Part 2: Great ideas

back friends!

What we'll cover

• Venues
• Meeting design
• Team-building
• Food & beverage
• Audience engagement

Don't forget to park your thoughts as we go.

Venues

Question: If every ballroom is the same, why do we always book ballrooms?

Spaces affect your mood.

People learn and feel better when exposed to natural light.

Unusual venues are everywhere!

Museums

Restaurants

Attractions

Sports arenas

Concert halls & theaters

Libraries and government buildings

Nightclubs

Historic homes & gardens

Colleges and universities

Office buildings

Special event facilities

And ... ?

You can even hold an event in a parking garage!

With special venues

Consider:

• Budget
• You group makeup
• Insurance, permits & restrictions
• Security
• Preferred vendors
• Transportation

Do you use CVBs?

CVBs are your best friends.

Ask for it!

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Let's talk design. Audience-centered design.

You want to create a relevant, engaging culture of inclusion.

When you design your event with the attendees' comfort and needs in mind, they feel welcomed.

When you ignore diets, religious observances, physical limitations, generational differences ...

Have you ever felt awkward or frustrated at an event? Why was that?

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That's beautiful design.

Remember: You're the movie producer. Storyboard the event.

PAY ATTENTION TO transitions

Are we cool?

Let's talk about team-building.

Trends aren't as important as knowing your goals and your group.

Collaborative challenge games

Art or music-making

Improv training

Tech-enabled hunts

Activities that benefit the community

What have you seen that's cool?

Let's talk food trends.

While they are in your care, their wellbeing is your concern.

Do you eat mashed potatoes and dessert for lunch when you're at home?

Wellness is a huge trend.

So is locally sourced & seasonal.

Anything hand-crafted.

Gluten-free

Ancient grains

And comfort foods in micro-portions

Food allergies

Allergy vs. preference

To be safe:

• Capture allergy information
• Remember ALL guests
• Work with chef on menus
• Cross-check the menus
• Label ingredients on buffets

Don't forget meal delivery and communication strategy for banquet staff AND attendees!

Can you plan a menu that allows everyone to eat together?

Are we cool?

Engaging the audience (content, community, tech)

True or false:
Lecture-based sessions is the MOST effective way to educate people.

How long is our attention span?

You need to re-engage the audience every 7-10 minutes.

Have you noticed the techniques I've used?

Delivery strategy

• Chunking content
• Storytelling
• Images or video over text
• Frequent Q&A/polling
• Group work/discussion
• Spaced repetition
• Narrative flow

The challenge with digital events is giving remote viewers a voice.

Mods are a must. Emcees are a plus. And train your speakers!

If you don't train your speakers, your engagement strategy is doomed to fail.

Consider

• Make speakers define delivery strategy
• Outline expectations
• Provide examples and guidance
• Have speakers for digital events submit video

Tech tools are awesome

But you need a communication strategy or no one will use it.

If it doesn't help achieve your strategic objectives, it's a waste of time and money.

What's in it for them?

SPEEDTEST.NET

Ideas? Questions? Problems? Great takeaways?

PlanYourMeetings.com