Posts Tagged ‘education’

This Cool Trend is Continuing

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Another casualty of the economy:  traditional incentive meetings.  Industry insiders agree that a new model is morphing for these multi-day junkets.  Now it’s a smaller party with a bigger purpose.  And that’s good news for experts.

Three ways we can take advantage of the new trends:

  • Instead of pure entertainment, a business portion is being added to the agenda.  Most popular here:  getting feedback from top performers.  Facilitators, this is a perfect fit for you.
  • I predicted this for years, and this trend is going strong:  training is now an important part of the meeting agenda.  More opportunities to interact with Corporate America is a good thing.  Yes, speakers and trainers are a natural fit for skill-building.  Consultants can get in on this act, too.
  • And, finally, charitable activities are on the rise.  This is a great area for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) experts — especially those with relationships in Sales and Marketing.

Let’s Get Out There

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Greetings from the NSA Convention in Orlando, Florida.  First thing I learned here:  humidity matters.  I have come to appreciate the “dry heat” of Arizona.

I’m hearing one question over and over again:  How do I “get out there?”  Folks assume that if they “just get in front of the right people,” they are golden.  The good news:  there are so many opportunities to distribute your brilliance.  The interesting news:  these opportunities have created a lot of white noise.  Getting in front of people is not the challenge; getting them to pay attention to you is the real first step.  The more crowded the market, the harder it is to get that attention.

Throwing spaghetti at the wall no longer works.  We have to go an inch wide and a mile deep, not a mile wide and an inch deep.  We have to get strategic about what we know, not just tell it.  How to create that kind of publicity?  Check out the next Extreme Mini Makeovers call next Tuesday, July 27th and leave with a blueprint on what to do next.

Are You Committed or Interested?

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

I get a lot of calls from folks who genuinely do good work.  They put out a quality product and their clients love them.  The problem:  they play too small.  It’s easier to dabble with that website, talk to folks who like them and don’t have the power to buy than it is to really go after that next level.

What’s holding them back?  Most folks are interested enough to buy those “magic bullet” systems but not committed enough to show up and implement what they’ve learned.  Why?  Because in order to get to the next level, you have to put skin in the game.

Here’s one way to tell how committed you are:  do you invest to the point of inconvenience?  When you sign up for that teleclass series, do you plan to show up or blow it off at the first opportunity because, after all, the session is recorded right?  When you decide to update that website (or your brand), do you choose vendors by price point or by what they can do for you?

Those who best benefit from the recovering economy will be those who invested in their business during the down times.  They bet on themselves.  So ask yourself:  how uncomfortable am I willing to be in order to get what I say I want?

Windfall From New Health Care Law

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Nutrition, wellness and even stress management folks will see a boost in interest in their programs, thanks to the $200M grants for wellness programs in Corporate America.  Spread out over five years, these grants will go to small companies with fewer than 100 employees.

Watch for small business groups to wade into this area — I know, they don’t have the expertise, but that’s where you come in.  Beware:  don’t assume that these small companies just want you to speak and get out.  Experts in these areas will have to take a holistic approach and distribute their content in a variety of ways.  Your next big step:  bundle your services as a project that includes speaking, internet stuff, whatever and target the smaller companies.

Goodbye Old Friend

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

One of my favorite industry insider pubs has gone to magazine heaven.  Training Magazine and its website is no more after last month’s issue.  I knew it was sick when the issues got smaller and smaller.  While I hoped that the community could live via the Internet, owner Neilsen Business Media is getting out of the trade publishing business.

Moral of the story:  even a well-respected expo, industry conference and a subscription base of 45,000 couldn’t save this platform.  Will be interesting to see what happens in the vacuum Training leaves behind.

Reach Your Buyers Through Trade Shows

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

I often wondered if the hosted buyer format (where exhibitors pay the buyer’s expenses to attend a conference in exchange for pre-set one-on-one appointments) would replace education sessions at trade shows, thus diminishing the need for speakers there.  Silly me.  Turns out that without stellar education, buyers won’t go even if all expenses are paid.

Exhibit A:  The Motivation Show, held annually at McCormick Place in Chicago responds to declining attendees and exhibitors by ramping up education programs.  Not only did they create an advisory board to guide content selections but also conducting a pre-show survey for top topics.  This focus on education is good news for experts, who want their ideas to reach top buyers.

Medical societies and the Feds

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Here we go again…Congress is asking 33 top medical societies for a list of funding sources going back to 2006.  What are they looking for?  Ties to the pharma and medical equipment industries.  “Transparency” is the reason cited.

My prediction:  look for a chilling effect.  Pharma funding is big here and the last thing they want is an “AIG” incident.  There’s no evidence that conference content is bought and paid for — and that doesn’t matter.  Watch for even more scrutiny on the horizon.  The antidote:  independent content from folks like us.  Look for topics on soft skills and running a better practice.  It won’t completely replace clinical education — just a safe alternative.

Why 2010 will have fewer meetings

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Think the AIG effect has gone away?  Think again.  A recent survey by Ypartnership reports that “35 percent of respondents would plan fewer meetings in 2010 because of image / publicity / public policy considerations.”  Ouch!  That translates to an estimated $2.5 billion in lost economic impact.

The industry’s response is a PR campaign — “Face time.  It matters.”  Yet another clue that two things — interactive experiences and education — take center stage this year.  Position your expertise accordingly…

New way to promote your web classes

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Want to give web-based classes and let someone else promote them?  Check out edufire, who is giving standard education a run for its money.  They do the promoting and the registering (and have signed up 50,000 users according to Fortune Small Business) and give their instructors a decent commission.  They offer a wide variety of business classes and frankly, the experts look pretty standard.  Definitely worth a try.

New venues for educational content

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Like incentive meetings, fam trips — those hospitality tours to showcase hotels and locations — are undergoing an extreme makeover.  What’s hot now:  education sessions for meeting planner attendees.  Topics are wide-ranging, with the main criteria being CEU credits.  Including seminars with these credits has boosted attendance for Las Vegas Harrah’s trip, which gets 1200 applications for just 175 slots.

Why do you care?  Let’s stop and think…where do you think they get the speakers for these sessions?  Some will be other meeting planners/industry insiders and some will be local folks with something to share.  In this age of competing venues for attendees, watch this trend steadily grow next year.