5 places to find sponsors and exhibitors

With budget cuts and travel restrictions, it's become harder for conference organizers to find exhibitors and sponsors to help fund their events. Here's a list of places to look, some of which you will no doubt already have covered, but perhaps a few that you hadn't thought of.

1. Your Existing Database
It's obvious, yes, and you've probably already worked through this list of past and possible exhibitors more than once. But go through it one more time and this time with a fresh outlook. Do you still have a list of "maybe's"? If so, what's holding them up from making a commitment? If it's just payment, offer to take a small deposit and then defer the remainder until a future date, perhaps something in their next budget year. Often it's just a matter of being flexible and finding terms that will work better for them. If your budget can swing it, work toward getting their written commitment then worry about collecting funds later.

2. Past Conferences
When was the last time your conference was held in that city? If it's been a while, see if you can find a list of exhibitors and sponsors from that year, then call them to gauge interest. There are lots of regional reps that will eagerly exhibit when an event is held in a city near them, but have to decline the following year because of sales territory restrictions within their organization. Also, don't just look at last year's exhibitor and sponsor list, look at the year before that, and before that, etc. Perhaps there's a new rep, a shift in their sales focus or maybe there was a schedule conflict over the past two years that isn't the case for the upcoming conference.

3. Vendor Lists
Obtain a list of vendors your organization has used over the past year or two. Perhaps there are some on the list who haven't been approached to sponsor or exhibit. Maybe they aren't even aware of your event, and would welcome the opportunity to increase their business by being exposed to your attendees. You can get a list from your accounting department and/or your purchasing department, but also consider approaching employees and attendees - what products do your attendees use?

4. Similar Events, Similar Organizations
Take a look at your competition - who is exhibiting at their events? What companies are sponsoring them? It's  possible major sponsors won't be eager to sponsor your event if you're a true competitor, however you could certainly approach that sponsor's competitor. For example, if American Express sponsors one of your competitor's events, why not approach MasterCard? if you're an association take a look at similar associations. Take a look at other chapters or the national and international governing bodies.

5. Social Media
Who are you following? Who is following you? Are they interested in exhibiting or sponsoring? Twitter and Facebook have recently gotten much smarter at making connection suggestions, which makes it easier to find potential backers. And don't forget to tweet and post a call for exhibitors and sponsors - you never know who is out there that might be interested.

Got any other ideas on where to look for exhibitors and sponsors? Please comment below and share with us!

Hotels.com commercial - no friend to the meeting planner

Hey conference planners, have you seen this TV ad for Hotels.com? Does it bother any of you?

In case you didn't notice, it shows two office-types using the Internet to search for hotels to stay for a conference. Did you cringe at the thought like I did? Here's what pretty much went through my head....

No, please! Don't search online - we have already guaranteed rooms at the conference hotel for you! If you don't stay there then the organization will need to pay for the room (it's called attrition) and that will hurt us. This means we might have to increase membership dues and/or the cost of future conferences - in other words that costs gets passed along to you, the attendee.


Were you looking for a lower rate? Did you calculate in the cost of cab fare, rental car, gas, etc.? What about the hassle with traffic and finding your way around in another city? And by the way, the savvy meeting planner that worked on this contract guaranteed the lowest rate at the host hotel so you won't find a better deal there. Oh, and yes, she checks it twice weekly to be sure.


So please, Hotels.com, I beg you. Stick to vacationers and business travelers and leave our conference attendees alone!

I'm no slave to social media

Well, summer hiatus is officially over and it's time to get back to business. As you know, I am a full time meeting planner, but also a full time mom and wife - sometimes one's real life must take precedence over one's virtual life. This summer we were busy with football, work, family activities and other obligations, so unfortunately my blog (and Twitter) suffered for it.

I am sure I was not as missed as I would like to have been. But that's OK. I am first and foremost a "real" person and my "real" life always comes first. And I'm not ashamed.

I guess it all boils down to priorities. Sure, social media is a fun, free and popular way to connect with others, learn new things and promote your business/meeting/personal brand, but if you're spending more than an hour or two a week doing it, perhaps it's time to take a good hard look at the effectiveness of your work habits.

For me, it's crucial that I don't ever lose sight of what is really important in life. How different our lives will be a year from now. My oldest will have left the nest for his venture into adulthood by way of military service. My youngest will be a freshman in high school and already his social life is cutting into family time. I can see it on the horizon - more and more dinners for two (hubby and me) instead of four. And eventually, not too long from now, two at dinner is all we will have.

So I'm going to enjoy what I have now while I still have it, without regrets. If that means a few months between blog posts, then so be it.

What is a QR code and how do I use one?

Just when you thought you were on top of technology, along comes another new innovation. Using something called a QR code, your mobile phone can be utilized in yet another very productive way.

Let's say you're planning an event and you want people to add it to their calendars. Use a web-based code generator called Maestro to create a QR code. Send the QR code through email, publish on a website, print on a poster or even use it on a printed postcard that you send through the (gasp) mail. All your potential guests have to do is snap a photo of it with their mobile phones using a free app, and voilà, It's been added to their calendar in a matter of seconds!

QR codes can be used for web addresses, contact info (mine is inset, feel free to add me to your contacts), maps, text messaging and there's even a RAW mode, so you can customize these handy little codes to suit your needs. Have you heard the buzz about how you can soon use your mobile phone as your boarding pass? All made possible with QR codes!

A few examples of how you, as a meeting professional, can use QR codes:

• Print your QR code on your business cards - associates can take a photo of your business card and upload your contact info into their phones in a matter of seconds.
• Generate QR codes for registered convention attendees and train exhibitors how to upload attendee contact info instantly, using technology they probably already own.
• Print QR codes on attendee registration receipts and check them in at registration by simply snapping a photo of their printed confirmations.
• Generate a QR code for a map and directions to the conference location.
• Use QR codes to organize your conference shipments, handouts, sign placement... the possibilities are infinite.

Links:

• Maestro QR Code Generator
• SPARQCode QR code info & demo video
• Free QR code reader apps - available for Blackberry, iPhone, Palm, Windows Mobile and Droid phones (or check your phone's app store using a search for "QR code reader")
• Track flights using QR codes with FlightStats
• See how they're using QR codes to market Legos in Germany

17 ways to use Google Docs for meeting planning

I've been using Google Docs for some time now, and cannot understand why there would be any meeting planners out there who are not using it. If you are not sure what Google Docs is, here's a 3-minute video explaining what it's all about:



Google Docs is a wonderful tool that lets you collaborate with staff, AV vendors, hotel salespeople, conference service managers, speakers... the list goes on and on. Here's a handy dandy list of ways in which Google Docs (and other cloud computing systems) can be used in meeting and event planning.

Google Docs Documents
1. RFPs and detailed meeting specifications.
2. Simple informational websites for exhibitors and speakers - include policies and links to forms, hotel reservation site, show floor plan, etc.
3. Staff project wikis - Share login info, notes and contact information.

4. Printable forms and documents - flyers, sign-ups, etc.

Google Docs Spreadsheets
5. Meeting specifications and agendas - list setups, AV needs, etc.
6. Project timelines - have staff members update progress.
7. Conference reports - room lists, payments, exhibitor lists, registration reports, pace reports, etc.

8. Contact list - share emails and phone numbers of key planning contacts with your team.

9. Financials - budgeting and tracking expenses.

Google Docs Forms
10. RFP responses - have properties enter rate and availability, property info, concessions, etc.
11. Post-event evaluations - information is captured in a spreadsheet, which can easily be converted into graphical format.
12. Registration - if you aren't collecting payment, this is a quick, easy and free option, though attendees won't have the ability to change, cancel or view their submissions, and they won't get an automatic confirmation.

Google Docs Presentations
13. Handouts - attendees can access these as online presentations before or after the meeting.
14. Event promotion - create a slide show with meeting highlights and give your delegates a sneak peek at what they will encounter by attending.

Google Docs Drawings
15. Rough sketches of setups - these won't likely be to scale, but they might help communicate setup needs to the venue.
16. Flowcharts - create and share procedural flowcharts so team members are clear on responsibilities and progression of tasks.
17. Mind-mapping - because Google Docs are shared real-time, you can brainstorm and use graphical mind-mapping with colleagues during a conference call (or Google Talk chat!).

The possibilities are truly endless. How do you use Google Docs for event planning? Please share your ideas by leaving a comment below.