Posts Tagged ‘meeting planning’

What's the question Jeanne gets asked most? Find out now.

One of the many benefits of having seasoned staff is the amount of knowledge they can share with our customers. It’s especially valuable when the customer is new to meeting planning – or when an experienced planner bumps into a last-minute problem and needs to shoot from the hip.

One of our most experienced Customer Service Reps. is Jeanne. Before joining us all the way back in 1997 she had spent the previous decade as a meeting planner.

With that much time “in the business” folks are constantly asking her for advice. That’s why we were so happy she agreed to sit down with us on camera and walk us through one of the most common questions she gets over the phone. To see what it is – and what the answers are, watch here.

Pantone color? There's an app for that.

Every event planner worth their salt knows getting print and imprint colors right on your meeting materials is critical. And specifying the right color when you order can make or break the appearance of a product, not to mention the satisfaction level of your client. Pantone color guides are the fastest, surest way to identify the specific color you want to use – Red 032 or Green 347, for example.

And when toting the Pantone Fan book along isn’t an option? Now, you can even check or specify the right color while you are on the road or working out of your home office by adding an iPhone app called myPANTONE which sells for $9.99. You can even use it to pick colors for your bedroom!

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.

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.