MEET Las Vegas

MEET Welcomes New Vice President of Sales & Catering

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

MEET Las Vegas is pleased to announce a new addition to its team. Cory Harwell has joined MEET as Vice President of Sales and Catering.

Cory has spent the last decade in the hotel side of the meeting and events industry, working as VP of Food and Beverage at New York, New York Hotel & Casino. He also owned his own Tapas restaurant in Vegas and in 2010 he was voted Top 40 under 40 in Las Vegas for In Business Magazine.

For the past six years, Cory has volunteered with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity that holds massive head shaving events in Las Vegas to raise money for childhood cancer.

Cory is thrilled to be working with the amazing team at MEET and is looking forward to the opportunity to grow the brand.

“I’m excited to join a team that is embracing the vision of achieving all the potential that MEET has to offer, not only in Vegas but even in potentially taking the brand to other cities.”

To contact Cory, call (702) 734-MEET (6338) or e-mail him at charwell@meetlv.com. Welcome to the team, Cory!

What’s In, What’s Out for Business Events in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

With corporate events on the rise this year, companies are changing up how they do things. From entertainment to maintaining a strict budget, businesses are sprucing things up and honing in on their target audience.

Special Events magazine addresses the ins and outs of business events for 2012 in its March issue:

What’s In:

Big name speakers and entertainers
Events with targeted demographics
Reinventing annual company events
Sponsor participation and integration
Themed designs

What’s Out:

Incentive travel and promo gifts
Open buffets in the conference room
Careless spending

How is your company changing things up this year? What else do you think is in or out for 2012?

On Trend: Pop-Up Restaurants

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Pop-up restaurants have been growing in popularity in major cities across the country. These temporary restaurants set up shop for hours, days or weeks in various locations such as restaurants that close at night, commercial food establishments, hotel lobbies, etc.

These short-term restaurants are a great way for chefs to get to know the market in which they would like to open a restaurant, test dishes, and acquire a following without having to invest in opening at a permanent location.

Cities like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, New Orleans, Chicago, and Portland are all known for pop-up restaurants and the trend is catching in Las Vegas. Project Dinner Table blends excellent cuisine, community connection, and charity with its monthly pop-up community series.

Do you know of any other pop-up restaurants in Las Vegas?

Vibrant Colors Dominate Events in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

According to Special Events magazine, "Tangerine Tango" is the color for 2012.

The color, described as a “spirited, enticing hue” ensures vivacious colors will be popular at events this year.

G.E.T. Enterprises, Inc. has created quality melamine food service products that are on trend for the season. The exuberant and vibrant shades featured in their Brasilia and Keywest displayware will bring a fresh new perspective to any occasion.

What colors are you using for events this season?

Design idea: Imageglow Candles are Eco-Friendly, Stylish and Safe

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Imageglow candles’ signature Lantern Candles are a nice eco friendly, stylish and safe lighting solution for most any event. These candles have a clean-burning center surrounded by an eco-friendly wax shell or “lantern.” As the unscented, pure-burning candle melts, the design is illuminated.

Your guests will admire the candle design and, as a bonus, once the inner candle has melted, they can take them home and reuse the lantern by inserting a tea light. In addition, if you’re hoping to create an intimate setting but the venue prohibits open flames, these candles are the perfect solution because Imageglow candles are fully contained.

Check out the entire Imageglow candle selection on their website.

Facebook Pages to Change to Timeline Format

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

On March 30^th any business that has a Facebook page will automatically change to Facebook’s Timeline format, altering the way companies can market themselves on the social network.

Here are a few key things you need to know about the new format:

Landing pages are a thing of the past. With the new Timeline, brands can no longer have a landing tab with a message urging fans to “Like” the page. The cover photo has replaced the landing tab and is where a business can set the tone of their page and visually market their brand. The profile photo, which is separate from the cover photo, should be used for the brand logo, since this is what fans will see in their newsfeed when a post is created.
Update the About section. This section is front and center in the new Timeline, right under the profile and cover photos. This is where companies can sell themselves to their audience. Keep this section short and interesting.
Add Milestones. With Timeline, businesses can go back in time and create posts for major events in the company’s history. Add events such as the day the company was founded, past product launch dates, commercials, etc. Redbull used this feature and made a game of it. You can play along here: http://www.facebook.com/redbull

These are just a few of the many changes that come with Facebook Timeline for Pages. More information about Timeline and marketing on Facebook will continue to develop as businesses make the switch.

Have you converted your company’s Facebook brand page to Timeline?

3 Ways Event Planners Can Utilize Pinterest

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:58:00 +0000

If you have been on the Internet lately, you’ve likely heard about Pinterest. Pinterest is used as an online bulletin board for consumers to post (aka “pin”) images of the things they like. The social network's self-proclaimed mission is to “connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting.”

How can event planners use the popular social network for their business? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Inspiration. Search Pinterest, to find products, cuisine ideas and inspiration for your event’s theme, color or style.
Organization. For a planner working on multiple events, it’s hard to stay organized. Creating a board like “vendors” “catering” or “Jane and Jon wedding” can help keep everything in order.
Collaboration . This is one of the most beneficial features Pinterest offers. For each board you create, you can allow other users to contribute. This is especially handy if you have multiple planners working on one event.

Do you use Pinterest for business?

For more great Pinterest tips visit: http://blog.socialtables.com/pin-your-way-to-the-top-how-the-event-world-c

Top Trends for Events in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:31:00 +0000

If you’re planning a unique event in 2012 you’ll want to keep an eye out for these hot trends, according to leading rental companies.

Bring the outdoors in. Nature-inspired items like wood, linen and all things eco-friendly are popular right now. Use rustic tables, mason jars and elements from nature to create a rustic-chic style for your event.

Keep it classy. Simple accents of platinum or gold on classic white plates and glassware continue to be a popular choice in events. Cool, vibrant hues such as aqua, honeysuckle, eggplant, pewter are popular color choices for 2012.

Big tents are a hit. Tents give you the chance to create your own custom venue almost anywhere. Dramatic elements like glass walls, french doors and extravagant chandeliers add visual appeal to make tents an attractive choice for many events.

What is your favorite trend for 2012?

Pages Best Option for Marketing on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:13:00 +0000

Does your company use a Facebook profile to engage its online audience? If so, the profile is in danger of being shut down. According to Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, using a personal Profile (a.k.a Timeline) for anything other than an individual person is a direct violation of its policies. Switching to a Facebook Page is easy and required if you plan to continue to use the social networking site.

Here are some reasons why Facebook Pages are better suited for your company’s online marketing efforts:

Publicity. When your fans “like,” comment or share your posts it shows on their Timeline and may be posted in the news feed of their friends. This adds up to a whole lot of exposure for your company.
Your content is displayed in a more professional way. Having a profile for a company is confusing for your fans and you are limited in what you can do. With pages, you have the capability to create a landing page, share coupons and run contests.
Measure your influence. With Facebook Pages you are granted access to Facebook Insights. This allows you to see what content receives the most interaction, which can help your company better plan its social networking messages.

Does your company still use a Facebook profile?

MEET Staff Attend International Consumer Electronics Show

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

The Consumer Electronics Show or CES is the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology and America's largest annual tradeshow of any kind.

This year, MEET’s Dan Maddux and the rest of the staff attended the trade show held in Las Vegas to check out all the great exhibits.

See some of the unique exhibit areas and other photos from MEET staff at this year’s CES.

CES Sign

Dan Maddux at CES

Samsung Booth

Microsoft Booth

Aliens are afoot

Panasonic Booth

Four Tips to Boost Your Company’s Google Rank

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:26:00 +0000

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important parts of any marketing plan. You could be missing out on potential customers if your company’s website doesn’t rank highly in search engines such as Google. Here are four ways to increase your SEO.

1. Stay up-to-date. Consistently update your website and social media networks. If your site is updated regularly, Google rates it as more influential and your company will appear higher in search results. Also, you’ll want to link to your website from all of your social media pages. If you have multiple accounts with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., this can make a difference in how Google rates your site.

2. Imagine yourself as a searcher. Use Google’s free keyword tool and the knowledge you have of your company to discover words that your audiences use to search for information relating to your business. Make sure the content of your website incorporates those keywords.

3. Google loves links. When you link your site on other relevant websites your Google rank gets a boost. Anytime you guest post or register your site on directory sites or any other website, be sure to include a link back to your homepage.

4. Stop with the flash. Although flash player is cheap, easy to launch and looks professional, it ranks poorly with Google. Switch to Wordpress or other platforms for your site and you’ll instantly boost your Google rank. Plus, most smartphones can’t view flash player sites, so eliminating this could boost your website’s monthly visits.

How does your website rank?

Read 13 expert tips to improve your Google rank from Mashable.

Party Rental Companies to Support More Special Events in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Great news for the meetings industry! The new year likely will bring increased business, according to a survey conducted annually by Penton Media. The survey’s results showed that 64 percent of party rental operators expect to produce more special events in 2012 while only 18 percent of respondents expect to produce the same amount of events in 2012 than they did in 2011.

Additionally the survey predicts good news for both corporate and social events in 2012. For the new year a strong 60 percent of respondents said they expect business from corporate events to be stronger while 58 percent expect social or private events to be better in 2012.

Is your 2012 looking better than 2011?

Read the full survey results on SpecialEvents.com.

Vote for MEET as the 2012 Event Site of the Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:53:00 +0000

MEET Las Vegas is excited to announce it has again been honored as a 2012 Event Solutions Spotlight Award finalist in the Event Site of the Year category!

The industry-wide voting is now open. Please show your support and vote for MEET Las Vegas. Voting is open until January 31, 2012. Tell all of your friends in the industry to vote for us too!

We’d love to earn your vote. Feel free to check out our profile, and read highlights from our most memorable events from 2011. I think you’ll agree that we’re truly worthy of this prestigious award.

Vote online at http://ow.ly/84rQW. Recipients of the Spotlight Awards will be revealed at the Spotlight Awards Event in February.

Digital Graffiti Wall Draws Out Artistic Aspect of Event Attendees

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Ensure a fun, interactive holiday party with the Digital Graffiti Wall by Classy Event Group. This fun party idea is a great way to get event attendees into the spirit of any celebration.

How it works:

A photographer takes an attendee’s picture and instantly displays it on the wall. Digital “spray cans” are used to draw on the displayed photo. There is a wide palette of paint colors as well as animated stars, swirls, drip-effect paint and a variety of stencils use to decorate the photos. Graffiti wall vendors may even offer custom spray patterns and stencils to reflect your event or client. If you’d like, you can even hire an artist to work during your event to create exceptional art for the event attendees. Before the event ends, the guests can print a copy of the photo onsite or save it to a computer or website.

Do you have any cool holiday party ideas?

Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards Close to Ready

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:39:00 +0000

The meetings industry is nearly done with new standards for green meetings. The Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), an initiative of the Convention Industry Council, with its Green Meetings and Events Practice Panel. has created the meeting industry’s first comprehensive standards for environmentally sustainable meetings.

So far, standards from eight facets of the planning process have been ratified and should be published in soon. The eight sectors include:

• Audio-Visual

• Communication & Marketing Materials

• Destinations

• Exhibits

• Food & Beverage

• Meeting Venue

• On-Site Office

• Transportation

A ninth sector –Accommodations– is undergoing final balloting.

For complete details visit the Convention Industry Council’s website.

Use QR codes for Your Next Event

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

A hot trend in marketing right now is QR codes. These barcode lookalikes allow consumers with smartphones to scan a code and easily access a useful goodie from your company. The codes can contain almost any data you want, such as a website URL, a promotional flyer, contact info, etc.

QR code generators are generally free to use. Our favorite generator is from Delivr. Here are some of the ways you can incorporate QR codes into your events:

Share contact Information: Speakers and attendees can use QR codes in their presentations or on their name bades to share their contact information. Vista print offers free online business cards that you can easily suggest to your conference attendees.
Conference Handouts: Post a QR code somewhere in the meeting room of your next conference or event and participants can scan the session handout into their smart phone.
Vendor Brochures: Tradeshow vendors that would like to save money and trees could print only a few copies of their brochure to put on display, and have a QR code that directs attendees to an online version of the brochure. This also helps cut back on the amount of extra material attendees have to carry around.
Event Survey/Evaluation: Post the QR code to the evaluation form on the session screen and attendees can immediately provide feedback for the session they just attended.
Event Promotion: post a QR code on your event brochure and share it on your social networks.

How have you incorporated QR codes at your events?

Read these additional articles on QR codes at events:

Six Reasons Why You Should Use QR Codes for Your Next Event

Get Noticed at Your Next Event with QR Codes

5 Tips to Running Your Internal Planning Meetings

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Meeting planners hold planning sessions with the intention of getting business done quickly, but most of the time there is nothing quick about it. But planning a successful event requires regular meetings among the staff responsible for planning the event. Keep your next planning session on track with these tips:

Keep the amount of attendees small, about 5-10 staff members. If you have more, try breaking into small groups.
If there is a “Dominator” in the meeting—a staff member who talks too much, too loud or over others—be direct with them by telling them that they have had their turn and it is time to let the others speak.
You can also give the dominator a task, such as taking notes, to keep them busy and feeling productive.
To engage the quiet ones in the meeting, ask them direct questions like “John, what is your opinion on this matter?”
Schedule the meeting to end at lunch time. If participants know that there is a specific amount of time available for the meeting, they will get their point across quickly and the meeting will end on time.

Check out these articles for more info about small meeting management:

Meeetingsnet.com

CNN

Meetingsnet.com Blog

How do you keep your planning meetings on track?

Survey Shows Attendees’ Top Difficulties with Trade Shows

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:50:00 +0000

A new survey by GenieMobile gives event organizers a rare glimpse into the minds of attendees. The results: keep the great content, improve the communication and organization.

• Good news for event organizers as results showed exhibitors and sessions are still a key draw—Over 44 percent said they choose one show over another based on the exhibitors and 29 percent based on the sessions.

• More than 57 percent of survey takers suggested event organizers could improve their events by “making it clear who’s who among exhibitors,” suggesting that clearer communication about exhibitors could go a long way with attendees.

• Another 32 percent want more personalization, suggesting organizers should help attendees organize the event for their needs.

• What do survey takers hate the most about events? More than 57 percent named pushy sales people as their top beef, with another 30 percent saying “not finding my way around” is their biggest complaint.

Do you agree or disagree with the survey findings? What have you done to improve your events for attendees?

Thank You Veterans!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:22:00 +0000

Thank you Veterans for your courage, service and sacrifice for our country.

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” ~Elmer Davis

Send a note of thanks to a military member, Military Facebook.

MEET illuminated in Red, White and Blue

Holiday Party Season on the Up-and-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

It’s holiday season. . . which means, parties galore! Whether you are an event planner, venue owner/operator, caterer or host, you can appreciate that there will be no shortage of celebrations this holiday season.

In a survey by Special Events Magazine, two-thirds of caterers foresee solid holiday party business this year. Although their clients are not demanding discounts, caterers are offering more affordable menus with a creative spin on traditional holiday cuisine.

Many caterers are also seeing advance bookings increase, but smaller parties than in years past. According to the caterer from the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel in Boston, the average number of guests at this year’s holiday parties will be 200-250, quite different than that of the 800 guests attending parties in 2007.

Are you planning a holiday party this year?

Create and Use Twitter Hashtags for Your Next Event

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:24:00 +0000

Creating a hashtag on Twitter for your event is a great way to increase visibility and build buzz online for your event with attendees and potential clients who are not able to attend. A hashtag is cheap, quick and easy to create for your next event.

Create a Hashtag
A hashtag is a short character string preceded by a hash sign (#) that attendees can add to their tweets. This groups all of your attendee tweets. Just search for the hashtag and you and your attendees can see everything that is being said about your event.

You’ll need to decide what your event hashtag will be. It should be short and easy to use as a word in a sentence. Before you can finalize your hashtag, visit Twitter Search and search for the hashtag with and without the “#” symbol to see if anyone else is using it. Make sure you pick a hashtag that is not related to any other event. More on this is offered here.

Promote Your Hashtag
Once finalized you can start promoting your event hashtag. You’ll want to add the hashtag to your event website, social networks, marketing materials, press releases, etc. This will let both attendees and non-attendees alike start tweeting about your event before the eventit even starts.

Get Your Team Involved
Have your company employees prepared to take part in tweeting. Train your staff on how to use Twitter and send them some suggestions as to what and how they should tweet. If you have some tweets already planned you can pass them along to your team and encourage them to respond and retweet your posts.

Interact
Make sure you interact with attendees during the event. Respond to and retweet their posts. You can even endorse your most lively tweeters by thanking them (via your twitter) for actively tweeting during your event.

You can find more tips “Maximizing Your Event Hashtag” here.

Have you ever created and used a hashtag for an event? Did you find it to be successful in creating interaction between your company and attendees?

Popularity Grows for Hybrid Events

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

A hybrid event is a conference, seminar, meeting etc. that combines in-person events with an online component. Hybrid events are a popular way to increase participation at traditional events at a low cost. They are also a great way to allow people that may not be able to travel to your event to participate.

For the last few years hybrid events have steadily grown in popularity. According to an online poll from Special Events, 70% of respondents either stage hybrid events now or are considering doing so.

If you are considering planning one of these events take a look at these tips for keeping it “Quick, Light, and Easy”.

Have you planned a hybrid event? How did your event go?

Icebreaker Tags Make Networking Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:24:00 +0000

What if you could change that typical first question at networking events to something more creative and fun? How about instead of a cliché question, the first thing someone wants to talk about is “If you could induct one new word into the dictionary it would be…”

Icebreaker Tags is a website that helps you or your attendees make name tags that create an excellent conversation starting point. And, it’s free! The tags include your name and a question of your choosing. Optionally, you can add an image, such as your logo or a picture, to the name tag. You or your event attendees can write their answer to the question on the tag and start networking!

For ideas on questions to put on your name tags, check out the Icebreaker Tags Flicker pool. Don’t forget to add a photo of your Icebreaker Tag while you’re at it!

10 Tips for Working Trade Shows

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:02:00 +0000

In the era of webinars, video conferencing and email, people appreciate personal contact more than ever. Although attending a trade show is a serious financial commitment, it has the potential to pay off in a big way. Still, it's hard to know whether attending a particular trade show will be worth the expense.

If you’re having trouble deciding whether or not to attend the next big trade show check out these 10 tips from Entrepreneuer.com.

1. Review the speaker list.
2. Look at the attendee list.
3. Check out the seminar list.
4. Consider renting a booth.
5. Schedule appointments.
6. Eat lunch for two hours. Networking in the lunch area is an effective way to meet potential clients.
7. See booths systematically. Save your time and feet by planning out which booths you want to visit before you get into the expo.
8. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes.
9. Watch your liquor consumption.
10. Follow up and connect.

To see the entire article visit Entrepreneur.com

What Pops Gets Attention!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Coindreau) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Is a pop-up store right for your business or your clients? MEET CEO Dan Maddux explores the marketing trend and its applications in his latest Meetingsmags.com article.

Historically, there have been only two types branded retail establishments—traditional “brick and mortar” businesses and online stores. Recently, however, savvy marketers are turning to a new trend–the pop-up store.

This marketing tactic entails a branded temporary storefront built around high-traffic areas like SoHo in New York City, or around a popular tradeshow or industry event.

The idea is catching on as many brands try to distinguish themselves and get reactions from resellers and consumers. Is a pop-up store right for your business or your clients?

Read the full article