ON THE BLOG: ALL POSTS
Written Communication 101: CAPitalizing on ALL CAPS
“There are instances in written communication where ‘louder’ communication or an emphasis on certain words or phrases is required.” Have you ever wondered why some people block print? Or, why typing a message in ALL CAPS means yelling? I mean, who came up with...
One-on-One Copywriting with ChatGPT
Artificial intelligence is the way of the future. Artificial intelligence is the villain of many sci-fi action movies. Artificial intelligence is the next big thing in customer service. Artificial intelligence is the next big thing in content creation. Ugh … that...
Sponsorship: Reconsidering Category Exclusivity
"Is category exclusivity more about ego or does it really add value?" Category Exclusivity refers to the right of the sponsor to be the only company within its product or service category that has a sponsorship relationship with a property or event. Category...
2022 Trends: Prediction, Perpetual or Passé?
"A quick Google search on ‘2022 Trends’ returns almost 3 billion search results on everything from home décor and fashion to technology and food." Whenever a new year rolls around, we tend to see a lot of predictions about trends. A quick Google search on ‘2022...
FIRE UP CREATIVITY in your marketing and events teams!
The first event that I ever helped to organize was a high school 3-on-3 basketball tournament. It was part of the requirements for my leadership physical education course in grade 12 (or ‘Honours Gym’ as we liked to call it). Honours gym was an elite group of 20ish...
Event Networking – in the post-COVID-19 era
"An outstanding networking experience is the result of a carefully structured and strategic event plan & design that facilitates interaction amongst attendees." I have always subscribed to the belief that it is the event producer who creates the environment for...
Sponsorship Valuation: What is Your Property Worth?
'Calculating the value of sponsorable assets is a daunting task for many sponsorship seekers.’ Sponsorship valuation is one of the most misunderstood aspects of sponsorship marketing and corporate partnerships. There are way too many properties who are seeking...
Everything You Need to Know About Virtual Events: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
“There is an interest and a need for digital events right now and I am determined to fill that gap with our same sport-inspired and business-driven strategies.” When the pandemic hit in March 2020, my team and I spent the first 6-8 weeks helping clients to roll back...
Live Events vs. E-Learning: 4 Reasons Why In-Person Events Reign Supreme
"One of the reasons that I love live (in-person) events is because they bring people together and stimulate creative juices and ideas." Prior to COVID-19, we were living in a pretty fast-paced digital world. I would even go so far to say that sometimes we forgot about...
I Produced a Live Event During COVID-19 and Lived to Tell the Tale
"COVID may be kicking the sh*t out of the events industry in Canada right now, but we’re here to tell you that with a little creativity and a lot of planning, staging an event during a pandemic is possible." We did it. After six long months of having almost no...
How to Avoid ‘Manels’ at Your Next Event
"Invite more women. Period. No need to overthink this." Whether it’s a live event (in-person) or a virtual (digital) event, ‘manels’ (all male panels) are a major faux pas. We live in a world where there are endless numbers of competent women who are in positions of...
Five Tips for Hosting a Green Event
“Hosting a sustainable event is not only gaining in popularity, it’s also way easier than you think.” I vividly remember spending hours in a small meeting room at the host hotel doing pre-conference prep the night before a client’s national conference. My butt was...
Five Trending Skills That Every Sports Professional Needs to Have
“Event professionals who want to succeed in any role related to organizing, planning or managing sports events will need to step up their game and be adept at the emerging trends in the events industry.” Events are Changing I’ve been working in sport on the sidelines...
The Money Tree: How to Increase Event Revenue
"I love to talk about creative ways to help my clients make more money through their event." Growing up, one of my dad’s favourite expressions was: “Money doesn’t grow on trees you know!” I told myself that when I became a parent, I would NEVER rant at my kids about...
Activation Ideas that Sponsors Will Actually Want to Sponsor
“It’s about the work that you, the event organizer, does to create and build the activation to make it turn-key and super easy for the sponsor to buy-in.” Event Sponsorship Event sponsorship used to be about logos plastered all over the place. I like to call this the...
Mascot Mania: Does Your Brand Really Need a Mascot?
"A good mascot with a strong marketing strategy behind him or her, can be a big win." Last year, on a post-event email survey for a client’s sport-related conference, an event attendee suggested that the event was in need of a mascot. My initial reaction was complete...
No Content Marketing Strategy? Here’s 5 Reasons Why You Need One
"People are pretty much adding any type of adjective in front of the word 'marketing'. I could create 'asshole marketing' and probably make it a thing." Jumping on the Bandwagon Kids say the darndest things (even big ones). The other day, my son (age 21) and I were...
Four Tips for Attracting Sponsors to a New Event
"Developing sponsorship partnerships is tough and it’s particularly tough with a new event or first-time event." For the most part, I’ve had a lot of success with finding sponsors for new events. But, recently I had some challenges with one event in particular... and...
Pre-Conference and Post-Conference: How to Maximize Your Attendance
“There’s a lot of pre-conference prep that needs to go into attending a conference if you really want to maximize your learning and networking.” So, you’re thinking of registering for a conference! How exciting! Or is it? Pre-Conference There’s a lot of pre-conference...
How to Avoid Hidden Event Planning Fees
“I’m referring to those pesky levies that get tacked onto final invoices and can potentially derail your event budget in the final hours (or post-event when it’s too late to adjust).” Event Budgeting When it comes to event planning, your event budget is usually pretty...
Ten Ways to Measure the Success of Your Event
"You may think you’ve raised the bar or hit a home run, but, let’s face it, you’re biased." Measuring Event Success Attn: Event Planners Do you ever ask yourself this question … Why are we doing this event!? Yes, me too. It usually comes up during the post-event...
Email vs Snail Mail: Three Ways to Ensure Your Message Stands Out
"Did you know that the average office worker receives 121 emails per day!? Only a handful of them actually stand out." Email vs Snail Mail Our inboxes are so jammed with electronic mail that snail mail is actually a thing again. That’s right. Direct mail via Canada...
4 Speaker Tips & Tricks: How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint
“Speakers are make or break. They’re a big part of what gets people talking before, during and after the event.” A carefully designed and executed event can quickly become sabotaged by speakers and presenters who fail to entertain and inform the event attendees....
7 Easy Ways to Promote Your Event Online
“What happens when you put your heart and soul into planning the event and no one comes!?” Event Marketing Event professionals invest a lot of time, effort and money into organizing events. We tend to obsess over every little logistical detail, we make lists, we...
How to Find AMAZING Event Volunteers
"Events are HUGE undertakings and are rarely a solo effort. So - how do you find the right volunteers? And what characteristics and traits should you be looking for?" How to Recruit Volunteers Events are HUGE undertakings and are rarely a solo effort. To help keep all...
Event Marketing That Converts
"Our members and stakeholders love us. They’ll for sure buy a ticket! We don’t need event marketing support.” In 2017, I had three events where the client struggled with ticket sales. The stress! On the logistics side, it was a total nightmare … in all three cases, we...
5 Common Sponsorship Mistakes
"Sponsorship is a relationship that requires you, the sponsorship sales person, to be a good listener." Sponsorship is a tough business. If you’ve ever tried to drum up even $500 for your daughter’s soccer team, you know how difficult it is to engage a corporate...
Say “YES” to Social Media Marketing
"The fact is that social media does work and it’s pretty much a mandatory part of doing business these days." The Hype It feels like lately every time I turn around there’s a new article or blog post on social media hacks. How to gain more followers! Social Media...
Event Budgeting: All About Variable Expenses
"Variable expenses can be WAY more challenging to predict than fixed event expenses, because they will almost certainly go up or down." Variable Expenses 101 A budget is said to be ‘a mathematical confirmation of your suspicions’. I hate to tell you this, but when it...
Truckin’ Along: 4 Tips for Hiring a Food Truck to Cater Your Event
“Food truck operators have lots of regulations to meet, especially when they are serving at private events.” Are you a food truck fan? I’m talking about the new age food trucks that offer anything from Asian to Indian that are popping up all over town – day and night....