1. The Location is Your Event Canvas — Once you have nailed down your location, all the other pieces of your event will begin to fall into place. After finalizing the location, you can start planning what other partners and vendors you will need to engage. Does the location have tables you can use for registration and networking? Are their chairs? How many? Is there adequate lighting? Is there wifi? How strong is the wifi signal? Do you need table furnishings? Can you cover the walls? What time can you get there to setup? Is there parking nearby? The list just goes on and on.

2. The Location establishes the Tone for Your Event — The location helps establish the tone of your event for attendees before they get there and gives a ‘first impression’ of your event and what to expect. For example, If you are having an event at an upscale restaurant, attendees will know this is a formal event versus if you are having it at a fun activity venue where it will be more laid-back and relaxed. Understanding the goals of your event will help you determine what tone you want to set before the attendees get there and take you one step further to contributing to your overall events success.

3. The Location will Motivate Attendance – One of the most important factors for considering your event location is whether it will help contribute to motivate guests to attend the event. Is it easy for them to access? Have they ever been there before? Is it well-known? Will the be excited about the location? Make your event as successful as possible by doing everything you can to make guests WANT to come to the event and you will be sure to fill up your event to the max.

4. The Location sets the Stage for Memories – An event’s success is only as good (in my opinion) as the memories it provides attendees. If I go to a conference and can’t truly remember what it was or what I learned… then it wasn’t a success in the long run. You want to make sure your event has a lasting impression and choosing a venue that will help contribute to this is key.

I urge every planner to consider these factors before they even start to think about possible locations for events. There are THOUSANDS of location possibilities so make sure you understand what you need from an event location before you start your search.

Photo by ViZZZual

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Today, we’re talking about One Lobby

Your name: Jordan Smith
Company/Tool Name: OneLobby
Website: OneLobby.ca
Twitter: @onelobby
Facebook: www.facebook.com/onelobby

Today, we’re talking about Mediasite

Your name: Erica St. Angel
Company/Tool Name: Mediasite Events by Sonic Foundry
Website: http://events.sonicfoundry.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mediasite @Mediasite
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mediasite

We provide webcasting services to create hybrid events, virtual conferences and online meetings, so now the remote audience can also join in, get the information they need and further that relationship with your organization and your brand.

What is the best audience for this tool? Corporate events? Social? Other? Large? Small?
We’ve done webcasting for events big and small. As small as one hotel room with an executive presenting for one hour and we record so the onsite attendees can watch on-demand — all the way to multi-track, multi-room live events where we stream hundreds of hours of educational content from a convention center over several days. Most of our clients are associations, corporations and government agencies who host meetings with presentations for education, training or marketing.

Because we use our own webcasting technology, we’ve perfected a system to make hybrid and virtual events worry-free. We equip planners with trained technicians who work onsite to webcast your event. Using our Mediasite webcasting platform, we record the speakers’ audio and video synchronized with their visual aids and instantly stream the presentation over the internet. People can then watch anytime, anywhere. The result is a hybrid event that increases overall attendance, broadens exposure for the event, its sponsors and speakers, and can generate more revenue for the organization.

But our team often works as project managers too, joining forces with your existing production, AV or other service providers to ensure you have all the technical components in place to go live without a hitch.

Webcasting also helps support green meeting initiatives by putting all conference sessions online in real-time, minimizing the need for printed handouts, DVDs/USBs, as well as travel requirements for individuals who attend the webcasted event.

Ten years ago, if someone told you that you’d share private elements of your life in public with strangers, you’d call them crazy. Today, you probably get annoyed at the friends who haven’t joined Facebook yet. But you didn’t just one day start a Twitter account and start posting pictures of your breakfast.

Whether it was because a band you liked was on MySpace, or you had to create a business profile on LinkedIn for work, or you were seeking advice on a chat room from your peers, or you fell in love with Wikipedia and discovered you had things to contribute, eventually you got used to the idea that your information was valuable, that people cared what you thought and, slowly, the concerns you had about privacy or security started to recede. Now you “pin” pictures of places you’d like to go, “like” stories you read, tell everyone on Twitter when you check into a place on Foursquare and share what kind of music you’re listening to on Spotify.

We all have skills that are appropriate for what we do now. But will they still be valued 10 years from now? What are the little things that we are dimly aware of now that will ultimately transform how we live and work tomorrow?

I met my husband 10 years ago. You know how you can take a picture and then doctor it with Instagram to make it look awesome? He used to do that with a paintbrush on real photos for high-end women’s fashion magazines and less reputable publications like Penthouse (he says he was only focused on covering the bruises…). You know how you can drag and drop text and images in spaces to create magazines, books and enewsletters? Back in the days before computers, he’d physically lay out publications on a table, paste the pictures and text down, photograph them, send them to press and go through the bluelines from the printer to make sure nothing had shifted. And a little-known fact: He was one of the last people in America to be certified a Journeyman craftsman in Quality Control and some other antiquated, but essential skill, that people no longer care about.

In the 10 years we’ve been together, he’s been laid off three times. At his last job, he was in charge of the production of 200 magazines nationwide. Thanks to his efforts, he negotiated print contracts that saved his company $2 million. He was laid off less than a month after they were signed.

That was four years ago. Despite sending out resumes every day, he’s still unemployed. Because he possesses knowledge no one values anymore. He spent his life mastering skills particular to an industry that’s in danger of losing its relevancy. Not one to rest on his laurels, he started his own line of greeting cards kids can color and send. It’s a dream he had for a long time. And one that he really hopes takes off because he wants Cozmic Fun Lines to also produce children’s books and toys.

But the process of reinvention is slow, difficult and painful. He’s having to learn skills he never thought he’d use (sales) and ones that he naturally dislikes (marketing). Despite being shy of social media and distrustful of popularity contests, he’s entered the Get on the Shelf competition with his Color Me…Gift Cards and is trying to get people to watch his video, vote for it often and share it with their friends before April 3. If he makes it to the second round of voting and wins that, then he’ll get seed money and prominent placement in Wal-Marts around the country. The chances are slim, but he’s putting it out there, and I’m proud of how far he’s willing to go outside of his comfort zone to make this work. (By the way, he’d be embarrassed if I asked you to vote for him and tell all your friends. But if he won, he’d get over it.)

What does this have to do with you? I’m wondering how far you are willing to go. And if you realize how close to the edge of corporate extinction you may already be.

Did you know 87 percent of marketers believe that in four years half the meetings they plan will be virtual ones? Online meeting platforms like Go to Meeting and WebEx aren’t a lot of fun, but they get the job done. And they get it done cheaply. Do you know how to articulate the importance, relevance and bottom-line impact of what you do?

If traveling from place to place continues to get more expensive and air travel continues to become more unpleasant, it’s not hard to believe that attendance will continue to erode at live events. Do you know how to incorporate hybrid technologies that bring face-to-face attendees together with remote ones and make those virtual participants want to convert to attending in-person next year?

It’s a time of great disruption: high unemployment, revolutions overseas, domestic unrest, economic uncertainty. Which also means: This is a time of great opportunity. I dined with a man last Friday who’s invented an app that lets you take a picture, set a price and send it to media outlets. Newspapers, television stations and magazines in Europe already use it to send assignments out to citizen journalists near the sites of natural catastrophes, accidents and other newsworthy happenings. It will completely transform the field of photojournalism. But do you think the people lugging $5,000 worth of camera gear know that yet?

Learning doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, I know that there are a lot of people out there (I’m talking to you Jeff Hurt and Midori Connolly) who go out of their way to make it fun. So, friends, it’s time to start going out of your way to brush up on things that you could probably care less about.

I promise, those of us who care about you and your future will go easy on you. After all, as my ballet teacher used to say, “Everyone was a beginner one Sunday.”

Join me in Tampa March 21, Denver on June 19 or Chicago in July to learn about hybrid event technology (and if you don’t think it’ll be fun, watch this short trailer). I’ll also be in St. Louis, Mo., on May 11 to teach planners how to work Smarter, Faster and More Efficiently (and if you’re in MPI, headquarters will pay my speaking fees for this session through June 2013 if you request it through the speaker’s database).

Are you based in Dallas? Then don’t miss Jeff Hurt sharing his insights on innovation on March 28. Stormi Boyd, CMP, will teach you how to ditch your conference binder and go digital in San Antonio April 12 and Austin May 16. And Midori is everywhere. Follow her @AVGirlMidori to see her jam-packed dance card and see if she’s coming to a city near you.

Need a steady infusion of inspiration? Subscribe to the newsletters and various media I curate for Plan Your Meetings. The 2012 PYM Annual is all about revolution, innovation and what it takes to succeed in this business. And throughout the year, we publish a steady stream of how-to best practice and advice articles and videos online that demystify new technologies and can help you adjust to new challenges. Think of it as a cross between Real Simple and Wired, but for #eventprofs.

Plan well and prosper, friends.

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Today, we’re talking about a2z, Inc.

Your name: Lisa McGrath
Company/Tool Name: a2z, Inc.
Website: www.a2zinc.net
Twitter: www.twitter.com/a2zusergroup
Facebook: www.facebook.com/a2zinc.net

What is the “problem” that your tool seeks to solve?
a2z offers multiple smart tools for hassle-free floor plan/expo management, conference management, networking and attendee acquisition, as well as web-based and native mobile applications. All a2z  solutions are geared to help clients increase efficiencies, boost revenues, speed up cash flow and enhance the end-user experience all while attaining ROI in a single show cycle. a2z integrates with your other mission-critical systems (CRM, AMS, etc.) to improve processes and work flow. Clients tie exhibit sales directly into financials, and remain PCI compliant. a2z facilitates attendee engagement and pre-show lead acquisition with embedded widgets and enhanced online exhibitor eBooth content including social media links, videos, products, press releases and special offers.

What is the best audience for this tool? Corporate events? Social? Other? Large? Small?
Mid-sized to large B2B tradeshow events tend to get the most from a2z solutions.

What does your tool help event planners do better?
a2z Exposition Management tools help event planners sell exhibit spaces faster, and the Conference tools help with managing schedules, proposals and presenters in real-time. a2z Networking and Lead Management help organizers match the right buyers to the right sellers. a2z Mobile and Social Media solutions help you expand your marketing footprint and boost event engagement, before, during and after your show.

How is your tool different from/better than the competition?
World-class reporting, a dedicated professional services representative to provide support, and expertise integrating with other systems set a2z apart. We are PCI compliant and powered 40% of the top 25 shows listed in Expo magazine’s fastest growing shows in 2011. With a client-focused vision and commitment to continued innovation, a2z is a market leader with modular event management software solutions. Established in 1998, a2z has deep industry knowledge and experience with a variety of shows, industries and event needs.  We offer modular pricing so you only buy exactly what you need.

What is the single coolest feature of your product?
Our floor plan solution is slick, non-flash based and is accessible on any PC or mobile device. Since it is real-time and web based, clients can access their back end, securely, online from anywhere.

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Target

Ask yourself these important questions:

• Why social?
• What are we trying to achieve?
• What goals are we currently not reaching?
• What would social allow us to do?

Take some serious time and consider the WHY. It’s not enough to integrate social media because everyone else is doing it.. or even because you think it’s interesting. Consider some very serious TARGETS that you would like to reach by integrating social.

Audience

Once you know your targets, you need to get really familiar with your AUDIENCE. The best laid plans are only effective if they meet the needs of your target audience. You need to know:

• What social networks they use.
• What they use each network for.
• How often they use them.
• Who they interact with on them.
• Their access to these networks while on-the-go

To figure out this information, poll your past attendees, talk to your community leaders, form great relationships with your audience so that you can learn all about them.

Gadgets

Yes – the actual tools you use comes last. Twitter streams and mobile applications are all cool ideas – but only if they help you meet your goals. If you aren’t sure why you’re using a particular tool, you aren’t able to measure the success of it. In this day and age, events without a justifiable ROI are simply unacceptable. Budgets are tight, competition is stiff and you need to know whether your work is truly effective.

Test out these three steps and let me know what you think!

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Today, we’re talking about Qrious

Your name: John Federico
Company/Tool Name: Qrious
Website: http://qriousapp.com
Twitter: @qriousapp

What is the “problem” that your tool seeks to solve?
More often than not, the top reason that people attend professional events and conferences is to meet others. Yet the time and money spent at these events is often gambled on serendipity instead of thoughtfully-targeted, pre-confirmed meetings.

While the act of organizing an event provides certain efficiencies in making new connections, once the number of attendees exceeds 50 people these efficiencies start to deteriorate.

Using Qrious and the Qrious smartphone app, attendees, exhibitors and sponosrs arrive at a professional event and Qrious tells them who to meet – and why – using their role, goals for the event, existing social networks and specific business interests.

We like to say that Qrious is “Foursquare meets LinkedIn and eHarmony.”

What is the best audience for this tool? Corporate events? Social? Other? Large? Small?
Anyone looking to connect with a specific type of person at a professional event can benefit from the free Qrious service, but participants looking to initiate customer or partner relationships are the most active and frequent users. For them, Qrious is a sales automatation and lead generation tool – our premium service makes this capability even more powerful for these participants.

What does your tool help event planners do better?
Qrious helps increase attendee and exhibitor satisfaction. (Really. People get very excited about Qrious: http://jfed.me/n)

We ensure that your attendees and exhibitors leave your event having met more of the people that are important to THEM.

How is your tool different from/better than the competition?
Right now, there are generally two kinds of apps in the market: On one side of the market there are free, downloadable apps to help you “meet people anywhere.”

These apps suffer from the “cold start” problem of new or ad hoc social nets (“Hey! Nobody’s here!”) and the context problem (“I’m not in the mood to network right now, thankyouverymuch”).

On the other side of the market, there are software vendors that will create a custom social network just for your event, usually for many thousands of dollars. These ad hoc social nets typically require attendees to populate them with lots of data and when your event ends, this stand-alone social network disappears – along with all that valuable data.

Qrious integrates with your registration system and your participant’s existing social networks to automagically help facilitate connections between them ahead of (and during) the event so they can efficiently plan their time – without the burden of feeding data into Yet Another Social Network, nor divulging personal contact information.

What is the single coolest feature of your product?
The Qrious Radar.

When you find someone that you want to meet, you put them on your Qrious Radar. When they register or check-in to a Qrious-powered event or conference session, that activity appears on your Qrious Home Screen. You can use that information to (appropriately and tactfully) find an opportunity to connect with that very important person.

Anything else we need to know?
I like gadgets.

WHY GET INVOLVED?
- Reach 150+ innovative, early adopter event planners in the NY area.
- Gain exposure to our online audience via Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
- Apply by March 23, 2012. Tell us all about you and why you are blowing your competition out of the water. http://www.plannertech.com/presenterapp.html
- All selected companies will be notified by April 6, 2012.
- Pay your fee, book your travel and practice your 4 min pitch.

It’s simple!

SPONSOR PLANNERTECH NYC: Whether you present or not, you can always gain exposure to our leading event professionals via sponsorship. Check out this year’s packages here: http://plannertech.com/partnerapp.html

MORE CITIES! In 2012, we are pleased to announce that we will be hosting PlannerTech in New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles! PlannerTech New York will be held during Internet Week and DC/LA dates will be released as soon as we secure venues.

EXPERIENCE THE EVENT! Check out photos, videos, tweets and articles written about PlannerTech DC and LA. http://plannertech.com/about.html

1. The event hashtag has been established by an attendee.
The event communication needs to be managed by the staff. The planners need to decide how they want their members to communicate (realizing that Twitter is not the only option) and make this very public information. If attendees are left to create their own channels, this is not a good sign! That being said, there is some value to jumping in on a conversation already created as an event planner and helping to encourage conversation. The double bad sign? When an attendee has created a way for folks to communicate and no one from the planning staff has even noticed!

2. The event Twitter stream is filled with self promotion.
If you are going to list “Follow Us on Twitter” as a part of your marketing, you should ensure that there is good content for your attendees on that list. Link to speakers, sponsors, and planners. Share related articles. Do something to connect the attendees. Do something more than just marketing the event over and over. Give people a way to connect!

3. Attendee lists are impossible to find as are Twitter handles of the speakers, sponsors and promoters.
While some events keep this information private, there are ways to integrate attendee-specific information on your event website. The savvy conference attendee is doing their homework before the event – trying to connect with other people who will be there in advance. By not listing contact information, or at least a list of names, you are making their job much more difficult.

We’ll be tweeting about the expo and running lots of contests and I’d love to put together some gift bags for attendees to help highlight the community. If you have anything you’d like to include in the gift bags or prizes you’d like me to raffle off, please let me know. I think we’re looking at 3500+ attendees and I’d like to highlight our community in any way possible. Please let me know if you have any ideas!

Register using code BBNYTWEET10 before 9/27/10 to receive 15% off registration! Also, please let me know your Twitter handle so we can connect before the event!

http://www.bizbashnewyorkexpo.com/index.cfm