Posts Tagged ‘meetings’
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
What I like best about Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI’s) bi-monthly economic report: the findings are based on the latest data. And so far, no surprises: 39% say attendance is bigger than last year. That’s significant — only 10% saw an uptick last April. The interesting news: that increased attendance will not result in higher budgets. Buyers are only going to pay for what they gotta have.
What else to watch out for: short lead times for more meetings. Negotiations will continue to run rampant in 2011 and possibly beyond. My recommendation: get your fee strategy that you can live with in place now.
Tags: budgets, events, experts, Marketing, meetings, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, branding, strategy | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
What do buyers look at first when you submit an RFP (request for proposal) to speak at their conference? The topic. It doesn’t matter if you are the Pope, if your topic doesn’t fit their agenda your proposal goes into the round file. Immediately.
Yes, this is basic and yet too many speakers don’t make the cut for this reason. My theory: we are blinded by what we offer instead of approaching the conference from a blank slate. The former approach assumes a fit and spins accordingly; the result is a topic buyers roll their eyes at. The latter doesn’t assume a good fit and compares the criteria in the RFP with other hot trends. Combining the two.
Yes, I have more thoughts on this subject. Click here to see my latest video rant. Want more? No problem: the next Extreme Mini Makeover call on Tuesday will explore how to turn your brilliance into a topic that gets picked every time. Click here to get more info and to register for the series.
Tags: events, experts, Marketing, meetings, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, Uncategorized, strategy | No Comments »
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
Last week I explored major changes ahead for the incentive industry. Here’s another study to back that up: The Incentive Research Foundation’s newest Pulse Survey. Key finding: although positive vibes are on the rise, the budgets aren’t. Reason: buyers still feel stung by the “extravagant” label. Therefore, this will continue to be bad news for any speaker in the general motivation market (i.e., the sports figures, those with compelling stories) who don’t have a heavy dose of substance.
Another thing to watch out for: this study reports that almost half of the respondents believe their involvement in incentives will decline as more procurement departments take over. Prediction: buyers for agenda and speakers will move up the food chain. No one wants to be blamed for a low-fee speaker who bombed.
Tags: events, incentive meetings, meetings, positioning, speakers, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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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.
Tags: education, events, experts, Marketing, meetings, Speaking, strategy, trends, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Want to know what’s going on with corporate meeting spending? Ask the financial execs at the top. That’s exactly what AmEx did with CFO Research Services. Their recent survey of nearly 500 senior financial executives of global companies doesn’t look good for us experts. The stats: 26 percent project an increase in travel spending; 31 percent expect “no change”; while 44 percent plan further cuts. Maybe I’m just a half-empty sorta girl, but that last number isn’t good for corporate meetings.
The silver lining: the trend line for outside meetings is more positive. In 2009, 79 percent of respondents to the survey said their companies were likely to restrict travel to conferences and events; only 35 percent plan to do so this year. That sounds great until we remember that many associations are going the free speaker route to save money.
Bottom line: the paid speaking gigs are not in the usual places. They are in the nooks and crannies. Get out your flashlight and go find them.
Tags: budgets, economy, Marketing, meetings, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, trends, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Gearing up for the NSA Convention in Orlando this week. Know that I’m going to be asked a lot of questions about the market. Two words: cautious optimism. Yes, things are rebounding but look beneath the surface and some cracks are still there. Example: yes, association meetings are back and some groups are posting record-breaking attendance. However, industry insiders point to meetings consolidating and pent-up demand from our year-long dry spell in the association market. And this doesn’t help: the sugar daddy of the meetings industry — the corporate market — remains flat. Until that spending increases, be prepared for a roller coaster ride.
Tags: economy, Marketing, meetings, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Knew it had to happen sometime. And that time is now. Virtual meetings are back and in a big way. On the association front, they are used as an additional revenue stream and to leverage the experience. A great way to subsidize events with lower attendance. Creates a platform to connect and is perfectly understandable.
The corporate market could go one step further to cut costs: replace virtual meetings for digital events. Big companies have the bandwidth to invest in the start ups. Exhibit A: Cisco, who ditched their big traditional face-to-face meeting and went all virtual. Reaction among attendees: best meeting ever.
Moral of the story: if they can get away with it, big companies will switch to virtual in a heartbeat. Experts need to be prepared to participate with fee strategies and with ideas to create a seamless experience for those watching from a computer screen. Might be a good time to hire some kid with high-tech skills…
Tags: events, Marketing, meetings, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Yes they are, according to a recent survey by PCMA (Professional Conference Management Association), their foundation and AmEx. Over 500 meeting planners were asked about plans for 2010 and 2011 this Spring and here’s what they said:
- A net increase in off-site meetings of 23 percent in 2010 and 38 percent in 2011 when compared to 2009 numbers.
- Cancellations have subsided: 89 percent stated they were not planning to postpone, cancel or rebook any meetings they had already booked in 2010 and 2011.
Industry insiders are reporting an uptick in attendance, some more than 12 percent in the association market. That’s good news for experts speaking at these events. More attendees mean more sponsorship deals, more prospects for those free experts and hopefully, less stress about paying speakers. Not breaking out the Champagne just yet, but hey, this news is better than what we’ve heard before. Let’s do a happy dance and get back to work.
Tags: associations, events, experts, Marketing, meetings, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Conventional wisdom has it that a big-name speaker drives attendance. Is that still true? Kinda, but with caveats. The economy and “teach me something now” audiences are redefining value and demanding real learning. Some big-name speakers do that: one association reports they had the biggest attendance since 2004 when they hired former President Bill Clinton to speak.
Some associations are going to the extreme by not paying speakers at all. Does that work? Not for one nameless association, who had to cancel their meeting filled with free experts because of not enough registrations.
The deciding factor: does the prominent speaker give real information, or phone it in with platitudes from a canned speech? The former still drives attendance; the latter doesn’t. It’s just that simple…
Tags: associations, meetings, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
