Risk Management

  Engage Your
      Audience with
      Mobile Feedback
      Messaging

  Off-site Activities:
      Think Outside of
      the Box

  Marriott Hotels to
     Go Smoke-Free

  What Our Clients
     Are Saying

  About DE

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...

Engage Your Audience with Mobile Feedback Messaging

Engaging attendees is a vital part of a meeting’s success, so of course we were intrigued when we learned of a new interactive service that allows you to quickly and easily communicate with your attendees using two-way text messaging. You can send reminder messages, such as “Registration begins at 6:00 pm” or you can ask questions, such as “Will you be attending the dinner event this evening? 1. Yes 2. No.” Then the attendee replies with their answer.

One company, MobileFeedback.com, offers this service via a simple webpage. You create a users list that contains just a handful or thousands of cell phone numbers. You can then enter in the questions or messages that you would like to send. Click the ‘submit’ button and the message will be delivered to all of the cell phones on your list – anywhere in the world! Once the message is received, and the attendee responds, the results are shown as a graph on the webpage. The service is not only easy to use and cool, but also affordable. You can send 10 messages to 100 people for about $25.

Off-site Activities: Think Outside of the Box

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 is 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.”

What Our Clients Are Saying

"I thought the meeting went very well and I want to thank you for all your assistance and efforts to make the Investigator's meeting a success. I heard very favorable comments regarding the entire meeting." -- Mary Beth Goodale, Proctor & Gamble

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 888-417-2589.