Summary: For job seekers, the Internet is both a blessing and a curse. While the web provides greater access to information about job openings, on-line tools make it difficult for event planners changing industries to obtain an interview. Supercharging your job search with traditional tools (i.e. information interviews, broadcast letters and briefs) will help you stand out from the crowd and create a favourable impression.

Event Planning Career Tips: Using Information interviews, Broadcast Letters and Briefs

In an era in which on-line tools and Internet portals dominate the job search landscape, it's tough to stand out from the crowd. Talented job seekers can find their resumes overlooked if their experience does not fit the posted job profile like a glove. For example, if event planners have experience in a different industry, they may find their applications rejected after a few screening questions. 3 traditional tools from the pre-Internet age can greatly assist:

• event planners who are trying to change industries
• professionals from other industries who are trying to break into event planning

These tools will help you rise above the crowd as relatively few job seekers use them anymore. I guarantee you, 90% of the people reading this blog will dismiss the content of this blog entry as outdated, old-fashioned and not relevant to the Internet age. That means that the 10% of job applicants who use these tools will reap the benfits.

Information Interviews

An information interview is a job interview in reverse. It's a chance to get answers to your questions about the industry and obtain career advice from an experienced event planner.

To set up an information interview, contact experienced job planners in your area. Ask them if they would be willing to allow you to interview them for 10 minutes to learn about the profession and obtain career advice. Interviews can take place in-person or through Skype or another on-line meeting tool.

Be organized. Prepare an interview guide with specific questions. Don't outwear your welcome. When you reach the 8 minute mark, thank the interviewer for their time and ask them if they know of:

• companies that are looking for event planners
• other event planners who may be willing to grant an interview
 

Request permission to use the individual's name when making these contacts. Always send a thank you note. It's a lost art. Sending a thank you note wil definitely separate you from the rest of the pack.

Richard Bolles's What Colour is Your Parachute provides instructions to help you prepare for and conduct effective information interviews.

Broadcast Letters

Broadcast letters are resume substitutes. They outline in point form your specific achievements that are directly relevant to the position.

Broadcast letters give job applicants an opportunity to highlight relevant skills and experience without providing details about aspects of their career history that are unrelated to the position.

Copy your broadcast letter on professional stationary. Always send unsolicited broadcast letters directly to the CEO in an envelope that matches your stationary. Mark them "Personal and Confidential", "Personal" or "Private and Confidential". If you are responding to a job posting, send the broadcast letter to the CEO with a copy to the person identified in the ad. If you are applying for a job through an on-line portal, paste your broadcast letter in the space provided for a cover letter.

If you send out 100 broadcast letters, you will usually generate about 5 - 7 interviews.

Executive Jobs Unlimited by Carl R. Boll is an in-depth instruction manual on how to create a winning broadcast letter. This thin, hard cover book has been out of print for some time now. You can still order new and used copies on Amazon, borrow it from the library, or find a copy at a used bookstore.

Briefs

A brief is a bound mini-portfolio consisting of:

• a title page
• your broadcast letter
• a resume customized for the position with specific and quantified examples of your achievements for each of the key position requirements
• client testimonial letters
• references from previous jobs
• press clippings
• relevant blog postings including links
• work samples including photos

If you're just launching your event planning career or you want to transition into event planning from another profession, it's appropriate to use testimonials and samples from school projects, campus events, internships, volunteer work, social committees, or sideline businesses.

There are 2 ways to use your brief.

1. Drop it off or send it in if you are asked for a resume after sending your broadcast letter.
2. Bring it to the interview and present it when the interviewer requests your resume.

For more detailed instructions on how to create a brief, get a copy of Napoleon Hill's classic Think and Grow Rich

Adding these 3 traditional tools to your job search arsenal will ensure that you don't get lost in the sea of appplicants. Your application will get more exposure, create a positive impact and increase the liklehood that you will obtain an interview and receive serious consideration for employment.

(c) Photo Credit: Elliott P.

(c) Photo Credit: Eric Pier

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Summary: Twitter Chats have their regular followers yet even some experienced event planners still don't know about them. Here is a quick primer to get you up to speed on the top 10 Twitter Chats that all event planners should add to their schedules.

Top 10 Twitter Chats for Event Planners & Event Industry Professionals

Twitter Chats have been around for such a long time that I could just hear some Twitter veterans groaning as soon as they saw the title of this blog. After all, it's old news. Everybody knows about Twitter Chat, right? I manage the 30,000+ member Event Planning and Management group on LinkedIn. More often than you would expect, I interact with members who are finding out about Twitter Chats for the first time. They are delighted when they discover what a useful resource Twitter Chats can be. So, we're going to cover the basics. I invite Twitter Chat newbies to post your questions. I invite Twitter Chat veterans to post responses, share tips and list any chats or tools for monitoring them that I haven't included.

Twitter Chats - The Basics

A Twitter Chat is a regularly scheduled interactive event that takes places on Twitter. The format for Twitter Chats (also known as hashtag chats) is:

Hashtag (#) + a keyword. Example: #eventprofs

Every Twitter Chat has it's own schedule, format and etiquette. A number of Twitter Chats have online guides, Wikis or Facebook pages to explain what the focus and structure. For this reason, you may want to observe for a few minutes or review documentation so that you are clear about what is expected before you jump in.

Some Twitter Chats take place only once or or twice a week. When the chat is over, there is little interaction unless it's a follow up that is directly relevant to the topic of the most recent chat. Others encourage the use of the chat hashtag for interaction between scheduled chats. Tweeps share information, tips, blogs, and articles using the hashtag. Some Twitter Chats evolve into communities and establish LinkedIn groups to take the interaction deeper than what is possible in 140 characters. Some chat communities have face-to-face tweet-ups. It's the perfect way to take networking beyond cyberspace and into the real world.

If you miss a chat, there is no need to worry. A transcript of summary is usually shared on Twitter within 24 hours. Some chats even have an archive of chat transcripts.

Benefits of Twitter Chats

Twitter Chats provide an opportunity to engage with other Twitter users and discover new people to follow. They give instant access to information to help you keep abreast of trends within the event planning industry.

Twitter Chats & Hashtags for Event Planners

1. #eventprofs Eventprofs: A thriving community of event planners and other event industry Professionals. This was the first Twitter chat for event planners.
   Tuesdays 9 - 10 PM EST/6 - 7 PM PST & Thursdays 12 - 1PM EST/9 - 10 AM PST
   
   • Eventprofs Chat Schedule
   • Eventprofs on Facebook
   • Eventprofs Wiki

2. #TTOT Travel Tuesday on Twitter: Social media travel event. Five questions, every 10 minutes
   Tuesdays 9:30 AM & 9:30 PM GMT.
3. #engage365 Engage 365: For events professionals interested in social media for events & conferences. Similar to #eventprofs, but discussions focus more on event technology, engaging attendees, and event marketing.
   Fridays 1 PM ET.
4. #assnchat Association Chat: Chat for association professionals discussing current industry trends, technology and strategy
   Tuesdays 2 PM ET

5. #luxchat Luxchat: Excellent and highly relevant to event planners who work in the luxury market sector. Usually features a high profile guest. Representatives of a number of upscale resorts have been featured. Some chats are on location.
   Monthly. 3rd Wednesday of every month at 5:30 PM ET
6. #tourismchat Tourism Chat: Bi-monthly twitter chat focusing on social media in the tourism industry.
   Thursdays 2 PM CT, 3 PM ET
7. #speakchat Speak Chat: Engaging. Event planners, professional speakers, and speakers bureaus discuss a variety of industry related topics and issues.
   Mondays 9 PM ET.
8. #tni Traveller's Night In: Covers a new travel topic each week. 10 questions tweeted by various hosts.
   Thursdays 3:30 - 5:00 PM ET.
9. #weddingmarket Wedding Market Chat: Trends, marketing and information for the wedding and bridal markets.
   Wednesdays 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET/6 P GmT.
10. #AVchat AV Chat: All you ever wanted to learn about AV, a key ingredient for many successful events.
    Thursdays 4 PM PT/7 PM ET

Bonus:

The following Twitter Chats are not specifically designed for the event industry but Event Planners will find them extremely helpful chat. They are well worth checking out regularly.

• #b2bchat B2B (Business to Business) Chat: A a lively gathering of B2B marketers
  Thursdays 8 PM ET - #b2bchat Linkedin Group
• #linkedinchat LinkedIn Chat: All things LinkedIn – what you like, what you hate, useful strategies, favourite apps
  Tuesdays 7PM CT/ 8 PM ET - LinkChat LinkedIn Group
• #blogchatBlog Chat:A weekly conversation about blogs.
  Sundays 8 PM CT/9 PM ET - Blogchat Linkedin Group.
• #profschat MarketingProfs: Actionable know-how to help you market your products and services
  Fridays Noon ET - MarketingProfs Linkedin Group

Event industry professionals will find useful content by using the following Twitter hashtags:

• linkevents
• #meetingprofs
• #pcma
• #mpi
• #bizbash

How to Participate in Twitter Chats

• In Search, type in the Twitter Chat hashtag and hit "Enter".
• You'll see all of the tweets that have recently been posted using that hashtag.
• To add your content, type your tweet in the "What's Happening Field". Include the hashtag in your tweet. Presto, it will be visible to everyone monitoring that hashtag.

If you never participated in a Twitter chat, these videos will demonstrate how you can join in on Twitter or using applications like Tweetdeck or Twitter Chat.

Tweetdeck

Tweet Chat

Hoot Suite

Twitter Chat & Hashtag Definitions

Unfortunately, what the Hashtag (wthashtag.com) is no more but this tool is helpful in identifying what the various Twitter Chat & hashtags mean:

• Tagdef Hashtag Look up
  If you have a new chat or hashtag, you can also add and define it here.

Photo Credit: simonwheatley

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Summary: It should not come as a surprise to executives that some members of your team have not been exposed to formal events and the etiquette and protocol that go with them. Companies can glean valuable lessons from the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton and add royal touches to their events to create truly memorable experiences. You can use these events to groom, coach and prepare high potential team members to interact with top tier clients and dignitaries as your company grows.

Luxury Corporate Event & Galas: Lessons from the Royal Wedding

(c) Copyright: The British Monarchy, Official Photo, For Edtorial Use Only, All Rights Reserved, Photographer: Hugo Burnand

In North America, there was a time, not too long ago, when semi-formal was the dress code for high school dances. For church, people wore their Sunday best and ladies wore hats and gloves. This started to change in the mid-1960s. We have now had 2 generations raised in an environment in which blue jeans are the order of the day for everything from graduation ceremonies and church to the ballet and symphony concerts. In fact, in generations in which rock and roll and hip hop have been the order of the day, many are not familiar with the classics in music or art. (Public schools have cut back on music and art programmes in many jurisdictions.)

It should not come as a surprise to executives in the USA and Canada, that some members of your team in their 20s, 30s and early 40s have been raised without exposure to more formal events and the etiquette and protocol that goes with them. It is not so in all parts of the world. This could prove to be a strategic disadvantage as your company grows and your business becomes international in scope. It is important to prepare your team as one never knows in which direction the camera is pointing or what antics will be captured for the world to see:

In the next decade, as baby boomers retire, team members will be promoted at an earlier and earlier age. As your company grows, your executive team  and professionals within your organization may need to interact with top tier clients in every corner of the globe. Some members of your team will need to interact with dignitaries and attend state and formal functions. What can you do to prepare your team to interact with ease and comfort in more formal settings?

• Sponsor formal and high profile events.
• Give members of your team opportunities to attend formal functions.
• Provide etiquette and protocol training.

You may want to consider adding formal touches to some corporate events and using them to groom your team. One way to do this is to incorporate some of the elements that the world has recently witnessed in the the royal wedding.

These event elements and trends aren't just for weddings but they can be incorporated into any luxury event.

• Celebrity Guests
• More Formal Dress Code
• Classical & Choral Music
• Flowers
• Gourmet Cuisine
• Formal Dining Etiquette
• Protocol and Etiquette Training

Celebrity Guests

At royal weddings, the presence of celebrity guests and dignitaries is a given. As your company grows, there will likely be a need for executives and other members of your team to interact with top tier clients and dignitaries. Give them practice by providing opportunities to represent your company at official functions, galas, polo events, equestrian events, etc. Bring former CEOs who have a high media profile back to speak to members of your team. Involve celebrities at kick-offs and other important events.

More Formal Dress Code

You may want to consider sponsoring or hosting some formal or semi-formal events and bringing an image consultant on-site to prepare and coach the members of your team.

Hats

Get it right and there will be free and positive media coverage:

What happens when you get it wrong? Negative publicity for and lots of it:

Classical Music & Choral Music

Music played a critical role in the royal wedding. Classical and choral music are important aspects of many formal events and official functions.

may want to consider taking your team to concerts, recitals and religious functions to broaden their musical horizons.

Flowers

Seasonal and organic flowers from Windsor Great Park's Valley Gardens in Surrey decorated Westminster Abbey.

Potted trees lined the Abbey with a stunning impact.

The use of fresh flowers and foliage can be used to add a natural touch and an outdoor feeling to any luxury event.

Gourmet Cuisine

The Royal Lunch Menu has some ideas that would be appropriate for luxury corporate events, formal weddings and galas.

The Royal Lunch Menu

"THE 650 wedding guests went back to Buckingham Palace to feast on a 'best of British' lunch - including bubble and squeak.

They ate more than 10,000 canapes, prepared by 21 chefs using ingredients from all over the UK.

The mouth-watering menu included Scottish smoked salmon roes on beetroot blini, roulade of goats’ cheese with caramelised walnuts, Cornish crab salad on lemon blini and quail's eggs.

Royal chef Mark Flanagan and his team also rustled up a pressed duck terrine with chutney, watercress and asparagus tart, honey-glazed chipolatas, smoked haddock fishcake, poached asparagus spears and mini Yorkshire puds with roast beef."

Read more: The Mirror UK

Here are more details about the reception and parties including menus and decorations:

"The couple emerged from Clarence House shortly after 7 p.m., before heading to the Palace with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Guests arrived at the predinner drinks reception through a candlelit walkway in the palace courtyard, welcomed by bagpipers.

They were served vintage pink champagne, peach bellinis and elderflower cocktails amid the backdrop of the palace's magnificent state apartments. Guests sipped drinks and gazed at paintings by the Old Masters, including Velazquez, Rubens and Van Dyck.

Shortly after 8 p.m., they were ushered into the palace's ballroom for dinner, the room complete with two huge thrones at one end, and an organ at the other.

"It looked absolutely stunning," said one guest. "There must have been at least 30 round tables, with 10 people on each, decorated with beautiful white flowers and candles.

"When we had arrived earlier, we were each given a little envelope with our table name on it, and the tables had a personal touch, too. They had clearly been named after places that were special to the couple and their friends."

Table names included "Lewa" -after Lewa Downs, the family home of William's friend, Jecca Craig, at the foot of Mount Kenya, where Prince William spent several months during his gap year and where he returned several times during his courtship.

There was also, of course, a "St. Andrews" table, after the Scottish university where the couple began their romance.

As everyone present at dinner was deemed "equally important" to the newlyweds, the tables were a mix of royals, family members and friends of the couple.

In keeping with the couple's "organic and local" theme, from the flowers and plants in Westminster Abbey to the canapés served at the lunch reception, guests at dinner were treated to a menu of British food created by Anton Mosimann, a leading chef and owner of the Mosimann's private dining club, where Prince William and Catherine are regulars. Dinner began dressed crab from Wales, accompanied with mini crab timbale, crayfish and prawns, described by a guest as "exquisitely delicious."

A main course of lamb filet from the Castle of Mey, the former Scottish residence of the late Queen Mother, followed, before guests were treated to trifle, chocolate fondant and homemade ice cream in brandy-snap baskets.

The meal, which lasted for about two hours, was accompanied with wines -a white Meursault Burgundy and Pomerol claret and described by another guest as "stunningly good." When the petit-fours and coffee had been served, it was time for the speeches."

Prince Harry finished off the speeches at about 11: 30 p.m., announcing to guests: "Now, we have a bit of a surprise for you all," before they were ushered through to the Throne Room, which had been transformed into what one guest described as "a massive night club."

The room, which had earlier been the setting for the formal Royal wedding photographs, now had a stage, a dance floor and a cocktail bar serving champagne, spirits and mojito cocktails.

"The huge chandelier in the Throne Room had been cleverly covered with a kind of curtain or cylinder, which had laser and strobe lights on it for the dance floor," said a guest.

"There was a huge bar in the middle of the room, lots of sofas for everyone to lounge on when they weren't on the dance floor, and a stage for the band."

At 2 a.m., waiters handed around bacon sandwiches.

The couple and their guests then made their way out into the palace gardens, where, on the edge of the lawn, just before 3 a.m., they were treated to a "spectacular" fireworks display as the couple were driven away in a convertible vintage Fiat 500 with "RAF" emblazoned on its side -albeit just around the corner as they spent their first night as married couple at Buckingham Palace.

(c) Copyright, The Ottawa Citizen

Read more:

A Party Fit for a Princess

Photos:

• The Royal Wedding Cake
• The McVities Chocolate Cake

Formal Dining Etiquette

Definitely invest some time in preparing members of your team who will be representing your company at formal and official functions. An upbeat and enjoyable vehicle would be a cooking team building event that includes practice in formal table setting and a formal dinner or afternoon. An expert in formal dining etiquette can provide coaching and tips during this event. Then, sponsor or host a formal event to give your team more practice.

Continental vs. American Dining Etiquette

Protocol and Etiquette

(c) Copyright: MOD/Crown, UK Ministry of Defense, Photographer: Amanda Reynolds

Every formal event or official function has it's protocol. Before members of you team attend any official function, it is important to become familialr with what is expected. An etiquette coach can work with members of your team and coach them before important events. Here is what people were briefed to expect for the royal wedding

What are some do's and don't for royal weddings and other formal affairs:

Here is a summary of the etiquette guide that guests received with their invitation:

Let's end with some fun, a basic royal etiquette primer provided by Sharon Osbourne:

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Summary: Every generation is different. In the biggest transfer of corporate power in decades, we've been hearing for some time that Generation Y would be hitting corporations worldwide. I've been looking forward to watching them shake things up. 20 and early 30 somethings are reaching the executive suite decades early than their Baby Boomer counterparts so their impact will be swift and dramatic. They will send shockwaves through corporations around the globe. The needs and expectations of Generation Y professionals and executives are very different from the those of the generations that preceeded them. The challenge for conference producers, facilitators and keynote speakers will be to adapt and change strategies dramatically and quickly. Here are some lessons I have learned in the school of hard knocks from my first few facilitated team building retreats with Generation Y executives.

Engaging Generation Y Participants in Conferences & Corporate Meetings

For a long time, my facilitation strategies have been considered to be innovative. For example, other than the initial team briefing, my sessions are broken down into 20 minutes sound bites. Also, long before crowdsourcing was a buzz word, I have used participant profiles and learning surveys to crowdsource content for team building retreats, conferences and keynotes. Compared to the short debriefing sessions that are the order of the day for most companies that provide team building simulations, the sessions I facilitate allocate 1/3 to 1/2 of the agenda to analyzing the company's specific business issues and generating solutions.

The simulations that my consulting firm designs are a mix of indoor sessions and outdoor team challenges. They often include real-world projects in which participants are firing with real bullets rather than practice scenarios.  What I discovered in working with Generation Y executive teams in North America, Asia, and the Middle East is that these approaches do not go far enough.....not nearly far enough. So what are some alternatives? I don't pretend to have all the answers, not even close. This is new territory and a trail blazing opportunity for facilitators, presenters, and keynote speakers in every corner of the world.

Our Visexcutaries Apprentice inspired simulation, in which participants work in teams to take a product or service to market, provided some important clues. This simulation has been well received by Generation Y participants in 4 countries on 3 continents. It took me a while to make the links and my thinking has come together this week. Here are some preliminary ideas based on my own observations, Twitter chats and Linkedin discussions. I hope to produce an engaging discussion and I look forward to your comments and reactions. Please also share relevant articles, blogs and videos.

• Where have I hit the mark?
• Where have I missed it?
• What other important turn-offs, turn-ons, tips and strategies for engaging Generation Y participants should be added to the list?

Although I usually include a lot of videos in my Event Coup features, I wasn't happy with the quality of the videos about this topic so I haven't included many this time.

How Are Generation Y Participants Different?

While there are individual differences and it's impossible to generalize, some members of the millennial/Generation Y generation:

• have shorter attention spans
  (impact of being raised with fast cuts and rapidly changing images on Sesame Street, Barney, MTV, and instant gratification of text messaging and surfing the net)
• are highly tech savvy and don't need the tech refreshers and updates that older senior management teams require
• tend to place less value on content/cases/examples that are more than 2 - 3 years old
• perceive less value in the experiences of other industries
• place a MUCH higher value on discussion
• have little patience with "presentations", especially if they are long
• see less value in small group or breakout exercises
• prefer peer learning to learning from the "sage on the stage
• are sick of Powerpoint, especially when used as a replacement for speaker's notes
• need to play a role in directly shaping the agenda and driving the content

Since there is a high need to shape and drive the content, traditional facilitation roles may not be an ideal fit for this group. The facilitator has to be a really good listener and process observer. Subtle and indirect forms of influence are likely to be more effective, especially when the group is forming or when the meeting or conference is just starting. Based on population demograhics, this generation is likely to move into senior management positions much more quickly than younger baby boomers (for example). They may not have had as much seasoning, grooming or experience with facilitators by the time they hit the executive suite. For this reason, it is important to spend a lot more time up front clarifying roles and responsibilities and determining expectations.

All Generation Y-ers are not the same. Also, every corporate group, conference audience and industry is different. The key to success with any group or audience is to determine their needs and expectations and be flexible enough to adpat your style and approach to meet them. With Generation Y participants, it is even more important than with other groups, to tune in to their needs and let them drive the agenda.

When working with Generation Y audiences, be careful not to have the whole agenda carved in stone. As the mother of a younger member of the Generation Y generation, I have noticed that, even when they socialize, a lot of activities are impromptu. They get bored easily and may change locations and activities a number of times during the course of an evening. It struck me as odd when I first observed that after spending a whole week together at school, Frida night plans were never definitive. There would, instead be text message and IM exchanges asking "What do you want to do?" followed by the response "I don't know, what do you want to do?". It's important to be flexible and carve out space for the impromptu in your agenda. Building some unconference or peer networking sessions into the agenda will be very effective with this demographic.

Top 10 Strategies for Engaging Generation Y Participants

1. Crowdsource your content ahead of time and incorporate some unconference formats into your agenda.
   Distribute the agenda and give participants an opportunity for input before it is finalized. Use text messages and focus groups in Second Life or Tele-presence to crowdsource and shape the agenda

   Carving out envelopes of time in the meeting or conference agenda for unconference sessions will give you the flexibility required to let the group shape the agenda with pressing and relevant content that emerges just before or during the retreat or conference.

   Today's business world is fast paced. People are used to multi-tasking. If you don't give the group a chance to identify and engage around emerging content that is directly relevant to them, you'll risk losing them.

2. Start with what is directly relevant to the group's industry and company TODAY.. This is actually a potential corporate blindspot. Tunnel vision thinking has lead to the demise of many companies and industries. It's all about timing. There is a time and place for stretching and broadening horizons. Just don't start there. I have learned the hard way that content about other industries doing, what companies have done in the past and what is going on in other countries, while of great importance, has to be covered later in the agenda or credibility can take a big hit and it's tough to recover.

   Generation Y participants will tend to dismiss content that is less than 2 - 3 years ould as out of date and irrelevant. Until the group has a chance to grapple with and explore content that they perceive as immediately relevant and usable, information about other industries and lessons from the past will be a huge turn-off.

3. Chunk content down into 5 minute sound bites followed by thought provoking questions to stimulate discussion. Then sit back and let the group engage.
   In fact, this works best if you distribute the questions to individual group members via text message or index cards and let the group members ask them. Give the audience an opportunity to send their questions to the speakers and facilitators via text message and Twitter.

   A generation that has been raised with Sesame Street, MTV, and Blackberry texting simply does not have the attention span to sit through long presentations. Conferences that consist of long keynotes will soon find themselves without participants if they fail to adapt to the needs of changing demographics.

4. Emphasize focused and relevant content quality and over quantity. You may wonder how will I ever get through it all with 5 minute sound bites and long discussions. You won't. Identify core messages and key content that is essential to convey them. You'll end up eliminating the bulk of the content that you would normally deliver through traditional presentation methods.
5. Replace case studies with "stories" and rather than presenting cases, give the group a chance to generate its own content.Perhaps give small breakout groups the assignment of investigating a specific industry or company and reporting back with the lessons and content that they perceive as relevant. You can interject with short examples of your own at this point but don't present them all at once. Spread them out throughout the presentations of user generated content.

   Since Generataion Y is skilled a surfing the net, popping on to Blackberry and texting colleauges for input, use this as the basis of exercises and you'll keep them engaged

6. Minimize and modify the use of Powerpoint.
   It is considered "old hat". Speakers who use Powerpoint slides as a substitute for their notes are a huge turn-off for the Generation Y crowd.

   A generation that is used to fast-paced media in which images change every few seconds does not have the patience to listen to facilitators and speakers who regurgitate the content of text heavy Powerpoint slides

7. When you do use Powerpoint, slides should not be text heavy but instead include diagrams, charts, graphics, and models. If you can incorporate short, punchy video-clips with fast-cuts and wall-to-wall soundtracks, that is even better.
8. Use Prezi. While it has a steep learning curve, it is considered to be more upbeat, avant garde and engaging than Powerpoint.
9. Build extra air time and time for discussion into your agenda.
   The ability to engage with content through discussion is CRUCIAL for the Generation Y crowd.

   Generation Y is not afraid to challenge and they want an opportunity to be heard. An upbeat presentation consising of a 5 minute sound bite can easily be followed by at least 25 minutes of discussion.

10. To minimize distractions and keep the group engaged, provide breaks that are long enough for responding to text messages as well as activity breaks a couple of times a day. Make them outdoors if possible. Whether it's horse riding, dog sledding, Parkour demos (not execution), skiing or skate boarding, incorporate acitivities into your agenda and you will go a long way to pleasing the Generation Y crowd. Schedule these activities before lunch, in mid-afternoon and in the evening and you'll still have huge chunks of time to cover content.
    This is an active demographic with a short attention span. They welcome the opportunity to get outside and participate in activities.

Sorry. I just couldn't stop at  ten.  Here are two bonus tips.

• Provide Wall to Wall Coffee Breaks.  Restlessness sets in very quickly so Generation Y participants need an opportunity to get up stretch, help themselves to coffee and drinks from coolers or small fridges spread throughout the meeting space.
• Avoid classroom style set up at all costs.  Instead use rounds or squares with ample room for walking around. For smaller groups, use a U shape for short presentations and couch or lounge-style set up for small group work.

Proposed Re-engineered Conference Agenda For Generation Y Participants

Day 1

• City Tours for Early Arrivals
• Registration
• Coffee reception or afternoon tea
• Flashmob or Parkour Demonstration

• Short welcome or opening remarks
• Interactive Cracker Barrel or Unconference Session
• Early Dinner
• Outdoor Activities - Provide a Menu for Selection
• Relaxation time in a lounge setting with Terminals for Computer Games

Day 2

• 8:30 General Session:
  Introductory Keynote & Discussion (Two 5 minutes Sound Bytes Followed by Two 5 minute Q & A periods - Seed key questions throughout the audience to be used if group not participating initially PLUS  Two 20 Minute Discussion Periods - Use combination of 10 minutes discussion at tables to give participants more air time open & discussion)
  Blackberry/Internet Build Your own Stories Exercise (20 Minutes)
  Mini-presentations by groups using an outline provided & any Medium or Channel They Select (20 Minutes)
  Summary and Take-aways by Keynote Speaker (5 minutes)
• 10:15 Break for Coffee to Access Internet, Respond to Text Messages and Interact with other Delegates in Lounges Provided.
• 10:45 Interactive Breakout Session
• 11:15 Outdoor Activities (Provide a Variety for Selection) or Early Lunch
• 12:15 Lunch - No announcements until after main course finished
• 1:15 - 2:45 & 3:15 - 4:45 Delegates can Choose 1 In-depth Workshop or 2 Breakout Sessions
• 2:45 - 3:15 Break for Coffee to Access Internet, Respond to Text Messages and Interact with other Delegates in Lounges Provided.
• 5:00 Choice of Outdoor Activities or Free Time
• 7:30 Cocktail Reception
• 8:00 Dinner
• Entertainment - Hip Hop, Break Dancing,(Baby Boomers, bring your Ear Plugs - It will grow on you after a while),Capoeira, Skate or Snow Boarding Demo .

Day 3

• 8:30 General Session - Round Table Format with Keynote Speakers

Round Table Format Example: Davos Annual Meeting 2010 -the delivery style could be more energetic but the format has promise.

• 9:45 Break for Coffee, to Access Internet, Respond to Text Messages and Interact with other Delegates in Lounges Provided.
• 10:15 Interactive Breakout Sessions including 1 Unconference Session
• 11:45 Lunch
• 12:45 Selection of Outdoor Activities & Breakout Sessions
• 2:45 Break for Coffee to Access Internet, Respond to Text Messages and Interact with other Delegates in Lounges Provided.
• 3:15 General Session:
  Closing Keynote & Discussion (Two 5 minutes Chunks Followed by Two 15 Minute Discussion Periods -Seed key discussion questions throughout the audience)
  Blackberry/Internet Game Format to Re-Cap Conference Content (15 Minutes)
  (One 5 minute Chunks Followed by One 15 Minute Discussion Period)
  Summary and Take-aways by Keynote Speaker (5 minutes)
• 4:30 End

Reactions

So what do you think? Based on your experiences, do the strategies that I have proposed "ring true"? For conference organizations, this is a drastic change in focus. What is your reaction? I am particularly interested in hearing from Generation Y executies and professionals. What have I missed? Where am I off-track? What other suggestions do you have?

Photo Credit World Economic Forum

Articles:

• What Does Generation Y want from Conferences and Incentive Programmes?
• 7 Tips to Make Your Conferences Millennial Friendly

I want to give special thanks to the following #genychat members who engaged with me during the impromptu #eventprofs chat I hosted on the evening of February 15, 2011. Here is the transcript.

• @kyleelizabeth22
• @untmmichel
• @suzannecarawan
• @AMD0985
• @SarahMCovington
• @VirtuallyAmaz

I would also like to thank the following #eventprofs members who participated in that chat.

• @climberjim
• @TOProject

Their input and my experiences in facilitating retreats for Generation Y executives and professionals have inspired. I work up this morning pumped and inspired to write this blog entry. I hope that it was of value.

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EventCamp National Conference February 11-13 Chicago IL

Building on 2010 momentum of three great EventCamps conferences: New York, Twin Cities and East Coast, please join us for a free virtual stream or in person for EventCamp National Conference February 11-13 in Chicago, IL

The theme is "Community Matters"

Speakers include Chris Brogan, Hank Wasiak, Sarah Evans, Liz Strauss and many excellent crowdsourced presentations from our #eventprofs community.

For more information or if you would like to sponsor this community event- can be found on http://www.eventcamp.org or contacting us via Twitter @eventcamp

Also any of the eventcamp co-producers/founders @mmcallen @michaelmccurry @jeffhurt @jessicalevin @mizcity would be happy to answer any questions.

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Summary: Some call it organized mayhem. Take a well choreographed or well rehearsed group. Select a public place. Add in the element of surprise. Presto! You have a flash event by a flash mob.

Flashmobs for Special Events & Conferences

Australia - Flash Mob at UWS Comm Arts Students Event

January 2, 2011 Edition

I had prepared this Event Coup feature for January, 2011 but flash mobs are such a hot trend that I am releasing it early. Enjoy.

 
When you're looking for a fresh idea to liven up or kick off your next conference or corporate event, it isn't always necessary to re-invent the wheel. Sometimes, a look at theatre, popular culture and trends around the global is just the spark of innovation one needs. Think of the opening to The Lion King. A man in a dashiki standing at the front of the theatre is surprised by the audience's presence. Then, the whole theatre bursts into song, dance and colour. This is the impact of a flashmob.

There are many different types of flash mobs. Before having a look at how flash mobs have been used at conferences, we will have a look at clips of Music Flash Mobs, Dance Flashmobs, Free Frame Flash Mobs, and Just Plain Silly Flashmobs.

Musical Flash Mobs

The Hallelujah Chorus Flash Mob - Macy's Department Store, Philadelphia

 
Hundreds of shoppers at Macy's Philadephia were startled when 688 singers who were mixed in among them burst into singing The Hallelujah Chorus. Does this give anyone else goosebumps?

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Welland, Ontario

 
It happened in Canada too:

Sound of Music Flashmob - Central Station, Antwerp, Belgium

Dance Flashmobs

Bounce Flash Mob - Gröna Lund, Stockholm, Sweden

Michael Jackson - Beat it Flashmob - Paris, France

This was inspired by the Bounce Flashmob in Sweden. It was done at 3 locations simultaneously.

Bollywood Hero Flash Mob - Times Square, New York

Glee Flashmob - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I've been to Mid-Valley Mega-Mall many times. It's a perfect location for this.

Freeze Frame Flash Mobs

World's Largest Freeze Frame Flashmob - Paris, France

This involved 3000 people.

Just Plain Silly Flash Mobs - Just for Fun

Pillow Fight Flashmob - Osnabrück, Germany

Scare Flash Mob - Japan

X-Box Shootout Style Flash Mob in "Stary Browar" Pozna, Poland

This one made me really laugh. It's one of the biggest flashmobs ever attempted.

How can flash mobs be used for conferences, in the corporate sector and for event promotion? Here are some quick examples:

Flash Mobs at Conferences

NACAC's 66th National Conference Flash Mob - St. Louis, Missouri

Flash Mob at National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show - Chicago, Illinois

Event Promotion Flash Mob

2010 JUNO Awards Flash Mob - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

This took place at Yorkdale Shopping Centre. This was also done at other malls across Canada.

Launching a New Facility

OSU Student Union Opening - Cincinnati, Ohio

Flash Mobs for the Corporate Sector

Flashmob for T-Mobile TV Commercial, Liverpool (Uk)

Vodafone Flashmob - Accra, Ghana

 
Vodafone staged Africa's first ever flash mob.

Flash Mob - Bud Light Lime Twist - Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Flash Mob - Bud Light Lime Twist - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Photo Credit: UWS Comm Arts Students

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Summary: With the festive season upon us and the long winter ahead, I thought that we could all benefit from some lighter fare. This special edition of Event Coup is devoted to winter events, specifically winter carnivals and snow festivals. Sit back, relax and enjoy our virtual video voyage to the top 10 winter carnivals and snow festivals around the world. Along the way you may pick up some ideas to add a magical touch or two to your own winter events.

Top 10 Winter Carnivals & Snow Festivals

Winter Festival of Lights, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

It happens every year and 2010 is no diffferent. This morning, the first big snowstorm of the season arrived in Toronto. I'll admit it. Winter is not my favourite season. Maybe it's because I spent the first few years of my life in Jamaica. That couldn't be it though because Jamaica now has had an Olympic bobsled teams, a dogsled team and a one man ski team at the 2010 winter Olympics. Maybe it's because I spent too many frosty mornings waiting for the bus on windy street corners in Montreal where I grew up. I've always said that I enjoy snow best when sitting in front of a fireplace and watching it fall outside the window. I've also said that a blanket of snow that arrives on Christmas Eve and melts on January 2nd would be a perfect winter for me.

Last year, it got to the point that I was blogging about having tropical events in the winter and places where one could find snow in hot climates. Then, last summer it was blogs and tweets about fake lakes and beaches. I want to make sure I don't go stir crazy like that again. Before I head outside to shovel the driveway and scrape the snow off the car for the first time this season, I'm to try to capture the magic and fun of winter from day one. After all, in Canada, snow is with us for so much of the year.

Join me as I start in Canada and travel around the globe in search of the best winter festivals the world has to offer. These events are suitable for personal adventures, family fun and corporate events. Whether you live in one of these cities and you're searching for new ideas to reward your team or you're an executive in search of unique experiences to build into a sales incentive trip, winter festivals are available somewhere throughout the year. In no particular order, here are my:

Top 10 Snow Festivals & Winter Carnivals Around the World

1. Winterlude, Ottawa, Ontario Canada
2. Winter Carnival, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
3. La fête des Neiges, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
4. Winter City & Winterlicious, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
5. Yuki Matsuri, Sapporo, Japan
6. Kamakura Winter Festival, Yakote, Akita, Japan
7. Fastnacht (Carnival), Mainz, Germany
8. Weihnachtsmarkt/Christmas Market, Mainz, Germany
9. Queenstown Winterfestival, Queenstown, New Zealand
10. Sydney Apline Winter Festival, Sydney, Australia

---

Canada

January

Ottawa

Winterlude in Ottawa

For over two decades, Canada's national capital has celebrated Winterlude. During 3 consectutive weekends, Ottawa is transformed into a winter wonderland, providing opportunities to enjoy the snow and everything created from it including:

• the Crystal Garden ice sculpting competition
• entertrainment in the Crystal Garden of ice sculptures
• sleigh rides
• ice climbing
• ice skating on the Rideau Canal

February

Quebec City

Quebec City Winter Carnival

Since 1894, Carnival has been celebrated in Quebec City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every night, ice sculptures are lit up, creating an exciting atmosphere. There is a parade, ice climbing, curling, music, and sliding. Bonnehome Carnaval, a giant snowman, is the official Quebec City Winter Carnival mascot.

Ice Hotel/Hôtel de Glace

Snow archways tower to over 5 meters. Crystal ice sculptures reflect the warm glow from decorative fireplaces. Hôtel de Glace, North America's only ice hotel has welcomed millions of visitors. It it is completed redesigned and rebuilt every year.

Montreal

La fête des Neiges de Montréal

On Île Sainte-Hélène, on festive Allée Carnavalesque in the heart of Parc Jean-Drapeau, enjoy tube-sliding, boot or ice hockey, kicksledding, and skating beside the St. Lawrence River.

Toronto

Winter City Festival @WinterCityTO

Every year, to encourage residents and visitors to experience Toronto's
restaurants and attractions during the typically tranquil winter
months, Toronto has a 14 day, city-wide celebration of art, culture and
cuisine. It includes Winter City at City Hall, Warm up and a gourmet event called Winterlicious.

• Winterlicious @LiciousTO

  For several weeks, you can savour the gourmet delights of 150 of Toronto's best restaurants with special prix fixe menus at competitive prices.

Japan

Sapporo

Sapporo Yuki Matsuri/Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo Snow Festival

"A world plaza evokes a pristine snow fantasy"

For 7 days, every February since 1950, Sapporo is transformed into a
winter dreamland of snow and crystal ice. It's a chance to enjoy
entertainment and see the hundreds of giant snow and ice sculptures and
statues that line Odori Koen (Park).

Yokote

Kamakura Matsuri

This festival dates back back hundreds of years to when roads would be impassable due to the heavy snowfall and large snowdrifts. Today, to spread a little cheer during the dark and dreary winter months, villagers in Yokote would build igloo-like snow huts called kamakura. Today, the tradition continues.

Each kamakura has an altar which dates back to the days when these shelters were designed to provide hospitality to wandering dieties who were stranded in the area due to the snow. Every night, the children of the village light candles at night, sit on straw mats, pray, and toast "o-mochi" sticky rice charcoal hibachi burners. They invite passersby to drink a sweet, nonalcoholic drink made of fermented rice called "amazake".

If you miss the festival, you can still see kamakura if you visit the Kamakura Friendship Center beside Yokote City Hall. A few kamakura from the last festival are preserved in a glass-sided refrigerated room. Visitors can wear winter clothing and enjoy amazake.

http://www.japanwelcomesyou.com/cssweb/display.cfm?sid=1255

Germany

From February to March or April, Fastnacht (carnival) takes place throughout Germany just before Ash Wednesday. Here is more information:

• Carnival in Germany

I am going to focus on Mainz since it bring back memories of when I had the pleasure of enjoying a 4 day layover there, years ago, when I worked as an Air Canada summer flight attendant while attending university.

Mainz

Mainz Fastnacht

Here is a description from the official website:

"Parties, parades,costumes,brass bands,scathing political and social commentary,scanty outfits,normal citizens are kings and princes, knights and generals, while the pompous and pretentious are ridiculed by 'fools' and Court jesters. No sacred cows here as the wine and beer flow and high-proof distillates help the crowds indoors and out fend off Winter chills."

Weihnachtsmarkt/Christmas Market, Mainz

Chirstmas markets take place in many German cities. Celebrated in Mainz since 1788, here is a description of the Mainz Christmas market:

"The historic market square in Mainz is a blaze of lights. The air is scented with a Christmassy mixture of roast almonds, gingerbread, hot chestnuts and mulled wine. Large and small visitors gladly let themselves be enchanted by this pre-Christmas atmosphere. On a stroll through Mainz Christmas Fair, the stress and hectic pace of everyday life are quickly forgotten. Against the imposing back-drop of the over thousand year old Cathedral of St. Martin, showmen and craftsmen offer Christmas specialities and original presents. People saunter leisurely past festively decorated stands, collecting many suggestions for fine Christmas presents in passing. Home-made Advent garlands and straw stars, Christmas tree decorations, wooden toys, carvings, ceramics, candles and much more are on offer."

June - August

New Zealand

Queenstown Winterfestival

In 1975, a group of local residents decided to follow the example of their cousins in the northern hemisphere and use winter as a reason to party. The first Queenstown winter festival was born. It has evolved into a 10 day carnival with a Mardi Gras, fireworks, street parties, mountain biking on snow, and lots of winter fun.

Australia

Australian Alpine Winter Festival

Not to be outdone by their neighbours in New Zealand, in Australia, they've and bring winter festivals to Sydney, Bondi and Melbourne. Featuring ice skating, bratwurst, beer and Oomph-pa-pa bands, Australians can now enjoy a winter festival without getting on a plane.

Sydney Winter Festival

So there you have it. Around the world, event organizers are discovering how to capture the magic of winter. If you've ever experienced any of these events, please post your comments and tell us about it. Maybe one day you'll have the chance to experience a great winter festival firsthand. In the meantime, grab some of the ideas.... lights, colour, great music, fabulous cuisine, and outdoor activities.... and use them to add a sparkle to your next winter event. One more thing, next spring, please remind me to do an Event Coup feature devoted to the world's best tropical carnivals and summer festivals. Maybe by then, I'll have my seasons aligned.

Other Christmas Blogs:

• Top 10 Christmas Markets - A Virtual Video Voyage
• Christmas Event Planning: Places Where it's Always Christmas

Photo Credit: elPadawan

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Is your private information safe from social media bad guys? How about your staff or attendees?

I spend quite amount of time researching and talking about social media on sites like Twitter and Facebook in an attempt to get attendees networking and sharing information. One of the presentations I am working on right now is A Case Against Social Media.  I came across some scary stuff that has just been released.

It is a new free Firefox browser Plug-in called Firesheep that makes it it possible for anyone to see your Wi-Fi browsing.
A snooper with this plug in can easily hijack your Wi-Fi access to Twitter, Facebook, Email clients,  Amazon, Flickr and other websites. The plug-in has been downloaded more than 100,000 times in the first 24 hours after it was released. It basically allows users to scan public WiFi networks and using cookies, steal login details from unsecured sites. Now that is scary stuff!  

Did Firefox make this plugin?

No.  It was a software developer named Eric Butler who who wanted to show people how easy it is for accounts to be highjacked wireless connections. If you want to read more you can go to his blog here. Butler says basically his motives are clear, that website security needs to plug these holes and fix them before more people like him can't exploit them.

Hackers have been able to do this for a long time but now any Joe Shmo can do it with the easy availability of Firesheep.

So speaking of Joe Shmo's I walked down to my local coffee shop and had Firesheep open for 5 minutes and it started capturing logins-- I was amazed how easy it was. Here is an screen grab of the 10 minutes I had it open.... I then shut it down because, I felt- well dirty. If you look at the left hand column in the above screen shot,  that is the Firesheep working.  Only around 15 people in the coffee shop. Imagine the free airport Wi-Fi.

So how can we combat this?

1. Lock your wireless network at your home or business with a password. Don't leave it open.
2. If you use Firefox, install the HTTPS Everywhere extension. Firefox then will use secured connections any time they are around. After installing use Firefox any time you’re on a wireless network like at a conference, meeting, coffee shop, airport, or hotel. And use HTTPS Everywhere extension all the time. It will encrypt your communications with major websites.
3. Think about purchasing a device like a mobile Internet connection over 3G portable.  Also, some devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Android phones can come with it built in.
4. If you own a 3G capable device, whenever you’re traveling outside your trusted networks, turn off Wireless.
5. Don’t give out your private wireless network with other attendees at conferences with any folks you don’t know.
6. You can also use https.  So basically  instead of visiting http://facebook.com, try typing in https://facebook.com. Instead of visiting http://hotmail.com, try typing in https://hotmail.com.

7. My friend Midori Connelly of Pulse Staging suggests the use of a VPN, or Virtual Private Network to keep browsing private over a public wifi. She recommends the service Banana, it’s only $100/year.    http://www.banana-vpn.com/whatisvpn.htm

Please pass this info on and if you hear of any other ways of locking down wireless networks- put this in the comments so we can add them to the list.

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Summary: LinkedIn has gradually been improving its group moderation tools and spam control measures. This is an overview of the state-of-the art in LinkedIn Group management. If used effectively, scammers will soon find that LinkedIn is no longer a spammer's paradise. I invite all readers to share how the Linkedin Groups to which they belong are using the new tools.

LinkedIn Introduces New Group Management Tools to Fight Spam

Like all other on-line communities, LinkedIn Groups have faced the challenge of spam control. I wrote an Event Coup feature about a year ago entitled:

• Crowdsourcing in the Management of On-Line Communities

This Event Coup feature advocated "crowdsourcing" as an approach to on-line community management. It also described the tools that would be needed to automate this process. A group for event planners that I manage implemented crowdsourcing before the tools to automate the process were available. It took a while but Linkedin has gradually been introducing new group management tools and spam control measures. This was in response to the flood of complaints it had been receiving about spam from Group Owners, Group Managers, and LinkedIn Members. This week, with the introduction of "Permissions" and "Moderation", LinkedIn took a huge step forward to ensure that groups are spam-free.

LinkedIn - Group Management Toolkit

For some time, LinkedIn Groups have had:

• a system that flags LinkedIn members who are at high risk for spamming....even in groups with open membership, these members must have their application for membership approved by a member of the group management team/li>
• a carousel
  this is where all new discussions and job postings appear until they:
  1. receive comments
  2. get flagged
  3. get deleted
• a flagging system
  (i.e. inappropriate, jobs and promotion flags)
• automatic deletion of content flagged as "inappropriate" by a numer of group members
• a "Promotions" tab
• a "Moderations" queue that allows Group Managers to make decisions based on group member flags

Each LinkedIn Group is different so this toolkit is flexible. Some functions are fixed, others are optional and many can be customized. This week, LinkedIn introduced a new option for group management, "Change Permissions".

Changing Permissions

Hovering over the "Change Permissions" button gives group owners and managers the option of selecting:

• Block and Delete (i.e. the member is removed and blocked from the group and all contributions are deleted)
• Approved to Post
• Requires Moderation

Requires Moderation

"Modertion" was introduced by LinkedIn this week. By default, LinkedIn places certain group members in the "Requires Moderation" category. In addition to this, if a member post spam or promotional content", group managers now have the option of selecting "Requires Moderation". All posts from members who "require moderation" require approval before they appear in any area of the group. Group Managers have the option of deleting promotional material or placing it in the Promotions tab so that Group Members can flag to have it removed if they so desire.

LinkedIn Groups: New Spam Control Measures

Up until this week, group management teams on linkedin had only 3 options for dealing with spam:

• leave it up to members to flag discussions, job postings or individual comments as "inappropriate". After the required number of flags, the system automatically deletes the item
• delete it - really important for scams and pornography for example
• click on the button that directs Linkedin to remove all the contributions of a specific member, remove them from the group and block them from re-applying for membership.

How to Know if you have been flagged for moderation

If there is a lag time between when you start a discussion, post a job or add a comment in a LinkedIn Group and when it appears, then your "permissions" in one or more LinkedIn Groups have been reduced. The new "Requires Moderation" option opens up a much more proactive and powerful approach to managing LinkedIn Groups. If group members actively use flags (particularly "flag as inappropriate") and group management teams avail themselves of the "Requires Moderation" feature, spammers and scammers will quickly find that they are no longer able to roam freely on LinkedIn. Kudos to LinkedIn.

Next Steps

If you're a member of a LinkedIn group the most important things you can do to play a role in providing a meaningful experience for all members are:

1. start meaningful dicussions and post them in the appropriate area of the group and its subgroups
2. when you share an article or content from your blog, include a synopsis of highlighs and key questions to stimulate discussions
3. post jobs an rfps to help your fellow group members in a tough economy
4. refrain from posting promotional material and other spam
5. Use the "Flag as Inappropriate" flag whenever you see promotional material and other spam

If you haven't tried a LinkedIn group yet. I encourage you to try it. LinkedIn groups are instrumental tools in growing your network and getting more power out of Linkedin. 

For more information, you may find the following helpful:

• The LinkedIn Blog LinkedIn Groups Moderation
• Groups - LinkedIn Learning Centre

Upcoming Event Coup Feature: In view of these changes, Event Coup will soon release a LinkedIn Group Management Primer.

Photo Credit: Shekhar_Sahu

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Summary: As the event planning and hospitality industries continue to rebound....slowly,  some clients and individuals are resorting to unethical practices to further their career and boost business. How can event planners respond appropriately when they come across poor business etiquette, unprofessional conduct and integrity issues?

Event Planning: Dealing with Game-Playing and Unethical Practices

It's been a tough couple of years for the event planning and hospitality industries. Many firms and establishments have faced significant challenges. As a result of this, the volume and quality of inquiries has declined in some sectors. The industries are recovering slowly but some individuals are resorting to unethical practices that are making the situation worse.

This blog entry is intended to stimulate discussion, encourage sharing of experiences, and provide options for event planners, consultants and other hospitality industry suppliers. Please share your reactions, experiences and suggestions by adding your comments or join the discussion in the Event Planning and Management Group on LinkedIn:

Fake Inquiries

Fake Inquiries & Other Unethical Games

I really look forward to your comments. Do any of these scenarios ring true and sound familiar?

Scenario 1: An event planning firm received an urgent call late one evening. Someone happened to be in office as they were working on a client project. The caller identified herself as an employee at a Toronto telecommunications firm. She sounded frantic and indicated that she had just been asked to pull together a quote for a meeting first thing in the morning. She requested a detailed proposal for a half day recreational activity to take place after a business meeting and lunch. She was very specific insisting that the event had to take place in the downtown core. The event planner who took the call became suspicious as the caller would only provide a gmail address. After follow up with a member of the company's executive team who the event planner knew personally, it turned out that the caller was not an employee. She was actually in the process of applying for a job with the firm. As part of the hiring process, she had been asked to pull together an event plan. She had posed as an employee to gather material and pass it off as her own work.

Scenario 2: An employee with the Singapore branch of a major international accounting firm contacted an event planner filled in an on-line form requesting a quote for a retreat in Malaysia for the management team. The event planner found it unsual that "N/A" had been entered in the field for decision maker's name and e-mail address. The employee was very vague and unable to clarify the decision making process and whether the retreat was strictly for fun or required a business component. The event planner contacted the most senior executive in the division. A reply came a few days later, from a senior manager and the executive was copied on the response. The employee was, in fact, pretending to be collect information on behalf of her company in order to gather information about things to do in Malaysia for a personal trip.

Scenario 3: An American consulting firm received a request for quote for an executive retreat for 10 people from a yahoo account. The individual submitting the request indicated that she was from a regional utility. The request was rather sketchy. Also, the individual making the request refused to submit it from her company e-mail address. This apeared to be suspicious. One of the executives with the consulting firm used to work with the CEO of utility and one of its directors. When she contacted these individuals, they had no knowledge of any upcoming retreats for the executive team. A search on LinkedIn revealed that the individual who had made the inquiry was employed by a competitor. She had posed as a prospective employee to gather competitive intelligence and ascertain pricing. When confronted, the individual who had submitted the requeste indicated that the owner of her firm had not authorized her request. When he was alerted to what had transpired, the owner was horrified. The employee is no longer working there.

Scenario 4: A Canadian consulting firm received a request for quote for 1 1/2 days of team building with an overnight stay. The budget was really low. When contacted in an attempt to clarify requirements, the manager making the request was unable to pinpoint the purpose of the session and whether it was business related or strictly recreational. When he was provided with feedback about the budget, the manager changed the specifications and indicated that the venue would come out of a separate budget. The consulting firm provided quotes for the accommodation and some of options. It was difficult to connect with the manager who had made the inquiry. In a follow up call, the manager indicated that he was not clear of the purpose of the retreat but would need a full proposal with all options and details about the flow of the team building before making a decision. After the proposal was submitted, the consulting firm never heard from the manager again. E-mails were ignored and he did not respond to voice messages. A month later, the firm received the following e-mail notification:

Subject: Not read: Re Request for quote

Your message was deleted without being read on Thursday, September 30, 2010 5:16:31 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).

Follow up with the CEO revealed that:

• the idea of a management retreat had only been mentionned in passing during the summer
• the manager had in no, way shape or firm been asked or authorized to request a quote

Scenario 5: A manager from a major international was irate in response to the "For Serious Inquiries Only" note on the RFP page of an event planning firm's website. She left a very aggressive voice mail for the firm indicating that she considered this to be HIGHLY unprofessional. She insisted that her organization was huge and global in scope. It could easily could afford a luxury event.

After the senior event planner who responded to the voice message got the prospective client calmed down, he gather specs for the event. The client indicated 2 events to take 50 clients (at each event) by chartered airline to NFL and Big 10 football games. The event planner spent about a week contacting 5 football clubs. The initial quote from an executive charter company was deemed to be too high. The event planner contacted a total of 6 airlines to obtain options.

When all information was gathered, the event planner contacted the prospective client and requested a 15 minute conversation to review options and determine which ones were of interest so that they could be built into the proposals. E-mails and voice mails were not returned. After several days, the prospective client sent a terse e-mail indicating that she was off-site all week and tied up day and night. The following week, when she returned to the office, the prospective client made no attempt to get in touch with the event planner.

At the end of the week, the event planner sent her an e-mail indicating that airlines and ball clubs were contacting him on a daily basis for an update. There was no response to the e-mail or a subsequent voice mail. In the middle of the following week, the event planner contacted the firm's head office and asked to speak with the partner who was responsible for the area of practice for which the inquiry had been requested.

 That partner had never even HEARD of the initiative. He had no clue why a member of his team was contacting an event planning firm requesting the quote. 

The partner had the prospective client return the event planner's firm within minutes. She was furious and blasted the event planner. She said "this is not helping your brand!" and threatened to blacklist the event planning firm. The event planner again called the practice manager. The practice manager indicated that no blacklisting was going to take place and promised to speak with the member of his team about it.

Why the Game Playing?

It is difficult to get inside the head of another human being and determine what motivates their behaviour. For some reason, the individuals who were involved in these scenarios felt the need to disguise the real intent of their contact. They failed to understand that their behaviour, at best, displays a lack of respect for the time of other professionals. At worst, it's unethical. In some instances, it represents an attempt to steal intellectual property. It's certainly an attempt to benefit from the expertise of other professionals without having to compensate them. This is unacceptable at any time. In a tough economic climate, it boders on cruelty and it's inexcusable. When business is slow, why would one put another professional through hours and days of work when there is no hope of potential business?

Warning Signs: Detecting Fake Inquiries & Other Unethical Games

While fake inquiries and unethical practices can be difficult to spot ahead of time, the benefit of 20/20 hindsight reveals some patterns. Proceed with care if the request for quote:

1. comes after hours
2. is from a Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo account
3. is from an individual who refuses to provide a company e-mail address or phone number
4. is urgent (e.g. "I'm running into a meeting in 5 minutes and I need this right away for my manager". "I know it's after hours but I have to present this first thing in the morning.")
5. is sketchy and the person making the inquiry is unable to provide basic information such as objectives and budget
6. comes from an individual who has an intense or panicky demeanour
7. comes from an individual who fails to respond to follow up e-mails and voice messages
8. involves specications that change drastically as time continues
9. was urgent and yet decision-making drags on for weeks or even months

A helpful practice is to request a "read receipt" whenever you send a proposal or follow-up e-mail. If your follow-up e-mail is deleted without being read, this is a good indication that some kind of gamesmanship is taking place. It's time to decide what action you want to take. 

What other warning signs would you suggest? Please add your comments.

Options and Recourse

For a long time, event planners, consultants and hospitality industry professionals have felt they had no recourse when confronted by these situations. There are some options. The individual showed no respect for you or your organization and displayed no regard for your time.

Do not hesitate to go over his or her head and take action. 

That's  right. If someone falls off the face of the earth after getting you to spend a lot of time researching and exploring options for them, escalate it. If an inquiry is vague or sketchy or if you suspect an inquiry is not bonafide, contact someone more senior to clarify requirements. It will stun you to discover the number of times people are working on university term papers and getting you to do their research. You'll also be amazed at how often it's a competitor posing as a client.

The only way that this tide of poor business etiquette will be reversed and these ethical breaches will stop is if we as event planning professionals stop tolerating it.

Contacting the Employer

• Send an e-mail or a personal and confidential, registered letter to the CEO to report what has transpired.
  If you have an e-mail address for one or more employees, you can often figure out the CEOs e-mail address. If you share a LinkedIn Group with the CEO, you can usually write to him or her directly.
• Phone the executive assistant for the CEO.
• If the company has a code of ethics or an ethics ombudsman, contact him or her directly. Company websites are starting to include information about how violations in ethics can be addressed.
• Report the violation to corporate security.

CEOs appreciate it when you alert them to behaviour that reflects poorly on their organization and its reputation.

If you think you're powerless when someone impersonates an employee from a firm where they are not employed, think again. Companies do not take kindly to this practice. Many people treat this type of behaviour lightly but it may constitute fraud. For example, the job applicant in Scenario 1 found herself on the receiving end of a call from corporate security and a cease and desist letter from their legal department. She also blew any chance of obtaining employment with that firm or a favourable reference from her previous employer who was brought into the loop by corporate security.

Involving the Appropriate Professional Associations

If the individual who engaged in the questionable practice is a member of Linkedin or another social network, often they will list their designations and affiliations with professional associations. Most associations have codes of ethics. You can file a complaint and request an investigation.

Examples:

MPI

MPI - ADDENDUM I TO THE POLICY MANUAL PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONALISM (Page 19)

Principles of Professionalism

"As members of Meeting Professionals International, we are responsible for ensuring that the meeting industry is held in the highest public regard throughout the world. Our conduct directly impacts this result.

Maintaining Professional Integrity:

• Honestly represent and act within one's areas of professional competency and authority without exaggeration, misrepresentation or concealment.
• Avoid actions which are or could be perceived as a conflict of interest or for individual gain.
• Offer or accept only appropriate incentives, goods and services in business transactions."

Complaints about MPI members should be sent in writing with as much detail as possible to:

 
Director of Membership
3030 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Suite 1700
Dallas, Texas USA 75234-2759

PCMA

PCMA Code of Ethics (.PDF)

"The Professional Convention Management Association represents the highest levels of professional and ethical behavior in the convention and meetings industry. This association has adopted these Principles of Professional and Ethical Conduct and its members use them as standards of honorable behavior by which they may evaluate their relationships with their organizations, suppliers, and colleagues." (Bolding Mine)

Additional Information & Resources

• Ethics Today: Are you on the Right Track
• Planners Must be Mindful of Professional Ethics
• Do the Right Thing (MPIWeb)
• Event Coup: Making Sense of B2B RFQ Challenges

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk

Photo Credit: the|G|™

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A forum like Event Camp Twin Cities (ECTC10) is not like watching television, said Michael Westcott, vice-president of marketing at INXPO. “We’re already getting feedback that this experiment is working and hybrid events can be very interactive and provide a lot more value.”

While e-business was the buzz of the 1990s, business is currently on the threshold of a v‑business revolution, said Westcott. “We’re going to transform the Web from pages and links and search boxes to the kinds of experiences you’re having today.”

Virtual events are becoming a companion to physical events. The virtual continuum ranges from webcasts to virtual events to virtual spaces, moving through greater levels of engagement and collaboration.

Westcott said increased business is the goal for most organizations. Using Cisco and GE as examples, he discussed the five Cs of effectiveness: content, conversation, collaboration, community, and commerce.

Challenges for hybrid events include training, designing and integrating compelling content and creative spaces, and managing audience interaction, social media, travel, and lodging registration.

> Read More from Mike's Session - Can Hybrid Events Be Interactive & Social?

> Watch Mike's Full Presentation

> Watch the CISCO GSX Case Study Video (this is amazing!)

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It's time to Re-Engineer Conferences & Business Meetings

Summary: Despite the volume of information about the best strategies to engage adult learners, conference producers continue to subject  participants to a series of long, boring presentations. Many internal corporate meetings also follow the same dreary and tedious model of passive disengagement. Join us for this exploration of common knowledge but far from common practice strategies for engaging conference and meeting participants.

Despite all the available research about how to engage adult learners, the conference and meeting model is STILL broken.

Typical Conference Model: In far too many instances, conferences still follow a predictable pattern. Participants sit in rows while keynote speakers talk at them while flipping Powerpoint slides. After that, in a series of breakout sessions, participants sit passively while more experts talk at them.

Typical Business Meeting Model: Our team building firm regularly gets requests from companies that initially request a full day of interactive team building. Typically, this time slot is then reduced to 1/2 a day and, ultimately, watered down to a request for a 1 or 2 hour strictly recreational activity after dinner that is awarded to the lowest cost provider. Why? Too much content. The actually meeting ends up being a series of dry presentations (information dumps) back to back. By the time the participants get to the dinner, they are exhausted. A cocktail reception and entertainment will not fix a bad meeting design.

Under either scenario, participants a hard time staying awake yet alone deriving benefit from the content that is presented. So, how can we fix a conference and meeting model that  is badly in need of repair? Long before I became involved in planning and producing events, I was a training and development specialist, specializing in accelerated learning. Based on this experience, my advice is that it's time to "spice" things up and re-engineer conferences and meetings with accelerated learning.

Troubleshooing Conferences

Why is your conference agenda bursting at the seams? It could be that you are covering too much content just because that's the way you've always done it. Use some of the strategies (below) in the "Preparation" section to zero in on the content that is most relevant to participants. It would be better to reduce the number of sessions by 30 - 50% and allow more time for in-depth coverage and an interactive format.

Troubleshooing Corporate Meetings

If every time you get your team together, you have an agenda that's jampacked, bursting at the seams and composed of wall to wall presentations while participants sit passively and listen, it's a symptom of a deeper problem.

1. Are there serious communication stopgaps and bottlenecks that prevent team members from getting the information they need?
   An information dump once or twice a year is not going to fix that. You need a cross-functional team to analyze what is blocking the information flow and propose solutions.
2. Are your meetings too infrequent?
   You many need to meet more frequently or arrange for virtual meetings in between your face-to-face sessions
3. Are you using the wrong medium?
   Not all information needs to be communicated face-to-face. Virtual meetings, blogs, independent study modules, intranets, pre-recorded material that is accessible in Second Life,or e-learning may be more suitable if the need is just to deliver content that requires no interaction between participants

Consider using another platform to deliver some of the content before participants arrive at the meeting. In this way, you can carve out more time for interactive content, team building, think tanks, and sessions that require brainstorming and interaction.

Accelerated Learning: What is it?

Many have taken a stab at defining accelerated learning. One definition that I have found useful is:

"Participant centered, brain based learning."

Accelerated learning is not a method. It is a result. All presentation methods, activities and exercises incorporated into a meeting or conference are there by design to produce theresult, specifically, covering more information (sometimes in less time):

• With less stress to the participants
• Greater skill mastery
• Improved retention
• Increased transfer of learning to the workplace

Accelerated Learning: Key Ingredients

The key ingredients for producing these results, in other words, accelerated learning, include:

• Solid content that addresses a clearly identified business need and produces measurable results
• An understanding of how the brain and the senses operate in the learning process
• The identification of the preferred learning styles of participants in order to cater to their preferences when selecting learning activities
• The selection of presentation and facilitation methods that reflect an understanding of the learning process and cater to preferred learning styles

David Meier the founder of the Center for Accelerated Learning has identified 4 phase of the learning process:

• Preparation: To get learners ready for learning experiences
• Presentation: Through a variety of approaches that appeal to all the senses, not just "pour and bore"
• Practice: Aimed at ensuring skill mastery and helping participants unpack what they have learned and determine how it applies to the workplace
• Performance: Follow up can greatly assist with the transfer of the new knowledge and skills back to work

Here is how this model can be applied to conferences and meetings:

Participant Preparation

Pre-Conference

1.Create a Twitter hashtag and use it in all conference related communication.

2. Use Survey Monkey to crowdsource the conference agenda & select burning issues of concern to your target audience

3. Incorporate learning style surveys or HBDI Inventories into your registration process so that keynote speakers and breakout session facilitators can tailor their approach.

Be sure to incorporate strategies that cater to a variety of learning styles in the design of your conference. Currently, most designs cater to analytical and structured learners only.

4. Send a separate package with detailed information about the breakout sessions and an opportunity for participants to select their sessions.

• Include learning style colour codes to give participants an opportunity to select sessions that appeal to their preferred learning style.
• With your synopsis of each breakout session, ask key questions to give participants a chance to clarify the reasons for their interesting this session.
• Provide information that is collected to the speakers and breakout session facilitators so that they can customize their content.

5. Give participants a chance to connect with each other, the speakers and facilitators before the conference through @Crowdvine

6. Use Youtube to release humorous or preview videos from some of the speakers and breakout session facilitators.

Humorous Videos

Preview Videos

General Session Preview

Speaker Preparation

7. Prepare your speakers with an upbeat and engaging speaker's camp.

Content is absolutely key for every conference. Bore participant to death with dreary presentations and they won't be back. They will also spread the word that the conference was a "dud". Unless you have attended presentations by individual speakers or seen DVDs that display an interactive style, each speaker should arrive a day early and attend a "Speaker's Camp". There is no need to increase the cost of your registration to offer a Speaker's Camp. It's an ideal sponsorship opportunity.
Here is how it could work:

Before Speaker's Camp:

• Get a sponsor to cover the cost of Speaker's Camp.
• When you send out your Call for Speakers make it clear that attending Speaker's Camp is part of the process.
• Release the call for Camp Counsellors at the same time as you release your call for speakers.
• Engage a team of Camp Counsellors to provide coaching to the speakers who require it. (These should be professionals facilitators who are also instructional designers). You'll need 1 specialist for every 5 speakers.)
• Two months before the camp, ALL speakers will need to send a copy of their packages (e.g. PowerPoint, handouts) to their assigned Camp Counsellor.
• The Camp Counsellors will review the packages, provide a makeover for slides if the speakers don't have the skills, offer suggestions for exercises to make each session more interactive. Once the speaker has agreed to add the interactive content, the training and development specialists can help them design the instruction and worksheets for the handout packages.

During Speaker's Camp:

• You'll need 1 camp counselor for every 3 - 4 participants.
• Have the speaker's arrive the night before Speaker's Camp for an upbeat outing to get the group relaxed
• Arrange for each speaker participating in Speaker's Camp will do a run-through of their presentation and it will be video taped. This should be done in front of the other speakers so that they have an audience. You will need to run this simultaneously in a number of rooms.
• Each speaker will review their DVD privately with their assigned camp counsellor.
• This will be followed up with a private coaching session during which each DVD is reviewed with the speaker and there is an opportunity for coaching and rehearsal.
• At the end of Speaker's camp, the speakers should reassemble and present their greatly improved content to the group. For some variety, re-arrange the groups for this final rehearsal.
• Not every subject matter expert will have the skill set to be a facilitator. The Camp Counsellors can, if required, facilitate the interactive exercises and energizers during the general sessions and breakouts.

During Conference

7. Use a cracker barrel session with facilitated table top discussions to give participants a chance to identify questions and concerns that relate to the topics to be covered during the conference.

Provide the information that is uncovered to the speakers and breakout session facilitators. Ask each speaker or facilitator to start their session with a review of what participants have identified as their areas of concern and how the content relates to them. If you provide a template, a couple of slides can be ready so that presenters can quickly add the information to their presentations.

 
The 2010 PCMA Education conference in Montreal modelled this approach beautifully model. Late in the afternoon before the Montreal conference started a snack that was available throughout the session was provided. Mike McCurry @MichaelMcCurry  facilitated a well attended session using this model. Participants had a chance to switch tables twice. There were also some "open topic" tables.

8. Music boosts retention. Incorporate music into the conference design. Use it while people wait for general sessions, in presentations, during breaks, and at lunch.

9. Extend the conference or meeting beyond its 4 walls. Use Second Life or similar platform to include virtual attendees. In the main conference room as well as breakout rooms, provide reserved tables near electrical outlets for tweeters and bloggers to share conference highlights and engage a larger audience.

This approach appeals to kinesthetic learners and net savvy attendees. It's a powerful way of taking notes to boost retention. It is also a great way to move your conference outside its 4 walls and whet the appetites of those who follow the tweetstream to attend your next local or national conference. This approach was modeled beautifully during the 2010 PCMAEC in Montreal.

Re-engineered Pre-Conference Design:

Pre

2 Days Before Conference

• Speaker's Camp: Full Day Train the Trainer, Rehearsal, & Coaching for Subject Matter Experts Who Are Used to Lecture Based Delivery

Day Before Conference

AM

• Reserved for Optional City Tours & Site Inspections

PM

• Opportunity to engage participants by creating video instructions for breakout sessions of interactive exercises for general sessions with participants who arrive early (see Hidden Faces of Diversity Video ) below
• Optional Off-site Networking Lunch for Early Arrivals
• Optional Venue & Destination Orientation
• 3:00 Afternoon Tea for networking
  Replaces a cocktail reception and ensures that people are bright and alert
• 3:45 Crackbarrel/Tabletop or Unconference Session
• 5:30 End to give participants an opportunity to get an early dinner and lots of rest for the next day

Presentation

10. Re-engineer the design of your conference agenda to make provide more interactive content

• Expand your breaks to 30 minutes to build in more opportunity for networking and give facilitator more time to set-up between sessions.
   
• Instead of sticking with standard 1 hour time slots that force presenters to do an information dump at breakneck speed, provide a variety of time slots.

11. Cater to diverse learning styles through a variety of presentation formats. Provide icons to help participants identify the learning styles to which each session caters.

No one has only one learning style. We use a number of styles to decipher meaning. Each individual has one or more preferred learning style. These ideas are primarily for breakout sessions. It is a good idea to gear your breakout sessions to a couple of styles. Kinesthetic/Visual and Analytical/Structures are natural fits. However, there are also many Visual/Analytical learners.
You can appeal to more than one style in the same room and even incorporate these approaches into general sessions by using colour coded tablecloths on some of the table to help participants easily identify learning environments that are a good fit for them.

Kinesthetic (Red)

Provide:

• Provide large sheets of paper and thin coloured markers to encourage mind mapping.
• Provide a dedicated discussion room with couches clustered in small groups.
  This is a sponsorship opportunity.Kinesthetic learners need a chance to engage  and discuss the content with other conference participants.

Presentation:

• Ensure that each presentation segment is no more than 20 minutes.
• Then, involve participants in a group exercise.
• Have a short energizer every 40 minutes
• Puzzles
• Game shows and trivia contest with prizes
• Do a lyric writing exercises to help participants prepare summaries of their experience using songs. These can be presented at some of the general sessions.
• Forum role-plays. (Video provides example of in-house video used to provide instructions for internal meeting).

Energizers:

• Tactile objects on most tables (i.e. wooden hand massages, stress balls, Chinese stress balls, lego, play dough, silly putty, slinkies, Rubik's Cubes)
• Use stretching, massage chain or dance breaks every 40 minutes

Visual (Yellow)

Provide:

• Use lots of posters and peripherals when setting up the room
• Provide digital cameras and give groups an opportunity to summarize the output for their group exercises on video.
• For longer sessions, provide Bristol board, scissors and glue and give participants time to create a collage to summarize what they learned
• Provide flip chart sized post-it notes on easels or on the wall for cartoonists and artists in the group to capture the content in a unique format.

  Michael Gelb's wife did this in a training and development conference in Toronto some time ago and I have never forgotten this.

Presentation:

• Photos
• Cartoons
• Video Clips
• Colourful visuals on slides

Energizers:

• Have a 5 minute vacation break and project vacation DVDs with music. The end of the video signals the end of the break.

Analytical (Blue)

Provide:

• Provide a quiet, reflection room with outlets for laptops away from the hubbub of the conference.
  You can likely get a sponsor for this.
  Analytical learners need time to pause and reflect on what they are learning.

Presentation:

• Use presentations but ensure that they are engaging.
• Graphs
• Statistics
• Start with a "write your own case study" exercise and re-visit it at the end of the presentation.

Energizers:

• Candy
• Gum
• Suduko
• Chess sets in Reflection Lounge (Participants will start a game and come back to it during breaks)
• Reserve Venues Pool, Billiard or Darts Lounge

Structured (Green)

Provide:

• Standard Markers and notepads

Presentation:

• Ensure that each presentation has clear objectives, a structured agenda, section introductions and summaries. Keep them brief so that you don't put the kinesthetic learners to sleep.
• Use case studies
• Charts
• Flow Charts

Energizers:

• Candy
• Gum
• Checkers
• Number Puzzles
• Word Search

Appeals to all Styles

The structure will appeal to structured learners. Analytical learners will benefit from reflecting and providing content. Kinesthetic learners will welcome the opportunity to participate in the role-plays. Incorporate colourful elements or perhaps video tape the scenarios to appeal to visual learners.

• Fishbowls
• Forum role-plays

Performance

12. Provide USB drive with notes and worksheets that participants can use to apply what they have learned in the general and breakout sessions once they get back to work.

13. Provide videos with conference highlights on Youtube or a dedicated conference website to make it easy for participants to review what they learned during the conference.

14. Follow-up with hashtag chats on Twitter twice a month using the conference hashtag.

Each chat should have a different focus and give participants an opportunity to engage and share success stories and ideas for applying the conference content at work. Involve some of the conference speakers in the Twitter chat.

How it all Comes Together

Re-Engineered Meeting Design:

Preparation:

• Learning styles inventories and participant profiles sent out before meeting to assist with planning, crowdsourcing agenda and team formation if required.
• CEO presentation to set the stage for the meeting & Identify Business Objectives
• Table top exercises in which participants work in small group to identify related issues of concern to their team or department.

Presentation & Practice:

• Re-group into cross-functional teams
• Team Building Simulation
• Recreational activities and team challenges interspersed throughout the session to keep the participants alert, engaged and, most of all, awake

Application:

• Debriefing

Presentation

• Interactive Presentation and Breakout Sessions with Focus on Key Business Issues
  Short energizers throughout the sessions

Application:

• Business Application Exercises in Original Teams
• Business Meeting to Generate Solutions and Formulate an Implementation Plan
• Implementation and Follow-up

Re-Engineered Conference Design:

Day 1

AM

Start early on day 1 when delegates are fresh and have a lot of energy

• 8:15 Morning Keynote
• 9:15 Networking Break
• 9:45 - 11:45 Interactive Breakout Sessions

PM

• 12:00 Lunch
• Choice of:
  - One 3 hour session (1:15 - 4:30)
  - Two 1 1/2 hour sessions (1:15 - 2:45 3:15 - 4:45)
• 2:30 Networking Break

Day 2

AM

• 8:30 Keynote Speaker
• 9:30 Networking Break
• 10:00 Interactive Panels
• 11:45 Lunch

PM

• 1:00 Fishbowls, Forum Roleplays, Unconference Sessions
  Highly interactive sessions will help keep delegates engaged when they are becoming more tired
• 3:00 Networking Break
• 3:30 Upbeat, high energy keynote
• 4:30 End

Day 3

AM

• 9:00 Digestive Session to Review Conference Highlights & Share Key Learning
  Analytical Learners will love this
• 9:45 Final Networking Break
• 10:15 Upbeat Keynote to End on a High Note
• 11:30 Bag Lunches

PM

• Reserved for City Tours & Site Inspections

Information & Resources:

• Executive Corporate Meeting Re-engineering Guide A Companion Piece to this Feature. For Executives Focusing on Internal Corporate Meetings and Sales Rallies
• Accelerated Learning Smorgasbord
  Turn down the sound there is music.
  Brainstorming of various presentation and training methods has been done for you.
• What is Accelerated Learning
• Top 10 Mistakes Made By Event Organisers

Photo Credits: (c) PCMA - From 2010 PCMA Education Conference in Montreal - Used with Permission

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