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6 Ways to refresh your annual conference

Posted on 5 Ottobre 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

An annual conference provides the unique opportunity to bond relationships between peers, clients, investors, vendors, and prospective business partners.

It creates a stage where people can come together and reflect on exceptional accomplishments as well as opportunities missed throughout the year, creating a reflective and honest environment.

This atmosphere can act as the perfect catalyst for supercharging your whole company and motivating members to move forward together towards a common objective.

Your annual conference can prove to be productive time well spent if your audience is engaged and people are poised to collaborate. Here are some ways to breathe life into your annual conference:

Change the scenery

Create anticipation for your meeting even before attendees step foot inside the door.

Host your annual conference in a different location from where you do business to give a feeling of a fresh start and unlimited possibilities. For example, if your office setting is typically in an urban industrial area, try hosting your conference at a forested retreat surrounded by wildlife and natural habitat.

A change in scenery can completely alter the way attendees approach issues and transform perceptions.

Plan some functional free time

Try balancing out a lecture-heavy agenda by adding other non-traditional activities to the mix.

Building excursions, recreation opportunities and friendly competitions into the schedule provides an outlet for creative thinking, thus giving attendees the chance to regroup and fully engage during traditional work sessions.

Sample activities can be as simple as furnishing a bike for each attendee to explore a nearby trail system, or simply providing interactive maps for attendees to discover must-see places throughout the host city.

Get to know your peers

With so many great minds in one place, try to make it easier for people to reach out to one another and start meaningful conversations. Ask attendees to fill out a “nametag” that includes not only a name but also lists the one accomplishment he or she is most proud of for the year, or a question he or she is hoping to have answered by the end of the conference.

This is a great way to get individuals interacting to share similar accomplishments and goals.

Break from the classic break

Sitting stationary for long periods of time is not good for the mind or the body.

Intermittent breaks allow attendees to move around and shake off stiff limbs, clear heads, and seek refuge after a morning filled with strong coffee and bran muffins. Take coveted break time to a whole new level by inviting in special relaxation and movement experts to help loosen the tension.

A few easy yoga moves in the fresh air will get people bending and stretching to increase blood flow and brain function, while a visiting chair massage specialist can ease the aches of sitting all day and give attendees a chance to temporarily zone out so they are less likely to do so in the middle of the session.

Interactive food fare

Food relaxes the atmosphere and helps sustain positive energy levels throughout a conference. Instead of opting for the regular ol’ soda and sandwiches theme, change it up a bit for a new spin on snacking.

Rather than one generic buffet, offer diverse lunch stations with different types of cuisine available in each area. There can be an Italian-themed create-your-own-pasta station, a sushi rolling area, or a station offering food distinct to the area in which you are hosting your conference.

Change the furniture

At one time, banquet chairs in meeting rooms were replaced by ergonomic seating. Now ergonomic seating is being replaced by bean bag chairs, overstuffed couches and “living room” areas where groups can meet and talk in a less formal and more comfortable venue.

Whether it’s incorporating aromas to energize the room, or requesting fitness balls and free weights for breaks at association events, the smallest ideas can breathe life into your traditional conference.

Utilize some of these tricks during your next conference for a brand-new approach to the old way of doing business. They will help foster great ideas to propel your business into the future.

Top 5 Apps and Gadget to stay on the go

Posted on 8 Giugno 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

As event planners, we are always on the go. We’re traveling from airport to airport, taking site visits at random locations and working in the closest Starbucks we can find. It’s easy to feel like we aren’t being as productive as we are when we are in the office.

But, while there is nothing like sitting in front of your desk at the office, there are a lot of tools that can help you while you’re traveling. Imagine if you could be nearly as productive on the go as you are in the office. Here are the top five apps for event planners on the go!

Karma Wi-Fi

One of biggest frustrations while traveling is to get access to reliable Wi-Fi.

Clients need a document uploaded and it could takes hours just to try and find a place that will have a strong enough signal to upload the document needed.

With Karma, you can take your hotspot on the go. And, the best part is that you pay for only the data you use. Rather then find a package through your mobile provider that gives you 2GB a month, you can pay only when you need it. It’s really flexible and reliable.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a file storage platform. It allows you to upload the documents that you need on the go and share them, as needed. Their mobile app is great as well and you can access the documents you need, make changes, and re-share them with the appropriate people.

The Pages App

This app is a really great tool for checking notifications, responding to messages and making sure that we are engaging on a regular basis with our Facebook audience.

The general Facebook app is incredibly underwhelming when it comes to brand management, so rather than waiting until you get back to your desktop to deal with a comment on your Facebook page, you can now do it while you are waiting for the train or sitting on the bus.

Slack

Slack is a new team communication tool where you can filter feeds, create conversations and eliminate email. This tool is designed for collaborating as teams so it’s a great option to use for your employees. It manages their conversations and keeps them in this platform instead of everything being in your email. And, their mobile app makes it easy to stay connected and updated on the go.

LogMeIn

This app is great because it will allow us to log into our desktop from our mobile and access files that we need. Sometimes, there’s simply no greater answer then having direct access to your desktop.

8 Tips to Be an Awesome Networker at Conferences

Posted on 29 Aprile 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

Attending conferences is a great way to stay up to date and learn new ways to improve your business. Here some tips to follow to improve your network at conferences.

1. Create a list of prospects before the event

You should have a list of people you want to connect with before even arriving at the conference location. This allows you to do a little preliminary research to prepare for potential encounters — things such as identifying mutual connections or interests can help break the ice and lead to a smooth introduction.

Every conference website will have a list of speakers and some will even feature journalists and members of the media that are scheduled to attend. Another way to locate attendees is to search Twitter for conference related hashtags.

Having your networking targets identified in advance establishes a goal — you will network with more people this way rather than just wondering around aimlessly without a plan.

2. Stay at the event venue hotel

You might be able to save a few dollars if you book a hotel down the street or across town, but you will miss out on so much valuable networking time. You aren’t going to make any introductions or engage in small talk during the actual presentations — that happens before and after.

Leave your room early in the morning and get ready to network. Stick around after the sessions to continue your networking crusade. If you are traveling back and forth from the conference venue and another hotel you miss some of the most valuable networking opportunities.

3. Attend all planned social events

Some of the best connections are made at the hotel bar and during planned networking events — people are more laid back in a relaxed social setting. Mix in a few cocktails and guards are down, the vibe is welcoming and everyone is willing to mingle.

You should make sure to hang out there in the evenings and during downtime — even if you aren’t a drinker.

4. Practice selling yourself in under 30 seconds

When you are introduced to someone you want to be able to tell them about who you are and what you do — but most people don’t have time, nor do they want to stand there and listen to you talk for several minutes.

Master a 30-second self-pitch. They key is to make it interesting without it sounding like an overly promotional sales pitch.

What do you do? Where are you from? What are two interesting and memorable facts about you? Use this information and create your introduction — make sure the individual that you introduce yourself to is going to have a clear picture of you. They won’t forget you because your introduction was both clever and memorable.

5. Be armed with business cards at all times

You should have business cards on you at all times — keep some in your pocket and in your laptop bag. You should even keep some in your carry-on bag when you travel to conferences — airport lounges, rental car counters and baggage carousels all present networking opportunities prior to a big conference.

You don’t want to be the person that is just handing out business cards to anyone that will take one. I will initiate the business card exchange after an introduction if I want to connect with the person again after the conference. If not, I don’t offer my card.

6. Make eye contact, shake hands and be confident

Remember one thing — you aren’t the only person that is going to be out networking. There are going to be some people that are on the radar of every attendee. First impressions are everything. Make sure you make eye contact with your target, smile, be pleasant, shake hands and emit confidence.

If you are shy, at least pretend you are having a good time and enjoying yourself.

7. Be a listener, not a bragger or boaster

When starting a conversation with someone or joining in a group discussion make sure you don’t become the bragger or boaster. If you attend conferences regularly you know who I am referring to, as it never fails — there is always one person that wants to constantly tell everyone how great he or she is, and how their company is “crushing it.”

Show a genuine interest in everyone you are introduced to and listen to what they have to say. All rewarding business relationships are born when there is a genuine connection made — not a BS session followed by a business card exchange.

8. Follow up with everyone you met

As soon as you get home from the conference, reach out to all of the connections you made while networking. Send out an email letting them know how much you enjoyed meeting them and schedule a time to speak in more detail right away.

You are more likely to get them to commit to a phone call or meeting right after the conference than you would be if you reached out to them months or even weeks after. Get them to commit while your introduction is still a fairly recent memory.

What other tips do you have for effective conference networking? Share them in the comment section below.