In the MeetGreen GreenStorming Hangout last December, I talked with Event Hero’s John Federico about the future of technology and events. One of the most interesting things to come out of the conversation was the idea of how data is impacting events. John said, from his viewpoint, “Events are about data.” With more attendee data, [...]
For the past decade at client’s environmental conferences, speakers have anguished over the lack of action, even as citizens learn about the impending effects of climate change. Entire session tracks have been devoted to developing a more compelling call to action. There seemed to be no magic solution. Undaunted, the leaders in sustainability convened to [...]
James Spellos is the President of Meeting U., whose mission is to help people become more productive and comfortable with technology. Jim delivers over 150 seminars annually on how to use technology more efficiently. In 2015, Jim was named one of the Meeting Industry’s trendsetters by Meetings Focus magazine. He is a faculty member [...]
As the general session started and participants had already moved from the continental breakfast to find their seats, a man rushed up to me and he was furious. “There is one flavor of yogurt left, the selection of pastries is dismal,” he yelled, “and the only fruit left is apples!” I agreed and explained while [...]
Alright, we like to have fun. We enjoy each other’s company. We laugh, play and poke fun at ourselves. Even the “Beautify the Bay CSR Project” turned hilariously competitive as this group of professional dumpster divers scavenged for discarded flotsam and jetsam. We also genuinely enjoy our work with our clients and their teams, many [...]
Here's the deal...there is no finish line. Marathon runners cross the line only to start training for the next race hoping to beat their best personal time. Graduation day celebrants talk about what is lies ahead. Work promotions are steps to the next goal. Event planners know they are only as good as their last [...]
Yes, that's right, "Collaboration." The word, collaboration, is widely used when talking about sustainable meetings. Sustainable event planners go on and on about how they must collaborate with the venues, chefs, waste haulers, general service contractors, hotels, transportation companies and even entire cities to produce an environmentally and socially responsible event. They are right. It [...]
If you don’t consider the scarcity of water a huge issue for the citizens of this planet, you haven’t been paying attention. Water scarcity affects 2.7 billion people worldwide for at least a month a year and it is getting worse. Are we in the hospitality industry paying attention? Several recent examples of this have [...]
The good news is, each year meeting professionals get a little more green savvy and the trend towards more sustainable meetings initiatives continues. Thanks to research by Meetings & Conventions Magazine each year, we have been able to watch closely as our industry gets on board with green policies and procedures.The recent survey reveals that [...]
If the flight attendant serves your tea in a china cup with a silver spoon to stir in the delicate sugar cubes, you might ask yourself, “Is airline concerned about sustainability, or is this because am I sitting in First Class?” That question is easily answered if you are the passenger bumping along back in [...]
