Learning a New Role
After five years with a small company you expect to know the ins and outs fairly well. You somewhat expect to know all aspects of your position with knowledge of other positions performed within the company. Well at least you think you do… Read more
Bridge the Gap-Making IT Work for Business
Withstanding the possibility that you are assisted by a business consultant who actually delivers everything they promise, you are most likely in a position similar to mine, where there are no magic elixirs or shortcuts for ensuring that IT and business leaders see eye-to-eye on the business strategy.
Generally speaking, those in IT rarely demonstrate an acumen for business or even share a common language. Similarly, those in business rarely demonstrate an interest in the fundamentals of IT operations nor could they tell the difference between a MAC address and a Big Mac™. In any case, this is the gap we are presented with, and it needs to be spanned if we’re to achieve optimal results. Read more 
Outsorcerer II –How to compare the costs of internal operations with an outsourcing option
A college president once opined to me that most people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. The first question many executives ask about any contracting approach is… “How much does it cost?” followed immediately by… “It’s not in the budget”.
However, in many cases it is in the budget. In fact it’s in so many different budgets that overall costs are essentially invisible.
Consider conference registration services as an example. A contract provider may quote $25 per registration for 600 attendees. That’s $15,000, WOW! That’s a lot, and… “It’s not in the budget”.
Where can we turn to make an apple and apples comparison? Consider these do-it-yourself cost items: Read more
How to Design a Conference Introverts will Love – Guest Post by Lisa Petrilli
I have a secret. One that I’m about to share with you. I am an introvert…working in a very extraverted industry. Networking opportunities are often promoted by event organizers, like me, as a benefit of attending their event. Likewise surveyed attendees often cite networking opportunities and the quality of the connections that they make as a top reason for attending or returning to an event. Conferences seem to offer the ideal place and opportunity to meet people, especially if you are of the extraverted variety. But, if you are an introvert, like me, all of the face-to-face interactions that happen over the course of a multi-day event can leave you feeling a bit drained. Likewise, you may be attending an event for the first time and feel a bit of anxiety about inserting yourself into groups of repeat attendees that have banded together. Introverts and extraverts alike want to meet new people at the events they attend, but have very different approaches in doing so.
The dilemma then, for event organizers, is how to structure our events to appeal to and engage both personality types. I offer the following actionable advice in the form of a guest post from Lisa Petrilli. Lisa Petrilli is Chief Executive Officer of C-Level Strategies, Inc., Chief Operating and Marketing Officer for the To Be a Woman global platform, and Chief Relationship Officer for CEO Connection. She is also the author of the eBook The Introverts Guide to Success in Business and Leadership. Read more
Looking for an Outsorcerer?
Serious or unexpected challenges are one of the common drivers of the decision to outsource key elements of producing a successful conference. Embarrassing onsite badge printing snafus, 200 attendees show up for the amazing session in the cozy little board room, 20×20 freight arrives from a key partner for the 10×10 spot on the floor plan, a sponsor’s worst competitor shows up at the private sponsored VIP reception, you discover the main hotel tower is closed for renovation when you arrive to set up, the preceding city-wide attendees don’t check out on you main arrival date, and on and on.
Sometimes it’s worse; catastrophic even. The $100,000 AV bill was left out of the budget, the exhibit hall is only 72% sold, or sponsorships are off by 40%; these circumstances demand serious attention. A common management reaction is to consider reaching outside to a professional to make sure this never happens again. Read more
The Year Ahead – A Return to Excellence
Travis Stanton’s Editorial in the November issue of EXHIBITOR magazine hit home with me as I thought about our company this past year and where I want to take it in the year to come. He talked about how the last few years of economic recession and hiring freezes has squelched innovation as organizations have struggled to get things done with fewer resources. Out of necessity, the focus has been on managing costs and making things work, not on considering the new ideas that will that will drive future success. “Good became good enough and excellent became an aspiration, rather than an expectation.”
The New Year offers an opportunity for fresh perspective and new ideas. Like EXHIBITOR magazine, MRA Services has welcomed some new talent to our company. We, too, have attempted to change the conversation within our organization over the last few months to focus on how things could and should be done, even if it’s not how we’re currently doing them. We, too, will challenge ourselves to tap into fresh perspectives, while attempting to manage change initiatives to maintain stability and superior service.
In the year ahead, MRA Services will center our priorities on the following: Read more
Creative Collaboration to Combat Attrition
When the economy took a hit in 2008, and the ensuing AIG Effect was wreaking havoc on the meeting and travel industry, a lot of event organizers felt the pain close to home. Attendance at many events plummeted, leaving event organizers with contractual obligations for filling sleeping rooms that they could not meet.
Although it’s a familiar story, one MRA client shared a happy ending borne from collaboration among peers.
Doreen Murner, the Executive Director for the National Association of Education Procurement (NAEP), is a member of CHEMA , the Council of Higher Education Management Associations. CHEMA members represent the executive leadership of associations that serve higher education. The purpose of CHEMA is to support members in fulfilling their individual missions.
Doreen became aware of a fellow CHEMA member in need. ACUI, the Association of College Unions International, faced a sizable attrition penalty with the Anaheim Marriott. ACUI had two choices, pay the penalty or book another meeting at the same property within a set time frame. Since they were not able to bring the meeting back to the property, they reached out to their CHEMA peers for help.
NAEP was in the process of selecting west coast sites for their 2012 annual meeting. Although Anaheim was not on their short list, the property did meet their needs. Doreen made the decision to book their event at the Anaheim Marriott to free ACUI of their financial penalty.
Doreen believes in the power of collaboration and she was willing to put her money where her mouth was in order to encourage other organizations to do the same. Even within a community of peers, such as CHEMA, “Collaboration doesn’t just happen on its own, you have to work at it.” Doreen’s hard work paid off for ACUI, and while there is no immediate benefit for NAEP, her commitment will hopefully inspire future collaborative efforts among CHEMA and the broader community of event industry professionals.
Do you know of other examples where two organization came together to solve an attrition problem? Please share! Are you facing a similar attrition situation at your organization? Send me a note and I’ll poll our network of show organizers to see if a similar solution is viable.
Great Expectations – The Value of Internship
We’re all facing a dilemma. With unemployment rates so high, young professionals are desperate to build their experience on a resume early, but are finding employment opportunities are scarce. In addition, organizations are faced with more work, but lacking the resources to hire additional staff – the old “doing more with less” adage that by now, we’re all too familiar with. Internship can be the answer to this dilemma and offer a surprising array of benefits both for the bright, young professional and the resource –strapped company.
For a small event management company like ours, interns bring energy, excitement, a new perspective and a willingness to learn. Successful intern candidates have a desire to try new things, motivation to take on more advanced tasks, and the ability to stay focused in a high paced, changing environment. Not only do they keep us up to date with the latest technology developments, college crazes and new lingo, but office politics are foreign to them, expectations for raises are gone and all you are left with is a willingness to please!
In my experience, a successful internship experience for a company requires a few simple ingredients. First, give them a space to call their own – make them feel welcome and part of the team. Utilize their talents, and don’t make the mistake of hiring a talented resource and then ask them to make coffee and clean the bathrooms. Train them on your company message and give them opportunites interact with companies like Dell or Barnes & Noble and they’ll think they’ve won the lottery in resume building. Take them onsite to an actual conference and they’ll show YOU what fun is.
For college students, short-term internships offer an opportunity to build resumes while finishing school and gain access to a company network from which they can build relationships and learn long after the internship is over. A college graduate looking for a full time job that has completed an internship, not only has the advantage over those without previous internships, but also has built a pool of professionals with whom to network, as well as potential full-time employment opportunity.
We all know that to pull off a successful event it takes a whole team of inspired professionals, so if you can accomplish that with bright talented interns and with all these benefits, what do you have to lose?
