Where: Mike Mason's Communicatio Blog
Topic: Conference Program
When: June 20, 2007
Great points Mike. Here are 5 more...
1. Think practical...even better think like an attendee. How will THEY use the document? What information are they seeking while at your conference and how accessible is that information? Brainstorm the problems your attendees might experience while at the show. What can you do, to solve those problems? For example - many conferences run concurrent sessions. Do you provide a page for your attendees to map out their schedule? How about networking? This is one of the primary benefits for many conferences and tradeshows. Do you give them space to jot down contact information for the people they meet at the show?
2. Be creative. Often times we use the same old template year after year. Try different shapes and sizes. Tie it in with your overall theme. Increase the wow factor.
3. Market your other events. Many associations wait too long to begin marketing their own conferences and/or programs. Then they wonder why they just can't break through that attendee ceiling. Plant the seed now and start building the buzz early. It's your piece, use it strategically.
4. If the piece must be large and you need to reserve the back page for advertising, consider a perforated reference sheet that contains the most important information (floor layout, schedule at a glance, etc.) If you have a lot of information, perf the center spread for even more real estate.
5. Include links to online resources and content that build on what they're learning in your sessions. Include articles written by some of the speakers inside the program.
This is your show and the opportunities are endless. Dare to be different!
Blog Link: http://communicatio.blogspot.com/2007/06/5-tips-for-better-annual-meeting-print.html
Where: Ben Martin's CAE Blog
Topic: Leadership
When: June 20, 2007
If someone chooses to be a leader, they need to work at it everyday.
They're always looking for lessons and opportunities to test their leadership skills. This includes the times when no one is looking.
They read everything they can about becoming a more effective leader. They are life-long students and are on a never ending quest to understand people.
Aspiring leaders SHOULD look to leaders they admire and study their leadership qualities, habits and skills. What is it about that person that makes others want to follow them?
There's nothing wrong with emulating those noble qualities and working on ourselves to become more effective leaders and better people.
Whether we realize it or not, this is something we've been doing from the time we entered the world as a baby and it is something we will do until the day we die.
And yes, part of being a leader is having self confidence. Accepting and being happy with who we are today.
It also means that we should understand our weaknesses and work to improve them. Be proud of our strengths and build on them even further.
There's the whole nature vs. nurture discussion, but I do believe that anyone who desires to become a leader can.
Like anything else in life...if we aspire to attain something, we must work hard at it everyday!
Blog Link: http://caeexam.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-want-to-be-leader.html
Where: Effective Database Management Blog
Topic: AMS System Project Management
Joe Grant said...
Hi Wes,
Nice Blog and I couldn’t agree more. The problem is that most associations have limited resources and as such are hesitant to remove any responsibilities from the “internal” project managers plate.
This then puts a lot of pressure on that person to manage everything they were already managing, and now an AMS. I know from experience, this is not an easy task. This person will naturally put more attention on what they’re already familiar with - their everyday job and the AMS project will suffer.
I also think the person needs to have solid project management skills to successfully manage an AMS project. These are skills learned through experience and if they’re lacking, the association could be in for a long and painful experience.
If associations have someone with the technology project management experience and is willing to make an adjustment to their workload, then I think it makes sense.
If not, then I think partnering closely with an outside project manager (not the AMS provider) is a better alternative.
Where: Effective Database Management Blog
Topic: AMS System Reporting Needs
Joe Grant said...
You’re Blog is very interesting, so forgive me for the multiple comments. I would also caution associations to be very strategic in the planning phase regarding the AMS reports they will actually need.
With such busy schedules, association executives when asked what reports they need, tend to dump their entire list of report onto the list. Never mind the fact that many of them were created by predecessors and haven’t been accessed for several years.
The problem - AMS providers budget both time and cost to create these reports. If it’s on the list, they’re assuming you need it. This means that the association is paying for reports that will never be used.
Answer some important questions:
What reports do I actually need to be successful in my job? Are any of the reports obsolete? Are there some reports that can be reduced to a single report in the new system? Can I live and work the new standard format?
I also think AMS providers need to get better at explaining the baseline reports. Many times, users don’t even know that a report already exists.
Taking the extra initiative on the front end to answer these important questions will spare everyone additional time and money - two very precious commodities!
Blog Link: http://www.effectivedatabase.com/blog/2007/06/01/baseline-reports/#comments
Where: Effective Database Management Blog
Topic: AMS System Best Practices
Joe Grant said...
Nice post. I’d like to add that most AMS vendors have created their process around industry best practices. This means…unless it’s absolutely critical for the delivery of the member experience, adapt your processes to the system. Unnecessary customizing can cause some real headaches down the road.
Blog Link: http://www.effectivedatabase.com/blog/2007/05/31/the-missed-value-of-a-new-ams-system/#comments
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