Association Meetings

Dear Senator Kerry ...

I've emailed this to Senator Kerry and encourage you to do the same!  Thanks Barb Taylor Carpender, CMM, CHSC for the text!


Dear Senator Kerry:

It has come to my attention that you are proposing legislation that would prevent companies that have received bailout funding from hosting, sponsoring or paying for conferences, holiday parties and entertainment events. The bill will affect any companies that have received government help under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

Meetings and events are responsible for 15 percent of all travel-related spending in the U.S., creating nearly $40 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state and local level and generating more than 1 million jobs. Industry experts project that without the jobs generated by meetings, events and incentive travel, the current unemployment rate of 7.6 percent would rise to 8.2 percent and cost the average American household an additional $136 in taxes annually.

I humbly submit to you that meetings will continue to play an integral role in the success of our country's efforts to pull ourselves out of the current economic malaise. The recent inauguration, for example, was an outstanding event that galvanized millions of our citizens to move towards a new era of hope and optimism. The congressional committee meetings that have been held to pass the recent economic stimulus package are another example of meetings that have been held to spur the economic recovery.

I would encourage you to carefully reconsider what you are proposing and to then decide to support the *business of meetings*. A million jobs in our country depend on your understanding and support!

For more info:  http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/Blog/commonblog.aspx?viewblog=2656&groupblog=2

Twitter ... From the Presenter's Perspective

Over the past few posts I have discussed the use of Twitter in a variety of ways while attending conferences or meetings.  I've addressed how the attendee may benefit as well as the conference organizers.  What about the presenter themselves?  Recently at a workshop I attended, I was recognized by the Presenter as one the "tweeting" people in the room and she asked me to be "nice while tweeting."  This got me thinking about Twitter from the presenters point of view, but before I had my thoughts on paper the following post was published and gave a very good perspective.  I highly recommend the read ....

How to Present While People are Twittering | Pistachio

If you would like a review of my thoughts on Twitter use by Attendees or Event Organizers ... check out these short videos.  Yes we had fun making these videos ...

The Use of Twitter by Meeting Attendees:

The Use of Twitter by Meeting Organizers:

Twitter ... Keeping it under control

As you continue to work with Twitter you quickly realize that you are going to need some additional help to keep it all under control!  I've looked at many of the applications that are currently available for the PC and thought I would share. 

The tools that I am currently using:

1)  Hands down Number 1 application for Twitter is Tweetdeck!  While many use the application Twirl - I prefer Tweetdeck which allows you to manage your tweets by groups.  This makes viewing your tweet stream much more manageable. My Tweetdeck is currently broken down into 5 groups (other then ALL, DM, and replies). 

2) TweetLater - this application does exactly what you think!  It allows you to store tweets for later delivery.  I like this application because you can combine multiple Twitter accounts into one place.  TweetLater also sets up direct DMs and follower messages for new followers.

3) Twilert- Create automatic email alerts based on specific search terms.  Use the application to search for tweets about you, your company, or a topic you want to learn more about.

4) MyTweeple - Keeping track of who is following you and who you are following can become difficult.  MyTweeple makes it easy!  This application shows the follower profile and whether it is mutual.  It's a great tool for "weeding" out followers.

5) Twellow - Yellow pages for Twitter!  I am constantly searching Twellow for new folks to follow.  This application allows for a more useful search of user profiles.

6) Twitterholic - Great user ranking application.

7) TweetStats - Another great stats tool that gives you feedback on your tweeting patterns.

8) Twitter-Friends - Statistical analysis of you and your followers.  Lets you know who you are actually having conversations with!

9) TweetBackUp - This application allows you to quickly backup your Twitter follower listing and export to Excel.  The exported file also includes all of the profile information.

10) Twitpic - Application for sharing pictures directly to Twitter.

Still trying to understand Twitter?  Maybe this quick video will help ...

They are talking about you .... are you listening?

Whether you want to accept it or not, your attendees are talking about your event on the "back channel" called Twitter.  As Association Planners we need to be aware of this conversation and join in! 

As your attendees are preparing to attend your meeting, they are sharing their plans with followers even if it is just to let them know why they will be out of the office for a few days.  Other attendees will use the opportunity to talk more about what they are doing and why. As an attendee a few weeks ago at MeetDifferent, I did just that.  I let my followers on Twitter know that I was headed to Atlanta for a meeting. I was immediately asked why I was going and what kind of meeting. What a great opportunity for me to share.  This also showed my clients that I am serious about my own personal and professional development.  As a planner we want to encourage such conversations!

We also need to continue the conversation on-site. The back channel is giving us IMMEDIATE feedback as to the success or failure of our event.  Thus giving us the opportunity to respond immediately.  If attendees are in a session and are "tweeting" about the temperature of the room, or the sound quality - we can quickly make adjustments.  If you see in the Twitter feed that attendees are having trouble finding certain rooms or locations, you can quickly add signage.  All of which add to the quality of your meeting.  

As a planner you can also use Twitter to communicate with the attendees regarding the meeting.  Send out Tweets as reminders of special events or maybe room changes.  While at the event you can send out "Did you Know ..." messages that again allow you to engage in a more effective conversation.

In my opinion Twitter or other similar means of instant communication is here to stay and as Association Planners we need to join the conversation.

Why Twitter at a Meeting or Conference???

Image via Wikipedia

Over the past couple of weeks I truly have come to understand the VALUE of Twitter.  So many people have told me that Twitter is nothing more than a time drain, sharing trivial bits of information that no one really cares about anyway. WRONG!

For right now I just want to focus on the use of Twitter at or during a meeting or conference for the attendees.  I see this application providing value for three different audiences.  You, me and them.

Them - those who could not attend the event.  By following the Twitter stream of those in attendance they are able to participate from their home location.  They can ask questions of the presenters or request a further explanation from the attendees.  At a recent event I attended, those following were "fact checking" the materials presented allowing for clarification.  What a great way to provide value to your association member who could not attend and keep them engaged in the conversation.

You - those in attendance.  Have you ever tried to attend multiple sessions at the same time?? Until Twitter, I found this to be an impossible mission.  However, when you have individuals who are "Tweeting" a session, you can follow along just like those who are not in attendance.  Tweeple (those who Twitter) were also able to network in a more meaningful way as they shared a common interest - the use of Twitter as a valuable resource. 

Me - what value did Twitter provide to me?  For one, I personally retained a lot more of the information presented  as I found myself paying much closer attention.  If I was going to "share" with my fellow colleagues, I better have my facts straight!  I also felt the need to send information of "value" not just that the room was cold, the food tasted terrible or that I couldn't hear the speaker.  The experience was similar to that of taking notes, except that my notes were shared with a couple of thousand people.

Will I Twitter at a future meeting?  You bet ...

Was Twitter valuable to the presenters and event planners?  More on that later ....

Weathering the Economic Storm as an Association Meeting Planner

When I travel I use the opportunity to catch up on my reading and my recent trip to Atlanta was no different.  As I left the office I grabbed several trade journals and magazines to read on the plane.  From the various articles I read, I was able to glean the following:

1) As an Association Planner it is more important now more than ever to understand WHO is attending your meetings and why.  This knowledge will assist you in planning an event that becomes an economic priority!

2) Use the knowledge from #1 to properly select your venue. 

3)  Understand that your members are facing budget issues.  How can you address those?  Reduction in registration or hold the fees from previous years? Allow for multiple payments over time?  Be creative.

4) Consider other delivery methods to include as many participants as possible.  Realize that some members may not be able to attend the meeting, how can they still be involved? Why not offer webcasts, videocasts, etc.?  While these technologies enhance the meeting - they will never replace face to face and will provide value! 

5) Pay close attention to air travel issues.  With airlines offering fewer flights at higher costs how can you find the "right" location for your attendees?  Monitor the situation and keep your attendees informed.

6) Use technology to become more efficient.

7) Network ... Network .... Network!  Turn to those who do it best.  How are your colleagues addressing these issues? What are the best ways to handle this situation?

8)  EVERYTHING is negotiable! ASK

9) Communication is key.  Keep the lines of communication open with everyone involved with your meeting - suppliers, hotels, attendees, etc.  Be open and honest with what is happening. 

10)  Stay positive.  Yes we are facing some of the most difficult economic times our Country has seen in decades, what is important now is what are you going to do about it?  Only positive actions will get us out of this mess!

What was I reading?

Association Convention & Facilities
Convene
Medical Meetings
Budget Travel
Money

HOW TO: Live Inside Twitter and Still Stay Productive

WOW ... I had no clue that Twitter could do all of the neat things listed in the article below!  For all of my new Twitter friends from MeetDifferent '09, there are some real treasures in this list that will help you use this new and sometimes overwhelming technology effectively!

HOW TO: Live Inside Twitter and Still Stay Productive

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MeetDifferent '09 - Pictures from Day 2

If you take pictures and like to share them, you should look into Flickr.com!  It's a tremendous resource for storage, sharing and learning about photography.

Here are some the pictures I took on Day 2 of the MPI MeetDifferent '09 Conference.

http://flickr.com/photos/julnet/sets/72157613567453895/

Enjoy!

MeetDifferent '09 - Things I Learned Day 3

What a day!  There was so much great content at MPI's MeetDifferent '09 my brain is on overload!  Fortunately many of the sessions will be available by podcast later so that I can re-listen.

 The things I learned from Day 3:

1) Forth Worth Texas is the 17th largest city in the US and the 9th safest.

2) There are approximately 10,000 active CMP's (Certified Meeting Professionals) worldwide and 550 CMM's (Certified Meeting Managers)

3)  POD (as in iPOD) means Portable on Demand

4) A great resource for creating Podcasts is Audacity

5)  45% of the Workforce in the US is women; holding 49.1% of the jobs

6) Using TweetChat.com, you can actually participate in multiple sessions at a meeting at the same time!

7) In Marketing, "Features" go to the mind as "Benefits" reach the heart.

8)  There are now 5 Generations in the workplace (and on Facebook)

9)  The Omni Hotel in New Orleans has the only roof top garden / pool in the French Quarter

10)  Meeting Planners not only know how to plan a party ... they know HOW to Party! (glad I didn't have a 7:30 breakfast today).

One more day to go ....

MeetDifferent '09 - Plans for Day 3

Today at MeetDifferent '09 the day is packed full of Knowledge Sessions on a wide variety of topics.  The sessions have been broken down into a number of "tracks" such as:  Future Trends, Technology,Generational and Cultural Differences, Meeting Design and more!  This wide variety is one of the reasons why I believe this to be one of the best meetings for those in the industry as it has something for everyone!