Posts Tagged ‘Event Garde

04
Jun
13

A new face, a new format and all things ORGPRO

By Aaron Wolowiec Leave a Comment
Categories: Associations, Meetings and Professional Development
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Kristen Parker Digital Communications Manager

Kristen Parker
Digital Communications Manager

It’s every blogger’s worst nightmare. You have the ideas, the insights and the expertise to share, but your “day job” prevents you the necessary time to sit down and actually write the posts. And, as we know all too well, the world around us isn’t so forgiving. Regardless of our busy schedules, each news cycle is filled with countless stories and events that both inspire and influence our work.

Therefore, the time has come to make a deliberate and exciting change to the Event Garde blog. I’m pleased and humbled to introduce to you today both a new face and a new format.

First, I’m delighted to announce that Kristen Parker has joined the Event Garde team as our digital communications manager. Since 2008, Kristen has worked as a communications manager for Michigan State University, serving in the university’s central public relations office. Prior to her current role, she was the alumni relations director for the MSU College of Education.

Kristen is experienced in several key communication disciplines, including publications, print media, media relations and issues communications. She is the former editor of an international trade publication and the former communications director for a nonprofit health care association. Likewise, Kristen is a 2000 graduate of MSU’s journalism program. Go green!

But far more pertinent to you is this: Kristen is a storyteller by trade – in fact, she’s been writing and editing professionally for 13 years. She looks forward to keeping you abreast of the issues, trends and must-knows that define our profession. Together, we hope that you’ll find some words of wisdom in the blogs we post, and we also hope that you’ll share with us ideas about what you’d like us to explore.

Second, it’s all about the format. Moving forward, we’ll select a new theme each month. This will allow us the time and the space to focus on the issues of importance to you. Assuming everything goes according to plan, we’ll share a new post with you each Tuesday. And the posts themselves will also get a facelift (just in time for spring). In practice, following is what the new format will mean to you:

  • An original post from me introducing each month’s theme
  • Two posts from Kristen based on interviews with industry leaders
  • A behind-the-scenes guest post from someone “in the know”

So, as we prepared to jump-start the blog with a new purpose and a new approach, it was clear this launch should focus on ORGPRO. As you likely know, I’ve served as the chair of the ORGPRO 2013 Program Committee for the last year. I’m particularly excited about next month’s event because of the renewed focus on quality learning opportunities during both the keynote and the breakout sessions.

Therefore, here’s what you can expect for the balance of this month on the Event Garde blog:

Finally, we want to engage with you even more in the coming months. So, please don’t be shy; be sure to tell us what you think. If you have a recommendation for a topic we should tackle or an interview we should schedule, let us know via your comments or shoot us an email at info@eventgarde.com. Likewise, don’t be afraid to sound off – good, bad or indifferent. We want to hear from you.

And should you ever wish to serve as a guest blogger, we welcome both your interest and your enthusiasm. Above all, the Event Garde blog hopes to earn your confidence as a trusted source for reliable industry news and information affecting the association, professional development and meetings communities. We hope you’ll join us on this exciting journey.

02
Jan
13

The Meetings Report: Five game-changing tactics redefining education strategy and success

By Aaron Wolowiec Leave a Comment
Categories: Meetings, Professional Development and Best Practices
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

MeetingsIn December 2012, I was pleased to finally release Event Garde’s first research project. In a nutshell, The Meetings Report strives to describe the state of the Michigan association meetings industry.

Alex Kontras, a data manager for the City of Grand Rapids, and I were delighted to author this report. Likewise, it was edited by Kristen Parker, a media communications manager for Michigan State University. Finally, the finished product was jointly published by the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE) and my Grand Rapids-based consulting firm Event Garde.

The 16-page research report represents the first-ever Michigan association meetings industry survey and key recommendations examining the characteristics of senior education/professional development staff, characteristics of association meetings, professional speaker hiring practices, industry speaker preparation and compensation, and meeting evaluation practices.

While respondents primarily represented statewide trade associations (meaning the resultant benchmarking data is largely Michigan-specific), the five key recommendations precipitating from this 65-question survey and follow-on analysis are not only instructive and actionable, but remarkably universal across state lines. In fact, when applied to any association’s annual education strategy, these simple but effective tactics can substantively redefine how success is measured.

And the report is equally valuable to suppliers.

Whether you’re representing a CVB, a hotel, a consulting firm or a product/service provider, you’re bound to find the report – and its data, trends, tables and figures – incredibly helpful. Key findings and statistics include annual budgets, meeting revenue, fiscal year comparisons, meeting types, exhibits and cancellations, outsourcing, speaker bureaus, decision-making, contracting, room pick-up, funds/contracts, site selection and much more.

A copy of the report may be ordered via MSAE’s website. This invaluable resource is free to contributors, $59 for MSAE members and $99 for non-members.

Additionally, I’ll be speaking about the five key recommendations precipitating from this research throughout 2013. Following are select dates in February and March representing the launch of this series:

Feb. 13
The Meetings Report Seminar
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Okemos, MI

Become one of the first to hear the results from the first-ever meeting practices research conducted in Michigan. Core content with include report findings, organizational and meeting professional demographics, professional and industry speaker best practices, and evaluation trends. Expect a highly engaging and discussion-filled seminar that drills down into each key recommendation. Register here.

Feb. 20
The Meetings Report: Five Game-changing Tactics Redefining Education Strategy & Success
12 – 1:30 p.m.
Atlanta, GA

Join me as I reveal each of the five game-changing recommendations guaranteed to transform your organization’s programs and events into dynamic (and profitable) professional development experiences your members will value. Register here.

Feb. 20
From Theory to Practice: Applying Game-changing Tactics to Your Association’s Education Strategy
1:45 – 3:30 p.m.
Atlanta, GA

In this highly interactive follow-on session, evaluate your organization’s current education strategies and develop actionable next steps to operationalize The Meeting Report’s key recommendations. Focus on ways your association can elevate the quality and sophistication of its events, build the reputation of its meetings department and improve the association’s bottom line. Register here.

March 19
The Next Generation of Meetings
9:15 – 10:45 a.m.
Troy, NY

Learn about the five game-changing recommendations guaranteed to transform organization programs and events into dynamic (and profitable) professional development experiences. Likewise, evaluate current education strategies and develop actionable next steps designed to operationalize the report’s findings. Register here.

In the meantime, you’re ready for that list – aren’t you? Following are the five key recommendations discussed in this report:

  • Tactic 1: Diversify revenue
  • Tactic 2: Reward difference
  • Tactic 3: Value context
  • Tactic 4: Maximize opportunities
  • Tactic 5: Prioritize learning

Together, these key recommendations are intended to provide the executive summary for this study’s research findings. Should your organization wish to further explore the intricacies of this study’s data, including the application of these game-changing tactics to your organization’s current practices, I recommend purchasing the report, attending a program (or two) and exploring one-on-one consultation.

So, my question to you is this: Which of these five key recommendations represents the single-most important action your organization could take in 2013 to make your education department even more successful?

18
Jul
12

Curating conference content to promote member engagement

By Aaron Wolowiec Leave a Comment
Categories: Learning, Meetings and Social Media
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On Thursday, July 26, at 2 p.m. ET, it will be my pleasure to present a webinar of the same name for Higher Logic. You may know that Higher Logic is the leader in social media and collaboration solutions for associations, not-for-profits and member-based organizations worldwide – and, of course, Lauren Wolfe and I go way back as long-time members of ASAE’s Young Association Executive Committee.

Let me set the scene: Your toes are numb from standing for 72 straight hours. You’ve not slept in days. The most food you’ve eaten is a carrot stick from last night’s cocktail hour and half an egg roll. The annual conference finally draws to a close and the last thing on your mind is the resource and content treasures unearthed throughout the event.

Nevertheless, these are the tangible deliverables that can and should be used to optimize existing engagement activities. In addition to driving the development of timely follow-on educational programs, and aiding learners in linking theory (presented at the conference) with practice (challenges encountered on the job), curated content can also support organizational recruitment and retention efforts (by delivering quality products and services that members value).

Undoubtedly, there is a benefit to enriching the onsite conference experience with the addition of exclusive interviews, video, photos, news about the speakers, vendors and entertainment, and live Twitter feeds and Facebook posts. However, what I’m specifically talking about here is curating conference content that already exists.

Whether during breakout sessions, informal hallway conversations, networking breaks, meals, receptions, keynote presentations, special events or on The Back of the Napkin (à la Dan Roam), we can all agree that learning takes place both inside and outside of the traditional classroom. The trick is to capture those nuggets of wisdom, then curate, repackage, repurpose and leverage them.

Following is a high-level overview of the five simple, but effective strategies for curating conference content I’ll share during my July 26 webinar. Examples and case studies presented during this program will help illuminate real life examples that can be immediately implemented within your own organization.

  1. Schedule follow-on education. Popular education sessions could be repeated in person or online, or content previously presented in a breakout session could be teased out into a half-day or full-day program.
  2. Link theory with practice. A curriculum eliciting a call to action requires appropriate follow through and support. Association resources should be deployed to ensure all barriers to implementation are removed and successes celebrated.
  3. Keep the conversation flowing. Online communities could be formed and moderated to continue conference discussions long after the closing keynote session has ended, encouraging opportunities for further engagement and collaboration.
  4. Develop a library of resources. Speakers, vendors, attendees and staff could be invited to transform important topics presented at the conference into valuable resources such as blog posts, newsletter articles, white papers or videos.
  5. Aggregate social media content. Pictures from the event, as well as Facebook updates and Twitter posts from both the official conference feeds and the attendees at-large could be compiled into a meaningful story and shared.

Wow! Even I’m impressed. So, mark your calendar for July 26, 2-3 p.m. ET, and don’t forget to register (at no cost) by clicking here. By the way, if you’re still not convinced this will be worth your time, you may be interested to know that those attending live will be entered for a chance to win a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Event Garde LLC. Additionally, all participants will receive one CAE credit hour for their full participation in this live webinar.

In the meantime, my question to you is this: What would you add to my list of top five strategies for effectively curating conference content? What have you found to be most useful/beneficial in your own organization? As members of other industry organizations, what have you seen or experienced that’s uniquely piqued your interest?

meet aaron

Meetings innovator & professional development trailblazer. Founder & president of Event Garde. Passionate about The Food Network, hot yoga, blogging, old homes & unclehood.

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