Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Thu, Feb 02, 2012 @ 07:15 PM
There have been some major changes happening for me and I think it's time to share what's up with all of you.
First, I've left my position as community manager for Engage365, the online community for event professionals I managed for more than a year.
However I'm thrilled to announce that I will be working with The Conference Publishers to build a new blog and hashtag, #eventtable, in an effort to create and share online conversations about meeting and event innovations.
As part of this effort, on Monday, Feb. 6 at 3 pm est I will launch a new, weekly Twitter chat called #eventtable. Our first topic will be Event Technology Trends for 2012 with guest Liz King of Liz King Events and Plannertech.
I can't say enough how thrilled I am to be working with The Conference Publishers. I've been a big fan of CEO Mitchell Beer ever since I began blogging on the topic of events. Mitchell's thoughtful and articulate posts for meetingsnet.com have always been examples of the kind of industry journalism to which I aspired.
The Conference Publishers has also impressed me as an intelligent and elegant answer to the need for capturing conference content. What a wonderful way to put those outstanding journalism skills to use!
Getting to know Mitchell and Senior Account Executive Iana Ciatti has been a true joy. I don't think I could ask for a more supportive team nor one whose values and interests match mine more closely.
As part of my work with The Conference Publishers, I will be updating its popular blog, The Edge which will be renamed to match the chat. Mitchell and I will also work together to tap our network of meetings and events bloggers, social media specialists, and subject specialists to join the discussion.
I hope you will join that discussion and help create a community were you can come for guidance, sharing and fellowship among your event professional peers. Our focus will be on innovation in events and I know a lot of you are interested in that!
Join us in kicking the whole thing off with our first chat this Monday at 3 pm est. Remember, the hashtag is #eventtable. See you there!!
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Sun, Jan 22, 2012 @ 02:35 PM
I began learning about social media marketing two and half years ago when the recession forced me to begin looking for ways to connect with new clients for my audio visual company, Icon Presentations.
Based on what I learned, I created and begain implementing a strategy called #EIR; Engage, Inform & Retweet, which has led to a massive leap in search engine ranking for my website, new business and many more opportunities for me on a personal level.
Below is a list of blog posts on the subject of social media marketing. I wrote all of them with my community, event professionals, in mind. It's my hope that this list gives you a place to look when seeking guidance on using social media to market your own event or event business.
A Beginner's Guide to Tweeting: Engage
5 Tips for Your Facebook Page
EIR - Engage, Inform, Retweet - 3 Simple Steps to Success on Twitter
Sharpen Your Listening Skills for Succes in Social Media Marketing
How to Make a Name for Yourself: Liz King on the Value of Branding
EIR - RETWEET! The Battle Cry of Social Media Marketing
EIR - Actions Speak Louder than Twitter Backgrounds
EIR - How to Find Click-Worthy Links to Tweet Quickly and Easily
Social Media Marketers, Are You Talking TO Your Fans or WITH Them?
Social Media Timesavers - RSS Feeds & Other Little Helpers
EIR - 12 Tips to Balance Your Twitter Yin & Yang
8 Can't Live Without Tools for Event Social Media Managment
EIR - A Thank You Still Goes a Long Way on Twitter
EIR - 14 Kick-Ass Tips for Getting Your Tweets Retweeted
EIR - 5 Tips for Using Twitter Lists to Find Niche Followers
EIR - 21 Tips for Using Social Media to Build Your Brand
14 Ways Speakers Can Use Social Media to Connect With Their Audience
4 Ways to Use Social Media to Engage Newbies at Conferences & Events
10 Tips for Getting People to Share Your Content
5 Ways to Alienate People on Twitter
Some Basic Tools and Strategies for Managing Your Twitter Activity
Are You Polluting Your Social Media Stream?
8 Intermediate Tips for Choosing People to Follow on Twitter
8 Beginner Tips for Choosing Who to Follow on Twitter
9 Tips for Choosing a Social Media Avatar
The Importance of the Human Element in Social Media Marketing
10 Ways to Kill Your Event or Business Blog
Top 11 Reasons You Need a Blog for Your Event or Business
Listening: The First Step in Marketing Your Event
Engage, Inform and Retweet for Marketing Success on Twitter
How Twitter Increased my Business and Opened Doors I Didn't Know Existed
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 @ 05:10 PM
I was very fortunate to attend the concurrently held Virtual Edge Summit and Professional Convention Management Association's Convening Leaders events last week as a media guest of both organizations.
One of the most useful chunks of information I came away with were some tips for live streaming events, given by INXPO's Vice President of Content and Programs, Peter Hackes. His simple tips are easy to implement but can really save you money, time and stress.
For instance, renting two cameras when you only need one may seem extravagent, but you'll thank your lucky stars when one of your cameras goes down. When you are truly live, a back up plan can pay off big time.
The tips were given during a behind the scenes tour of the VES/PCMA Hybrid event.
Check them out on the VES Blog here.
(Photo by drothamel)
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Thu, Jan 12, 2012 @ 05:03 PM
It's been more than two years since I started using social media on a regular basis to market my audio visual company and educate myself. In that time I've learned a lot about what does and doesn't work.
In addition to meeting and learning from some key social media experts, I stumbled onto the Twitter community known as #eventprofs which has become my online home.
The ways in which I have grown personally are too numerous to count. But I was also able to achieve many benefits for my business, among them:
* a strong online presence
* a massive leap in search engine ranking for our website
* mentions in industry trade publications and blogs not my own
* connections with MANY potential clients
* a jump in calls directly related to our new search engine ranking
* and business from friendships built online.
I learned by doing and watching my friends online. Here are seven lessons culled from two years spent as a social media marketer of an events industry business.
1 - Identify and Join Relevant Online Communities
Do a Twitter search for keywards relating to your business or the clients you are trying to reach. If you identify a hashtag community that relates to you, watch it for a while. Click on the links people are posting. Try to understand where people are coming from, what gets them excited, what irritates them. Then, start tweeting and retweeting content you think would be of interested to them. Also, join in chats or conversations taking place in the community. Help promote others, comment on their blogs. Build your own community of friends who will help promote you.
2 - Regularly Post Useful Content Linked on Your Website/Blog
To get your website to rank higher in the seach engines start by consistently posting content that is useful to your target audience. You don't have to be a "thought-leader" to create a blog that is useful to your clients. You can write blog posts on ways you've solved their problems in the past, or write posts about industry conferences you attend or just do interviews with people who can provide useful information.
3 - Promote Your Content Well
If you build it, they WON'T come if they don't know about it!! There are so many platforms for posting links to your content. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ are great places to start. Consider the format of the platform when deciding what time of the day and how often to post. For instance, Twitter is a fast-moving stream of information so to make sure more people see it, it makes sense to post the same link several times but on different days and at different times of the day. However, Facebook moves more slowly and Facebook users are less likely to be tolerant of the same link being reposted in their stream. So posting only once on Facebook makes better sense.
4 - Create and Commit to a Strategy #EIR
Commit to a consistent social media marketing strategy like #EIR - Engage, Inform and Retweet. Spread your social media activities equally among conversations and discussions; distributing content that is useful to your potential clients; and promoting the great content and work of others in your community. Be online for at least an hour every work day. On Twitter, schedule informative posts throughout the day when clients are more likely to see you (usually between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm et, Monday through Friday.)
5 - Support Your Community
If you want others to comment on your blog (and you do because blog comments help you rank higher in the search engines), comment on other blogs in your community. If you want people to talk to you, make sure you are available and responding when they try to start a conversation. If your community regularly schedules chats and needs moderators, volunteer. Guest blog whenever you have the opportunity. All of these acts of giving to your community help you to build strong relationships that can turn into business, or - the best kind of marketing- referrals and recommendations.
6 - Be courteous, Avoid Irritating People
Don't promote yourself too much. People online are hyper-sensitive to this. We want to know that you are there because you are interested in us as people, not just in what you can get from us. Make sure to thank people in some form or another. Also, watch the stream and take note when people complain or when you see something you find annoying and avoid doing those things. For instance, on Twitter, many people find back to back tweets very annoying, particularly when you are using a community hashtag. Or on Facebook, many people do not like being invited to events that arent really relevant to them. Take note.
7 - Turn your Online Relationships into Face to Face Relationships
Not only is it personally fun and rewarding, but taking the time and energy to meet your online friends in person can benefit your business greatly. I don't think I can count the times that I have attended an industry conference or event without any business goals in mind, but because I connected with online friends, new career and business opportunities were the result. You can form very strong relationships with people online, if you follow the previous tips. But your relationships will be twice as strong and beneficial to you if you take them off-line as well.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Mon, Jan 02, 2012 @ 05:39 PM
This year's top 10 blog posts once again proved that Sound & Sight readers are a progressive bunch interested in improving their skills with regard to events and social media.
The list includes two posts offering social media tips; four about event planning & production; and three posts on ways to use social media specifically for events. However, by far the most popular post wasn't really about any of these things. It proved that a good ol' tug at the heartstrings is appropriate on just about any blog.
10 - 11 Sure-Fire Ways to Make Your Event Blog Suck
A tongue-in-cheek review of some ways to make sure your event blog fails, offering such tips as: be cute with your headlines, avoid interaction and include lots of jargon.
9 - A Beginner's Guide to Tweeting: Engage
When I was a Twitter newbie, I didn't know where to begin to engage with strangers online. This post was written with newbies in mind. It outlines 6 simple ways to engage in conversations with others on Twitter.
8 - King Dahl: A great Event Designer Studies Everything
It was through Twitter that I became acquainted with King Dahl, the Executive Director of Event Design for MGM Resorts. However, King's event designs have been winning awards for many years. King's interview answers provide useful tips from one of the leaders in the field.
7 - 10 Things That Wouldn't Have Happened if Not for Twitter
Lindsay Fultz was one of the first people I got to know on Twitter. As the Marketing Director for Grosh Backdrops, Lindsay dazzled me with her ability to deftly use social media to build trackable business online in the field of events. Now that she has started her own company, Middle Child New Media, more businesses are able to access her phenomenal skills.
Last year I had the great honor to co-host BizBash's Social Media Lounge with Lindsay. She wrote this post for Sound n' Sight as a way to show others the great benefits of using Twitter. (Lindsay's guest post on QR codes also made the Sound n' Sight Top 10 for 2010.)
6 - ECTC11: If You're Not Breaking Things, You're Not Experimenting
Event Camp Twin Cities, a conference for event professionals interested in hybrid events, event technology and social media, was held in August of this year. Though not officially its motto, "If you're not breaking things, you're not experimenting," came to signify a mindset that embraced its focus on risk taking.
When some technical failures occurred, a social media savvy remote audience began a debate about using experimentation as an excuse. As an ECTC face to face attendee for the second year in a row, I decided to weigh in.
5 - 4 Ways to Use Social Media to Engage Newbies at Conferences
Attendees who use social media can provide a marketing boon for an event planner. They can also help planners to gauge how an event is being received. However, if your attendees don't know what these tools are, you have a problem. Kari Rippetoe outlines four ways to help social media newbies learn to use the tools in ways that will help them connect with others and benefit your event. (Kari's 10 Tips for Using Social Media to Market Your Event, made my top 10 list last year.)
4 - 9 Tips for Creating More Engaging Events
Looking for ways to get your attendees to engage more at your event? Check out these ideas from an Engage365 chat on the subject with such industry heavyweights as Joan Eisenstodt, Adrian Segar and Tahira Endean.
3 - 25 Considerations for Choosing a Venue For Your Event Production
Tahira Endean guest blogs for Sound n' Sight here and in typical fashion her post is bursting with great information for planners considering venue choices.
2 - Event Planners & Bloggers: Why They Should Come Together
An interview with Michele Price, also known as @ProsperityGal on Twitter. As a host of two radio shows, the originator of the Twitter chat, #Speakchat, and the founder of Social Media for Smart People, Michele shares her knowledge about enlisting the help of social media influencers for event marketing.
1 - Are Angels Engaging With Humans on Twitter: Interview With Amit Verma
My interview with Amit Verma, a 16 year old boy from India who is one of the most influential people on Twitter. Amit's blend of enthusiasm, altruism and genuine concern for his online friends has won him a legion of followers, including me.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 @ 12:54 PM
The following is a guest blog article by Kenji Crosland of eVenues.com. If you are interested in guest blogging for Sound n' Sight, please read my guest blogging guidelines. And if you have any thoughts, please comment. Kenji and I both would love to hear what you have to say!
Most people who attend meetings have no idea about the preparation it takes to create a successful presentation. This is a good sign. When a group meets, absorbs information easily and comfortably leaves the meeting understanding its content, the presenter has done their job well.
A presenter must prepare well in advance not only their presentation but also the way they will present. This includes researching the event space and designing their presentation to combine with the resources available at the venue.
Every meeting room is different. Presenters must deal with problems like small groups in large rooms or large groups in small meeting spaces. Furthermore, the room's available resources, including visual aids, WiFi access and even lighting can cause problems for a presenter. Experts say that the more a presenter researches the event space beforehand and tailors their presentation around that space, the better chance that their presentation will be a success.
Checking a Venue's Resources
The worst thing a lecturer can do is work all week on an excellent presentation and show up on the day of the venue to learn that the equipment in the room is inadequate. Believe it or not, it's the little things that matter the most.
Are there enough power outlets? Is there a projector available? How is the lighting? A lecturer should answer these questions before they organize their material. A PowerPoint presentation only works well if the lights are dimmed properly. A simple checklist of meeting room resources can lead to a successful presentation.
Microphones
Many presentations require a microphone. Whether it's a clip on or handheld, one of the most annoying things that can happen during a presentation is feedback. A host should first know if their meeting room has a microphone available and if the equipment's specifications will accommodate the room.
All microphones are vulnerable to feedback depending on its input setting and where the presenter stands in relation to the speaker. Knowing feedback hotspots in advance helps presenters who move around a lot avoid interruptions in their lecture. Also, not all venues offer audiovisual engineers. It's a good idea for presenters to learn the basic of audio equipment and to test the room's equipment before any meeting.
Outlets
An extension cord can sometimes save a presentation, especially when there are a limited number of outlets in the venue room. Modern day lectures require the use of electronics, including laptops, projectors and audiovisual equipment. A presenter must know in advance if a venue room can accommodate their devices.
If there is an inadequate power supply, they will need to change the way they present their material. It is also a good idea to check the amperage of the meeting room to see if the venue can support large amounts of energy usage, if necessary.
Lighting
Not all meeting rooms have a light dimmer. Lowering the lighting is important in presentations that use projectors or LED displays. A bright room may impede a projector's ability to display material clearly. A dark room doesn't help the onlooker who wants to take notes. Therefore, presenters should know in advance the lighting conditions of their meeting room.
Experts say that rooms with dull, fluorescent lighting contribute to fatigue, which may cause onlookers to pay less attention to the material presented. A presenter may decide to change their presentation to include more animated material in a meeting room with dull lighting.
Screens
It is unprofessional to display projected material on a wall. Not only does it show that the presenter did not prepare, but it also prevents onlookers from seeing the required material clearly. Lecturers should know if a meeting room has a projector screen available in advance.
Chairs and Tables
A presenter does not have to worry about something as simple as tables and chairs; Right? Well, it helps to know beforehand if there is adequate seating available for all attendees.
A room should also have a few extra on hand for invited guests. Looking for seating at the last-minute can interrupt presentations. Also, sitting too close to one another or standing in the back can increase an attendee's discomfort and can lead to their fatigue.
A table and chair's quality is also important. A presenter may need to change their lecture to include more stand-up activities for rooms with less quality seating.
What are your suggestions for tailoring your presentation to a room?
Kenji Crosland is the Community Manager and new media marketing go-to guy at eVenues.com. eVenues is a Seattle based startup and an online marketplace for meeting rooms and event space--currently focused mostly on the West Coast. Check out their Seattle meeting rooms and in Los Angeles
Photo by
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Wed, Dec 21, 2011 @ 06:50 PM
I have an obsession lately, it's Pinterest.
When I'm working it calls my name. When i'm relaxing it entices me. When I'm thinking about my goals it gives me a place to make them more real by turning them into pictures. For event professionals and anyone who collects information or makes plans, it can make the process easier and fun.
What is it? It's a site that allows you to collect pictures that serve as links to sites on the internet. These pictures are posted on boards, much like bulletin boards, but online. With Pinterest you can create boards for different categories and you can post as many pins to your boards as you like.
For instance I have a food board:
and a self sufficient house and home board
and a DIY board.
The beauty of all this is that when you post a pin, you are collecting a link to a site that could be very useful to you. And unlike other content collecting sites, the visuals make it easy to see what kind of information you have at a glance. So no longer do I have to guess what tag I used to find an article I've saved. I just have to know the general topic that the site would fall under. I look at the board for that topic and immediately know what is there by the pictures posted on it.
But that's me, the information collector talking. Pinterest is also wonderful for creating inspiration boards where you can post pictures of ideas for events you are planning. In fact, one of the most popular ways to use it is for planning weddings.
As an event planner you might want to create your own, food board, activities board or boards with event themes. Having these pictures and links as you share your ideas with vendors could be quite handy.
A few features for you to explore on Pinterest include:
* It's a social media site. You can follow the activity of friends. I follow quite a few event professionals on pinterest and theirs are really the most interesting Pinterest boards I've seen.
* You can search through Pinterest boards that others have created according to category.
* You can upload a Pin It button to your tool bar. Whenever you come across an interesting image you want to pin, just click on the button!
Pinterest is for collecting images first. The links are a valuable icing on the cake. So if you want to pin a link to a site that has no good images, I'm afraid you're out of luck. Or at least that's been my experience.
But for those of us who collect magazines for cutting pictures to post in scrap books, idea notebooks or life planning journals, Pinterest could be an online dream come true. Check it out and let me know what you think!
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Wed, Dec 14, 2011 @ 08:48 AM
The following is a summary of last week's Engage365 Twitter chat.
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Thu, Dec 01, 2011 @ 01:03 PM
At the recent Event Camp East Coast, particpants created a program that included a fascinating session on neuro-science inspired tips for event planners by Brain Researcher Andrea Sullivan. Here are nine of my takeaways from it.
1 - To Create Rapport, Mirror Body Language
Have an important client meeting or job interview coming up? Watch the body language of the person you are meeting with and do your best to unobtrusively replicate it. According to Andrea, when you match the body language of another person, it helps to put them at ease and create an easier rapport.
2 - Filter The Information You Are Receiving
Brain evolution hasn’t caught up to cultural evolution so the non-stop flow of information from social media sites, television and everything else can be extremely overwhelming. Filtering the information that you are exposed to helps to keep you from being overloaded.
3 - Schedule Frequent Breaks, White Space at Conferences
If you want people to be present during sessions you have to give them something else to do while digesting information, according to Andrea. Frequent breaks and white space allow for this.
4 - Give Thought to the Environment in Your Sessions
The neutral colors that so many conference and meeting rooms are decorated in do not stimulate the brain enough. Consider adding plants, artwork and some colors to the room.
In addition, consider the furniture. A study found that people who sit in rigid chairs are less flexible in negotiations, explained Andrea. So if you want people to be flexible, give them cushy chairs.
If you want to ensure attendees stay awake during sessions, stay away from dramatic, night club style lighting. More light keeps you awake.
5 - Offer a Choice
When you give people choices (in sessions) they are much more present and engaged, said Andrea. One easy way to encourage people to exercise their freedom of choice is to do what participant driven conference organizers Adrian Segar and Joan Eisenstodt do. At the start of the conference they make it clear that if at any time conference participants feel the need to leave the room to switch sessions, get a snack, go to their room to take a nap or for any other reason they are supported in doing so.
6 - Help the Brain to Sleep
People must sleep. It helps them learn better because the brain consolidates memories during sleep.
Amber light is more relaxing and better for encouraging sleep. Blue light inhibits melatonin negatively, thus affecting sleep.
Andrea sharied an exercize to train yourself to turn off your brain and prepare for sleep. Lying in bed, on your in breath say to yourself “stop thinking” on your out breath say ”go to sleep.”
7 - Provide Brain-Friendly Food
As Andrea notes, this is huge! Snacks made with white sugar and flour will create a sugar crash in your attendees. Protein snacks and more complex carbohydrates give the brain what it needs to stay alert and on an even keel.
Also, consider the salt content in the snacks you provide. According to Andrea, within 30 minutes of eating it, salt affects your circulation – affecting blood flow to your brain.
8 - Put Learning Into the Body
Reinforce what attendees are learning by including activities that put the body in motion.
Along those lines, although not for everyone, note taking can give people a kinesthetic aspect to learning.
9- Consider the Brains of Digital Natives
Those who grew up using computers, or digital natives, have different brains from others, said Andrea. To meet the learning requirments of these attendees make sure to include more interaction, participation and collaboration.
(Photo by dierk schaefer)
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Posted by Jenise Fryatt on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 @ 11:03 AM
How is social media changing our brains? How is it changing our society? And how will this affect the way we design events and presentations?
A discussion following an Event Camp Twin Cities Pecha Kucha presentation by Lynn Randall of Randall Insights on how social media is changing society was one of the highlights of this year's Event Camps for me. Afterward a group of us gathered to share thoughts about this fascinating topic and when our chat time was over, many of us wanted to continue it.
So, two months later during the peer session sign up at Event Camp East Coast, I took the opportunity to submit this topic, with the help of my friend, brain researcher Andrea Sullivan of BrainStrength Systems (who had been part of the original discussion at ECTC). The title: The Relationship Between Social Media, Cultural Change, Who We Are and Events.
With thanks to Sarah Vining of the National Conference Center, who took notes, here are a few nuggets from this juicy discussion.
* We are undergoing the most massive reorganization of the brain in the past 1,000 years
* We must talk to different generations differently - we must be more pliable, approach them how they want to be approached.
* Check out the book "Generations at Work" to understand how different generations work, solve problems, etc.
* The pre-frontal cortex, which understands consquences, is not fully devleoped until humans are 24 years old.
* Digital Natives (those who grew up with the internet or Gen Y) have a strong urge to connect with their network and share information.
* People who form relationships online are often compelled to find ways to take those relationships off line.
* Event planners can make f2f networking warmer by fostering online relationships prior to events.
* Game dynamics can be used to enhance networking.
* Online networking games can place unecessary barriers between participants at f2f events.
* Younger generations don't understand older generations' need to answer the phone when it rings.
* People should exercise choice to use social media; filter.
* Information overload and ADD are side effects of too much social media.
* The brain is not designed to make us happy.
* Brain exercises can change habits.
* Abilitiy to take risk can be learned as a habit.
* Social media fosters collaboration.
* People who adopt tools of collaboration are more successful - 5 or 6 brains are better than 1.
* MeetUp! concept is VERY connected to what we do as event professionals.
* Connections fostered by social media come with new barriers such as: language, culture, time, personality.
* The Golden Rule is now turning into HR Platinum Rule: Treat people as they want to be treated," by understanding generational, gender, culture differences.
* Body language doesn't transfer to other cultures.
(Photo by philcampbell)
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