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August 1, 2006
Risk
Management
Hurricane. Terrorist attack. Avian flu outbreak.
Staff strike. Missing attendees. Is your heart
beating fast yet? Meeting planners today have
more worst case scenarios that need to be
planned for than in the past. September 11th completely
changed our idea of risk management and the Avian
flu was not something that meeting planners
considered a year ago. This
past May, two attendees at a conference in
California went missing during a Saturday tour
trip. Luckily, that story had a happy ending,
but what if it didn’t? You don’t need to have a
plan for each and every situation that might
arise, but some thought and planning can help
reduce your risk and help things run smoothly if
a situation arises.
more...
7 Ways to
Boost Conference Attendance
1.
Have an Event Marketing Plan
Create an event marketing plan that clearly
defines your goals, budget and internal and
external resources. The plan should be mapped
out as specific as possible, but keep an open
mind throughout the planning process. If you see
that something is working better then other
marketing initiatives, adjust your plan
according…and vice versa.
more...
Think Outside the Box
Few of
us have unlimited conference budgets to work
with, but that does
not mean that we have to do the same old
things year after year. If your conference
location changes, play off of the destination or
even the venue to keep your conference fresh and
exciting for attendees.
When
looking for off-site activities, explore unique
locations around your destination. You may be
surprised at what you find! Last month in
Minnesota, Designing Events planned a board
dinner on a restored and redecorated dining
train that was originally built 135 years ago.
Board members enjoyed an elegant five-course
meal served by a four star restaurant while
taking in the scenic views of the St. Criox
Valley. The entire trip was three and a half
hours long, plenty of time for the board to have
dinner, conduct their meeting and be entertained
by the live Caberet 40’s and 50’s style music
show.
The
five dining cars on the train can accommodate up
to 260 people and there are no rental fees for
groups of 20 or more, just the cost of the meal.
The board members had a great time and it was a
meeting that they will not soon forget!
Marriott
Hotels to Go Smoke-Free
On July 19th, Marriott International announced
that beginning in December, all of their lodging
brands in the U.S. and Canada will become
smoke-free. That includes restaurants, guest
rooms, public spaces and meeting rooms in all
Marriott, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton,
Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn,
SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace
Suites and Marriott ExecuStay brands.
“Creating a smoke-free environment demonstrates
a new level of service and care for our guests
and associates,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr.,
chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott
International. “Our family of brands is
united on this important health issue, and we
anticipate very positive customer feedback.”
Visit us
at ASAE!
Designing Events will be exhibiting at the ASAE
conference August 19-22 in Boston.
Stop by booth # 612 to learn what DE can do for
you!
What Our
Clients Are Saying
"Thanks for making our lives easier during
our recent conference. It was a relief to know
that everything – from big issues to small
details – was being taken care of. It gave us
the opportunity to focus more fully on other
aspects of the conference – like spending time
with our members. And we so appreciate your
doing everything with a smile and a reassuring
calmness.” -- Judy Blatman, Council for
Responsible Nutrition
Click
here to read more testimonials from DE clients.
About DE
Designing Events is a premier global provider of
planning, management and marketing services for
events, meetings and conferences. Visit
designingevents.com
for more information or contact us at
info@designingevents.com
or 866-867-1933. |
