The Registration Line

We’ve all seen them at events and conferences: Corporate logos that seem to consume the entire bag they’re printed on. The sponsor polo that looks like it belongs on the NASCAR circuit and the ball cap that’s being swallowed whole by the logo printed on it.

But do you notice you rarely see those sponsor items after the event is over? That’s because, frankly, they’re ugly and nobody wants to be seen in them. And that does no good for the sponsor when your attendees get back to the office.

To achieve a truly professional appearance with your giveaway items - and guarantee they see plenty of use after the event - we recommend the following steps:

Does your logo fit its destination?

Ask yourself, “Where will this logo go home to?”
What setting is your logo going to be in after the event ends and will the logo treatment you’re considering look natural there?

Attendees at your paralegal conference will go back to law offices so a briefcase or padfolio with a smaller, understated logo looks right for a refined setting. And that means it’s more likely to get used - and more likely to get seen.

This advice is also an invaluable, albeit subtle, sponsorship selling tool. Asking a potential sponsor where they want the product used AFTER the meeting helps them recognize this sponsorship as the long-term investment it is.

Negative space for positive exposure.

Use negative space to draw attention to your logo. Strange as it seems a smaller logo can sometimes draw more attention due to a graphic design concept known as negative space. In this case, the solid space around the logo on our Eco Deluxe Messenger Bag (shown at right) actually pulls your eye in to focus on the logo.

Refined Logo = Higher Perceived Value

Smaller logos can increase perceived value. That’s right, a properly proportion, tastefully-placed logo actually increases the perceived value of a giveaway. Case in point, the Wavelength Jr Padfolio shown at left. It’s priced as low as $3.99 each and, with a smaller better-proportioned logo that maximizes the use of negative space, looks like a very expensive accessory.

A commanding logo demands big space.

Sometimes a logo really should be larger than life. Consider this commanding logo shown at right. It demands to be on a big, broad surface like our Large Imprinted Tradeshow Tote.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. If it all these logo rules seem bewildering just pick up the phone and give our representatives a call. Our production artists are pros at making your sponsorships look great.

Your turn. Got any sponsor items you’re especially proud of? Feel free to share them with us here.

Candy: The sure-fire way to sweeten them up in the registration line.

Think about it.  Your attendee got out of bed at 4AM to catch a flight at 6AM.  Had a middle seat and a bad connection.  Missed coffee.  Arrived at the airport to find their luggage is lost in the clouds. 

Got in line for a cab during a rain storm and stood there for 30 minutes.  Arrived at the hotel to find another long line and then discovered that her room won’t be ready until 4:00.  Now they head toward the registration line, slightly wet, without luggage, tired, hungry, and wondering why on earth they ever signed up for your meeting.  When they get up to the front of the line, you can see smoke coming out of the ears, be it tired smoke.

That’s exactly why you want to have some candy in a bowl at the registration counter.  I used M&Ms or suckers but any candy that’s wrapped  individually will work.  That quick burst of sugar will help get their blood levels closer to balance temporarily and help them feel better.

Have you ever noticed it is very difficult to be upset with someone with candy in your mouth?  Check out our website for individually wrapped candies that can be imprinted with your event name or logo on them.  Give us your tips on how to keep registering attendees happy?

What's in a name? Better manners according to behavioral psychologists

There’s a fascinating effect in social psychology known as deindividuation. Without getting too technical, the idea is that when individuals perceive they are anonymous their behavior becomes less socially acceptable – which is to say they get more aggressive, and lose their ability to empathize with the people around them.

So what does this have to do with meeting planning? Read on.

One of the classic studies on this subject was performed by Philip Zimbardo in 1969. In it participants were told to “shock” an actor posing as another participant each time the actor answered a question incorrectly.

The participant was told the voltage increased with each incorrect answer and the actor showed more and more discomfort as the experiment progressed.

The interesting part of the study for me? Participants who were wearing a nametag were more likely to refuse to shock the actor.

So wearing a nametag holds attendees more accountable to accepted social norms. That means guests are friendlier, more open to being approached. And that means productive networking experience all around.

Sure these are thing all of us have learned anecdotally over the years in the meeting planning business, but it’s nice to have science on your side.

What other strategies do you use to keep attendees friendly and social?

If you have several hundred people attending your event, getting everyone seated and served on time is often a challenge, particularly at breakfast and lunch.  One trick that I have learned is to “reserve” a bunch of tables in the back of the room, those that are closest to the entrance. 

By putting double sided “RESERVED” nametents on your back tables, it forces early attendees to the front of the room, closest to the speaker and the stage.  I always enlist the help of the waiters and captains to move people to the tables that are not “RESERVED.” 

The result is the front of the room’s tables get filled quickly and the wait staff can start service - and have an easier time serving since they are catering full tables instead of 2’s and 3’s.  Also, by serving the front tables early, their plates are cleared and they are less disruptive if you are tight on time and the speaker must start.  The late arrivers and stragglers sit in the back of the room and can be served while the program has begun. 

Use this tip just once and your wait staff will love you for it.  It makes their jobs easier. 

Remember to take the “RESERVED” nametents down one at a time so that the server can take care of a full table.  Try it.  Most hotels have reserved signs, but I find they are generally too small so I print my own on Large Nametent Stock and use their stands to elevate them.

What tips do you use to ease traffic congestion during seating?

Your hard work does get noticed!

As meeting planners we work hard. And it’s always gratifying to know our partners on the hospitality side know and appreciate that fact. Josh baker National Sales Manager for the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel recently wrote about the subject of “Meeting Planner Pet Peeves” on officearrow.com.

Thanks, Josh - from the bottom of our stressed out, harried and detail-oriented hearts.

In an interview of industry leaders not long ago, Steven Hacker, President of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, made an interesting point.  Hacker was quoted in Incentive, as saying “Travel has been obliterated.  There is no elegance left, no sophistication left in getting on an airplane. I can’t tell you how many people at the airport and on the plane commented to me about how nice it is to see somebody wearing a suit.” 

That statement got me thinking, are we also de-glamorizing meetings by our business casual and casual dress codes?  Are we making it like another day in the office?  Should we be making the meeting something “special?”  Something that you dress in your Sunday best for? 

And from a meeting value point of view, if you make dressing up a little bit more important, does it make the content at the meeting seem more important and valuable as well? Does being in a suit make you feel like one of “The Suits?” And, if so, is that really such a bad thing?  Do we treat people with a more business like attitude if they are in a suit?  Sure that’s a lot of questions to throw at you but your comments are well appreciated.

From our complete selection of Nametag Organizers to our Rolling Office and On Site File Drawers, we love to keep life orderly. And we resolve to bring you even more innovative organizational products to make your job easier in 2010.

So what steps are you taking to be even more organized and efficient this year?

As meeting planners, we probably spend more time travelling than most Americans.  After you’ve been doing it for awhile, you learn that certain items in your suitcase make your trip more enjoyable. 

I for one, carry my own alarm clocks.  Yes, two.  I don’t want to worry about my alarm not going off, so I have learned that if I have two alarm clocks, I actually fall asleep quicker and sleep in a more relaxed fashion.  Additionally, when I tap the tops of the clocks, a light goes on and I find that useful if I end up getting up in the middle of the night and don’t want to turn on the light.  (Sleep researchers say that turning on the light in the middle of the night can be very disruptive to a good night sleep.  And they say the bright red or green dials on the hotel provided alarm clocks also make it more difficult to get good sleep.) 

I also carry a tiny nightlight that I put in the bathroom as a guide there.  These are just two items that make my nights more restful and enable me to be more productive for a long day.  Want more ideas?  Time Magazine recently published a list of 25 useful gadgets for travel.  What are your tips for a better night sleep? 

Chair Back Cover reserves space for wheelchairs

Years ago, I was invited to bid on running a meeting where a large portion of the people were in wheelchairs.  This was right about the time that the first President Bush had signed the American Disabilities Act which provided new rights to those with limitations.  It was a great piece of legislation and put every meeting planner on a learning mission as to how we could open up our meeting to those with limitations.  At the meeting I attended, I saw how people who do meetings for people with disabilities met those needs. 

First, you need to make sure you work closely with your convention services staff and your setup people.  What you must do is take out two rows of two chairs – four chairs – along the aisle.  Now you have adequate space for a person to easily roll in and out.  Second, you need to identify or mark the area so that someone doesn’t take a chair from elsewhere and park it in the space.  I would make a simple paper nametent, use the stock that is scored for your convenience that said “Reserved for Wheelchair” and place it in the center of the space.  You can also use a Chair Back Handicapped Cover to clearly designate the space.  You also need to make sure that the convention services setup people remember to leave the sign and the space when they refresh the room. 

Lastly, don’t do this just in the back of the room.  If you are treating people equally, you will give them a choice of where they want to sit.  The spaces need to be carved out next to an aisle, but you should allocate space in the back, middle, and front of the room.  If I only have one wheel chair guest, I would tactfully ask the person if they had a preference as to where they liked sitting and I would be able to just allocate one space. 

I would do the same for my food functions and I would always remove two seats for every wheelchair.  Always close to the aisles for easier mobility.  And if possible, I would open the doors early for people with wheelchairs so they could move in to their seats easier.

If you have been following the news, you know that bedbugs are infesting hotels – and then homes – from one coast to another.  I am not trying to blame hotels for this widening crisis – it often starts with people bringing bedbugs into hotels.  Getting rid of bedbugs is a costly and time consuming task.  Cures range from spraying your entire house, putting mattresses in refrigerated trucks, and bringing in special dogs.  Obviously the best way to avoid bringing bedbugs home with you is to not stay in a hotel where there is a problem.  Nor do you want to  have your attendees stay in a hotel where there is a problem.  Now, as a professional, there is a way to help minimize the risk of selecting a hotel with bedbugs for your meetings or staying in one while you travel.  Click here and visit the bedbug registry.  You can look up to see if your hotel is listed as one which has a bedbug problem.  It even lists homes and apartments.  Check out your next stay in advance. 

Part of the promotional piece from Northern Kentucky. Learn more at www.willplan4food.com.

Many meeting planners have struck out on their own as independent meeting planners.  Sometimes it was the result of cutbacks at their former places of employment and they were able to plan their old meetings as independents, probably at less money but with the opportunity to pick up other business.  Some people joined existing third parties and independent contractors, getting a commission on whatever business they brought in.

But with the cuts in the meetings industry, the independent is getting hit hard. Most get paid on the room commission and when meetings get canceled, they get nothing for all their work.  Others are seeing meetings cut the number of days of the meeting and as a result fewer commission-able rooms.  Or just normal attrition at association meetings is cutting attendance by 20-30%.  The New York Times did an excellent job of reporting on the issue.  Click here and read the New York Times article.

QUICK.  It is time to order lanyards before the 4^th of July weekend! Save money, too.  Until July 1, PC/NAMETAG(R) Lanyards are on sale for as low as 78 cents with only six production days for imrpinted lanyards.  Blank lanyards ship the next day.  Use our updated website to walk you through the shipping process.

Don’t forget to order your lanyards for your early July meetings.  PC/NAMETAG’s office will be closed on the third as will most businesses throughout the country.   That means fewer days for manufacture and delivery and could put you in a tight spot.  Each year we get planners who forget to order before a holiday and then run out of time for delivery at standard rates and end up paying high freight charges and rush fees.  So plan ahead and take advantage of our sale on pc/nametag lanyards which are available at a huge price reduction.  Check out the PC/NAMETAG Lanyard on our web site.  Prices go up on orders received after June 30.

Today, Clear announced that they had lost financing and all Clear operations have been shut down.  Clear is the operation where you paid $100 a year, filled out your life history, and sent it in.  Clear would get an approval from TSA certifying your “trustworthiness” and then you would get an ID after you gave them an eye scan and fingerprints.  Once you got your card with its built-in memory chip, you could bypass the long lines of security in many airports.  You would walk up to the Clear station, have your fingerprint scanned, and be escorted to the front of the security line.  Worked wonders in some places like San Jose before they remodeled where you could paid a full half hour in line.  Or at DCA.  And people always wondered “who the hell” you were since you were being escorted past everyone to the front of the line. Money was the main reason Clear went out of business.  Other reasons are “unclear.”

Meetings and Conventions magazine talks about a great offer made by those holding meetings at Gaylord Hotels.  For a mere $500, they will have someone write a song just for your meeting and then have a professional singer perform it for your group.  The lyrics are written to an existing song.  Actually, quite a great idea and a cute one as well.  The price seems reasonable, too.  Think about how much fun you could have poking fun at your CEO – “They took away my jet, and  my wife can’t shop at Bergdorf’s on the weekends.” 

We noticed that Las Vegas sponsored the Media Planet section in today’s ( Friday, May 29, 2009) Marketplace section of the Wall Street Journal.  Thank you Las Vegas for stepping up with twelve hard-hitting pages that start with “Meet Something You Didn’t Think You Would in Vegas – the Bottom Line” and end with “Going To Las Vegas Just Became a Responsible Decision.”  Rossi Ralenkotter, the President/CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, reminds readers that “face-to-face  meetings provide the greatest return-on-investment of any marketing tool.” Take a look at their site:  www.vegasmeansbusiness.com.  This site does a great job of separating fact from myth  and makes sure that everyone know that Las Vegas means business.

Floor Standing Box

Many planners are saving money by collecting nametags at the end of a meeting and recycling the holders for the next meeting.  Our customers tell us that they ask attendees to drop their nametags into a collection box as they leave the meeting.  Many planners purchase the Floor Standing Ballot Box to use as their drop box.  The corrugated cardboard box lies flat for shipping.  After the meeting, staff can sort through the holders, pull out the paper insert and arrange them flat in a storage box for the next meeting.  Save the original holder boxes for storing the recycled nametags.  Planners tell us that it doesn’t work to recycle lanyards and necklaces since attendee perspiration remains in the lanyard after wearing.  Remember,  if the vinyl holder does not have any metal on it, it can be recycled in your curbside collection. Do you have any tips on recycling your badges after a meeting?

Pret-A-Sporty(R) Nametag Necklace

Meeting planning is tough.  No matter how much you plan, so many things have to come together at the last minute.  Some times you just can’t become more efficient, you just have to do things differently.  This is what we were thinking when we developed Pret-a-Sporty (TM)Nametag Necklace.  This product features a nametag necklace with the holder pre-attached.  The Preta saves assembly time right before your event starts.  This product includes a perennial favorite, a Sporty(R) Nametag Necklace,  a Vinyl Nametag Holder and a special plastic piece that connects the nametag and necklace together without adding bulk but at the same time stabilizing the nametag to minimizing flipping.