Many companies try to find the most economical way to host meetings & events. Countless hours are spent sending out email's, manually collecting information and organizing that information so it can be sent to the appropriate person. But is handling all this information manually really the best way? Although you may think website registration is expensive, it doesn't have to be. In fact by having a company handle your registration needs, it could save you money in the end.
Website registration serves many functions. Having a registration website will definitely help your event look professional, organized and inviting. You can even have your website registration match your own website or gear it towards a certain theme for the event. On the website registration site you will be able to provide & collect information from attendees such as meeting registration information, attending dates, hotel information, airline information, dine-around suggestions, program evaluations, recreation options, workshop sign ups, payment information and much more! These website have so much functionality that it is almost a necessity to use one for all your programs.
In addition, through the registration website you will be able to communicate with all the attendees at any time. You can send out multiple e-mails to the whole group, customize them for specific groups or send them to an individual. There is no limit to how many e-mails can go out. Once you have people registering everything is able to be tracked such as; number of attendees that will attend and not attend, room nights needed, payments made, etc. You will also be able to see who has opened the e-mails, who has not yet responded and who needs reminders. The system allows you to target e-mail based on these guidelines.
When creating an event that you will be collecting money, simply incorporate the processing fees into the registration amount. In addition, allow for registration costs and include them in the registration fee as well. Then all your fees are covered and you will have money needed to have your event look professional and organized.
Not only can information be collected, but there is also an opportunity for you to get out as much information on the event as you can. Once the site is live, you are still able to update information so your attendees will see things in real time. You can put deadline dates for people to sign up as well as maximum capacities on recreational activities, workshop sign ups or even attendee registration.
How can this save you money? Once the website registration site is set up, it pretty much runs itself. It collects the information for you and can generate and reports you need to get your information over to others. It will tell you how many people are registered without you having to manually count them. It will let you know who hasn't registered so you can re-send those people an invite. If you put a limit on something and it has reached capacity, the system won't let people sign up over the amount. What this does is saves you time that you would normally be paying staff member(s) to do. All the manual labor to collect for the meeting or event is being done for you, all you have to do is pull a report and the information is there!
The next time you are planning a meetings, event, dine-around, reunion, trip or anything that requires organizing a group, consider hiring a company to do your website registration. Your attendees will be impressed with how great it looks and you will be impressed with how little it cost you!
Let Meeting Planning For You help: www.meetingplanningforyou.com
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
BENEFITS OF IN-KIND SPONSORING EVENTS
As VP, Marketing & Communications for the Greater Orlando MPI (GOAMPI) chapter I definitely see the benefit of event in-kind sponsorships. GOAMPI doesn't have to pay out companies (from our very limited budget) for providing us products and services and they allow us to create an outstanding event! But from a business owner's perspective it is a bit more difficult to justify being able to provide these products & services in-kind a.k.a. FREE, without knowing ahead of time if we will get ROI (Return on Investment). Being on both sides, I can tell you the advantages of having your company become involved in sponsoring an event.
GOAMPI being a non-profit means not having the budget that allows us to bring over-the-top, outstanding events to our members and guests without being creative. When I say creative I mean coming up with ways to get businesses involved with us and making sure everyone benefits. It has been one of our priorities to figure out ways to show ROI to businesses interested in partnering with GOAMPI. We want businesses to get business from helping out one of our event! It is a priority for us!
There are many advantages for businesses to choose to donate their product or services for an event. The number one reason is the exposure for their business. The event gives businesses an opportunity to get up in front of all the attendees and let them know they are out there! Sometimes product samples are involved so people actually get to "experience" your business. With GOAMPI, our promotions don't end with just the event... prior to the event we put the business logo and website on our marketing flyer's. Once that is created we post the flyer on the GOAMPI website, which received around 650 hits a day. After that we utilize our social networking tools to post the event and market it out there; Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and You Tube. Between the four social networking sites we have over to 2,000 followers. So with the GOAMPI website e-blasts and the social networking sites, businesses have the potential of reaching well over 3,000 people! Not to mention they have the support of an internationally recognized Industry Association supporting and promoting them.
Once at the event, the sponsors have an opportunity to network with everyone at the event. Most attendees are sales people from hotels, DMC's, venue's (such as Disney & Universal), as well as meeting planners and event suppliers. We have anywhere from 80 - 150 at each of our events. At the event networking becomes extremely important. Once in front of the attendee's that is your time to talk up your business and make sure everyone knows your the face behind the sponsorship. Exchanging business cards become extremely powerful and making connections proves to be very important. Make sure to seat yourself at a table where you could have potential clients as well.
Once the event is over, the marketing of the sponsors continues. We put the business logo (with web link) on the GOAMPI website as advertisements, as well as on a GOAMPI page specifically created for sponsorship information. We also mention the business it in our monthly newsletter as well as our quarterly publication Florida Connects which we share with the rest of the Florida chapters. In addition, we now keep a list of who the in-kind sponsors are and circulate that amongst the Board of Directors and soon to the entire membership. Our in-kind sponsors are extremely important to us and we will go above and beyond to get their businesses out to our members any opportunity we can!
The potential for future business is extraordinary! Your business name is put out there and people can see what your business is all about. If you're willing to donate your time and possibly your product, the benefits are there. I gave examples of what GOAMPI does for their in-kind sponsor's, but check with other organizations you are contemplating sponsoring and make sure you are getting a ROI on your donation. Your in-kind sponsorship is just as important as the organization having a great event!
GOAMPI being a non-profit means not having the budget that allows us to bring over-the-top, outstanding events to our members and guests without being creative. When I say creative I mean coming up with ways to get businesses involved with us and making sure everyone benefits. It has been one of our priorities to figure out ways to show ROI to businesses interested in partnering with GOAMPI. We want businesses to get business from helping out one of our event! It is a priority for us!
There are many advantages for businesses to choose to donate their product or services for an event. The number one reason is the exposure for their business. The event gives businesses an opportunity to get up in front of all the attendees and let them know they are out there! Sometimes product samples are involved so people actually get to "experience" your business. With GOAMPI, our promotions don't end with just the event... prior to the event we put the business logo and website on our marketing flyer's. Once that is created we post the flyer on the GOAMPI website, which received around 650 hits a day. After that we utilize our social networking tools to post the event and market it out there; Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and You Tube. Between the four social networking sites we have over to 2,000 followers. So with the GOAMPI website e-blasts and the social networking sites, businesses have the potential of reaching well over 3,000 people! Not to mention they have the support of an internationally recognized Industry Association supporting and promoting them.
Once at the event, the sponsors have an opportunity to network with everyone at the event. Most attendees are sales people from hotels, DMC's, venue's (such as Disney & Universal), as well as meeting planners and event suppliers. We have anywhere from 80 - 150 at each of our events. At the event networking becomes extremely important. Once in front of the attendee's that is your time to talk up your business and make sure everyone knows your the face behind the sponsorship. Exchanging business cards become extremely powerful and making connections proves to be very important. Make sure to seat yourself at a table where you could have potential clients as well.
Once the event is over, the marketing of the sponsors continues. We put the business logo (with web link) on the GOAMPI website as advertisements, as well as on a GOAMPI page specifically created for sponsorship information. We also mention the business it in our monthly newsletter as well as our quarterly publication Florida Connects which we share with the rest of the Florida chapters. In addition, we now keep a list of who the in-kind sponsors are and circulate that amongst the Board of Directors and soon to the entire membership. Our in-kind sponsors are extremely important to us and we will go above and beyond to get their businesses out to our members any opportunity we can!
The potential for future business is extraordinary! Your business name is put out there and people can see what your business is all about. If you're willing to donate your time and possibly your product, the benefits are there. I gave examples of what GOAMPI does for their in-kind sponsor's, but check with other organizations you are contemplating sponsoring and make sure you are getting a ROI on your donation. Your in-kind sponsorship is just as important as the organization having a great event!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Using Video to Promote Events
As the VP, Marketing & Communications for the Greater Orlando MPI (GOAMPI) chapter, one of the biggest challenges is promoting events. We are always trying to come up with new, fresh and innovative ways to make our events stand out amongst the other organizations here in Orlando. One of the ways we have been able to make our chapter stand out is through video promotion.
Video promotions gives us an opportunity to creatively show our industry not only what upcoming events we have but also provides an opportunity for other companies to be a part of the event through video sponsorships. One of the elements that held us back from using video was we wanted it to look professional and we just didn't have the funds in the budget for that. However, we realized that by getting the right members involved we were able to come up with a solution that fit the GOAMPI budget. One of the key factor's was having a talented UCF Rosen College Student, Renea Anderson, that not only had the resources we needed, but also the creative knowledge and experience necessary to put these video's together.
When starting this process the one thing our team depended on was we wanted the video's to be fun to watch. if they are fun to watch people will send other to watch them. It also needs to get across the message of the event. We look at each event as a separate event and we come up with new and exciting ideas each and every time. Sometimes we use talent and sometimes only pictures are necessary. Either way it is a creative process.
This is extremely beneficial to potential sponsors. The more people enjoy the video's and the more hits we get on them, the better opportunity the sponsors have for getting their name out there. When putting the sponsor names & logos at the beginning and end of the video (and sometimes during), it gives ample opportunity to others to not only connect the sponsors to MPI but to visually see their company and know they are participating in a cutting edge form of advertising. This keeps their company not only in the public eye, but also shows their audience that they are willing to take a risk and try new forms of advertising.
GOAMPI plans to continue finding ways to creatively market our events. We will also figure out other ways it can help benefit the chapter as well as the members. Stay tuned for more great ideas and keep watching our creative and fun video's!!
Check out our GOAMPI You Tube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/GOAMPI
Video promotions gives us an opportunity to creatively show our industry not only what upcoming events we have but also provides an opportunity for other companies to be a part of the event through video sponsorships. One of the elements that held us back from using video was we wanted it to look professional and we just didn't have the funds in the budget for that. However, we realized that by getting the right members involved we were able to come up with a solution that fit the GOAMPI budget. One of the key factor's was having a talented UCF Rosen College Student, Renea Anderson, that not only had the resources we needed, but also the creative knowledge and experience necessary to put these video's together.
When starting this process the one thing our team depended on was we wanted the video's to be fun to watch. if they are fun to watch people will send other to watch them. It also needs to get across the message of the event. We look at each event as a separate event and we come up with new and exciting ideas each and every time. Sometimes we use talent and sometimes only pictures are necessary. Either way it is a creative process.
This is extremely beneficial to potential sponsors. The more people enjoy the video's and the more hits we get on them, the better opportunity the sponsors have for getting their name out there. When putting the sponsor names & logos at the beginning and end of the video (and sometimes during), it gives ample opportunity to others to not only connect the sponsors to MPI but to visually see their company and know they are participating in a cutting edge form of advertising. This keeps their company not only in the public eye, but also shows their audience that they are willing to take a risk and try new forms of advertising.
GOAMPI plans to continue finding ways to creatively market our events. We will also figure out other ways it can help benefit the chapter as well as the members. Stay tuned for more great ideas and keep watching our creative and fun video's!!
Check out our GOAMPI You Tube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/GOAMPI
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Association Memberships
In these industry times when professional individuals and organizations are looking to get the most for their money, one of the most expendable items are association memberships. Maybe the value of one isn't clear or it seems too expensive for what they get out of it. No matter what the reason, belonging to an association could be one of the most valuable items to hold onto! As long is the individual or group is selective in which association to belong to, the benefits could be phenomenal!
Let's face it, association memberships are expensive. Not only is there a yearly membership fee, but there are luncheon's and other monthly events that cost money to attend. So if you're going to make the investment then you might as well get something out of it. Instead of joining every association that MAY fit your need, focus on one that could bring you the most benefit. Once you chosen that one association, get involved! By getting involved I mean join a committee. Help make the organization be what you want it to be! By getting involved, it not only gives you an opportunity to help shape it but also give you an opportunity to learn some new things you may never have had a chance to learn!
As an independent meeting professional, I chose to join the Greater Orlando MPI (Meeting Professional International). The reason I joined was so I could network with other professionals that may be able to help me in future business opportunities, to gain valuable education and for accreditation. As an independent business owner of a meeting planning company I wanted to belong to an association that prided itself on having very high standards for its membership as well as being the the industry leader in giving back to the membership important tools to encourage members to be the best meeting professional they can. But the most important thing I did was GET INVOLVED. I immediately joined Marketing & Communications Committee. That committee alone has taught me how to understand and handle social networking, how to create and implement a marketing plan, the importance of the website and trade publications and most importantly what our members are looking for so they can do their job better!
The skills I have developed and the knowledge I have learned from being a part of this committee is irreplaceable. I have served on the board for 1 1/2 now and I now help shape what the chapter is today. As a leader I have a very talented committee that every month we meet teaches me something new. They are what has helped move our chapter forward! All of us learn together and we pass this information on to the membership.
This is why it is important to pick one association. If I had been trying to focus on more than one organization, I wouldn't have learned the skills I know today. I look at MPI as a smart investment in my future. What I have learned from being a part of the MPI organizations you can not put a price on it. The information and contacts are invaluable!
So the next time you are contemplating giving up your membership, remember, you don't necessarily have to give all of them up. Just pick one and become involved and get something out of it! You definitely will get out of it what you put into it!!
Let's face it, association memberships are expensive. Not only is there a yearly membership fee, but there are luncheon's and other monthly events that cost money to attend. So if you're going to make the investment then you might as well get something out of it. Instead of joining every association that MAY fit your need, focus on one that could bring you the most benefit. Once you chosen that one association, get involved! By getting involved I mean join a committee. Help make the organization be what you want it to be! By getting involved, it not only gives you an opportunity to help shape it but also give you an opportunity to learn some new things you may never have had a chance to learn!
As an independent meeting professional, I chose to join the Greater Orlando MPI (Meeting Professional International). The reason I joined was so I could network with other professionals that may be able to help me in future business opportunities, to gain valuable education and for accreditation. As an independent business owner of a meeting planning company I wanted to belong to an association that prided itself on having very high standards for its membership as well as being the the industry leader in giving back to the membership important tools to encourage members to be the best meeting professional they can. But the most important thing I did was GET INVOLVED. I immediately joined Marketing & Communications Committee. That committee alone has taught me how to understand and handle social networking, how to create and implement a marketing plan, the importance of the website and trade publications and most importantly what our members are looking for so they can do their job better!
The skills I have developed and the knowledge I have learned from being a part of this committee is irreplaceable. I have served on the board for 1 1/2 now and I now help shape what the chapter is today. As a leader I have a very talented committee that every month we meet teaches me something new. They are what has helped move our chapter forward! All of us learn together and we pass this information on to the membership.
This is why it is important to pick one association. If I had been trying to focus on more than one organization, I wouldn't have learned the skills I know today. I look at MPI as a smart investment in my future. What I have learned from being a part of the MPI organizations you can not put a price on it. The information and contacts are invaluable!
So the next time you are contemplating giving up your membership, remember, you don't necessarily have to give all of them up. Just pick one and become involved and get something out of it! You definitely will get out of it what you put into it!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Orlando Associations Join Forces to Build Event Attendance
The Greater Orlando Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (GOAMPI) http://www.goampi.org/ has an ever growing membership of well over 450. However high their membership numbers seem to be, GOAMPI strives to reach and educate more people! GOAMPI continues to hold Focus Groups to receive feedback from their members as to what they would like to see as educational benefits to the membership. The topics selected vary and there are more than likely members of other organizations that would benefit from the educational experience. The other industry organizations are covering other various educational topics that GOAMPI members may benefit from as well.
GOAMPI
's solution... reach out to the other two large industry organizations: International Special Ev
ents Society (ISES) http://www.isesorlando.com/ and National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) http://www.orlandonace.com/ and see if they wanted to participate in cross-promoting each other events. All organizations agreed that it would be beneficial for everyone.
's solution... reach out to the other two large industry organizations: International Special Ev
ents Society (ISES) http://www.isesorlando.com/ and National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) http://www.orlandonace.com/ and see if they wanted to participate in cross-promoting each other events. All organizations agreed that it would be beneficial for everyone. For the past month all three have been actively promoting each others events on their individual organizations websites, Facebook, Twitter and Linked In with much success! Not only has it brought the organizations closer together but has also given each of their members opportunities to network with an entire new group of people. Which in turn expands the networking opportunities for everyone! It also keeps the Orlando meetings industry updated on what is going on with all three chapters so no one has to miss an opportunity of interest.
With these three groups working together instead of competing with each other, the benefits will not only be within the membership, but in the Orlando meetings industry market. The hopes are to have additional joint meetings with the other organizations. This will not only increase event attendance but make the networking experience even better! GOAMPI looks forward to the continued support of their membership as well as their fellow organizations ISES & NACE. GOAMPI looks forward to a continued partnership with them both!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
GOAMPI Gives Kids the World
There are so many non-profit organizations out there that it can be overwhelming to choose which one to donate your time to. You definitely want to make sure 
the one you choose is going to benefit others as well as make you feel good! Being experienced with helping out non-profits, I can tell you one good organization located in Orlando, FL is Give Kids the World.
Give Kids the World fulfills wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the world to experience a memorable, joyful, cost-free visit to the Central Florida attractions, and to enjoy the magic of Give Kids the World Village for as long as there is a need. Believe me, the village is magic!!
I had the honor of joining GOAMPI www.goampi.org in volunteering one of our morning to help make these families dreams come true! What an experience it was! Our group helped assist with breakfast service, pictures with Mickey & Minnie, meet and greeting the families and anything else they needed us to do. To see the smiles and joy in the children as well as the rest of the family was priceless. These were families that seemed as if they had been blessed with being able to participate in this special experience. What they didn't know was how blessed we felt to be able to participate!
It truly is a special feeling to know you are making someones life special. A simple thing like saying good morning or carrying a food tray not only make the families feel like they are getting the royal treatment, but make you feel special because you are making them feel that way. I have never experienced such appreciation from the families as well as the staff that work there.
When volunteering at Give Kids the World there was only two rules:
1. Always smile - no matter what.
2. Never say NO - If there is something the child wants they make it happen!
How can you work with that philosophy and not have a great time! It really is a very happy environment that is created. The Village is made up of several different buildings that are all themed. There one building the child can go in and put their name on a star to make a wish. An animated fairy talks to them and creates the illusion that their wish is being granted. There is another building that has a super-sized train set that has night & day settings. There was a very nice volunteer that was more than willing to help the families push every button so they could see all the buildings light up, trolley run, logs rolls, circus rides move and anything else you can think of! With this mans enthusiasm you couldn't help but get excited over the trains!
This is definitely a great organization that you can make a difference is these families lives as well as your own. They are always looking for volunteers to work any amount of hours you can donate. If interested in volunteering: www.gktw.org/volunteer.asp?a=2 and make a difference. I can't wait for my next volunteer opportunity with Give Kids the World!
the one you choose is going to benefit others as well as make you feel good! Being experienced with helping out non-profits, I can tell you one good organization located in Orlando, FL is Give Kids the World.Give Kids the World fulfills wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the world to experience a memorable, joyful, cost-free visit to the Central Florida attractions, and to enjoy the magic of Give Kids the World Village for as long as there is a need. Believe me, the village is magic!!
I had the honor of joining GOAMPI www.goampi.org in volunteering one of our morning to help make these families dreams come true! What an experience it was! Our group helped assist with breakfast service, pictures with Mickey & Minnie, meet and greeting the families and anything else they needed us to do. To see the smiles and joy in the children as well as the rest of the family was priceless. These were families that seemed as if they had been blessed with being able to participate in this special experience. What they didn't know was how blessed we felt to be able to participate!
It truly is a special feeling to know you are making someones life special. A simple thing like saying good morning or carrying a food tray not only make the families feel like they are getting the royal treatment, but make you feel special because you are making them feel that way. I have never experienced such appreciation from the families as well as the staff that work there.
When volunteering at Give Kids the World there was only two rules:
1. Always smile - no matter what.
2. Never say NO - If there is something the child wants they make it happen!
How can you work with that philosophy and not have a great time! It really is a very happy environment that is created. The Village is made up of several different buildings that are all themed. There one building the child can go in and put their name on a star to make a wish. An animated fairy talks to them and creates the illusion that their wish is being granted. There is another building that has a super-sized train set that has night & day settings. There was a very nice volunteer that was more than willing to help the families push every button so they could see all the buildings light up, trolley run, logs rolls, circus rides move and anything else you can think of! With this mans enthusiasm you couldn't help but get excited over the trains!
This is definitely a great organization that you can make a difference is these families lives as well as your own. They are always looking for volunteers to work any amount of hours you can donate. If interested in volunteering: www.gktw.org/volunteer.asp?a=2 and make a difference. I can't wait for my next volunteer opportunity with Give Kids the World!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)