As meeting technology becomes an essential element at events, planners have a whole new set of variables to consider when determining what venue best fits their meeting goals. That means adding a new set of questions to the list during a site inspection.

We turned to Ellen Sinclair, senior vice president at Benchmark, a global hospitality company, and chair of IACC’s ongoing Meeting Room of the Future initiative, for some tips on making sure you are getting all the technology you need without paying for budget-busting flashy options that won’t help your attendees. Not all events are the same and not all activities require the same amount of bandwidth. An email uses a lot less data and is less mission-critical reliant on a connection than a live streaming video for a speaker.

Asking the right questions is even more important in a world where planners are getting outside the standard meeting room to shake things up, says Sinclair. Meeting in a castle may seem cool, but making sure the speaker can be heard and attendees can post selfies in the turret is essential to a successful event, she cautions, so make certain you ask about audio and bandwidth.

Following is a checklist to consider when assessing a venue for tech appropriateness.

  • How many participants will be attending?
  • How many devices will each person be using at the event?
  • How will they use their connections (polling, email, browsing, livestreaming…)
  • Will a dedicated connection be required for security purposes?
  • Will you be bringing an outside vendor or using in-house resources?
  • Finally, how bad would it be if you lost connection, and what is your backup plan?

The answers to these questions should be included in a discussion with the prospective vendor as you discuss pricing. IACC suggests that for smaller meetings where internet is not vital, connection-based pricing per-user is often ideal, while for larger conferences of more than 300 people, flat-rate, bandwidth-based pricing offers unlimited access and support.

Technology is revolutionizing the event planning world. As a meetings professional, you have enough on your mind, so why not use every weapon in your arsenal to ensure your event goes off without a hitch?

Each new year brings opportunities to reach new audiences and increase your organization’s impact. So, take advantage of event planning software to help revitalize your organization’s efforts in 2019. With so many different options, you may want to compile a list of potential software solutions and consider whether they are the optimal choice for your needs.

More: Trends from Day One of Event Technology Week

Your event planning software should come equipped with:

  • Customizable event registration forms
  • Data processing tools
  • Technology support consulting

Let’s dive into the essentials for planning software and get you prepared to start organizing stress-free events this year.

1. Customizable Event Registration Forms

Many event planners find themselves at a loss as they try to juggle all of the tasks that must be executed perfectly for the event to be successful. Customizable forms allow you to:

  • Brand the forms to your organization
  • Create custom fields, ensuring you collect all the data you need
  • Provide guests with a clear, consistent way of signing up.

Whether your organization is an association, business, university, or nonprofit, your registration software should be tailor-made to ensure the success of your event.

Having software that manages registration information and provides customizable forms means you never have to worry about flipping through paper forms or making sure all forms and waivers are completed.

Good software will help your marketing team build and send digital registration forms to boost your event’s attendance and enhance your chances of success.

2. Data Processing Tools

Your event planning software should be able to manage your data for you and generate real-time reports about your event. It should also track payment data from your event’s attendees so that you can easily check to see who has paid, who hasn’t, and even refund money where necessary.

With all of your data in one place, you can easily communicate with your team members and guests about your events.

The data collected and reported will easily tell your organization what works (and what doesn’t) about your events for your own future reference.

3. Technology Support Consulting

It is one thing to have everything you need at your fingertips; it is a completely different matter to actually understand how to use it. If a software company is serious about helping you plan your events, it will provide a technology support person for you to consult should you encounter any problems.

More: 3 Ways to Use Sweet AV Tech for Your Group

The last thing you want is to run into a technical glitch on the day of your big event and be unable to access any of your information. Not only can these individuals help troubleshoot technical issues, but they can also assist your team in making the most of the tools you have for a smoother event planning experience.

The stress of event planning can be overwhelming, but with the right software you can get ahead of the game. Find the perfect software for your organization with these three must-have features so you can plan perfect events without the stress.

Callie Walker is a writer in the membership management software and event registration software space at ePly.

Fresh off of a $30 million complete renovation, The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa leads the renaissance of Hilton Head Island. Situated along 12 miles of pristine Atlantic Ocean beach, this iconic resort offers 416 guest rooms and suites, 37,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor event space, and six dining venues.

Our Conference Center space is anchored by the flexible 13,200-square-foot Grand Ballroom, divisible by six sections, unobstructed with a 22-foot ceiling and an additional 13 meetings rooms on the same level. Enjoy our spectacular setting and temperate climate with creative events on our 9500 sq. ft. of dedicated outdoor event space—from a casual seafood boil to an elegant oceanfront banquet for up to 550 guests.

What’s Special

Discover the unspoiled beauty of the Carolina Coast. Unique off-site group activities include eco-discovery kayaking and paddle-boarding, “Freedom Trail” historical tours, nature preserve horseback riding and ziplining.

Guests walk out to 12 miles of pristine white beaches and enjoy our three resort pools. Have fun at The Heavenly Spa; or WestinWorkout, and our 36-hole golf club and 14-court racquet club. Explore our local passion for creative cuisine at over 200 non-chain local restaurants within five miles of our resort.

Easier Than You Think & Perfect All Year

The Savannah–Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) offers non-stop flights to 15 U.S. hub airports–over 4200 arriving seats per day–providing one-stop access to the world.

Resources

2 Grasslawn Drive
Hilton Head Island, SC 20028
843-681-4000
westinhhi.com

-Complete $30 million resort renovation in 2013
-42-square-mile barrier island—unspoiled beauty with memorable history and culture
-Vibrant cuisine vibe featuring local, fresh, sustainable coastal fare
-200 non-chain restaurants, 150 shops and dozens of outdoor activities
-Starwood Starpoint

When it’s time to get deals done, Las Vegas means business. Research shows attendance increases by 8 percent when conventions rotate into Vegas and convention-goers spend more time on the trade show floor.

But it’s what happens away from the show floor that’s part of what makes Vegas such a great destination for meetings. The entertainment, restaurants, resorts and more provide immeasurable value to meeting organizers and gives you the opportunity to extend your show’s agenda beyond the showroom floor. When planning your next meeting, show your attendees some of what’s new here.

Invite them to become immersed in the high-energy musical journey that is BAZ Star Crossed Love at The Palazzo. Or urge them to be dazzled by the acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil with the revamped LOVE at The Mirage, featuring brand-new acts, costumes, choreography, technology and music … all from the legendary Beatles, of course.

Frankie Moreno—Under the Influence at Planet Hollywood is a night of contemporary music your attendees will always remember. Backed by a 10-piece band, this piano virtuoso entertainer is a Vegas original.

Vegas also has opportunities for groups away from the confines of a meeting room. Get your group together at the brand-new Topgolf entertainment complex. With four levels and 105,000 square feet including 108 climate-controlled hitting bays, two pools, cabanas, a concert venue, VIP suites, a comfort food-inspired menu with creative beverage offerings and more, there’s something for your entire group to enjoy. Exquisite group dining is also available at many of Las Vegas’ new restaurant experiences, including MR CHOW at Caesars Palace and Beauty & Essex at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. And for an experience your group will never forget, take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.

When the shows let out, the nightlife starts to heat up. Vegas nightclubs are more than just a place to let loose and dance the night away. Unique venues such as Intrigue at Wynn Las Vegas, The Foundry at SLS Las Vegas and Jewel at ARIA Resort & Casino are also the perfect places to host a networking mixer or a closing party for your next meeting.

Add in Vegas’ service culture, convenient location and expert assistance and you’ll see why there’s no better value than Vegas for your next meeting. See more at VegasMeansBusiness.com.

Google is currently working on a revolutionary new mobile travel app that aims to meet all your travel needs. Although the app is not yet available to the public, Dutch website AndroidWorld acquired screenshots of Trips from users of Local Guides, Google’s community dedicated to exploring the world like a local.

Google Trips allows users to manually create their own itineraries and searches their Gmail accounts to collect travel information such as flight itineraries and hotel bookings. The app automatically compiles this data to make it possible for users to access all of their trip information in one location. This makes it a competitor to Concur’s TripIt travel app, which has similar functionality.

google-travel-appScreenshots from AndroidWorld

A few exciting features may make Google Trips an even more comprehensive travel app. One is the option to get recommendations for local restaurants and attractions, as well as manage reservations and save favorite places. Users can also review places they’ve visited. Recommendations and reviews should come in very handy to meeting planners and other business travelers who want to explore new locales but often don’t have time to do extensive research on nearby hot spots.

Trips also offers useful features to help travelers navigate local transportation, which can often be confusing for nonresidents. The app provides users with information on public transportation schedules, taxi companies and ride-sharing services.

Google has not yet announced when the app will be released to the public, but travelers around the world are already abuzz about its potential to change the way we explore the world. It seems that the app will do much more than simply organize travel plans. With recommendations, reviews and local transportation guides, Trips will provide travelers with unique and valuable insights—a bit like having a local tour guide in their pocket.

There are some conflicting reports about whether international travel is affected by devastating headlines. From terrorist attacks and health scares such as Zika and other threats to personal safety, there is a lot to consider when traveling.

Many airlines and host cities of large events continue to report record-breaking travel numbers, indicating that security and health threats aren’t stopping people from traveling. And according to John Cook, founder of travel insurance comparison site QuoteWright.com, that’s a good thing.

“My advice that I’ve told clients is travel on,” Cook told The New York Times. “If you don’t travel, then you’re actually accomplishing what the terrorists want to do.”

And travel on, they do. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t being more cautious about it.

According to travel insurance shopping site Squaremouth.com, the number of people searching for terrorism coverage increased by an average of 167 percent in the months after the attacks in Paris and Brussels.

What to Know About Travel Insurance

Some policies bundle travel medical protection and trip cancellation protection together, which—if you’re considering purchasing based on terrorism protection—isn’t necessary, and costs more than a cancellation-only policy.

Read the fine print, and consult an insurance agent when you come across something you don’t understand. “Always, always call.” That’s the advice Christina Tunnah, regional manager of travel insurance company World Nomads, gives to clients, explaining that policy rules are flexible and decided upon on a case by case basis.

Many policies that cover terrorism define the coverage in specific terms. A terrorist event may need to have happened within 30 days of a scheduled departure date to be covered, or coverage could be excluded if an attack has already occurred in that region within a specific time frame.

Regardless of what the fine print says, representatives from those agencies are there to answer questions, often posting alerts to their websites following an attack or threat to clear up any confusion.

Insurance doesn’t cover fear or rumors. That means if headlines are announcing a threat level in the area you are planning to travel, your policy very likely will not cover your cancelation. However, some plans (typically pricey plans) allow a trip to be canceled for any reason and will refund a percentage of the cost.

Daniel Durazo, a spokesperson for Allianz Global Assistance USA estimates that such a policy will cost 25 percent more than a standard policy and in the event that you cancel, your refund will come in the neighborhood of 75 percent.

In the end, the cost comes down to how much you value peace of mind. But before you shell out cash for insurance, consider this: although threats to security dominate headlines, making terrorism a top-of-mind issue for everyone, the likelihood of being involved in such a threat is still far less likely than many of the dangers that lurk, no matter your location. You have a far greater chance of being struck by lightning than being involved in a terror attack.

Disney World Resort is adding guest rooms, meeting space and eating options to its Coronado Springs Resort in Florida.

Construction is underway on a 15-story hotel tower overlooking Lago Dorado, the Orlando resort’s centerpiece lake. The tower will add 500 guest rooms and suites to the property. A rooftop restaurant and lounge will feature panoramic views of the area. It will also offer a prime spot for watching nighttime fireworks from Disney’s nearby theme parks.

The two-year expansion will include additional meeting space. The convention resort will add a boardroom and two multipurpose rooms to its existing 220,000 square feet of meeting and function space.

Disney Expansion Keeps Meeting Planners in Mind

“Meeting planners and attendees will be thrilled,” said Terry Dola, vice president of group sales and marketing for Disney Destinations, in a statement. “The resort has always offered exceptional value, but we’re taking that to a completely new level.”

The Coronado Springs Resort is one of the largest single-level convention hotels on the East Coast. Existing meeting space includes the 60,200-square-foot Coronado Ballroom, the 21,200-square-foot Fiesta Ballroom and an 85,800-square-foot exhibit hall. The property offers 17 breakout rooms for meetings.

More Improvements for Meetings

The new tower is just one way the resort is adding polish for meeting planners. Walt Disney World Resort has other changes on the way, including:

Remodeling: Existing guests rooms at Coronado Springs Resort will be revamped, and the landscape will be transformed. Guest rooms will include new features designed for meeting attendees and business travelers. This includes new desk space and beverage stations. The landscape makeover includes floating gardens and an island oasis connected by bridges to other areas of the resort. The property will remain true to its theme drawn from Spanish colonial Mexico.

Land and sea: The convention center at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and Disney’s Beach Club Resort  is expanding with an added 28,000 square feet of space. That includes a 16,000-square-foot ballroom, three prefunction areas and two rotundas for gatherings.

Guest rooms near 30,000 with expansion

The 500-room tower will bring the number of Walt Disney World Resort guest rooms to nearly 30,000 within its 27 resort hotels.

“For many of our guests, magical memories begin at one of our 27-themed resorts each and every day,” said Joshua D’Amaro, senior vice president of Disney Resort Hotels and Transportation. “At Walt Disney World Resort, we continue to expand our portfolio and invest in new resort developments that allow even more guests to be immersed in all that a Disney resort has to offer.”

The Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress that wrapped up Tuesday night turned out to be a real San Francisco treat for the host organization and attendees.

Proving that San Francisco brings out the best in MPI and other groups that meet in the City by the Bay, MPI experienced a 25 percent increase in its 2015 attendance compared to a year ago, with 2,500 registered attendees. What’s even more impressive is that the MPI Foundation set a new record for most money raised at an MPI conference, taking in $270,000 after generating $170,000 in 2014.

Proceeds from fundraisers held during the four-day convention at Moscone Center go toward the MPI Foundation Education Endowment, which provides chapter grants and scholarships to MPI members. The foundation has distributed nearly $1 million in scholarships, grants, and research since January 2014.

“The MPI Foundation is thrilled by the support we received at WEC 2015,” said Stephen Revetria, chairman of the board for the MPI Foundation. “The contributions received will allow us to give even more to our members next year.”

 

…

 

There were 140 education sessions that took place during the 2015 convention.

Here are a few sessions and valuable insights gained by the Smart Meetings staff during the convention:

Sizzling Site Visits
Best Practices to Market Events
Green tour of the Moscone Center

Start making plans now to attend the 2016 MPI conference, which will take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 11-14. MPI will take over Harrah’s Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center.

The 2017 convention will take place in Las Vegas July 9-12, the 2018 event in Indianapolis is set for June 2-5 and the 2019 convention will be in Toronto June 11-14. MPI has decided to move up its World Education Conference to avoid the heart of the convention season.

MPI membership is comprised of approximately 18,500 members belonging to more than 80 chapters and clubs in 22 countries.

Oregon Convention Center, Portland

In a move that should be a win-win for Convention Industry Council (CIC) and the green meetings movement, the CIC announced on Friday that the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) will merge as a committee of the well-established organization that represents of the meetings and events industry.

“GMIC is the meetings industry’s most respected authority on sustainability, and the board of directors has been working tirelessly over the last several months to finalize an exciting new partnership to take GMIC to new heights,” said Karen Kotowski, CMP, CEO of CIC. “CIC is looking forward to not only helping GMIC return to its roots as a council leading the conversation on sustainability in the meeting and events industry, but also to support it by expanding its reach through the CIC members and CMP communities to drive the industry towards these practices.”

In a press release from the CIC, the merger was called a “bold move designed to demonstrate the importance of collaboration in a crowded marketplace.” The merger also will help GMIC reach a wider audience and promote its assets for a deeper impact.

“I’m deeply proud of our community of very dedicated individuals and this important step for sustainability in the events industry,” said Roger Simons, CMP, chair of the GMIC board of directors. “The evolution of the organization in hand with the CIC allows us to amplify our voice, to better advocate and educate for sustainability whilst ensuring that unwavering focus on our original founding mission.”

Driving Green Meetings Message

CIC and GMIC intend to drive the sustainability conversation at a pivotal time. The recent United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement have pushed the green movement to the forefront. GMIC and CIC are responding by creating a volunteer committee to focus on the critical role of developing content, research and education, and implementing initiatives to push the cause forward.

With the governance council under CIC, GMIC volunteers can be readily engaged to support the APEX/ASTM Sustainable Meetings Standards continued maintenance and development which both organizations were instrumental in developing.

By now, you’re aware that Twitter is a powerful tool for any event management professional. Not only is it an excellent marketing platform, but live tweeting is also a great way to help people feel more engaged during an event. Let’s talk about how Twitter can make a good event into an incredible one.

From pre-event marketing to live-tweeting to post-event follow-up, the social network is an essential component of any event planner’s toolkit. At the same time, it isn’t something you can wield with abandon. It requires a bit of knowledge and finesse. If you go in expecting to throw a few tweets out into the wild and see a positive return, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Similarly, if you simply mimic what others are doing on the platform, there’s no guarantee you’ll succeed.

More: Demystify and Simplify Social Media Marketing

To use Twitter effectively first requires that you know your audience. Fortunately, you have a leg up in that regard. Presumably, you already know a fair bit about the kinds of people who are attending (and interested in) your events.

Then, you need to build on that knowledge. Twitter recommends using the Event Dashboard of your Twitter Analytics Tool to develop the proper insights on your audience. This shows you a calendar of all upcoming events, from holidays to movie premieres to conferences to music festivals. On the surface, this knowledge might not seem especially valuable. Take a step back. Think about your audience. You know who attends your events—what sort of other events might they be interested in?

You can use that to build out your Twitter feed, gain a deeper understanding of your target audience and run targeted ads for your own events and conferences.

Armed with that knowledge, you’ll be able to more effectively curate and refine your Twitter feed during any events you run. You’ll know what to tweet about, what to highlight and how to highlight it. Beyond that, here’s a bit of advice on the specifics of using Twitter for live event coverage.

1. Augment Twitter with Other Platforms

No one says Twitter needs to be the only way you connect with people during your events. Cross-platform promotion can be quite effective given the right circumstances. You might consider using a live video streaming service like Periscope for event highlights, streaming keynotes to a platform like Facebook Live or leveraging YouTube.

Use Twitter to drive more traffic to those other platforms, but don’t exclusively use it for that. Take care to connect with your followers through engaging branded content, as well.  For example, let’s say you’re running a trade show. Assuming you’ve already established your hashtags for the event, over the course of a day you can use Twitter to:

  • Announce the start of a keynote for attendees.
  • Provide links to information such as maps and schedules.
  • Encourage people to view live-streams of presentations.
  • Occasionally promote vendors and partners.
  • Retweet highlights from your audience (more on that in a moment).

2. Excite, Engage and Entertain

At its core, Twitter is about the conversation.  Don’t just use it to passively belt out messages to your audience. Talk to them. Thank people for attending. Respond to feedback, both positive and negative. Retweet cool photos, videos and questions/comments.

You aren’t just broadcasting to people—you’re communicating with them. In that sense, the platform is sort of an event within an event. It’s a means of generating buzz and gaining deeper insights into what people think about your event and how they’re experiencing it.

3. Consider Using a (Curated) Twitter Wall

Last but certainly not least, I’ve seen many successful event planners bring the digital world of Twitter into the physical realm through a social media wall. It’s basically a large screen or set of screens that automatically displays tweets from both your own feed and from hashtags connected to your event.

Such a tool is subject to abuse, of course. It’s therefore important that you have a team dedicated to curating what shows up on the wall and filtering out any messages that are irrelevant or obscene. Otherwise, you and your attendees might be in for a nasty surprise (or several).

Conclusion

Twitter has become near-synonymous with event management. The fleeting nature of the social network makes it a perfect fit for live coverage, and the speed at which it moves makes it great for carrying on a conversation. You now understand a little more about how it can be used during an event, but there’s still a lot you can get creative with. I’ll leave that to you.

Brad Wayland is chief strategy officer at BlueCotton, a site with high-quality, easy-to-design custom t-shirts.