05 Aug 10 A Media Player an Investment in Your Career as a Meeting/Event Planner? Maybe…
It was not long ago that meeting and event planners were taking notes with pen and paper, but those days might just be over thanks to some of the modern media players on the market. Most modern media players have the capacity to record conversations or voice memos, and that could save a lot of time. Just image:
- Never having to ask the boss to slow down – Some bosses or participants talk so fast that details often get lost. Your brain is processing Detail A and they are already discussing Detail Z! Nothing escapes the attention of a voice recorder.
- Never forgetting a detail – Juggling hundreds of details is difficult, and sometimes notepads get lost or sloppy writing done in a hurry foils later attempts to remember what was covered. Media players with voice memo features ensure that nothing is left out of a critical planning session.
- The ability to have instant and total recall of conversations – This is exactly what media players offer. You can recall and review a memo on the subway, bus, or even while driving home.
- Looking impressive using technology efficiently – Humans are innately tool-using creatures, and digital tools are the future. Demonstrating proficiency with those tools is a great way to earn your keep.
All you need to do is look for a media player with a voice recording features to guarantee that your look impressive while being an impressive meeting/event planner.
Tags: Boss, Creatures, Digital Tools, Event Planner, Event Planners, Foils, Hurry, Media Players, Meeting Planners, Participants, Pen And Paper, Proficiency, Record Conversations, Subway, Total Recall, Using Technology, Voice Memo, Voice Memos, Voice Recorder, Voice Recording
02 Jul 10 What Does Your Choice of Venue Say About You?
Meeting and event planners often have many choices in venues whether they know it or not. While the boss or powers that be might specify a particular venue, it should not be assumed that such specific requests mean that the powers that be are not open to other ideas unless explicitly stated. Knowing what your choice in venue says about you is important; perception is reality after all. Consider the following when thinking about different venue possibilities:
Hotels – Hotels are tried and true venues for meetings and events, but they also show a lack of imagination and a commitment to doing things the traditional way. Traditional businesses tend to behave in very specific ways and are not fond of change.
Cruise ships – Cruise ships show an amazing flair for the dramatic and an appreciation for the finer things in life. Hosting meetings and/or events on a cruise ship shows that you value the other party/parties, and that you are not bound by the confines the old ways of doing business.
Convention centers – Convection centers generally have big and small chambers, but even hosting in a small chamber gives the appearance of a large organization with significant reach.
BBB conference rooms – Many local BBB offices have chambers that can be rented, and they lend a significant amount of credibility at bargain basement prices.
Tags: Bargain Basement Prices, Bbb Offices, Business Convention, Chambers, Confines, Convection, Credibility, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Doing Business, Event Planners, Finer Things In Life, Flair, Imagination, Large Organization, Meetings And Events, Party Parties, Perception, Possibilities, Traditional Businesses
28 Jun 10 Best Cities for Meeting Planners
Businesses all over the world need meeting planners, but there are some cities that are simply more desirable than others when it comes to being a meeting planner. Here are a list of great cities to consider moving to if you are a meeting planner:
Chattanooga, TN – The seat of Hamilton county is one of the most affordable places to live, is gorgeous, is situated close to Memphis and Knoxville, and has a booming tech sector that needs more meeting planners by the day.
Las Vegas, NV – Las Vegas is one of the most desirable cities to live in primarily because its night life is its day life too; this city never even thinks about sleeping. Convention centers, buffets, attractions and more all make Las Vegas a great place for an active meeting planner to live in.
New York City, NY – New York is often called the capital of the world, and it certainly is one of the most popular places for a meeting planner to make a living. While everyone else says that if they can make it in the Big Apple then they can make it anywhere, it is not difficult for meeting planners to find work in New York City.
San Diego, CA – San Diego has great attractions, parks, and several large corporations that need meeting and event planners.
Tags: Apple, Best Cities, Buffets, Chattanooga Tn, Event Planners, Hamilton County, Large Corporations, Las Vegas, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Memphis, Moving, Need Meeting, New York City, Night Life, San Diego Ca, Vegas Nv
25 Jun 10 Different Venues for Different Meeting Types/Sizes
Meeting and event planners are often expected to automatically know exactly where to go for almost any meeting or event. Instead of being caught flatfooted when asked for suggestions, it pays to know at least a dozen or so local venues and be ready with pricing information. Even if that pricing information is outdated, it should not be too far from accurate. Here are a few ideas of places to hold off-site meetings:
Local hotels – Most hotels of any substantially size have some sort of conference center, and may also offer catering services. Larger hotels typically have larger conference centers and better deals on rooms and/or catering.
BBB – Many local BBB offices have meeting halls, but they do tend to be limited in size and slightly expensive. On the upside, these facilities do tend to be very professional and can help add credibility to sales presentations.
Chamber of Commerce – Similar to BBB offices, many local Chambers of Commerce have meeting rooms that will lend a professional edge to any meeting. Many sales organizations find Chambers of Commerce help them close deals that are on the brink of falling apart.
Religious Community Centers – Many small churches, temples, and synagogues have given way to larger centralized facilities that have their own meeting halls. In most cases, these halls come both in denominational and secular varieties.
Tags: Bbb Offices, Brink, Catering Services, Centralized Facilities, Chamber Of Commerce, Chambers Of Commerce, Churches, Credibility, Event Planners, Hotels, Meeting Planners, Meeting Rooms, Professional Edge, Religious Community, Sales Organizations, Sales Presentations, Synagogues, Temples
28 May 10 Four Tools Every Meeting Planner Must Have
Four basic tools every meeting and event planner must have
While meeting planners and event planners both need to be organized and accurate, it sometimes helps to have a little help. Here is a list of the four best investments a meeting and/or event planner can make to help their career along:
A book on Feng Shui – Feng Shui offers many ideas on how to organize everything from seating to room arrangement, and many of the ideas behind Feng Shui have stood the test of time very well.
A smartphone – There are many smartphones to choose from, but a smartphone that can handle a professional calendar capable of synchronizing with a laptop and/or desktop is essential. E-mail and SMS features are also vital, especially to a meeting planner on the go.
A netbook or small laptop – Working on the road or in various offices is important, as is the ability to take notes virtually anywhere. A smartphone can only perform this task so well, and it simply will not do to be using anything but a full-fledged word processor for taking detailed notes for meeting schedules, participant contact info, or even ideas.
A good online backup solution – with so much reliance on electronics, be prepared for the inevitable crash, data loss, or theft. An online backup solution is essential for keeping meeting/event/conference records safe.
Tags: Backup Solution, Basic Tools, Crash Data, E Mail, Event Planner, Event Planners, Feng Shui, Four Tools, Inevitable Crash, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Schedules, Participant, Professional Calendar, Room Arrangement, Smartphones, Sms Features, Synchronizing, Test Of Time, Word Processor
10 May 10 Landry & Kling Announces Seasite.com Online Community Powered by i-Meet
Social Media Strategy Launches for Planners and Suppliers; Technology Partnership Connects Customers, Embraces Open Communication
MIAMI–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–Cruise event specialists Landry & Kling Inc. have announced a strategic partnership between their company Seasite.com, the first cruise portal for meetings and events, and i-Meet.com, the professional and social network for meeting and event planners and suppliers.
“Facebook and Twitter are important to our overall social media strategy, but with our new Seasite online community, we’re giving our customers and users an expanded experience in i-Meet’s global community”
The partnership introduces a unique, online community on i-Meet.com for Seasite.com users and prospects worldwide. Leveraging i-Meet’s fast-growing network and social media platform, Seasite’s online community will feature industry leading technology, group special interest “hot spots”, and provide a way for people to connect and interact with over 20,000 industry professionals around the world.
“Our customers have expressed an interest in a community-based social platform to complement Seasite’s cruise sourcing and planning tools,” said Jo Kling, CEO of Seasite.com. “We are excited to be partnering with i-Meet and its meetings industry-specific social network approach; we can now deliver a unique experience to our customers that’s in line with the way people do business today.”
“It’s really a very natural progression to introduce social networking to cruise meetings customers,” said John Pino, i-Meet’s Founder and CEO, “and marrying Seasite’s cruise sourcing technology with an online communications and collaboration channel enabled through i-Meet’s global community of planners, buyers and suppliers will create advantages for everyone.”
“Facebook and Twitter are important to our overall social media strategy, but with our new Seasite online community, we’re giving our customers and users an expanded experience in i-Meet’s global community,” said Jo Kling “This is an industry first that will allow our users to network with other professionals and communicate what’s on their minds.”
The partnership will allow the growth of active mini-communities for i-Meet and Seasite.com members based on their areas of interest. The groups will be hosted and administered by Seasite’s expert cruise industry professionals. “Friend-ing” others, “following” suppliers, and subscribing to and publishing blogs will round out the experience.
About Landry & Kling and Seasite.com
Landry & Kling Inc., cruise event specialists since 1982, recently introduced Seasite.com, the first online cruise platform for meeting professionals. Seasite is an industry sourcing tool to search, select and plan group cruises, with access to 35 cruise lines in one site, meeting-friendly search criteria, e-RFP’s, meeting/function room capacities, dining details and other unique tools available nowhere else. Visit www.seasite.com or www.landrykling.com.
About i-Meet
Created by the Founder of StarCite, www.i-Meet.com is focused on building the industry’s most relevant worldwide online community for the meeting and event industry. With 20,000 members from 130 countries around the world to date, i-Meet brings social networking, web 2.0 tools, work flow and relationship opportunities, and industry intelligence to its members and suppliers. Visit i-meet.com.
Contacts
i-Meet.com
Chip Stockman, 610-999-2186
cstockman@i-meet.com
or
Seasite.com
Maureen McKeon, 305-661-1880
mmckeon@seasite.com
Tags: Cruise Portal, Eastern Daylight Time, Event Planners, Facebook, Global Community, Kling Inc, Leading Technology, Media Platform, Media Strategy, Meetings And Events, Meetings Industry, Natural Progression, Open Communication, Social Network Approach, Social Networking, Social Platform, Sourcing Technology, Strategic Partnership, Technology Partnership, Twitter
09 Apr 10 Group Cruise Events are More Affordable
For many years companies have planned group meetings and events in cities all across the country. While there are many destinations in the U.S. and abroad that are ideal locations for corporate events, employees and clientele may be less impressed with these venues than in times past. This is because there is a new frontier now being discovered by companies that truly want to impress. This new frontier is custom cruising, and it may be more affordable than companies think.
Group cruise planning, cruise event planning, and cruise meeting planning are the new wave in corporate events, getaways, and retreats. There are organizations available to assist event planners in designing the perfect custom cruise event or cruise meeting. Group cruise planning requires attention to many details and specifics, and these organizations can assist with this venture as well.
Custom cruises are often less expensive than land meetings because with an all inclusive cruise practically everything is included. Lodging, meeting spaces, food, entertainment, linens, florals, and superior customer service are part of a custom cruise package. In addition, employees and clientele will experience breathtaking destinations and exotic ports of call. All of these features creates an atmosphere more conducive to building camaraderie and building solid relationships among those within or associated with the company.
Tags: Breathtaking Destinations, Camaraderie, Clientele, Corporate Retreats, Cruise Events, Cruise Package, Custom Cruise, Custom Cruises, Event Planners, Event Planning, Florals, Food Entertainment, Group Cruise, Group Meetings, Meeting Group, Meeting Planning, Meetings And Events, New Frontier, Ports Of Call, Superior Customer Service
25 Mar 10 LANDRY & KLING and SEASITE.COM APPOINT MARK PHILLIPS, FORMER STARCITE EXEC, AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
For oceans of information, visit www.landrykling.com or www.seasite.com or call 800-448-9002.
Tags: Chief Operating Officer, Cruise Portal, Cruise Products, Defining Moment, Development Marketing, Event Planners, Financial Times, Global Sales, Growth Initiatives, International Markets, Kling Inc, Landry And Kling, Mark Phillips, Meetings Industry, Operational Efficiencies, Rsquo, Seasite, Starcite Inc, Strategic Partnerships, Travel Professionals
24 Mar 10 Do You Tweet? Part 1
Meeting and event planners are always on the lookout for ways to spread the work about upcoming events. Social networking is more important than ever before and includes more than just face-to-face interaction. Facebook, Live Journal, blogs, and Twitter are wonderful methods of connecting with clients. Twitter probably generates more and quicker responses to a question or announcement than any other method of communication.
Tweets, the 140 character text-based posts sent to the author’s followers, are quick, concise time savers. It is much easier to text a tweet to a large group than to send a comparable number of emails. The tweet can share a thought, ask a question, or even direct the group to a blog post announcement of an upcoming event. Retweeting, passing along a message to someone not part of the core group, spreads the word of your next meeting even further.
Twitter is more efficient than email. You can send a message to an individual just as you can in an email, or to your followers, which is comparable to sending carbon copy (cc) email to a group. Notices of incoming tweets speed to your group’s computers or cell phones and many people check for tweets many times a day.
We'll continue to explore the Twitter revolution in Part 2.
Tags: Blogs, Carbon Copy, Cell Phones, Comparable Number, Core Group, Email, Emails, Event Planners, Followers, Interaction, Large Group, Lookout, Method Of Communication, Social Networking, Time Savers, Tweet, Twitter, Upcoming Events
15 Feb 10 Should You Add Wedding Planning to Your Event Planning Business?
Some meeting and event planners focus solely on working for corporate clients, some have found a niche in planning SMERF events and some focus primarily on more personal occasions, such as weddings, commitment ceremonies, anniversaries and retirement parties. While there are some planners who attempt be a Jack or Jill of all trades and provide every type of event planning service to every type of client, most find that specializing in a particular area is the best way to make a name for themselves and make their jobs easier. This is what is recommended by most professionals and is what works best for most meeting and event planners.
So, when is it a good idea to add wedding planning to your menu of services if you are not specifically a wedding planner? There are some occasions when going against the logic of sticking to a limited selection of events is a good idea. For example, when planners are first starting out in the field of event planning, they may be happy to take on any event that comes their way. In these beginning stages, this also allows for the opportunity to see how you feel about planning weddings and to determine if this might be the right fit for you and your future as a planner.
WEDDINGS AT SEA
Something else to consider is planning weddings at sea. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), cruise lines are reporting a huge jump in cruise weddings – up to 60% during the last decade. It’s no wonder – cruise ship weddings make planning easy and offer an unforgettable wedding destination and honeymoon in one. The ceremony takes place while the ship is in port, either onboard or at a romantic setting ashore – and the celebration continues as family and friends enjoy the fabulous dining and entertainment options onboard their ship.
But, even seasoned planners who have never planned a wedding may suddenly have one of their best corporate clients ask them if they could plan their daughter’s wedding. If you have the time and think that you can do a good job planning the event, this would be one of those times when stepping outside of your normal event range might be in order.
Tags: Anniversaries, Clia, Commitment Ceremonies, Corporate Clients, Cruise Lines International, Cruise Ship Weddings, Cruise Weddings, Entertainment Options, Event Planners, Event Planning, Family And Friends, Jill Of All Trades, Last Decade, Meeting Planners, Niche, Personal Occasions, Planning Service, Retirement Parties, Wedding Destination, Wedding Planner
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