“OSCARS” – A Pacific Bell meeting was held around the time of the Academy Awards. The creative meeting planner set up an awards ceremony and asked the managers to wear formal evening dress. This sounded so creative to me that, even though my speech was later in the day, I wanted to be part of it (at no extra cost to the client). “Oscars” were given out in categories like customer service, sales, and money-making ideas. Wearing an evening gown, I sashayed across the stage to deliver the envelopes containing the names of the winners. As the nominees in each category were announced, a giant video screen showed their photos. The first two were always famous movie stars, the third an employee. Would you believe it? Pacific Bell employees beat out the movie stars every time! Everyone who accepted an Academy Award had to give a short speech. It was innovative, memorable, and fun.
Read More...Jay Leno Does It, Do You?
The following happened when I was recently in Orlando. It bugged me so much I had to write about it. So there I was, along with Dave, standing in the front of an almost empty meeting room. Dave had heard me speak to a group of managerial accountants in Boston. It went over so well, […]
Read More...Communicate Your Expectations: Eliminate Meeting Planner’s Nightmares
It never ceases to amaze me. Association meeting planners spend money to hire me, publicize my presentation, pay my expenses, and then set up obstacles to my success. Of course they don’t do it intentionally, but all too often roadblocks are put in my way that prevent me from giving the best customer service. How […]
Read More...Using American Speakers for International Groups
Are you planning out-of-the-country meetings? Here’s how to score when speakers and audiences speak different languages. Now I finally know why my speaker friends are so interested in working abroad. It can be a very positive and rewarding experience, even when the speaker and audience speak different languages. Knowing all the difficulties, I had usually […]
Read More...8 Tips for Corporate Meeting Planners to Save Time & Money
Corporate meeting planners are continuously mired in details, trying to keep it all together for the next meeting, and already worrying about the ones after that. We need to learn how to work “smarter,” not harder, in mastering details. Tip #1. After every meeting and event, do an “after action analysis.” Write down what went […]
Read More...Tips for Speaker Seekers
Help for meeting planners and resources for finding speakers. As a busy meeting planner, with the usual overload of demands on getting your next event launched flawlessly, the last problem you want to have is for your keynote speaker to disappear off the radar screen. Whatever the reason — flu bug, scheduling glitch, bad travel […]
Read More...How You Can Get an Extra Edge at Networking Events
Everyone is Situationally Shy All Association meetings and Hospitality Industry events are promoted as the perfect format to make new contacts and develop potential business relationships. I never stop being amazed at how many talented and well-educated people often do not know how to maximize these events. Here are two easy ways you can help […]
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