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 
Where it all begins…
We’ve had a lot of searches regarding “registration desks” on our site, and although I’m surprised that this is a desirable topic for so many, as Registration Manager for the past four years, I figured I’d better give my perspective on what it takes to run a successful and smooth registration desk!
There are typically two different types of registration desks: a hotel’s built-in desk or one ordered through a service contractor. Whether it’s just an eight foot table or an elaborate multi-counter desk, there are pros and cons to both. Obviously cost is often a factor and the price will be cheaper using a space the hotel already has. I would recommend you invest in signage to brand the registration area for your conference and have some headers sorted alphabetically to queue attendees by their last names. Usually these counters are on the smaller side so I would not recommend using them for a group over 500. If you are going to have a larger group, use a free-standing registration counter.
Using a free-standing desk you’ve ordered is going to cost a bit more unless you can work with the service contractor to include that in your contract. You’ll also have the benefit of having more space to work with to store materials for the attendees, so I would recommend this option whenever possible. Having a free-standing registration desk is also easier for attendees to find as it’s usually in a foyer or outside the main ballroom and should be branded for your conference.
Now that you have your registration desk in place the next step is making sure you have everything at the desk you’ll need to assist your attendees. Here’s a list of some recommended items to have at the desk: Read more
Know Before-You-Go:The First Time Attendees’ Guide for Navigating the Exhibit Hall
Many of us in the event management world have attended a variety of tradeshows, exhibitions, conventions, seminars, symposiums, meetings, summits, and conferences to know how to get the most out of the event experience. We typically know the whole process including the what, where and when before we even get there. We are planners, by nature, and have a ‘logistics’ mind-set in which we tend to operate with on a day-to-day basis. We are ready!
But what about the non-event professional? What about the consumer, the expo novice, and the convention center rookie? What about the first-time conference goer? For the first time attendee, making the most out of the allotted exhibit hall hours can be a challenge. Expo hours typically offer opportunities to meet, interact and learn from product and service representatives. Time in the exhibit hall can also coincide with networking opportunities and occasionally compete with sessions. So how does the novice buyer or influencer take advantage of all the educational and social resources your exhibition has to offer?
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
What’s a C.E.M?
In the fall of 2010, after completing the required course work-9 courses and corresponding exams and 3 years of experience to be exact-I earned the ability to add the C.E.M. designation to my signature line and join the ranks of my fellow professional Exhibit Managers . I’m only the second person in my organization to earn this elite title in our 30 year tenure, so it’s something I’m quite proud of.
Let me start by explaining what those three letters stand for – Certified in Exhibition Management. “What’s that,” you ask? A very good question indeed – I want to take a bit of time to not only outline what this program is, but also detail what I learned in the courses I completed. So if you are thinking blog series, you are on the right track! Read on for an outline of the program and stay tuned for subsequent posts on the various coursework and applicable takeaways in the near future. Read more
We love to hate it…Technology
We’ve all been hampered by technology especially when we’ve need it most. The worst time for technology to fail is when you’re onsite at a conference and the attendees, the client and especially you at the registration desk are relying on it. I was just at a show in New York and the hotel we were at had the internet go out on the entire second floor, which just so happened to be where our registration was located. Luckily when it happened it was well into the conference so it wasn’t a crisis situation but the effects were still felt mainly by the attendees. Turns out it was just a bad port at the hotel but because it was on a Sunday they had to call in the IT guy who lived 45 minutes away.
Planning ahead can help make unexpected onsite technology issues less of a burden onsite and keep your show running smoothly until tech support arrives. I offer the following preparations, based on my recent experience: Read more
Are you in the box?
I love to read. More specifically I love to read fiction. But I recently read a non-fiction book that I truly enjoyed and found extremely helpful both personally and professionally. This book is called Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute and explains a fundamental concept of all relationships. In a nutshell, this book highlights how mistaken views of people cause us to misread situations and react in a way that makes it difficult Read more
Book Lovers Alert! MRA Staff Favorites
Travelers have a checklist of items they must remember to pack, and those that enjoy reading will always have a book and even a backup tucked in their baggage. Chatting with your seatmate about books he or she enjoy and could recommend is a wonderful opportunity to discover some new books to fall in love with. So it was delightful to see the MRA staff favorites and read their engaging personal reviews. Here are just three of the reviews from our staff that you may want to pick up before you board that next plane for your upcoming conference. Read more
QR codes for lower cost lead retrieval? Who is leading the way?
I was recently asked to research lead retrieval solutions that utilize QR codes and smart phone technology as opposed to the more traditional barcode/RFID /proprietary scanners. I was in search of a solution that was easy to learn and use while also cost effective. I was surprised to only find a couple to investigate. One is called iLeads (created by Bartizan) and the other is a service/QRGRIP application combo provided by the BlackNet Group. I would have thought that with all the QR code hype and convenience of using your own device, that this would be a thriving/growing market!
But then, I stumbled on Corbin Ball’s article, “QR Codes for Meetings”, and read the following; Read more
Sales 101 – A Buyer’s Perspective
Recently, I lead a research project where I was investigating software company partners. What I ended up learning was my own definition of truly good and not so good sales people! I was amazed at how many professionals in sales positions don’t appeal to my personality type. Don’t get me wrong, I actually LOVE sales people (I married one, afterall!) and I have a lot of respect for the challenges they face. I also understand sales people deal with many people every day who drain their scarce time and resources only to walk away from them leaving no return for their investment. However, as a legitimate “buyer” I have a top 10 list of tips for how to appeal to me: Read more
