Event Pros Weigh-In on What Makes Event Sponsorships Valuable
A growing frustration with the expense and correspondingly low return on investment of many event sponsorship options was addressed on our May 7 Eventtable Twitter chat, entitled “Are Event Sponsorships Worth the Money?” Participants addressed some of the variables involved such as whether the sponsorship opportunity is value driven; whether there is a plan to [...]
Meetings Women of Influence: The Rant and Our List
The story is spreading like wildfire this weekend: Successful Meetings publishes a list of top meetings industry influencers that includes 12 men, one insect, and no women. Industry icon and influencer Joan Eisenstodt responds with a call to action and a new Twitter hashtag, #boyzandbugs. Then our friends and strategic partners Elizabeth Henderson and Mariela [...]
No Satisfying Those Sustainable Meetings People
Sometimes, there’s no satisfying those sustainable meetings people. In this case, that would be me. It might be you, too. Last night, I checked into a hotel in Toronto and learned about a green choice program that answers one of the onsite sustainability issues I’ve found most annoying over the years. I’m pleased. I’m worried [...]
Four Tough Challenges that Make Sustainability Easier
Earlier this month, a colleague shook up my thinking about green meetings with an idea that could shift any organization’s sustainability program in a more practical direction. And here’s the twist: the surest way to simplify our industry’s approach to sustainability might be to sharpen our focus on the toughest sustainability issues we face. Thanks [...]
Closing the Loop on Social Sustainability
Of the three pillars of sustainability—economic, environmental, and social—the social dimension is often the toughest to define, measure, and translate into a realistic action plan. But there might be a way for meetings to help solve that problem. I’ve often heard engineers, technologists, and economists comment that it’s easy enough to see the links between [...]
The Building Your Building Can Be
When I stepped onto the construction site for the new Ottawa Convention Centre late last week, during an advance tour for members of the OCC Advisory Board, I saw the end of a 15-year campaign that burned through at least three generations of local industry volunteers. The original Ottawa Congress Centre opened in 1984, and [...]
Meetings that Changed the World
Anyone who has ever worked as a meeting professional can tell you about their favorite meetings and proudest moments onsite. When planners and suppliers begin swapping those war stories, they’re usually talking about meetings that changed the world. When Fusion Productions and The Conference Publishers set out to gather testimonials in advance of MPI’s 2010 [...]
The Only Way to Change the World is to Meet: Gobillot
The only way to change the world is to meet, keynote speaker Emmanuel Gobillot told participants at the Opening General Session of MPI’s 2010 World Education Congress Sunday morning. At a time when more generations are working together than ever before, everyone is suffering from information overload and the world of work has become more [...]
Case Study: The Aerial World Tour
Name of Conference: Aerial World Tour Host Organization: Aerial Company Inc. Dates: April 1999-2002 Location: Milwaukee, WI Objectives: The business objectives of the Aerial World Tour were to educate hair professionals on new styles and services and showcase upcoming products and trends in the beauty industry. The community impact went far beyond the immediate purpose [...]
Case Study: The Better Buildings: Better Business Conference
Name of Conference: Better Buildings: Better Business Conference Host Organization: Energy Center of Wisconsin Dates: March, 2005 Location: Wisconsin Dells, WI Objectives: The annual Better Buildings: Better Business Conference seeks to make midwestern United States homes more energy-efficient by delivering hands-on training workshops, technology demonstrations, and building science education to homebuilders and contractors. The Energy [...]
