July 2013
Cover Story/Trends
How They Meet, Inc.
A real-estate investment trust, a luxury hotel brand, a financial-services firm, a software giant, and an online shoe retailer are among this year’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. It turns out their meetings are pretty great, too. Here are five reasons why.
Cover illustration by Chi Birmingham
Features
The Power of Word of Mouth
Why do we talk about, imitate, and share some things but not others? Wharton professor Jonah Berger explores the science behind social transmission, including how it is that 80 percent of word of mouth still takes place face-to-face.
Show Cases: 5 Unique Meetings
From a carefully designed maze of an expo hall, to a super-sized sustainability program, to a data-driven approach to exhibitor prospecting — the art and science of exhibitions are on full display at these five different shows.
These Chefs are Meeting the Challenge of Attendee Dietary Restrictions
The rapidly expanding and sometimes exhausting number of dietary requests made by meeting attendees is not likely to slow down any time soon. What do convention-center chefs and culinary staff say is the most important ingredient for dealing safely — and gracefully — with them? Communication.
Departments
Growing on the Vine
Twitter’s new six-second-video app is being used to market events and trade-show booths and to interact with attendees. But how much can you accomplish in a matter of seconds?
Performance Anxiety
As told by Kirsten Olean, CMP, CAE, Director of Meetings, Association of American Medical Colleges.
Circling the Wagons
At one company summit, a combined team-building and community-service activity felt a lot like child’s play — which was exactly the idea.
Supported Article Innovative Meetings
This Conference Could be the SXSW of the Southeast
Charleston, S.C., and the rest of the southeastern United States have a booming digital and creative economy — big enough to support DIG SOUTH, a new SXSW-style interactive festival.
5 Lessons on Offering Education on the Show Floor
Attracting and keeping quality attendees on your show floor isn’t getting any easier. The way we research and buy products and services has evolved — and so must the trade-show experience. The show of the future will focus on helping over selling, which is best accomplished by delivering valuable education in the exhibit hall.
Plenary
Material Collaboration at TMS 2013
The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (TMS) Annual Meeting and Exhibition was held March 3-7 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.
A Patient Focus at ASTRO 2013
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) will hold its 55th Annual Meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Sept. 22–25.
David Williams Shares the Secret to International Meeting Planning
In his travels around the world as executive director of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), David Williams has picked up a few pointers.
Rachel Botsman on the Rise of Collaborative Consumption
The co-author of 'What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption' is the Convene-sponsored opening keynote speaker at this month’s DMAI Annual Convention — where she’ll talk about how ‘distributed power’ is changing the meeting and travel sectors.
Keeping a Pulse on Your Meeting
Grabbing audience attention, gaining their interest through interaction, convincing them to return to the conference next year, arousing their desires by giving them the information they crave, and leaving them with a valuable takeaway.
6 Questions to Ask About Gluten-Free
Even though catering staff may answer “yes” to the question of whether they’re equipped to serve gluten-free attendees, a few extra questions can go a long way to revealing how well a catering manager or sales professional understands gluten-free, said Jen Cafferty, founder of the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo.
Points of Order
If your meetings include business sessions — such as board meetings or delegate bodies that make decisions for the entire organization — then you should know about parliamentary procedure.
The Knowledge Alliance
Until recently, leveraging the knowledge economy has been a mostly local initiative for the meetings industry, with individual CVBs and DMOs using the intellectual and academic assets in their immediate area to help attract group business.
Get Attendees to Remember Your Online Content
New research suggests an easy way to help participants get the most out of your online learning programs: Give them short, regular tests.
Meeting Like Cavemen
In his opening keynote at the DigitalNow 2013 conference in Orlando this past April, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku painted a picture of the not-too-distant future that was both thrilling — and unnerving.
Mountain History and Hospitality at The Broadmoor
A little (or, at times, a lot) of drizzle didn’t deter most of the activities scheduled on my visit to The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs as part of a media trip in early May.
Also In This Issue
Meal Plans
Nothing could be a more basic attendee need than food and beverage. Yet meeting that need has become a lot more complicated.
Workplace Standouts
With the economic outlook starting to improve, a good number of U.S. workers are getting the itch to change jobs. Is your organization doing all it can to retain top talent and attract new stars?