13 Oct 10 Are Tablets Right for Meeting Planners?
Tablet computers have been around for roughly two decades in one form or another, but they are starting to get a lot of attention thanks to the iPad. Many meeting planners are starting to wonder whether or not tablet computers might be a good match for their business needs. While some tablets might be a good match for business needs, the iPad might not be a good fit for all offices given its media-centric and hip image. Of course, some offices might be the ideal location to use the iPAd, especially if Macs are used throughout the office and already handle the scheduling chores. Failing that, look for a tablet that can:
• Handle easy input and possibly even handwriting recognition. In most cases it is more important to take quick notes for later, so be sure that the note taking capacity is very fast.
• A capacitive touch screen is very important for many reasons so do not look for any tablet without touch screen technology. Multi-touch is highly preferred.
• Battery life is also important as is the method of charging. If an app has a battery life that won’t last the day then there is going to be more than a little bit of trouble. If it can synch and charge at once, then the problem might not be so bad. WiFi synching is also a very desirable trait.
• Don’t forget the apps. A professional scheduling app that links to Exchange is very important because just about every third party professional scheduling app does the same. Exchange is where data is exchanged if you will forgive the pun.
• Don’t forget the apps! A tablet without apps that prove useful is just a hunk of metal, silicon and plastic.
Tags: Apps, Attention Thanks, Battery Life, Bull Battery, Capacitive Touch Screen, Chores, Decades, Desirable Trait, Handwriting Recognition, Hunk, Ipad, Little Bit, Match, Meeting Planners, Pun, Rsquo, Silicon, Tablet Computers, Third Party, Touch Screen Technology
09 Aug 10 Keeping Group Cruise Planning Simple
Planning a group cruise can seem like a logistical nightmare at first, but is not actually a complex as it might seem on the surface. Follow these three basic tips to keep your sanity and composure while simultaneously planning a great group cruise:
- Create lockdown dates – If last minute changes drive you crazy, then eliminate them simply by letting everyone know that the cruise line has a lockdown date for final planning. This works even when cruise lines do not have such a date, or if you put your lockdown date a little bit ahead of theirs. Remember to stick to whatever date you provide participants via e-mail or memo.
- Get help – Most cruise lines have concierge services that can take a fair portion of the planning and logistics off of your shoulders, but they need to know what you want. It might be a good idea to contact the concierge service/planner and make a point of contact that can provide you with options and details that can be passed on to participants/decision makers.
- Have alternatives ready – If you suspect that Bob Jones from sales is going to request something that is unavailable, having an alternative that is acceptable is better than a no. Be sure to explore alternatives before using those terrible two little letters: N and O.
Tags: Bob Jones, Composure, Concierge Service, Concierge Services, Cruise Line, Cruise Lines, Decision Makers, E Mail, Group Cruise, Little Bit, Logistical Nightmare, Logistics, Minute Changes, Participants, Point Of Contact, Sanity, Service Planner, Shoulders, Terrible Two
26 Jul 10 Themed Events, Colors, and Relaxation Are All Important Aspects to Consider
Companies do not have to ensure that all meetings and events are completely bland and uninteresting, even if that does have a certain old-guard appeal. Instead, consider the possibility that meetings can have elements of a party and that events could be given a theme to follow. The following ideas are not necessarily appropriate for all businesses at all times, but they may just make the daily grind a little less stressful for some:
• Holidays can be fun – Holidays can be fun, but do not go overboard. Not everyone seems to agree that celebrating holidays is fun, and some people seem more interested in complaining about cultural and religious influences than they do on having a good time. Colored napkins and other basic items that lack iconography could be appropriate and thematic.
• Colors for other purposes – There are many different non-holiday applications for colors as well. Colors can be chosen by departments or as part of promotions, and placing those colors everywhere can help build a sense of visual continuity.
• Events – Remember to take a break from the norm and relax a little bit. Some companies have discovered that short rest periods built into meetings or other events actually improve productivity instead of taking away from productivity as one might normally assume.
Tags: Applications, Break, Colors, Continuity, Elements, Fun People, Having A Good Time, Holidays, Little Bit, Meetings And Events, Napkins, Norm, Productivity, Promotions, Relax, Relaxation, Religious Influences, Rest Periods, Themed Events
29 Jan 10 Selling Yourself as an Expert in Your Field
At least a little bit of self-promotional and selling yourself as an expert in your field is necessary, regardless of whether you are employed by a corporation, work under a self-employed meeting planner or provide meeting planning services on your own. In any of these situations, it is important that others in the industry begin to know who you are, that your current and potential clients perceive you as topnotch and that you view yourself as a well-versed, professional expert in your field. All of this is part of building your brand, which is important even if you do not own your own company – or at least not yet.
There are plenty of reasons to sell yourself as an expert and build you brand, with the most obvious being that someday you will be going out on your own, seeking a promotion or exploring your options for furthering your career at another firm. If you are already well known in the industry and have already participated in expert-like activities, such as making yourself available for speaking engagements or writing articles for trade publications, each of these transitions will be much smoother, and you will likely find that potential employers or clients will be seeking you out, rather than the other way around.
Tags: Career, Current, Little Bit, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planning Services, Options, Professional Expert, Speaking Engagements, Trade Publications, Transitions
11 Jan 10 How to Know a Little Bit About a Lot
So, you have come to realize that knowing a little bit about a lot will make your job easier, instill greater confidence in your clients and will assist you in acquiring a more diverse clientele. Now, it is time to determine the best ways to begin expanding your knowledge and acquiring the information that will help you grow your meeting planning business and better serve your clients.
This is actually much easier than you might think and you can begin the journey to broaden your horizons right now. You probably already attend seminars and trade shows, read trade publications and search online for the latest news in the meeting planning industry, so all you need to do is take this desire to learn and grow, and apply it to other topics.
Here are two ways you can begin your journey towards learning about new cultures, diets, industries and other particulars:
1. Read. A lot. Whether it is an eco-friendly magazine, a book about a particular religion or websites with information about particular groups of people or particular industries, reading is a great way to begin this journey.
2. Watch documentaries. There are documentaries on everything from farming and healthcare to being vegan or growing up Amish. While it is important to be careful not to assume that everyone, or every company, in a group shares every characteristic, documentaries are a great way to learn something new without even having to leave the house.
Tags: Being Vegan, Clientele, Confidence, Cultures, Desire, Documentaries, Farming, Group Shares, Groups, Growing Up Amish, Horizons, Journey, Little Bit, Meeting Planning, New Diets, Particulars, Religion, Seminars, Trade Publications, Two Ways
02 Nov 09 Learn How To Create An Event That Will Generate Revenue For You!
When you are thinking about getting a great event together and making it special, you will want to use a little bit of your creative mind to make it great. You will want to learn how to create an event that will generate revenue for you. You will be able to make a great profit with your event and this will be a great success.
If you are trying to plan something that will bring you a little bit of profit, you will have to spend a little bit too. You will want to make sure that you are able to find the funds to spend on your special event. This is something that will be a great idea for you and one that will defiantly work out in the end. (more…)
Tags: Creative Mind, Entertainment, Find Money, Fundraisers, Great Event, Little Bit, Love, Need Money, People, Reason, Right Start, Success
15 Aug 09 How to Brand a Place
You probably know important a brand can be. It helps mark a product or service with a seal of quality and assurance. It also helps customers feel confidence with consistency, making the item worry-free. And let’s face it, who wants to worry?
You can also brand the places where you want to send your clients. Some places already have some strong branding going on. However, remember that a brand is only an interim step, a visual metaphor for the item on which it resides. To choose visual metaphors that will link your clients to destinations, think about how you would create a logo for the country.
Begin with a mind map. What words remind you of France? Great food, gardens, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and maybe a few other things pop into your mind. Keep that list handy and collect images that match those words. Then when you have a client who wants a European destination, get that file out and see what images and words match your client’s business or vacation desires.
Create a brand especially for that client. Let’s do one together. You have a client who owns an architecture firm. She wants a destination with culture and variety where she can take a short company meeting. You check your files and come up with art and music, then realize that a river cruise down the Danube may be exactly what she is looking for. You were able to go there based on that little bit of information because you took the time to brand the destination.
Branding is not only a way to match clients with destinations, but more to make your job easier. You may have gotten to the Danube cruise anyway, but you saved yourself a lot of work be branding. That’s time you can spend on other things.
Tags: Architecture Firm, Branding, Collect Images, Confidence, Consistency, Culture, Danube Cruise, Eiffel Tower, European Destination, Food Gardens, Handy, Interim Step, Job, Little Bit, Louvre, Match, Mind Map, River Cruise, Vacation Desires, Visual Metaphor, Visual Metaphors
06 Aug 09 Fourth Quarter Play Strategies–Vacations
While this sounds like a chapter out of a football playbook, it sort of is and sort of isn’t. Like football, it describes the final chapter of an arbitrary time frame that we use to determine our actions and push for a winning game. However, it is being applied to our business in this blog. What are we going to do for the rest of a stressful year?
What We Do Best
As planners, what we do best is help others. Sure, it’s a business, but it’s one that can help others from losing their marbles trying to book their own events. What may change about that in the fourth quarter is that some of them may want to save money on events by planning some of it themselves. You can be prepared by having a short list of things that they can do that won’t be too difficult but can lop off at least a little bit of your bill. Consider this another service in your collection of offerings. (more…)
Tags: Arbitrary Time, Blog, Clientele, Exotic Travel, Financial Scene, Football Playbook, Fourth Quarter, Game, Hideaways, Little Bit, Marbles, Money, Offerings, Planners, Professional Life, Sounds, Time Frame, Travel Packages, Vacations
26 Jun 09 Ordering Break Beverages for the Stressed Out Planner
Here’s a quick multiple choice quiz: If you have 100 people attending an event, how much coffee should you order for a morning break?
A. Lots! People drink more than one cup.
B. 1 cup for around 90% of the expected attendance
C. Tear out hair and close event planner business
The correct answer may be C depending on how panicked you are about ordering food and beverage for your meetings, and A used to be the answer. However, if you want to save your client money and do your reputation a favor, choose B. Why? Not everyone drinks coffee, and coffee is much more expensive per pound than it used to be, so plan on anywhere between 80% and 90%. (more…)
Tags: Attendance, Attendees, Beverages, Choice Quiz, Client Money, Coffee, Correct Answer, Diligence, Event Planner, Food And Beverage, Homework, Little Bit, Multiple Choice, Participant, Price Per Gallon, Reputation, Sake, Soft Drinks, T Pay, Venue
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