PYM LIVE Dallas Digital Guide

#YAYPYM!DON’T FORGET TO TAG YOUR TWEETS, PICTURES AND POSTS WITH

PYM Live Dal as

Sites & Bites

P R E S E N T

T O DAY ’S AG E N DA

12 pm Partner registration

12:30 pm Planner registration

12:30-1 pm Tours of White Space Dallas

1-1:15 pm Official PYM LIVE welcome and orientation, recognition of PYM AllStars

1:15-1:30 pm F&B mini-session: How to Build a Menu Around Food Allergies with Kristi Casey Sanders

1:30-1:35 pm Break

1:35-2:45 pm Site-selection speed meetings, Part 1

2:45-2:55 pm Break

2:55-3:05 pm Exercise Bytes fitness break

3:05-3:35 pm Educational session: Data Isn’t a Dirty Word with J. Damany Daniel

3:35-3:40 pm Break

3:40-4:45 pm Site-selection speed meetings, Part 2

4:40-4:50 pm Break

4:50-5:20 pm Educational session: Contract Negotiations: Beyond the Basics with Kristi Casey Sanders

5:20-5:25 pm Board shuttle to Belo Mansion for networking reception

5:30-5:40 pm Welcome to Belo!

5:40-6 pm F&B mini-session: Catering Trends for 2015 with David Wood

6-6:55 pm Tours of the venue and networking reception hosted by Belo Mansion, featuring desserts and dancers sponsored by Caesars Entertainment

6:55 pm Door prizes and goodbyes

7 pm Board shuttle for White Space

Today’s education provided by

M O R E O P T I O N S

M O R E S E R V I C E

M O R E S U C C E S S

WE ANSWER TO YOU.

At Caesars Entertainment, we think planning a successful meeting or event should be a whole lot easier. And much more rewarding. In fact when you book with us, we reward you two

ways: Instant Diamond status gives you elite privileges, from valet parking to VIP access. And Total Rewards® earns you points on

your meeting spend you can redeem for travel, entertainment and brand-name merchandise. At Caesars, we believe your hard

work deserves a lot more credit.

Call toll free 855-MEET-CET.

Or visit caesars.com/meetings

The rewards go far beyond

stress-free planning.

Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2014, Caesars License Company, LLC.

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PYM LIVE Dallas | August 26, 2014

T I T L E D S P O N S O R S

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT. With more than 1.95 million square feet of conference space, it’s one of the largest, most experienced and most respected companies in the world, with 40 properties in 20 destinations plus countless attractions.

We strive to create a successful event with solutions and rewards tailored to fit you perfectly. Call 855-633-8238 or email [email protected] and let us help you create a meeting or event that’s more memorable, more successful and more rewarding than you ever imagined.

Nick Rodriguez [email protected] cetmeetings.com @Total_Rewards

THE MONTEREY COUNTY (Calif.) Convention and Visitors Bureau is your team of local experts, prepared to assist you in developing your most inspirational meeting yet. Imagine a destination that invigorates and inspires your attendees inside and outside of the meeting space, with an array of unique places and extraordinary spaces to create life — and business — enriching moments. Welcome to Monterey County, a natural stimulus for heightened levels of thinking, feeling and doing.

Kayce Boettcher [email protected] seemonterey.com

@SeeMonterey

BIRDS AND TURTLES aren’t the only ones who migrate to South Padre Island, Texas, every year. Hundreds of businesses and associations gather on the Island to hold meetings, conventions, trade shows and special events. From small groups to

corporate conventions, the South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau staff can help you plan a “Totally Beachin’” event that will have your attendees raving for years to come. Contact Travis Milum for more information.

Travis Milum [email protected] sopadre.com

@SPIinDFW

Speakers

Kristi Casey Sanders@PYMLive

Plan Your MeetingsHow to Build a Menu Around Food AllergiesContract Negotiations: Beyond the Basics

PYM Live Events

J. Damany Daniel@TheEventNerdThe Event Nerd

Data Isn’t a Dirty Word

David WoodCulinaire

Catering Trends for 2015

Connect with our speakers and find their bios on Topi.

See opposite page for download instructions.

ARE YOU A CHANGE AGENT?Did you know that you inspire us? We love hearing your stories, seeing your pictures and getting to know more about you and your events. Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Flickr and share your work, images and ideas with us. Don’t forget to tag your images, tweets and posts with #yaypym.

Plan well and prosper, friends!

PlanYourMeetings.com

Want to connect with who’s here? Download our free

conference app, Topi,

available for Apple, Android and Windows Mobile

devices. Connect it with your Facebook, LinkedIn

or other social profiles, and it will show you

everyone who’s here, based on how much you

have in common. It will also generate private chat

rooms where you can connect with people who

share your interests. You can instantly connect via

LinkedIn or add people to your friends list so you

can communicate long after this event ends. Topi

also contains the digital show program and CEU

certificates of attendance.

Scan the QR code to download the Topi app for your device.

Ez.com/pymapple

iPhone/iPad

Ez.com/pymandroid

Android

Ez.com/pymwindows

Windows mobile

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR NETWORKING TIME

Enter this code in Topi’s settings and you’ll be able to connect

with the event community even after you leave today.

PYMDFW14

H O S T S

WHITE SPACE is Dallas’ first venue dedicated to hosting productive meetings and engaging events as unique as your needs. To keep it simple and affordable, our all-inclusive pricing model gives you everything you

need for a successful event — from meeting-planning services and complete AV support to unlimited supplies and snacks — all at a pre-determined, flat rate. At White Space, the only surprises you will find are in the ideas you will create.

Michael Clay [email protected] whitespacedallas.com @WhiteSpaceDal

LOCATED IN THE HEART of the downtown Dallas Texas Arts District and steeped in the rich history and tradition of the city, the Belo Mansion & Pavilion offers a unique alternative to local hotel ballrooms and other event spaces. From the traditional, understated luxury of the Belo Mansion to the airy elegance of the Pavilion, we invite you to celebrate your event in this unmatched union of something old and something new.

Kevin Brant CPCE [email protected] belomansion.com

@BeloMansion

E D U C AT I O N S P O N S O R

FRISCO, TEXAS, just north of Dallas, is one of the fastest-growing cities in America and is Texas’ Rising Star for sports, shopping, art and fine accommodations. Whether you’re planning travel for one or 100, we can help make your visit a true pleasure.

Frisco is serviced by two airports: Dallas-Fort Worth International and Love Field, both about 25 minutes away. Frisco features award-winning hotels, including a resort-style property and conference center. Our resort-style hotel is one of only two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the Frisco Conference Center has the third-largest ballroom in Texas!

Anna Blakeley [email protected] visitfrisco.com @visitfrisco

Notes

PYM LIVE Dallas | August 26, 2014

F E AT U R E D PA R T N E R S

IRVING: Located adjacent to DFW International Airport and in between Dallas & Fort Worth, Irving includes more than 75 hotels, 11,000 rooms, and stellar facilities for meetings and events, all in one of the most convenient locations for a successful meeting. The Irving CVB provides first-class services that include coordinating bid proposals, assisting with site selection and developing itineraries, registration assistance, and promotional marketing and publicity. The new Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas features a 50,000-sq. ft. exhibit hall, a 20,000-sq. ft. ballroom and an additional 20,000 square feet of breakout space.

Kelly Roche [email protected] irvingtexas.com @visitirvingtx

PEARL: A CULINARY AND CULTURAL DESTINATION in San Antonio, Texas, is home to two unique event venues:

1. PEARL STABLEOnce a grand home to the brewery’s draft horses in the late 1800s, today Pearl Stable provides a unique site for business or social events. Planning a romantic fairy-tale wedding? How about a vintage glamour charity ball, association luncheon, holiday party or family reunion? Pearl Stable can personalize any look, theme or “feel” tailored to your event needs.

2. PEARL STUDIOPearl Studio is an ideal gathering place for all occasions. Offering a modern event venue with an industrial warehouse flavor, Pearl Studio is perfect for any social gathering, business meeting, press conference, music or video production, an intimate wedding reception or performing arts event.

Julie Trevino, DMCP [email protected] atpearl.com

@historicpearl

Our PYM annual edition features bonus materials that can be unlocked with your mobile device. Download the FREE PYM+ app from Apple and Google Play stores.

100 REASONSBUSINESSES

FAIL

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, DEAD HORSE,BLAH, BLAH ...

Did you find inspiration? Foster team collaboration? Produce actionable ideas? Or did your

productivity, along with your meeting, succumb to death by PowerPoint?

Introducing White Space, Dallas’ first venue dedicated to hosting productive business

meetings and events. Our airy, flexible, fully-stocked meeting rooms and helpful staff provide

your team the perfect environment in which to create, explore and express their best ideas.

Visit www.whitespacedallas.com or call 214-272-2450 to learn how we can orchestrate a

stimulating, full-service meeting experience for you.

Better ideas ... deeply explored, richly expressed, positively endorsed.

WhiteSpaceAd for Dallas Live.indd 1 8/13/14 4:56 PM

PlanYourMeetings.com

NotesF E AT U R E D PA R T N E R S ( C O N T I N U E D )

SUPERIOR ONE TRANSPORTATION is the pioneer in corporate ground transportation and limousines. Whether you have an executive to transfer from the airport to a meeting site or a corporate night on the town, our impeccable sedans,

limousines, vans and mini-buses will provide trouble-free transportation to your event. Our professional chauffeurs know the most efficient route to your destination, when to help with baggage, how to get around, where to dine and points of interest, all while helping busy executives manage their time more efficiently.

Anthony Brusdeilins [email protected] superiorone.net @superior1limo

S T R AT E G I C PA R T N E R S

ATTENDEE MANAGEMENT is a technology-based attendee management services company that utilizes event registration software and systems to help your team simplify the entire event

management process. You can take advantage of the benefits of an event and registration management system without sacrificing your valuable time or budget. A full-function event registration service can truly streamline your event planning and attendee management; however the software and systems required can be expensive and time consuming to learn. We provide a complete registration management system through our software solutions and quality customer service.

Jeff Rasco, CMP [email protected] attendeenet.com

@attendeenet

CROWD MICS lets attendees be heard using the microphones already available in their iOS or Android devices. Their voices are amplified through the room’s sound system, eliminating the awkward, inefficient and often expensive method of running wireless microphone around the room. Crowd Mics is an app for iOS and Android and requires no

additional hardware to operate. The presenter simply plugs her own mobile device into the sound system through the headphone jack and everyone in the room joins the same Wi-Fi network. Crowd Mics also includes text commenting and polling features.

Tim Holladay, co-founder [email protected] crowdmics.com @crowdmics

Belo Mansion_PYM Ad.indd 1 3/27/2014 1:50:15 PM

Notes

PYM LIVE Dallas | August 26, 2014

U P C O M I N G

Tell your friends we’re coming!September 11, 2014 | Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta Marriott Perimeter Center

October 22, 2014 | Denver, ColoradoGrand Hyatt Denver

November 20, 2014 | Houston, Texas JW Marriott Houston Downtown

Registration is open now for these events at planyourmeetings.com/events.

PYM Live Events

S T R AT E G I C PA R T N E R S ( C O N T I N U E D )

Bytes™

on-demand fitness breaksX BYTES are on-demand video fitness breaks for meetings, training events, conferences and workplaces. This new and innovative technology keeps people alert, entertained and energized. The breaks are brief, sweat-free, tailored for participants wearing business attire, and for use at their seats. Each of the four video breaks integrates easily into the agenda as energy boosters when energy levels are low (midmorning and midafternoon), time fillers for unplanned gaps and social icebreakers that build camaraderie. Videos can be corporate branded to attract sponsorship revenue.

Kim Bercovitz, Ph.D. [email protected] x-bytes.com @xbytes

TOPI is the only mobile solution that connects everyone at any event. In addition to the basics (content, agenda, broadcasts, attendee profiles, sponsoring, social network integration, etc.), Topi leverages

participants’ profiles to create interest-based group conversations. Topi also provides a curated environment for private chats, audience questions and many other unique features.

David Aubespin [email protected] topi.com @topi

E X H I B I T I N G PA R T N E R SAbilene CVBDawn [email protected]@AbileneCVB

AT&T Hotel & Conference CenterLeah [email protected]@MeetAtTexas

Beaumont CVBRebecca [email protected]@VisitBeaumontTX

City of GranburyJennilee [email protected]@VisitGranbury

Crowne PlazaWilla [email protected]@CrownePlaza

Dave & Buster’sDayne Westbrook214-530-1906dayne_westbrook@

daveandbusters.comdnbparty.com/PartyGuide@DaveandBusters

Embassy Suites San MarcosIrma Adams [email protected]@EmbassySuitesSM

The Event NerdJ. Damany [email protected]@TheEventNerd

Forever Resorts – South Fork Ranch

Janna [email protected]@southfork_ranch

Grapevine CVBCodi Missimo817-410-3533cmissimo@

grapevinetexasusa.comgrapevinetexasusa.com@VisitGrapevine

Greater Miami CVBKimberly [email protected]@MiamiandBeaches

Horseshoe Bay ResortMichelle [email protected]@hsbresort

Inn on Lake GranburyJim Leitch817-573-0046info@innonlakegranbury.cominnonlakegranbury.com@innonlakegranbury

JW Marriott Houston DowntownCathalin Orellana713-398-4660corellana@thejwmarriott.comjwmarriotthotelhouston.com@jwhoustondwtn

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa

Tammy Williams214-250-3801twilliams@

latorrettalakeresort.comlatorrettalakeresort.com@latorretta

Plano CVBKaren Fogle, CMP, CTA, [email protected]@visitplano

Sonnenalp Resort of VailGina [email protected]@sonnenalpvail

Visit Vail ValleySandra Perrig [email protected]@VVPartnership, @VailonSale

PlanYourMeetings.com

Throughout this event, prizes will be given for social sharing

and participation.

#yaypym

Notes

These are wireless microphones for any live event CROWD MICS turns iOS and Android devices into wireless microphones. Finally, the crowd can be heard!  

Voice commenting - Crowd members talk into their device and their voice is heard over the sound system, like a wireless microphone. Text commenting - Just like it sounds. 160 character text comments from the crowd to the presenter.

Polling - A dead-simple polling feature to get quick responses from the crowd.

Crowd Mics works for any live event Conferences Business Meetings Training Sessions School Lectures Concerts Sporting Events

Contact Us Email: [email protected] Phone/text: 480-725-7255 Twitter: @crowdmics Facebook.com/crowdmics

Our PYM annual

features bonus

materials that

can be unlocked with your

mobile device. Download the

FREE PYM+ app from Apple

and Google Play stores.

Then scan the magazine

above with the PYM+ app

and see what we mean!

SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE FREE!Ez.com/pymsubscribe

issuu.com/planyourmeetings

PYM DIGITAL ISSUES NOW ONLINE!

PYMSupportsAt every event in 2014, we’ll be collecting unused soaps and

donations for Clean the World, an amazing organization that’s

transforming what’s wasted in this industry into life-saving gifts

for people in need of proper sanitation.

For more information, visit cleantheworld.org, or view

the brochure in the digital show guide.

Feeling Lucky?Enter to win a 2-night stay in the Florence Suite,

$150 value at Bimini, $220 at Spa and $100 shopping credit at one of the boutiques

at Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada.

PlanYourMeetings.com/contests

CATCH UP ON THESE FREE ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Contract Negotiations: Prepared and Fair are Effective in Any Marketwith Christy Lamagna, CMP, CMM, CTSM

Ez.com/prepared

How to Ensure Your Events Increase Connections, Foster Collaboration

and Deliver Sales Resultswith PYM’s Kristi Sanders

and Eric Olson, CEO, Zerista

Ez.com/1to1

Social Media Safari: It’s a Jungle Out There

with Barbara Rozgonyi, Principal, CoryWest Media

Ez.com/socialsafari

PYM LIVE Dallas | August 26, 2014

On-Demand Fitness Breaks that Energize and Attract

Sponsorship Revenue

How X bytes™ WorksX bytes™ are short video bytes of exercise that are easy to “fit’’ into your already packed schedule!

Each of the four X bytes™ videos is under 6.5 minutes and can fit into your program as:

•A mid-morning and mid-afternoon energy booster when energy levels are low

•An on-demand and on-the-spot time filler when things don’t go as planned

•A new and innovative break that creates a memorable experience for attendees

•A break room program where videos are looped and people follow along at their leisure

Each X bytes™ break consists of an engaging animation of less than a minute, a 21 second introduction, and a 5-minute fitness break. The video can be shown in its entirety or shortened to fit your event schedule.

X bytes™ Features and Benefits

•Brief – can be easily inserted into anymeeting or conference program

•Convenient, social icebreaker – can bedone at attendees’ seats or in a break room

•On-demand delivery – videos provide spontaneous and unlimited use

•Sweat-free – attendees exercise in their business attire

•Gentle for every body – there are no crazydance moves or awkward yoga poses

•Healthy and memorable break – combats sitting fatigue and learning fatigue

X bytes™ are EASY to Use!Videos can be downloaded from the Internet and played on a PC or Mac, or web streamed.

Custom Branding Options

X bytes™ provides sponsorship appeal! Custom video branding brings sponsors memorable, prominent and frequent exposure.

Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. X bytesTM, Exercise BytesTM, and the X-Man symbol are trademarks of Exercise Bytes Inc.

Animation Introduction Fitness BreakLess than 1 minute 21 seconds 5 minutes

Complete Version (Less than 6.5 min)Abbreviated Version (5.5 min)

Short Version (5 min)

Let us show you how on-demand fitness breaks during the day can change your conference experience!

[email protected] www.x-bytes.com 1-855-8xbytes @Xbytes

Is your event jam-packed with sessions?

Do you ever need to fill program gaps?

Looking for new & innovative sponsorship opportunities?

Want to make your events more memorable?

on-demand fitness breaks

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August 26, 2014 | White Space & Belo Mansion

Bytes™

on-demand fitness breaks

Lose the Spiral Notebook for GoodA guide to some of the best tech tools for planners on the go (and who isn’t?)

By STORMI BOYD

Event professionals will tell you that the ability to work efficiently outside the office is a necessity. With the increase of tablet technology, the need to carry around a paper binder or a heavy laptop is nearly obsolete. With the right tools, I can quickly accomplish anything while off-site. So what are the tools that work (or don’t) for the planner on the go?

A keyboard is imperative because it turns your iPad into a word processor that rivals any laptop. I suggest using a keyboard that is part of a case such as a ZAGGfolio. The Brookstone KeyboardPro has a magnetized keyboard that is removable. It’s particularly effective to use on a desk surface because that allows you to change the orientation of your screen (landscape/portrait), which the ZAGGgmate does not. Planners say that they don’t want to loose the sensation of writing because it helps them remember details. So a stylus is almost as important as a good keyboard. There are many styluses on the market and most have a round rubber tip. The best stylus for me has been the JotPro by Adonit. It has a clear plastic disk and ballpoint head, which allows for greater swivel and feels more like the weight of a real pen. This stylus along with the app Noteshelf lets me get entirely away from spiral notebooks.

Some of us spend time buying expensive external hardware such as a portable scanner. These are great for scanning documents, and even though they are small, they are cumbersome to pack. The solution for me has been a FREE app called Genius Scan that allows you to snap a picture of a document and convert it to a PDF. You then open it in a PDF annotate program (GoodNotes, iAnnotate) and make notes or sign it. Very quick and nothing extra to pack.

A huge misconception about moving away from paper and relying solely on tablet technology is that the battery life on an iPad will not last. There are many external charging options available for planners on the go. I’m a big fan of external battery packs that can come in many forms. The Mophie Juice Pack fits in your palm and can be plugged into any device. The best gadget I’ve found is the Powerbag by Ful, which becomes a mobile charging station with several connections. Imagine being able to charge multiple devices at the same time while walking around. No more stopping to look for an outlet. The Powerbag is available in several styles and has been a lifesaver for me.

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on-demand fitness breaks

These small tools along with highly productive apps such as Dropbox and QuickOffice make the job of the road warrior event professional easier. They put all of our necessary documents at our fingertips. Gone are the days of carrying a heavy paper binder or pulling your laptop out at the security checkpoint.

Stormi Boyd, CMP, CMM, is the senior events & convention manager for Keller Williams Realty International. She has been in the event industry for more than 14 years and has planned events ranging in size from two to 11,000 people. She serves on multiple committees for PCMA and MPI local chapters and enjoys sharing her knowledge with event professionals. She is an expert with live-event production and mobile tablet technology. Find her on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter (@stormisee).

The only solution that connectseveryone at your event

[email protected] for a free demo

@topifacebook.com/topiapp

Geo-fencing

Questions & feedbackProfile search

Interest group chats

LinkedIn Connect

Social network integration

TranslationsBroadcasts

In-app sponsorship

Dynamic agenda

Content sharing

and many more…

Topi makes it quick for conference participants to find and connect with each other —

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August 26, 2014 | White Space & Belo Mansion

Bytes™

on-demand fitness breaks

Bag it! 5 Must-haves for Those On-the-go

By MELISSA WASHINGTON

As a frequent international traveler, I’ve quickly learned the dos and don’ts of travel — by train, plane and automobile — and learned from my mistakes, what drives me crazy and, in turn, vowed not to let it happen again if there’s something I can do about it.

I have special timesaving tactics that can help me be best prepared for an easygoing business trip. Granted, you can’t keep the flight from departing late or getting canceled, but you can always find ways to be a more efficient traveler. Here are five recommended items I carry with me in my travel bag at all times:

1) Portable phone charger. Gone are the days of using cellphones for phone calls only. By using our phones to multitask, the battery powers dwindle much quicker. An easily accessible compact phone charger is a must. Check out Halo for some trendy pocket-size gadgets or go solar with Goal Zero.

2) Power strip. It can be extremely frustrating trying to find an available outlet at the airport to charge up pre-flight. A power strip lets you charge multiple devices while also sharing with others. It’ll also come in handy at the hotel room in case it lacks a convenient outlet next to the nightstand.

3) Empty sunglasses case. Use these to house your phone and electronic cords.

4) Global Entry Card. When you’ve traveled out of the country, the Global Entry Card helps you get back into the United States much more quickly. And, with the recent launch of TSA pre-check, travelers can keep shoes and jackets on, and leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags. Check out Clear Me, a program that helps travelers expedite their trips through security checkpoints. Enrolling in any or all of these programs makes traveling a lot less stressful.

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5) Hotel and airline program cards. Racking up frequent-flier and travel miles with your favorite hotels and airlines is always beneficial. Keep your wallet extra light by entering all program card information into a safe and secure place on your iPhone or mobile device for easy access on-the-go.

Melissa Washington is owner of SmartNet Strategies, a company she founded in California in 2010. She speaks, does workshops and gives webinars on such topics as LinkedIn (using this dynamic platform for job seeking, recruiting, selling, researching and collaborating), and job search techniques. She also does corporate event planning. SmartNet Strategies is a Certified Veteran Enterprise (CVE) and a California Certified Small Business. She is a U.S. Navy veteran.

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August 26, 2014 | White Space & Belo Mansion

Bytes™

on-demand fitness breaks

The Best RFPs, According to Hotel Salespeople

By TERRY MATTHEWS-LOMBARDO, CMP

Welcome to 2014, where it’s a seller’s market again. If you’re a supplier, you’re happy to be deluged with business, but for planners — yikes! During these periods, two of the biggest concerns for planners should be:

• The need to search further in advance for your preferred meeting dates.

• The need to make your RFPs stand out among all others.

We can’t help you convince your boss to give you more lead time on the events that will come your way, but we can offer some guidelines to help you get your request for proposals front and center on hotel sales desks. This list has been compiled with the help of actual real, live hotel salespeople:

1) Historical information about the proposed meeting

If your meeting has been held in the past, provide the group history, even if it varies slightly from what you’re now asking. Dates, rates, locations (include hotel [s] and city), number of attendees and notes about any outstanding conditions that may have impacted the outcome, i.e., “held during terrible snowstorm even after major airport closures” or “first year we announced new product rollout, so attendance was extremely high.” In short, provide anything to explain major differences between past pickup and future forecasts.

If your RFP is for a brand-new, never-held-before meeting, you still need to provide some notes such as “required attendance for all company divisions” or “four-city tour of new CEO” that will help sell your program to hotels. Yes, you read that correctly. In a seller’s market, the planner has to create interest in his or her meeting with every hotel approached. The more compelling your background information, the more attractive your business becomes.

2) A rough draft of the proposed itinerary

Don’t just say “lots of breakouts.” Take time to sketch out a brief agenda and make sure to mark it “DRAFT.” Even if you’re guessing and/or reading between the lines of what your boss may want, the draft will need to be done at some point. So do it early and give it to the hotels.

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3) Clearly define your timelines and expectations

If you need a response yesterday, mark your RFP as urgent. But be forewarned, if a hotel jumps through hoops to respond, you’d better be prepared to give them an expeditious answer. Nothing seems to irritate hotels more than having their “we-turned-this-around-in-24-hours RFP” sit on a planner’s desk indefinitely. Since it’s a seller’s market, when you do get that RFP back, the hotel will have clearly laid out the terms and dates of their proposal. Procrastinating planners will probably not fare well with hotels inundated with RFPs.

4) Identify your top two or three deal-breakers

In a perfect world, you’re sending your RFP to multiple properties that are similar in size and scope, so presumably certain factors will persuade you to choose one over another. Cut to the chase and let them know what’s most important to your company, whether it’s rates, preferred dates or spa services. You have hot buttons. Don’t keep them a secret.

5) Include a brief synopsis of your company whenever possible

If this isn’t already obvious, include who will attend and why, and provide your best estimate of important budget projections — like F&B — to get the hotel’s attention.

Finally, do your homework. Make sure your send your RFP to the person who covers your market. If you send it blind as in “To whom it may concern,” it will probably get the same impersonal attention in return. Sending it to a specific person, even if you’ve never met or spoken to this person, will get their attention. If you don’t know who to contact, call the sales department. Remember, personal attention is the first step in establishing a good relationship.

Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP, has learned a lot during a lifetime of planning meetings and events. Mostly, that contrary to popular opinion everywhere else, you always sweat the small stuff in this industry. (Some other things, too, like never run out of chips before dip — or was it Mom who said that? — and don’t ever assume that your company executive can give a good keynote speech just because he’s paid a whole lot of money to run the company.) During her journey covering 30+ years as a flight attendant, trip director, international meeting planner, wife, mother of two and caretaker to “it’s not my dog,” she’s logged a few miles around the world and made it a lifelong mission to be a student of the universe, one lobby bar at a time. Email her at [email protected].

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14 Ways to Revitalize Your Event Marketing Strategy

By KRISTI CASEY SANDERS

The traditional model of event marketing and engagement is broken. This is the pattern of communication that typically happens pre-, during and post-event. Consider these models created by Mitchell Beer of Smarter Shift. *

There’s no afterlife. Marketers have the unenviable task of annually rebooting relationships to drum up excitement and remind people why they should attend 30 to 60 days prior. It’s an exhausting and unsustainable model.

Think about how much easier pre-show marketing would be if our events generated this kind of community.

Before DuringAfter

Before During After

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Ideally, conversations would start beforehand and amplify at the event. Ideas and relationships sparked by face-to-face contact would continue to grow afterward.

So how do we accomplish this?

That was the question posed to attendees at PYM LIVE Jacksonville on Feb. 6. We challenged groups of meeting planners and suppliers to come up with at least one strategy to generate excitement pre-show, to engage audiences during the show and something that would keep them talking post-show. Here’s what they came up with:

Pre-show ideas

1. Distribute a QR code or link to education that attendees can view before the event. Discussions would begin off-site and continue in-depth at the event.

2. Clearly communicate what attendees can expect (resisting the urge to be clever with the marketing copy).

3. Create an attendee referral program.

4. Help attendees form teams before arriving. Give them the meeting theme and instructions on what they should create together. Whatever they prepare would be used/displayed at the event.

5. Pepper reminder emails with incentives to come. If you have money in the budget to do so, combine with a direct mail campaign filled with “bread-crumb” tchotchkes that are fun reminders of the event theme, destination or content they’d experience on-site.

During-show ideas

1. Create five-minute breaks where people can participate in ice-breakers like “two truths and a lie,” solve puzzles or just tell jokes.

2. Keep educational topics current and relevant to the audience and the challenges they face.

3. Seat attendees at roundtables where they drill down from a general topic to one specific aspect of that topic they’d all like to discuss or have in common. Have them discuss that specific item in depth and share what they discovered with the larger group. Expand on those micro-discussions as the event goes on or post-show in social communities.

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Post-show ideas

1. Create a photo gallery of images on Smilebox, Facebook or another online host and distribute to attendees post-event so they can comment and share.

2. Share post-event survey results with attendees and let them know what you plan to change because of their feedback. Then create a case study that shows what happened after you implemented those changes. Share that as well.

3. Create a post-show reception where people can bond over drinks.

4. Send handwritten notes to attendees or personalized emails rather than a blanket email.

5. Have attendees pledge to focus on staying in touch with five people they met at the event. Offer them incentives to share their stories about following through on that promise.

6. Create a puzzle or news bubble that is sent to past attendees. It should be a fun reminder of what they enjoyed at the event. When decrypted, it tells them what the next steps are.

Let’s keep the conversation going

Do you have other ideas for engaging attendees pre-, during or post-show? Tweet them @PYMLive, share them in the comment field below, on our Facebook page or in our G+ Community and tag them #yaypym.

Every month, we’ll be talking about the future of meetings in our social communities, on PlanYourMeetings.com and at our PYM LIVE Events. Want information delivered directly to your inbox? Subscriptions to PYM are free for meeting and event planners, so share us with your friends.

Want a copy of this report? Download it here: AudienceEngagementStrategiesforMeetingPlanners-PYM

* Special thanks to Danielle Adams; Vickie Corder; Juli Heineman; Lacey Mitchell; Vicki Sumagpang; Nicole Taylor; Cindy Tilton; Vickey Woodley; Kathleen Zwart, CMP; Jackie Franklin; Gina Hengst; Wayne Bolai; Sandra Rose; Julie Rhea Bell; Sabrina Young; Holly Laverentz; Matt Gingras; and Julie Fisher for sharing their ideas. Thanks also are due to Mitchell Beer of Smarter Shift for sharing his thoughts and illustrations of the current and ideal communication cycle for events. These illustrations are based on ones he presented at Event Camp Twin Cities 2011.

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Kristi Casey Sanders is the VP of creative/chief storyteller of Plan Your Meetings. In addition to being an award-winning journalist who has covered meeting-industry trends and destinations since 2003, she is a popular speaker on the topics of technology, sustainability, community building, engagement and proving ROI. Before joining the PYM team, she was a corporate trainer/performer with Boom Chicago Comedy Theatre in Amsterdam, where she taught multinational groups soft skills through improv. In her spare time, she is site selection chair for the Society of American Travel Writers’ Eastern Chapter, a big-time geek, and loving mom and wife. Not necessarily in that order. Follow her on Twitter @PYMLive or @KristiCasey. And check out her videos on PYM’s YouTube channel.

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Innovative Ways to Attract Exhibitors and Sponsors to Your Event

By KENT EMESON

Traditional event marketing at trade shows, sporting events, nonprofit events and conferences helps sponsors and exhibitors advertise services or products that will help make customers’ lives better/easier/more fun. They have less than 30 seconds to attract potential customers/leads into an area to showcase their company’s services or products; then they have less than three minutes to convince them that they want to know more. Event marketing is widely considered to give companies and sales teams the best ROI of any other marketing channel, but decreased attendance has made exhibitor booths and sponsorships a tougher sell in this economy.

That is why, along with traditional event marketing concepts, event organizers must offer a solid online marketing campaign to bolster what is offered at the face-to-face event. Paramount to making a successful match is finding companies that truly offer items and services that your attendees need, and providing multiple ways for partners to communicate that synchronicity.

To attract more exhibitors and sponsors to your event (and create new revenue streams), think about incorporating the following into the marketing packages you offer for your events:

• Create an area to display sponsors’/exhibitors’ logos and website links on the event’s website, appropriately tiered to their sponsorship level or amount of investment in your event. Create advertising banners on the site that can be purchased at an additional cost. The website for the Kentucky Derby is a good example of how organizers are maximizing online advertising opportunities and helping attendees find related social networks, where sponsors and exhibitors can also engage attendees.

• Allow sponsors or exhibitors to co-sponsor a webinar or online seminar that will reach your audience before or after the event.

• If your event has a nonprofit element, such as an auction or other fundraising opportunity, ask sponsors or exhibitors for donations. Not only will it help them underscore their commitment to causes important to your attendees; their company can claim a tax-deductible expense.

• Offer to create a co-branded content site that drives attendees

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from your event website to additional educational resources, sponsored by your event exhibitors or sponsors.

• Set up an online matchmaking system, like 3-Way Street, that lets attendees select which sponsors and exhibitors they would like to make time to see during the event, and vice-versa. Ask invitees who cannot attend the event if they’d be interested in meeting with any of your exhibitor/sponsors while they’re in town.

If you think about incorporating creative, multi-touch ways to connect your exhibitors and sponsors with your attendees, you’ll have an easier time selling your event to potential partners. Because even though they may intuitively understand that event marketing delivers more bang for the buck than other marketing channels, they need to know that you’re doing your best to help them succeed when they invest money in your event.

For more than two decades, Kent Emeson has been a hospitality and event marketing manager, meeting and event planner, trade show manager, product marketing manager and world-class event marketing “brand-a-holic.” In 2006, in conjunction with Articulate Creative Communications, he won the International Exhibitor Association Focus Award for Best Face-to-Face Marketing Campaign. He is the owner and hospitality marketing communications consultant for Earson Marketing Inc.

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8 Ways to Mak Events More Relevant in 2014

By KRISTI CASEY SANDERS

Charts by Stephanie Crowley of TheChrysalisSolution.com from sessions at #EventTechLive.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST MEETING TRENDS FOR 2014? From what we hear, they’re streamlining, going back to basics and creating fun, relevant experiences. It’s no longer about what’s new, it’s about what works and what truly makes meetings better — and that means planners have be creative.

At our PYM LIVE Houston event in mid-November, we asked meeting planners and suppliers to answer these questions: “What would make meetings better? What are some fun things you’ve seen or done that worked?”

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Here’s what they said.

1. Graphic storytelling. If “a picture is worth 1,000 words,” a drawing inspired by a session surely beats class notes. Graphic storytellers (like Stephanie Crowley of TheChyrsalisSolution.com, above) recap the content of a keynote or breakout session using images and key phrases. Displayed in common areas afterward, the images become an effective way for attendees to see what they may have missed or spark conversations about big ideas.

2. People as game pieces. Encourage attendees to exchange ideas in playful ways. One example: Use human whiteboards on which attendees can write or stick Post-it Notes. Much like a human chessboard, the “notes” can be moved and arranged so people can see and adjust the patterns of thought that develop.

3. Maximize shuttle time. In many destinations, shuttles to and from airports or off-site venues are a necessary evil. Make transportation time useful by sending a team-builder, local historian or entertainer along with your guests.

4. Customize the experience. Use pre-event surveys to gather data you can use to personalize the experience for each guest. One example: Ask the what they’d do on a day off? Use the information to customize an itinerary or group outing. Knowing favorite foods and dietary restrictions lets you customize snack breaks. At one event, a company printed the image of every employee onto its own piece of Lucite and used those images to create a chandelier that hung in the middle of the ballroom. Each office then took home the images of their employees to create a mosaic.

5. Give traditional culinary team-building a twist. Did attendees catch anything during a fly-fishing trip? Teach them how to clean and cook their fish. Want attendees to work in teams to prepare lunch or dinner? Send them to a farmers market with the meal budget. They buy what they want and are taught how to prepare dishes “Iron Chef”-style.

6. Incorporate local color. What is your meeting destination known for? Use that in your menus, meeting themes and activities. At RoamingHunger.com, you can find and book local food trucks to cater functions. Venues with ties to local farmers can help arrange tastings and buffets where attendees meet and mingle with the people who provided their food. Convention and visitors bureaus are a meeting planners’ best resource for recommendations of local vendors and charities with which to engage.

7. Make it easy to connect. Print double-sided name badges, so if they flip over, the wearer’s identity isn’t concealed. Give attendees something to talk about. Include just the name, not the title or company, and let them choose their own avatar or identifying information to share on the badge. Include their Twitter name so people can find them on social media. Let them download digital business cards by providing them with scannable QR codes on the badge or handheld devices like Poken.

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8. Give people tools to express themselves. Building, painting, doodling, writing, posting Instagram pics — however you encourage people to share, make it easy and nonthreatening. Corporate painting parties use a template so it’s easy for anyone to follow along even while personal embellishments are encouraged. Interactive graffiti walls are finally affordable enough that they’ll be popular this year. And everyone is carrying personal production studios in their pockets — it’s called a phone. So make sure to give attendees a hashtag they can use to share content during your event. Don’t forget to track, share and display what they create in a prominent place, both online and post-event.

Kristi Casey Sanders is the VP of creative/chief storyteller of Plan Your Meetings. In addition to being an award-winning journalist who has covered meeting industry trends and destinations since 2003, she is a popular speaker on the topics of technology, sustainability, community building, engagement and proving ROI. Before joining the PYM team, she was a corporate trainer/performer with Boom Chicago Comedy Theatre in Amsterdam, where she taught multinational groups soft skills through improv. In her spare time, she is site selection chair for the Society of American Travel Writers’ Eastern Chapter, a big-time geek, and loving mom and wife. Not necessarily in that order. Follow her on Twitter @PYMLive or @KristiCasey. And check out her videos on PYM’s YouTube channel.

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Team Building: Best Practices for Success

By DOMINIC PHILLIPS

Effective teamwork is the most crucial element in a successful and productive company, and what better way to enhance that corporate teamwork then through off-premise engaging activity-based team-building?

With each new team-building experience, companies are able to boost their employee productivity through increasing the company morale. The key to this however, is planning an all-inclusive activity in which employees want to take part. Planning a team-building experience could be detrimental if not executed appropriately. The true foundation of team-building is to develop goals of which all team members are aware, committed to achieving and excited about executing.

Whether your group is large or small, team-building is a productive and vital part of every business. Ultimately, as a planner, you want your client and their team to walk away from the experience having achieved their goal and gotten to know one another on a new level, while having a great time.

When planning a corporate team-building activity, a planner must approach each group individually, depending on the size of the team, the goal of the activity and the types of issues that may inhibit good teamwork. Create simple challenges outside of the office, to ensure employees break away from their daily sense of responsibility and are able to engage in a stress-free, relaxed and fun environment.

When planning your next team-building experience, keep these tips in mind:

Questions to ask:

• What are the group demographics? Depending on the group demographics, you may opt for a less active-intensive activity such as a relay race, but choose a fun and engaging activity such as a cooking class.

• What is the goal? Ultimately, team-building is about building strong relationships within the office. What better way to do this than to take employees out of the office so they can see one another in a new light while developing a newfound appreciation of one another’s interests, strengths and weaknesses.

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Things to avoid:

• Creating mandatory team-building activities that may ostracize a team member from the group, may overly expose their weaknesses in a negative way or that may create more stress. If opting for a sport-intensive activity, confirm all group members are in appropriate health and have the desire to be involved.

Recommended team-building activities:

• Projects. Develop activities where there is a single-focus project around which everyone can galvanize. Working on a project that is impossible for one, but possible for many, lets everyone achieve success by working together. Community service-based projects are great for this because you are doing good while building company morale.

• Off-sites. Build laughter and excitement through off-site group activities where employees can get to know one another in a stress-free environment. Sports games and concerts are perfect for this type of team-building, because they’re fun and exciting, and everyone can participate.

• Challenges. Remove employees from their comfort zones and place them in team challenges. Let the team evaluate and work off the groups’ strengths and weaknesses. An urban scavenger hunt or group trivia is excellent for large group challenges as they allow for everyone to be involved and participate.

Dominic Phillips, dubbed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “the event mastermind behind some of San Francisco’s hottest grand openings,� takes a distinctive approach to the event solutions he creates for his clients. In 2004, Dominic launched Dominic Phillips Event Marketing (DPEM), a full-service event planning, design and production agency with a key focus on producing sustainably conscious and zero-waste events. When faced with a new project, large or small, the DPEM team puts a plan in place that meets client goals, vision, budget and schedule to achieve measurable success.

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Social media: Getting Beyond the Obvious

By JULIE NIEHOFF

Even the most outgoing, networking-oriented personalities get butterflies when entering a room full of strangers. While it’s only natural, it doesn’t have to be the norm. Use social media to create connections among attendees in the weeks leading to an event, and you’ll ease their tension upon arrival, decrease your no-show rate, and may even manage to sell out the venue and inspire attendees to count the days until the action begins.

Here are some social media and email tactics you can use to engage attendees and foster new connections among registrants before they arrive.

Twitter

It’s likely that you already know to use and promote a dedicated event hashtag, but there’s more you can do:

• Encourage attendees to follow each other.

• Create a Twitter challenge that rewards attendees for gaining the most new followers, re-tweets and favorites from fellow event participants. Be sure to add a caveat that they must engage fellow attendees through helpful and relevant tweets to be eligible for a prize that will be awarded at the event.

• Facilitate private Twitter chat sessions dedicated to answering event FAQs or conversations with a keynote or noted panelist. Along with helping to bring the attendee community together, this can also generate more buzz for the event.

Facebook

• Regularly contribute fresh photos and content such as updated attendee numbers, bios on your top speakers, and details on special activities at the event, like entertainment or book signings.

• Initiate and contribute to conversations by asking interesting, open-ended questions, such as what attendees love most about the host city.

• Create a poll that asks attendees to vote on fun topics such as their favorite things to do in the city or best places to eat, for example.

• Run a trivia contest related to your industry or event location and reward the winners with a small token at the event.

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Email

To make sure your emails are a welcome reminder and generate more excitement in anticipation of the event, segment your attendee list and save a section for customized content. Specifically, you can segment attendees based on:

• Position/title. Feature recommended panels and speakers of interest along with a link back to your event page where readers can learn more.

• Location. Include local travel information on airports, airlines, car rentals and shuttle services. You can also encourage carpooling by providing information on safe, local meeting spots.

• Poll results. Using data from the Facebook poll, include information such as local restaurant specials or museum hours. Taking the poll to a new level, ask attendees if they’re interested in meeting up on-site to take in a local attraction. You may also consider contacting the venue for a group discount.

Tying it all together

During and after the event, you can reunite attendees by integrating your email and social media efforts in these ways:

• Share positive feedback from event surveys.

• Interview attendees on-site and feature them in newsletters and on your social network pages.

• Post a series of fun and informative videos that give outsiders a good sense of what they can expect at future events.

• Ask attendees to share feedback directly with you, on your Facebook event page or using your Twitter event hashtag.

• Encourage attendees to continue the conversations they started at the event with their new contacts.

Julie Niehoff oversees program development and presenter training for Constant Contact’s global education initiative, for which company presenters deliver free marketing strategy and best practice seminars on a variety of topics, including event marketing, social media and email marketing. She was named a top Small Business Influencer for 2011 by Small Business Trends magazine and SmallBusinessTechnology.com. She has been a featured speaker for Meeting Professionals International, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Association of Small Business Development Centers, the NFL Playbook Series for Superbowl IVV and eWomenNetwork. Find her on Twitter at @Julie Niehoff

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20 Tips for Making Your Event Apps Addictive

By MARY CROGAN

When it comes to event apps, odds are that Smartsheet and Sched.org are on your radar. Or perhaps you’ve taken advantage of Constant Contact’s Event Spot app for Facebook.

It’s almost gotten to the point where attendees expect every major event to have a dedicated app. And why not? If you do it right, it’s

a great way to engage your audience before, during and after.

Whether you’ve taken advantage of existing apps or are considering having one built from scratch, here’s what you need to know about creating a wildly popular mobile event app and, more importantly, how to get attendees addicted to it.

Do’s and don’ts

You already know to leave application development to the pros, but here are 10 tips for your technical team.

1. Make sure it’s a native app not a Web app. Essentially, this means that once a user downloads it to their smartphone, they can more quickly and easily interact with the content because they don’t have to go through a browser.

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2. Don’t let it inadvertently drain the user’s battery or gobble up precious minutes from their data plan.

3. Brand it so it’s easily found in an app store.

4. When the user first downloads the app, it should ask if they want to sign up for alerts, and offer options about the types of notifications they can receive.

5. Make it easy for users to invite colleagues to download the app with an “invite your friends” button.

6. Don’t require a user name and password every time your attendees log in.

7. Do include local maps with recommended hot spots and restaurants.

8. Add easy access to travel information including flights as well as local transportation services and schedules.

9. Integrate the app with social media to promote the event through posts, tweets, likes, shares and favorites.

10. Support on-site registration so attendees can skip long lines and dive right into networking the minute they arrive.

Inspiring app addiction

Here are 10 ways to make sure your attendees see your app as a “must-have.”

1. Build a link on the event registration page that leads attendees to a separate event app page. The separate page should include an overview explaining the app and its benefits, a video demo showing its features and functions, and a social sharing bar to further spread the word.

2. Create a sense of urgency by offering a limited-time registration discount for downloading the app. Promote the offer through email and social media.

3. Post content that’s available only on the app and use alerts to let attendees know about fresh info.

4. Reward users for sharing the benefits of the app on social media by entering their names in a raffle or spotlighting them in an email newsletter.

5. Sneak in hidden rewards to surprise users when they interact with the app.

6. Inspire users to rate the app so others will see its value.

7. At the event, encourage attendees to download the app with reminders about its eco-friendly aspects.

8. Include a QR code on event signage so users can easily download the app without having to type in a URL.

9. Use the app to connect with attendees during the event with special announcements and offers.

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10. Re-engage attendees through post-event surveys and updates about your next event.

Mary Crogan is senior marketing manager for EventSpot from Constant Contact, a comprehensive online tool for the planning and promotion of events, meetings and webinars. Her marketing and event expertise make her a valuable resource to EventSpot’s small business and nonprofit customers who seek to leverage their seminars, classes, meetings and social events to bolster customer and member engagement and impact their bottom lines. She has served as president of the Boston Interactive Media Association (BIMA), advisory committee member of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX) and conference co-chair of the New England Direct Marketing Association (NEDMA).

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A how-to: Using Google Hangouts, Hangouts on Air

By KRISTI CASEY SANDERS

Table of contents for Meeting technology 101

1. Meeting technology 101: Tools that save time

2. Meeting technology 102: Tools that save money

3. Meeting technology 103: Tools that spark interaction

4. Meeting technology 104: Using video as a communications tool

5. Meeting technology 105: Cutting-edge collaboration tools

6. 7 mobile apps that will change your life (and save your back)

7. 5 cheap and easy tips for livestreaming conference content

8. A how-to: Using Google Hangouts, Hangouts on Air

9. Case study: Installing temporary Internet for meetings and events

A few years ago, if you wanted to broadcast educational content from a live event to a virtual audience, you had to hire an A/V team to capture and mix content on-site, pay for a service to stream the content over the Internet and select a Web-based portal where the content would be housed and archived. It typically cost $2,500 to $5,000 per session, with a monthly hosting fee.

Not anymore. You can now log on to Google, push a button and stream conference content directly to YouTube, where it’s archived after the event. For free.

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Not only can Google Hangouts create on-demand education and virtual events, they’re being used for client meetings, collaborative teamwork and informal educational chats. It’s an exciting new tool for event designers, meeting planners and marketers interested in hybridizing events and building online communities. But there’s a learning curve, so here’s some help.

Getting started

First let’s define what a Google Hangout is: It’s a free videoconferencing platform for as many as 10 people.

To use it, you need three things:

1. An Internet connection (wired is best)

2. A computer (mobile, desktop or laptop) with a camera or USB-connected webcam

3. A profile page on Google Plus (G+).

If you have a Gmail account, you already have a G+ profile. If you don’t, it’s free to create a Gmail address or start an account with your work email. You don’t need to completely fill out the G+ profile before you hang out, but doing so makes it easier for people to find you and for you to find other people.

Creating Hangouts

There are formal and informal ways of hanging out. “Start a hangout” buttons on G+ profile pages, chat windows and Gmail inboxes allow for spontaneous virtual gatherings — just push the button and invite people to join you.

To alert people about a future Hangout, create an event on G+, click

http://instagram.com/planyourmeetings

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the “Event options” button, select the “Advanced” menu, click the “Hangout” option and fill in the other details. Unless they decline the invitation, everyone invited will see the event on their Google calendar. At the appointed start time, an email reminder containing a link to join is sent. People can join from there or from the original invitation, which displays a “Join hangout” button once the event starts.

If you filled out your G+ profile, follow people or have joined a G+ community, you’ll occasionally receive Hangout invitations or see that people are hanging out from the timeline on your G+ profile page. You can join them by following the links in those emails and posts. If there already are 10 people in the Hangout, however, you’ll be told it’s full, and you won’t be able to see what’s going on.

Joining Hangouts

Install the Google Voice and Video plug-in before hanging out or you’ll be prompted, given instructions on how to do so and directed back to the Hangout window the first time you try to join. Once you do this, you should be able to hangout whenever you want.

If you have trouble connecting, or getting your camera to activate, try reloading the plug-in. That solves 90 percent of the issues we’ve run across. Additional problems are resolved by using Chrome instead of Internet Explorer or Safari browsers. If problems continue, search the computer’s Application folder for software from 3ivx or Java and uninstall it.

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The differences

Remember how we said a Hangout was limited to 10 participants? If you want to reach a larger virtual audience, enable your chat as a Hangout on Air. When we first published this post, you were able to convert any Hangout into an HOA by clicking a box. Now you have to go to the Google Hangout main page and push the button “Start a Hangout on Air.”

But now you’ve only created an invitation for people to watch your HOA. To start broadcasting, you’ll have to visit this event page when you want to broadcast and hit the “Start” button. Then, invite your guests in.

In addition to streaming live from this HOA event page, the video will stream from your YouTube channel. That’s where it will be automatically archived, allowing for an unlimited number of viewers. The archived video, its keywords and description can be edited afterward. Want to take questions from your viewers? Enable the Q&A app. Then, when people go to the Hangout event page, they can type in questions that you see in your broadcast window.

Don’t have a YouTube channel? Create one using a G+ profile. Just sign in to Google, go to YouTube.com and follow the prompts. If you have an existing channel, make sure it’s tied to the G+ profile you’re using to hang out, otherwise you won’t be able to conduct HOAs.

It’s important to know that until the event organizer pushes the big red “Begin broadcast” button in their Hangout window, HOA content will remain private. Similarly, the content will continue to stream publicly until the “End broadcast” button is pushed.

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If you’re the organizer, start HOAs at least 30 minutes before the broadcast begins so you can do a tech run and orientation with your speakers and participants. We’ve discovered that it’s helpful to copy and paste the URL from the broadcast window into an email and send that as well as invitations to join, especially if your speakers aren’t tech-savvy. Don’t try and keep the window open for more than 45 minutes before broadcasting, though. We’ve had technical issues trying to do so.

When you enable Hangouts to be HOAs, a unique URL and embed code is generated that all participants can see and share on social networks and embed on websites. The URL link leads them back to the event page where they can watch and ask questions (and where you can post photos and other notes pre- or post-show). Before the broadcast begins, make sure that link box is closed, otherwise it will cover up the area that displays the number of virtual viewers you have. (Note: If you created an event invitation for your HOA, you can go back and edit the “Advanced” settings for the event and include website and ticketing info.)

The other big difference between a Hangout and an HOA is that when you create an HOA event invitation, it won’t send a reminder to participants to join or give them a link to go live the way regular Hangout invitations do. But the people you invited to watch the event will get a reminder. This is

where some participants get confused: They’ll RSVP on the event page, but when they get the reminder to tune in, they can’t find their way into the HOA. Organizers must invite all participants into an HOA when it starts. Make sure you communicate to your participants that they’ll be receiving an invitation via email or their G+ page notifications when you want to start the tech or broadcast, and that the event page is just for the HOA audience.

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Another important difference: HOAs don’t support most mobile devices, with the exception of a few Android phones/tablets. So you can hang out with someone using an iPad, but they can’t be part of a broadcast. Google won’t even deliver HOA invitations to people unless they’re using a laptop, desktop computer or one of the few Android devices it likes (they don’t have a list of what those are).

Bells and whistles

Desktop/laptop computer users have another huge advantage over mobile Hangout participants because they can access a vast array of apps. Once one person opens an app, non-mobile participants get the option to “allow” and use it too.

Here are some of the more useful — and fun — apps:

Hangout Toolbox. A must for HOA users. Tools include lower-third company identification for professional-looking titles, real-time URL comment and hashtag-moderation and A/V controls that moderators can use to mute or eject participants.

SlideShare. Lets participants share PowerPoint presentations with each other. Can be used to create an interactive webinar in a solo HOA.

Screenshare. Good for troubleshooting and online demonstrations. Once enabled, you select which screen viewers see.

Google Drive. Share documents, forms, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings for collaborative work.

Symphonical. Collaborative project management software that can be exported from the Hangout.

Chat. Opens a chat window for participants only.

Google Effects. Add sound effects (like applause) and visual overlays (like fake mustaches and pirate hats) to your image. It’s silly and fun.

Capture. Lets you take photos of the Hangout.

YouTube. Lets participants watch videos together.

Want more best practice and troubleshooting tips? Download this PDF: Tips for Hanging Out by @PYMLive, which is based on our tip sheet for PYM LIVE panelists. It includes information on connectivity, technical requirements and other essential information.

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Kristi Casey Sanders is the VP of creative/chief storyteller of Plan Your Meetings. In addition to being an award-winning journalist who has covered meeting industry trends and destinations since 2003, she is a popular speaker on the topics of technology, sustainability, community building, engagement and proving ROI. Before joining the PYM team, she was a corporate trainer/performer with Boom Chicago Comedy Theatre in Amsterdam, where she taught multinational groups soft skills through improv. In her spare time, she is site selection chair for the Society of American Travel Writers’ Eastern Chapter, a big-time geek, and loving mom and wife. Not necessarily in that order. Follow her on Twitter @PYMLive or @KristiCasey. And check out her videos on PYM’s YouTube channel.