EventInterface launches iPhone App that enhances the event attendee's experience

EventInterface continues to revolutionize the planning experience for meeting planners and their attendees. Our newest tool, the EventInterface iPhone App enhances the attendee’s experience by placing all event data, communication tools and event social media at their fingertips.

“The App was designed to seamlessly fit in with our online management tool.” said Rod Bridges, company CTO and App Lead Developer. “Some registration software companies provide ticket scanning tools. Some companies provide costly one-time use Apps for conferences. At EventInterface, we aimed to provide the planner with an App that streamlines operations and engages the attendee, creating a much richer and more valuable event experience at no extra cost.” said Bridges.

The EventInterface iPhone App allows attendees to quickly access event confirmations and QR-Coded tickets. They can view and share event photographs. Planners can easily post schedules, event documents and videos to view pre-, during and post-event. Attendees can effortlessly gather other attendee contact information by scanning QR-Coded nametags. The App’s chat feature invites attendees to communicate with other attendees at the event using the App, a great tool to ask questions, set meetings, find each other, and even send pictures to other users. The forum feature allows attendees to view and participate in event specific forums. There are event directions and a growing library of planner resources.

The EventInterface iPhone App is free to download from the App Store. This powerful and innovative App is for Meeting and Event Planners who plan and manage events using EventInterface.com. Click here to download the free EventInterface iPhone App.

To learn more about EventInterface, visit EventInterface.com.

Be yourself, be creative, take chances!

Imagine, classic rock pounding, a silhouetted artist stands before a wall-size canvas clutching six brushes at once, wielding them like a rock ‘n’ roll drummer. As furiously wrought images of icons like Mick Jagger and Marilyn Monroe emerge, artist Brian Olsen swivels and jumps, attacking the portrait with fistfuls of paint. The crowd goes wild.

Read the full story here.
Learn more about EventInterface here.

Be inspired

Finding new and creative ways to make your events stand out can be a challenging task. One has to find a theme, décor, entertainment, food and beverage that work with the theme, and design the overall experience of the event.

On many occasions, one ends up in a ballroom, with yet again the same meal, same linens, familiar looking center pieces, the only band in town good enough to play the event, as the previous event.  Rarely though do you get to attend an event where all pieces gel into a wonderful experience for the attendee.

Finding inspiration however has never been easier. The internet is full of sources and ideas to make your event stand out from the crowd. Our current favorite is Pinterest, a scrapbook type website on which individuals or companies "pin" their favorite photographs, much like a traditional scrapbook, but online. Those ideas can then be shared with the world.  Browsing the site we have found some fantastic inspirational sources.

Miss Millionaires’ Caviar Affairs Pinterest album is stunning album with almost 900 inspirational posts and almost 12,000 followers. Overall, this person has more than 34,000 pins in a variety of categories.Definitely worth a visit!

A sampling of pictures from Miss Millionaires’ Caviar Affairs Pinterest album.

Type in event décor, special events, catering and thousands of inspirational “pins” populate the screen. Start being inspired today and sign up for your own free Pinterest account.

Find more inspirational stories in our Resource Blog here.

Learn more about EventInterface here.

Building your brand with schwag

As a planner you get to agonize over the types of goodies or schwag you want to distribute at meetings. I don’t even recall the many items I’ve received in registration welcome packets. At first, I found extra space in my suitcase and took the items home, only to toss them in a box in the garage. Once a year, usually when unpacking the Christmas decorations, I’d discover the box and it would be donated to a charity shop. Rarely would I keep an item. I do feel guilty about that, it seemed like such a wasted effort of time and money.  As an attendee I now rarely even take an item home.

Meeting clients however still want to give away schwag, and there will always be an audience for stuff. It is determining what to give away and its potential impact during and post-conference that is key to the success of the giveaway and your brand. It doesn’t help the cause if a large percentage of your attendees leave the stuff in their hotel rooms upon departure.  Once I asked hotel housekeeping to track items tossed during a conference.  In this casual observation we learned that more than 75% of the attendees left their schwag upon checkout. Who knows how many chucked out the items when they got home? This obviously was waste of money.

I don’t think there is a magical solution, but I reached out and asked other planners and attendees what they consider schwag worth taking home and therefore valuable to your brand.

HERE IS A LIST OF THOSE DESIRABLE ITEMS

1.       Designer laptop sleeves with discreetly placed event or vendor logo.

2.       High quality, well designed pens.

3.       First-class thermal coffee mugs to be used at the event, and then taken home.

4.       Well-made t-shirts or sweaters with discreetly placed event or sponsor logos.

5.       Thermal blankets with subtle logo. At least half of your audience will be too cold during sessions in hard to control meeting and ballrooms. Attendees will love these blankets, and since you no longer get them on the plane, they are great for the trip home too.  

6.       Care package of personal goodies including a nutrition bar, water, sunscreen, candies, product samples and more. Stuff to sustain attendees during the conference.

7.       Usable coupons or offers for items during the conference. A Starbucks gift card to be used at the coffee house in the venue, a complimentary cocktail offer at the resort bar, etc…  

8.       An item suggested by some, but perhaps out of range for most was the iPad. If you’re hosting that conference, let me know. I want to attend!

Share any items you have received or given to your attendees. I’ll include them in an update to this post. Click here to message me.

Thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions for this post!

See more helpful advice in our Resource Blog here.

Learn more about EventInterface

Inspired by champagne and caviar, this new hotel does not fail to impress.

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  Open just a few months, the new Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto is garnering high praise. It was just named one of the best new hotels in 2012 by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto at the corner of Bay and Adelaide Streets, the hotel is located on the 11^th through the 30^th floor in Canada’s tallest residential building at 65 stories. This is Trump Hotels’ first foray north of the border. Toronto is definitely booming, with at least 4 new properties opening this year. It is near the newly expanded Royal Ontario Museum and the Toronto International Film Centre building. Many of the 261 rooms and the stunning 12,000 square-foot health club and spa have views of Lake Ontario and the CN Tower.  
  Read the full story here.
  Learn more about EventInterface here.

Great Destinations: The City Beautiful

With more than 6.5 million feet of convention and meeting space, the second largest convention center in the United States, hundreds of hotels, this city is the ideal location to hold an annual meeting, tradeshow or convention.

Orlando is a world-class meetings destination that hosts more than 3 million delegates each year, and offers a variety of facilities that accommodate small groups as well as large citywide conventions and trade shows. The Orange County Convention Center is ranked second in the United States in terms of exhibition space with more than 2.1 million square feet. The Center also offers 479,190 square feet of meeting rooms. There are more than 11,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the center. An additional 4.6 million square feet of meeting space is available in the area's hotels and cultural venues.

Exterior of North/South Building at the Orange County Convention Center
© 2012 Visit Orlando

A SUSTAINABLE, SMART MEETING DESTINATION

More and more of Orlando is going green.  The area’s attractions, hotels, restaurants, corporations and civic leaders are all engaged in ongoing efforts to develop sustainable practices and programs to transform Orlando into a leading environmentally-conscious city.

Central Florida offers an impressive – and growing – array of accommodation options certified by Florida’s Green Lodging program.  More than 100 Orlando-area hotels have become designated properties in this program managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. To achieve this recognition, the facilities must follow certain eco-friendly practices including water conservation measures through low-flow plumbing  fixtures; linen reuse programs; energy efficiency and programmable thermostats; waste reduction programs such as recycling, purchasing items in bulk and purchasing recycled materials; as well as the use of green cleaners, high-efficiency air filters and clean air handler units.

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort
© Loews Hotels

Among the convention center hotels to achieve this distinction are the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort, Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center, Rosen Centre Hotel, Rosen Plaza Hotel, Rosen Shingle Creek and the Peabody Orlando. A comprehensive listing of Orlando green-certified hotels can be found at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website.

Peabody Orlando King Suite
©2012 Peabody Hotel Group

NEW AND EXCITING VENUES

Along with Orlando’s theme parks and world-class hotels, the city’s collection of unique venues for teambuilding activities, cocktail receptions and other special events keeps on growing.

Eco-minded groups will love Forever Florida, a 4,700-acre ranch and wildlife conservation area in the heart of Central Florida. The ranch debuted a new Zip-line Safari Experience, which includes a hike on Florida’s Trail (one of only eleven National Scenic Trails in the country) to the zip-line course where participants can speed over treetops 55 feet above the ground at 25 mph. Indoor event facilities include the Cypress Restaurant and Visitor Center for groups as large as 200 people. Planners with corporate responsibility on the brain will appreciate that thirty percent of tour revenues go directly back to Forever Florida’s conservation efforts. 

Grand arrival at Grande Lakes Orlando Resort
Photo courtesy of Grande Lakes Orlando Resort.

Another new outdoor teambuilding option is available at the popular Grande Lakes Orlando Resort, which includes the 584-room Ritz-Carlton, Orlando and 1,000-room JW Marriott. The resort opened The Grande Lakes Adventure Course for groups up to 30 people. The course offers a playground of high wire experiences including aerial walkways, dueling zip-lines, a 40-foot swing and a ropes course for teambuilding challenges. Cubicle dwelling attendees can breathe easy - the course is built for children as young as eight.

Break out of the boardroom with a rousing round of healthy competition at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, which was re-named the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in February 2010. The 220-acre complex encompasses a multitude of venues for meeting and event options including a 271-seat restaurant, a 9,500-seat Major League Baseball park and the 70,000-square-foot Milk House, an indoor sporting facility. Newly introduced teambuilding and special event options include an ESPN Poker Club Challenge, tailgate parties with truckloads (literally) of food for up to 1,000 guests, sporting tournaments (choose from softball, volleyball, soccer, or flag-football) complete with cheerleaders and announcers, team challenge scavenger hunts and Sports Central, a “sports bar meets television studio” event where sportscasters joke and jab with guests.

Sak Comedy Lab, Orlando’s popular improv comedy theater, is housed in an 8,000-square-foot space at the CityArts Factory. The downtown theater offers private shows and interactive teambuilding seminars for groups up to 200 people. The venue’s newest offering, “Cocktails & Comedy,” starts off with a round of drinks and follows with a live improv performance by Sak’s world-famous comedians. Sak’s unique approach of gathering information about a group beforehand makes for a hilarious and personalized experience. And if a group is stuck in the boardroom, the Sak team will travel. At Pointe Orlando within walking distance of the Orange County Convention Center, the Improv Orlando is both a comedy club and the Fat Fish Blue restaurant under one roof. The comedy club accommodates seated functions up to 350 guests, and the Mardi Gras-themed Fat Fish Blue seats up to 300 for private events.

The Amway Center, Orlando’s new arena opened in October 2010, is steps from downtown Orlando and serves as the home of the Orlando Magic NBA basketball team. The 875,000-square-foot center features the largest high-definition scoreboard in NBA history, 20,000 spectator seats and a slew of new amenities including 70 suites at three levels. For private events, the center offers a hospitality room overlooking downtown Orlando, the rooftop Sky Club bar, a full-sized practice court seating 500 for events, and five banquet rooms and one boardroom on the club level floor. The 31,000-square-foot arena floor is also available for exhibitions, meetings and events.

Riders on Manta, SeaWorld Orlando’s new attraction, get ready to drop over 100 feet
and find out what it’s like to spin, glide, skim and fly like a giant ray as they experience
the only flying roller coaster of its kind in the world.
Photo by – Jason Collier, SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld’s Manta roller coaster attraction can be used for special events during the park’s after hours. The hybrid attraction is part rollercoaster, part animal encounter with more than ten aquariums holding about 3,000 fish and rays. Cocktail receptions and dinners can be held inside the aquarium exhibit area for groups up to 600 and can include use of the 60-mph coaster.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™
© 2012 Universal Studios

Universal Orlando Resort’s famed land, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Islands of Adventure theme park is also a themed wonderland for meeting events. Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series, the park includes shops, dining, rides and attractions that bring the book’s setting, the world of Hogsmeade, to life. Groups can enjoy an exclusive performance by the Frog Choir - a group of Hogwarts students who sing along with their croaking frogs, or cheer on the Hogwarts students as they march from Hogswarts castle to the Triwizard Tournament.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

It’s a breeze getting to and from Orlando. Orlando International Airport (MCO) has more than 30 scheduled airlines, four charters and five cargo companies provide non-stop service to 88 destinations in the United States and 24 international cities. The airport is located about 15 miles from the Orange County Convention Center.

For ground transportation and parking information click here.

The city is also services by Orlando Sanford International Airport with eight airlines serving 31 U.S. and 17 international destinations, and Orlando Executive Airport.

Train service is available to Orlando as well. Amtrak serves Florida with the daily Silver Star and Silver Meteor trains from Orlando, Winter Park and Kissimmee and south to Miami or north to New York, making connections with Amtrak trains from the Midwest and Canada. Nearby in Sanford, Amtrak also operates the daily Auto Train overnight without scheduled stops to Lorton, Va., a Washington D.C suburb, carrying passengers and their cars, minivans, SUV’s and motorcycles. More information is available atAmtrak.com.

LYNX, Central Florida's public transportation system, provides economical and dependable bus service in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. LYNX bus stops are marked with a pink "bus'' or  "paw" print and include the route numbers served at that stop. Buses run in 15, 30 and 60-minute intervals, depending on location. Complete schedules are available online at golynx.com. LYNX also operates LYMMO, a free circulator bus in downtown Orlando with 21 stops reaching from the Amway Arena to City Hall. LYMMO buses run every five to 10 minutes.

For more information about holding a meeting in Orlando, visit orlandomeeting.com, call the Visit Orlando Convention Sales department at 800-662-2825 or 407-363-5847 or email Visit Orlando at sales@orlandocvb.com.

With appreciation to Visit Orlando for their support with this post.

Learn more about EventInterface here.

Trendy food trucks and a laser wall

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  About 100 committee members and Phoenix Art Museum supporters gathered at Scottsdale Air Center on April 25 for a casual pre-pARTy for the museum’s fall soiree. The 7th annual pARTy is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2012.
  Read the whole story here.
  Learn more about EventInterface here.

Bring it to the Beach

Long considered a premier vacation destination, Virginia Beach has become a top choice for meeting planners in recent years. The seaside resort’s mild, year-round climate adds to Virginia Beach’s appeal as the perfect meeting destination for every season. It offers the excitement of a large metropolitan area, nestled in the mild climate of a rich coastal atmosphere.

Center stage is the Virginia Beach Convention Center, the nation’s first LEED® Gold Certified for Existing Buildings Convention Center, and offering more than 500,000 gross square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 150,000 square foot, column-free exhibit hall; nearly 29,000 square feet of meeting space and a state of the art, 31,000 square foot ballroom. Located just blocks from the Virginia Beach oceanfront, the Convention Center offers competitive rates, a seasoned staff and 2,209 free parking spaces.

UNIQUE VENUES

Virginia Beach boasts a variety of unique venues for a themed event or special dinner. The Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, located at Town Center, is a 1,300-seat performance venue hosting artists of regional and national acclaim. For a truly grand affair, meeting planners can host an evening reception in the Sandler’s grand lobby, with sweeping staircases and an exquisite chandelier providing an elegant backdrop.

Stroll through the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, which can accommodate 350 guests, and enjoy exhibitions from international artists. Explore the ocean depths at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center during an evening reception for 2,000. It is home to 800,000 gallons of aquatic habitats, 300 interactive exhibits and an IMAX theatre. Now open is the Aquarium’s new Restless Planet permanent renovation, featuring 12,000 square feet of spectacular new habitats and exhibits, 110,000 gallons of aquariums, 6,000 new animals and 367 new species. The renovation more than doubled the animal collection at the resort city’s largest attraction and unique meeting venue.

HOTELS

The resort city boasts 12,000 hotel rooms citywide and 3,500 committable rooms within a two-mile radius of the Convention Center. New properties include a SpringHill Suites by Marriott at the Virginia Beach oceanfront and a Westin located at the Virginia Beach Town Center. Additionally, the Holiday Inn North Beach recently completed a substantial renovation resulting in all-new guest rooms and other amenities.

In 2008, the city was named a “Virginia Green Destination” in the Commonwealth, as a result of the Virginia Beach tourism and hospitality industry’s commitment to decrease its impact on the environment and provide environmentally-friendly alternatives for visitors. To date, 120 Virginia Beach hospitality businesses are certified by Virginia Green, including restaurants, hotels, attractions and events; in fact, 35% of all hotel rooms in the city are certified as “green.” Virginia Green even considers the city as a model for other destinations throughout Virginia. For more information, click here. 

GETTING THERE

Norfolk International Airport is located just 20 minutes from the Virginia Beach oceanfront, hosts most major airline carriers and offers 200 flights daily. Virginia Beach offers a myriad of options including Hampton Roads Transit, taxis, shuttles and the Virginia Beach Wave, a state-of-the-art hybrid-electric bus system providing eco-friendly shuttle service at the oceanfront. 

AFTER THE MEETING

After the meeting, tee up on award–winning golf courses, kayak through a wildlife refuge, charter a fishing boat and relax at a spa. Discover Virginia Beach's new downtown, Town Center, spanning 17 blocks of upscale retail, outdoor cafés exclusive dining and nightlife, as well as the new Sandler Center for the Performing Arts. Indulge your taste for Coastal Cuisine at more than 300 restaurants and savor local favorites such as Chesapeake Bay crab cakes, striped bass, she crab soup and oysters on the half shell.

GETTING STARTED

Meeting planners will enjoy the ease of event planning with specialized services and features such as customized site inspection tours of Virginia Beach, the Convention Center, hotels and attractions. The Virginia Beach CVB also provides professional advice and assistance in planning off-site events for convention and group gatherings; assistance in attendance-building materials, such as brochures, maps, and DVD/video; an Online Services Directory with helpful tools to ensure a successful event; as well as housing and event reservations assistance with Passkey, the industry leader for online group reservations management. Click here to visit the Virginia Beach CVB.

- Al Wynant

Read more stories at EventInterface.com

Convention Center photographs by Virginia Beach CVB
Contemporary Art Center of Virginia image courtesy of Justin Hawkins Photography
Westin Photograph courtesy of Westin

Money, money, money, it's...

Our latest in Good Advice tackles the event and conference budgeting process. I happen to enjoy this task and find satisfaction in meeting budgets, or doing better than anticipated. Planning a budget may sound daunting. Keeping a few simple rules in mind, the process really isn’t that challenging.

We’ve asked planners around the country for their best budget planning tips, mainly on how to budget wisely and save. The ideas and feedback were plentiful. In future posts we will address how to plan for very specific aspects of your event or meeting. In this first “budget” post, we’ve compiled some overall good ideas to share.

So here you have it, budget saving tips from professionals in the field.

Clockwise:
Cassie Brown, CSEP; Greg Jenkins;
Deborah Kattler Kupetz; Kateri J. Harried

CASSIE BROWN, CSEP
Chief Experience Officer with Tribble Creative Group in Charlotte, NC.

Cassie recommends having a well thought-out budget template that includes items that could be easily forgotten, such as a piano tuner, rider expenses, mileage and more. Remember things like permits and music licenses.  She suggests rounding numbers, rather than using exact numbers. Paying close attention and understanding tax rates and hotel service fees help in the budget process, and avoid any unpleasant surprises later on.

GREG JENKINS
Partner at Bravo Productions in Long Beach, CA shares the following:

Greg finds that a best way to start is by reviewing the group's historical patterns. If you have a firm grasp of historical patterns, it's a great way to start planning a budget, and an excellent means to avoid wasteful spending. For example, how much food and beverage was actually consumed? What was actual attendance versus projected attendance?

Negotiate every supplier contract for a better rate. If every supplier you’re using reduces their cost by 5%, you will save a significant amount of money.

Set the meal count lower than expected. Hotels and most banquet facilities will often charge a penalty fee for reducing the count at the last minute, but not for increasing it. Venues always make sure to have a few extra meals on hand. It’s nice when you need them, and even better not to have to pay for them if you don’t.  Also, request the venue to provide seasonal vegetables instead of more pricey items that are out-of-season such as asparagus, artichokes and exotic fruits such as mangoes, papayas, etc. Request pitchers of water, or water stations with cups instead of bottled water.

Research the venue's 'peaks and valleys' in deciding when to host your meeting or event. You'll likely to save some money when the venue is in less demand. You'll also be in a position to negotiate a better a contract with the venue.

KATERI J. HARRIED
Principal of Klover Events in Washington, D.C. shares the following advice:

When considering a location it is imperative you know whether the facility is union. Building this into your budget and timeline is an absolute must. Not doing so will significantly impact your bottom line and onsite operations.  

Researching the cost of internet access for your meeting rooms is hugely important. You almost always need some sort of access whether it is for the presenter or the participants. Speaking from experience, I had one property in Chicago try to charge me $40,000 for 100 people to use Wi-Fi over a four day period. Don’t get bitten by this one. Different hotels structure this different ways, so make certain to glean all the options and consider all additional fees on top (hotel, local, taxes and gratuity).

DEBORAH KATTLER KUPETZ
Owner of dkkevents in Los Angeles, CA. dkkevents is known for its “green” event planning.
Deborah shares the following bits of advice:

Don't put dates on corporate materials so they can be reused, saving money year after year.

Use technology as much as possible to allow attendees to communicate well in advance of event. All materials should be available electronically. You wouldn't believe the number of materials that are thrown away without ever being read!  I agree here with Deborah and share that EventInterface.com lets you do this easily for your events and meetings.

Avoid swag bags unless the items are absolutely necessary and utilitarian well after the event. Many event planners feel they need to include some sort of souvenir, but the majority of event attendees discard these items within days, even minutes of the conference's end.

Have you own tips to share. Send us a note and we’ll include it in our next Good Advice Budget post. Send your stories by clicking here.

-Al Wynant