BeExpressions

Generation Y

2011-12-28T14:24:00.012-06:00

Folks, 2012, like the other 2,011 years that came before it, brings in a new year. New goals, new expectations, and most importantly new ideas. Thus, as we celebrate new beginnings, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Ryan, I am 30 years old and I represent the next big thing in the event business. And that statement is only one quarter ego.

What I mean is that I am among the first forming the line of a new generation checking themselves in at the registration desk of the meeting and event industry. Now what are you going to do with us?

We represent some 76 million worker bees — with a trillion dollars at our disposal — who are just beginning to make our impact felt in the workforce. Over the next 10 years, we’ll significantly change the way work is being done in the office — and by extension, the way meetings and events will need to be held. In the coming years, you will see us infiltrate meetings in growing numbers and, for the most part, we have no interest in sitting in ballrooms, classroom style, listening to your talking heads.

Gone are coming the days of the CEO’s “State of the State” while a passive audience watches. Even if that CEO presentation is done by holograph or takes place in Second Life. Because Gen Y is a group conditioned to participate! From birth we have been raised in a media-saturated environment, constantly bombarded and entertained while parents, teachers and coaches successively booked our calendars with teamwork, homework and activities both interactive and independent. Beyond the, we are the tech-literate generation; a population better conditioned to multitask than any other. The result: creatures adept at and working toward trying to build the best “life experience” for ourselves. The other result – we feel entitled to share our opinions, we want to sit at the board table with tell the CEO, we want constant feedback, we want to be on the ‘team’ and we want to do it however and whenever we want.

Why does any of this matter to meeting and event planners? It matters because Gen Y-ers will not feel bad about walking out of your next program if they do not feel personally engaged. The greatest coming struggle I think for planners will be around engagement. If planners do not create programs which engage and empower our generation, we will most likely walk away from the program because we will find it not worth our time. That may sound harsher than I intend, but we are a generation for whom work is not intended to be our life, just one part. And if that part is unenergizing, uneducational, or just plain boring, we will find something else that is.

What I am not advocating here is the pair of traps I feel planners sometimes step into when trying to address the issue of engaging this audience. I am not talking in this piece about meetings and events which will become downgraded to what I like to call edu-tainment First on edu-tainment – I believe there is an assumption that the MTV2 generation means they need to be entertained in order to educate them. But entertainment is not engagement. Do you need to gain our attention? Yes. But we really are smarter than we appear on television. Proper engagement means creating events to meet our generation where they are at as you plan programs for them. Work towards their strengths. Create opportunities for team work. Allow us to brainstorm and voice our thoughts with leaders who can implement those ideas. Create opportunities to learn based on visuals and hands on exploratory experiences. Create connection opportunities with the greater global society so that we may embrace a diversity of ideas and people.

Second, I am not advocating that technology is the solution to engaging this generation. While we were raised online, technology and its toys are not in themselves the solution to make us more engaged in meetings - though they may be tools. Often I feel planners consider jumping on the bandwagon of the next emerging technology and implementing its application into their meetings and events because it is cool, hip, interesting, or trendy rather than because it facilitates the function of the program. The assumption seems to be if we give a tech tech-savvy 20 something a PDA to play with, an RFID tag which geo-positions him and his friends at the event or hold the meeting in Second Life, somehow she will be engaged (maybe you mean entertained.) The danger I fret is that we loose the real jewel of our programs – the face to face interaction of people with one another. It is not that I am against technology – live texting, for example, is one of the most interesting installations in events I have seen lately. It is that never want to see a planner or a program stray away from its purpose or plan for the sake of a tech gadget. I personally gain far more from sitting in a boardroom with fellow creatives and a flip chart than I do out of the flashiest PowerPoint presentation.

So what is planner to do? In my opinion, the battle cry of Gen Y is “experience” and “opportunity.” While that first word is not new to our industry, least we not forget it when we think about the second. Meetings and events in my opinion are evolving creatures which in the coming years may push beyond the group experience of today into completely personalized opportunities. Future learning may take not one, but several forms. For the same material and meetings and events will need to serve a vast diversity of populations and desires not in one place but in many. A program on social responsibility may take the form of a group of creatives sitting in a boardroom in New York conceptualizing solutions, while tactile learners simultaneously visit a factory in China. Still, others may head online into a global classroom for a year long discussion on all facets of the topic, while their colleague in the cube next door plays a virtual video game with a built-in learning module. This is about delivering content in the format of choice for the attendee, not the attendee adapting to the delivery of the content.

Many I know think that as a generation we are entitled, and while there is always truth in every perception, I wish to caution that blanket assumption. It is not entirely ego that leads us to such a belief, but rather that we grew up learning in environments which worked to our strengths and where we constantly received positive feedback, giving us a very high perception of our own value and abilities. We really do have the idea that we know things, that we have the right to ask questions and to challenge, and that people should listen to our ideas. We are a generation adept at flexibility, tapped into creative thinking, able to navigate and process vast amounts of information while tapping into a larger diversity of resources and ideas quickly, all the while honestly believing we can make a difference.

That, in short is the greatest asset of Generation Y as I know it. We are a group of experience-driven individuals who see themselves as capable of changing the world. We believe in our potential with an optimism that really can cause change. Harnessing this talent is, I believe, the challenge before the meeting industry as our events morph to meet this new attendee profile. It will mean getting out of the comfortable ballroom and into engaging environments which foster innovation and conversation. It will demand that we intermix the generations and embrace diversity in everything from how work is done to where and how the meeting is held to help find solutions for the betterment of organizations and society alike.

And so, if I or any of my cohorts end up your next dinner meeting, just seat us next to the CEO. I am certain we will have a few ideas to share.

Photo References:
http://www.commentsyard.com/cy/01/6874/happy-new-year-graphics-09.jpg
http://blogging4jobs.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/geny.jpg
http://www.thesocialleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ego.jpg

On Collaboration

2011-11-08T19:00:00.000-06:00

In honor of the focus on rethinking events, this post diverts a little from the specific focus on design to an emerging trend in how events are being designed: by collaborative teams of clients and vendors. Specifically for those clients looking to change up how they have always done things or in need of an infusion of creative thoughts, a collaborative team approach to the design of your event can bring fresh ideas and better results in the end.

The Collaborative Pitch
In the last year or so I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of conversations I have had with industry colleagues who have told me the same story: “We lost a pitch because the client wanted one thing we didn’t offer in house.” “Who won the pitch?” I’d ask. Without fail, the same response, “Another company who brought in a partner(s) to do that one other part.”

In our current economy and climate there is a palpable yearning for new ideas and big thinking for clients tired of holding back and wanting to do something. (That doesn’t mean they are spending more, just that they are ready for something else.) And at the same time there is a tremendous amount of great talent in small businesses or with very target business focuses in our industry. So the best thing a producer or designer can do on their next big pitch: harness that talent.

We have to stop the myth that one person or one company can successfully be all things to all of their clients. Maybe you can be all things for one of your clients, but you will never be all things to all of your clients. And the more you try to be all things, the more it seem you loose in the game because the margins are low or competition is stiff or because there will always be someone with another idea. Clients want to pay for value and clients will pay big if you can offer them a unique competitive advantage. But your unique advantage will always be specific, never general. So the opportunities in our industry are prime to partner and to collaborate to win that next piece of business.

How do you do that? By establishing relationships with the best talent you can at a variety of price points and personalities. Then when you are offered that next bid, create the right team to execute the best solution for the client and pitch that team, not just yourself. Let each expert shine in their capabilities and by default your chances for success will greatly increase.

The Collaborative Team
Do you remember that scene in the movie “A Beautiful Mind” from several years back when the PhD students are standing in a bar trying to compete for the attention of a beautiful woman who has just entered the bar with her friends. Then, being graduate mathematics students, they derive that if they stop competing for the one woman but each turns their attention to one of her friends, all win. That idea would go on to help the real life John Nash win a Nobel Prize in economics, but its core idea has something to say about creating events.

I have been involved in too many projects in which vendors compete to be the best client partner in order to be in control of biggest share of the client’s budget. Vendors want to be the one to own the biggest piece (or the whole pie) and disseminate the money as they see most fit. Or the more logistical application of the scenario is that most vendors do not know the other vendors involved in the project and so all show up on site with their own crews, their own lifts, their own production schedules and game plans and then conflict ensues when the décor company wants to attach a fabric swag over the productions companies speaker. Time is wasted and more importantly money is wasted.

But what if you take another approach and focus on the fact that a successfully designed and executed event is a win for you client and therefore for each of the vendors involved. As no one company can do it all, all of the time, for every client, multiple vendors will most likely always be involved. So why not build a collaborative team of vendors focused on collectively executing the best event for your client? A savvy producer or designer upon being awarded a piece of business should be able to determine the personality of their client and bring to the table the right collection of design, technical and event execution partners to meet that clients specific needs. I am making a call her for more boutique collaborative work to generate new and interesting solutions and ideas rather than general event houses who try to do everything themselves. While there is nothing wrong with one-stop event shops, I will say the most successful events I have been a part of are the ones in which the best players from a diverse range of industries or parts of the event industry come to the table to make a new thing happen.

The other component to a collaborative partnership of vendors that is crucial is for those vendors to widen their perspective beyond themselves. Too often onsite there is a mentality of “this is my job”, or a focus on only doing your piece without recognizing how their part of the event affects the other vendor partners involved. Instead installations would flow more effectively with a team approach in which all vendors understand the bigger picture and how their part relates to all of the other moving pieces. Then lines of communication can be opened. Then the decorators can help distribute the lighting equipment so they can set the dance floor or the technical team can maximize the value of the union labor call by incorporating the designers hang points into the rigging plot.

The Client’s Responsibility
Most of the issues that arise among vendors onsite at events happen because vendors are not permitted or empowered to communicate in advance of the event. Clients: introduce your vendor partners to each other and let them communicate! Doing so will only save you time, money, and aspirin onsite.

The collaborative team approach is a fun opportunity for the client to be more engaged in the process of putting together an event and the creative design elements. When you start with a collaborative team, there is more opportunity for dialogue and discussion and more chances for the client team to have input (and if your clients are like mine, I am seeing more of them wanting to be involved in the process and give a LOT of input!). However, the client must realize that a collaborative process can be a more messy process: more time is spent meeting and discussing and creating on the front end, time for idea generation and evolution is required as more players are involved, education of the goals and objectives of the event to a larger audience is required and potentially a larger audience needs the opportunity for buy in and feedback. The best thing a client can do in this situation is be a leader or empower your event designer or producer to be a leader on your behalf and manage that process, keep the team on track and the ideas driving forward to a successful event, one which will be better in the end than any one individual on the team could have created on their own.

Photo References:
http://www.thelifeworkstrategies.com/images/team.jpg
http://www.free-press-release.com/members/members_pic/200911/img/1259258333.jpg
http://androidguide.ru/img/19/194/A_Beautiful_Mind_John_Nash_Game_Theory_Scene.jpg

Not Your Standard Event Seating Set-up

2011-10-15T12:31:00.004-05:00

We all know the standard seating set-ups:
General Session = Theater
Breakout = Theater or Classroom. Mix if you are a risk taker
Meals and Awards Program = Banquet Seating, nearly always in rounds of 10

That is it. Those are the choices, or better stated the way we do things and if you know these three and can use the equations to figure out required square footage for your guest count in each of these seating arrangements, you know all you need to know to seat your guests at your meetings or events.

Wrong.

There are other choices. And this month’s column wants to both explore them and finally give you all permission to try something else.

Sofas: They aren’t just for lounges anymore!
Anyone who has ever sat in a general session room in the middle of a long row of interlocked chairs knows how completely uncomfortable the seating is and uncomfortable seating makes for a disengaged or distracted participant. As our industry continues to migrate away from lecture based learning format towards the more effective, participatory, multi-directional conversational learning models, we have to adapt our designed environments to support this style of learning. And that means we need to adapt the way we seat people at meetings and events. Rows don’t encourage conversation of classroom tables create barriers to engagement with a speaker. So instead we should take note from the lounge trend in the special events industry, which took the lesson from interior designers working in living rooms: create conversational zones/areas.

Sofa seating, particularly armless sofa seating offers not only a more comfortable place to sit down, but naturally encourages conversation. We all know that people do not (really) talk across the span of a 72” table, but if you think about the last time you went to a café or a restaurant, you can converse across a 36” table. And if you simply arc the row of theater seats to create semi circle rows of between seven and ten, you create a natural conversation zone for when the presenter throws out a question to the audience. The intention in incorporating these other choices is vary up the possibilities and recognize that different individuals learn and engage differently. And if we don’t support those various needs in the design of our space, we are missing out on setting them up for success in capturing their attention or participation.

Rake it Backwards
Have you ever wondered why it is called “upstage” or “downstage”? Well, a long time ago, the floor of an auditorium used to be flat and the stage was raked, meaning it was lower in the front of the stage than it was at the back to help the audience be able to see the actors on stage. Thus when you moved upstage, you were literally walking up hill towards the back of the stage. Then it flipped and stages became flat while the floor of the auditorium was raked to set each row of chairs progressively higher than the row in front.

Well this raking concept is applicable in order to make multiple seating options function in a breakout of general session room. The height of each seating option should progressively get taller as you move away from the stage. Thus start in the front row with low, backless seating choices: benches, ottomans, etc. The next subset would include soft seating with backs: sofas and lounge chairs. The third furniture grouping could include theater seating or small groupings of chairs with small end tables utilizing chairs which encourage better posture - meaning the have straight backs which prevent you from lounging. Next comes cocktail tables, half rounds or rounds with standard seating, but inclusive of “workspace”. Behind these come taller tables: highboys or higher tables with stool seating. The back rows should allow for standing room, incorporating highboys as workspace or a place to keep your stuff.

Every event doesn’t not need or require every level of seating listed, of course. If workspace is necessary, you might start with low tables in the front and offer higher tables in the back/standing room options. But as more and more people go mobile, there will be less and less requirements for actual tables – because my iPad works in my lap just as well as it works on a table. Other creative or strategic events may desire to totally break the mold and use not only sofas, but exercise balls, bean bags or even standing treadmill workstations! The point is a room that offers individual attendees the opportunity to gravitate to the type of seating situation that is most productive or comfortable for their learning and functional needs while obeying the time honored need for clean sightlines to the stage or the presenter/presentation.

The Challenges
Even though this column has hopefully excited some reader to give new seating options a try, a couple notes of caution. Mixing up the seating is great, but know upfront that it takes up more space. Traditional seating options (classroom, banquet, theater) are known quantities with specific formulas and particularly in the case of theater seating, is an effectively ways to seat a lot of people in a given space. Mixing up the seating options takes more space. You can’t just have a sofa, you probably want a coffee or side table too. The rows have to be bigger and more spread out. Mixing up the sizes of tables also will require more space and vary the size or shapes of your rows.

That said, it is increasingly important to have a resource that can render space drawings with your unique floor plan of varied seating. While most venues have calculated the standard seating set-ups, unfortunately, too often venues do not have accurate, detailed drawings of their meeting spaces readily available so measurements are key. Work with the venue closely to make sure they understand you are trying something out of the box. Correctly labeling various types of tables or chairs will greatly ease confusion when the venue attempts to set-up the room. And as always ensure that your floor plan is run by the fire marshal to make sure that in the new or random arrangement, there is enough space for safe evacuation should that be necessary.

Finally, know your audience before you make the switch. If your breakout is continuing education for lawyers or doctors, you will probably have to be stuck with executive chairs set classroom and even in the most creative of situations, you can’t through out all of the traditional seating options. Human beings are creatures of expectation: they have been to a meeting before and they believe they have a script in their heads for what a meeting room looks like. So they can be knocked completely uncomfortable from the start if they walk into a space that only offers sofas where they have come to expect chairs. And that uncomfortablness can shut them down entirely as participants or learners in a space. So start out with a couple sofas in the front or a couple high-boys in the back because it is better to innovate with small changes over time than radical complete switches all at once.

Callout
Want to learn more about the importance of seating in your event space? Check out the book “Seating Matters” by Paul Radde. Thank you to @ASegar for the lead on this great resource for event planners.

Photo References:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0962587222/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

Inspiration: Rediscovering the Art of Storytelling in Ads

2011-05-16T22:42:00.007-05:00

With the exception of an annual tradition - the Brit Awards at the Walker Arts Center - I am not usually a fan of television commercials. Even multi-million dollar Superbowl ads don't inspire me anymore - it just strikes me that so few are targeted at curious, thoughtful adults. Which is why I am so pleasantly surprised and amused with the smart and savvy use of storytelling I have been seeing re-infused into television commercials recently. Maybe with the end of ad watching, agencies cleaned house a new talent rose to the top to create some really great, forward thinking commercials. The commercial recession is definitely (or hopefully) over.

Sprint: A National Social Media Experiment

Have you seen these ad? First thought: are they for real? Second thought: what a brilliant idea. For so long we have seen the turn to "Joe Public" for companies to profile real people in their commercials - usually staging their employees as helpful (ie: Lowes). But in this case, Sprint is seemingly taking customers, sharing their real emails and phone numbers and crowd-sourcing the public to congratulate them on their achievements or offer them help. The dubbed campaign is "Random Acts of Togetherness"

In the first commercial, we get the pleasure of calling, texting or emailing birthday wishes to Veatrice Hendersen turning 100.

UPDATE: Over 300,000 people wished Mrs. Hendersen Happy Birthday! See the Follow-Up Ad.

In the second commercial, a struggling soccer team, the South Windsor Thunder is looking for help for a winning season. There are also a wide variety of web-specific campaigns from silly - let cats take over the internet - to more traditional: a crowd-source to rename a local band, receiving 54,174 suggestions.

Rosetta Stone: More than words, indeed.

Come on...how many times have you walked by these kiosks at the mall and thought to yourself: Avoid! We have all seen the info-commercials for the yellow box promising to teach me how to talk, er, communicate in a wide range of languages. Which means I was struck by surprise to see this new ad which seems to be a 180 degree turn on the product! They stopped hawking a yellow box at me and started sharing with me the real power behind learning a new language: access to a community and a world much bigger than the one I know. Rather than hitting me up to buy a box, they started selling an idea, a way of being which in an instant shot my perception of this transactional product into a brand with values I might enjoy partaking in or fan-ing soon. Their new tag hits it on the head: "More than Words: Understanding"

Google Chrome: The Revelation of a Story, Shared for Good

Leave it to Google to break the mold and deliver a 90 second commercial that finally, actually says something. The last three times this commercial has come on, I have stopped what I am doing to watch. What is brilliant in this commercial is how they have positioned the "product" - Google Chrome - as the delivery vehicle for the telling of the story of what individuals and communities can do through the power of the web.

The premise of the ad is the evolution of the "It gets better" campaign founded by columnist Dan Savage and his partner in reaction to the rash of suicides of young gay people. The ad opens simply enough with the news stories setting up the premise, displayed through the ads product - Google Chrome - the web browser lens through which we watch all of the action of the commercial. Next, Dan and his partner are seen in their posted video on YouTube, sharing their emotional reaction to those news stories. As the ad continues you watch this natural campaign swell as a community contributes content through the web - the count of posted video messages from individuals and celebrities alike are profiled. The story grows, as a YouTube channel, then a blog and next a website populated with videos, resulting in messages of spread hope. Then it ends, simply enough with the message: "Dan Savage: Messenger." "the web is what you make of it."

I am sure this is the first in a series of commercials and I am very much looking forward to the next chapter(s).

UPDATE: I found the next Chapter. Daniel Lee is a dad capturing through the web his daughter growing up. This one tugs at the heart, but in such an authentic way. Which is why it works. It creates and emotional connection with the viewer, and places that positive affinity onto the brand in such a great way. Bravo Chrome. You nailed another one.

As a final sidebar: If you have yet to see Morgan Spurlock's newest film, Pom Wonderful Presents, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold - it is well worth the ticket. You will be equally amused and befuddled at the needs of marketers to promote their brands and our need to massively consume those brands. Check out the Trailer.

An Act of Logistics

2011-04-28T06:06:00.007-05:00

As I hustle and bustle around London this week meeting several incredible vendors who have worked on Royal Weddings and Royal Affairs of the past (blog to follow), I am awestruck each time I take a moment on the streets of London to notice the logistical monstrosity that is the plan to pull off a Royal Wedding.

Sure there are the "wedding details" - Seating Charts, Royal Protocol, Timelines for departures and arrivals, event planning for private dinners, receptions, a ceremony, dinner and a party, dressing protocols for the Abbey and for the Palace, the flowers and the FOOD! - all of them being slowly leaked by Buckingham Palace. But then also there is the task of setting up a parade to the Church and back from the Palace along the streets of London for upwards of an expected 1 million visitors.

All along the route, miles and miles of road barricade is being distributed and set-up. London is a biking city, but the rent-a-bikes have been picked up from stations around town. Scaffold structures have been erected every 100 yards or so with camera crews masked behind plywood painted "stone" to blend in with buildings. All of the back streets are filled with placed boom lifts, from which I assume cameras will be lofted tomorrow.

Today, we were walking the streets and heard the public "sound check" as the speakers strategically positioned, and often hidden were playing ceremonial music. In Trafalgar Square, half of the square has massive truss structures and erected to support speakers and screens for viewing tomorrow. Behind them, MSNBC is broadcasting live from a 20x60m (it appears) tent in front of the National Garden. In about 15 minutes we are headed to the Fox Studios - one of a dozen shooting studios rented by US and foreign press, erected as huge green structures outside Buckingham Palace, green to blend in with the trees. Everyone is positioned and ready to capture the Pomp and the Circumstance of tomorrow; Everyone is set to catch every detail and break the news of each detail of this Royal Affair.

But to the folks who will never get the credit, the team buried somewhere inside the Royal Staff or the Government who is responsible for managing all of the logistics required to pull this feat off, I tip my cap. Because the chaos is lacking drama - I am amazed at how smooth the set-up is, from my vantage point as a person on the street. Having been a part of the Republican National Convention hosted in Minneapolis/St. Paul in 2008 - I remember all of the security, the drama and the struggle of getting around. But none of the vendors we have met with have suggested this to be the case. I am sure their are challenges, but I am amazed at how easy it all feels and how close I as an everyday person can get. Changes, Road Closures, Tube issues and suggestions are all being clearly communicated. Nothing is stopping us from moving about the city in the midst of their set-up. While I am sure this is not the fist time the logistics team has planned or set-up this type of an event, they have perfected the art; it is certainly very well done. And I can't wait to see it come together tomorrow.

To Manage or To Create Expectation? That's my question...

2011-04-26T13:45:00.019-05:00

This week I find myself fortunate enough to be located in London in the midst of action surrounding the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton. Whereas I thought the US press was obsessed, you can't turn the corner in London this week without seeing a new breaking piece of news or a new "promotional product," - as we would call them at a company meeting, though I doubt William or Kate are benefiting from the "branding"- promoting the big day!

With little doubt the expectations are high. And then today, BizBash magazine emailed me a quote from an NBC Executive that the Royal Wedding represents "[O]ur biggest international technical build-out ever." Everyone has hope; this will be bigger than the 1981 spectacle of Will's parents, Prince Charles and Diana. But then again, I am wondering if that will be true...

The world is different than 1981. The Royal Family and Britian are a different place. America is different and the media has radically changed! But what are our expectations? In the United States, though Twitter is ablaze with "who cares" and royal wedding media coverage burnout, the truth is that this is a spectacle we want to see and to be a part of. Royalty is not part of the American culture; and so we have to live vicariously through the English Monarchy... They are the fairytale fantasy... We want a big wedding to wow us. We don't need opulence, but some small part of our culture would love to bask in it. And as an events industry, I believe there is a hope that this event will drive both trends and spending in social events on "our side" of the pond.

And yet, as I am talking with individuals involved in Royal Weddings of the past, there is a side of this affair which I haven't heard yet. The Royal Couple is "holding back" this time around and many royal traditions of weddings past are being bucked not (or not only) because this is a modern couple, but because (get this) of the economy. The economy is still in the midst of a recession abroad and William and Kate are leery to "show-off" too much.

So what will that mean come Friday? There are definite positives to this attitude: Social Media access to this event for folks worldwide (though lets see the reaction); a donation of 500,000 quid to 26 local charities in place of gifts; and a commitment to sustainability as the flowers in Westminster Abby will be live, including trees, rather than all cut - so that they can be replanted post wedding. But there will be no traditional towering showcase cake. Maybe the dress will end up being elegant, but underwhelming. Will we still be blown away with the fantasy of a wedding attended by an estimated million people live on the streets of London? Or will it under-deliver in the name of the people?

Well weddings are generally outside of my jurisdiction of work, this story raises an interesting question which is relevant for all events. What is our role as event professionals, as the event planners or the clients throwing events, in creating expectations for our guests/our audiences? What is our role in managing them? I am currently working on a project with a corporate client in just this situation. They threw an incredible, interactive, highly engaging brand launch in 2010. They have decided to do the event again, but not with the same budget. And the attendees are the same. How do you manage the established expectations from 2010 in 2011, or do we work to create a completely new project to create new expectations of the audience this time around?

For Events, which is it? Do we manage expectations? Or do we create them?

Stop Decorating, Start Designing.

2011-03-01T23:22:00.001-06:00

Originally Published in Event Solutions Magazine in February 2011

Nine times out of ten, design articles and columns focus themselves on hot products, great ideas and the next best trend. Design writers want to share their latest event, a cool new product or the a crazy color combination. They obsess themselves with the things that we design with – linens and flowers and food and technology. That is to say most design articles focus themselves on the very practical, well received, easily digestible and highly desired content of decorations.

I think this is because decorations are tangible; therefore they are easy to understand. I can write a column all about what to do with ice (see last month) and you the reader will understand five interesting ways to use ice at their next event. But what does an ice sculpture - however cool - or, for that matter, a linen or a centerpiece idea have to do with design. Nothing. And everything.

The nothing part first. To Decorate. To Design. Both active verbs, but with different meanings and different outcomes. The term decorate is defined as the act of embellishing, of furnishing or adorning with something ornamental. When you decorate, you make something more attractive by adding ornament or color. By contrast the term design means thoughtful creation. Design implies a thoughtful intent to create something that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functions. To decorate is to simply cover up for some purpose. To design is to reveal that purpose at its best and make it beautiful.

The designer knows why the design exists. The decorator doesn’t. Designing is making conscious decisions which are informed by your events purpose and which collaborate to communicate that purpose. Decorating also requires conscious decisions but void of intention, the décor exists often for its own sake because it is pleasing or beautiful. That is why a centerpiece, a buffet, or a linen on their own merit have nothing individually to do with the design of an event. They may be beautiful as individual elements or even in combination, but void of any correlation to the purpose of the event they are simply decoration.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with decoration. I know and respect greatly a lot of people who decorate very well. And many times, our clients are only looking to us to be decorators – to make their events pretty or colorful or beautiful. And as decorators, we do this and all is well.

I said at the beginning that a linen or a centerpiece may have everything to do with design. And they do, when they are a part of the conscious plan of event and are chosen not for their own sake, but to be active contributors to the experience being created. When these individual elements work to contribute to the telling of a story or communicate the values of a brand, then they have a role to play in the design of the event. Then they exceed their own merit and contribute aesthetically and purposefully to the project.

So in this new year, I would like to take a chance with this column to advocate for the designer. That individual who sees and is inspired, and truly creates – a risk taking behavior which means finding something new (at least to them) which meets their clients need and in the art of its making, the design acts to communicate a value, a purpose, or an idea. And to ask more clients to seek design for their events in 2011 – to create experiences rooted in purpose, with the intent to communicate a message.

The great thing about being a designer is that you are part of a process. It is collaborative, creative, and messy, but in its success, together with your client, you end up making something greater than the sum of its parts. And through that process, not only does the event meet its key objectives – and the audience shares an experience worth having – but you and your client learn because you tried and you become better at your job because you took part in a process that continues on the next event and the next one and the next.

What is Next in Special Events...

2011-01-17T14:07:00.005-06:00

While I am spending this year absent in my published blog posts due to my position as the President of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter of ISES, this post was too timely to hold until the end of my term.

For all of you event professionals who want to be on the pulse for what is coming...For the second year in a row, my good friend Lara McCulloch of Ready2Spark has brought together 9 innovative thinkers on the topic. We were proud to again be a part of this book sharing our thoughts on the future of Special Events and our need as an industry to focus in on giving a voice to our audiences.

Have a read of the e-book. It is worth your time.

View it through Slideshare
Download What’s Next in Events ebook

7 Rules for Choosing a Hotel

2010-07-01T13:39:00.006-05:00

Call me silly or too demanding, but in the age of everyone-has-a-voice, I choose to write this post to share my seven rules for taking a client to, or staying at a given hotel. As a corporate planner in a past life, event designer now and a regular conference attendee, these are the things that drive me bonkers! The hotel sales or catering manager or conference planner would be wise to pay attention: if I am (or any other guest is) on property and these seven things are missing, my perceived experience of the venue or the conference will be less high than it probably ought to be:

Rule 1: When you inquisitively inquire through your online room reservation process to learn that I like high floors, extra pillows and being as far away from the elevator as possible with my room, don't put me on 2, across from the elevator doors with one pillow.

Rule 2: If I cannot get a A) Cheeseburger, B) Fries, and C) Strawberry Milkshake after 10:30 PM - I am going somewhere else.

Rule 3: Take every planner (and vendor) through the back of house on a site visit. It is way more helpful to know up front that to get to the dock, you need to make 3 sharp lefts, go through a smaller-than-average, single door and walk 927 yards than to figure that out when the lounge furniture can't make the corner to get into the freight elevator.

Rule 4: Not everyone drinks coffee. Put soda and water into every coffee break. Yes, even at 10 AM.

Rule 5: Desk, Chair, Lamp, Internet Connection: Must mean this is a workstation in my room. So why are the only free outlets in the bathroom? (Subsequent points: the chair should be tall enough to comfortably work at the desk, not just a decorative accessory. Put in more than one extra outlet at the desk - Really, I need at least 3. And stop it with the glass top desks or the really well finished wood. No mouse ever works on these. Give me a mouse pad or a surface that functions - because the amenities price list is too small a surface to use as a substitute.)

Rule 6: Now I know as a planner that hotel room blocks are booked months and years in advance of the conference, meeting or event. And I know that clients can and do pay big attrition rates on the rooms that don't fill up. But stop telling me that you negotiated a great rate at the conference hotel when a 30 second search on Google shows me (attendee) that the rate at every hotel in the neighborhood is $50-$100-$200 less expensive. Re-negotiate the rate.

Rule 7: Internet is not a marketing ploy. Low/Mid-range business hotels promote regularly the free internet offered in their $89-$129 rooms. So why is it $12.99+ (++) in my $200+ (++) hotel room. It is no longer a relevant bargaining tool for only the big conferences. Internet should be free. Period.

Rule 7.1: Internet should be free. Period. In all meeting and event space and rooms, general access to Internet should be provided for all attendees, presenters and conference organizers.

Garage Sale Anyone?

2010-06-14T23:01:00.006-05:00

Event Peeps: the time has come. Get rid of the stuff. All that stuff on your shelves. The great pieces which go out every weekend. And those pieces which go out every once and a while. And the deal you got on those 40 whatchamawhosits which you have never used. It is time to get rid of the stuff, because for the events of tomorrow - the stuff doesn't matter.

Ok, so maybe you don't have to trash or sell your stuff to stay in the event business (though in the last two year, I am sure some professionals thought about it and other downsized at least a little). But I am not promoting a more economical version of your business. I am writing this note to promote your people, because for the events of tomorrow, people are what count.

As I have continued to create new projects for clients across the country, I have come into a strong appreciation for the value of trustworthy event partners. As a designer there is nothing better to have than a great lighting designer who supports your vision. As a producer, your technical director is invaluable. But people have known this for years and everyone knows relationships are how this business functions. But as the dust settles on the shake up we are emerging from, the importance of those relationships I think are going to become more and more important. The new normal for events require that we open our eyes and look up from our sketch pads to see who else is working-creating-producing-designing in the field. To do that well, means that we all must become better at building teams and discovering the people who can be true partners for the sake of the project. Clients want us to collaborate to create better projects than any one person or company can do on their own. And the companies that win are the companies learn to market and sell their best assets: their talented staff.

Let me try to explain this with an example - and I think audio visuals provide the perfect example. When I travel with a show, I want to have production crew who I know, who I trust, and who I know have the best interests of my client and our project front of mind. The typical model for hiring and working with an audio visual company is that you hire the talent, you book the stuff on their shelves. And if you are headed out of town, you will truck that stuff along with you. But here is the problem: almost always, that "stuff" is anywhere my client is headed. Why waste energy and dollars shipping equipment across country when that equipment already resides at your destination. But that trusted production crew is not at your destination. The stuff in the production companies truck has no value but the people have tremendous value.

I know this is counter to how most of these companies make money - but we live in a new world and those models are tired. I want the people - I don't need the stuff. And the companies who are able to figure out how to rent out their qualified staff with or without the stuff from the shelves are, in my opinion, the companies who will keep creating innovative events.

And if per chance, you are thinking about selling some stuff: try usedeventstuff.com. A very cool event recycling concept!

Hitting the Blog-o-sphere

2010-06-08T23:39:00.005-05:00

We have been busy being published elsewhere lately. I wish I could say that is the reason we have been slow to blog ourselves...you know coming up with fresh design content for a bi-monthly column in an international magazine... writing insightful posts for other vastly-more-popular-than-our blogs... but the truth is we have just been busy. But don't worry. There is a tall stack of post-its and scratch pieces of paper with blog posts to be piled high next to my laptop. Just a matter of time...

In the meantime - check out our featured images from photographer Noah Wolf's blog post on a corporate event for the brand new Target Field he recently shot for us as well as the latest guest blog installment of DesignDawgs, featuring yours truly.

It is a whole new world.

2010-05-28T17:22:00.010-05:00

The theme of my life in the last week has been busy.
(i.e. I still haven't learned how to keep up on blogging. Anyone who knows, please tweet me.)

The real theme of the last week of my life has been a very real realization just how much the world has changed. And how not everyone yet knows it. Despite the vast popularity of MadMen (and my love of it), that world is over. The general session is a dying model. (or should be). Meeting and event content can no longer be only projected on screen and stated on stage if you want anyone to CARE. It must be reinforced. It must be experienced. It must be made real. Because no longer can we advertise brands and communicate organizational messages by shouting at people. AND live/virtual/hybrid events are not the new billboard for that purpose. We have to invite a two-way dialogue, encourage participation allow for the building of trust and empower great ideas to be community-driven, bubbling-up from the crowd, not pushed out from the executive speech writer.

But that is a big way of saying what I think is so brilliantly summed up in a European Microsoft Commercial. While the commercial specifically addresses advertising, remember, events require the same new set of rules for our whole new world. Enjoy.

Event Education. What is it all about? Part 2

2010-03-18T06:49:00.002-05:00

Sit for 5 minutes with any idea and you are certain to come up with more to say. Hence a part two to my last blog post. I wanted to spend a bit more time on bullet 5 from the last post: Events can be content for education/there is education in the experience.

This appears to me so obvious, it strikes me as surprising that experiential learning at event conferences tends to be a foreign idea. There is this tremendous rivalry between the "social" events and the "education" sessions, but I have never understood why the two have been put at odds, other than to say that there is a track record of "social" events produced as parties, not as educational tools. But I find it truly unfair as a paying attendee (and recently a producer of one of these events) to be short-changed by conferences panning off these events as purely social exercises. Without fail at each conference event I can point to lessons and learning (important caveat) I have made. I can count on one hand the number of meaningful educational class sessions I have attended in the past six years.

Ask me and I will tell you that part of the problem is that the showcasing and award events at conferences do not know what purpose they really serve (or are not open to serving as a formal educational opportunity, though they inevitably always serve as passive education). While I am certain people will disagree with me, the role of an event at an event industry conference HAS to be bigger than networking and celebratory. These experiences should represent the best of what the business can do - displaying the process or professionally producing an event, emerging technologies, ideas, strategies and practices in delivering event experiences. They must be more than pretty parties. They must have goals and stick to them; they should take calculated risks and be OK falling forward when some don't pan out and others succeed.

If I ran a conference, I would love to attend this class: The day after the big showcase event or awards ceremony, the event team which worked on the event sits on a panel with a strong facilitator to discuss with the audience the process and design of the event, what was successful, and what challenges were faced and how were they overcome. This is NOT a class opportunity for the event team to brag, but requires extreme vulnerability on the teams part to host this live "actors studio" type discussion on the creation and execution of an event experienced by the audience. The audience can pose questions and help examine the choices that made that experience in 360 degree fashion. Now that would be a fun class.

Event Education. What is it all about?

2010-03-17T18:00:00.004-05:00

I am home from my second event conference of the year and after a successful week of networking, attending great events and teaching (however successfully) classes, I find myself reflecting again on a perpetual question-argument-debate at every conference. Just what is event education supposed to be about?

At each conference this year I was fairly disappointing with the turnout in the education sessions. Feel free to blame the speaker (me) or the timing (last day, early). Here I was, about to teach a class, in a massive room with, in one case, (ugh), convention theater seating, and in the second case, (ugh), classroom tables for rows set-up and the always to be expected one participant per row

First, my soap box: Come on people! We are in the event business - we have to do a better job at designing breakout and general session spaces to be conductive of learning. Why do we insist on putting so many barriers in the way of interactivity: a podium on a riser (for 20 people, really.) Classroom tables. Uncomfortable theater seating, where I have to put two chairs in-between myself and the next person because A) I don't fit in the chair with no gap between myself and my neighbor and B) because I am lugging around this big conference bag of materials. While "comfortable" and expected, these items act as barriers between a speaker and the audience. And if you believe, like me, that education more about facilitated dialogue among the crowd and less about what I the speaker know, then these set-up really just get in the way. (And don't ask me about the screen which was set back at an angle such that 1/3 of the room couldn't see it!)

But to the bigger question. Staging conference education is a lot like staging an event. In any given audience you will have someone enthralled with what you do, someone bored silly with what you do, someone who is passing time, but the content will sink in later, and someone distracted by the latest disaster/news being reported 140 characters at a time over their mobile device. It is a vast audience with so many specific ideas and needs it will make your head spin. The repetitive issues seem always to be the same: Content is too junior! Content is too senior. Content is lacking all together.

So what is the deal? Here are my rules:

1. People want content. (period.) Celebrity status means nothing anymore and doesn't cut it to fill an hour. Sexy titles may win selection, but often are empty...and more and more crowds will walk out of classes in which nothing is being said. Audiences want solutions (to their issues) and ideas.

2. Let the audience provide your content. Who knows what they want better than the audience. So let them talk. Whether they enjoy participation or not, the most successful solution to education is a facilitated conversation among the audience by a great facilitator because the audience is smart. And we can not forget that they are smart.

As a session speaker I have taken this one specifically to heart and open my sessions with the following:

"This class is a conversation. I want to hear from you. I want to know if you agree with me or think I am full of it. Yes, I have things to say and have prepared a presentation, but I am just fine throwing that out of the window to discuss what you want to talk about. Because this class is about you (the audience) not about me. Your education is in your hands, so tell me what you want to hear."

3. Aim high with course work and provide challenging content. Again your audience is smart - so stop talking down to them. Engage them where they are at with a discussion that they want to have. But don't forget a track for the newby's. But be cautious. There is often a belief to make education experienced based, but I think education should be comfort based. Newby doesn't mean beginners or young people and Expert or MASTER doesn't mean old or experienced. Rather, each should speak to those who feel more or less confident on a given topic.

4. Look beyond the borders of your industry. There is so much knowledge and learning that can happen by linking relative outsiders to the industry for dialogue. You have to invest in good education content, not rely on free volunteers. Or your audience will stop attending.

5. We are in the experience business. So why is education presented in classrooms. Get out. Walk around. Sit comfortably. Engage in the environments around you and in the event experiences around you. Every one of these conferences stages events, and yet the integration of those experiences into the educational track is not to be found. Turn those events into more purposeful parties: make them learning opportunities.

Re-Blogging some great Props!

2010-03-16T22:14:00.003-05:00

Wow! It is amazing how kind people can be when you present them with an idea to think about. As Executive Producer for the 2010 Spotlight/CATIE Awards, I have had the distinct pleasure to interact with some brilliant people. To see they share a respect for the ideas we tried is in a word, tremendous. So to steal from Twitter, (and because it gives better content than I can produce) I am going to "RB" - ReBlog - some of the interesting posts I have had written about me in recent weeks.

From the special events blog ready2spark.com author Lara McCulloch-Carter:

Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know corporate event producer, Ryan Hanson of BeEvents. Ryan is in 2 words an Event Provocateur. Convention irks him…instead, I do believe he spends his sleeping and waking hours trying to determine how to redefine events and our roles within them.

Last week I attended one of Ryan’s events in Las Vegas. He produced the Spotlight/CATIE Awards…and he lived up to his reputation. Gone was the stage – instead, the entertainers wove their way throughout the crowd and, as a result, we were intertwined in the entertainment. Gone were the table rounds – and the feelings of stodginess went with them. Gone was the traditional ‘In Memoriam‘ – it was replaced with all of the themes, trends and concepts that have died a horrible death over the years (i.e. client budgets).

I have a lot of respect for people who are not afraid to take calculated risks and are willing to wag their finger in the face of convention. This is why I asked Ryan Hanson if he’d be interested in a short interview…Read the rest here.

From Ruth Moyte of Red Dandelion Creative:

...I’ve been to a lot of awards shows and I hear a lot of complaints about the quality of presentation and what we as an industry should be doing in the production of our awards shows. This year, someone has risen to the challenge. I admire his entrepreneurial spirit. The willingness to take risks and have a vision for something different. I’m speaking of Ryan Hanson of BeEvents. He’s an inspiration to me. He’s an inspiration to the industry as he forges the way for what is surely to come.

When I spoke with Ryan Hanson, Producer of this year’s show, I became even more impressed with his insight, talent and positive attitude. Ryan shared with me his vision for the Award show. “My big push is to do the basics really well: can people see, can they get a drink, get food, have a seat? Does the show move along? I really wanted to underplay the build-up of the show – use non-traditional channels for communicating the messages, and not promise the biggest bang around ... I would much rather have people come with questions and leave pleasantly surprised and happy by the experience, than fall short of big pre-set expectations. That is more true to our business today with real clients, and that is the kind of awards program we should be showing – one without a stage, one where an industry embraces its collective identity and abilities, and celebrates itself among itself.” Creative? You bet. Risky? Yep. Admirable? Most certainly.

It’s a well thought out vision and one that I’m hopeful our industry will respond to. Things are a changing and if you’re not adapting you’re going to get left behind. The state of the industry is changing. We need to change with it, and I’m excited to see someone that is willing to try something different to see if it will work. Some will probably love it. Some may dislike it. Some may not even get it. But, I hope that everyone will see the potential in it.

I look forward to seeing just how it all plays out…either way, I’ll be cheering Ryan’s attempt (and hopefully a successful one) to mix it up and show some new potential to our industry at large.

Hats off, Ryan. You have one big fan cheering for your success!

Read the full post here.

This Event Provocateur is riding high today! ;o)

CrowdCampaign 3: You Pick the Drinks!

2010-03-04T12:01:00.000-06:00

Time for our third campaign and this one has to be a favorite. It is Cocktail Time!

What is a party without the drinks!? But what to order? View the video of one of the Mandarin Oriental’s bartender shaking and stirring five classic libations. The top options will be passed during the 2010 Spotlight/CATIE Awards.

Awards Show Cocktails from Spotlight & CATIES on Vimeo.

CrowdCampaign 2: You Pick Dessert!

2010-03-02T00:36:00.004-06:00

We are back at it. Having successfully Crowdsourced our design inspiration for the 2010 Event Solutions Spotlight & ICA CATIES Awards, we are on to campaign #2: Dessert.

Whoever said dessert should be eaten first, was right. But mom said “not until after dinner!” So, in accordance with mom rules, you will have to wait until after dinner to find out which mini-versions of the three desserts presented by Executive Pastry Chef, Gianni Santin, of the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, will be served to patrons as they leave the 2010 Spotlight/CATIE Awards.

Watch the video then please choose 1 of the 3 decadent dessert choices!

Awards Show Cocktails from Spotlight & CATIES on Vimeo.

Want to vote? Check out our CrowdCampaign site. Campaign #3 for cocktails comes around on Wednesday!

Have your say in our Design Inspiration!

2010-02-24T19:22:00.007-06:00

As executive producer for the 2010 Spotlight/CATIE Awards, it was critical to me to be able to provide opportunities to work with Social Media technology and to outstretch a hand to the greater event community by trying new thing and crazy ideas. One of those crazy ideas is to let our audience have their say in aspects of the event. The Spotlight/CATIE awards recognize excellence in the event industry and Catered Arts. We are the event experts, so why should these experts get to have some input into the experience they want to have!

Well with big thanks to Clinton Bonner (@clintonbon) and the crew over at the Social Collective has turned there tool CrowdCampaign.com into our crowdsourcing solution.

Starting now through March 5, we will put forth three elements of the event for popular vote: tabletop Decor, Desert, and Drinks.

With three ideas presented by the talented crew at MGM MIRAGE Events under the leadership of King Dahl (@kingdahl) and with the help of three very cool linens from Wildflower Linens we present three ideas on tabletop for the Awards event March 8, 2010 at the incredible Mandarin Oriental.

Photos by: Kelly McKeon

Style #1 The Nido Glass - “Beautiful Hand-blown glass vase with intertwined dwarf callas perched on a Tiffany Sunset Fortuny Crushed Linen”

Style #2 The Milano - “Gilded Vase filled with Cymbidiums, Imported Roses, and Callas nestled on Iridescent Taffeta topped with a Chiffon Velvet Blue Topaz overlay”

Style #3 Cascading Callas - Custom designed, multi-tiered, Lucite stand specifically crafted to hold small, delectable treats brought out by waitstaff. This piece proudly stands atop a Golden Paillette Overlay”

To vote for your favorite, visit: http://escs10awards.crowdcampaign.com/

Get Your 2010 Spotlight/CATIE Awards Badge

2010-02-23T17:06:00.005-06:00

This year's Spotlight/CATIE Awards for Event Solutions Magazine and the International Catering Association have gone viral. As we continue to experiment with new ways to engage social media into tour awards program we are excited to release the following badges for attendees and for finalists to proudly wear on their websites, blogs, Facebook Pages, Twitter Pages, email signatures and your other social media profiles.

Simply right click the image you want to use and save it to your desktop. Upload it to the site.

Floorsquare Anyone?

2010-02-22T20:12:00.006-06:00

I have been playing on Foursquare for the last two months and I admit it is a fun concept: being able to geo-position yourself, check-in, insta-tweet where you are, find others there all while competing with your friends to rack up points, earn Mayor-ships, and unlock badges (though I wish someone would tell me how to unlock those darn badges!). And lets not forget - there are some fantastic deals on Foursquare: free food and drink when you show up at your local establishment and show them that you have checked in or are the mayor. You bet I've saved $10 or $20 bucks off the bill! (And you bet it makes me go back.)

But I am much more excited about what I foresee as the event-take on this technology: Floorsquare! The next great innovation for the Tradeshow Business. (And trademarked by BeEvents, right now.)

Think about it - attendees download a customized version of the application for your conference or tradeshow event and are able to check-in at various points throughout the room. As show producers, secret badges, special prizes and unique add-on experiences could be built into the floorplan. Add in and RFID chip and attendees can find one another, connect, and connect with vendors. Why let someone scan your badge or name tag and waiting for a vendor to send you information. Why not let that information be selected by the customer to access when they return home and log into your personalized Floorsquare homepage.

But it is more interesting to think how vendors could have a field-day with the technology as they try to woo and connect with customers - through special offers, badges, rewards, and freebies. At a time when sponsorship in general is old, boring and down, whoever can capitalize on this sort of interactive sponsorship could rake in the funding to cover the cost of implementation and then some.

I am sure there needs to be advances in the ability of mobile devices to geo-locate within a confined space. Then there is the lack in service at most convention centers in the country (they still believe they can charge ridiculously for access/mobile companies have not seen the value in investing in the repeaters necessary for the concrete masses that are most convention centers.) And sure this is an idea most likely rolled-out by some uber-fantastic show like the annual Consumer Electronic Show. But the concept is so simple, easy to adapt, conceptually, easy to understand, and I think would be just a LOT of Fun.

My Next Great Crowdsourcing Experiment

2010-02-10T21:47:00.006-06:00

I was sharing dinner the other day with a fantastic colleague and leader in the events and tradeshow industry and we spent the evening discussing a new product venture he is excited to be launching. Without getting too specific in this moment, leave it to say that the subject of the launch is an over-time proven product re-polished and ready to roll-out around the country. The problem is - big surprise - the tight economy is making it nearly impossible to get the funding to get the product on its feet and out the door.

There is little doubt that the downside to the economic slide of 08-09 is a massive constriction of the tunnel of funding accessible by small business entrepreneurs who have a passion for their creations and want to build success. But without the ability to gain cash or credit holds these creative seeds in a semi-permanent germination process, prohibited from growing into vibrant successes, unless discovered by accident or supported by some "angle" investor. Banks have not been a good way for my friend to go (and don't even get me started on credit!) Even for well established companies with demonstrated success, it has surprised me at the apparent lack of innovation, creation, and perfecting of products by suppliers for me to take to clients for events. Unless I pay for custom builds, I am stuck re-renting the same goods again and again... And I (if anyone) is someone who needs to be inspired! (i.e. I custom build a lot!).

The conversation got me thinking. Perhaps this individuals issue lives in the fact that his proposition is not falling on the right ears. As an every-day-increasing-fan of my social media networks and a new experimentor in the proposition of crowdsourcing, it struck me to try a little experiment. What is we posed this "new product in search of investor" to the great masses to try and generator a solution or find the perfect match? Could crowdsourcing be the perfect way to get this product off the ground? Well, I will give it a try.

Granted of course to be successful we have to find first a community (I have some) of correct potential listeners (I have to figure out). But if anything I hope this experiment will teach me more about the power of crowdsourcing and help hone my skills at building a social network of solution drivers!

So here goes:

I have posted this blog and will now tweet it to the world. (hopefully they will retweet it too).

If you are an investor who likes promising new ideas, brands, approaches and products with a proven track record and you have some or any interest in the event or tradeshow business, respond to this post (or email info@beeventsdesign.com) and I will contact you with more information.

OR

If you know someone who likes to invest in promising new ideas, approaches and products related to the event and tradeshow business, pass the message on.

Who knows if I can lend a hand and help my colleague out. I am excited to see if this experiment works - to see how wide a net we might be able to cast in my next great attempt at crowdsourcing. Results of the experiment to hopefully be posted soon.

Are you going to The Spotlight/Catie Awards at the Catersource Show?

2010-02-10T08:00:00.003-06:00

It is official: BeEvents has been tapped to design and executive produce the 2010 Spotlight/Catie Awards for the 2010 Event Solutions/Catersource in Las Vegas, March 8, 2010. Beyond an honor, BeEvents is excited to put together an incredible team of sponsors and partners to deliver an awards event which celebrates the work of all of the incredible finalists and showcases new ideas every event professional can use.

Most exciting, this year's event will be hosted at the spectacular new Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the Opening Night Party at Eve the Nightclub in the new City Center.

As is the case with events across the country, Social Media will have a role in this year's event. In the coming weeks we will be crowd-sourcing input on various aspects of the event, allowing guests to have their say and contribute to making this years Gala a complete success. The hashtag #escs10 is being used to communicate updates engage participation and announce the winners online all night long!

We need some help! Are you Social Media savvy and attending the conference? If so, we are giving away 4 individual tickets to the 2010 Spotlight Awards Gala/Opening Night Las Vegas party to bloggers, video bloggers and tweeters who will come and help share the event with the greater event community. We will let you in on secrets and get you backstage so you can communicate the scoop to all those following along.

To get your Social Media Pass to the Gala:

1. Email info@beeventsdesign.com with the subject: I wanna blog at the Awards!
- include all the pertinent info: your name, company, email address, blog, twitter handle, and how you would be able to help us spread the word about the event!

2. If you haven't already, make sure you are registered to attend the Event Solutions/Catersource Conference in Las Vegas, March 8-11, 2010.

We are looking for four distinct voices, so only one ticket per company/person. We will contact reach out to our 4 winners with further instructions and distribute your Social Media Pass!

Bubbles on the Surface

2010-02-09T19:33:00.007-06:00

My conceptual mind is a tinkering away today. The analogy is not yet right, but the question is firm and good:

Will the "Community" surpass the "Event" as the thing? So that events are simply bubbles on the surface of things?

I was re-reading an article this by @samueljsmith in the e-book Social Media for Events by @ready2spark and two specific points leaped off the page at me:

"Attendees will expect to connect with other delegates before, during, and after the event." & "New Events will emerge from online communities."

I am a strong believer in both of these statements (as well as the other 8 great points Samuel makes in the article) and have for a while been articulating the change in the event atmosphere and the understanding of event design and event education. But today a new thought happened! Forever, I have thought about events as "the event" - it is that which we prepare for, which attendees get excited about. The Event has always been the thing. And communities occurred as a result of the event; that is to say that people would meet at a conference or event and then stay in touch as new contacts in a Rolodex-version-of-community. But with a changing understanding of how adult learning occurs, more and more focus has been placed on conversation before, during and after the event. The explosive growth of Social Media continues to demonstrate that the power of the community to shape dialogue and make change is vast.

So what if the Community is really the thing, and not the event? What happens if we re-envision events as momentarily emergences from the conversations within a community that occur over the course of time. What if we consider first the community and its dialogues as the primary experience and like the warming lava inside lamp, at given periods of time portions of the population become excited and bubble up into gatherings on a certain topic, around a specific discussion, or for a special need of the community. As the accomplish their task, they fall back into the community and the conversation continues.

Perhaps a lava-lamp is not the best visual image here, but it gets at the point. Or maybe it is more like that plasma light I used to love to play with as a kid - lots of particles (=people) flying around inside a defined space (=community) in and amongst low pressure gases which makes them excited and visibly functional (=brand, organization, conversation, interest) and act on the sphere by touching your finger to the outside (=action of putting on an event) you cause some of those electrons to get hyper excited and come together to form potent streams of lights.

ReClaiming (and ReDefining) my job as a Designer

2010-02-01T23:50:00.005-06:00

I hate the response:

"What do you do"
"I'm an event designer"
"Oh, so you make parties pretty."

No. I am a Designer. I am not a decorator. Yes, I do create, design and provide decor for events, but that is only one small component of the responsibilities our clients task and trust us with as the designer of their meeting or event.

And yet as an industry and community, we do not necessarily celebrate the role or work of the designer the way we celebrate the decor at an event. So many times we offer awards and print in magazines beautiful pictures of stunning events without ever thinking about or asking how that event came to be; without examining the design process which did (or did not) make that beautiful event successful. And yet it is in the process of the art of design, not in the product of that design that the reality of our contributions lives.

Now note! In NO WAY is this a value judgment about the role of a designer or the work of event decorators. There is not a value judgment to be made. Both are required, but one is much better understood (and exposed) and the other is not. So I am making it my job to change that.

I have been reading the fine blog, The Business of Being Creative by @seanlow for the last eight months and his graceful words have motivated me to put a stake in the ground. Sean discusses the art of the creative business as being something each artist must define for themselves and stick to, as their art is their contribution, their art is their value. And how true. The gift we bring is an understanding of the process of creating an event. We understand the role of strategy and the important need for everyone to conceptualize the purpose of their projects, identify their audience and articulate the message of their brand or organization or of the individual celebrating. Only after this significant thoughtful energy has been spent can one really create a successful event which actually functions to serve a purpose.

It is these purpose-driven events which by design grow brands, change behavior, commemorate the past, the present or the future and create cause for celebration through the articulation of a defined set of values shared in a live, virtual or hybrid experience. It is not that these events are not "pretty" - but they are first purposeful. They are beautiful creations because they know why they exist, not because we put a bunch of beautiful things together. They are events which tell great stories - because that is our art, as true storytellers on the stage of the lived experience.

There will always be pretty events. But we don't make these. Because we are designers. And it is through our design that we make events matter.

A New Event Mantra

2010-01-26T21:50:00.006-06:00

I am contemplating a change to the language of my website. My current motivation is as follows:

The nature of events is changing. Amid changing values and demographics the ideas of community and interaction are increasingly valuable. Organizations around the world are realizing experience of ‘the Brand’ no longer exists as a term of reverence, but is increasingly being devised in terms of user relationships with products. In a world in which everyone has an opinion and technology has given a platform to each voice, smart companies are listening. Events continue to emerge from the marketing mix as an ever-better way to generate user experiences and build brand loyalty.

The question is how to most effectively use meetings and events to do this. The answer lies in strategic event design. Great companies build identity and brand affinity through authentic experiences, one person at a time. Further, these event experiences have to be rooted in the strategic messages of the company – be it a launch of a new product or the communication of core values – and created to drive the dialogue of an audience, as a vehicle specifically tailored to their needs.

Building these purpose-driven event products is what BeEvents does.

Who agrees?

You bet crowdsourcing has a place at your next event.

2010-01-19T23:27:00.003-06:00

Social media is all about community building. But what do you do when you have a problem and want to get input from that community? Well, you crowdsource!

Crowdsource! What is that? Crowdsourcing is taking a problem which you would normally solve within your company or your team and pushing it out, or outsourcing it, to a large community of unknown or known people seeking their solutions and contributions to accomplish the task or solve the problem.

What does this have to do with events? Well maybe everything. Many of the daily tasks or challenges - Say "Where are we going to have this year's conference?" can be outsourced to a knowledgeable community of event professionals or destinations who can offer input and provide solutions.

But I like crowdsourcing for another reason: it offers the possibility of empowering your attendees to help define and design their experience at your event. Imagine it: you can crowd source various elements of the event to your attendees and let them vote or have input or even make suggestions for what they want to experience. What entertainment do you want to see? Ask the audience. What food will you serve for the gala's main course? Ask the audience. Do you want to take a boat tour or head to a karaoke bar? Ask the audience.

All of these suggestions and a hundred others which might be asked or polled amongst an audience of attendees put the event planner in a unique position. By soliciting input from your guests you excite them, energize them prior to the event. You enable the opportunity to open dialogue prior to the event and at the event ABOUT THE EVENT which is becoming increasingly critical as brands and organizations compete for valuable time of their guests. Giving up ownerships increases the likelihood of success because you have gotten direct, measurable input for those who matter most, the attendees.

But lets take it one step further. For the embattled incentive trip, crowdsourcing solutions that allow the audience to help choose the destination and define the experience creates a whole new motivator for sales teams. If they are able to define the experience of their dreams which they will receive upon the successful completion of goals or sales would only increase their drive to meet those goals. Crowdsourcing could be your corporation's best incentive in driving success, motivating behavioral change and redefining the incentive rewards program to help meet your business objectives.

Inspiration: Target Golden Globes Commercial

2010-01-17T22:37:00.005-06:00

Alright! Who caught the new Target Commercials tonight during the Golden Globes! They were fantastic works of art created by Catalyst Studios and showcasing the talent of Moses Pendelton's MOMIX Dancers.

My inspiration: Origami is back. The fantastic use of shape combined with the natural product like paper will make for great Event Decor for some upcoming projects!

I am going to kill the General Session!

2010-01-15T21:55:00.002-06:00

BeEvents was selected by @ready2spark expert Lara McCulloch-Carter to participate in an e-book featuring seven Social Media experts sharing their thoughts on how Social Media will effect the future of meetings and events.

Included here is an expert from our chapter. The book is available for free from Ready2Spark's website.

I am on a mission to single-handedly destroy the ‘General Session’.

Ok, ok so I will not exactly be able to eradicate General Sessions from meetings all on my own. And, yes, General Session will still go on at meetings for years and decades to come. Just as breakout sessions and auxiliary events will continue to happen, because regardless of the immense growth and wealth of resources technology continues to churn out to help us meet better, accomplish more (or at least be busier), human beings are fundamentally social creatures and will always seek out opportunities to get together. The “live” event will never die. It is just going to change.

At BeEvents, we believe whole-heartedly in the notion that the purpose of event design is to facilitate the conversation. The growth in our industry is a reversal of the planning the process from task-driven planning to strategy-driven planning. It is not about finding the right color linen, booking the right entertainment, or figuring out the perfect way to process registrations and distribute gifts. And at the same time is it exactly about picking the right color linen, great entertainment and facilitating a smooth registration process. But the difference lies in knowing and understanding why you are doing it.

Far to often the planning process is thought of as:

Step 1: We’re Having a Meeting
Step 2: Need to pick a Location and Theme
Step 3: Complete all the to-do lists, checklists, master task sheets, forms, contracts,
vendors, obligations, negotiations, arbitrations, and many other …tions, until we collapse
post event with a stack of evaluations that really tell us nothing, hopefully a cold meal
which was left in the warmer, maybe a pat on the back from our boss or the corporate
executive and tomorrow we get up and do it all again.

But how often is Step 1 preempted with the question of “Why are we meeting in the first place?“ It is a question of great functional importance as budgets and staff have been cut and new technologies and virtual solutions present themselves as “cost-saving” measures. We need to question why in order to best understand what it is we are trying to accomplish (and, by default, what it is we are therefore seeking to measure to evaluate the event, its success and ROI). It is not that the logistical duties of effectively planning and producing a meeting and event are not relevant – they are critical. But first we must understand what the purpose of the project is in order to do those tasks effectively.

This is why strategy matters. The ability of an organization or an event team to effectively articulate its value proposition alongside it brand and goals and objectives, with without doubt simply produce better meetings and events. It is this organization that understands how to mix the virtual experience with the live experience in order to create learning and behavioral change (is that not the function of the meeting or incentive program, to educate and change behavior). It is this group who understands that the best spend of an event budget is on the items that most directly will create the experience necessary to meet the learning objectives. This group knows that the color of the carpet or the linens does not matter in and of itself because it is pretty or because it is ugly. They matter instead because they are contributors to effect-iveness of the audience’s experience.

The meaning is in the message and the message is communicated in the experience. The lesson of Social Media is that it creates offers environment in which communities of people can engage in conversation. Meetings and events are intended to do the same, with a bit of shaping, of course. And when all the elements are working together, the ability of the audience to engage in dialogue and create thoughts, ideas, and learnings multiplies. In this environment you tap into the natural expertise of everyone in the room – their experiences and their networks - expertise and ideas that hopefully track back to the office post event. That is why we have to get rid of the expert speaker and get rid of the stage and start the conversation among those in the room.

Thought for Today

2010-01-09T13:18:00.003-06:00

People are Value Seekers. Overtime, value has come to mean very different things. While we live in a society in which “Value” seems to have been redefined as “best price” there is change in the ‘Social’ air. Amongst the new commodity of information readily available on the web…Value will re-emerge in terms of Expertise. And those who provide valuable expertise will be the ones who are listened to.

BeInspired

2010-01-05T10:00:00.001-06:00

Editor's Note: This article is a shortened post of the January 2010 Design Column in Event Solutions Magazine, pages 48-49.

N-E-W-Y-E-A-R spells Relief! Or so go the hopes and exaltation of many event designers and producers this year. I don’t know about you, but 2009 needed to be done. At best, the year was a mixed bag. And at worst a lot of twiddling of thumbs as clients remained unsure and indecisive. Or my new favorite: the reinforcement of the increasingly bad behavior of contracting and delivering projects with days or less notice. But all that (hopefully) is remains in 2009.

With a new year off and running, its time again to be inspired. But where can you find inspiration for your new project or an old one in desperate need of rejuvenation? Here are a few tricks which get my creative juices going.

Go Shopping: for everything except what is on the store shelves that is. Retailers spend mucho dollars each year, forecasting trends and implementing colors and styles that will trickle down in 1-3 years to the event world. But beyond the commercial goods, look closely at the way retailers display their goods. Creating places for customers to pause or various focal points to draw customers through large spaces is what retail store designers are good at. And they employ many of the same strategies event designers can to accomplish the same goal. So look close next time you walk into Target or Crate & Barrel or your favorite store. The next great trend in buffet displays may turn out to be little more than an innovation on a sweater rack.

Don’t want to leave your house? Turn on the TV ...and watch the commercials. Same thing goes – watch closely and you will see trend colors, styles, motifs, and patterns emerge before your very eyes. Television programs can contribute to, particularly those which tap into the current cultural emotion. There is a reason the television show Mad Men is so popular. In our uncertain economic climate, the emotional trend is towards authentic experiences that remind us and re-inspire us about the simple good things in life. Classic, formal style has returned, but with a modern twist.

Go Swatching! Now I know clients give me a funny look every time I suggest we hit the hardware store, but truth be told, the paint section of your local hardware giant or hometown store is one of the best places to play with color. Grab a handful of those over-sized color chips in colors that strike you or your clients as favorites or inspirational. Having the big color chips makes it easy to mix and match and find a palette that suits your needs. Use this to build a style or color board incorporating favorite element and decorative items and before you know it your design will start to emerge.
Read more about using color from the impeccable Sasha Souza.

Branch Out: One of my favorite new inspiration ideas is that of branching. It is a version of brainstorming where you take an object and describe every detail of it, eventually using those details as the base of your design. So lets say you have a client who loves watermelon. You can use the watermelon as your inspiration. First list all of its qualities: red, green, white, seeds, black, round, oval, heavy, large, wet, sweet, etc. Perhaps consider the things that come to mind when you think of watermelon: summer, sun, outdoors, grilled foods, holiday, etc. Use those ideas and elements to create your event: your color palette may include variegated shades of greens and melon red. Flowers may be large, heavy and round in shape but with a sweet summery scent. Perhaps oval dishware. This is not about literally doing an event that has watermelons as centerpieces and looks like a watermelon! It is about being inspired by the essence of the watermelon to create your design.
Learn more about branching from The Wedding Guys Blog.

Now it's your turn. Where do you find Inspiration??

Let's go 3-D!

2010-01-03T23:27:00.001-06:00

So it's New Years weekend and like millions of other individuals I headed to the theater to catch the new Avatar movie. Blowing (too much money) on tickets and (way too much money) on snacks, I looked down at my ticket and noticed we were watching the flick in...3-D!

"Oh great" I joked with my fellow movie goer. "I can't wait to put on my silly paper glasses of red and blue" Boy was I wrong.

The glasses we received were not of the cheese I remember, but thick black plastic with "plain" lenses. And once the movie began, the screen literally came to life. To see creatures and images leap forward off the screen to me in my seat was a revelation. And I said to myself what any self-respecting event designer would: When can I do this.

Imagine it: 3-D would bring wonders to event design. Attend an event, don some funky glasses and experience video projected images come to dimensional reality right in front of your eyes. It adds completely new layers to conceptual design. Not only are their real props, but 3-D video props and environmental features popping off the screen This would be the personalization of experience. Integrate augmented reality and interactive 3-D video and you the guests would choose your own experience.

Now who is to say this would be functional? The level of sophistication and planning to craft an experience that was not Disney-fied as a "walk-through" expereince but could exist over-time would be extensive. Still I love the thought of the challenge. So techies tell me: how soon before I can play with the third dimension?

(The movie was a visual splendor by the way. Not my favorite script of the year, and for the reason though I am sure it will be offered the Oscar, I can think of better choices, but COMPLETELY worth seeing for the visuals. This is the stuff of a chocolate factory: pure imagination. It also tells me hyper-color is on its way back in. See the movie and then tell me if you don't agree.)

We need your VOTE!

2010-01-01T22:32:00.008-06:00

We have some exciting news! BeEvents' creative producer, Ryan Hanson has been selected a finalist for the 2010 Event Solutions Spotlight Award for Designer of the Year... It is a true honor and we are up against some great competition (as well as colleagues and friend)... But now it is in your hands (and all the hands of the people you know...and they know... and they know!)

We need you to take 2 minutes and VOTE by January 31, 2010. You can vote once from any email address (and they only collect your email address to verify that you vote only once.)

Go to: http://www.event-solutions.com/spotlight/vote/ Enter your email address and VOTE for Ryan Hanson, BeEvents for Designer of the Year. You can vote just for us or you can explore and vote in the other categories as well.

But WE NEED YOUR VOTE(S)!!!! (And then pass along to your colleagues and friends)

A Question of Value?

2009-07-20T11:42:00.010-05:00

Not a newsflash: the economy is (still) in the tank. Projections for 2010 meetings suggest things will be worse before they get better. And as an event designer that initially doesn't sound very fun! With budgets slashed, clients keep coming with the desire to do the same or more for less. They want (or internal bosses are demanding) they demonstrate good value for their spend. And yet, more and more it seems the word "value" is being swapped for "cheap price".

While I could write for several paragraphs on the multitude of meanings of the word value, I want not to bore anyone who has given me the precious time to read this post. So instead we will just focus in one idea: "cheap price". And here is my thought: "cheap price" does not equal "good value" though you may find "good value" at a "cheap price".

It is not that I am advocating that vendors don't help their clients out in this time of need. Absolutely the opposite. Being a good vendor is about being a good partner, and as a good business partner we work very hard to understand the clients need and create solutions which deliver to those needs, as well as those limitations. Times are tough all around, and working together to create cost-effective solutions is always the way to go. That said, vendors shouldn't discount just to discount and grab up an extra piece of business. Doing so is short-sighted and steals away any real "value" the vendor's brand had. Good service and great ideas will always be valued and paid for. And in the creative solutions, cost reductions can be found, as long as the players in the project have clearly identified what they value in the first place.

The mistake I so often see is folks wanting to do what they have always done for a better price. But step back for a second. Ask instead "what value do we want to get out of what we are doing." So many events happen "because they always have" without real interest invested in the "why are we doing this project and what do we hope to achieve from it." To get "good value" you have to know what you "value" in the first place. What are the reasons and objectives for the meeting. Knowing these, does there have to be a general session? Does anyone really want name entertainment on opening night? Would the event be better with less people, but higher level discussions? Is our education track working? Is the networking earning us any business? The answer to any one of these questions (and the ones you have) may be Yes or No and both answers are right, provided it is a "value" to your situation.

Once you have identified these items which the organization or the attendees at the event value, you can set in on making good investment decisions with how to best spend the budget for the greatest return. It is not about checking the boxes, but spending money where it will reap the best benefit and foregoing or cutting back what you don't value. For the event planner: articulating the budget conversation in terms of organizational values provides leverage for you to articulate why you made the decor or entertainment or food choices you did (because our (clients/attendees/executives) value or don't value these items). It allows you to design your event to your needs-good value and therefore return-rather than design to tradition.

And one more note on the decor: "Right" is always best, but "nothing" looks better than "cheap". For example: if you are struggling to come up with a cheaper solution for a centerpiece, remember the right size/scale centerpiece for your 72" table will always look best. But if you can't afford it, no centerpiece will always play better in the arena of "perception" than that $25 version which is too small for the table. Choose wisely, because declining perception value, in the minds of your client, your attendees, your boss or the company executive is not a scale you ever want to be [measured] on.

What does Value mean to you? If you are a Twitter Fan: Join the conversation at #eventprofs, Tuesday July 21 at 9 pm EST. How to Join a Twitter Chat

UN-Cycle your next event gifts.

2009-07-18T14:34:00.004-05:00

Now here is a great green product solution for your next meeting or event. At the end of the National Tweetup hosted in Minneapolis tonight, planners distributed coasters made from recycled Target bags (the night's event sponsor).

These coasters were created by zerOwbags - a company which takes waste plastics, "uncycles" them into "Plabric", according to their website. Whether you are in need of a conference bag or unique gift I loved how they took waste plastic bags from Target, stiched them into reusable coasters and, as this was for the National Tweetup event, stiched "Tweet" symbols into the product. There were @ coasters, # and RT versions. How fun for a branded event message with a mission. Check out www.zerobags.com to learn more.

Calling all Attendees: You Choose how you want to Learn.

2009-07-17T14:31:00.001-05:00

It seems clear. The future of events is in the direction of facilitated attendees experience. As a myriad of Social Media tools in hand with explosions in cell phone technology allows for engagement among attendees at any meeting and conference, I have been struck by a curious idea. Will we reach a point when attendees will be free to choose their own experience for a given learning objective? That is to say, will organizations be willing to create a portfolio of events all with the same objective?

For example: Lets say your organization wants employees to learn about Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Business Practices. Based on that learning objective, the event team create a series of learning modules for attendees to choose from. An experiential learner: head to China for a week to visit the factor where widgets are made. A tech-learner: a Web 2.0 environment lets attendees engage in an experience with colleagues from around the globe. A thought leader: Attend the executive summit over the weekend where small group interactive learning is the rule of thumb.

As a side note, there would appear to be value in this idea for cross-organizational learning opportunities. Consider it: the top organizations in the world create learning modules which attendees can pay to attend for continuing education. As an employer, dollars are dedicated for key talent development and those can be spent for a week at Google Camp or as a flavor creator for Ben and Jerry's. For the sponsors of the such learning programs, return is reaped from increased brand affinity and fresh ideas from outside the organization. For the individual learner, the are able to take a Liberal Arts approach to their life-long development choosing the experiences which are best suited to their development needs. Yes, this may be the Disney-ification of education - but for experience based learners is that a bad thing?

Thanks to @jaysmet for engaging with me on this converstation.

Shameless Self Promotion in Press

2009-06-10T09:44:00.011-05:00

I like to write. And fortunately, for me, editors like my thoughts! :o)

So in a self identified act of shameless RT of my past work, and in an attempt to drive more traffic here to this blog, and because today, I cannot think of anything more to say, and because I like to have all of this in one place and I don't know HTML to code it into my own site, for anyone who finds themselves board or interested, a list of some "good" reading:

Special Events Magazine
Bridging the Gap - November 2006
The Trouble with ROI - June 2008 ISES Pages
Event Tents Serve as Sacred Spaces, Party Places (Cover) - December 2008
Event Pros Turn to Online Social Networking - December 2008
Cutting Edge Looks in Special Events - January 2009
Event Pros Deliver on Tight Budgets - February 2009
So You Wanna Win an Award - March 2009 ISES Pages

Event Solutions Magazine
The X Factor - April 2007
Gen Y Time - February 2008
It Report - May 2008
Open for Business - June 2009

Now that's an Invite!

2009-06-01T10:38:00.006-05:00

This Friday, BeEvents is privileged to be a participant in the 2009 Trend Wedding - a $150,000 Wedding Giveaway to one lucky couple in Minnesota. This year's event is taking place at the swanky Chambers Hotels in DT Minneapolis.

It will be an incredible event. I can't giveaway the secrets yet, but the Invitation alone should tell you. Like any great invite - this one sets the stage for the Trends and Ideas which will be shared at the wedding: a deconstruction, metal, printed acrylic, soft tones of yellow, purple, blue and barely mint!

Lessons from the Field: Know that you will never get it all done

2009-05-22T14:03:00.003-05:00

This blog post continues a series of lessons from the field for a new event business. See: Lessons from the Field: Be Open for Business; Lessons from the Field: Focus on Great Strategy; Lessons from the Field: Become an Expert, not a Jack; Lessons from the Field: Find Yourself a Great Team

Lesson 5: Know that you will never get it all done.
I am a guy who has always worked in small companies. There was a thrill for me in the ability to wear multiple hats in an organization and contribute to the work being done. While, when you go into business with yourself – that experience is taken to the extreme. Every hat is your hat and quickly I had to learn that I just would not get everything done. That the client might have to be called back tomorrow. That the website would take another week or month. That there is no way I can keep up with my tweets, let alone blog! (Ghost writers anyone, I am hiring!) The illusion that leaving the comforts of a 9-5 job is that you will have freedom over your schedule is somewhat true – you do have control of your schedule, but your job is now 24/7 and at a client’s whim your plans will regularly change. The challenge is to find a schedule and rules that work for you (and it you have employees, for them as well). Limiting distractions is critical in keeping focused when you answer to yourself. Because when you are the boss, it is much easier to take long lunch, sleep in or grab drinks early than it was when someone was watching you!

Lessons from the Field: Find Yourself a Great Team

2009-05-09T13:59:00.004-05:00

This blog post continues a series of lessons from the field as a new event business. See: Lessons from the Field: Be Open for Business; Lessons from the Field: Focus on Great Strategy; Lessons from the Field: Become an Expert, not a Jack

Lesson 4: Find yourself a Great Team.
In my last blog I spoke about become an Expert and not trying to be a Jack-of-all-trades. As an Event Expert surround yourself with other Experts who fill in your weaknesses. This could be as employees or independent contractors, or even more simply as fellow vendors with whom you work. Building a great team of colleagues will support and promote your business as your develop and grow. They will be the partners who make you look good and vice versa. So the task is to surround yourself with great people – for me that means creative, curious, at-their-best, innovative service providers who demonstrate that willingness to think and the appetite to try new things.

And you may just find a funny thing will happen. If you know yourself, remain open to possibilities and deliver great service, your team will do the sales work for you. Indeed, I have yet to really need to sell myself. Through diligent networking locally and internationally, by attending and speaking at conferences, by entering and winning awards, by being an actively engaged member in industry organizations - like ISES, the absolute best spend of money I have ever made – I have developed a great community of colleagues who have kept me in business. By delivering what I promise and offering something unique, one of my biggest surprises has been that the variety of individuals and vendors who I have enjoyed working with on projects continue to bring me along with them to the next one, reinforcing our teamwork and building bigger and better events every time.

Lessons from the Field: Become the Expert, not a Jack

2009-04-23T14:56:00.004-05:00

This blog post continues a series of lessons from the field for a new event business. See: Lessons from the Field: Be Open for Business; Lessons from the Field: Focus on Great Strategy

Lesson 3: Become the Expert, not a Jack.
What’s the saying – “to thine own self be true!” This is inherent in the beginning of any business. Before you can provide great service and be open for business you must know yourself – who and what you want your company to be. I launched BeEvents in 2007 with a furious desire to constantly having ideas and fostering live conversations. What I love about the event business is that we create the platform on which a facilitated dialogue occurs. And it is the strategy and design of that platform which can guide the conversation and engage participants into interaction with one another. Despite and alongside the huge advances of technology, human beings are social creatures and that need for in-person interaction will never go away nor not be of value. Yet looking out on the landscape of the industry, I did not see many who were fostering a strategic conversation about the value of and design for events. And so I set out to do that – to focus on the strategic power of people to come together, be present and share an experience. In saying this out loud, I picked what I was passionate about and defined a brand for myself which I now have the pleasure of maintaining, refining and living up to. And I have also defined what my company is not.

This, to me is the definition of being an expert. Experts know what they have to offer and also who and what they are not. By contrast, Jack-of-all-trade types try to offer everything. To be all to their clients. Particularly in a tough economy when the budgets are slim and the margins slimmer, the desire to be a Jack gets stronger. But it is Jacks who do the biggest disservice to the industry as a whole. Because no one can ever be everything to a client, and deliver everything excellently. There is compromise in diversity. That is not to say that sometimes you have to do things outside your expertise or deliver services because the budget to bring in other experts is not there. But on the whole, focusing on being an Expert, defining your brand for what it is and what it is not, and sticking too that will reap rewards in the long run.

Lessons from the Field: Focus on Great Service

2009-04-12T16:52:00.003-05:00

This blog post continues a series of lessons from the field for a new event business. See: Lessons from the Field: Be Open for Business

Lesson 2: Focus on Great Service.
Being in the event business means you are in the people business. Whether it is your employees, your clients, or their guests, it is always our job to be hospitable. While there are many definitions of great service, my mantra is that our business is not to only give clients what they ask for nor tell them what they need, but to be their guide to what they want. Yes, clients want and need to be listened too. Yes, often clients need to be told what they should do - we as event professionals are the experts after all. But beyond that, being the expert is not about spewing your vision or verbatim taking theirs, but instead being the guide who can facilitate what they say with what you know to eventually give them what they want, even if they cannot articulate that.

To do that ego cannot be a player in the game. There is no room in service providing for superiority, passivity, or the demeaning of anyone on the team or project. In ego’s place, find confidence in a sense of creative curiosity stemming from a constant willingness to think and an appetite to try. I firmly believe that the ROI of events is located in retention of the created experience by those who participate, and those memories are derived by implementing creativity and innovation. And the you can only be creative and innovate if you constantly foster a willingness to think and an appetite to try in the delivery of great service for your client.

Lessons from the Field: Be Open for Business

2009-03-31T13:38:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is my one-year anniversary. It’s a year ago tomorrow that I took a leap from a steady job as an internal event producer/creative director and started working full time for myself at BeEvents. It is not that I intended to be an entrepreneur, and, believe me, there was never a scarier decision I have had to make than to leap. But I have never felt a greater sense of freedom as I did on that day.

Starting a business is an adventure, with all the emotional baggage that entails and little of the action of Hollywood. As I reflect on the year behind me, along the way, I have learned many things that as a creative I never wanted to know – how to drive, or more importantly back-up a box truck, the limitations of rig points never being where you want them, the value of a great union crew chief, taxes – you get the point. But along the way I think I have discover a few small truths, lessons about being in business, which may serve as guide posts in a tough economy for anyone thinking about heading out on their own or as a reminder for the many before me who have taken the leap. Over time I will continue to share these lessons as I continue on this journey of self-employment.

Lesson #1 Be Open to Business.
As I said, I never intended to start my own company. I was working a great job but had nowhere to grow. Inside the organization I couldn’t find the mental space to determine what I wanted next nor was I able to find the right job opening available for what I needed. With a project in the works that could pay the rent, I made the decision to go on my own, for now.

The great thing about starting a company at the start of a recession is that you never knew business could have been better – any business is great. I left my corporate job assuming I would spend some time freelancing as event planner. To my surprise, people kept calling to hire me as a designer, a different role that I have greatly enjoyed. And the opportunities that have come to me as a designer have greatly surpassed what I would have been offered as a planner. But only because I was open to that possibility. Over the last year, I have come to realize that being open for business is more than just having a business card, a phone, email and website. It is about being open to the possibility of what you can do, not just what you think you will be doing. But within that realm of possibility, success, I have found, comes from focusing in on what is right for you to do, not just every little project that comes your way.

Continued Musings....

2009-03-27T18:05:00.008-05:00

After reading my last posting, Musings of an Event Designer..., I thought I should expand on some of these ideas. As a reader, I know what you are thinking: That is all well and good theoretically, but my event still needs design! For your benefit, I will offer these continued musings:

Spotting Trends: This task is easier than most people think. It simply requires the ability to pay attention and be tuned in. If you want to know what culture is doing or what color is popular – turn on TV and watch the ads. You know which ones stand out, and pay attention to their choices of style, language, colors, shapes, fonts for text. These companies spend ba-gillions to sell products so piggyback on the research and focus groups they have paid for to generate your ideas. Want to know what color is in this season – you could look to the red carpet, but it is easier to follow the red bulls-eye; into Target that is. Walk up and down the aisles, particularly home furnishings, seasonal, and notice what is on the end caps. Target has a remarkable ability to be on trend within six months for retail, a time line that gives you as an event planner at least a year to work with. Continue your search through other stores in the mall – Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Abercrombie & Fitch, or the Apple Store. Target great brands that understand who they are. Think Google, Disney, or again, Apple. In hospitably, W Hotels articulate this better than any in my opinion, and the rest of the Starwood properties rate up there too. And never skip over culture magazine and industry publications: BisBash, Event Design Magazine, Event Solutions Magazine, Special Events Magazine.

But often trend is more nuanced and detailed. While these examples will make you aware of general trends, focus in on the attendees of your group – what is the demographic and what do they like to do. Take the opportunity to experience and understand the lifestyle of your guests and simulate those experiences in your event. Remember always to aim high – guests are savvy and smart and there is nothing worse than an event that generalizes its design, packaging a theme or décor and “talks down” to them.

Thoughts on Theme: I apologize to everyone I will offend with this, but any packaged theme I have ever been offered, experienced or seen has been nothing more than a glamorized prom. Props have their place, but most “Themes” use and abuse them to their clients’ and guests’ dismay.

Event design cannot be packaged and resold because every event is unique. But if I have to make one generalization, I will say this: Personalize it. The trend in design as in culture is toward AUTHENTIC, PERSONALIZED EXPEREIENCES. People do not want Casino Night or Hawaii at their event as defined for so many year in the traditional prop sense so many of us are familiar with. That does not mean guest don’t enjoy casino games or tropical drinks and/or foods – but there is nothing authentic about plastic leis and giant fuzzy dice. Similarly, there is nothing personalized about the Tiki Hut with fake umbrella and plastic lanterns serving margaritas or the white lounge furniture in the VIP lounge. Integrate messaging into the décor through linens and lighting. Target entertainment towards not only the taste of your guests but also the purpose of the event. Enliven the experience with authentic details. The future of good event design is towards a nuanced, in depth understanding of your guests so that you provide design and décor that allows the guests to create their own adventure throughout the offered event experience.

Understand Your Boundaries: All events are bound with limitations – time of day, demographic of the guests, or the seemingly always challenging budget. Understand these boundaries and use them to your advantage when designing your events. Consider venue shape and space, or the events time of day. Think about what your attendees like, don’t like, and could like if given the opportunity. Hidden in these limitations are jewels to innovate upon as your design your experience. Remember innovation is hardly big and dramatic, but more often involves simple half-turns on a familiar idea or experience. Doing little things, slightly differently – mixing the shape or sizes of tables, serving food on a different shaped plate or family style rather than plated or buffet, or even switching the order of the program and dinner – will keep your guests comfortable while offering up something new.

Last but not least, remember this: Design is not décor, and décor is only one aspect of design. Good design is holistic in its approach. It is about articulating an idea throughout the event experience, not only in your tabletop décor but in the food, the lighting, the invitation and the gift bag. The more integrated, consistent, and, on the whole, simply your idea, the more memorable the event will be for your guest. It is a fine art-defining design-and guests are intuitively intelligent. They know when something is off, but more importantly they know when all the elements are working together. And in those moments great event experiences are created.

Musings of an Event Designer...

2009-03-26T17:56:00.006-05:00

All right, you have an event coming up. You have your bases covered: Venue (check). Food and beverage (check). The invitations will hit the printer (or the inbox) next week. The phone calls to entertainment are in. Production companies are responding to the RFP. All that is left to do is figure out the details of design: the flowers, linens, and those crazy centerpieces your budget has you doing yourself. But what are you going to do? Pick a theme? Arabian Nights? Tropical Island? VEGAS (baby!)? Something generic but colorful? That trendy lounge furniture you saw in the industry magazine spread or at the last industry association event?

STOP! You have already gone too far, too fast and are about to cross the line near dangerous ground of bad event design.

Now I don’t mean bad design in that it will look bad or not work out or that the theme you choose won’t leave your guests with a general good feeling. But this column is about event design, and while I have the ability to voice my opinion out loud, I feel an obligation to share my vivid passion about the transformative power of great events that are the result of thoughtful and strategic decisions.

Great event design is not pricey, but purposeful. It is planned. It is strategized from the very beginning. It is not about picking this theme or that or jumping on the latest trend be it LED or lounge – both of which are established and old news.

How does one strategize event design? By asking the relevant and important questions necessary for successful event production. The movement of marketing is to the message and events must follow suit, coming to understand the significance of purpose, of place and audience. Design is the articulation of purpose; it is, at its best, a cohesive experience of each element of the event working in tandem and performing in harmony. Great event design requires the designer to understand the function of the event and expectations of its guests. It incorporates the message of the event to communicate with event guests. It understands its purpose and uses that guideline to create and innovate, to surprise and delight.

Welcome to Las Vegas

2009-02-23T00:51:00.004-06:00

Ok, I will admit it: I am a Vegas virgin. So this trip for the 2009 Event Solutions/Catersource Conference will be my first adventure in the glistening city of big bright lights. It strikes me as funny that Vegas is one of those places you feel you inherently know, even without being there, thanks to a multitude of television shows an movies shot on location. The Bellagio fountains, the Casino floor, the Luxor hotel: all somewhat "iconic" images in my mind I should be sure to recognize right? The question becomes will the illusion of television be as good as the illusion of reality.

Off the plane at 11:04 PM and what is the first thing I see: slot machines. The wait for bags in the airport is an exercise in realizing just how BIG this place wants you to think that it is. Billboards tout top talent (or those who were once talent, but now have a show in Vegas). Jumbo trons blast entertainment options. And yet, there is something dated about these advertisements, there style and deliver hint at an inauthenticity. But what in Vegas is authentic, other than perhaps your experience of it. Is the city anything more than a vehicle to create whatever you want in? Just don't look behind the curtain?

My cabbie takes me on a ride (which how 10 minutes cost me $35...) on the highway past the strip. And there it is: the bright lights, the beaming building screaming for my attention. Despite their enormity, they look smaller than I had hoped. But more so, there is a lacking vibrancy to this place. Maybe it is the lack of business in this economy at this moment - but the lights, the signs, the buildings themselves seem of a decade ago. Plaster casts trying to be exactly what they are not: real.

So now I wait for a burger which should arrive by 1:00 AM I am promised. The walls of my room are paper thin, cause I can hear the conversations clearly of my neighbors next door. The Las Vegas Hilton in my first impression lacks a luster I was hoping for. Again, for the third time tonight my environment feels dated. Only two hours here and I feel disillusioned already. Like my last trip to Disney World, when I hoped on the "It's a Small World" ride. Then again there was something nostalgic about that ride. And Vegas feels nostalgic too. But can something be nostalgic the first time around?

How to Speak...

2009-02-18T10:12:00.009-06:00

As I prepare for a presentation at Event Solutions Conference next week in Las Vegas, I find myself thinking about how to bring life to my usually dull topic of ROI. What is it that makes a good speaker? A great presentation? Well I received a less in that today thanks to my friends at Martin Bastian Productions, who hosted a speaker's showcase at the W Minneapolis-The Foshay. Peter Sheahan, an Australian mate - thinker and (I would say philosopher at heart) gave the most thrilling 45 minute "presentation" I have seen in a long time. And he did it on the topic of Generation Y (in the workplace, more or less).

And why was this presentation absolutely brilliant? Because he didn't tell me what I thought I knew. He didn't share conventional wisdom. Instead, I as audience member was presented with a man who simply was completely passionate (and well versed and curious and uniquely interested) in his topic, or more appropriately in the idea of having a conversation about that topic. Sure some of my favorite tricks were inside the talk in order to bridge the initial gap at the start of any presentation when the speaker alone on stage under spotlight must address an assuming audience - the sharing of personal stories, the humorous connections with appropriate self-deprecation (what a terrible word, how about self-humanization) as a vehicle in which to share one's story and provide the bit of truth which gets a group of people thinking - but not 5 minutes in, I think the room was sold. And precisely because this man was so authentic on stage (and in and amongst the crowd). The sheer power of his energy and passion to converse and facilitate the constant, silent thought generating in the minds of an audience throughout the room was fantastic to watch. He wasn't trying to be flawless or even get you to agree with him - he was fully engaged in the sharing of knowledge for the audience to self-generate the implications, realities, shift of opinions or even to shift the entire presentation based on an answer. I wasn't given a speech or a presentation. I was invited into a dialogue. And that was incredibly refreshing and I only wish I was still inside it. If this is the future of where meetings and events are headed (and it is - I honestly believe there is a way to re-envision the "meeting" to take the best of what learner generated content is on the web and merge it with the powerful thing which happens when people sit down in a room together) I am more than excited.

Peter if you find this, I want to talk more. But not right now. I have work to do before next Wednesday...

Consider the Company

2009-02-06T18:25:00.001-06:00

Social Networking has found a host of new sites to call home – websites that is. But whether you have a profile on Facebook or are building your connections on Linked-In, the downside to online networking is that your connections require connectivity! So here is a novel idea: instead of inviting new contacts to My Space, consider hosting them at your actual space. Around your table perhaps…

Spice up your next night-in by inviting a group of people who only have YOU in common. Host a dinner party for guests who do not know each other but you think should. They could be the five most interesting people you know, or 10 friends each from a different time of your life. Sure enough you are bound to mix a bunch of people who could grow to be great connections for each other. As host, you simply provide the venue in which these natural connections can take place over cocktails and cuisine. And as your evening progresses, the conversation is sure to be fascinating. Social networking in person; what a crazy concept!

Fast Tip: Looking to jump start the conversation at your next dinner party? Try Party Topics (www.tabletopics.com). Available as coasters, napkins or place cards, Party Topics offer 12 starter questions sure to get the conversation going.

Event ROI -> Whats the Return?

2009-01-15T17:34:00.003-06:00

Event ROI is fictitious.

Whoa! Back up. Before anyone shouts back, let me explain. My theory is based on the following premises I have observed:

1. Special Events are essentially facilitated human interaction.
2. The problem with people is that you cannot control all the variables.
3. (Excluding sales-based projects and annual meetings), many events are one-offs. With no prior baseline to measure against, how do you concretely document the return.
4. Great Events prove that often 2+2=5 (that is the result of all the pieces (value of the experience) is greater than the individual pieces (price) themselves).
5. Events are ultimately chasing an intangible: memory retention of the experience.

Now some readers of this will want to argue that every meeting and event is sales driving for any organization and we can argue that. Others will articulate that every good event is rooted in brand strategy, business objectives and/or messaging which I agree with, but we are not talking about a Return on Objective, we are discussing Return on Investment. And its NOT just semantics. If you hit the APEX dictionary, the definition for Event ROI is a tradeshow one: Value (most likely financial) returned for an investment made. Events for the most part, represent costs not returns to organizations.

So can we give up the ROI debate? Absolutely not. The question it seems comes down to how we define that word 'value'. As event professionals, it is critical that we create strategies which design meetings & events for a return; and those energies should be split between creating value for the company and for all event attendees. We must frame up the experience at the event to facilitate the conversations we want to happen and allow room for attendees to create their own dialogues. Before we try to measure our events, we need to define what return we are trying to provide and then create both our strategies and measurements tools to document the value we just defined. Which means that there is no one equation for measuring the ROI of an event, but a multitude of possibilities.

And finally we have to be OK with what we hear back through our measurement models. As much as events are facilitated human interactions, they evolve as the audience becomes more refined and the product experience more defined. We must accept criticism which states that we missed the mark, and address it the same way we accept the positive feedback. As a good friend and colleague, Cheryl Kranz of CEK Events, recently shared with me, our focus should not be on moving the "good" evaluation folks up to "great" but creating value opportunities so all respondents respond to a great experience - even if that experience is wholly unique to every individual attendee. And that event will have a perfect ROI.

Thoughts on Bubbles...

2009-01-08T23:48:00.007-06:00

Had to share a COOL product my friend Lara from Toronto found. Check out FLOGOS - Floating Logos for your next event: http://tinyurl.com/a475yl

Reminds me of a product I used for a pair of events last March. Doing an 1940's B&W Hollywood-type themed award party in which Bubbles were a theme and trend, I came across a product, which when used in an ordinary bubble machine, and under a black-light, the bubble glow blue or gold. Very cool effect. Very slippery effect (be careful.)

(Thanks to Coppersmith Photography for this image)

And for a final thought on bubbles, I can't get over a Target find from Halloween. Trend in home decor is a bubble machine cross-bred with a bubbler. i.e. it blows bubbles filled with smoke (so white bubbles) and when they POP! poofs of smoke. Very cool effect. Not on a large scale - but I could imagine how fun they would be big-scale! So any Special Effects creators out there...contact us, we need to talk about this.