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When I started to run my own events at the tender age of 16, I was victim of that passion that still drives me today.

The characteristics that made me successful back then, are pretty much common to all those working with events:

- a continuous hunger of meeting new people

- the ability to make things happen

- the capacity to immediately establish a relationship with who is in front of you

- the lack of prejudices

Well, I can still feel that same passion burning.

Therefore I decided to involve my Linkedin network and obviously you in a networking event.

Even if you read 1/10 of my blog, you’d know it’s not gonna be like the usual boring stuff for few reasons:

- It’s for free. ROI on events is as much embarrassing as selling a CD for 30£$€. There are other ways to make money other than charging the end user fro absurd ticket prices.

- It’s user generated. I don’t control my events but rather empower the participants

- It’s relevant. You will meet people who use Linkedin as a networking tool and you can meet valuable peers of your network

- It’s informal. I plan to obtain free drinks from sponsors

I set up a Meetup for that because, after all, I don’t like to talk about things I haven’t experienced. You are more than welcome to join, participate, discuss and suggest. You can also enjoy the chance to discuss in a forum what you want to get out of the meetings and the direction of future events.

As I plan to host monthly meetings, soon enough we will have industry specific nights. If you can’t make it for the first night just join the group and I’ll keep you posted for future Meetups.

It is also a good idea to invite those people that belong to your Linkedin network and that for some reasons you havent met yet or those who answered very well to a question you asked in the Q&A section.

Linked in London Meetup

This post is for all those who ask me how to get involved with events.

MeetUp is the answer. If you have a passion for events and a passion for something else, whatever that is you might want to start a MeetUp.

First of all, let me clarify that I am a fan of MeetUp. I’ve talked in the past about traditional event management as a thing of the past. I am a true supporter of user generated events, I think they help in skimming the market from unskilled, possibly-to-posh-to-be-true, unmotivated, unaware-of-the-content event managers.

I am also a fan of this kind of events because, by making the role of conference/event producers redundant, they cut costs dramatically for end users, being most of the times for free.

Are you gonna tell me we really need to pay 1500£,€,$ to attend a conference?

A lot of people answer that in the end companies do pay for ticket.

Well you know what? I have no company behind me, I am a student, I am a full time mum, I am a young professional in a small agency, I live in a recession period, my company cannot afford to pay!

Sometimes ROI in conferences is embarassingly high and this logic of huge profits at our cost is simply unacceptable. Therefore Viva MeetUps! and death to the conference oligarchy!

There are immediate benefits for those with an entrepreneurial spirit and lack of employer.

- You can exercise. Once you reach the number of 40 members per MeetUp that appears to me as a good entry for your CV. You will be in charge of sourcing a location, sponsors, promote, sell tickets and pretty much everything involved with event management

- You can experience B2B marketing and selling sponsorships. As a matter of fact MeetUps take away the trouble of not getting targeted audience. It is all about targeting. You will never have such specific audience. That translates to me in easy sponsorhip opportunities. If you go out there and perform a search of who is sponsoring what, it will be easy to realize that there are tons of e.g. organic shops willing to fund your Organic Food Lovers MeetUp.

- You will grow your network. You will become a reference in your interest group and that translates in a lot of power eventwise.

These are only few of the benefits, I invite MeetUp organizers to share their story!

P.S. If you are looking for a job there are job offers in our Linkedin Event Planning & Management Group

[BarcampLondon4] Julius Solaris - The Quest for a complete open source event management solution from Melinda Seckington on Vimeo.

As always you are more than welcome to leave your comment.

If you are a traditional event manager (or studying to become one) and think that recession is the major threat for your career, I think you are not on the right track.

There are several trends in event management that are making the role as we know it obsolete. I am convinced that we are trying to sell CDs during the hype of the MP3 era.

Of course this could be arguable. Events will always take plae and there will always be someone in charge of management. But the skills required are completely new.

Here are few of the trends who represent a threat for the traditional event manager:

- User generated Events

BarCamps, unconferences and Meetups have given the power to the user. Scientific committees or sponsor panels can no longer control content. In the future if you’ll ask to pay 400$ for a one day conference, you’ll be probably laughed at and find yourself in a budget drama.

- Technology

Technological changes are making several professions redundant. Webinars, online conferences, Second Life meetings and events to name a few require new management skills. Just have a look at the video below and draw your conclusions.

- Environment

The environment is claiming back what has been abused. We need to learn fast how to make our events sustainable, source local products, reduce waste and communicate that to our attendees. Consumers are getting extremely educated about what being green means and that will soon be a given, not an extra.

All of the above could be seen as threats.

In these trends I see he future of our profession. We need to start to integrate them in our practice immediately, to grow our set of skills.

What we see in front of us is just a matter of perspective. My view is positive and enthusiastic, what about yours?

Boring endless presentations. This is what modern conferences are all about.

This trend needs to be stopped as soon as possible. As more people put their hands on Powerpoint/Keynote/Impress and so forth, more bullet pointLESS productions arise.

If you attend regular conferences and maybe you paid to participate I think that this is the ultimate masochistic practice you can experience on yourself.

On the other hand, if you attend unconferences you have a chance to set yourself free from boredom and control.

Just raise your hand and try to be as disruptive as possible. If the host tries to keep the concentration on his bullet pointLESS presentation just tell him that it’s now time for discussion and that you already got the point.

It looks like we got to a point where barCamps and unconferences are now the most wanted stages for I-need-to-feed-my-ego type of speakers who have been rejected from regular conferences and now try to pitch their services in our beloved open settings.

Well if you attended a Camp recently or will in the future, I suggest you step up and stop the dictator of the session. You can also say that Julius from the EMBlog told you to.

You really need to get in another mindset when at unconferences or Camps. Speak up. Listen. Participate. Share. If you feel others are not doing that, just let the organizers know or tell the host because you don’t realize that you’ve been thrown ten years back in the past.

Thanks @audio for putting together MediaCampBucks, it was great.

Update: Well it looks like me and Seth Godin agreed this morning about bullet points… have a look at his latest post.

If you’d like to answer to the next question and be featured on a post like this check out this link.

Here is the question:

What was the most outstanding event you attended? What did you enjoyed? What worked particularly well? What did the management do that you perceived as remarkable?

What’s in it for you, reader? The chance to get insights for your next event. I suggest you go through all the answers as they entail great feedback and inspiration.

The best answer (the first you’ll see below) was selected, as always, according to my own preference. You can use comments to vote yours.

A few considerations:

- Incredible to notice how plenty of people indicated events of more than 10 years ago. What is going on with current events? I guess it is becoming harder and harder to impress and exceed expectations. Looks like we all need to deal with this.

- A lot of people talked about their marriage of children birth. I didn’t leave that out as I think there is a lesson there. Those are the events where you are the protagonist. It would be difficult to get more involved than this. The lesson is: the more you involve and release control, the better the satisfaction.

And now the answers:

- Peter O’Connell - President / Voice Talent - audio’connell Voice Over Talent says:

Two really good events I participated in took place in Toronto and both involved social media.

One was Podcamp Toronto which was a two day conference on podcasting, blogging and everything social media. The other was a hastily planned Geek dinner in Toronto.

The experiences I took away from these two events had less to do with social media (though I learned a ton and developed wonderful contacts) as it did with how important it is to set expectations and goals for attendees at an event before it starts.

At both events, the networking (more exchange of ideas and best practices than business development though there was some of that too) was at the core of the event. Everybody knew it. Everybody came prepared to share, to talk to listen. There was very little arm crossing (that internationally recognized non verbal cue of stand-offishness)

That openness led to tremendous communication opportunities which built great relationships which in my opinion are at the core of every great event.

- Colleen Norris - Owner Loving Connections LLC says:

Last night I attending an amazing event.

It was the first night of a workshop entitled “Empowerment Dialogue & Gestalt Dreamwork” I learned so much in 4 hours, but what I really enjoyed was feeling welcomed by a bunch of strangers.

What worked so well was even though everyone was on different levels of understanding it was perfect for everyone. The facilitator was friendly and a joy to be around.

- Julia Marrocco - Executive Performance Coach says:

The most outstanding event was during a corporate awards trip to Bangkok for a week or so. There was the most amazing feast, outdoors, in gorgeous tropical weather, we accessed the venue by boat, and authentic Thai folkloric dancing kept us amazed and steeped us in the history and culture of the land. I will never forget it. Everything from start to finish was smooth and it seemed like the event happened by magic. I can only imagine what a tremendous amount of work it must have been but I never witnesses one frown, one hurried person, and everyone facilitating or helping at the event looked as if they had taken a happy smiley pill!

Outside of corporate events, (I have attended zillions…good and bad both)
I would have to say anything with Cirque du Soleil will always be a smashing hit. No one performs like them. If you had a bad event in every other way, and you ended by taking everyone to any Cirque performance (excluding Zumanity) you will have good reviews of the event. That is because when they see Cirque, everything else will leave their mind and they will so amazed that’s all they will think about for weeks to come. So end on a positive note.

- Glenn Curry - Partner, Efficient Technologies LLC says:

SIGGRAPH convention, Orlando ‘94. Disney closed their water park one night to guests only. Free food, wine, beer and bands. The whole park all night lots of happy drunk graphics people sliding down water slides all night!

OK, then there was the national sales meeting for Superscope/ Marantz ‘75. In LA, including a private party with live entertainment at the Playboy Mansion. Hugh was good friends with Joe Tushinski.

Almost forgot the Kenwood Electronics sales meeting ‘77, Stayed at the Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans, a grand hotel in the heart of the French Quarter on Bourbon Street.

In review, I have to apologize and wish to state without reservation that I attended a similar event 4 times in my life and each was tied for 1st place event.

I have four children and I was present at the event of each’s birth. No other event comes close.

- Joseph Bachana - President, DPCI says:

2 years ago i heard Jack Trout speak at the Microsoft annual Partner event. Nobody seemed to know this marketing legend, but his talk was so insightful. He pulled some concepts out of his book “Differentiate or Die”.

I remember a few things about the presentation. First, he used Powerpoint, which surprised me since I usually hate Powerpoint presentations but he aced his. Second, he was going over some of the real clunker brand strategies out there and he had the audience dying of laughter. To this day when I’m in a marketing brainstorming meeting and one of us comes up with a nutty position statement, I remember Jack’s presentation.

The third thing i remember, which I’ll never forget ever probably, is that Jack was talking about projects that he himself took on to help worldwide brands with their positioning statements. I was just so in awe that this man has helped great brands with their messaging, all with very clear positioning statements as opposed to all the frilly technology-gyrating marketing tricks we all use today.

- Kenneth von Hopf - Tech Paramedics, a full service IT provider

Call to Action Live with Michael Bernoff and the Human Communications Institute.

- Lisa Stephen - Receptionist/Admin Asst/CSR/Event Planner says:

Back in 1986, I attended the Guterman Bar mitzvah party on the Queen Elizabeth II. It was amazing and left a solid, positive impression on me, even though I was only 14 at the time and only got invited because my mother worked for them, but I considered them family and I felt like I truly belonged. Little did I know that the event would plant the seed in the subconscious of my brain to one day start an event-planning business.

- Chris Catoggio - Independent Event Services Professional says:

The Rotary International Convention at the McCormick Center in Chicago in 2005. It is an incredible experience to participate with Rotarians from all over the world. It enlightens you to the global impact one organization has by providing humanitarian service and helping build goodwill and peace throughout the world.

From an event standpoint, it is remarkable how thousands of people are transported, seemingly effortlessly, throughout the city to attend the many events. The quality and scope of events made this an unforgettable experience.

- Carol White Llewellyn - Tourism Activist & Association Publisher, TravelHost of Rochester & the Finger Lakes says:

I attend events often and also used to do event planning for a trade association. The most remarkable events I’ve attended/planned were those that were a collaborative effort between two or more organizations, focused on a particular topic, and held outside of either organization’s home base. They also had exceptional programming or break-out work sessions, were planned collaboratively among the organizing parties involved so all partners were equal stakeholders, representing their members’ likes, dislikes and interests. They also offered great food and fun entertainment.

These events attracted a calibre of attendee interested in both networking and benefitting from the program. They also came to have a good time. When you attract a large group of attendees with these common goals and put them in an educational, yet fun atmosphere, you have the recipe for an outstanding event.

- June Mattiza - E Imagineer at The Media Collective says:

The best event, how about my top 3 events,

1. I traveled with a client i(as press management) who was playing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, backstage and got to meet some of the greats in blues and contemporary music with the same client got to attend the Grammy awards when he received one for his latest release.

2. The first Webmaster World Conference that I ever attended in Las Vegas, I learned a lot but the big benefit was the friendships that began at that conference.

3. Luxury Travel Expo - Traveled with a client to industry trade show to attend industry round tables, marketing tracks and networking. Not only did this help with in market intel but that year while I was there, I got to meet a great in the Resort Hotel Development world unbeknown to me, I had coffee in the morning with Steve Winn shared a conversation about family, kids general banter, then we both had a meeting to go to,,, it was the same one and he was the keynote speaker.. Wow.

4. I2 Planet Conventions - Awesome event in which I helped with the media presentation, It was the best mix of education, variety of industries and after long days conference style they really did it right with their networking/party events.

- Walter Giacovelli - Knowledge Strategist says:

Best event i followed, according to me is always the next i have to follow, because i project on it my dreams, my ideas, my wish of making best reality around me, and make me feel like a child waiting for a long time best toy for present.

- Ron Coble - Owner, ImportExportHelp says:

They were about 30 years ago when I was somewhat naive but thankfully impressionable - Amway motivational meetings (no I left them about 28 years ago).

They had some very good motivational speakers and I have said many times that although I do not believe there are many people who ever succeed in that business model, the spark(s) that these motivational weekends provided me was what helped me to move forward into various other business ventures in the ensuing almost 30 years.

I really believe that had I not gone to those weekends I would have never gotten into these various business ventures and probably would still be working in a job for someone else rather than in my own business.

- Richard Tabor Greene - Professor of Knowledge and Creativity Management at Kwansei Gakuin University says:

Siemens’ Invent Events, 15 years ago–a series of 200 person 4 day mass workshop events wherein 200 people from a dozen companies/functions invented 100 things and patented them. Included every 3 hour wandering comedy and minstrel groups that punctuated everyone’s sitting and meeting mindsets, and morning breakfasts of all 200 reporting prior day results and present day needs to everyone else (using comic formats), and mid-day “fill in questionnaires or answer questions from other workshop groups” lunch sessions deliberately helping other workshop groups. 100 patents were reliably written up and submitted by end of each 4 day session.

- Silvia Malesardi - Events management Assistant at Trentino Tourist Board says:

Within the last Years Vienna has become one of the most wanted travel locations in Europe to celebrate the New Year.

New Year Eve in Vienna 2006 (Silvesterpfad)was an amazing experience full of spirit of Vienna between history and innovation. The celebration for the international Mozart Year 2006 were the main theme.

The entire city was an extraordinary open-air party inclusive last minute waltz course all over Vienna’s first district, escape three-four time at various clubs (i.e. WUK, Passage, Flex,…) or celebrate in one of the many pubs at the ‘Gürtel’ (B72, rhiz, Chelsea,…) or at Bermuda triangle (i.e. krah krah, Bermudabräu, Brennerei,…).

Before midnight we can watch the official fireworks, illuminate the city!

There was also start the year’s ball season with a banger, famous ‘Kaiserball’. At the magnificent halls of the ‘Hofburg’ you first enjoy a splendid dinner and then mark the beginning of the new year in three-four time.

At midnight we hear the famous Pummerin (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) strike.
It mustn’t miss famous ‘Neujahrskonzert’ the day after which is performed by the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra.

The management of all the events was building by a perfect network of the City government, the Stadt Wien marketing und prater service (the events agency of the city) and the Vienna Tourist Board.

All of this celebration including the really spirit of Mozart genius!
Wonderful!

- Anuroopa Banerjee Gupta - Marketing Communications expert says:

The best event ever attended by me was this GRAND Wedding in Rajasthan, Jaipur. The venue was a palace decorated with jasmine and orchids. ornate silver furniture. Beautiful drapes and lights all around; glorifying the venue even more.

Then came the Groom with a Royal Procession seated in an elephant- with well decorated horses 15 in nos, 10 camels, 10 vintage carriages and many vinatge cars and of couse men with torches and over 500 guests following the procession. The groom and guests were all given the most Royal welcome possible.

The bride followed in an exotic palanquin amidst folk performers singing and beating drums. The Groom and Bride exchanged garlands on top of a crane and were then brought to the ground and drove around the palace on a vintage carriage.

All guests were served food on silverware and the fireworks and folk performances throughout the evening were enchanting. What an event!! Well, it cost a fortune- more than 7 millions; so I overheard!!! Truly A BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING.

- Dan Pepper - Sales & Marketing Executive for Tech Startups says:

Easily Fall Internet World in 1996 at the Javits. Alan Meckler had just moved the event from Boston to NYC to meet overflow demand. The companies and ideas that sprang forth from that show generated billions of dollars in wealth creation before the bubble burst in 2000. The excitement on the show floor and sessions was palpable.

*Sometimes an idea is all you need for a great event!* This was tech’s answer to the “Thrilla in Manila.”

- Shawn Carter - Senior Financial Analyst at Blackhawk Network says:

As far as business, an all-hands at a company I worked at. They had coreographed with many famous football players how they did that year and what our new brand would be about. It was over the top in cool, fun and on target. The CEO did a very slick presentation with the slides answering his questions. All in all very fun.

- Frank Feather - Webpreneur, Author says:

The most seminal event in my professional life was “The 1st Global Conference on the Future” (Toronto, 1980) under the theme “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally.”

What was remarkable was the sheer size of the event: 6,400 delegates from 60 countries, with 1,000+ speakers over 5 days, in some 26 main topic themes or tracks. The vast smorgasbord of ideas spawned excited conversation well into each night, and resulted in numerous global/local initiatives, as well as thousands of personal network connections and friendships.

In turn, that event launched my career as a futurist, and also took me to China where I met my Chinese wife.

Needless to say, there has never been a second such conference. I also am somewhat biased, because I led the team which planned the event, and I was honored to serve as its Chairman. But it was truly remarkable, as any attendee will attest even today.

On a personal level, the two most remarkable events were when my wife and I went to China to adopt our two daughters. Every moment of those two meetings is forever etched in my mind and my heart

- Mary Lascelles - CONCIERGE RELOCATION SERVICES says:

Three years ago our company put on the “Paddywack” for our agents. It’s up there with the best of events in all of my years working anywhere.

This was an intimate black tie event held at the beautiful Cascade Theatre in Redding, CA…a recently renovated 1930’s theatre that was impressively done. Drinks to start out and then awards were given to the top agents in our office for the previous year. We had a magician who was incredible and John Bearden, President of our franchise, joined in. There was so much to feast the senses that night. The venue was perfect.

The next day we brought in motivational speakers…starting with John Bearden who is always so engaging and interesting.

The concept was to say thanks for a good year and celebrate the success while spurring everyone for another good year.

Our company has always been “out of the box” which makes it a somewhat unique place to work. The event is still remembered!!

- Amy Vercruysse - Owner, Combo Platter: Event Marketing & Management says:

The events I attend are more consumer vs. business-oriented such as trade shows, and then to narrow it further they are more entertainment related.

For sheer sensory overload and an overabundance of things to do, I have to say South by Southwest wins hands down. The Natural Products Trade Show West in Anaheim did a nice job the 2 times I attended for a trade show that also had some consumer element to it (a nice mix of b-to-b and b-to-c).

For pure musical pleasure, the Ponderosa Stomp in NOLA (next week) is my favorite music event simply because there’s nothing else like it anywhere for true music purists and connoisseurs.

- Muhammad Ali - Marketing Consultant says:

I live in Dubai…No Outstanding events take place here…I play music and I have never seen any concert organized properly in Dubai…Even the events I have played at are not managed properly by the events management team.

- Illona Cowen - Information Technology and Services Professional, Technical Writer, Business Analyst says:

Two events come to mind. One hosted by Microsoft. They thought of everything!

The other event was hosted by Verisign. They had live music, live entertainment (Blues Bros.) and had pictures taken immediately with them, fireworks, great location. Excellent food.

- Melissa Deputy - Conference Planner, Public Speaker says:

The most outstanding event I attended was Tupperware’s 50th “Gold” Anniversary with approximately 7,000 in attendance in Orlando in August 1996. The awards and education and free product give aways were unrivaled by any other events prior. Of course, it was special to me because I was recognized as 29 in the nation of those in attendance.

- Allen Stevens - Event Manager at Legacy Marketing Partners says:

1999 Camel Bartenders Ball, NYC. Annual “thank-you” event for all the bar staff in the area whose venues participated in the Camel Club Program. We had 4000 people at the Hammerstein Ballroom, with Grandmaster Flash DJing and Lenny Kravitz as the headliner. Free admission (though our free tickets were getting scalped on eBay for hundreds of dollars) with open bar and hors d’ourves for all.

It was a grueling 22-hour day, but it was an epic party.

- Brenda Christensen - Sr. Account Supervisor at The David James Agency says:

The Nintendo party at CES 1989. It was spectacular in every sense of the word…not a dime was spared. Live Hollywood Squares style game show, luminaries, celebrity impersonators, live Kenny Loggins concert…it was over the top over the top.

- Ravi Kikan - Sales and Marketing professional says:

My Marriage !!!

- Michael Hamblett - Investment Management Professional says:

The 1999 Ryder Cup Event at The Country Club in Massachusetts, when the U.S. took back the cup from the Europeans with a victory late Sunday afternoon, when Justin Leonard sank a long putt.

- James Hayes - Independent Online Media Professional says:

generously help Bob the saint run the world for one day, and I still have the badge to prove it.

- Javier Irastorza - Strategy & Global Industrial Development at EADS-CASA says:

In March 2005 I attended the “International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security” organised by Clud de Madrid in commemoration of the terrorist attacks on the city of Madrid the year before.

The Club of Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members – 70 democratic former heads of state and government.

More than 1.200 people participated in that gathering, amongst them 200 experts, 17 Heads of State and Government, the Secretary General of the United Nations and many other leaders from international organizations and delegations from more than 70 countries.

I could attend this event thanks to a parallel event organised by the students association AEGEE.

The venue, tuition and logistics worked just perfectly. The conference itself was terrific. The power of this organisation (Club de Madrid) to bring top speakers and experts was impressive.

Several conferences and plenaries very interesting. Just a pity to have missed many since some were running in parallel.

Seeing dozens of world decision-makers was a shocking experience (e.g. noticing in the escalator that the lady before me was… Madeleine Albright).

- Suzanne Levison - Owner, SLS Creative and Staffing and Recruiting Consultant says:

One that I was involved with production. A major sports gathering including headline entertainment, high profile sponsors, political personalities such as Jesse Jackson..The fact that 24 hours prior to the event we were notified that, in addition, another political figure would arrive, we would be meeting with the secret service agents prior to redesign the room and general areas for security reasons. What I enjoyed was the challenge. What worked well was our team, who sprung into action with no sleep, and rose to the challenge so that the entire evening flowed perfectly.

- Joseph Templin - Head Geek, Unique Minds Consulting Group, LLC says:

The birth of my children.

- Machelle Lovin - Successful leader, partner and follower says:

I was young….I’m guessing about 8 years old. My parents worked for the first multi-level international cosmetic company. (look up Glenn Turner and read all about it) It was at a convention in Orlando. After a day of various events full of experts in cosmetics and the fashion industry, seminars, and incredible motivational moments, they packed a hotel suite full of select people that were attending the convention. Most of these people were from small towns and had big dreams.

The President of the company spoke and introduced a few other people who also spoke. Each with more vigor and excitement. Then the main guy (salesman) spoke to the attendees. In very powerful and elegant words he told them they had what it took to be successful. That their company was the one for them and the product they offered was all they needed. He pumped them up…spiritually, emotionally, physically, cheering….E.O.G.O…..E.O.G.O……some people were jumping up and down as others clapped and chanted…E.O.G.O….Every One Get One.

Now, I don’t know if it was the product that everyone was getting one of or if it was every one get one person under you (pyramid marketing). But what I do know is that at such a young age, I learned how people need to belong and be accepted. I learned how they need to feel empowered and just need some attention. I learned that one person can have such a presence that the whole world will follow them. (the world as it was as an 8 year old girl in that hotel room) But wow, how that lesson has proven true as I’ve gotten older and experienced life.

- Tamara Dunst - Senior Manager, Events at Nobel Biocare

I’d have to say that with all the events I have managed and attended throughout my career, by far the best are the Disney events I have attended as a consumer. Disney often holds “merchandising” events at their parks where attendees actually pay to come and buy stuff. Only Disney can do this. However, you hardly realize that you are dropping a couple of hundred dollars on artwork and memorabilia when you are surrounded by such amazing “theme-ing.” Most of these events are held in one of their hotel’s large ballrooms and usually center around a park ride or Disney movie.

It seems that they spare no expense in awing their customers with dramatic lighting, realistic props, and interactive activities. You get favors that seem like they cost a fortune and the food is quite excellent. Music, performances and speakers round out these memorable evenings, which, remember, are just there for you to buy merchandise. Disney really knows how to create a complete experience – tantalizing all the senses, tying in to them seamlessly and giving customers the craving for more.

- Dave Weinberg - Manager, Marketing & Client Relations says:

A few years ago, while working at Sony Pictures, I attended a Movie Premiere for “Big Fish”. After the red carpet and movie the whole lot moved to the after party at Hammerstein in Manhattan. The crew was able to recreate the town form the movie and the circus inside the theater. Food was served by old time dinner staff on red picknick tables while acrobats performed high above. It was incredible.

I am hearing things that should have not happened are indeed happening.

I heard of people going to BarCamps and complaining about 15 minute spamming sessions. I’ve heard of unattentive organizers preferring the pitch of a product, a software or a blog over discussion and creation.

This is what unconferences should not be. By pitching you are controlling, control belongs to traditional conferences.

A pitch could be a way to start a conversation about some interesting topics, not the focus of a session.

We recently runned ecoCamp, a user generated conference/BarCamp where lack of control was the success.

If you attend a BarCamp speak out loud when you feel someone is trying to control, because that is not the place to do so.

I will be at BarCamp London 4 on the 30th of May, come there and I’ll be happy to meet you.

A few comments. Read all the answers as you may be inspired by the very latest and I can tell by the quality that every single participant made an effort in writing. I am very happy to finally see event professionals exchanging opinions and talking about their experience, you will notice that we will all benefit from this.

Statistically here is what the majority agreed on:

The first answer is the one that I thought to be the best. Best means more comprehensive and spot on according to my experience. Nonetheless, you might find that other answers are more inspiring that is why I decided to post them all.

Kevin Jurczyk - National Marketing Director at Branstrator Sunrooms and Basement Systems of America says:

1) Excellent time management-

The ability to coordinate not only yourself, but the scheduling of the entire team helping with the event. It’s all about planning, and re-planning and scheduling.

2) Resourcefulness-

In my opinion, this is the most important. With years of experience in events, there is always something that requires a creative fix. Whether it be a piece of tape, or re-working a display because the display across the aisle looks too much like yours. You have to be very resourceful and use what you have. Ability to pool together the individuals you need.

3) Communication-

Share your ideas and your vision openly with your team. Communicate on a level that is respectful to everyone. Do not talk down to anyone, regardless of their role. Everyone has their part and it ultimately leads to your success, make sure you communicate clearly and respectfully. Accept criticism and be open to new ideas.

4) Passion-

Without passion you cannot over come the bumps and triumph when all seems lost. I can train time management, but I cannot teach passion.

5) Strong will, but a level head-

You have to be able to carry out your vision and sometimes crack the whip to get it done. Resolve problems and issues quickly. And you must be able to stand calm at zero hour when something doesn’t go your way. Your team should look to you for everything, the last thing they need is a shaky leader that makes rash decisions because they crack under pressure.

Chris Donahue - Regional Technical Trainer at PSAV - Presentation Services says:

1 - Excellent Time Management
2 - Good Communicator
3 - Attention to detail
4 - Ability to creatively solve probelms
5 - Staying calm at all times

Chris Catoggio - Independent Event Services Professional says:

Probably number 1 is great people skills. The Event Manager needs to be communicative, with the ability to listen and understand what the client is looking to achieve, as well as being able to convey that concept when selecting and negotiating with vendors.

Number 2 is organized. The event manager needs to coordinate a number of responsibilites and manage many teams simultaneously.

Third, an event manager needs to be flexible. In any event, things can and will change with a moments notice. The event manager needs to be able to, for lack of a better word, PUNT.

Fourth, an event manager must be responsible. Regardless of what goes right and what goes wrong, the success of an event, and all it’s coordinates, is the managers responsibility.

Fifth, a successful event manager needs to be enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. Enthusiasm and passion brings about creativity and generates excitement. Maybe, this should be #1!

David Schenberg - CEO Busy Event - a div. of Panamedia says:

1. Treats everyone as a peer and with respect.. even under pressure
2. A level of experience that allows the client to sleep at night
3. Ability to diffuse an explosive situation
4. Extensive network of trusted professionals they can count on
5. Active exploration and listening skills that translate into critical knowledge

Nicole Price - Event Guru at McCormick & Schmick’s says:

I feel very excited to answer this as I just yesterday experienced my *worst* ever customer service experience … with me being the customer.

Therefore, I absolutely stand for the fact that #1 is:

1- Flexibility with respect to understanding your customers’ needs
2- Strong organizational skills AND the ability to communicate them
3- Accessibility - to your customers and colleagues
4- Grace under fire!
5- Excellent, well-trained team to help implement and run the event

In a nutshell … able to achieve just about anything in a New York minute while keeping a smile on my face, managing half a million other items at the same time and making it all look easy.

But it IS easy, right? That’s why we do what we do.

Kevin R. Johnston, CMP - CEO, Advantage Event Group says:

I think there are may attributes that would needed to be successful; here are my Top 5:

1) Blackbelt Contract Negotiator - Ultimately, the event measurement is two fold, satisfaction and budget. A great event with superior satisfaction is often viewed as unsuccessful when the finances are all in

2) Must have a huge rolodex - you cant me a master craftsman in all areas. Having the ability to assemble the right players that will deliver consistently is a must.

3) Must be respected - if a producer is not respected by his boss, peers and contractors, the results may be good, but never great.

4) Must double as a janitor or fireman - often, dealing with cleaning up messes and putting out fires is part of the job. Quickly, quietly and efficiently. Get it done, then get bact to the task at hand.

5) Passionate - if it is just a job or a paycheck any event planner will be viewed as average. The passion to make it more productive, more exciting ,more more more is what drives this business. Other wise we’d all be eating on white table cloths with votive candles and parquet dance floors.

Dare to be different, take calculated risks and make sure that you have a great team that has your back (and you theirs).

Cher Lon Malik - Office Manager Informatica says:

1. Passion
2. Multi- tasker
3. Flexibility - do not freak out — there will be last minute changes always
4. Charisma
5. Approachable

Rohit Kumar - Ph.D. Student at Carnegie Mellon University says:

To add a one more:

Cant do everything yourself: Ability to delegate by trusting people, setting benchmarks (past successful events), sharing vision and establishing feedback channels.

Anuroopa Banerjee Gupta - Marketing Communications expert says:

1. Plans for the best -is well prepared for the worst and equipped to turn around the worst to the best advantage. ( I know of someone who was working on a tradeshow. She got the entire booth set up done till 3 am and when next day she arrived at the booth 30 minutes before showtime she realized the Co. president’s profile shot poster has been posted in a manner that his nose got chopped off- She actually got a 7ft x 3 ft poster mounted before the show- she had an extra poster)
2. Has excellent interpersonal skills
3. Is a great negotiator
4. Has excellent time management capabilities
5. Is a driven go getter, self motivated and never crumbles under pressure

Tushar Panchal - Public Relations, Communications, Branding, Corporate Affairs says:

a) Get the Brief right
b) Know your Consumer
c)Work within budgets
d) Time is crucial
e) Never ever lose control

Michael Miller - Director of Sales & Marketing at Tiki’s Grill & Bar / Holokai Grill says:

1. Understanding and exceeding client goals
2. Plan and execute events so that guest enjoy being at the event
3. Follow through
4. Have a critical eye for details (before, during and after the event)
5. Ability to train and retain great staff.

Laura Rivas - Events and Sales Manager says:

1. Attention to details
2. Good organization skills
3. Flexibility to change
4. Excellent communicator
5. Diplomacy (w/ clients and vendors)

James Minella - Event Operations Director says:

I think, just like any position, each person has to identify their strong points and accentuate those assets while identifying their areas of improvement and addressing those on a daily basis. In general, I would say any successful Event Manager is:

1. Be Extremely organized - overly so
2. Maintain a big picture philosophy at all times, meaning you work on ever detail while keeping in perspective the larger impact and goal
3. Be a good - no great - multi-tasker. To successfully run any program you are going need to ensure that 50 things are getting done at once, whether it’s in preparation or execution of the program.
4. Possess strong interpersonal skills. You need to be comfortable realting to and dealing with high level executives, government officials, vendors, co-workers, sponorsor representatives, customers,supervisors, suppliers, full-time staff, part-time staff and more.
5. Be Creative and Flexible. I think these two go together because in the event business things are always changing. Which requires you be flexible to develop a solution and solution comes about as a result of yoru creativity.

Nicole Bennett - Owner, Perry Consulting says:

1. Knows how to listen to understand - your clients are not in this industry and therefore don’t speak the lingo or know what is available. You have to be able to discern their needs.

2. Flexibility - people don’t like block walls, you have to be able to provide options.

3. Enjoy creative problem solving - no matter how well you plan, something will pop up and you must enjoy being able to solve challenges quickly and with the resources at hand.

4. Time management skills - you should know how to multi-task but you should be able to plan your day in a way that gives you blocks of time where you can focus soley on the project at hand. Your end product will be much more thorough. You should also be organized so you don’t waste time looking for things and reinventing forms/files etc.

5. Industry expertise - your clients come to you because they trust you have knowledge in an area they need guidance. You do your customer and the industry a dis-service if you call yourself an event professional if you don’t have the skills/experience to back it up.

Suzan Patrick - Seasoned Meeting & Event Planner says:

Patience is my number 1. Without it, we don’t belong in this arena.
Flexibility is number 2. There are always going to be “fires to put out”, things that change and people who don’t do what they say they are going to do.
3 Listening skills - it’s one thing to listen - and yet another to hear. Hear what’s said and what’s NOT said.
4 Intuition - I think this goes without say many times, but a keen intuition - being able to foresee things, predict what may need to happen (or not)….is very important.
5 Finally, I would say organizational skills. The best planners I’ve worked for/with are the ones with binders with tabs, sticky notes, checklists, to-do lists, etc. We are a rare breed (and we’re not all Virgo’s)! Planning events requires the ability to think on your feet, but remember it all!

Nicole Jensen - Independent Events Services Professional says:

1 - Fantastic self-discipline. I’m still learning this one.
2 - Expert in listening so that one does not make the event turn out how they want it, but how the client wants. In the long-term this also means market research. Listen to your market and customers.
3 - Flexibility. Management means problem solving. Keep those ideas and options coming!
4 - Time management, naturally.
5 - Personality. You cannot expect to manage people’s “super happy fun times” with a blank character!

Petra Johansson - Independent Events Services Professional says:

In no particular order…

1. Strong organisational skills, ability to multi-task
2. People orientated and approachable
3. Strong communicator
4. Ability to quickly find easy solutions to any problems
5. Have a passion for event organising

Betsy Fowler - Events Services Professional says:

It would seem we all agree you need to be organized and come prepared for the worst. But from step one you need to be able to listen. This will put you in sync with your client and your team and let you stay at least half a step ahead. All that and a sense of humor (and perhaps a little Jimmy Buffett “if we weren’t all crazy we would be insane”) equal a successful event planner

paula entwistle mille - account manager at ketchum says:

besides all qualities related pretty much to working at PR/comm. agencies etc I would add:

-problem solver by nature.
-predict all sorts of problems at the event and look at individual logical solutions to each.
-Know each and every vendor of every little thing to produce even at a personal level.
-creative profile if you are to create the event/the story behind the show and above mentioned characteristics if you are to executive and manage it on the daily basis

Jose Farias - Event resource specialist says:

Learn, Teach, Focus, goal, reward.
To keep relations and create new ones.
to create teamwork with the winning attitude to rice from the competition.

A true leader.

Doyle Slayton - Executive Director & Sales Strategist at SalesBlogcast says:

1. Organized
2. Leadership
3. Steady
4. Creative
5. Connected

Chandrabhan Gupta - Management Consultant & Expert Banks Security says:

1. A great show management skills.
2. On Time Event management skills.
3. Ability to work out and provide best economical infrastructure for the event.
4. A flowless Event coordination skills.
5. A good crowd controller.
Above 5 qualities are required for a successful event manager.

Greg Ruby, CASE CEM CMP - Experienced Event Management Specialist - Baltimore Convention Center says:

1) Be detail-oriented, but don’t sweat the small stuff. Focus on the more important items with the bulk of your work, but do a cursory check on the less important items.
2) Never let them see you sweat! Always remain cool, calm & collected when dealing with other people, while you may be a bundle of nerves on the inside.
3)Have a sense of humor. We are not talking rocket science here. Have fun with the work and the peope you work with, and in most cases they will want to work with you again in the future.
4) Be well connected. You can’t do it all and are going to need help. Have names in your rolodex of people who can help you.
5) Think outside the box. Just because it has always been done that way doesn’t mean that it still has to be done that way. Take risks and be bold.

V I N I T G - ACE / PINNACLE \ MYSTIQUE says:

-Value for money
-Image Enhancement of client
-Crisp & precise time management
-Event Concept to match Corporate goals
-Customized new event -each time

Sanjeev Kotnala - AVP and National Head. Brand Communications. Bhaskar Group says:

SUCCESFUL EVENT MANAGERS are like the events- or alumni of an institute. Its success of their event that get then the tag of being successful and they are as good as the last assignment.

Hence in my view what is needed are
PASSION: The job of event manager at any stage turns out to be a thankless job. The person must have an internal passion and zeal to overcome simple failures and learn fast to be able to work on the newer assignment.

KNOWLEDGE AND BUSINESS SENSE: He must understand the business as well as the covert and the overt business and professional reasons for the event to be happening. And hence must be in a capacity to provide the right input and direction.

SWISSKNEIF: He must be like a multi dimensional multi tasking perosn with no hitch in rolling his sleeves at times to overcome the shortage of resources otr while trying to last minute crisis management.

MANPOWER MANAGER: It’s the main resource that he works with and here his methods to excite motivate or reprimand are essential the tools he plays with. This may in fact be one of the most important factors.

CONSISTENCY-: He moves through a ladder of confidence- trust-faith and respect. And hence he must- do something like he does everything. It holds back any surprises and builds in a level of trust required to have a successful event.

Communication- networking- keeping all on loop- exploitation of the situation are some other factors- but the top 5 in my view have been listed above.

Ramesh Chetwani - SPEX Manager, Informedia India says:

Well, all qualitites mentioned can be rated as Top 5. However, what are the key qualities that will distinguish an Event Manager (EM) with the rest? What are the 5 stars that shine on an EM’s shoulder?

1. Being Pro-active (I was surprised no one mentioned this quality)
2. Intelligent
3. Excellent Salesman
4. Multitasking
5. CRM: Customer Retention Management!

I can back up all with good examples, but then who will finish my book!

Silvia Malesardi - Events management Assistant at Trentino Tourist Board says:

1 a good planner
2 good communication skills
3 playmaker (in relathionships)
4 manage the complexity
5 high self-control

Rita-Eileen Glynn Smith - Marketing, Event Management & Communications Professional says:

I could reiterate what everyone else has stated (and quite nicely I might add), however, I thought I’d have a little fun with this.

You must be psychic – to anticipate what no one else can imagine; You must be modest – there’s no job “too small” that you wont do; You must be clairvoyant – to intuitively understand what hasn’t been communicated or articulated; You must practice magic – because sometimes you’ll be expected to create something out of nothing, and you must like to smile – because come ‘showtime’ – it’s the best feeling ever.

Emma May - Sr. Events Marketing Manager at Athlon Sports says:

Event managers are some of the hardest working people in business today and there are many more than five attributes that make one successful but here are good starts:

1. Strong & pleasant negotiator
2. Extraordinary work ethic and ability to roll up sleeves
3. Always remember who he/she is working for (the client)
4. Calm under pressure/good poker face
5. Detail oriented/good eye for design

Richard O’Malley - Owner-President The O’Malley Project says:

1. Great relationships with quality vendors.
2. The will to get their hands dirty.
3. Motivational.
4. Attentive to the needs of their crews.
5. Desire to create something great, not just get through it.

Jill McClure, CSEP, CMP - Senior Vice President says:

I’ve known many event managers who can organize their way out of a wet paper bag with the lights off. But, these are the qualities that make someone succeed, and not just survive.

1) Understands the business case and financial outcome required for the event
2) Knows how to be a problem solver; events are vehicles for strategic solutions and not just a list of logistics to organize.
3) Provides leadership for the entire team including vendors, stakeholders, clients, staff, etc.
4) Communicates effectively and delegates efficiently
5) Negotiates with an outcome of fair profits, fair deadlines, and fair expectations for all parties involved.

Christopher Noyes, CMP - Events and Progrmas Director at Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce says:

1. Passion
2. Multi- tasker
3. Flexibility
4. Good with People
5. Resourcefulness

Pai Gee-Janssens - Positively Contributing to a Flatter World says:

Cares about overall quality & event success vis-a-vis all event stakeholders -> including the organising team! (o:
Knows how to prioritise
Thinks on their feet
Great at delegating
Not resistant to doing the dirty work when need-be

Most of my afficionados know that I’ve worked in the past two months at ecoCamp, a BarCamp about the environment, ecology, sustainability and energy. The event took place yesterday 29th of March 2008 in Conversano - Italy. This post sums up what happened before, during and after the event, from an event management perspective. As a planner I learned a lot from this experience and I invite you to participate in a BarCamp close to you because it will definitely help the way you approach your career.

Why ecoCamp?

I organized ecoCamp with Carmen Boscolo, a fellow blogger and environmental consultant, and I will use “we” referring to me and her. We both fell in love with the BarCamp formula. Open access, no pre-scheduled sessions, interaction and the Internet sounded like a great mix. In conceptualising the event we came up few things we wanted to experiment:

- Usually BarCamps host presentations. We didn’t like that . We thought that presentations are a subtle way to control a session and kill interaction. We decided to tell our audience that we wouldn’t host any presenter but just “promoters”. We borrowed this role from Harrison Owen’s Open Space Technology. At the beginning of ecoCamp, the promoter suggested her/his topic and got immediate feedback in terms of participation to the session. The promoter had the duty to guide and facilitate the session, collect the names of participants and manage time as well as take responsibility of the room and logistics.

- Usually BarCamps share the content, in that the organizers publish slides and materials of the presentations. We did not like that as well. We thought that the chance of having a large number of people working together could not be wasted. We were sure that the energy of the event would have been great. In order to collect and funnel that vibe we thought about creating a document, again inspired by Harrison Owen. We called the document “ecoCamp@world“. The promoter of every session was given a template to fill out during the discussion. We asked few questions:

- What have you discussed?
- Why have you discussed it?
- What were your conclusions?

The participants of the session got their name on the document, which would have been published on the official wiki, open, free and accessible.

Promotion

I have to say that in our case what worked the most were Social Media. I’ll go in depth.

- We used a wiki as the main platform where we put everything about the event. If you want to know more about starting and planning a BarCamp and its wiki, I collected few resources, you can find them here.

- We then created a blog to deliver news and updates.

- We created a badge and put the HTML code on the wiki for other bloggers to grab and paste on their platform.

- We coordinated a database of blogs on environmental subjects and sent the invite to use the badge

- We set up a “posting day”. We published a round-up article on the main blog and 10 other blogs posted about the event, trackbacking to that article.

- That same day we posted on Italian Social Media Networks clones of Digg, StumbleUpon, etc.

- We created a Twitter account for the event and inserted a Twitter badge in the ecoCamp wiki with live updates about the event.

Promotion Results:

- We generated buzz. We got free press coverage on every single local newspaper. In some instances, we didn’t even send the press release. Journalists went on the wiki and grab information. I was interviewed by radios and TVs before and during the event.

- A web TV made a documentary which is going to be online soon

Things to consider about promoting with Social Media

- time to build relationship with other bloggers

- striking content

- knowledge of Social Media Networks and key influencers there.

Location and Sponsors

Most of Barcamps do not take place because of the lack of a location. We managed to find one in two weeks. A business incubator which gave us two big rooms and free internet, plus buffet area and AV equipment.

We set the date of the event the 15th of March. Therefore we had two weeks to work on it. Our approach was: if we get no location or sponsors it means that the event has not to take place.

Three days before the event we contacted sponsors. We did not have any urgency to get buffet or gadgets but at a certain point in time we decided to give gifts to the brave participants. We managed to get on board one of the biggest Italian producer of energy saving light bulbs and photovoltaic panels. They gave us an energy saving light bulb for every estimated participant plus tons of promotional materials, block notes and pens. We got on board local producers of organic cheese, organic groceries, patisseries and cafes. We ended up with a huge buffet.

The great thing was that at no point in time we needed to give numbers or show media releases or participants profiles. The interest of sponsors was proactive and genuine from the very beginning. We told them we managed no money and that we were just intermediaries of the community.

Attendance and Statistics

The most successful BarCamps have 300-400 participants (Los Angeles, Toronto - millions of people and efficient public transportation). We are in a 20,000 inhabitants city in Southern Italy, far from transportation. The biggest city nearby is Bari (300,000 inhabitants), we got 80 people attending. We had more than 100 requests to follow online. Huge response.

The day before we set up a streaming on Ustream with 2 webcams in 2 different rooms. The promoter of every section was in charge of the streaming as well. In this way people living far away did not have to use transportation, therefore we got rid of unnecessary carbon emissions.

Experience and Feel

No one of the participants ever heard before what a BarCamp was. They left the location willing to attend another Camp immediately. We collected feedback such as “Wonderful”, “One of the greatest experiences of my life”, “I only wished we had more time to keep discussing”, “Thanks very much for putting this together”.

We registered people from 10am to 10.45am. You could tell everyone was a bit unsure of what to do and how to proceed. We then gathered in the main room and I illustrated, after thanking sponsors, what was the process.

We had two computers in two different locations. At one station, promoters could suggest their topic, give a brief description and tell their name. In the meanwhile participants looked at the projector where the sessions schedule was quickly building up. At the other station we collected participants for each session and their preferred session time for the day (morning/afternoon). We immediately had numbers and it was quite easy to generate the schedule, merge sessions or eliminate those with not enough participants. We printed out and distributed the schedule and then started off.

We did not have a coffee/lunch break, instead we left buffet accessible at all times for everyone to enjoy, respecting the session in progress .

Response was astonishing. Great, quality topics together with pragmatic and inspiring discussions took place. We had,from time to time, to “hold time and space” as Harrison Owen would suggest, indicating that there were 5 minutes to go and that the promoter needed to draw conclusions.

Conclusions

At the end of the day I saw participants cleaning up tables, collecting and recycling waste. They have been given the possibility to return, instead of wasting, unwanted sponsors’ material. It’s been of utmost importance for us to be consistent with the content of the event. We made sure every bit of ecoCamp was coherent with the theme of the event. From recycling to organic buffet, from promoting carpooling to giving energy-efficient bulbs as gadgets. The ethics of the organization contributed to set up an ethic environment, were people found themselves at ease to interact and produce something.

I saw engineers talking with farmers, lawyers engaging in discussions with media and marketing people, students sitting next to business men and accountants.

We needed to tell people that there was going to be ecoCamp2 somewhere and sometime in the future, because they simply needed to know there was going to be another meeting like that.

As a planner and a conference planner I have seen delegates leaving meetings bored and maybe drunk by the buffet. I have seen people sleeping during endless bullet point presentations and showing up just to follow a super guest star and leave the rest of the event to others.

This experience is a wake up call for those working with traditional conferences because things are changing, and quicker than we think.

ecoCamp

The Cluetrain Manifesto is almost ten years old. I was actually surprised to see it was written in 1999 for two reasons:

- It is amazing to see how it is still relevant to both Internet and businesses. The words of the manifesto sound like a Web 3.0 startup’s mission. They got it right. The people who signed it saw 10 years in advance what was about to happen. Few things are yet to come but I’d bet we’ll shortly experience them.

- Crazy, crazy, crazy. Companies had in front of their eyes the chance to get the most out of the Internet and treat the customer in new, engaging ways. It was there, clearly written and explained. It is SAD to see how only few organizations have embraced these life changing concepts.

The Cluetrain Manifesto is free to read. How the most popular Italian and world’s top 10 blogger, Beppe Grillo, would say, download it, print it and start sharing it around. Give it to your boss, to your colleagues, if possible pass it to the person sitting next to you on the underground.

The Manifesto has a lot of things to say to those involved in events. I went through the 95 Theses and got few that I thought might be of interest.

- Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.
I said before than men are not monkeys. Treating your guests as demographics is a giant step toward looking at them as these animals. The human kind is indeed of the animal genre but of the social one. Social media are a great examples of that. Great conversations, great ideas, great feelings and strong emotions that we wouldn’t otherwise experienced. BarCamp and Unconferences should be the role models of every event manager. Empower and connect, do not try to divide and lead because you won’t be happy with results.

- The Internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media.

What are you doing to allow conversations among the people attending your event. Are you integrating technologies? Are you aware that recruitment now happens on Linkedin? Do you know that there are widgets you can embed in your website to encourage carpooling to your event? Most of the people attending events such as conferences are only interested in networking. Carpooling as well as online forums or wikis enable networking even before the event.

- The inflated self-important jargon you sling around

Be clear, be precise and be real. Rhetoric and Pavlovian stimulus-response tactics belong to the past. It’s good to have demanding attendees because it means they actually care. Talk to them and tell the truth and do not try to persuade. Allow interaction and hold time and space do not try to be the star of the show.

- We are immune to advertising. Just forget it.

How are you talking to your audience. How do you communicate your event. I don’t believe in brochures anymore. Apart from being an environmental disaster (and your customers do care about the environment), I think there are tons of other creative and more engaging ways to get to your audience. Do you have a blog? Have you ever heard of Twitter? Engage, do not try to tell how beautiful your event will be.

- We are waking up and linking to each other. We are watching. But we are not waiting.

There is not much time left. The economy as a whole is changing. As Seth Godin said this week, during recession times the biggest changes happen such as Google did. Change now because it’s not sure you’ll be able to do business tomorrow.