Meeting Logistics - Event Planning, Meetings and Conventions » Blog

HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL ANCILLARY EVENT…

Cathy Mullen — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:27:34 +0000

How to plan a successful ancillary event and maximize education and networking opportunities at a conference: I know that these tips sound typical, but after planning hundreds of ancillary events and working seamlessly with associations, the below tips really work.

Plan well in advance – it is worth the effort
Be aware of all dates and deadlines – try to get these in advance
Read and follow the rules, regulations and guidelines – there is no point in challenging these
Work with an experienced planning team who can guide you through the details – like us
To save time, collect information and feedback before the event for a more valuable and engaging attendee experience – capture the voice of the attendee
Send out clear, effective communications and logistical details -deliver a professional message right from the start
Plan an appropriate agenda and respect timelines – time is extremely valuable
Consider recording your event for people who cannot attend

Clean the World at MPI WEC

Cathy Mullen — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 20:59:07 +0000

Today I participated in a Clean the World community service event. We were bused and arrived to the facility. Upon arrival, Shawn Seipler,
CEO of Clean the World greeted the group. Then Gregg Herning, VP Sales & Marketing from The Peabody Orlando announced the First Annual Clean the World Gala that is taking place November 5^th at The Peabody Orlando. We were then brought inside the facility for a video that explained how effective a bar of soap is to prevent the spread of the top killers of children younger than five from diseases. We take for granted what can be lifesaving to others. Unused bars of soap, shampoo and conditioner are collected by Clean the World Hospitality
Partners and are shipped to the facility. Our jobs today were split up. Some of us had to scrape the bars of soap to clean off debris. The soaps then go into a rebatching and soap sanitation process. It is then boxed and shipped to those in need. Other people had to go through bins of shampoo, conditioner and lotions and save the ones that are 90% full. These plastic bottles are sanitized and shipped as well. The unused bottles are poured out and are properly recycled. Today, teams worked for approximately one hour. In that hour 680 lbs of amenities were presorted and cleaned. These efforts helped 725 children. 700 pounds of bars of soap were boxed which will help 800 children.
This should give a good idea on how Clean the World is really making a difference. Starwood Hotels was the first corporate partner to join Clean the World’s efforts to promote a global hygiene revolution. After my experience today, I better understand the concept agree that Clean the World is truly committed to saving lives and protecting our planet! Visit www.cleantheworld.org

Miller Motor Sports Park

Cathy Mullen — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:54:54 +0000

Ladies and Gentleman, start your engines! Meeting Logistics has a new package that is both thrilling and exciting! Miller Motorsports Park in Utah offers corporate packages sure to create special memories for your meeting and group. Always wanted to ride a race car, beat your friends in a race, or off-road in style? Well our packages allow you to do just that!

Start your day with a Mustang experience where your group will drive Mustang GT’s with every Ford performance part that you can bolt on. Prepare to follow a professional driver at speed for 10 laps on the longest and safest race course in North America and then ride shotgun for 2 laps with the driver at actual race speed! Then, host a lunch in the executive level of the Miller Motorsports Park Club house. After lunch, enjoy a high speed kart race and really get the competition going. Tour the museum and facilities to learn about the history and art of racing and end your day with the quickly growing nightlife of downtown Salt Lake City. Your package can be customized however you would like to fit a one, two or three day option; it’s your meeting, take charge!

Interested in really going all out? Enjoy an overnight Off Road adventure in either a custom built Jeep Rubicon or Baja 1000 buggies provided by Wide Open Excursions of Utah. Experience the wild west off-roading on the historic Pony Express Trail and camp out with beautiful vistas in the picturesque Wasatach Mountain range. Hit the high desert and mountain terrain with power in an Off Road adventure you can check off the old bucket list.

If you don’t want your next meeting to crash and burn, consider a unique experience that will build camaraderie, confidence and of course, FUN! Contact Meeting Logistics for more details.

Meeting Technology Expo

Cathy Mullen — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:25:51 +0000

On May 25^th I attended the Meetings Technology Expo in NYC. Debi Scholar kicked off the day with a very informative session on Strategic Meetings Management and how automation saves time and money. She provided questions for meeting management technology suppliers in order to compare suppliers such as Starcite, Cvent, SignUp4 and Meeting Revolution.

Constant Contact talked about how they help customers increase Email marketing efforts with social sharing tools and noted that Thursday and Friday from 10-4 EST were more interactive days. Phil Forte from Blue Sky Broadcast provided key information about Webcasting and Video Conferencing. Storing your information and creating online learning libraries (learning portals) creates continuity of education and value for your organization or Association.

CrowdCompass provided an excellent demo of their mobile device apps for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Ipad. Mobile applications are the wave of the future for meetings, events and conferences. They promote interaction, implement green initiatives and deliver a seamless participant experience. The use of smartphone scannable QR codes are becoming more popular and assist with data retrieval: an excellent example is QRSYNQ.

Overall this event provided information on cutting edge technology solutions, excellent speakers and demos as well as excellent networking.

MPI Event on May 11th

Cathy Mullen — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:08:42 +0000

At the most recent MPI-NJ event that took place on May 11th, 2011, the scene was a perfect setting for the topic that Gary Giberson presented. Starting off the night with various cheeses and wine tasting, the Laurita Winery added a sense of “green” that can be hard to find in New Jersey. Gary Giberson, Executive Chef at The Lawrenceville School and Founder and President of Sustainable Fare presented an eye opening topic on green sustainability. He used examples from the practices he uses in his own setting and informed all attendees how easy and simple making eco-friendly changes can be.

            The first part of becoming a sustainable company is looking at the amount of waste you produce. Small actions can make a big impact. For example, if an establishment orders fish from a supplier, asking the supplier to deliver intact fish on ice can reduce a wasteful amount of plastic that normally would come with packaged and cut fish. Gary even provoked an interesting thought of the amount of space that waste takes up. For example, if you’re paying for a dumpster to haul away your trash every day, crushing cans after use can allow more room for waste, thus reducing waste removal costs. Gary saved $15,000 by buying a can crusher to maximize the space available in the dumpster outside The Lawrenceville School.

            Another major point that Gary made was about local and “organic” produce. As the “Green” trend grows, green-washing (advertising green practices without really following the standards) is more common than ever before. He emphasized to Meeting Planners that we must research companies and ask questions before we choose to buy their products. USDA Organic seals do not necessarily mean that the produce is truly organic, researching and asking questions are important when choosing products and suppliers.

            The one point that I took away from the presentation was the point about making changes in your office or corporate environment. There is no need to make a total change over night, just making a 1% change in your actions every day or week can gradually add up to a complete change in a year. This point was important to me because it was realistic. Companies want to practice sustainability to have a better image and some times cut corners, but making small changes day by day can really aid in the transition from wasteful to a zero-waste environment.

           Gary Giberson, a professional chef for nearly thirty years, is a leader in sustainable dining. He joined The Lawrenceville School as Executive Chef in 1998, and began to develop the School’s sustainable dining program in 2003. In 2007 he founded the food service company Sustainable Fare, L.L.C., with a focus on integrating sustainable food systems. Gary has recently been invited to join Michele Obama’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative and attended the 2010 White House event.

Bye,Bye Lost Luggage!

Cathy Mullen — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:21:19 +0000

You’re at the airport, getting ready to board your flight and at the last minute you are forced to check your luggage. You land at your destination, go to baggage claim and your waiting, waiting, waiting…and find…that your bag is now missing. We can’t count the number of times that luggage is lost in the hustle and bustle of the airline industry. In fact, it was reported that in 2009, airlines lost over 25 million items of luggage and the majority of the times it was down to the bag arriving somewhere…without any form of identity left on it including the airlines own sticky label. A bag without any tag has little or no chance of being reunited with its owner.

Check out a product that is revolutionizing the travel industry. “Back2You” is a product that can track down any piece of luggage no matter how big or small anywhere in the world in less than 5 seconds! The Back2You tag operating system works like this; serial numbers are engraved into the back of the steel tags and then the tag is attached to the luggage by a steel tether. Member details are stored on the back2you.com database. The first two memberships are free with the purchase of the product and subsequent years cost $4.70.

When all of the other tags have ripped off in transport, the back2you steel tag is still there protecting your luggage. On the back of the tag there are simple instructions which can be carried out by either the airline or an individual. By following this finder, it is able to notify back2you by both e-mail or by going on line. The back2you software system takes the message and using the serial number obtains the owner data and sends an SMS text message and email in just five seconds. This message enables the owner to find out that their item has been located, where it is and who they need to speak to recover it.

To top it off, the tag can be constructed to place your logo on the tag! So even if your luggage gets lost, your branded items can still be an effective advertising tool. Safe travels!

For more information, click HERE

Or contact Meeting Logistics!

Women’s History March Contest Winner

Cathy Mullen — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:09:31 +0000

Our 1st place winner, Ginny Griffiths shares her story about her mother, Alvina Gordon.

Born in 1921 to a poor woman – who was the only member of her German family born in the United States, my mother had many hardships in her family to contend with as she grew to adulthood during the Depression. Her father was missing; she had two younger sisters and a brother who died as a toddler. Often, her mother had to pass herself off as a man to make more money to keep her home and kids – sometimes it was only $.25/week.

Mom faired well in school and loved life; wanted to help her family and have a good life for herself to. She worked hard cleaning homes after school, in a neighborhood she aspired to live in one day (and did), while her contemporaries didn’t have to work at all. Yet she managed to make dances and never felt she was a victim of her circumstances.

She married, had a son, divorced, and worked at a mill during the war. There she met my father, married and built a life to include four daughters in addition to her son. She managed her home well, keeping close tabs on finances and her kids. She found time to give to her husband’s church, scouting for all the kids, and other youth activities. She was the neighborhood “ambulance” and helped the community through the civic association.

My father went into his brother’s business to “help out” when needed and eventually became its sole owner. He depended on my mother as a sounding board and valued her advice. Upon his death in 1980, my mother who hadn’t worked since the war became the new president. She was very successful! Why, because she ran the company like she ran her home – with care, with caring, with a firm hand and with a good head. The company got into the black under Mom and grew to a multimillion company.

Fortunately, for us kids, both our parents made provisions to give all of us an ownership interest. Our brother died a long time ago; so on Mom’s passing it came to us. We are now under the superb leadership of the youngest, Mary, who had the privilege of working alongside Mom for more than twenty years. In recent years, we were recognized as a WBE. We’ve struggled through recent times but we are still standing and again moving in the right direction. I believe it’s because of the fortitude, compassion, caring, and sense of right our mother instilled in each of us.

April 7th is World Health Day!

Cathy Mullen — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:27:49 +0000

This is a guest post by Dr. Lorraine Maita.

Lorraine Maita, MD is an award winning physician, speaker and author of “Vibrance for Life: How to Live Younger and Healthier”. She is a consultant to corporations wanting to improve the health and productivity of employees and has a private practice in Anti Aging Medicine in Short Hills, NJ.

To Learn more about Dr. Maita visit her webpage.

Vibrance for Life

This is your life, your health, your mind and your body and you are the master of your destiny. What do you want to create? Your life is your canvas and your mind and body are the tools to create a work of art. The art of living and loving has a lot to do with how we take care of ourselves, what we put in our minds and body and how we use our tools.

It all starts with attitude. Positive, healthy thoughts and having a vision for your life and health can give you direction. Just as you set your GPS system to get to a certain place, setting goals and direction for your life and health is important so you can become aware of warnings when you get off course.

Create a vision and set some health goals using the acronym SHINES.

Stress management is key to keep a clear sharp mind allowing you to make good decisions. Since stress is a major contributor to many illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity, managing stress may prevent illness and allow for quicker healing.
Hormone balance is a key component of health. You can modulate the aging hormones cortisol and insulin by eating a low glycemic diet, exercising and managing stress among other things.
Intake of toxins such as herbicides, pesticides and exposure to chemicals and artificial ingredients can overload your liver or cause allergies, intolerances or illness. Read labels and eat foods as close to what nature created as possible.
Nutritious food can decrease inflammation, oxidation and glycation, which are the metabolic processes that age us and cause disease. Eat colorful complex carbohydrates, fats that flow like olive oil, nuts and fish – tuna, mackerel, salmon and herring as well as choosing lean protein and decreasing sugar, white and processed foods.
Exercise has so many proven benefits such as getting nutrients to your cells, removing toxic waste, building muscle and bone, heart strength, and so much more. Be sure to include strength, endurance, flexibility and balance into your routine.
Supplements are just that. They are not a substitute for nutritious food. However studies indicate that many people are deficient in nutrients, taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement, fish oil and vitamin D can keep you in the optimum range.

Create a masterpiece and live a life you love. Live Vibrantly!

At Meeting Logistics, we specialize in providing outings and
events to motivate and get your employees engaged! Contact us for more
details.

Brand Your Mornings!

Cathy Mullen — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:53:19 +0000

I am finding more and more these days that I can’t leave home without seeing someone holding a Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks logo coffee cup. It seems to be permanently attached to hands of many Americans. I guess I see the convenience of the quick on-the-go cup, but why be the brand ambassador for another company?

Why not advertise my own brand every morning?

Well now I can! We just discovered the Genuine Brand Thermos® Vacuum Insulated Coffee Cup holder that accommodates the paper coffee cup and I have control of the logo. The Genuine Brand Thermos® Insulated Coffee Cup allows you to brand the cup holder to your company logo, name or just a simple picture! It also retains the hot or cold temperature inside the cup three times longer than a plain non-insulated cup. The rubber hand grip assures that I won’t drop it and even if I do, the stainless steel protector is more than durable.

Visual identities can be the first contact people have with your company or a great reminder. The Genuine Brand Thermos® Insulated Coffee Cup not only provides unique solutions for keeping beverages hot, cold and fresh, now it provides a product that will Grab Attention To Your Brand! Contact Meeting Logistics for more details.

New Year, New You!

Cathy Mullen — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:38:25 +0000

The struggle for work-life balance extends into every aspect of our lives. In a world where everyone is expected to multi-task 24/7, it is difficult to find a middle ground. With this in mind, I decided for our March MPI-NJ chapter education program to concentrate on the importance of taking care of ourselves. The healthier we are, the more productive we become. To solidify this point, I brought together a combination of three dynamic speakers.

The first speaker focused on how food can fuel or fowl our normal bodily systems. Lorraine Maita, MD, provided compelling reasons to the what, why and how to create an overall healthier you. She shared information on:
1. Supplements
2. Quality of what you eat which can dramatically affect our health
3. Quantity and portion control
4. Timing of when we eat, hint: every four hours
5. Importance of fitness

I highly recommend Lorraine Maita, MD. Check out her webpage, her bio and read her book, “Vibrance for Life: How to Live Younger and Healthier”. She is dedicated to educating and motivating people to attain optimal healthier lifestyles. Live younger- who doesn’t want to do that!

Chris Curran, our second speaker has a book called “Leap beyond your limits, how to command your own future”. Chris delivered a unique angle on our mind and the powerful dominance it has over our bodies. All of the actions that our body takes are due to the influence of our minds. We should use our minds to gain control of our life and produce results through self-leadership.
How?
Spell out our goals, visualize the kind of life that we want to live and picture ourselves accomplished. When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself, “I will have a positive day”, and envision how it will be positive…it works. His book guides through a journey of change that can help people begin to win and makes dreams a reality.

Valerie Pawlowski concluded the evening with a powerful presentation on Heart Healthy. How the heart is the most important muscle organ in our body. She educated us on how to keep the heart pumping and why it matters. How 30 minutes daily at a minimum of regular physical activity lowers weight, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and reduces risk of disease. Valerie inspired me to stop procrastinating and to set goals. She recommended mixing up different activities that include balance, endurance, strength and flexibility training. Valerie’s mission is to reach as many people as possible to help them live healthier, more joyful and abundant lives.

From the March MPI-NJ educational program, I walked away with lasting impressions; I was inspired to start to make better choices and that I can believe in myself and reap the benefits of a transformation into a healthier me.