Smart Meetings | Page 150 of 602 | Corporate Event Planning: Business Events, Meetings, Conferences

The 50th anniversary celebration of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) will be celebrated at World Education Conference at Moscone Center in San Francisco next week with an estimated 2,000 meeting professionals from all over the world. Here is what you need to get the most out of your time whether you experience it in-person or by dipping into some of the keynotes online.

Read the backstory about the expansion of Moscone Center.

An Intentional Journey

The overall attendee experience was holistically crafted to build on the themes of “perspective,” “approach” and “action,” according to Paul Van Deventer, MPI president and CEO. The content, layout and even the evening activations were designed as a sort of three-act-play, each speaker sourced with help from internal and external experts to support the message and woven throughout the entire experience. In addition to traditional campfires, wellness lab and playground, the program invited attendees to choose what, where and how they want to access the journey.

Sessions can be filtered by an array of skill areas—creativity, complex problem solving and persuasion to emotional intelligence, network building, for example. Exploration areas include Valuegraphics workshops, a virtual reality station, PaintFest and Tech Zone discovery space.

The first day will focus on perspective: The evolution of the industry requires a fresh approach to the skills and abilities professionals need to excel. At the same time, the health and wellbeing of the community serves as a guiding principle for how to create well experiences and well workplaces.

The second day will look at ways to approach a new era of professional development demonstrated by a new digital badging platform that enables community members to amplify recognition for continuing education by verifying new skills and abilities. This expanded approach takes a broader look at the global workforce to better understand the top priorities among teams and organizational members.

The final day is all about action. MPI’s new Certified college and university program, HMCC Verified Venues and Emerging Meeting Professional (EMP) designation will take center stage.

At the time of our call, Van Deventer was fresh off attending IMEX Frankfurt in Germany and optimistic about the resiliency of the industry, but cautious about the new challenges posed by staffing issues and the possibility of a recession. “This is not just the reunion, but an attempt to answer the question: How do we do business and confront the new challenges?

“Think about what you want to come away with,” Van Deventer suggested. “There will be a lot of activations and options so consider your purpose. Why are you there? Personal development? Business Growth? Making new connections?” The agenda was designed so each attendee can craft an experience that fits their purpose.

One final piece of advice? “Make time for follow-ups with all the people you met and caught up with because it goes fast,” he said.

Gold Celebration

This new programming will take place against a background of nostalgia marking MPI’s 50th anniversary. “This started as a grassroots organization to help each other out and it is no different today at its basic principles,” said Van Deventer. “It is still led by volunteers focused on supporting each other. These are people passionate about their business.”

The milestone is being celebrated throughout the year by honoring those who have gotten the organization to this point, but at the gathering, they will be acknowledged with a walk of stars. It will also feature the stories of members who have taped videos of what the organization means to them.

Because WEC will focus on the in-person this year, there will be a lighter touch with the general sessions and one concurrent session throughout the day, but an online host will guide and facilitate for the remote audience.

The 50th celebration, however, will live on online where everyone can share in recognizing the contributors who have been part of the organization over the years. “What is exciting is how the community has embraced this,” Van Deventer said.

Fast Future

Not everything will be looking back, however. Future Leaders Forum will focus on what is next. The initiative started almost 20 years ago by IMEX and MPI has partnered to further workforce development by engaging hospitality students. “We want to broaden the funnel even more,” Van Deventer said. The goal is to reach kids in junior high and high school, so they consider hospitality as a career, rather than a job to do to make money before their real lives start.

Eat, Do, Be Seen in SF

If it has been a minute since you have visited San Francisco, you may find a lot more to explore. We asked Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel Association, for tips on where to eat, what to do and how to take the best Instagram picture.

3 places to eat near Moscone

Pazzia Restaurant, Italian (337 Third Street)
Bluestem Restaurant & Market, American (1 Yerba Buena Lane)
Luce, Modern American (888 Howard St., Ste. 3011)

Bonus for pizza, Zero Zero, (826 Folsom St.)

3 things to do while in the city

Visit one of the many incredible museums in Yerba Buena near Moscone Center, including SFMOMA, MoAD or The Contemporary Jewish Museum.
Walk along the Embarcadero to take in the scenery and Bay Bridge and visit the Ferry Building to explore its restaurants and artisanal shops.
Visit the Presidio of San Francisco, a national park within city limits that offers stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge; checkout the spectacular new Presidio Tunnel Tops opening on July 17.

3 Instagram spots

Battery Spencer overlook on the northside of the bridge (with the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground and San Francisco in the background)
Bernal Heights Park (for a beautiful panorama of the city and Pacific Ocean beyond)
PIER 7 (for great views of the Bay and the Financial District)

The robot takeover in the hospitality industry is imminent, moving beyond cutesy chatbots and automated telephone operators and into formerly human roles, such as chefs, bartenders and bussers.

Robots and hospitality in the United States have been merging at a glacial pace for some time now. Over the years, hotels all over the world have been bringing in robotic staff, answering frequently asked questions and delivering towels and soft drinks; but the last couple of years have served as a reason to up the ante.

The Pandemic Sped Things Up

It wasn’t until the pandemic that things really ramped up, spurring an increased interest in contactless technology in the hospitality industry, translating into more robots. A survey by Hotel News Resource found that 86 percent of respondents believe technology would help the industry, which has been slowly getting itself out of recovery.

The 122-room Hotel Trio in Healdsburg, California, has had Rose the Robot since 2018, though it transitioned from “novelty to necessity,” as a result of the pandemic, according to a statement. The silver cylinder finds rooms and elevators easily, delivering wine, snacks, groceries, towels and toiletries.

Also borne out of a response to Covid-19 was Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and The Beverly Hilton’s Xenex LightStrike Robots, which use ultraviolet light to kill germs as part of Hilton’s CleanStay with Lysol protection program.

What’s New for Robot Delivery?

The newly opened 196-room Marriott Fort Lauderdale Airport in Dania Beach, Florida, recently appointed their first robot employee, Betty Bot, who will serve as a busser for the hotel’s multicultural restaurant, Radiant 166.

Betty was created by Bear Robotics to battle the increasing pressure placed on the food service industry, which can attributed to employee shortages. Designed with customer-facing interactions in mind, kitchen staffers load food and drinks onto Betty Bot and send her into the dining room to deliver. Give Betty dirty dishes and she will place those in the dishwashing station.

South of Fort Lauderdale, AC Hotel Miami Dadeland is offering a robot food delivery service, in partnership with Cartken and FanFood. Next to Dadeland Mall, AC Hotel Miami guests are provided a QR code with FanFood’s website, which displays a list of participating restaurants Charley’s and Guaca-mole at the mall’s dining pavilion.

Cartken robots in transit to deliver food — Cartken robots in transit

The robot will pick up the order and deliver it to the hotel lobby. Guests receive texts with the robot’s progress to track delivery. Customers receive a custom PIN to unlock the robot’s lid.

Over in Beijing, visitors of the 2022 Winter Olympics, held Feb. 4-20, are also being served by completely robotic food delivery with dishes that have been prepared by robot chefs, putting together foods such as noodles, sandwiches, hamburgers and ice cream, to deliver to the more than 13,000 people in attendance.

WATCH: Meet the robots serving at the Winter Olympics in #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/j8GFpy83fU

— Reuters Asia (@ReutersAsia) January 27, 2022

Operated by an overhead grid, the food drops down from the ceiling to tables partitioned by individual seat in an effort to stave off Covid. Additionally, there are robots that clean, serve coffee and whip up cocktails.

It’s easy to imagine the Jurassic Park franchise’s Dr. Ian Malcolm giving a TED talk on Chaos Theory or holding forth at a science symposium on the value of butterfly wings on chance and circumstance.

“Life will…uh…find a way,” Malcolm famously said. He could have been talking about meeting planners’ determination during 2.5 years of Covid, jumping back in with the energy of a T-Rex and making meetings happen again.

Planners who are also lovers of the Jurassic franchise will want to see the newest installation, Jurassic World: Dominion, then consider planning a dino-centric meeting at these paleontology-focused venues around the country.

A wall display showing several different Triceratops skulls at the Natural History Museum of Utah.

The Natural History Museum of Utah in the 163,000-square-foot Rio Tinto Center in the foothills above Salt Lake City looks like it was unearthed by a giant paleontologist. The exterior is wrapped in 42,000 sq. ft. of standing seam copper.

Inside the museum, you’ll find the Past Worlds exhibit, which includes a Gryposaurus (duck-billed) dinosaur made of original fossil material, and the world’s largest display of horned dinosaur skulls (this includes Triceratops, perhaps one of the world’s most-beloved dinosaurs, which has a starring role in the first Jurassic Park).

An outdoor professional gathering. A series of hills are in the distance.

The entire museum is available for corporate meetings or events, which can be arranged in the Canyon/Canyon Terrace area or on Level 5 (150 for a standing reception or 72-80 for seated dinners). Gallery experiences with the dinosaurs can be included as part of the event.

The Field Museum of Natural History

Imagine your next event being hosted by the largest and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex in the world. That can happen when you book the SUE gallery for a private meeting, event or meal at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.

SUE is the name of the museum’s famous T-Rex. She’s surrounded by other fossils from the Late Cretaceous era, including the beloved Triceratops. Your event can include mood lighting and a multimedia presentation all about SUE’s life back in Jurassic days.

SUE the T-Rex at Chicago’s Field Museum with a round table set up in front of her. — SUE the T-Rex at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History

Enjoy a cocktail reception or intimate dinner in a Late Cretaceous forest. See fossils of SUE the T-Rex, a Triceratops and other creatures that walked the Earth 67 million years ago. View a media presentation about SUE’s life—all under SUE’s watchful gaze.

Stanley Field Hall lets you plan an event with one of the museum’s top dinos, Maximo the Titanosaur, as well as some pterosaurs, in 21,000 sq. ft. of dino-friendly space.

The American Museum of Natural History

The famed American Museum of Natural History houses more than 33 million fossils, including a titanosaur, one of the biggest dinosaurs ever found. Groups can rent the museum’s Hall of Dinosaurs for events of up to 600 people.

They can also do events in the iconic Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, presided over by a fossilized recreation of a battle between an Allosaurus and a mama Barosaurus protecting her young. The Rotunda can host up to 750 awe-filled guests at a time. Altogether the museum can host up to 3,500 attendees across a variety of areas.

Editor’s note: This Week in Travel (TWT) is your essential guide to smoothing the road from here to there for your attendees and yourself.

U.S. Drops Covid Test Requirements for Inbound International Travelers

In a highly anticipated and highly lobbied-for move by the airlines industry, the United States has dropped Covid-19 testing requirements for inbound international travelers.

Roger Dow, president, U.S. Travel, said in a release:

“Today marks another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States. The Biden administration is to be commended for this action, which will welcome back visitors from around the world and accelerate the recovery of the U.S. travel industry…A new analysis found that repealing the pre-departure testing requirement could bring an additional 5.4 million visitors to the U.S. and an additional $9 billion in travel spending through the remainder of 2022.”

Prior to the move, the Biden administration was criticized by Airlines for America along with U.S. Travel and other organizations for delaying the move when many European countries had already dropped the mandatory testing requirements.

The Biden administration said the move would be “reassessed” in 90 days.

Currently, the CDC states that foreign nationals must still provide proof of vaccination to board flights bound for the U.S.

The former pre-departure test mandate ends on Sunday, June 12.

Are Flight Delays in Your Future?

Meeting planners and participants are looking warily at the website FlightAware and noting the scores of cancellations in the United States alone on a daily basis.

On June 9, for instance, at 2:00 p.m., there were already 1,813 cancellations and over 2,000 delays.

“There does not seem to be an end in sight for the chronic flight cancellations that have been disrupting itineraries since late last summer,” William McGee, senior fellow for Aviation and Travel at American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), told Smart Meetings.

“The pipeline of new crew and employees cannot keep pace with demand and it’s imperative that airlines give sufficient notice when flights are canceled—in far too many cases passengers are being notified on the day of travel, and that’s unacceptable. That’s why AELP is calling on DOT Secretary Buttigieg to ensure airlines are equipped to operate the flights they schedule and sell.”

He counseled: “The best advice is to remain aware by requesting flight alerts from the airline and checking the status of your flights. Securing a confirmed seat reservation and checking in early can help. Also, make sure you budget enough time to get to the airport. For those attending group meetings, consider nonstop flights over connections—even if it costs a little more—because you’ll be greatly reducing your chances of flight delays and cancellations.”

Monkeypox 2.0

A CGI image of a virus.

As reported here two weeks ago, the CDC has been urging travelers to take precautions against the growing prevalence of monkeypox in the U.S. and Europe.

The WHO and the CDC have both reported that monkeypox breakouts that have happened in Europe, Canada and the U.S. have been largely amongst people who had close contact with someone infected.

However, The New York Times reported this week the “little known” fact that monkeypox could be airborne and the CDC has elevated travelers notations on the issue to Level 2 (practice enhanced precautions).

The CDC said, the “risk to the general public is low, but you should seek medical care immediately if you develop new, unexplained skin rash (lesions on any part of the body), with or without fever and chills.”

Read More: Healthy You: Biohacks for Planners

The CDC website also recommends:

Avoid close contact with sick people, including those with skin or genital lesions.
Avoid contact with dead or live wild animals. This includes rodents such as rats and squirrels and nonhuman primates such as monkeys and apes.
Avoid eating or preparing meat from wild game or using products derived from wild animals from Africa such as creams, lotions and powders.
Avoid contact with contaminated materials used by sick people such as clothing, bedding or materials used in healthcare settings or with materials that came into contact with infected animals.

On June 9, Newsweek reported that a Texas man who was being held in a Puerto Vallarta hospital while being tested for monkeypox fled the hospital without official permissions and traveled home to the U.S. where he subsequently tested positive for monkeypox. Officials are asking travelers who were at the Mantamar Beach Club during this time frame (May 27-June 4) to check in with medical help if they have symptoms.

Bottom line for meeting planners: Stay connected on a regular basis with CDC recommendations and share them with your meetings clients. If clients are traveling on airlines within the U.S. or elsewhere for meetings, suggest the use of highly protective masks in airports and in flight, although these are no longer mandated.

Editor’s Note: As part of Back Light, an ongoing series of looks behind the scenes at how events are being produced today, we asked Paula Mettler Marketing and communications manager with Leo Events to share a look at a recent production for a major retailer.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the world’s largest retailer, Walmart and Sam’s Club associates met in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the 2022 Associates Week, June 1-3. For the first time since 2019, more than 14,000 domestic and international associates came together in person for a singularly inspiring experience.

Walmart Associates Week features a lively program of events across three days. Business sessions include keynotepresentations from Walmart and Sam’s Club leaders, top executives sharing fiscal results, and a diverse array of associate recognition and on-the-spot job promotions. Celebration events include nightly concerts and surprise celebrity appearances. Presentations and performances come from a sophisticated stage designed to immerse the audience in content, video and electrifying graphics, driven by the latest in event and theater technology and featuring larger-than-life augmented reality.

The week culminates at Bud Walton Arena with the Associate Celebration, a live-streamed public production affectionately referred to internally by the Walmart Event Solutions team as the “mini-Grammys” and the “Super Bowl of Walmart.”

The annual Walmart Associates Week accomplishes much more than fulfilling the company’s regulatory requirements of reporting the past year’s performance and voting on matters affecting corporate operation.

“We’re a purpose-driven company,” explains Walmart’s Mark Henneberger, vice president of shows and events. “This week is an opportunity to share plans with thousands of associates from around the world and re-energize their dedication and enthusiasm for the company’s mission to help customers ‘Save Money. Live Better.’”

On-stage at Bud Walton Arena

The Bud Walton Arena. A man speaks onstage with an American flag digital background.

Home of the University of Arkansas’ men’s and women’s basketball teams, Bud Walton Arena hosted the Sam’s Club Associates Meeting, Walmart U.S. Associates Meeting, and the legendary Associates Celebration to wrap up the week.

The Walmart Event Solutions Team, in partnership with LEO Events, constructed the most extensive LED environment to date at the arena. Spanning 170 feet wide and 35 feet tall, the concave LED screen created a captivating experience for everyone in attendance, from any seat in the house.

Read More: How Leo Events Nails Immersion

Every element of the creative and environmental work was artfully crafted. While enchanting graphics danced across the stage to create unique environments for each speaker and performer, LED screens displayed close-up shots of each individual. Three additional LED walls were raised to display branded graphics and decor elements like the commemorative 60th-anniversary logo to serve as a moving backdrop for presentations.

Massive stage lifts, moment-defining foggers, and compelling mobilators (conveyors that allow the stages to move in any direction) brought the arena to life throughout the week, and the sports arena setting made the entire meeting feel like a true celebration, with associates and shareholders cheering on “team Walmart.”

Sam’s Club Associates Meeting

The three-day meeting kicked off with the Sam’s Club Associates Meeting, where President and CEO Kath McLay addressed associates from the branded LED set and shared messages of gratitude and encouragement, highlighting real-life examples of associates and clubs taking care of the communities they serve.

The energy was extraordinary as associates descended into Bud Walton Arena. With associates on their feet throughout the meeting, cheers rattled the rafters, turning an 8:00 a.m. corporate meeting into an experience reminiscent of an 8:00 p.m. event.

Recognition was sprinkled throughout the entire program, with two live job promotions at the beginning and end of the meeting. Sam’s Club leadership announced philanthropic initiatives with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Salad Bowl Boxing, a non-profit organization started by a Sam’s Club Supplier Quality Control Manager.

The meeting featured unique ways to engage the audience, including a live game show segment where associates went head-to-head to answer Sam’s Club trivia before building a 3D puzzle on-stage. During a merchandising keynote, parachutes fell upon the audience, each carrying a sampling of items for associates to enjoy.

To wrap the meeting, each associate was honored with a customized, keepsake poster featuring a quote from their manager on a fantastic performance. Before departing a Grammy Award-winning artist surprised the audience with a live performance, electrifying the crowd before dismissing everyone for the next activity.

Walmart U.S. Associates Meeting

People in a crowd in the dark with glowing glasses and plastic tubes. The Wal-Mart logo is on the tubes.

Following the Sam’s Club meeting, Walmart Associates poured into Bud Walton Arena in waves of cheers, dances and celebratory hugs and high-fives. Walmart Radio DJs led the excitement as beachballs bounced around the crowd.

John Furner , president and CEO of Walmart U.S., welcomed Walmart associates to Bud Walton Arena with a keynote on core Walmart U.S. values—Respect, Service, Excellence and Integrity. The theme of the 60th anniversary meeting was “Connecting Together,” a mantra that speaks to the act of gathering around shared values and experiences to become more connected than ever—at a time when connection is more important than ever.

The theme was illustrated by showcasing associate-created social media posts on screen between keynotes. The camera boom weaved between the audience while associates cheered on their colleagues, two of whom received live job promotions directly from the C-Suite.

In celebration of 60 years of helping people save more and live better, the meeting was designed to capture what is unique and special about Walmart—its people. The overall message was for associates to have fun, connect with each other, and reconnect with the company’s purpose.

Walmart also announced a new internal app for employees to share ideas, noting that the best ideas have historically come from associates. Special thanks came when executives spoke on the current social and political climate, noting that communities across America rely on Walmart associates, pharmacists, supply chains, merchants and private fleets, especially during times of crisis.

Before heading to evening events, the audience enjoyed a live game show segment, goody bags filled with some of Walmart’s most popular summer items, and, like the Sam’s Club meeting, a live performance a Grammy Award-winning artist.

International Associates Celebration

Speakers and cheerleaders stand onstage under a series of country flags for International Associates Celebration.

At a separate venue, more than 1,000 International Associates met with their U.S. counterparts in Fayetteville, traveling more than half a million collective miles to be in attendance. With markets in Mexico, Central America, Chile, India, Africa, Canada and China, the International Associates attendees represent the diversity of the Walmart brand and the voice of half a million associates from across 23 countries.

Judith McKenna, president and CEO, Walmart International, led the meeting in celebration of tremendous growth, power of partnership and the international delivery of the Walmart story. Following a superhero motif, the meeting featured Chilean dancers, special recognitions and a guest appearance from a celebrity magician. Before International Associates were dismissed, they were each gifted a custom superhero cape as a reminder of the power of people and planet in global sourcing.

The Associates Celebration

The Associates Celebration began bright and early Friday morning, bringing together everyone from Sam’s Club, Walmart, and International Associates to wrap up the week. The Associates Celebration featured a block party theme on massive LED screens. Acts moved across the stage, interacting with a branded digital environment that depicted a neon cityscape.

To wrap up the week, Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon, addressed all associates and shareholders with a movie-themed presentation, describing Associates as stars of the Walmart Movie. Enhanced augmented reality (AR) moments displayed a movie marquee that enveloped overhead and ended with dazzling stars flying over the audience.

“You’re the stars. You’re the heroes. You’ve all earned your star on our Walk of Fame.”
– Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart

The result of all the Walmart Events Solutions Team’s planning and expertise was a meeting where the enthusiasm-level of participants was so high that cheers were heard across the campus, especially during the closing act and massive firework display effect to wrap the show.

“Everyone has a story to tell,” explains Henneberger when asked how companies can pull off a show of this magnitude in a post-pandemic landscape. “Take advantage of all the tools at your disposal. If you have a good story, you can put on a great event.”

Walmart sent its shareholders and associates back to the field feeling energized, proud to work for the organization, and ready to share that experience with those who did not attend.

Speaking of sharing, the planning team coordinated a live stream of the entire event, which can be viewed here.

The average price for a paid virtual event is $443. Are virtual attendees seeing value?

It depends.

“To demand a fee, digital events must boast compelling content and a seamless experience. According to Kim Myhre, founder of Experience Designed, in “Attendees to Virtual Events: To Charge or Not to Charge?” published by the Virtua Events Institute. “Audiences will pay for quality content. We know this from the rapid growth in music, entertainment and game streaming subscription services. Organizers can, should and will charge for virtual events, but they will need to be very high quality experiences.”

Approximately 80% of virtual events are free, according to the Evolution of Events Report. With so many attendees used to free events, expectations are high for paid events.

“They [online audiences] are far less captive and will have increasingly high expectations around the quality and value of these experiences. Online events are easier to leave if the experience is not relevant, is uninteresting or poorly produced,” notes Myhre.

So how do event and meeting planners make sure attendees see value in attending a hybrid event virtually?

Below are six ways to add value so virtual attendees feel a hybrid event is worth every dollar.

Include a Virtual Emcee

A man sits at a desk with a laptop, microphone, and headphones.

Your virtual audience will feel more engaged and seen if they have a dedicated emcee.

The emceeing for the virtual audience can be different from the on-stage emceeing for the in-person audience. The virtual emcee speaks directly to the virtual audience, providing a more personal experience for those that are not at the in-person event.

Give Backstage Access

It is impossible to allow hundreds or thousands of in-person attendees backstage, but you can give virtual attendees a peek backstage. While in-person attendees are settling into their seats before a program, provide virtual attendees with a backstage pass. Feature live interviews with speakers, entertainers and organizational leaders.

Show virtual attendees a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into planning and producing a program. Let virtual attendees see the rush of activity backstage as presenters get ready. Give virtual attendees a view from on-stage. Let virtual attendees have a private tour of the facility and gain access to spaces closed to the general public. A peek backstage goes a long way in helping virtual attendees feel valued.

Provide exclusive content

In-person attendees receive a lot of perks that virtual attendees might not, including gift bags, food and entertainment experiences. However, virtual attendees can have their own bonuses in the form of exclusive content. Exclusive content could include private Q&As with speakers, pre-event workshops or live interviews not available to in-person attendees. Exclusive content can be packaged into a daily show that is live streamed from the event location each day.

Produce High-quality Video

Two women work at a table with laptops while a man speaking through a video call on a screen.

A web camera and web conferencing platform are not enough to keep a paying virtual audience engaged. Paying virtual attendees expect more than the dreaded “screen share” webinar presentation. Instead, video content should be highly produced using multiple cameras and live switching between different camera angles and pre-recorded content.

Fill in-person transitions on stage with high-quality pre-recorded video so the pause is not awkward for the remote audience. Next-level virtual events also leverage moving shots and branded backgrounds. Live streamed video should include motion graphics, such as lower thirds, animated slides and picture-in-picture graphics. All streamed at full 1080DP up to 4K video.

Offer Private Networking

Networking connections are one of the most valuable components of an in-person event. Don’t let a paying virtual audience feel like they are on an island. Schedule structured networking opportunities for virtual attendees. Review the in-person run of show to understand when to schedule virtual networking.

How will your virtual audience network during the lunch hour? Remember to flip flop networking and tradeshow times for in-person and virtual audiences so that exhibitors will be available for both audiences. Allow virtual attendees to schedule online meetings with exhibitors throughout the event. Schedule specific time in virtual spaces for online attendees to network with each other.

Connect In-person and Virtual Audiences

Leverage web-based polling, surveying and Q&A tools to engage in-person and virtual audiences for feedback on presentations. By using the same tool, your entire audience feels more connected to each other and allows stage presenters to easily acknowledge both virtual and in-person attendees.

The more virtual attendees feel seen, heard and connected to other attendees, the more value they will perceive. In turn, perhaps 80% of events in the future will be paid and only 20% free.

Scott Williford is the founder and CEO of vLink Solutions, a video and live streaming total outsource provider with a best-of-breed live streaming and on-demand video platform for one-of-a-kind virtual event experiences. Williford is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor with more than 30 years of experience in the technology industry. For more information, visit vlinksolutions.com.

Sacramento, California, can take your meetings and conventions to an entirely new level. The destination’s authentic roots exude rich history, diversity, artistry and flavor—making meetings here anything but ordinary.

Plan with Confidence

Accessibility, walkability and convenience come easy for attendees meeting in Sacramento. From the newly named, renovated and expanded SAFE Credit Union Convention Center located just 15 minutes from Sacramento International Airport, top-notch hotels and unique venues to award-winning cuisine as America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, group activities and more, Sacramento’s unconventional experiences make for memorable meetings.

The SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and surrounding downtown campus provide all of the facilities, scalability, accommodations and unique experiences to make your convention stand out and defy expectations. The GBAC STAR-accredited Convention Center boasts 240,000 total square feet of programmable space in a visionary venue that encapsulates the city’s past and present. Attendees will also be delighted by unique local masterpieces of art in and surrounding the facility, creating landmarks and meeting points for groups attending events, engaging the public and enlivening Sacramento’s downtown district.

Planners, future attendees and other customers meeting at the Convention Center can expect a very indoor-outdoor experience within the expansive complex. Plus, new amenities include an expanded exhibit hall, new ballroom space, additional meeting rooms, a new outside plaza and so much more.

Success for your meeting requires just the right amount of space. With flexibility as a forte, the facility can accommodate multiple groups—big or small—to safely meet between two levels and three new lobbies simultaneously, separately and uninterrupted. In addition, sustainability efforts continue to move forward and are incorporated into meetings and events.

Sacramento’s downtown area features more than 2,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the Convention Center and a total of 4,000 hotel rooms within a three-mile radius. Groups will find a versatile inventory of meeting hotels ranging from upscale to budget-friendly to choose from. The destination is constantly evolving with new developments and upgraded spaces for meetings and events. Adding to an already impressive portfolio, the excitement continues to build with new hotel openings and upcoming projects that are transforming the city.

Sacramento not only offers attendees exceptional indoor convention facilities, but great outdoor venues and opportunities amidst the 250 days of sunshine each year. Known as the “City of Trees,” the destination provides unique open-air event settings, green spaces, parks, and much more. Groups will also find exceptional al fresco dining options throughout the city to enjoy some fresh air and farm-to-table bites before, in between and after sessions.

Sacramento offers a variety of indoor and outdoor group activities. Experience hands-on attractions, unique adventures, awe-inspiring mural tours and more. There are plenty of opportunities for groups to enjoy team building, off-site adventures and off-agenda fun.

Plan to meet in a destination that will deliver an unmatched setting, first-class accommodations, excellent planning services and event expertise. Push the boundaries of conventional meetings and events in Sacramento.

The Washington, D.C.-based Events Industry Council (EIC) and VSef, which launched early 2021, have taken steps toward simplifying data collection for virtual events.

VSef, created by feedback platform and research agency Explori, is a universal data format for hybrid and virtual events and was created “with the aim of creating a global standardized data format which can be used to simplify the process of moving data between event platforms, sales and marketing systems and business intelligence tools,” reads a press release.

Since it began, the company has received backing from many organizations around the globe, including Notified, Emerald Expeditions, Reed Expeditions, Clarion Events and Informa Markets, which hosts the annual World of Concrete in Las Vegas, among others.

“As the global voice of the business events industry, the EIC works to establish international industry standards through the CMP Program, EIC Sustainable Event Standards as well as the long standing APEX initiative, said Amy Calvert, CEO of EIC.

“The global VSef initiative…has focused on the area of digital event data standards, and developed a comprehensive solution on a not-for-profit basis. We are delighted to bring our APEX Commission and VSef together to further develop and establish these essential data standards.”

VSef has recently launched a second version of its software, VSef 2.0, which includes new features, such as better language capabilities, greater management of exhibitors’ products and customized data fields, allowing all event data to be gathered in a single download.

Sacramento, California can take your meetings and conventions to an entirely new level. The destination’s authentic roots exude rich history, diversity, artistry and flavor — making meetings here anything but ordinary.

Plan with Confidence

Success for your meeting requires just the right amount of space. With flexibility as a forte, the facility can accommodate multiple groups — big or small — to safely meet between two levels and three new lobbies simultaneously, separately and uninterrupted. In addition, sustainability efforts continue to move forward and are incorporated into meetings and events.

Editor’s Note: Smart Meetings reached out to San Diego State University master’s student Anthony Bollotta to discuss the benefits of furthering your career via education.

Like every one of us who somehow found their way into the meeting and event industry lightyears before the fundamentals of our work were formatted into curriculum-based certification and undergraduate programs, I was on my own to determine how to utilize my skills and learnings to best support clients.

My Bachelor of Fine Arts is in musical theatre. I earned it at Syracuse University, where I also discovered a lot about the cadences, components and logistics of theatre. The training has proven extremely applicable, but if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s how fast paradigm shifts can occur. Besides, I’m no longer in the theatre—a fact I kept coming back to whenever I did think about continuing my education. If I went back to school for a master’s, what would the subject be?

Industry-Specific, Leadership Focused

I discovered the Meeting & Event Management (MEM) master’s degree program at San Diego State University and realized I found the right fit. Not because I’m an aspiring planner myself. I quite like the space I’m in.

But because the business is one I know and the information would again be applicable. Also, it would be more than a little shortsighted of me to think there’s nothing more I could learn.

Much to my chagrin, news that I had matriculated into the program was met with mixed responses. Many asked why at this point in my career I felt it necessary, while others insisted I could teach

A portrait of Anthony Bollotta, a San Diego State University master's student. He is a white man with an orange plaid shirt. — Anthony Bollotta

the curriculum (without knowing it, mind you). And still others roared with encouragement, “Good for you! You see…it’s never too late!”—a response I think I’ll refer to from now on as the smack of backhanded wisdom.

Listeners of Bollotta-FIDE, our podcast devoted to events, entertainment and engagement, know that I revel in the ability to chide my baby-boomer self about the length of my tooth, but in reality, I don’t think I could have picked a better time to go back to school. The world I grew up learning how to live in is simply not the world I’ve come to know. The stakes are higher, and the pace of change is accelerating. Now more than ever it seems you’re either on the bus or you’re not.

Lifelong Learning

Even I, with my more than 35 years of industry experience, 28 of them as the owner of Bollotta Entertainment, could benefit from being in college. Not only through the curriculum, general enough to apply to planning positions and those on the periphery and specific enough to be individually meaningful, but also in my quest to grow as a human being who just happens to serve in the role of leader.

So where am I 10 months in and juggling the course load along with everything else? Overall, I’m feeling more challenged and more empowered. Here’s why.

School is validating some long-held practices built on instinct and applied to meeting and event engagement creation and execution, while introducing me to more advanced decision-making techniques.
School is giving me guided access to new ideologies, strategies and practices, helping me better lead in today’s fast-evolving and increasingly competitive meeting and event marketplace.
School is forcing me to think beyond beliefs that may not always serve me, by encouraging me to adopt and practice more productive habits.
School is reinvigorating me, inspiring me to take bigger bites.

I’ve also come to more comfortably and effectively preside over the $12 million social services nonprofit board on which I sit, onboarding a stabilizing and much-needed culture and engagement program we deemed critical to our health as the greatest employee walkout in history continues to play on. While it hasn’t been easy, I can say without question that it would be a lot more difficult without the newfound lessons I’m now able to apply.

What Emotional Intelligence Really Means

Hopefully, those in my stead are benefiting from the lessons as much, if not more, than I. It’s a byproduct of the leadership curriculum I hadn’t expected, and one I’ll work to sustain long after all classwork is completed.

As a small creative agency owner trained in theatre, “raised” in the business by other creative agency owners, and engaged in deadline-driven, high-stress work, I hadn’t learned about and therefore misunderstood the concept of emotional intelligence. I though it meant having to take on the emotional weight of others. That was way too heavy a lift, and if I am being totally honest, only made me feel overburdened and resentful.

But within eight weeks of starting the mandatory readings needed to complete impending curriculum-based assignments, I came to see that I had been wrong, and that there indeed could be immense value in possessing emotional intelligence. Not necessarily to manage people, although to that end you really cannot go wrong, but to motivate individuals to reach beyond self-limiting fears and inspire them to always do their best. For their benefit and yours. And who in the meeting and event industry doesn’t want a win-win?

Anthony Bollotta is president of Bollotta Entertainment, based in San Diego, California, and host of Bollotta-FIDE, a podcast that focuses on events, entertainment and engagements.