Event Planning

Here's EarthFirst's take on the DNC's green efforts. Personally, I like the lanyards that informed their wearers, "I used to be a soda bottle."Having been downtown during the Convention for a few events, I can say that the size of the event must have made it very hard to control the green efforts outside of the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field (and it was likely pretty hard even within convention walls).It made me think, though, of my interview with GMIC's Executive Director, Tamara Kennedy-Hill, and her thoughts on the importance of leaving a place better off than…

I really like Twitter (I first talked about it here) and I love how it can be used during events to create a better experience for people at the event (and for people who wish they could be). Twitter seems to reach its full potential when being used in connection with events.As a PR friend noted in her company blog yesterday, there is no shortage of twittering about the DNC. I have really enjoyed hearing from everyone and I think Twitter's role in the DNC is a success, but I have run into some things that I think should be improved upon next time around. 1. Companies or media groups (and…

Here's a glimpse at the DNC Delegate schwag bag that was assembled by the good people at Goodwill Industries. I see some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (seems like an odd choice, but it looks like it might be a special edition box), chapstick, and Joint Juice (which I tried while down in the convention area yesterday--not bad if you need a little extra glucosamine). While not notably green, I do think the tote bag is more likely to be reused than some. If I were a delegate, I'd proudly tote that bag to the grocery store every time.

A commenter on my post about the ASAE Annual Meeting directed me to the ASAE YouTube account, which has a discussion of the member directory (and an explanation of why they chose to use that instead of LinkedIn or Facebook), as well as several other videos (including several related to the annual meeting).

Me? I carry on two laptops and a projector. So this report from MeetingsNet caught my eye. Some companies have gotten the big idea to develop TSA-approved bags that allow you to just send your bag on through. Without removing your laptop.

New York-based Loews Hotels has promoted Michael Dominguez to the newly created position of vice president of global sales. In his new role, he will oversee the hotel's national sales efforts, as well as its role within the meetings and events industry.

In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, hotels that had closed their doors in New Orleans on Aug. 31 in accordance with a citywide mandatory evacuation order are reopening this week, most of them breathing a big sigh of relief. Among them are sister properties The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, and the nearby Iberville Suites, which announced this week that they will reopen today.

In Canada, meetings are big business, according to a new study from Toronto-based Meeting Professionals International Foundation Canada. The first-ever research study conducted on the economic impact of meetings in Canada, it shows that as recently as 2006 the meetings sector in Canada generated $32.2 billion in direct spending.

In response to slowing meetings business and lagging tourism, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority told its board of directors last month that it will tackle in three separate phases a planned $890 million renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Digitell, a Jameston, N.Y.-based creator of digital technology for the conference industry, has announced the introduction of its latest tool, an electronic meetings venue known as the Virtual Convention Center.

If you are looking for an example of an outstanding event website, check out the GOP site, no matter which party you cheer for: GOPconvention2008.com.  I really like the clear visual separation between the event days, with the day of the week written vertically and parting like a curtain when you first enter the site.   If you have the need to communicate venue locations for a complex event, take a peek at how they set up the schedule under "News Portal" by clicking on the News button the bottom banner (or left column).   The site uses Google Calendar (a free product)…

Rolling out the red carpet treatment for your guests isn't limited to just a "Red" carpet.  At Yahoo!, where we drank purple cool aid, we naturally rolled out the 400 foot "Purple Carpet" when special clients arrived.   And they loved it, chuckling all the way down the long walkway.       Photo above from Corporate Events UK Hilton Event.  Gorgeous.You can often rent a carpet from a party decorator for a special event to match your theme colors and give your guests a special welcome.  Because the carpets are not your highend living room…

How beautiful is that HD Screen at the Republican National Convention? The screen is the largest HD Screen in existence, standing 51x30 feet and created by 561 Hibino four-mm Chroma LED panels.  Very impressive, especially with our flag waving as the backdrop.                      RNC CEO Maria Cino (aka chief logistics juggler) stated this morning she chose the impressive backdrop to help viewers feel more connected to the many speakers that will be viewed via the big screen.  Cino's goal is to convey the candid and…

If you're looking for something unique, something for people to talk about at your next dinner party, consider hiring a celebrity chef.  And not just any chef, but a former White House Chef.  Walter Scheib was the White House Chef from 1994-2005, serving the Clinton's for two terms and Bush for one term. Chef Walter Scheib is now available for several types of events:  group cooking lessons for team bonding, prepare a "White House Birthday Dinner" for your special someone, cook in your home for an intimate dinner party, or be the chef (and star) of your large charity or…

When hosting a dinner party at a restaurant or hotel it's a very nice touch to customize your menu card by including your logo, a ribbon in your company colors or simply typing your company name at the top.  Often restaurants will do this for you, but if you want to do it on your own it's quite simple.  In the templates section you'll now find three menu card templates for weddings or dinner parties.  One version is long and thin showing a wedding buffet dinner menu, the other wider showing a plated corporate dinner, and the third is a square shaped menu card.  There is no…

The Professional Convention Management Association and MeetingMetrics have announced the availability of a new online session evaluation survey as part of the online meeting results measurement system.

Center ends bottleneck in search for sustainable thirst-quenching.

Meetings ROI is becoming more automated than ever with sophisticated new tools that promise planners detailed insights into learning achieved, behavior changed and money gained.

Manuals offer guidance on AV, marketing and just about everything else.

Yesterday marked the last convention to be held in Canada's existing 84,000-sf Ottawa Congress Centre.

Fans of MTV’s The Hills have witnessed Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt argue on TV countless times, but at last night’s Facebreaker launch party, the couple duked it out in an actual boxing ring. No real punches landed though. The two merely faced off in virtual reality, competing at the release of EA Sports Freestyle’s latest boxing game. Guests witnessed every jab, kick, and knockout on a giant screen that hovered over a boxing ring that sat in the middle of the dance floor at Avalon Hollywood. A scantily clad girl within the ring held up a sign announcing every round of…

Miami Beach residents and Labor Day tourists stopped in their tracks on Friday, as two camels, wearing elaborate Moroccan duds and escorted by costumed camel wranglers, trekked down busy Collins Avenue in front of the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach. The stunt, organized by Dan Vazquez, president of newly named A.O.M. Events (formally All Over Miami), was just one of many Moroccan elements presented as part of the goodbye luncheon for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel's week-long sales training program. "The hotel choose the Moroccan theme, and I was thrilled," Vazquez said. "I could use the vibrant colors…

Dwyane Wade-who led Team USA to victory over Spain in this year's Summer Olympics in Beijing by scoring 27 points to nab the country's first gold medal in the event since 2000-celebrated the win by hosting a white-and-gold-themed event at Nikki Marina on Saturday. The celebration kicked off the team's official homecoming with partygoers decked out in the theme colors, plus a touch of red. Guests mingled outside near the docks while waiting to catch a glimpse of the All-Star player and evening's host. As the celebration moved indoors to an all-white setting festooned with fresh lilies in clear…

The 2007 Gourmet Feastival, the annual fund-raiser benefiting the Centre for Women in Tampa, was so well attended that the event plan for the 17th annual event on August 28 included an expansion in venue space. Once again held at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, this time the silent auction was housed in Ferguson Hall while the tasting portion of the event remained in Carol Morsani Hall, which also provided a smoother flow of traffic among the evening's nearly 1,400 attendees. The decor inside the tasting area was focused around the chocolate brown of the new event logo designed by Allen…

With ISES Eventworld taking place simultaneously 187 miles to the southwest, MPI's 17th annual SEC Conference still managed to bring together nearly 350 event professionals to North Florida's Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa from August 21 to 23. Here's what attendees had to say: "This was my first time in attendance, and it most definitely won't be my last. I thought the educational content was relevant and the speakers were great. Overall, the local chapter did a great job with scheduling. I have already next year's date penciled in on my calendar." -Susan Relihan, regional director of…

The bride and her mom peer into the mirrored oval dance-floor….and the uber talented photographer Liz Banfield catches the moment!! The completed tent!!

I am taking Destination Friday’s to new heights! I thought I would share a bit of my summer fun. Have a great Labor Day Weekend and we’ll see you on the other-side of summer. LAVALLETTE, NEW JERSEY  I visited my home away from home….Lavallette, New Jersey. I have summered there since childhood. I sneak off to my little mecca whenever I can-winter, spring, summer or fall! I met my brand new baby cousins-Emma and Kate. Ohhh-they are delicious. Little miss Kate a wee bit sleepy on the beach. LAUREL LAKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE. We did a company road trip to New Hampshire and stayed at…

Central Synagogue in Manhattan is an exquisite space and the chuppah we designed needed to have a strong presence but not compete with the beautiful surroundings. Built in 1872, Central Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Manhattan. Designed by Henry Fernbach, the design is loosely called Moorish-Islamic Revival. The 14 foot high chuppah was constructed in sections and then filled with boxwood. The exterior is dominated by two octagonal towers rising 122 feet and are meant to be reminiscent of Solomon’s Temple. The chuppah was constructed in sections and brought to the…

Nantucket itself provided the inspiration for this destination wedding.  I collaborated closely with Karen Bartolomei of Grapevine Couture Invitations. We drew from both history and locale in designing this beautiful papery suite. Nantucket was a major whaling port in the 19th century and we wanted to capture the nostalgia of the period in the design of the invitation and accompanying papery. In our research we found that many whalers kept journals, so we created an invitation in the form of a whaler’s journal. The journal was made from book board covered with linen and gave a nod to the…

Many of you know that I don’t shy away from making bold colorful statements when designing a wedding. The opposite approach - using more subtle and softer colors — can be just as effective in creating a dramatic setting that is sophisticated and romantic, younger and fresher. Hurricane lanterns add height as well as soft lighting to this Palm Beach wedding dinner. Mercury balls placed at the base of the centerpiece reflect the candlelight and the beautiful Phalaenopsis Orchids, creating an elegant symphony of white. Tall Venetian hurricane lanterns surround a low arrangement of…

It was an eventful day and wanted to share it with you. I started off with a visit to the Duck and Decanter in downtown Phoenix with a corporate client of mine who is throwing an awesome party for 1,800 federal and statewide judges and lawyers. Yeah, how strange did that feel having them sign my contract. So intimidating. I am anxious to get working on this one as it's to be planned without a lot of time for preparation, but am ready for the challenge.On my venture downtown, I thought about how much I love the area and am extremely excited about all the changes our city is making to bring…

I wouldn't quite say I am a Star now (Mom would) but I did get the chance to shoot a reality TV episode recently called Party Mommas. The show is produced in Ontario, Canada and is featured on the WE channel and Slice. My show has aired in Canada thus far and is repeating several times on the network now. I am waiting to hear when it will air on the WE channel in the states.Here is a few paragraphs explaining what the show is all about.Party Mamas follows outgoing mothers as they plan over-the-top extravaganza parties for their children. Gone are the days of pin the tail on the donkey and…

The first time I met Alan & Kasey (and Kasey's brother who was her Man of Honor and made my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard) my gut told me this was going to be a super fun and memorable wedding and it was. Kasey was so easy to work with and Alan was very involved in the planning process and which is awesome because many grooms are so passive and don't have a ton of interest. Alan & Kasey were ideal clients. Their families were tremendous and it was a complete delight to work with them. Last year I wrote a blog post about how I was touched by an RSVP from one of their guests. I…

When speaking of an American pastime or specific events that occurred within it, the question that always seems relevant is "Who was president during that time period?”. Due to the current zealous presidential campaign that our country is embarking upon, reverting to the basics and the retro history of presidential elections seemed fitting for this challenge. We present our table design as the Retro Political Period. With faded hues of our American Flag, nostalgic retro cigarette candies, ballot cards as menu pieces and the signature political pins, we wanted to take you to the retro times…

I met Tamara a few years back and just fell in love with her excitment and passion for wedding photography. Since then, we have become friends and I am proud to say that her and her partner Sara have obtained studio space. It's a huge step and I am very proud of their accomplishment.I wanted to share with my readers their upcoming open house and offer. Here is an email I recieved from them and would like to offer it to you.Brides for Brides Photography announcement: "We've Moved into a Studio! Our new studio is located in the premier, Spanish-style Tlaquepaque complex in North Phoenix.

I received this wonderful tip via Jennifer from Earth Friendly Weddings and all I can say is thank you thank you thank you! I don’t like wasting paper and since I would say my techie google skills are not too shabby my favorite way of organizing myself is electronically through google reader, notebook, and documents. As a planner this works for me, but a bride needs something more.This was just the thing that I was searching for… at Green Lily Events we offer an organize yourself consulting package and I was on the prowl for a wedding notebook like the one provided by Russel &…

Do you ever forget your half full nalgene lying around a little too long? when you remember and take a sip of it you get this funky plasticy taste? I think I found the solution to your problem in these nifty SIGG bottles made out of aluminum. I first found these bottles via a post from Miss Canary on Weddingbee and was so impressed.The thing that makes these bottles so great is that they promise not to leach any icky chemicals into your water which in turn is simply healthier. Not only do they NOT alter the taste of water, but they are also lightweight and offer a plethora of cool designs to…

I wasn’t kidding when I said I was an etsy addict. Seriously… Hello my Name is Michelle and I’m addicted to etsy.com. You will probably see etsy sellers mentioned a lot here so brace yourselves. I found Bliss Soy Candles through one of my personal blogs http://crueltyfreeetsy.blogspot.com/. Bliss candles has a plethora of yummy scents. So much better for you too! All natural, cotton wicks, and longer burning time it just makes sense you would want to avoid those icky petroleum based candles that cause all that soot on your ceiling and cause you more money in the long run.

Oh Melissa shoes how I heart thee. Let me count the ways… you are not only chic and stylish- you are also sustainable. You little shoe prove that being eco chic does not mean sacrificing style. Melissa shoes are the Brazilian based company that are keeping it totally green. These shoes are 100% recyclable and made from plastic!!! Their jelly like texture makes them super comfy and the fact they are void of animal products makes them perfect for my vegan brides. Melissa shoes takes it an extra step by recycling 99.9% of their waste, recycling overstock, and giving back to the Brazilian…

I love Elizabeth Anne Designs… no let me rephrase that.I [HEART] Elizabeth Anne Designs! A shout out to all my girls at EAD and many thanks for linking us to the new EAD library full of great wedding vendors recommended and reviewed by brides and wedding specialists. If you have worked with us hop on over and leave us some love!

No, this post isn't about an upcoming wedding, I'll be hunkering down for tropical storm Hanna in Charelston today, and preparing for Hurricane Ike and his undpredictable path o' destruction! Post soon!

What a little lighting can do. It never fails, so many people overlook building a great lighting scheme into their decor budget, they figure string (twinkle, christmas, whatevs) will do the trick, but with that you only get the same ol' thing! I highly encourage looking into professional lighting! See?! What a transformation from day to night. Below, a great pic of an entire tent lighting scheme, and some other details from this beautiful wedding!photos: StyleMePretty.com

LOVE someecards.com (Thanks Maggie!). Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

You've probably seen that show Rock the Reception by now, or been sucked into watching a few Youtube videos of funny first dances at weddings. So here's another one, I picked it because it's fairly short, and very funny, and not to mention it's my favorite karaoke song.

I do feel funny saying Furry Affair, but that's what happened at Memminger Auditorium (obvs the new event hot spot!) this past Saturday evening. The "affair" was a combination silent and live auction benefiting the Charleston Animal Society. Tristan restaurant provided the food again this year, and as always it was delicious. Group Dynamics also sponsored rentals and linens this year-- if you haven't been to their new place on the JI, you should see what they've got.

Meeting and event planners are always searching for new event planning tips, whether it's to use for their next meeting or to simply know what others are doing so that...

The Motivation Show includes a combination of travel destination and promotional incentives under one room. More than 13,000 buyers and exhibitors attend the Motivation Show each year, which includes more...

At the MPI World Education Congress in Las Vegas, Meeting Professionals International announced that it has recreated its monthly magazine and launched a new edition effective August 2008. The magazine...

Meeting planners organize seminars, a lot of them. For those interested in understanding the basics of planning a seminar, this process can be achieved in nine easy steps: Confirming the meeting...

With nearly 4,400 attending the MPI World Education Congress (WEC) 2008, this was the association's largest turnout in history, and attendees received a special welcome by the staff at Mandalay...

Meeting Planner Joan Eisenstodt and venue-supplier Grace Markum share 10 things venues should NOT do when the market begins to shift from a sellers’ to a buyer’s market. Don’t offer deep discounts. Don’t cut the advertising and marketing budgets. Don’t make your marketing sound like a fire sale. Don’t cut the number of people on the sales team. Don’t fall off buyers’ radar screens. Don’t become invisible. Don’t overlook the SMERF market. Don’t stop learning. Don’t overlook your local and regional market. Don’t take a business-as-usual stance. Add to this…

Sounds ironic to use the word retreat and the Windy City of Chicago in the same statement. The Windy City elicits thoughts of a big city, tall buildings, restaurants, shopping, Lake Michigan, the Bears, snow and, of course, traffic. A couple of weeks ago our company held a retreat in Chicago to get away from the phones and the distractions of the office. It was hard for me to imagine not being distracted in Chicago with all that is available in the city. I now think of Chicago as a retreat city even though we were in the center of the city, two blocks from Michigan Avenue. For three days, we…

I’m really good at setting business goals for Unique Venues and I’m even better at creating goals for my husband and 3 boys. I’m just not so good at creating personal goals for myself. Until one day in early June when I found myself at a triathlon party…I mean meeting. Before I knew it, I had a training schedule in my hand and had agreed to train for and compete in the “Tri-for-the-Cure” on August 3rd in Denver. I’d never tried a tri before and I wasn’t even sure if I could even remember how to swim! But my biggest concern was as a working…

Check out this great You Tube post that certainly hit me over the head with reality! Wow! I think that everything here is transferable to marketing and sales. It’s crazy! R u marketing in the present and with the future in mind? Maybe it’s time to rethink your approach. I know I need to “shake it up” a bit myself! BLOG on!

What’s this world coming to?  Another critical association has bit the dust!  Yesterday it was announced that the Men’s Dress Furnishings Association (MDFA for all of you that are familiar with it) is dissolving.  It’s true.  The tie makers just aren’t doing the biz anymore.  They say it’s because men aren’t wearing ties on a regular basis any longer…but I think it’s because the ties designed are just so damn ugly! Here’s to perpetual dress down days!

I know people believe editors and reporters are always looking for bad news. It’s not true, of course, but we also try not to shy away from i...

I did not have high hopes for the opening general session of the ASAE & The Center for Assn. Leadership Annual Meeting & Expo. The name of ...

In a continuing series that could be titled “One of These Days This Could Get Serious,” there seems to more evidence that the increasin...

The one and only time I interviewed Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., in January 2005, he put his portable tape recor...

If these are the dog days in Las Vegas, they’re the big-dog days for the city’s tradeshow and convention business. Sure, our editors in...

Chris, Upon reading your comment, I realized the shortfall of my August 20, 2008 post Registration Vendors and General Contractors, in not adequat...

Weighing in at 10lbs, 1oz, Jason Paul joined big brothers Ryan and Preston on August 26, 2008. Coach Nold has been kept busy with late ...

With the advent of recent presentation technologies like Microsoft’s PowerPoint and Apple’s Keynote, the art of presenting has ...

In the world of the ‘blogosphere’ there are a couple of common questions all bloggers should ask: Does it matter what time you ...

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Gaylord Entertainment will buy 100 acres in Mesa, Ariz., near Phoenix for a resort-convention center complex. 

According to George Little Management, the New York Intl. Gift Fair will make a one-time shift of its winter dates to a Sunday-Thursday format Jan. 25-29 because of venue availability.

According to the Metropolitan New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, there was "no significant damage to the hospitality infrastructure of New Orleans" from Hurricane Gustav.

RJ Promotions is launching a new show, the El Paso Spring Home Show, in its consumer show division.

George Little Management, a dmg world media company, has moved the Tourist, Resort & Imprinted Products Show West from Toronto to Vancouver and shifted the dates to March 1-3 at BC Place. It will run in conjunction with the Vancouver Gift Show.

Curious about the breakthrough application that allows meeting planners and suppliers to send event specs back and forth in a standardized format? Join the leaders of APEX, an initiative of the Convention Industry Council, in a must-attend webinar introducing Powershop.

Put switching to bioware on your meeting's green “to-do” list

At its annual meeting last week, ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership put some action behind the 2008 diversity initiative announced at last year’s conference by opening the meeting with a panel of diversity experts

The Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange initiative has launched APEX Powershop, a hosted software application designed to help meeting planners submit RFPs more efficiently.

The National Institute for Quality Improvement and Education is holding its first annual conference

The 2008 GreenSummit will open in Phoenix on September 5, with Hargrove as its general services contractor. With the largest show of its kind in the s...

The Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association (HCEA) has published the 108th edition of its Directory of Healthcare Meetings and Conventions, the...

Exhibit Lighting Group will release its Chapter Four Webinar, ‘Projection Possibilities', today, August 28, 2008. BRBR Understanding the projec...

For the second year in a row, General Graphics (GGE), San Francisco, was selected for Inc.'s list of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the...

Professional Exhibits and Graphics, an industry leader in trade show displays, has brought onboard three sales professionals to its award-winning execut...

Rules for 2008 Gala Awards Competition

Aggreko Powers Opening Ceremonies

Mexican Serrano Peppers Added to FDA Warning List

Photo by: Thomas Hawk If you are reading you probably belong to the Linkedin Event Planning & Management Group. You know that we exchange opinions in our community. You are probably also aware that I recently started a monthly networking event here in London. What you probably don’t know is that a networking event may be soon coming to a city near you. Rose is the next in line. She will host you in San Francisco. Free drinks sponsored by amiando, which is your favorite corporate event planning software, and heaps of interesting folks to talk to. All the info and chance to RSVP on…

Photo by: blogefl You probably heard of Web 2.0 Just to give you an idea, think of a static html page in 1999, well that is Web 1.0. No Interactivity, no community, no sharing. Think about blogs. This is Web 2.0. A whole new lot of possibilities. Interaction, groups, communities. You can now upload instead of constantly download content, videos and opinions. Why should you care about this? If you feel that your target audience have somehow been exposed to a computer lately, they likely witnessed this shift and changed perception accordingly. The problem with this is that expectations are now…

Photo by: originalgoast Iphone is a great tool for event managers. It can actually perform productive work on the internet unlike most of other mobiles out there. I was using a Blackberry before but made the switch and I am being rewarded every day for that. Iphone apps contribute to make it a better tool. There are free applications which will make you more productive, social and efficient, which are qualities we all share but in constant need of improvement. But let’s see. 1. Evernote The service in itself is great. Whenever you stumble upon something you need to remember you just…

Photo by: psd This blog started as a hobby in April 2007. At the time there were very few blogs about the subject. A year and a half later I find myself with a new job thanks to this blog and I am very happy to share that with you. Without the thousands of readers and the popularity of the community built around the blog none of this would have been possible and the biggest ‘thank you’ goes to You reading this post. Long story short, I got in touch with the great guys at amiando and I am now in charge of supporting the product, both online and in the UK. I would have never worked…

This post suggests how to manage positive tension in longer events. It is based on Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation. If you ever attended a marketing class, course, degree you probably heard of Everett Rogers and his book “Diffusion of Innovations”. He synthesized very well the level of adoption of new products and categorized the adopters in groups. You can see the graph resulting below: Source: Wikipedia It is pretty straightforward and gives you great insights about who you will probably deal with at your next event. Applying Rogers’ Bell Curve to Events…

Event planning on TV: Sex and the City PR exec Samantha Jones makes planning events look sexy and fabulous. All you have to do is make a few calls, show up in a killer outfit, grab a cocktail and greet your famous guests with a kiss on the cheek. Event planning in reality: Countless of hours of work, endless to-do lists, 4 a.m. wake-up calls and 12-hour days. Coordinating the location (back up location), theme, guest list, invitations, speakers (back up speakers), food, drinks, itinerary, name tags, agenda, talking points, and promotion. Just to name a few. Planning events can be fun, but…

Via Mashable -by Stan Schroeder Location-based advertising? You’ve seen that, right? Practically every other ad you see on the net is tied to your general location, which is derived from your IP address. Eventful, however, is a local events site, which means that the ads on it - now delivered by Placecast, described as “the world’s largest place-based interactive media company” - will truly be local, pinpointing your exact position. Here’s the example provided by Eventful: “A user checking Eventful’s site for the next Coldplay concert in New York City would see an ad for Scion…

Shelly contacted me back in the winter and was looking for a planner that would execute things the way she would. Shelly is a wedding planner in Texas and had specific qualities that she was looking for. Shelly and Vince, her fiance' being from this area, planned a beautiful wedding at The Hermitage Hotel for 50 of their closest family and friends. The day began with Shelly, her bridesmaids, and close friends hanging out with her in her suite at the hotel getting ready for the day. Hair and make-up was done by Mary Elizabeth Long, who is well known here in the Nashville area for…

Holly and Lucas are a sweet couple that are getting married next weekend at Belle Meade Plantation. I wanted to share some engagements from their session with their photographer Adrian Hitt. I can't wait to share their wedding photos! Enjoy! What's so cute is that Holly wore their wedding colors for their engagement session. Hot Pink and Black! Aren't they adorable?!?! So in love! We can't wait to celebrate with you two next weekend! Thanks for allowing us to be apart of it! ~ Mary Alice

I love fun, new finds in the wedding industry. Especially with brides asking me all the time for fun resources for items they are looking for. One in particular is a ring bearer's pillow. We are so used to the same ol' same ol' ring bearer's pillow of a white or ivory satin with bows and ribbon. But through a fun new blog I have just come in to, The Bride's Cafe, there is an adorable resource for fun ring bearer's pillow's based on flower designs. The collection is by Anna Whitford and she creates beautifully handcrafted ring bearer…

Caitlin and Daniel were one of the most, if not the most, sincere and loving couples I have ever met! Both of them being opera singers, they had a truly dramatic day! I have never seen a bride so joyously crying throughout the day. Caitlin's mom, Chris came to me at the bridal show last July looking for assistance in planning and on the day of. From the start, I knew this was going to be a beautiful wedding with many thought out and meaningful details. Enjoy the photos from Photographix, whom I just love, check back later for more detail shots of the day! The groom is the farthest on the…

So many brides know are asking me about Welcome Baskets. Guests are coming in from out of town more and more for weddings and brides want their guests to come in to their room with a fun filled basket of goodies, like sweet and salty things, water, souvenirs, a sweet note from the bride and groom thanking them for their trip, etc. I found this great website through a wedding planner located in New Hampshire. She provides welcome baskets that are for different locations around the US including New York, Boston, Nashville, and San Diego. Take a look at some of the fun baskets, and even if these…

If you want a piece (tee hee) of Princess Diana’s wedding, today is your lucky day! A slice of Diana’s wedding cake that has been preserved for 27 years in a former servant’s attic (yuk) is going on auction today! They are expecting it to yeild up to £20,000. For old, stale, 27 year old cake. Check it out: The cake slice has the crest on it, which makes it very valuable (well of course!) and it also comes with a letter from Princess Diana (now we’re talking). I guess everyone’s gotta be doing something (that’s what I say when I don’t understand…

Just wanted to give a shout out to Tina and Randy and their memorable wedding last year. We highlighted their wedding here. It was a fantastic day and a beautiful wedding. And I’m sure her bridal party is still having nightmares about the doves! Happy One Year Anniversary! photo: Memories by Michelle Tina, when are you going to take that beautiful dress out of the box and  head off to the softball field from a TTD session? We are ready!!!! Plan on! -saundra ©2008 planning...forever events blog | for the love of laughter and wedding planning. All Rights Reserved..

Only ONE MORE DAY to get your tickets to the exclusive, one-time only Grand Opening Gala of Holly’s House. We are pleased to be chairing this one-time event and have been working with a FANTASTIC Gala committee to make this a unique and exciting evening. Please join us THIS Saturday, August 23, 2008 at the Holly’s House Grand Opening Gala. A Tour, a Drink, and Dinner Plate Make Plans to Attend Before it’s too Late! 5:00pm - Holly’s House Tour 5:30pm - Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 6:30pm - Gala Dinner Party at IBEW 7:30pm - Entertainment by Big SlickSummer Casual Attire ::…

It’s typically hot here in the Midwest this month and next and when extreme humidity temperatures you have to be extra careful to take care of your personal wedding flowers. Here are a few hints: 1. Make sure your flower is a hardy enough to stand up to extreme heats. Orchids thrive in our humid environment, but some bride’s will shy away because of their costs. Talk to your florist and be open minded to different flowers that will last from morning until the pictures are done. 2. Ask your florist to deliver in vases with water. Not all of them do it. Even if you have to run out…

We embrace uniqueness and difference in all things. Especially weddings. Case in point: George “Bubba” Mathis and Pamela Christian were married this past Fourth of July at Pamela’s place of business, the local Waffle House in Georgia. Daring to be different, they embarked upon proclaiming their love and conducting their nuptials right outside the diner, which is well-known for it’s yummy, crispy bacon and fluffy, syrupy waffles. It’s a most unusual place to seal the deal, so to speak. Maybe all Waffle Houses could become a wedding reception location.  Stranger…

There are few things we hate more than a tangled weave of computer wires laying on our neat and tidy desks or tripping us up on the floor. That is why we are in love with the new Epson Workforce 40 Wi Fi printer. It never made sense to us why we would have a wireless labtop but have to move into our office every time we wanted to print.The Epson Workforce 40 is engineered for the small business and home office. Get laser quality output at laser fast speeds for prints that make you look your best.Better for your business, and your bottom line, the Epson WorkForce 40 printer blazes through…

As you know, the Northwest Event Show is going green this year and we look forward to presenting you with fresh ideas and inspirations to help you think outside the box in event design.There is nothing more beautiful than nature, so it is no wonder that current trends in event planning design and decor are gathering inspiration from nature's finest elements. A key theme in event design trends for 2009 is to bring the outdoors inside in the form of floral centerpieces and room focal points.Below we have provided samples from Los Angeles event planner Krislyn Designs. Krislyn Designs…

Only three weeks now until the 2008 Northwest Event Show takes place at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center on September 23. Have you registered yet? If not, here are just a few of the reasons why you should...It's 100% free to attend. That's right, the Northwest Event Show is free for all qualified meeting and event planners. Heck, even if you only plan one event a year, or have never planned an event before but have a major one coming up, this show is for you!Not only is it free, but we'll also give you free stuff! Just for attending the show you'll receive the 2009 B&E…

By Guest Blogger Mark Verner Looking for a high-performance all electric sports car? Then take a look at the 2008 Tesla Roadster from Tesla Motors. This car is 100% electric, can go 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, has the equivalent of 256 mpg, can go 220 miles per charge, and costs less than two cents per mile to drive.Tesla Motors Mission: "Tesla Motors designs and sells high-performance, highly efficient electric sports cars — with no compromises. Tesla Motors cars combine style, acceleration, and handling with advanced technologies that make them among the quickest and the most energy-efficient…

Have you ever noticed that the city you live in is the one city you hardly know? In other words, when you go on a vacation to another place you find out what the main attractions are and plan sightseeing tours or trips to go see them. But in the own city you live in you often get caught up in your day-to-day agenda and neglect its own attractions and so-called "touristy" activities.With a three-day weekend coming up, here's your chance to get re-acquainted with your city. For those of you who live in the Seattle area, here are the top six tourist attractions according to About.com to get out…

We've grown accustomed to the Ritz-Carlton Moscow having extraordinarily expensive rooms, food, drinks, and basically everything. But they seem to have a knack for finding even more pricey stuff to make us feel jealous of.This time it's one of the most exclusive champagnes you'll ever find. Two hundred bottles of 1907 champagne was recovered from a 1916 shipwreck and these bottles are now on the wine list at Moscow's Ritz-Carlton. Naturally the price reflects their rarity ... you'll find 700,000 rubles (just over US$27,000) added to your bill if you drink this stuff. We're wondering if it…

Well, folks, it was only a matter of time, we suppose: Morgan's Hotel Group is following all the other hip, savvy hoteliers expanding to real estate hotspot Dubai. News of the Delano Dubai -- expected to open in 2012 -- was released today. The details: Delano Dubai will be located at the epicenter of the Dubai Waterfront. The project is expected to consist of a three-building complex overlooking the iconic Palm Jebel Ali, with panoramic views of the Persian Gulf, the open spaces of the waterfront and beachfront parks. We're guessing the company needed something to do after the Las Vegas…

It seems the politeness of the English doesn't extend to soldiers who want to stay the night at the Metro Hotel Woking near London, and we're a bit surprised. This week the news came out that back in June, Corporal Tomos Stringer tried to check into the Metro Hotel while he was visiting a fellow soldier but he ended up sleeping in his car because the front desk told him the hotel had a "no military personnel" policy. A spokesman said they'd had "some rather serious incidents" involving soldiers in the past, but then said the front desk clerk had made a mistake and apologized. We're pretty…

The Luxor Las Vegas is undergoing a much-needed renovation and we got the tingles when we saw this tweet from their Twitter feed.Nintendo Wiis at the Luxor? Sounds kind of amazing. Note the tweet says "some of our rooms" so we're guessing they are probably going to be in the suites. Can't have people playing Wii Tennis in one of those pyramid rooms.

[UPDATE: The VU Hotel is probably not opening in a "few short weeks" but it is still on tap for a Fall 2008 opening.]After pushing the opening date back a few times, Kimpton's Vu Hotel is expected to open on the mean streets of Manhattan in just a few short weeks.Hot on the scene when boutiques blossomed, Kimpton will no doubt tell a different story at this 222-room pied-a-terre where "snow whites, ruby reds and chocolate browns" will rule. As this is New York, style rules and Kimpton is promising beds dressed in Frette linens and Fuji soak tubs in select rooms as well as a penthouse suite…

The Internet and new media is playing a big role in the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections. Barack Obama has certainly taken it to new heights when he revealed his vice presidential running mate through text message.John McCain has gotten some grief because he's not very comfortable using a computer, especially to communicate. I can certainly understand his reluctance as I'm a Neanderthal when it comes to technology.But, based on my experience, I'd tell John McCain to become a blogger because launching a blog has proven to be very successful for me. I'm able to talk with . . .

Now that the 29th Olympic Games have come to a close, I've been thinking back to all the memorable moments over the past few weeks. There were a lot of surprise victories, many upsets and many world records.To me, and I'm sure to many of you, these Olympics will be remembered because of Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals in swimming, making his total career gold medal count 14 - more than any other Olympian.I find Michael Phelps' journey very inspiring. Not only does he have . . .

I'm blogging today from the newly renovated BWI Courtyard near Baltimore Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland. This is the latest Courtyard hotel to feature the brand's brand new lobby concept and design. The new lobby is already in place at a few Courtyard hotels, including the Fair Oaks Courtyard, which is right down the road in Fairfax, Virginia.I had a great tour today. As I walked in, the first thing I saw was the GoBoard telling me all about the exciting things to see in the Baltimore area - the zoo, the various restaurants available, the aquarium. I noticed that…

I'll always remember when we opened our first hotel in Mexico, which was a resort in Acapulco on the beach, overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. This was a long time ago - about 1968. Today we have 16 hotels in Mexico and we just announced a huge expansion - adding 23 hotels in our pipeline that now stands at 29. That means the number of hotels we have in Mexico should triple in five years.Even during the economic slowdown, Marriott is continuing to grow for the future. Hotel development outside the United States is driving a lot of . . .

A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to visit the Renaissance ClubSport hotel in Aliso Viejo in Southern California. It's part of a new brand we call ClubSport that's an extension of our Renaissance brand.It's a fitness resort because the 174-room hotel has a 75,000 square foot health club, all under one roof. People who live and work near the hotel can buy memberships and hotel guests can use the club for free. It's a fabulous amenity. If you're like me and . . .

Learn how the Convention roll call works and watch as Barack Obama becomes the official nominee for president:

This afternoon, the winner of the DNCC's YouTube contest, Rich Peters, had his video played on the big screen at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Take a look at Rich's video:

3:46 p.m. -- The gates are open and people are starting to stream into INVESCO Field at Mile High:

Senator Barack Obama and his family took the stage along with Senator Joe Biden and his wife Jill after accepting the Democratic nomination: Click here to watch video.

Check out our latest photos:

Back before we were profitable as a company, we made a promise:20% of all future profits of our shows will be given back.  10% will be given back to the community which the conference serves and 10% will go towards making the world a better place.It's easy to pledge money when you don't have it.  It's quite another thing to follow through when you do.  Money has all sorts of effects on people and sadly most of the effects are not good.  We think that a lot of these issues would be solved if some of the profits were given back. It's hard to be greedy and all about money,…

Did the last conference you attend give you it's material on a DVD or CD? After browsing the disc one, did you find yourself stacking the disc with that pile of AOL discs? Hoping someday, some new drive will be able to wipe them clean and make them useful again?Yeah, been there done that. Sucks, I know.Remember the last conference you attended? Was there a worker bee standing outside to hand you a piece of paper with questions on it? Was (s)he there to collect your paper survey? Did you rush to fill it out as the session ended? Did you opt to not fill it out because you had no time or no…

tap tap tap, makers of several iPhone/iNewton apps, posted their sales figures for a week.It's nice to see others being as open as Tom and I try to be.Tom and I try to be as open as we can, we've called on some of our competitors, to no avail, to be as open. We feel that a company should have nothing to hide or be ashamed of, if you're embarrassed by your profit margins, and don't feel comfortable telling your customers, well that says it all. Tom and I aren't.It's cool to see how the iPhone application market really works. We've all read about it, etc, but Tap, tap tap SHOWS us, which is the…

Tom and I are both endeavoring to make the most out of our time, by looking into Getting Things Done. We've already been using OmniFocus, and I've been using the idea of an Inbox folder where things go to be sorted, but in reading the book, I'm seeing how much we're not doing.It's actually highly enlightening to see how much more we can do towards making the most of our time and having fewer things slip through the cracks.It was (as David said it would be) to go through my @Inbox folder, as well as my downloads folder, and completely clear it out. Things got sorted, deleted, etc, and at the…

This blog post, from someone who looks just like Che, was aimed at Yahoo! and their plethora of problems. But in reading it, it spoke to me and 360Conferences.What is 360Conferences, Inc. great at? That answer is easy: Community building.  What does that mean? Why are we great at it?  Below are four points in bold and their explanations.  Hopefully, they answers those questions.1. It's bringing people together.What does "bringing people together" really mean? Well, to us it means this: our events don't have the small fish in a big pond feel. No one is allowed to be a wall…

iPhones are really cool.........why? Because they work. I could list off a million reasons why they are leaps ahead of every other phone on the planet; the internet is the internet, E-Mail and Voicemail work the way that they are supposed too, the iPhone is user friendly.....But this is just a bunch of blah, blah, blah...........You want proof (proof sells), find a friend who has an iPhone and ask them if you can use it for 10 minutes. Take the phone and walk away (just to freak them out) and then without asking them anything about it, take it for a test drive. I bet you can use every feature…

You Love Microsoft or You Hate Microsoft, either way it does not really matter. Me, I happen to love to folks from Redmond, if it were not for Microsoft and Windows, we would not have a computer in every office. Now….before all of you tech junkies jump my back, I love Macs too. In fact, a world with only Microsoft would be pretty boring, kinda like the old days when everyone wore the standard IBM blue suit, white shirt and black tie to the office every day. No wonder they had all of those 3 Martini lunches. It added excitement to the day. Macs make the world pretty, vibrant and…

I guess I have talked about it long enough! There is still much work to do, articles to input and we are working on all of the video and other assets but PlannerWire has launched. Many sleepless nights in the future, but we hope that we are building a great resource for meeting and event planners everywhere! Take a minute to have a look and let us know what you think! While you are at it, get in and join PlannerMix.....Just a thought!Keith

I was just reading that overall attendance at 65% of annual tradeshows increased over the past year. The “AttendTrends” study also showed that show marketing budgets were also up over the past year. Wow, someone actually did a study that shows what common sense makes painfully obvious. In a slumping economy, those who continue to market (well) will still continue to succeed.Just a thought.Keith

Last night, OnSite Events was glad to participate and help out with the launch party for GiveForward.org, a great way for people to give! The launch will be featured on the Bravo Series: Tim Gunn's Guide to Style in November and was held at NV Penthouse Lounge here in Chicago. For those of you who have not had the chance, check out NV, it is a very cool spot to host an event!My thanks to Clint and Chase with Creative Republic, they did an amazing job helping get this event off the ground, the people invited and these photo's taken! I actually want to thank many more people, but thought I…

Today's guest speaking shot was with Citrix (makers of GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar). Eric Bensley from Citrix and I tried to do a brief overview of considerations when producing a webinar on a budget. We had several hundred attendees and a long Q&A session. There was no way to keep up with all the questions submitted from the audience, so here are answers to some of the ones we missed. Q: Are there any good resources on the web for cleaning up audio files? A: I use Goldwave. It costs $45 and you can download it immediately. The software is immensely powerful and can import and export just…

Yesterday I gave a web seminar with iLinc and we had fantastic attendance and participation from the audience. In fact there were so many questions that we didn't have time to answer every one of them during the presentation. So I'm going to use this blog entry as a public forum for answering some of the general interest questions that we missed in the live event.   Matt: A lot of press release distribution sites reject obvious advertisements. How do we get around that? Answer: You get around that by not writing your press release as an advertisement! That may sound glib, but the…

Earlier this week I reported a story from the India Times saying that WebEx had laid off employees and shuffled management roles and titles. I promised an update if I found more information, and today I saw another report from India. A news story in SiliconIndia rebuts the other column and quotes a WebEx official as saying "It's a hoax. Though there was internally mapping being done, as a part of Cisco's acquisition, there is no change in the roles. One the contrary, the company is in a hiring spree. It is planning to add 15 to 20 percent of its current sales team with 50 employees."…

Yes, friends... It's another in my incredibly generous series of free webinar tips and techniques! On August 26 I'll be presenting as a guest speaker for iLinc on the subject of how to create, promote, and deliver webinars that get serious results. This is a great opportunity for you to double check your list of things to take care of when putting on a public web seminar and also to see the iLinc web conferencing software in action. Or if you've already been awed and overwhelmed by my scintillating wit and wisdom in the past, this is your chance to tell a lucky colleague that they should…

Last week brought quarterly earnings announcements from iLinc and Onstream Media. The web site "Seeking Alpha" has posted transcripts of the earnings calls from both companies. This is of interest because it is increasingly difficult to find pure-play public companies that do web conferencing as their primary or only business. Most others are either private or represent web conferencing as nothing more than a contributing line item on the corporate parent's revenue statement. I'm no financial analyst, and earnings calls are pretty tightly scripted and controlled activities, so take my…

Fall is quickly approaching, which means lots of tradeshows! (Be sure to visit ConventionPlanit.com at Booth #3064 at Affordable Meetings National, including your favorite blog moderator…) So, how do you make your event memorable? How will your organization connect members with social media at your next convention or annual meeting?

Use your colleagues and industry peers to your advantage! In the Refer a Meeting Professional Contest, each meeting professional colleague or peer you refer gives you a chance to win… …a two night deluxe weekend stay, including breakfast and dinner for two, at the luxurious Trump International Beach Resort - Miami plus- Roundtrip airfare for two, compliments of American Airlines Group & Meeting Travel. The contest ends September 30, 2008 - so make sure to check it out!

Die-hard Democrats and Republicans alike can celebrate their candidates while staying at one DC hotel - The Liaison Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel. The Liaison is offering a “Pick Your Party” package for guests - choose the “red” dining and nightlife guide to mingle with local McCain supporters and receive a copy of the Washington Times… …or opt for the “blue” dining and nightlife guide to find Obama’s fans and get a copy of the Washington Post. The packages also come with picnic baskets and “Not for Tourists” Washington city…

Check out this great ConventionPlanit.com video tutorial!!!! It’s really short, and you’ll be an expert on the site when you finish watching it - which means you’re going to save lots of research time!

Sheraton installed Microsoft Surface