For those of you new to chat (or for those of you who are slower, like me), I thought it might be nice to try and condense our #eventprofs chat into bite-sized chunks. Below, I've outlined the major points in our conversation since there were a lot of great suggestions and links. I've tried to condense it all into a format that should be digestible. Please see the Eventprofs Wiki for the full archive. I'd love to hear your feedback about the format and the conversation!
Read more »Liz King Events
Guest Blogger Paul Cook on “Volunteer Series Pt. 5: How to Start Your Job Search”
July 6th, 2010
Having participated in a number of student events recently where I shared a number of secrets I have as a direct result found myself inspired to put together a Business Boot Camp Series of Secrets/Tips for students. After all, our students today are the talent that will take our industry forward. My advice is that each student needs to differentiate himself/herself from the competition (which includes friends/classmates/non –student employees). Here I share my next tip –How to Start the Job Search.
Guest Blogging on “Influencing Your Brand Perception”
June 30th, 2010Thanks to Jenise Fryatt of Icon Presentations for another great opportunity to guest blog for her! It has been so great getting to know Jenise on Twitter and seeing her huge impact on the #eventprofs world and my blog (you know her from her guest blogs on my site!). Enjoy the read, and please leave Jenise and I your comments and love!
I recently wrote a post called "My Rant: Why Your Customer Service Is Killing Your Business" where I aired my grievances about David's Bridal and many other little shops that don't understand that value of responding to their clients. After posting, I received many inquiries from event professionals and friends wondering if David's Bridal contacted me in response to my post. I have not, to date, heard anything from them.
Now, I'm not a delusional person thinking that the world is tuned into my tweets, but it did signal to me that they are not monitoring their brand. So many organizations are so focused on branding their organization - working with designers to create style guides, creating strategies for their social media accounts - that they completely forget about the brand that is being determined for them without their consent. There is one aspect of your brand that you don't have much control over and means more to your clients than anything you can plan - the image that is determined by your clients themselves.
Continued on Icon Presentations Blog
Guest Blogger Jenise Fryatt on “The Debate on Scheduled Tweets”
June 28th, 2010
There seems to be some debate over the merits of scheduling tweets on Twitter. Some people find it disingenuous, others say it's a lifesaver for managing time.
On a recent Twitter chat, I had a brief conversation with someone who agreed with the former opinion. What he described was a person scheduling tweets that were comments about their day or opinions on topics. I had to agree, this sounded disingenuous. After all, tweets that share your experiences or opinions are assumed to be conversation starters. But if you aren't there when someone responds, it's kind of like leaving the lights on when no one's home. A fake out.
Read more »The Biggest Shift Since the Industrial Revolution
June 24th, 2010I saw this video from a colleague, Sree Sreenivasan, who provides a great collection of social media links and tools. This video was on his website and I wanted to share it as it think it has some great information for all those social media geeks out there and even for those who still aren't sure social media is something they should care about. Please watch and share your thoughts!
My Rant: Why Your Customer Service is Killing Your Business
June 21st, 2010
I don't know what's in the water, but I have had more than my fair share of bad customer service experiences lately. Sure, I've been a little busier and dealing with more venues and shops than typically, but I also think the standard of service has dropped. Today, I thought I would share my thoughts on why the customer service (or lack thereof) is killing businesses across the country. I'll be honest - it's part rant and part ... well, it's mostly just rant.
Young Professionals Networking Event
June 15th, 2010There is nothing better than meeting people face-to-face so Liz King Events is launching a bi-monthly young professionals gathering and tweet up. I look forward to seeing you there!
This E-Ad was designed by Vivian Jang, a close friend and amazing designer!
Guest Blogger Paul Cook on “Volunteer Series Pt. 4: Become Bi-Lingual”
June 15th, 2010
Become Bi-Lingual – Learn the Industry Languages Having participated in a number of student events recently where I shared a number of secrets I have as a direct result found myself inspired to put together a Business Boot Camp Series of Secrets/Tips for students. After all, our students today are the talent that will take our industry forward. My advice is that each student needs to differentiate himself/herself from the competition (which includes friends/classmates/non –student employees). Here I share my next tip –Learn the Industry Languages.
A Little Inspiration: Details, Details, Details at Disney
June 10th, 2010
Photo courtesy of Robert D. Bruce.
One thing you won't miss if you ever travel to Disney World or the attractions in the Orlando area is the intense attention to detail. Being a planner, I pride myself in the ability to notice every little detail and to think about how each of them comes together to make a special experience for the guests. Being the guest in this case really helped me to see more clearly just how true this is.
Walking around, one of the little things you'll notice is the trash cans. Each have been designed to fit into the area where they are located. Check out this article to see some examples. They are also emptied on a very regular basis. After four days in the park, I didn't see any overflowing trash bins. Quite a surprise coming from New York City 
There's also an entire site and group of people who have dedicated themselves to documenting the details at Disney. I'd encourage you to check it out for inspiration for your events! Disney is in the Details Group.
When planning an event, the details are one of the most important things to consider. They are what will make or break your career in the industry so it's important that you keep your mind focused on them throughout the planning process!
Guest Blogging on “How to Advocate for Your Career”
June 6th, 2010In this economy, it seems to be increasingly difficult to advocate for your professional development in the workplace. Here are a few tips and techniques that may help you to get the development you need. Employers are less open to investing money towards conferences, travel and other forms of professional development that may have been given out more freely in years past. However, regardless of the economy, you still need to develop professionally and it's your job to make sure it happens.
1. Find Low-Cost Alternatives
This is probably the most obvious of your options. There are many smaller conferences, networking events and seminars that can pack the professional development punch without also taking a hit to your employer's pocket.
Continued on Event IQ Magazine
