Liz King Events: Social Media Event Planning Specialists

Create Picture Perfect Moments at Your Events

Liz — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:35:56 +0000

Over the course of the past few years, we’ve seen an evolution in the way that our event attendees capture their experience. From Instagram to Pinterest to other social media tools, the attendees at our events have become more socially savvy and that has greatly contributed to how we capture information. In the past, we would hire a photographer and videographer and count on them to capture the events and images. But, that no longer needs to be the case. Of course, I always recommend working with your standard photographer and videographer, but it has become clear to me that a) those vendors need to be more social-savvy themselves; and b) there is also a huge opportunity to leverage the sharing nature of your attendees.

Take a look at your event from A-Z. From when an attendee walks in the door until they leave. What are they seeing that attracts them? After attending many events over the past few years, I realize that people will take pictures of anything. They will take pictures of your event regardless of how it looks, but you can be smart about the design of your event to facilitate better sharing. Rather than just let people take pictures of the name of the building where the event is being held, jazz it up and put your brand on it, too. Make it something that people want to take a picture of and, more importantly, want to share.

Yes Honey, Give it Away for FREE! by @MallaHaridat

mharidat — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:03:41 +0000

I know as an entrepreneur we often cringe at the word “FREE” when it comes to our business, but I’m going to share something that can be very powerful for your long term brand – give away your best stuff for FREE and watch how you can grow your brand as you position yourself as an expert.

Now let me clear up quickly what I mean by what you should give away for free. You are NOT giving away your services to manage an event for free.

Discounted – yes.
Offering to do more for the same fee – yes.
Free – NO way!

What I’m suggesting you give away for free are your best practices, ideas and the reasons why customers hire you again and again to deliver their events. Yes, I’m suggesting you blog or find some method of sharing your best ideas via a content management strategy with your business. It will help position you as an expert and allow your prospects to see why you are the best at what you do.

Because here’s the truth – they can read about all of the great ideas and suggestions you have for their events. But that doesn’t mean they have ability – either time, desire or both – to implement it.

And while you are worried that they are going to “steal” your ideas or worse someone in your industry “copies” it – you’ll be landing new clients and coming up with even MORE ideas.

Because here is what most people don’t realize about their website – it is the most powerful business development tool imaginable. If someone wants to learn more about you – send them to your website and let them spend hours learning more about why you are the best in your event category. You’ll spend less time on initial introductions and more time with qualified prospects who want to buy what you are offering – because they will have a clear sense of why you can solve the pain they have.

Now I’m clear – this idea I”m suggesting is not easy. I spent over 6 months last year writing, writing, and doing more writing for my own blog. Only the best articles made it to the site. But after 6 months, 12 months of sharing content, I am meeting more and more prospects that “get it”. They are easily familiar with what I do and I’m learning more about how to solve my client’s pains even more effectively. (How do you do that? Find out what pages are getting the most traction through your analytics and that’s a key indicator of where they need help)

So take the first step. Get started on writing your best ideas down. Get help from a friend on starting your own blog. And promote. Promote. Promote.

Well that’s a whole ‘nother post about how to spread the word. But you get the idea. Just get started!

4 Considerations Before Developing a Mobile App For Your Event

Liz — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:30:35 +0000

Using mobile applications at events is becoming more and more common and the number of mobile app companies that are popping up is astounding. Certainly there is a huge need for connecting event attendees, sponsors, speakers and other participants at an event. However, as with any new technology, the more we jump into it, the more we realize there is a need for some strategic thought. Today, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts that you may want to consider before developing, integrating and training your staff on a new mobile app.

Mobile Ready Sites
Without a doubt, companies all over the world are working quickly to make sure that their websites are mobile friendly. Regardless of what mobile app developer you choose for your audience, you need to start with making sure that your website is responsive – meaning that it will look differently when accessed through the computer, mobile phones and tablet devices. With access to the Internet from a variety of devices, it’s important that your website responds appropriately and is easy to use regardless of how the end-user is accessing the site. Having a focus on this from the very beginning may in fact prevent you from needing an app that is specifically designed for single event. But, this is definitely a good place to start even if you’re going to develop your own app.

Why Should Event Planners Care about Google Plus?

NAnderson — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:25:57 +0000

At BusyEvent, we are huge social media fans. It is pretty widely recognized that social media can add a lot opportunity to your events. For example, LinkedIn is great for networking and Facebook and Twitter can be great for promoting. But what about that one that many people consider dead, created by the internet giant Google?

Although Google+ didn’t take off and become the next social media must-have that many expected. It still has some great advantages that many people don’t use– and should.

1. How do clients search for Event Planners? — Google

This is probably hands down the biggest advantage Google+ can give to its users. Google+ pages that are updated more often actually show up higher than websites not connected to Google+. This means that when someone goes to Google and searches “Event Planner” they are first seeing the accounts which rate highest on Google– many of those rating higher because they are posting on their Google+ pages.

Also webpages that have been +1?ed (like being “liked” in Facebook terminology) will also rank higher.

2. Need a quick virtual meeting between planners? Or what to add virtual aspect to your event?

Google Hangout is cool. It just is. You can use a hangout for many reasons, like to help you plan the event, to communicate with virtual attendees during the event for example.

3. Google+ allows you to segment all of your connections using circles

This means you can send specific updates and information to attendees of specific events or you can post updates that only fello event planners can see. The idea here is to market segment your actual social media connections to send them relevant information. You cna get super creative with this– if attendees sign up for your event early, add them to a circle for that specific event and hold competitions or giveaways to build excitement.

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Leverage Return on Action? and become revenue smart.

It’s not enough to know that you should measure Return on Action?. . . you also need to know how and then, how to turn that into revenue! Be sure to visit (and bookmark) the BusyEvent blog to learn about the specifics of what ROA is, how to measure it, how to leverage it and most importantly…how to retain more of the revenues that flow into – and then right out from – the bottom line of your event!

Get your very own personalized Sneak Preview of the BusyEvent Mobile system and become part of the evolution of events!

Event Tech of the Week: @doccaster

Liz — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:45 +0000

I love, love, love all things events and technology. If you can’t tell by my tweets, Facebook posts and all my other social media interactions, I love to talk about events and the tools that help us do what we do better. In June 2011, I partnered with an organization called imbookin to bring you PlannerTech – an event technology showcase. This weekly blog series is going to help continue to expose you to new tools you need to be aware of as an event planner. Also, in case you missed it, PlannerTech could be coming soon to your area!

Today, we’re talking about Doccaster

Your Name: Kyle Christian Steele, CEO and Co-founder
Company/Tool Name: Doccaster
Website: www.doccaster.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/doccaster
Facebook: www.facebook.com/doccaster

What is the “problem” that your tool seeks to solve?

A lack of access to organized and deep data analytics on the entire attendee and exhibitor/sponsor experience before, during and after the actual event.

A study conducted by the PCMA Education Foundation validated our industry observations and ground-level research regarding the lack of deep and well organized data analytics. During the study called “Scenarios for the Future Convention, Exhibits & Trade shows of 2016,” the following conclusion was made:

“Data, about everything that goes on/in/at an event, will become increasingly more important as guides to the successful design and execution of an event for exhibitors, attendees and organizers. Therefore, a data collection system and protocol analysis will need to be undertaken now by event teams in order to determine what kind of system needs to be designed and implemented as part of the event production process in the future.”

What is the best audience for this tool? Corporate events? Social? Other? Large? Small?

Doccaster can be used by any event, but we’re focused on the 208,000 conventions, conference and trade shows in the US. That’s our sweet spot!

What does your tool help event planners do better?

Event organizers and planners need data to enhance and showcase their event’s value to exhibitors, sponsors and attendees. Doccaster gives them data on activities, such as attendee engagement and exhibitor lead generation, by grabbing it from our web-based app called EventLocker.me. EventLocker offers event attendee’s and exhibitor’s:

Attendee Check-in and Networking List
Event Scheduling
Unlimited Do-it-Yourself File-Sharing
Qualified Lead Generation
Private Communication
Access From Any Mobile Device without Downloading

Throughout the life of an event, we pull attendee and exhibitor activities right into the organizers’ dashboard, so they can spot trends and opportunities to enhance and showcase their event.

How is your tool different from/better than the competition?

Doccaster is not an event app product, but an event analytics platform that uses our app and other online event services to capture data. We do not view event app creators as competition. Although apps capture limited data, they’re more focused on providing an experience, whereas we’re focused on data first. In fact, we welcome opportunities to work with other event products who are looking to connect to our data infrastructure, such as BloodHound and Eventbrite. Overall, our competition is really the status quo – the current disparate and manual process of event data capture. To win, we have to convince organizers that having a single system which provides the tools to capture all their data, organize it and display in deep analytics is critical to enhancing and demonstrating their events value.

What is the single coolest feature of your product?

Our coolest product feature is our analytics dashboard, which will be released in pieces over the next few weeks. Currently, we’re collecting over 100 data points related to activities taking place in our Eventlocker.me app. Additionally, organizers will be able to pull in data from third party event systems which will give them insight into the entire event cycle from one place.

Anything else we need to know?

The founders, Heman and Kyle, met on the campus of the University of Central Florida in 2009. In 2012, Doccaster was selected by Dreamit Ventures, the number 3 tech accelerator in the nation, to participate in their winter 2013 class in Austin Texas and present their product during SXSW 2013. The product has been used by 30+ conference organizers all over the US since launching and has been featured in TechCrunch, The Next Web, Fox News, and Business Insider.

Take the oath. Join us. The Event Professional’s Oath by @PenthouseLord

jscott — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:25:34 +0000

I am an Event Manager …

I have unlimited resources at my disposal. I always keep at least 10 meeting rooms under my desk. I can make any of my rooms larger or smaller, depending on your program needs. I will naturally remove any supporting pillars from your meeting space and will install windows in every room as needed.

Unfortunately the ‘ocean view’ is not scheduled to arrive until Day Two of the program for which I sincerely apologise; however, I will move the convention centre two feet to the left to accommodate your request by the end of Day One, although I realize the event is only next week.

I can only throw myself on your mercy and grovel at your feet; I completely agree that it is inconceivable that we should have any other groups booked into the hotel during our event. And the additional breakout rooms you asked for this morning for tomorrows conference will be added to the hotel by the end of today.

Naturally it will be no problem to turn the plenary session for 200(classroom room style) into a hollow square for 300 with rear screen projection, simultaneous Japanese translation and satellite hook-up during the 15-minute coffee break.

Unfortunately, due to space constraints, and the fact that the final program bears no resemblance whatsoever to the initial program that we contracted the space under, I’ll have to suspend the lunch buffet from the ceiling above the plenary session, then suck the gravity out of the ballroom – not a problem.

I’ve located the boxes that the sponsors sent last month under their mother’s maiden name to the other hotel down the street, and again I apologise for not having found them sooner.

In answer to all your questions, it is of course, understood that I am telepathically aware of all your speakers needs and I’ll set up an overhead, LCD panel, dual slide projectors, two screens, laser pointer, podium microphones, two table top microphones, podium knock-out switch, timer and blue M&Ms in each room, which I’ve negotiated at no extra charge, just in case they are needed.

Additionally it goes without saying that an A/V technician, engineer, baby-sitter and I will be underneath your head table for the duration of your event, in case you need anything else.

It has been great working with you on this event and every other just like it and I can’t wait for the next one!!!

The Two Sides of CSR by @JennG_

Jennifer Garrett — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:37:25 +0000

There are pros and cons to corporate social responsibility. Donations to a local organization after a conference can boost employee morale and stir some marketing buzz in the host city while contributing to the local community. However, I’m knee deep in personal reading material about the negative consequences charity and service trips can have.

For a long time, I didn’t care why ABC Fortune 500 company gave. It still was going to a good cause. It didn’t matter if the leaders’ intentions were purely promotional because the local shelter needed the money. I’m beginning to realize it’s not that black and white.

This is on my mind because I’m also in the middle of writing about one of the best CSR projects I’ve seen in a while. Crowdsourcing allows attendees to choose a personal cause for the group to help rather than the typical impersonal giant check presented to a local children’s hospital (more on that in the next Collaborate magazine).

The event professional’s role in choosing CSR programs requires research just as a consultant has to learn a company culture before he can offer advice or a speaker should learn the audience’s goals and objectives before waxing poetic on how individuals should work differently. Any time a group or individual comes from the outside to stir change, whether it’s community service or another effort, understanding the needs, assets and work already in place is key to achieving the desired outcomes.

Here are some questions to ask before stamping your organizations’ name on a project:

1. Does the organization you are helping have good processes already in place that your corporate culture should not override?

2. What can your attendees learn from the people who you are helping?

3. What are the long-term benefits for your group and the organization you are helping?

Rather than offer more advice on this complicated subject, I’d like to hear your opinions and experience. Tell me what you think on Twitter @jenng_, or if it takes more than 140 characters, put them in the comments below.

Your Priorities Are Killing Your Business

Liz — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:30:07 +0000

As someone who is so “into” social media and technology, I often get into conversations with people about how much work it takes and how time consuming it can be to tweet, Facebook, blog and keep up with all the social networks. Most of the time, people say they don’t have time, but the truth is that we have time for all the things that we prioritize. If you felt like online networking was worth it, you would prioritize it. You would teach yourself, pay experts to teach you, and make time to execute a solid social strategy. But the truth is that you don’t yet see the value. And that’s okay.

Even as a huge fan of technology, I need to remind myself frequently of the benefits that I’m seeing. The benefits outweigh the work, but boy is the work time consuming!!

But here is what you have to understand. It is okay if you decide not to prioritize social media. However – it is (or soon will be) killing your business. Whether you have noticed or not, the world is rapidly changing. You no longer have the option to learn social.

But – let me not just be the bearer of bad news today. Here are some AMAZING reasons you should invest your time in social media.

About 80% of our business comes from online
As we all know, word-of-mouth is the best way to get your marketing out there. And word-of-mouth is exponentially greater when it’s happening online. Between the people that I’ve met online through Twitter chats and other social networks and the people that they have introduced me to, we bring in about 80% of our business online. And yes – I’m talking 80% of our sales – not “just” partnerships.

We’ve made GREAT friends
Sometimes I have to remind myself that I met someone online. When you’re able to connect with someone through social networking, the interaction is really unique – and it sometimes leads to finding some amazing friends. Whether they’re part of your industry or simply someone who shares some of your interests, these relationships can be huge. Remember – not everything comes back to the dollar bills.

BRANDING
One of the best features of social media is the way that helps you to get your brand out to a larger audience. I’ve been featured in magazines, had articles written about me, and even won a few awards, simply because of the presence that I have online. Of course it takes time to build a presence, but the branding that comes from all of that time is really unparalleled. You could buy a million online ads and never get the same quality reach.

I know. It’s hard. It feels foreign. It’s time-consuming. But I have walked this road of social networking for the past 8+ years and I can guarantee you that it is worth every moment of the effort. Every time you hear yourself saying you don’t have “time” for that, challenge yourself. Take a look at some of the things you’re doing that are not yielding results (you’ll find plenty of those if you’re honest with yourself) and move that time over to learning how to network online. You won’t regret it!

Event Tech of the Week: @attendifyapp

Liz — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:00:18 +0000

Today, we’re talking about Attendify

Your Name: Michael Balyasny
Company/Tool Name: Attendify
Website: http://attendify.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/attendifyapp
Facebook: http://facebook.com/attendifyapp

What is the “problem” that your tool seeks to solve?

Our goal is to help event planners create customized, white-labeled mobile apps quickly and affordably. The benefit of event apps is proven and demand is growing, but many events are left out because of the high cost and lengthy build times.

Attendify allows event planners to build an app in a few hours, and with prices starting at $399 events large and small can now afford their own app (native iPhone, Android and Web App versions are all included).

Recently we launched a new Social App (Beta) which allows event planners to create their own mobile social network, unique to their event. The app includes photo sharing, messaging, attendee profiles, and a timeline that brings all that content together.

What is the best audience for this tool? Corporate events? Social? Other? Large? Small?

Different kinds of events have used Attendify; conferences, expos, film festivals, and meet-ups, but we definitely have corporate events/conferences in mind when building the product. Social functionality is becoming a bigger part of what we do, and that will help drive results for business events where networking is a key part of the value proposition.

What does your tool help event planners do better?

Our apps help event planners connect with their audience, gather business intelligence, and ultimately create a better event experience. Event apps have only scratched the surface of what’s possible, our role is to make apps more accessible, interactive, and valuable for planners and attendees… we’re only getting started : -)

How is your tool different from/better than the competition?

1. Event planners can build and manage their event app quickly; turn around times are days not months.
2. Simple & transparent pricing; $399/event for our Guide App and $599/event for our Social App with native iPhone, Android and Web App versions included, unlimited downloads, and unlimited instant content updates.
3. Our new Social App (currently in Beta) provides an unprecedented level of attendee interaction and engagement with photos, profiles, public and private messaging, Twitter and more.
4. All apps are white-labeled apps to emphasize the event’s brand without any mention of Attendify.

What is the single coolest feature of your product?

The simplicity of our app building tool because it makes creating and managing an app a fully guided, step-by-step process with essentially no learning curve. We’ve heard a lot of great feedback from early customers who find it a breeze and even fun use.

Anything else we need to know?

We recently rebranded from KitApps to Attendify because we decided to focus on the event industry. We’ve got a lot of new products and features in the pipeline for 2013, we’ll keep you posted on all the upcoming changes!

Branding – Business or Personal? by @ProjectMaven

Deborah Oster Pannell — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:31:01 +0000

Hey, nothing is personal… No wait, it’s all about you.

Building a small, service-based brand is an inherently personal undertaking, yet it’s important to remember what things not to take personally when growing your business. Navigating the boundaries between business and personal as you create your brand can be a bit of a balancing act, but it is a skill that can be learned. Content branding is key, as a tool for developing your public persona and your business identity. However, for it to work, it has to have an original, personal twist.

Authentic Connections

These days, the key to building your brand is creating strong relationships around something unique that you offer to your clients. This entails putting a personal touch into everything that you do. When speaking or writing about your product, you want to make a genuine connection with prospective clients or customers. Passion speaks volumes – generic sales talk can be a real turn-off.

Telling Your Story

One way to develop these strong connections is to share some of your personal story in your presentation. “I grew up creating puppet shows for the kids in my neighborhood, so it was inevitable I’d end up being a party planner.” Tell us something about you that is unique. Let’s say you’re an event planner. If you line up in a row with ten other event planners, assuming you are all skilled at your jobs, what is it that makes you stand out from the rest of them? It’s your personality, your story, your unique set of interests and experience that will allow certain clients to connect with you more naturally than others.

Sometimes You Just Don’t Get the Gig

OK, you’ve connected with the client. You’ve come in with a good proposal. Your pricing is good, the pitch is clean. So why didn’t you get the job? Sometimes things just don’t work out. It doesn’t make you a failure. In fact, just as a writer expects to get an overwhelming number of rejection letters before getting something published, expect that a good percentage of your proposals will not end in jobs. Especially when you’re just starting out. The reality is that even though you put a lot of yourself into your work, in the end, people make business decisions, such as who to hire for a job, for many reasons, some of which may have nothing to do with you at all.

The good news is, the more you get out there and make genuine connections with people, whether it’s through the stories you share on your blog or the conversations you have at social events or business functions, the better you will become at finding your natural allies and potential business partners. Particularly if you work in a business that entails collaborating on projects over a period of time, folks are more willing to commit to extended working relationships with people that they genuinely enjoy being around.

These days, the key is to remain genuine and honest, and don’t be afraid to share a little about yourself as you learn about the other people in your industry. Some of the best working relationships have been forged out of unlikely connections and random pieces of common ground. If you don’t put yourself out there and have some fun with the process, you’ll never know what is possible!

Liz King Events: Social Media Event Planning Specialists

Create Picture Perfect Moments at Your Events

Yes Honey, Give it Away for FREE! by @MallaHaridat

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