A few weeks ago, we gave you some quick tips for determining the bandwidth needs for your conference here. That's not the only thing keeping you up at night though, right? You also need to know how to best negotiate for those internet services. The costs can certainly be a budget-breaker if you aren't prepared.Realizing [...]
Making sure all your attendees stay connected during the event has become your responsibility. Lack of connectivity is now tantamount to running out of coffee the morning after the big party. This new task crept into meeting professional's job descriptions catching many unaware and scrambling for information. We feel your pain. Our conference team set [...]
The long, hot days of summer are a perfect time to relax and enjoy live music in a beautiful outdoor setting. While listening to your favorite tunes, keep one eye focused on the environmental practices taking place at the festival. The good news is, here in the Pacific Northwest, festivals and events are going green [...]
Last week I saw a consumer product with a photo of a polar bear. Right next to the sweet polar bear was the tag line, "The Right Choice." Searching the rest of the packaging, I was unable to find any reason this product was environmentally the right choice or better than the competition. Polar bears [...]
Imagine, someone begging for donations of used signage, conference bags and lanyards? Me neither, until I took a field trip to SCRAP during the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference. SCRAP takes an amazing amount of used items (ones that Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity won't) and diverts 250 tons of waste from the landfill each year. [...]
No guest room recycling because your hotel can afford to add recycling bins? Look no further. This low tech answer is as close as a paper bag. When the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference convened at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, guests found this solution in their rooms which resulted in a twitter fury praising [...]
Aqueous Inks to BioPreferred to CPG Compliant. What the heck? The ABCs of today's event managers have certainly changed with the inclusion of sustainable practices in our daily routines. There is a new vocabulary set which comes into play when making wise choices about your meetings and how they affect the planet. Thanks to my [...]
Meeting budgets continue to be slashed by organizations preparing for another lean year in 2014. You have done your best to save money, but let's face it, you can only cut a bagel into so many sections before the attendees threaten mutiny. Here are seven lean, green tips to save your organization money: Serve beverages [...]
The program is finalized, the banquet event orders are signed, sponsors have shipped their freight and now it's time for participants to head out for your event.Wait, you may want to help them pack!There are a few items they can bring to help save the environment, and in some cases, money! On your last email [...]
Engaging and connecting people...it is what we do. Whether the engagement is face-to-face, virtual or hybrid, our core competency as meeting managers is to bring information, education and a sense of community to our audience.A new report by Virtual Edge Institute in Smart Meetings, June 2013, finds the virtual event audience is trending up. Here [...]