Posts Categorized: What’s New

kchopson

Hashtags: A Cornerstone of Your Event’s Brand

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Onsite, Social Media, What's New.

The ubiquitous hashtag (#hashtag) has quickly evolved from a curiosity to being an integral part of modern communication. The tag has worked its way into many marketing efforts and actually has become part of many brands. For the world of events, the hashtag has evolved past simple branding to being part of the general discussion that surrounds the interaction of attendees, speakers, exhibitors and others. Why Hashtags are so Important For a few years, hashtags were generally considered to be the domain of Twitter. This product, in particular, has become a great tool for events both in promotion and in... Read more »

kchopson

Mobile Savings: Time, Money, & The Environment

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Mobile, Onsite, What's New.

The primary reason mobile apps are hot right now are simply the ease of use. The phone is almost always in your hand, so all you need to do is look at it and touch! But mobile apps for events are event hotter because they are wins for everybody – the attendee, the exhibitors and the show organizers. The only losers may be the printing companies. Why are mobile apps for events such big wins? It’s simple – they save time and money, while saving the environment, all at the same time. Here is a look at three types of... Read more »

kchopson

Mobile App Lead Retrieval is Better for Your Show

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, Mobile, Onsite, Resources Lead Retrieval, Trade Show, What's New.

Lead Retrieval Tradeshow App

You have probably heard frequent complaints from your exhibitors about how expensive it is to rent lead retrieval units for your show. The old fashioned way of doing lead retrieval is cumbersome for many reasons: The lead retrieval units are expensive! Some of the reasons for these high costs are described below. Buying the old-fashioned units is typically done in an old-fashioned way, such as faxing or emailing a form with a credit card. By the way, this is also a violation of good credit card security practices. The hardware is proprietary, so it is difficult to explain what the... Read more »

kchopson

How to Use Apps to Simplify Onsite Registration

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Mobile, Onsite, What's New.

Mobile apps for attendees are hot, but did you know that apps can help you, the planner, with onsite registration? While a great web-based onsite registration system can take care of most of your check-in issues, mobile onsite apps can address even more needs, including some unusual situations. These apps should work well on both Apple and Android devices, from smartphones to tablets. Here are some features a first-rate mobile app for onsite registration should have: List of attendees with at least basic contact information. Even better, you should be able to easily view what each attendee purchased as well... Read more »

kchopson

5 Steps to Collect Intelligent Annual Meeting Data

Posted by & filed under Data Analysis, Event Rebels Blog, Meetings Technology, What's New.

By: Kathy Benson and K.C. Hopson For many associations, the annual meeting is the organization’s top revenue source. For this bottom-line reason, planners and evaluators of this event need to be able to mine smarter and more actionable insights from attendee registration data and post-event evaluations. Evaluation of the annual meeting is an opportunity to engage with members and prospects and learn more about them and their needs. Planners and evaluators need to look at it from a strategic standpoint to gain more insight and inform their organizational strategy. By asking the right questions, there is an invaluable opportunity to... Read more »

kchopson

Craft Hotel Contracts to Reduce Attrition

Posted by & filed under Contracts, Event Rebels Blog, Meetings, What's New.

Perhaps the heart of good meeting planning is the ability to write contracts that cover all potential outcomes of an event. Of all these outcomes, perhaps none is more important than avoiding being hit with attrition fees by the host hotel. As all planners know, these fees can be very costly and, in many cases, can be avoided with a tight contract. Recently I had the pleasure of attending an exciting (!) lecture on Hotel Contracts lead by attorney John S. Foster from Atlanta. The event was put on by the PCMA Chesapeake Chapter and was hosted at the brand... Read more »

kchopson

Why Would Hackers Attack Your Conference?

Posted by & filed under Event Rebels Blog, Internet Security, Onsite, What's New.

Hackers targeting big companies have become part of the regular news cycle. As of last year corporations such as Sony, Target and Staples have become victims of breaches involving personal information and credit cards. Even more recently, the data of 18 million current, prospective or former employees of the U.S. Government was successfully compromised in one of the biggest and most spectacular cyber attacks in history. While it might be comforting to think that hackers would only go after big name organizations, it would be wrong to think that conferences are exempt from cyber attacks. Just recently the Linux Australia... Read more »

Crowdsourcing Education Sessions

Posted by & filed under Event Design, Event Rebels Blog, What's New.

EventRebels are back from our week-long hiatus with some very exciting information and experiences to share with you. This past week, K.C. Hopson, EventRebels CEO, and I traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the 2015 PCMA Education Conference. PCMA does a lot really well, but one thing I’ve noticed over the last three annual conferences I’ve attended is PCMA’s willingness to experiment with format, room set-up, and education so we don’t have to. One outstanding experiment PCMA tried at this conference was crowdsourcing peer-led education. Adrian Segar, author of “Conferences That Work,” walked us through the process. It began the... Read more »

kchopson

Trade Show Swag: What’s Hot for 2015

Posted by & filed under Branding, Event Marketing, Event Rebels Blog, Trade Show, What's New.

Design Rebel: Trade Show Swag

An intriguing thought crossed my mind as I prepared this blog on the benefits of trade show giveaways. Given the nearly universal appeal of tchotchkes I wondered whether anyone has proposed a doctoral dissertation analyzing the irresistible allure of ball point pens, pocket-sized hand sanitizers, disposable water bottles and tote bags emblazoned with exhibitor’s logos. As a veteran of scores of trade shows, I’ve seen well-dressed, affluent –looking professionals saunter over to a booth and scoop up a key chain, pencil, highlighter or a tiny box of breath mints. Generally, these items retail for under three dollars. Perhaps there is... Read more »