitate a discussion about these changes and their impact on conference education. We'll discuss these six principles of designing next generation sessions for today's conferences.

1. Conference education should transition from passive listneing to participatory learning.
It relies on collaborative practices. Small group discussion, peer learning, person to person interaction, not just listening to talking heads.

2. Conference education must transition from presumed authority to collective credibility.
The knowledge gap between the presenter and attendee has shrunk. Sometimes attendees know more than presenters. Move to democratic, communal type formats.

3. Conference education must transition from vertical, authoritative to horizontal structures.
The corporate world is emphasizing collaborative, teamwork, multitasking and problem solving. Standardized, one size-education presentations don't address current corporate world's needs. Focus is on peer to peer sharing and dissecting of presenters' main points.

4. Conference education should provide a variety of formal and informal learning opportunities.
Adult education has moved from push, broadcast of information to pull methods. Industry novices do better with traditional conference formats of spoon-feeding information. Industry veterans prefer self-directed, collaborative, reflective education methods.

5. Conference education should transition to networked learning.
Learning is social. It is about mobilizing networks and enabling them to meet others who can help them meet their needs. It emphasizes flexibility and outcomes and less facts and figures, which can change fast. It's about conversations and partnering with others.

6. Conference education should be interactive and without walls.
Information is best shared with everyone and not just those within the conference walls. It's about moving information from many that are present to the multitudes that are not present.

I hope to see you in Montreal at PCMA's Education Conference 2010. Come join the discussion. Bring your questions, concerns and ideas. Let your voice be heard.

Create a Culture of Leadership

In our current do more with less business climate, it’s more critical than ever that you bring everything you’ve got to your company’s leadership. And that doesn’t just mean being a great leader yourself. It means leading the way for others – at all levels of the organization – to become great leaders, too.

So how do you do that? That’s exactly what I’ll be discussing when I deliver the opening keynote at the general session of the Education Conference in Montreal. With all the changes the conference and meeting industry has undergone and so much at stake in the future, my goal is to give you a blueprint for clarifying your vision of success, simplifying the most direct route for reaching it, and executing your action plan against measurable milestones that your team enthusiastically embraces.

A big part of professional success – and what I’ll be talking about - is learning to maximize your Leadership DNA, that is your style of collaboration and influencing others. At the risk of oversimplifying the complexities of human nature, there are some basic categories into which most people fit. Take a look and see if you can identify yourself or the members of your team in the list below:

• DIRECTOR: A natural leader, the Director likes to take charge of projects and people. Directors have a sense of vision and are comfortable making decisions, even in the absence of all the data and information they’d like. But watch out - despite being extremely focused, Directors can be demanding, at times even dictatorial.

• SUPPORTER: Like the name implies, a Supporter is most at home working in service of others. Hard working, dependable and loyal, the Supporter is an excellent candidate to implement another’s vision. But don’t be surprised if the Supporter panics during high-stress transitions. Although they love being on the team, they rarely want to lead it.

• THRILL-SEEKER: Thrill-seekers are easy to spot. They’re at the center of the action, soaking up the attention. They’re usually charismatic, often creative and occasionally downright annoying. Thrill-seekers are the life of the party, just don’t ask them to do the dishes afterward.

• ANALYST: The Analyst thrives on information, the more the better. Although Analysts are highly skilled at synthesizing data, they can be slow to make decisions, always looking for the next piece of the puzzle before they make up their minds. But if they wait too long, the competition just might leave them in the dust.

Which description most closely resembles your primary and secondary leadership styles? Can you see why you click with some people and clash with others? Even more important, can you see why it’s crucial that you have all these types represented to build a dynamic ,well-rounded team?

I look forward to discussing how you can optimize your skills to create a culture where bold leadership is part of your organizational DNA. If you have any questions or comments prior to the conference, feel free to post them here or contact me directly at Libby@LibbyGill.com. See you in Montreal!

Turn and Face the Strange

"Cha cha cha cha changes, turn and face the strange."

 David Bowie’s lyrics from his hit recording “Changes” remind me that we certainly are in the midst of some very strange times. Who would have ever thought that volcanic ash would cause worldwide havoc and prevent planes from flying? When will the next earthquake suddenly disrupt the normal everyday lives of a community or city? What’s next on the horizon for the economic recovery and how will that impact our industry?

We live in a world of constant change yet often find ourselves ill prepared to face the changes that come our way. Is that how it has to be or are there things we can do to properly prepare ourselves for the unexpected changes which, quite frankly, are to be expected?

On Wednesday, May 26th PCMA is offering a day of learning at Executive Edge “From Vision to Execution: A Strategic Approach to Managing Change”. It promises to be a world class learning experience on “change” in one of the top business schools in the country. Three of Georgetown’s top ranked professors will guide participants in a day of discovery to uncover the tools and resources necessary to effectively manage the changes that come our way. I have personally met with each of the professors and I can tell you they are very excited about this day and have assured me that participants will walk away with great ideas they can implement back in the workplace.

And if learning from three of Georgetown’s top professors is not enough incentive to consider registering for this event, then maybe the low cost of this program will do it for you. If not for the generosity of PSAV Presentation Services and Canada and Partners, this program would cost upwards of $2,100 per attendee. PCMA’s price - Professional Member: $395.00, Non-member Professional: $495.00, Supplier Member: $500.00, Non-member Supplier: $600.00. It’s an unbelievable value that you would be crazy to miss.
Yes. It’s time to make a commitment and invest in your future growth and development. Join me and your industry colleagues as together we “turn and face the strange”.

If you get a moment, be sure to check out PCMA Chairman of Board, Kati Quigley’s Blog UnConventional. Her post captures the changes she encountered when she started working for Microsoft and how she overcomes the challenges of change every day.

This program will be customized for PCMA and participants will benefit from sessions with three of Georgetown's top-ranked faculty members, all experts in the field of Change Management. Georgetown's McDonough School of Business is renowned for excellence in global business, leadership and change management. Georgetown's Global Executive MBA is ranked #1 in the US for Career Progress, #1 in the world for women enrolled, and #2 in the US for international students. You are sure to leave this experience with the tools you need to manage the changes we're all experiencing in meetings today.

Jennifer's SMMP Blog - PCMA June 13-16, 2010 - Education Conference, Montreal

Although the SMMP (Strategic Meeting Management Program) was launched in 2004, this business initiative really gained momentum in 2008 as the U.S. (and world) felt the impact of a deep, global recession. As with any economic downturn, most organizations look for cost cutting measures, which place a focus on meetings, conventions and events…and meeting planners and departments.

By defining and implementing Strategic Meeting Management solutions, consolidating the meeting planning process, leveraging your spend and having access to management and financial reports, meeting planners can clearly demonstrate the increased value of meetings and events to senior management. This process will elevate management’s perception of the meeting planning process and specifically, how strategic planning drives successful business outcomes and achieves the company’s big picture goals.

In a nutshell, NBTA defines SMMP as the following combined key components:

• Meeting and event registration
• Approval process
• Sourcing and hotel contracting
• Planning and execution
• Payment and expense reconciliation
• Data analysis and reporting
• Advanced technology

Okay, I agree the SMMP business model does seem a bit overwhelming. The simple truth is when senior meeting planners conduct their own company evaluation and needs assessment, create an action plan, get management’s buy-in and carefully prioritize and launch these strategic meeting management solutions, clearly there will be powerful business (and career) results.

Although there are plenty of white papers, webinars, workshops and articles on this topic, there is no “one size fits all” business plan ready for implementation. During my interactive workshop at the PCMA Education Conference in Montreal, I will discuss industry best practices and specific steps to create an action plan to generate management buy-in and assure success in implementing specific strategic meeting management solutions that work for you. Be sure to join me, Tuesday June 15 at my faciliatated peer-to-peer session.

So, what are your specific issues, concerns, challenges or questions on the SMMP topic? I would love to hear from you!

Jennifer Brown, CMP, is President of Meeting Sites Resource, a global specialist in meeting site research and hotel contract negotiations. MSR also offers meeting support services, meeting education / SMMP consulting and meeting technology solutions (sourcing, meeting consolidation, strategic meeting management). Jennifer can be reached at jbrown@meetingsites.net / 949-250-7483 ext. 315.

Register Today for Montreal

PCMA Education Conference, June 13th – 16th, 2010 in Montreal

This is Bob Hancock, co-chair, (along with Mike McCurry) of the PCMA Education Conference in Montreal. I must say that I am very excited about this year’s event, for not only is it an opportunity to learn from our peers in the industry, but is also an opportunity to learn how to effectively use the power of social media.

Not only is there exceptional peer-to-peer interaction, general sessions, and networking opportunities, but there are a few events that I am particularly excited about. On Monday, June 14th, is a peer-to-peer session facilitated by Curt Peoples, CEO of Peoples and Company Communications, focusing on collaboration to achieve goals and creating a collaborative culture. Also, after Monday’s networking luncheon, Midori Connolly, CEO of Pulse Staging and Events, and Jessica Levin, CMP and President of Seven Degrees Communication, will be guiding a peer-to-peer session on creating event engagement using social media. I am also looking forward to Roger Rickard’s, Partner and Chief Business Solicitor for REvent, peer-to-peer session on Tuesday, June 15th, on how to become an effective advocate so that you can better influence policy and gain support for your projects.

All of us from the PCMA Education Committee and the PCMA staff look forward to seeing you in Montreal this year so that all of us can take-away new shared ideas and solutions to our industry’s challenges.

I encourage each of you to register and look forward to seeing you in Montreal.

Register today.

Bob

2010: The Year of Collaboration

Posted by: Curt Peoples, President, Peoples & Company Communications, Toronto

Business concepts go in and out of fashion, but sometimes a concept we have offhandedly used for years rises above the rest to encapsulate just what is happening (or needs to happen) now.

In 2010, collaboration is the concept that has emerged to describe what organizations need.

Like teamwork, collaboration is an activity where people or organizations work together to achieve common goals. But collaboration is something more. Fruitful collaboration requires everyone to fully appreciate and build on each others’ strengths. It involves multiple players making decisions in order to maximize their returns.

Those involved in creative, collaborative activities will tell you success starts with a shared chemistry, positive intent and collective acceptance. Collaborators share a desire to meet a high bar of excellence.

The session I am facilitating on Monday at the PCMA Education Conference is a peer-to-peer session. We will kick it off with a look at the mindset and skills that great collaborators employ. You’ll get the chance to share experiences with others in the session — focusing on ways to creatively collaborate with clients, suppliers and business partners. The goal is to give you new ideas that you can use in your business.

Here are the details:

Monday, June 14, 2010
10:30 p.m. - 11:45 p.m.
Collaborate to Achieve Greater Success
For meeting professionals to succeed, meet goals and thrive they need to embrace the concept of collaboration

• Discover collaboration techniques to achieve goals and positively impact your bottom line
• Leverage collaboration for co-location of events, costs, logistics, and crowdsourcing
• Leverage sponsorships to build a collaborative culture that will lead to long-term planner and supplier relationships

An extra note: One aspect of great collaboration is giving useful advice with no expectation of getting anything in return. In this spirit, I recommend three Montreal restaurants that you might not find on your own.

• Griffintown Café – Canada’s National Post lists the Griffintown Café as one of the top ten casual dining restaurants in Montreal.
• Le Pied de Cochon – The food is inventive, the staff is cool and the wine list is amazing.
• Joe Beef – This one is for foodies. There are only 30 seats in this cozy restaurant of renowned Montreal chef, David McMillan.

Enjoy! I hope I’ll meet you Montreal.

Curt

Let's Talk!

Let’s talk about what new things you are doing to drive attendance to your meeting—are you looking at new social media campaigns, new markets, new programs? Or, are you focusing your limited resources harder on programs and tactics that worked in the past to make sure your “strengths” are as good as they can be?

Let’s talk, and let’s listen, here on this blog. And then-- let’s meet face to face in Montreal to share what’s worked and why, what hasn’t and why not. Let’s share our successes review our challenges so we can increase our understanding of what tactics are working, and why.

Over the course of my career, PCMA members have been my “panel of experts.” I’ve reached out to my peers repeatedly for help, for answers, or even for permission to copy their ideas. PCMA is giving us another exciting opportunity to learn from each other, and I hope you can join us.

I’m Teri Jarvie and I am excited to be facilitating at this year’s Education Conference (formerly the Leadership Conference). Here are the details on the session:

Monday, June 14, 2010
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Drive Attendance to Your Event
Strategies designed to build attendance and attract interest are more important today than ever before. Meeting professionals play a critical role as they are designing and developing meeting experiences their stakeholders need, want and expect.

• Match your organization's profile with programming design that stimulates interest
• Leverage sponsorships to drive value to the experience
• Develop a marketing strategy that effectively communicates clear and concise messaging
• Understand how to market your events in a digitally connected world

Notice that I said facilitating, rather than speaking – so I really need your help. Let’s talk in advance – tell me what’s keeping you awake, what’s important to you, what’s working for you and what’s not. We need your input to this interactive, innovative session, and we need it now.

In addition, you need to be in Montreal to expand the discussion. You’ll get ideas and solutions from your peers (the experts).  Tools you can take back and use, immediately. More importantly, you’ll have a new network of experts to turn to when the next challenge arises. We’ll talk and listen to each other, and it won’t be complete if you’re not there. You can register now at pcma.org/EduCon

Please take a minute to review the program and provide your input into this session. I look forward to listening to you in Montreal!

--Teri

p.s. You can respond through the links on this page, or feel free to email me directly at tjarvie@cscmp.org.

Montreal Here We Come!

2010 PCMA Education Conference, June 13-16,2010

Have you marked your calendar yet for the PCMA 2010 Education Conference? More importantly, have you taken that next important step and registered?

Let me officially introduce myself... I am Mike McCurry, your Co-Chair (along with Bob Hancock) for the 2010 PCMA Education Conference. I am thrilled to be part of the volunteer leadership team, helping to plan and stage this wonderful event.

As you may know this conference was previously entitled the "PCMA Leadership Conference." While PCMA expects to preserve the historically intimate feel of this event, it's focus is broadened, and the program has been expanded to a three-day format. Here is a brief video clip introducing the conference:



I am excited, as the 2010 event is going to feature some really outstanding education value! The PCMA staff and the 2010 Conference committee are working really hard to deliver a special, innovative program to you, our attendees.

So, why should you attend the 2010 Education Conference?

Here are just some of the many reasons:

• Inspirational and Captivating General Session Speakers
• Libby Gill -- Former Head of Communications for Sony, Universal and Turner Broadcasting
• Jamie Clarke -- Extreme Adventurer & Motivational Speaker/Author
• Scott Klososky -- Entrepreneur, SocialTech Guru, and Innovator
• Jeff Corwin -- Animal Planet Host and Leading Conservationist
  


• Interactive and Engaging Peer-to-Peer Education Sessions -- moderated by skilled facilitators, you will collaborate with, and learn from other, like-minded professionals, to exchange ideas and develop solutions to critical industry issues. Some topics covered include:
• Event Engineer Strategies
• Create An Event Engagement Plan
• Innovative Techniques in Conference Formats
• Social Media Tools
  
• Strategic Meeting Management

• Great Social and Networking Opportunities
  

• Opportunity to Enjoy a World Class European-style Canadian City

The absolutely stunning Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel is our host hotel. Please make sure to reserve your hotel room as soon as possible, as the city is extremely busy over our conference dates.

On behalf of the entire PCMA team, and our 2010 Conference Committee, we look forward to seeing you in Montreal! Don't miss this great event opportunity.