by Ed Graziano, Corporate Event Interactive
Excuse me for a moment as I open up for discussion the question that has been burning in our office and with many others in the industry – Why? Why is a blog on the “Strategic Value of Meetings & Events” or similar blogs in the industry important when everyone is so busy with work, or trying to obtain work? And by the sure quantity of blogs that exist, does anyone really have time to digest more than a couple of them?
Or does blogging in the meetings and events industry need to be legitimized or can it just be an exercise in personal communication, thought/idea gathering or venting?
Typically I would add a bullet point list below of the reasons why I think blogging in the event and meeting industry is of great value. But instead I am going to leave this question open for discussion. I am very interested in your thoughts and opinions and also if there are blogs that exist currently that you find are valuable resources for you.
I look forward to your thoughts!
Thank You – Ed

by Anne Thornley-Brown, Executive Oasis International
After the Wall Street Meltdown, many companies took a predictable approach and cut all team building as a “discretionary expense”. The AIG Effect was the final nail in the coffin. Afraid of possible fallout due to “optics”, even companies that were doing well felt it prudent to put team building initiatives on ice. This is unfortunate as, during a recession and its aftermath, team building is even MORE important than during good times. Why? During a recession and the fragile recovery that follows it, the margin for error is narrow. It is more important than ever to:

by Ed Graziano, Corporate Event Interactive
There are many decisions for a planner to make when hosting a team program for a company meeting or retreat. These decisions include selecting the right teambuilding company or facilitator, finding the right venue, deciding on the best program activity and understanding what participants should “walk away with”; such as making new connections, or better understanding everyone’s role within the team.
Often lost in this process is deciding if a program should be run competitively or non-competitively. It is a misconception to think that a competitive group will only do well within a competitive environment. These groups actually are often the ones that would benefit the most from an opportunity to work together on an activity or project run non-competitively, where the entire group wins by participating. The insight that a team’s collaborative efforts helps the entire group succeed is often more valuable than knowing their team can “beat” other teams in a particular challenge.

by Eva Niewiadomski, Catalyst Ranch
This blog was originally written and posted by Blogger Harvey Chimoff on September 16, 2009. Harvey Chirnoff is a cross-functional marketing leader who relies on a special blend of pragmatic strategy, vision, organization, and action to achieve marketing and business results. Contact Harvey at [email protected]. Click here to see the original blog:
I’m always intrigued by companies that are able to promote and market without direct price cuts, especially during a time of declining demand.
The recession has wiped out a large amount of business travel, particularly international travel, and those who are still allowed to get their passports stamped find themselves traveling coach, even on long overseas flights. This poses a significant problem for airlines who make excellent margins on high-paying business travelers, especially those in business and even first class. And online meeting tools such as WebEx and GoToMeeting are making it easier for remote productivity. What to do?

by Janet Elkins, EventWorks, Inc.
Here at EventWorks we are a multi-generational and multi-cultural crew. Each in our own way we try to stay informed about our industry and economic trends in general as best we can. Besides this blog, we read trade magazines, weeklies, dailies and more. We follow television and social media. But for all of us, balancing time between “real” production work and ongoing research and learning efforts poses a challenge. We need more than 24 hours in a day.
As an original Mid-Westerner I have come to appreciate the tweets of fellow Chicagoan Barry Moltz, entrepreneur, public speaker and book author. Barry travels to many conferences in many different industries and shares his findings on Facebook and Twitter as well as his website, www.barrymoltz.com.
According to his bio, he has “founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years.” He also authored three successful books about business and his most comforting theory espouses the idea that business ups and downs are part of life. We just have to learn how to BOUNCE”. Following his tweets has allowed me to stay informed in 140 characters or less.
Barry just returned from SXSW in Austin, Texas. I checked in with him by phone to specifically ask for advice for the event industry.

by Ed Graziano, Corporate Event Interactive
While meetings are valuable for providing training, conveying company content and motivating “the team,” what is often forgotten is the sheer power that meetings have to create and enhance relationships. If at a meeting of 100 participants, each person creates or strengthens five relationships, the meeting is responsible for upwards of 500 stronger relationships within a company. That is powerful stuff and is often overlooked when a meeting is being evaluated or its ROI (return on investment) is being discussed.

by Travis Himstedt, Corporate Event Interactive
An important part of business development involves leadership training because developing the right kind of leaders leads to profitability and sustainability for organizations.  With MBA programs offering classes on leadership, consultants at every turn and countless books about it on the shelves, leadership training is a billion dollar industry.   Obviously, there is a desire for organizations to foster the talents of their future leaders. But how do they do it?

by Eva Niewiadomski, Catalyst Ranch
I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Boring Meetings? Get Out the Water Guns” written by Emily Maltby. Here’s a short excerpt:

by Ed Graziano, Corporate Event Interactive
We all know the meetings and events industry has taken some hits with the economy’s downturn and there are so many cost cutting measures companies are taking. With this in mind, I ask – where would companies be without meetings and events? What would it be like in a world…

by Kathy Miller, Total Event Resources
The value of building a partnership with our suppliers as well as our industry colleagues is invaluable. Take it from someone who just spent four days in Southern California where we are going to producing a series of events this July.
We spend SO much time in the research and development of a project and it’s critical to make sure that we are aligned with the right partnerships. Having good quality relationships with industry colleagues is so important.