Strategic Meeting Tech & Better Meetings Podcasts

Strategic Meeting Tech
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The Strategic Meeting Tech & Better Meetings Podcasts sources for news and discussion of the meetings and events industry.

  1. 12/21/2019

    Show #3 - A special episode discussing depression & anxiety in the meetings industry

    Episode three of the Better Meetings Podcast take us in a different direction than originally envisioned.  Still to come will be the delayed interview with Paul VanDeventer of MPI.  That will hopefully be along next week along with some additional episodes recorded in September at IMEX America. This episode is the most personal one thatI have ever done, but I think it's a topic that many of us hide from and are unwilling to discuss because it's uncomfortable and can be misunderstood.  I have been dealing with some depression over the past year to a point that it inhibited my ability to create this podcast, something that I take great joy in doing.  There's a terrible cycle of guilt when you promise something that normally would be an easy task and you're unable to follow through.   My usual reaction is to stay behind a wall and pretend nothing was wrong.  But, as time passed and I was unable to face the simple task of posting a few episodes I reached out for help.  To some friends, to a mentor...even to a celebrity that I'm lucky enough to have corresponded with.  I spoke with my doctor, I worked with him on medication...and I did some research to try and better understand what I was dealing with. I found that in a given year 7.1% of American's are dealing with some form of depression or anxiety.  I spoke to someone in the industry privately and learned of the challenges they had had.  I began to realize that in a business where we have huge expectations placed on yes, where you have to be completely in control and never showing weakness, where a high number are type A and high performing people...I knew I can't be alone in the struggle.  This podcast is my soapbox, my platform and the place where I have a voice.  So I decided the conversation should start here. That's the reason I've recorded this episode, and the conversation that I hope people might begin to take away from it.  Realize that someone you know or work with may be struggling inside.  Be there for them to support and help.   Open up if you are struggling and trust your friends, family and co-workers to support you.  Don't feel that you're alone, you're not.   Our jobs allow us to bring people together to create wonderful experiences and events.  But as good as we are at doing those jobs, we are also still human and we need to be there to lift each other when someone beside us falters. Here are a few places I did research with information and help for those in need. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm https://www.verywellmind.com/depression-statistics-everyone-should-know-4159056 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007 https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/physical-symptoms-of-depression#1 https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/recognizing-symptoms   And this most important one: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255    TRANSCRIPT: Everyone deserves better meetings. So, we created the better meetings podcast is a place where meetings and events industry professionals can gather to discuss, analyze and report on the latest trends, challenges and news from within the meetings industry. Welcome back to the better meetings podcast. This is not going to be the third episode that I had planned for the better meetings podcast.  That episode, which will hopefully be posted eventually and hopefully soon, is a very interesting and informative interview with Paul Van Deventer of MPI.  It's also not going to be the 4th to about the 12th one, which we're all done in IMAX America back in September.  They discuss a wide range of topics with a really fascinating group of industry suppliers and thought leaders on what this is…it's going to be a pretty serious topic that I never really expected to talk about or cover, especially in relation to my job or to the meetings and events industry.  But sometimes things appear in life and they need to be addressed and especially when they stretch out for a long enough time that they kind of derail your, your plans and your agenda for moving forward. So, wrapped up in this show. This third episode is going to be a step one of an apology to a number of people who I sort of ghosted over the past few months while I was struggling with some challenges. The problem with that, is it adds to your guilt and that feeds the distress and frustration that you're dealing with.  So, it keeps pushing you down into a state which is really not like anything I've experienced before.  But at the same time, I believe in a lot of honesty and transparency in our business and with myself and the people that I know and have a relationship with.  So, I want be upfront about things.  And I just want to be honest about it because I think that often we hide behind walls and masks and don't really let people in to know, maybe some of the challenges that each one of us is facing.  Because one of the things that I figured out through this past few months is that everybody has a certain level of mask that they're wearing.  And if we can drop those once in a while and have honest communication, it could help all of us, because as I realized when I was dealing with things on if I am, then there are others.  And when you start looking at numbers, which I have a couple to throw in here in a minute.  Um, it's really quite staggering the number of people who in a given year maybe on dealing with some sort of anxiety or depression.   So, there's a lot of fear you hide behind because you don't talk to people about your mental state how you're feeling. You don't talk about being depressed or anxiety. Because there's a real stigma to admitting these things that it's a weakness and you need to keep it hidden. What that does is it helps keeps isolating yourself and you spend more time listening to the voices in your head that are dwelling on the failures, the shortcomings, on the things you haven't gotten done, and minimizing the successes.  And so, you pull yourself back inside and lose that outside perspective, even from the people around you friends and family.  Um, honestly, we're a business made up of a lot of people who are really hard driving go getter type a people.  And as a part of that they also can't really admit to those weaknesses or flaws that they might feel because it opens a crack. that somebody might step past you for that next job, or event, or promotion.   So, let's just take MPI, which is an organization very near and dear to me on and say they have around 16,000 members.  Well, one of the fascinating things that came out of this research for me was that about 7.1% of Americans suffer from anxiety or depressive episodes within a year.  So, what that means in specifics of 16,000 people, that's about 1200 people within MPI in a given year, who may be suffering at one time with depression, anxiety or other issues that they may never show to anyone else outside. The first thing I want to do before I go any further is, and I will say absolutely up front because it's a question that was asked of me by a couple people that I did discuss this with and that were a part of helping me begin to kind of claw my way back up to the surface of where I feel is more my normal state of mind and state of work.  But there, there always needs to be the question of how are you feeling.  And if anybody is feeling any sort of self-harm, or danger or issues or you're worried about someone, there's a National Suicide Prevention hotline, the number is 1-800-273-8255.  Anybody who's struggling can reach out to that number and they've got trained people to try and help you.  So keep that in the forefront of your mind that there are answers no matter how challenging things seem. And remember that number is 800-273-8255. That's the National Suicide Prevention hotline. Basically I’ll kind of a give a little bit of my story because this is stretched out really not just the past few months, but a bit over this year.  And as I've talked about freely in the past, I've had some health issues, I was dealing with some back surgeries and such.  And one of the fascinating things to me about how this occurred in my life was I actually finished my physical therapy.  I was actually at a point where one would say, I was getting better and I was back on the road to being healthier physically, to be able to do more physical jobs and work.  And somehow, I just went the whole other direction.  It's not something that I've ever experienced in that way or at all in the past.  And yet, I found myself pulling inside I found myself not reaching out to both contacts within the industry, but certainly to friends.  I found myself staying inside not going out, cutting myself off from normal things that that I would do; attending concerts or going to a movie or things like that.  And sleeping a lot, spending a lot of time just in bed and kind of hiding with the covers over my head from the world.  I got out to IMAX, and I did all these interviews and I felt pretty normal.  Back to myself, I felt like I was making progress.  And then when I got home it,  it became the strangest sort of wall that I couldn't climb over and making a podcast for me a second nature.  I've done this for many years.  And it's really not a challenging process.  I can do one in a relatively short amount of time and feel very good about the product that I'm putting out.  But for some reason, it became just like a mental block just like a symbol of something that I couldn't get past.  So, I would try and just not be able to make any progress on doing things in the way that I wanted to…to my standards.  And in turn, then people are contacting me to ask when things will be posted. bThere are deadlines that I've blown by, there are promises I've made to do other interviews. And all of th

    24 min

  2. 08/13/2019

    Show #2 - Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO of PCMA and Greg O'Dell, Chairman of the 2019 PCMA Board of Directors talk to us at PCMA's EduCon in Los Angeles

    To continue with the podcast relaunch on our second show, we were able to meet for a second time with Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO of PCMA as well as with Greg O'Dell, Chairman of the 2019 PCMA Board of Directors.  We caught up with them at PCMA's EduCon in Los Angeles.   This time we covered a wide range of topics, but we focused on two important topics in both the world and within the meetings industry today.  First was a discussion of diversity and inclusion, and the benefits of diverse skills and points of view in creating successful events.  The second topic was human trafficking, and how raising the awareness in our industry and can provide a huge increase in opportunities to recognize and stop this serious international issue.   TRANSCRIPT: JON: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Jon Trask, I’m your host and I'm here with Sheriff Karamat, the President and CEO of PCMA, and Mr. Greg O’Dell, the chairman of the 2019 PCMA Board of Directors. So welcome, gentlemen. GREG: Thank you, Jon. SHERRIF: Thank you for having us. JON: I'm very happy to see you again. We talked recently up at WEC in Toronto, and now we're down in Los Angeles at your EduCon. SHERRIF: Yeah, the world we live in is exciting, isn't it? So now in Los Angeles, wow. JON: We're just jetting all over. And that's one of the things that I've actually always appreciated about our business is the opportunity to travel and see places and get to go, places I might not normally get to go to on my own. SHERRIF: Yes, and experience many different cultures, different cities. JON: Absolutely, yeah, it's been a great part of the business for me. And you guys are having a great event here it seems. Just to touch on that briefly before we dive into the real topics. SHERRIF: Absolutely. I, you know, I love EduCon. It's event that we actually really get to visit with people. It's just a manageable size. And this year, bit larger than normal. Our largest EduCon in history. About 950 participants JON: Very nice. SHERRIF: And we've been creating some really interesting experiences. And I've been enjoying LA as well. Look at this city, it's vibrant. So, I have this thing that I'm comparing PCMA to LA. And so, here's my comparison…I absolutely think there's a renaissance, there's a transformation, there's a revival going on with the city. And I think it mirrors with all the exciting things that are happening at the PCMA. And so that's, that's my comparison is to, to a city and an organization that's on the move. JON: Both of them coming together. SHERRIF: Absolutely. JON: Yeah, this this area, I mean, I'm a native of Southern California. And this was not an area that you would necessarily want to visit around the convention center. Even a decade ago, it doesn't seem. And so what they've done here, with the expansion and growth and the hotels, and all of that is really, really changed the whole complexion of this part of the city, GREG: I would just echo two (of) Sherrifs comments from LA’s perspective and all the partners. You know, it's interesting before PCMA EduCon started, they had another major event here with the BET experience. And so, the transformation that happened from that event to ours was seamless. And I think, you know, hats off to the LA team. And they've been amazing and supportive hosting this event as well. JON: They're very good, very accustomed to large, high profile events and working through them. I know, I did something at the event deck over here at LA Live a few years back, and it was the same time as a basketball game, and the Disney Radio Awards going on in the theater. And yet, you know, everything flowed smoothly and worked out really well. GREG: That's right. JON: So, what we were really going to talk about today, though, is when we were in Toronto, we talked about like numbers and data and things around the meetings, and I wanted to maybe talk with you a little bit more about the human side of the business. And I know there's an initiative that you started the Ascent Initiative. And I did a little bit of reading on that, and about inclusion and diversity within our industry. So I thought that would be where we could start today talking about that diversity and inclusion. SHERRIF: Sure. So, you know, you actually get an extra point on my radar today, because you said the word inclusion before you said diversity.   Because for me, diversity is an outcome of being inclusive. And so PCMA is all inclusiveness and it's about inclusiveness, because that's the way we learn, and we challenge the status quo more than ever. Without actually been being inclusive, you will never know everything. And the more perspectives the more diverse backgrounds, the more different mindsets that we bring to the table…And we grow, we learn, we create better experiences. So PCMA has started the Ascent Program for a number of reasons. And the CEO pledge.  And one was looking at diversity and inclusion, and so forth in a different lens; and we looked at SAP Users, SAP today is the most diverse company in the world, because it was the most inclusive company in the world. And it is, it's labeled that simply because not because they will be altruistic and good.  They actually had a need, and they had a need in computation, and mathematics.  And they had, they had complex mathematical problems that they had to solve.  And they couldn't find people that could help them solve this problem.  Well guess how they went about it, they actually, they went, went looking.  And then what they discovered was that people with autism actually had incredible mathematical and computational skills.  So, they started hiring people on the autism spectrum.  Today, SAP has more than 250 people working in their employment, that are on the autism spectrum.  And talk about inclusion…But it was this notion that you can do good, but it's good for business.  And that has actually served their pocketbooks and they're bottom line, much better than then just you know, going to some traditional route.  So, inclusiveness has many forms, many, many ways that you can be inclusive.  But we've got to look beyond race, and gender and so forth, and really truly think of what inclusiveness is all about.  So that we can bring different perspectives and different ideas. JON: That's, that's been something that, that I've got a personal education on a little bit over the past few years, because I've been, I had some surgeries on my back.  And I've been getting around with a cane and had some mobility issues. And you, you start to learn a lot of things you didn't realize, when you're not exactly the same person that you were a year before.  And you have these challenges of maybe walking a long distance or something, and you get into a huge facility and signage and things like that.  So, it really opened my eyes personally, few years back, and I've talked to someone who's shown up in year convene magazine, Joan Eisenstodt.  I've interviewed Joan a few times about that, and actually taken her class where she will put people in the experience of having some challenge, and let them kind of walk in those shoes.  And I think doing that is very eye opening to people.  So that's one thing that I recommend is trying to look at the world from some other perspectives.  And thinking about that. GREG: I mean, I agree.  Everything with Sherrif said and I think inclusion so important.  But you know, the reality on the last point you just made, you know, there are there are real diversity issues.  And I think people's bottom line or company's bottom lines are better serve when they actually serve that diversity audience. The best way to do that is to have diversity within.  And so, I think we had one of the most powerful, amazing speakers today, Tamika Catchings, who happened to be African American and happened to be a woman.  But I think everyone in that room who experienced it today saw her compelling story first.  But there are those who resonate with her for those reasons as well.  And so, I think it's important that we recognize that but also in an inclusive manner. SHERRIF: So, I'm just going to add to that one as in terms of performance of companies.  Companies that are inclusive and are diverse; as a result, performed 41% better than companies that are not; return on investment, return on equity.  So, it is just it is, you know, the data is there to support the fact.  So, I also want to touch it, but your issue and your back. And so, we want what I like about the nomenclature today that's changing is sort of, we used to say people with disability. Right, and it's such a terrible term.  What about people with special abilities?  Right?  Because they do have; so, think of the autism spectrum.  We would (say), oh, they’ve got a disability?  No, no, no, they've got a remarkable ability.  And it's, it's just about being inclusive and understanding that we understand that these people Tamika this morning that you reference her, and her hearing challenges that she faced and that created a lot of other adversities for her.  And it's, it's so I mean, how she broke those barriers down. I mean, it takes a very special person. But you know, I don't know, I think that we, shedding light to these issues is so important, talking about them in a non-threatening way. And, and I go back to the old line, you know, when we meet face to face…So, I think that…I wonder what if people never saw to Mika if they only saw a black woman. And when you saw her today, actually, you just saw just a wonderful individual.  You couldn't give it any care about race or gender, just a person. JON: Right, someone who's done amazing things. SHERRIF: Yeah.  And you want to, you know…just love this person, because of just that. You're just a wonderful… So I think that it just allows you to break down those barriers. JON: And so in in a perfect world, I was

    24 min

  3. 07/06/2019

    Show #1 - An Interview with Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO of PCMA

    To begin things on show number one here on the Better Meetings Podcast.  We were able to meet up with PCMA President and CEO, Sherrif Karamat during MPI's WEC event in Toronto.  He shared with us his thoughts on the state of associations, big data in our industry (including news about PCMA's Beam Project) and some inspirational thoughts for all of us about the role that meetings, events and our industry can play in making the world a better place for everyone.   TRANSCRIPT: JON:  Alright, welcome back to the podcast. Today we're at WEC in Toronto. And we're speaking with Sherrif Karamat, CAE.  He's the president and CEO of PCMA.  Welcome.   SHERRIF: Thank you for having me.  It's a pleasure to be here in Toronto, WEC.   JON: We're having a wonderful time here.  And I really appreciate you taking time out of your schedule, because we know how busy you are, to talk with us here.  So, thank you for that.  And let's just dive right into things; I really thought first we could start out with just an overview of PCMA from your perspective.   SHERRIF: Sure.  So PCMA a number of years ago, we were in a very good financial position.  And we said to ourselves, now is the time to change.  And that change was predicated on the fact that we didn't want our backs to be against the wall before we start to realize that we needed to change.  This was changed on multiple levels on how we engage people in our community, what people find the value of just about everything.  And we actually hire Wharton School of Business, and went down 11 streams, and ended up with this global vision, and the vision of economic and social progress through business events. So PCMA being a platform for economic and social progress.  There were two other legs to that stool, though, beyond economic and social progress.  There was an organizational success as the second leg.  And then the third leg was about you as a human being and me as a human being about our personal and professional development.   JON: Right.   SHERRIF: And so, when we did that, we looked at the world, and we looked at it, and not because we wanted to be exclusionary to anyone, but we said, where could we have the most impact in the short term until we are able to build?  So, prioritizing our priorities.  And we look the three regions Asia Pacific, obviously very large.   JON: Yes.   SHERRIF: The Americas, but primarily in North America.  And then Europe.     JON: Sure.   SHERRIF: And so those are it, we would not exclude Africa, of course; and we will not exclude certain parts of Latin America.  But looking at how not the act of a business event.  And by the way, notice that I use business events and not meetings, because its outcome focused.  And we believe that any meeting or any event should have an outcome.  So what we were doing is looking at how event organizers were being viewed.  Were they being viewed just for logistics? Or were they being viewed for bringing the objectives of that meeting or that event to life?  And how does that tie to the organization strategy?   We absolutely know that business events make incredible difference economically in communities.  But business event should also make a difference socially for people. You know, the old saying is when we meet, when we meet face to face, we meet eye to eye.   JON: Yes.   SHERRIF: We should.  And we must use business events to drive economic outcomes, but social outcomes as well.  And social outcomes has nothing to do with socialism.   JON: No, no.   SHERRIF: I couldn't care less.  But I do care of you as a human being.  And I do care that when we get together, that we can see that both of us are progressive.  And so events should be that part of that.   JON: Lifting people up?   SHERRIF: Absolutely.  Well, another part is, let me touch a little bit on the personal basis, and professional basis.  When you are younger, and you've done an undergraduate degree, for example.  And then you do a graduate degree.  Where do we get our, our knowledge?  It's from organizations like this.  We share experiences, we learn from each other, we grow, we network, there's an old course at the University of Chicago, called “your social network is your social net worth”.  And it is very, very true.  So you and I learn develop true these organizations.  So it's very, very important, not just about focusing on economic and social, but our own growth.   JON: Right.   SHERRIF: And these events do that as well.  So that's where PCMA has been focusing on, and been really focusing on the education that would drive that at the highest level.  And we are focusing on accreditation, certification, but also building community, we want to engage you the way you want to be engaged, not the way that we're putting it out there.  And so, for me, that is the only way I want you to be engaged.  Because if it is meaningful to you, it is not about PCMA; I really actually don't care. I do care that if you are going to be a part of the PCMA community, that you're getting something.  I know you will give a lot if you're a part of the PCMA community because I see it.  But every volunteer, anyone that gets engaged, but I want to make sure you're getting from it as well.   JON: You guys have a little bit different chapter structure it seems then we have here, and how does that work for PCMA.  I mean, it seems like you're not doing local meetings as much?   SHERRIF: We do a lot of local meetings.  And here's the thing, you know, engagement, actually today in the world that we live in. And, there's so many competition for people to find, it depends on what people want.  So, we actually don't have a hard-set rule, we've got a first of all, a two-track membership, you can be a member or non-member; or you can be a part of our audience that can engage in different ways.  But one of the things that we do say is that we want to engage the way you engage.  So, in North America, our chapters are very, very strong, some of them very large.  But we've heard loud and clear from Europeans that they will absolutely join PCMA as a member and be engaged with PCMA.  But they need time with their families, and they need other time.  So, they don't want to do the volunteer; but you and I have grown up culturally with.  They're not.  Now in Latin America is very different.  They actually like chapters.  So, it's so the idea is that one size doesn't fit all.  And so PCMA is really adapted   JON: Being flexible, being able to go where the people want you to go to.   SHERRIF: Absolutely, and serve up what they're looking for versus what is expedient for PCMA.   JON: Right. Very good. Well, I had written down something here to just about how an organization I think we've kind of touched on it already.  But associations have some troubles holding onto members and inspiring members and such.  And so what we're talking about there, I think circles back to really a question that I wanted to ask.   SHERRIF: I actually think that there's…I think we should evaluate the value that associations are providing if they're having trouble. So let me just say this, I feel today, we are more disconnected than ever.  We're more connected. And yet, so we're more disconnected.  And this is resulting in loneliness.  Okay, and loneliness in many, and associationd can play a critical role in our community.  So, there's a need for associations more now than ever, when you've got data and information and trying to make sense of it, whether it's true or false, or it's more, what is it?  Associations can help you do that. But we, as associations have to provide value, we cannot be there and expect that we've done the things that we've done for 50 years and expect people to be engaged with us.  Why should there be we should earn their membership, or their engagement. Like anything else.   JON: Just like adapting, like you say, to the way a person wants to be a member?     SHERRIF: Absolutely.  And so we say these things that all our revenue streams are challenged, this is challenged, that's challenged…Well, to me, revenue is a byproduct of how you engage, right?  It's not let's fix the revenue for us.  It's are you providing value?  Why should you? Why should you donate your time and your effort to anybody?  If they're not going to provide value for you? It doesn't mean it's not logical.  And it's illogical in the information age that we live in today.  The think that people would do that. And so, but I think, today, I actually feel there's a faster need for associations than ever, because we used to live in our small communities.  And, you know, back 30, 40 years ago, the only way that we heard something was we picked up the local newspaper.   And by the way, if there was something bad that's happening around the world, we heard it 10 days later, today, we hear it instantaneously.  And we're trying to make sense of it. We don't even hear it from news media's we hear it from our friends, because they've already sent you a text or an Instagram or, or posted on Facebook, whatever the medium is, you've heard it.  So, we must recognize that there is many ways that us as individuals can get access to information.  But how do we pass on tacit knowledge?  And how do we make sense of things that are happening around us is when we get together?  And that, to me is the power of associations, we have to be able to deliver those platforms to earn your membership or your engagement.   JON: And that, really talking about just how much information comes at us every day.  And how much is available to us sort of ties into the next thing that I wanted to talk to you about, which is the BEAM PROJECT that you have.  And because we're talking about big data, and we're just talking about all this information, and how do you sort through that, and

    27 min
  4. Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #27 - Roger Rickard discusses the upcoming election and how voting (or not voting) impacts all of us in the meetings industry

    11/05/2016

    Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #27 - Roger Rickard discusses the upcoming election and how voting (or not voting) impacts all of us in the meetings industry

    We recently caught up with Roger Rickard of Voices in Advocacy during the IMEX America show in Las Vegas.  We talked at length about voting and it's importance to the nation as well as to our industry. Roger publishes a great blog about politics and advocacy, as well as being a terrific meetings industry advocate and supporter.  His website and blog can be found here: Roger Rickard   And here's a direct link to the blog post that we are discussing on the show: American’s have a Big Decision on Election Day (and it’s not for president) It's an important message, and it reaches far beyond just our industry. So it's vital that we all exercise our right to vote in the upcoming election.  Make sure your voice is heard, not just on the top of the ticket, but all the way down to the local offices that can have significant impact on our business, schools and city governments.

    29 min
  5. Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #26 - Tracy Stuckrath discusses ways to best accommodate vegetarian attendees

    10/12/2016

    Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #26 - Tracy Stuckrath discusses ways to best accommodate vegetarian attendees

    On this edition of the podcast we're joined by an old friend, Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, CFPM.  Tracy is one of the leading consultants to the meeting and event planning industry on nutrition.  She travels around the world speaking to industry groups like MPI, PCMA, NACE, ILEA and SGMP on a wide variety of food related topics.  Tracy has extensive information and resources about all types of food and nutrition areas as they relate to planners on here website: Thrive Meetings & Events. On todays podcast in honor of "Vegetarian Awareness Month" we talk about the various types of vegetarian classifications and ways that planners can best understand and address them for their attendees.  We also talk about Tracy's upcoming sessions at IMEX America coming up on October 17-20, 2016 in Las Vegas. If you're attending IMEX and have an interest in nutrition, food waste and legal aspects of food service to your guests and attendees, be sure and seek out her sessions and visit her website for information and resources.

    32 min
  6. Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #25 - AV Quote Tips and news about a webinar later this month

    10/07/2016

    Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #25 - AV Quote Tips and news about a webinar later this month

    On todays podcast Jon talks about his upcoming webinar at "Meetings Today".  On October 26th at 1pm EDT he'll be presenting a webinar on the topic of "Contracts: Audiovisual & Speakers".  Here's a link: Meetings Today where you can register in advance for the webinar. Today he gives a preview by discussing AV Quotes and the material that's presented in them.  An overview of the various sections and a few pointers for negotiating before you reach the contract stage with a vendor. Be sure and mark your calendar to join him on the 26th of October over at Meetings Today

    11 min
  7. Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #24 - Roger Rickard discusses Exhibitions Mean Business

    09/26/2016

    Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #24 - Roger Rickard discusses Exhibitions Mean Business

    On this weeks podcast we catch up with Roger Rickard, professional speaker and advocacy consultant to the meetings and exhibitions industry.  He's the founder of "Voices in Advocacy", and you can learn much more about his work with industry groups via his website: RogerRickard.com We talked in depth about an industry initiative headed by IAEE (the International Association of Exhibitions and Events).  They've created a broad coalition of exhibition industry supporters to advocate for the industry via the website: Exhibitions Mean Business.  Since launching in 2011 they've generated over 750 million impressions, 2600 media impressions and a total of over 70 million dollars in publicity.   For the past three years they've sponsored an annual Exhibitions Day where industry members can meet with their representatives in Washington DC to advocate for the industry.  They've also created an Advocacy Center to provide information on pending legislation and convenient ways to reach out to your elected representatives. On the podcast, Roger provides a wealth of information about current issues that can affect the meetings industry and all of us.

    32 min

  8. 09/19/2016

    Strategic Meeting Tech Podcast Show #23 - Colleen Rickenbacher Hall of Leaders Interview

    On today's Hall of Leaders edition of the podcast we talk with Colleen Rickenbacher of Colleen Rickenbacher, Inc and The Global Protocol, Etiquette & Civility Academy.   Colleen is being honored at the CIC Hall of Leaders Celebration coming up in October in Las Vegas.  We talk about her history and background; including her transition from event planner to become an author, speaker and industry expert on etiquette and protocol.   She's the author of four books:  Be On Your Best Business Behavior Be On Your Best Cultural Behavior The Big Book of People Skills Games (International) Be On Your Best Teenage Book And, she devotes a significant amount of her time working with prison and juvenile programs in the Dallas area to help both of those groups better transition into the workforce.  She's also a mentor to numerous students and others in the meetings and events industry. You can join Colleen and her fellow 2016 honorees on October 18th at the Jewel Nightclub at Aria in Las Vegas for the Hall of Leaders Celebration.

    27 min
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The Strategic Meeting Tech & Better Meetings Podcasts sources for news and discussion of the meetings and events industry.

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