Offering your attendees a mobile app to help them navigate your event is an obvious benefit for the attendees – they want schedules, maps, exhibitor listings, and social media all on their phones and tablets – but can it be a revenue generator instead of an added expense?

It can if you set the app up right and your sponsorship sales team knows how to articulate the benefits to sponsors. Mobile technology offers some of the richest opportunities for engaging potential clients that a sponsor can ask for.

Here are 3 ways to use your mobile event app to generate revenue while making your sponsors very happy.

1. Mobile banner ads are interactive, unlike paper ads.

One of the simplest and most lucrative ways to leverage your mobile event app is to offer your sponsors a banner ad on your app’s homescreen. Putting a banner ad in is usually a five-minute process – all you need to do is get a fitting digital image ad from your sponsor and upload it. There are no additional printing costs, hard deadlines, or shipping concerns.

Once the ad is in the mobile app, interested attendees can click into it to get more information about the sponsor or even engage with them directly. As an example, if I ran a medical conference for cardiologists, I could approach my main sponsor about putting an ad for their new EKG machine in the event app. When a doctor clicked into the ad, they could be prompted to fill out a short web form to get a free consultation. This level of direct engagement is impossible with more traditional forms of advertising.

2. Exhibitor scavenger hunts can encourage attendees to visit sponsors.

With the advent of smartphones, scavenger hunts are no longer just the domain of children. If you’re organizing an event that has an exhibitor component, consider setting up a scavenger hunt. Allow sponsors to buy into the scavenger hunt. When they do, provide them with a QR code (a barcode that can be scanned with a mobile device) that they can put on their booth. Then offer small prizes for attendees who visit all of the booths on the scavenger hunt. This means guaranteed visits for your sponsors, and because the cost is shared among several of them, you can charge a reasonable price and still make a good amount of money.

3. Featured listings and sponsored messages attract eyes.

Your event app will quickly become the go-to source for information about sponsors and sessions. You can offer your sponsors a chance to take advantage of all of this eye traffic by selling them premium listings in your exhibitor guide. Let them include extra information or multimedia components, or simply list the participating sponsors in strategic positions.

Mobile apps also offer the possibility to send sponsored messages to attendees. This tactic should be used with discretion, because nothing is more annoying than a bunch of sales pitches causing your cell phone to blow up at all hours of the day. However, when used sparingly, this can be a powerful tool. What sponsor wouldn’t want the opportunity to talk directly to their potential clients?

About the Author: Alan Blank is the director of marketing at Guidebook, Inc., a provider of mobile apps for events, and an occasional blogger on event technology. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Photo Credit: SAP Design Guild

This is a guest post by Dennis Shiao. See the list of contributing authors.

Recently, I watched a 60 Minutes episode featuring David Kelley. Mr. Kelley is the founder and chairman of the global design consultancy IDEO and professor (and founder) of Stanford’s d.school. Kelley is a leading thinker on “design thinking,” a methodology for designing products and procedures via empathy, diversity, collaboration and iteration. The program highlights many of Kelley’s (and his firm’s) great product achievements, including the design of the first mouse for Steve Jobs at Apple.

Design Thinking for Events

In a Harvard Business Review piece on design thinking, IDEO’s CEO (Tim Brown) writes:

“As more of our basic needs are met, we increasingly expect sophisticated experiences that are emotionally satisfying and meaningful … design thinking is the tool for imagining these experiences as well as giving them a desirable form.”

I suppose this blog posting was foretold by Mr. Brown: let’s use design thinking to create “sophisticated experiences that are emotionally satisfying and meaningful”!

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one thinking about design thinking for events:

Wondering: Are there any #eventprofs out there who use Design Thinking to strategically design events?

— PYMLive (@PYMLive) January 17, 2013

Overview: Design Thinking
The design thinking process can be broken down into three components: inspiration, ideation and implementation. To quote a design thinking article co-authored by Mr. Brown:

• Inspiration: “Think of inspiration as the problem or opportunity that motivates the search for solutions.”
• Ideation: “Ideation as the process of generating, developing, and testing ideas.”
• Implementation: “Implementation as the path that leads from the project stage into people’s lives.”

Here are some useful resources that provide overviews on the design thinking methodology:

• Stanford d.school’s crash course on design thinking
• An Introduction to Design Thinking from SAP
• From the Emergent By Design blog: What Is Design Thinking, Really?

Incorporating Design Thinking into Meetings and Events

I’ve taken a look at the tenets and methodologies of design thinking and considered how they could be applied to meetings and events. Let’s consider some.

Attend Your Own Event (Empathy)

Meeting and event planners should take off their “planning hats” and attend one of their events solely with their “attendee hats” on. After all, you can only have true empathy for your attendee if you put yourself squarely in their shoes. And that means that you can have no part in planning the event. Go through the entire cycle of registration, travel, sessions, workshops, social events, etc. Practice further empathy by understanding how fellow attendees are experiencing the event.

Deepen (and Broaden) Your Team Roster

Design thinking introduces the notion of “multidisciplinary teams,” in which people of assorted backgrounds (and schools of thought) ideate, iterate and collaborate. Consider it a blender, where what comes out is a fascinatingly tasty beverage. You need a group that creates divergent thinking, which, according to Mr. Brown of IDEO, “is the route, not the obstacle, to innovation.”

Mr. Brown suggests “architects who have studied psychology, artists with MBAs, or engineers with marketing experience.” While this may be a stretch for the typical event planner, I’d recommend adding folks from Finance, HR and Engineering. They don’t have to be core members of the event planning team; however, their perspectives can be more valuable that you’d think.

Where No Idea is a Bad Idea
The scientist Linus Pauling once said, “To have a good idea you must first have lots of ideas.” (quote source: an SSI article co-authored by Mr. Brown). Design thinking teaches you that no idea is a bad idea. If you make an early judgment on the quality of an idea, you may have just squashed a “germ” that would develop into a breakthrough.

The ideation process is critical in creating the next breakthrough event.

Instead, design thinking teaches you to build upon each other’s ideas, sort of like the “yes, and..” methodology in improvisational theater. As a meeting planner, then, your role is to encourage ideation and “shepherd” the process so that no idea is left abandoned (too quickly). And to the earlier point, here’s where multidisciplinary teams can be a goldmine.

Meeting and Event Prototypes
Recall that part of the ideation phase is “testing ideas.” It’s an iterative process in which you deploy a prototype, collect “real user feedback,” determine what you learned, then ideate on product refinements (repeating the cycle all over again).

Let’s say you’re planning next year’s 5,000 person sales kick-off meeting and you have innovative new ideas for it. Create a prototype using 50 sales people and actually implement those ideas in a “real prototype” (event). Determine what worked, make adjustments, then plan another prototype. When the “real thing” comes around, you’ll have a much better “product.”

Potential Barriers to Adoption

Seasoned event and meeting planners (who’ve gotten this far in my post) may be calling me crazy. And I can understand that. What I’ve proposed (in concept) must be balanced against the realities of a meeting planner’s job. And the following barriers could come into play.

Budget, Timeline and ROI

Simply put, design thinking methodologies could add significantly to meeting and event costs, while extending the timeline to deliver them. The ideation phase of design thinking is intentionally non-sequential. Meeting planners are highly organized creatures who thrive on delivering against a sequential timeline. Additionally, meeting and event management may not be comfortable spending more without knowing the precise ROI on it.

Risk Mitigation

The meeting planner is like an NFL coach: every season (i.e. every event), your job can be on the line. In his article, Mr. Brown wrote, “One of the biggest impediments to adopting design thinking is simply fear of failure.” The natural tendency of the meeting and event planner is to be risk averse, which is very much the opposite approach of design thinking.

Conclusion

Design thinking is surely not applicable to all meetings and events. And as I’ve outlined, meeting and event planners will likely shudder at the very concept. What I hope to accomplish with this post, however, is to introduce its concept to meetings and events. It’s my belief that true breakthrough events and experiences can result from it.

About the Author: Dennis Shiao is Director of Product Marketing at INXPO and author of the book “Generate Sales Leads With Virtual Events.” At INXPO, Dennis is responsible for go-to-market strategy and execution, and for shaping product and platform evolution via the “voice of the customer.” Dennis has managed virtual event campaigns for Cisco, HP, Oracle and Microsoft, among others. Dennis blogs about virtual events at INXPO, and on his personal blog, “It’s All Virtual.” Dennis can be found on Twitter at @dshiao.

The Holding Co. Event Space in Los Angeles

When planning an event, a venue shouldn't be a yes-or-no checkbox on a to-do list. More than a simple roof over the heads of your guests, it sets the stage for the atmosphere you're attempting to create, and can entice donors to produce their wallets and attendees to enjoy themselves just as much as music or food selection. With all the variables at hand, however, finding the right fit can make even the most seasoned event organizer feel a little like Goldilocks -- this hall's too big, this kitchen is too small, these walls are too...purple. Here are five of the most important considerations to keep in mind when selecting your venue:

1.Location, location, location.

It's as true a saying for events as it is for real estate sales -- find the right spot and "they" will come. The Club Bar and Grill in Manhattan, for instance, is more than simply easily accessible -- it's located in the iconic Madison Square Garden atop Penn Station. No matter if your guests are traveling via train, bus, or light rail from the nearby New York airports, they'll be able to find and access your event space easily, minimizing lost attendees and late arrivals. Consider when and where your guests will be arriving from and pick a venue that makes it a simple journey. If it's difficult to bring a car along, the building is hard to find, or parking is scarce, your attendance numbers may suffer accordingly.

2. Take a walk in your guests' shoes.

There is generally a flow of movement at an event space, and if you're already aware of what tables the caterers will need or how many square feet the entertainment requires, you're well on your way to marking it out. Walk through -- either physically or mentally -- your potential venue space and consider the experience you're offering. Will there be a traffic jam at the buffet table? Are the bathrooms easy to locate? If an event space is too crowded or has an odd layout, the memories your guests will leave with won't be pleasant. Choose a venue that not only comfortably holds your guest list, but allows the attendees to mingle without jostling and dodging one another.

3. Shed some light on the situation.

All too often, a carefully planned event has gone awry when organizers fail to consider the outlets, cords, power capabilities and other utilities they need. Your event space should be able to provide you with information about available outlets, existing lighting structures, and even audio/visual capabilities. Explain your requirements to your potential venue and ensure there's not a mismatch between your expectations and their reality.

4. Research the entry points.

Some events require elaborate displays, large catering creations, or other unusually large items. Ask about loading docks, clearance heights, and the availability of drive-up unloading to make sure that all of your event materials can get inside without the need to dismantle them. If you plan on having a coat check, ticket taker, or ID verification stations, this would also be a good time to consider where they'd go.

5. Know the policy on refunds and culpability.

While events should go smoothly in an ideal world, the fact remains that sometimes unforeseen circumstances arise. If your headlining entertainment cancels at the last minute or a natural disaster wreaks havoc on your chosen site's town, knowing your options for backing out ahead of time will prove invaluable. A trustworthy venue will have these circumstances outlined in their contract, empowering you to make the tough decisions in an informed way if issues should prevent your event from proceeding as scheduled.

You know that your event is an important one, so choosing a venue that shares that belief will bring you that much closer to a memorable gala. Ask the tough questions, compare and contrast, and use these tips to weed out venues that don't suit your needs -- the success of your event might just depend on it

Last week we received an email from one of the contributors to the 2013 Meetings Industry Trends Post to thank us for the traffic that we sent to their website. Not only that, but she told us that should we ever have the need for another post, she'd would be happy to contribute.

This got us to thinking, if the articles we’ve written featuring industry leaders has proven so valuable, why not open our blog to guest posters?

After a short discussion with the eVenues team, we decided to do just that. We now welcome guest posts from anyone who has something interesting or insightful to say about meetings, events and everything in-between.

Benefits to you:

• Great exposure - The eVenues blog has received over 71,000 unique visits over 2012 and we are looking to double that number this year.
• Your bio on our contributors page - We’ll be compiling a list of contributors to the eVenues blog. This means you’ll have the opportunity to be listed among the best and brightest in the meetings industry.

Guest post guidelines:

• The post should be original content - Any submission to the eVenues blog should not have been posted elsewhere on the web. This includes your own website or blog.
• Please provide a bio - We will use this bio to feature you, your business and link back to your website if you have one. Once we have enough guest blog contributors we will add your bio a contributors page on the blog.
• Please submit ideas first - In the interests of time, please email us the blog post title and a short summary before sending us a complete post. The post should be insightful, engaging and entertaining - This one should speak for itself.
• Please Check out Other Articles on This Blog - We're pretty flexible about the kinds of posts we allow on our blog, but it might be a good idea to flip through some of the other posts we've done to get a feel for the different kinds of posts that are appropriate for this blog.
• Don’t be afraid to be creative with your post ideas! - Here are some examples of unusual but well received content on the eVenues blog:

• The 5 Most Outlandish Meeting Ideas (That Actually Worked)
• The 10 Best Administrative Assistants in TV history 
• How to MadMen-ify an Office or Event Space
• Feng Shui for Meeting and Conference Rooms

Whether it's a small off-site corporate meeting, a networking event or party, or the total annihilation of most life on Earth, we here at eVenues believe that there is the perfect space for every occasion.

While we officially do not believe the world will end today, we do like to be prepared. What with the speculations of deadly superflu viruses that threaten to destroy humankind, asteroids, zombies, nuclear holocausts, robot slave rebellions, and apocalyptic demons summoned by evil wizards, there's plenty to be concerned about. Do not fear. Our crack research team went out and found the best venues available should the world end.

Here they are:

A Room of Requirement

Considering that it's a room that furnishes itself with whatever you need (except in-house catering), rooms of requirement are an excellent choice should you be confronted with an armies of evil wizards or a run of the mill zombie horde. Each room of requirement comes fully equipped with essentials like fanged frisbees--just what you need should the world be overrun by unspeakable evils.

What’s that you say? Magical rooms of requirement don’t exist? Then why is there a listing on eVenues?

A Biker Shop

This really is the best place to be if you’re anticipating a nuclear holocaust. We all know that when the world turns into a desolate, dusty wasteland the only thing that’s going to save you is a baddass leather jacket and aviator glasses. A good biker shop should be replete with these essentials. While the evenues staff knows all and sees all, we have selfishly reserved all the biker shops for ourselves. We’ll let you know if we have any spares.

Chuck Norris' House

Martian invasion? Meh. Chuck Norris has already been to Mars, that’s why there’s no signs of life.

Overpopulation? This is only a problem if Chuck Norris gets tired of allowing so many people to live.

Since Chuck Norris’ house comes equipped with ICBMs, laser gun turrets, and reinforced titanium walls, we believe that this could be the safest place in the world...granted that Chuck doesn’t feel like roundhouse kicking you to the face. Get on his good side by liking this facebook page, and you’re set.

eVenues does not have any rooms in Chuck Norris’ house listed, but we do have dojos rentable by the hour. While it’s not quite the same as Chuck Norris, at least you’ll have an army of badass black belts to protect you in the case of an impending zombie or motorcycle bandit gang attack.

Note: There’s is a 50% chance that the apocalypse will be caused by Chuck Norris. In that case, you’re out of luck.

A Warehouse Full of Exploding Barrels

We don’t know why, but whenever heroes in action movies shoot a barrel it will usually set off an explosion. Since the explosions never seem to injure the heroes themselves, we feel that this would be an ideal venue for you to rent out in the event of a zombie apocalypse. eVenues does have barrel rooms for rent, but to the best of our knowledge these barrels do not explode when you shoot them (we respectfully ask that you do not try).

Martha Stewart's Kitchen

Martha Stewart's Kitchen is perfect in every way, from the shelf of Chinese teapots to the Russian honeys strategically placed above a phone and walkie talkie, to the doggie wardrobe and toy repository--this place shouldn’t exist. Since nothing on the planet could be so perfect, we are convinced that the kitchen is actually part of a parallel universe. Should any catastrophic event should befall the planet,  this could very well be the safest place (not) on Earth.

Photo Credits:

Zombie Apocalypse Public Service announcement photo by: Dr. Stephen Dann

Photo of Toxic Barrels By: Aidan Morgan

Martha Stewart Photo By: David Shankbone 

Research on Chuck Norris provided by the fine folks at chucknorrisfacts.com.

In June, we reached out to some of the best and brightest in the meetings industry to get their input on the best career advice they had ever received (or had learned the hard way). Considering how well that post was received and also considering that 2012 is coming to a close, we thought we'd reach out again to get their 2013 predictions. 

Behold! Here are their predictions:

Venues will focus more on "local" flavor

"In MPI's future of meetings research, architect Robert Hopkins says, 'Flexibility is often badly interpreted as sliding and folding walls where spaces attempt to do many things badly. The key is to be more specific.' We see venues becoming more and more specific in terms of their time and place.

We'll see fewer isolated and cookie-cutter institutions, and more venues that embrace their place—from design of space to décor. They'll "go local" by featuring local materials, local foods, local artists, local icons and local talent. Meanwhile, delegate needs are changing. They want more peer interaction and learning and less lecture time, and meeting professionals are relying on their suppliers to provide spaces for these kind of experiences."

--Jessie States, Editor, meeting industry at Meeting Professionals International

More generous budgets and quicker turnarounds

"I believe we'll start to see wider booking windows for corporate events, with more generous budgets and quicker turnaround with decisions and commitments. With so many online booking tools and mobile apps, planners will continue to be more tech savvy and web-based when researching and sourcing their meetings, but there will still be a strong demand for customer service and planner/supplier relationships that will ultimately secure the business."

--Lisa Kraus, Director of Business Development & Events for Plan Your Meetings

2013 is the year for planners to start thinking about sustainability

"The meetings industry is impacted by several global sustainability trends. Food prices have increased over 6% in 2012, and are expected to continue to rise in 2013. Climatic events present risks as well, increasing pressure on companies to manage and reduce their carbon footprint, in addition to having a response plan to emergency situations.

Fortifying ourselves to be resilient to these issues will be a key challenge, and opportunity for innovation. Solutions include taking practical steps to reduce food waste, control portion size, and promote healthier alternatives on event menus. Planning to measure and reduce event carbon by 5% per year is also critical, so think practically about how your property uses energy, how much air travel is necessary, and where footprint can be reduced. This includes embracing the trend toward hybrid meetings."

--Shawna McKinley, Director of Sustainability at MeetGreen

2013: upping the ante for online social engagement

"2013 is all about upping the ante for online social engagement ROI that transfers back to the real world and for businesses to actually reap the results of their marketing efforts. We will see experiential incentives like Viggle and social incentive sharing platforms like Expect Referrals  and tools in all types of markets become more prevalent and cross over into the meeting and event industries. Foursquare and Instagram will also integrate into events with wide spread force and will evolve into more ROE (Return on Experience) for event planners and marketers. Social curation utilizing visual platforms like Pinterest and Loveit will remain hot and will transition into a must need tool in the event industry. The help of these visual boards allow #eventprofs to transfer ideas more visually and get real time feedback from clients to gain better synergy."

--Michelle Bergstein Fontanez, Marketing Maven Event Industry Marketing by BeatCreative

Still scaling back on event budgets

" I think 2013 will see the industry staying as is or a very slow increase in the industry – with the outcome of the 2012 election we continuing to see layoffs in many industries. This slower economy will continue to negatively impact growth in the meetings and events industry. My global clients say that the US economy has an impact on all of their business globally, and that other regions of the world have slowing economies. When the economy is down it impacts our industry as for many meetings and event are deemed to be a luxury. My clients that are not cutting events have continued to scale back the event budget."

--Julie Ann Schmidt, Managing Partner at Lithium Logistics Group. (LinkedIn Profile).

Social media and technology is allowing for 3 BIG changes

"Looking at how social media is evolving to support the business needs of the meetings & event industry, we clearly see three specific trends that have gained significant momentum in 2012 with full expectation of even more in 2013:

1. Increased use and power of peer networking over traditional informational databases: Social media driving a shift in the primary source of supplier and destination information from traditional supplier-provided databases to peer references, informational blogs, and experiential webcasts/videos.

2. Event Life Extension: The value and life of an event has moved well beyond the dates of the actual event. Social media makes it possible to build collaborative and engaging communities for attendees both pre and post event dates to richly expand the life and influence of a single event.

3. The beginning of the end of the RFP: Information gathering, supplier services evaluation, and reputation checking have moved into the social media arena which circumvents traditional RFP processing. Buyers have access to richer, deeper sources of information to make decisions without having to go the historical route of engaging the supplier UNTIL they are ready to buy. This is changing the way suppliers create and nurture relationships that drive actual business."

--Mike Malinchok, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at i-meet.com.

Online engagement skills will be no longer optional

"Online engagement skills will transition from being delegated to the youngest person at an organization to being expected of every professional. Suppliers who have established a personal brand and are comfortable building relationships online will be more successful. Meeting planners are being asked to incorporate online elements into all aspects of their meetings (virtual/hybrid, mobile apps, social media) and the ones who have practiced the art of the online relationship will be much better equipped."

--Elizabeth Glau CMP, Owner, Chief Foundation Strategist at Building Blocks Social Media.

Tight budgets, smarter social media, and a tougher job for the planner

"Prediction #1: Budgets will stay tight in 2013, leading to more SMMP development and implementation in corporations, more procurement involvement involvement in meetings, more short lead times, continued emphasis on cutting costs, possibly more local/regional meetings, unique venues.

Prediction #2: More and smarter use of social media to not just promote events/meetings, but also to engage participants before, during, and after an event.

Prediction #3: Hotel and air rates look to continue to rise, and we can expect both to find new and creative things to charge a fee for. Planners will have to work harder than ever to provide compelling reasons to pay increasing costs to attend. Will that lead to better, more engaging, interactive, wow-inducing meetings? I sure hope so!"

--Sue Pelletier, Editor of Medical Meetings, a MeetingsNet Magazine.

Digital extensions of face-to-face events will accelerate

"The industry's adoption of technology, particularly the digital extension of face to face events, will accelerate. Those extensions in aggregate will drive stronger attendance at market facing events.

More importantly, our smarter and smarter utilization of technology available to us will also become evident."

--Tony Lorenz, Founder at bxbOnline.

More content marketing, more virtual meetings, and more hybrid events

"As a result of my experience marketing my Icon Presentations blog, I have become very involved as a blogger, presenter and consultant on Social Media Strategy and Content Marketing.

1 - With the advent of content marketing and the plethora of tools for dispersing a message and engaging with attendees online, the importance of quality content creation will gain a renewed focus among event planners. Planners will begin to realize the value of capturing conference content and dispersing it in an easily digestible way with the goal of increasing the value of events and marketing them online throughout the year.

2 - Meeting planners will adjust to the fact that many face to face meetings are no longer necessary due to the ease with which multiple parties can now meet online. They will begin to take more of a lead in mastering the skills needed to organize virtual meetings and more and more face to face meetings will feature experiences that cannot be duplicated in a virtual context.

3 - You will see more targeted use of hybrid event experiences: for instance, streaming only certain sessions and offering an online Q &A with the speaker afterward; separate virtual tracks targeted to the audience that couldn't attend in person; streamed sessions lasting 10 to 20 minutes at the most geared toward the easily distracted remote attendee. "

--Jenise Fryatt, Co-Owner and Director of Icon Presentations

Gen X and Gen Y will take over

"I believe one of the biggest trends to affect the meetings industry in 2013 will be the accelerating shift in demographics, as more and more boomers retire and Gen X and Gen Y take over. It's a trend I've written about earlier this fall.

With this will come a fundamental shift in how organizations regard meetings. Younger generations want more information about the purpose of meetings (unlike boomers who often were happy to meet for the sake of meetings). They are more protective of their private time and will resent meetings being scheduled on weekends or taking them away for extended periods. Of course younger generations will continue to bring mobile technology and social meeting into meeting rooms, forcing planners to accommodate them with free WiFi and opportunities to share and engage. Finally because of the increased used of social media, and the inherent multi-tasking this brings about, younger generations will look for agendas with more frequent breaks and more dynamic presentation styles."

--Doreen Ashton Wagner, Chief Strategist at Greenfield Services and The Meeting & Event LEAD Blog.

Meetings are becoming more unique

"One important new trend we are seeing in meetings is delivering content in new and different ways, whether it’s through CSR and teambuilding activities, TED formats, or the use of technology and social media to engage attendees before, during and after the conference. As a convention and visitors bureau, we are being called upon more often to assist planners in suggesting unique activities – such as for the Pacific Tree Climbing Institute or Iron Chef Competitions – as well as to add lift to the conference’s social media channels. This has become so important, in fact, that we recently added a complimentary Social Media Toolkit for Planners as a download on our website."

--Janis Ross CMP MBA, Vice President of Convention & Sports Marketing at Eugene Cascades Coast.

2013 will Be a year of growth

"I believe 2013 will be a good year for the meetings industry. Now that the Presidential election is over, businesses will get back to focusing on sales and growth and meetings are necessary to accomplish such. Company executives are now looking back and seeing that several years of budget cuts on meetings may have helped with incremental improvements in their bottom lines but did nothing to improve top line sales growth."

--Randall Whatley, President at Cypress Media Group

Social media has hit prime time

"Social Media integration seems to have hit prime time this year. Caterers that I work with have all moved to having in house folks working on their social media campaigns or at least making sure they set up a Facebook page. In 2011 people were skeptical, in 2012 they thought it was necessary and in 2013 they will be looking to maximize presence.

Email marketing is still effective but the power of social is still growing and I think we will see many more tools that utilize technology in 2013. As we become more connected and information is more easily attainable we will see lower cost web events aimed at wider audiences to utilize the power of volume. On the same note we will see large conferences shrinking to 'hyper target' qualified buyers for their sponsors and main stake holders."

--Cameron Toth, Owner at Toth Event Staffing

More mobile apps

"I think that the biggest trend that we will see widespread is the use of mobile applications. More and more, planners are implementing mobile apps into their events. Because there are so many great providers out there, organizations no longer need to develop apps from scratch. They can simply go out to the market and find an app that has features That meet the needs of their attendees. Attendees are starting to expect quick access to information and a high level of engagement and the majority are carrying smartphones making the adoption of mobile event apps easier. "

--Jessica Levin MBA CMP, President at Seven Degrees Communications

Meetings technology will become cheaper and easier to use

"This trend in software programming is driven by continued advances in web services  and open-source technology. This makes it easier, cheaper and faster to create, distribute and use technology to help in meeting planning.  There are hundreds of free, freemium, low cost, and do-it-yourself (DIY) options providing lower costs and more flexibility for planners. Examples include ContantContact’s new Online Event Registration starting at $20/month, a small fraction of typical online registration costs. Guidebook offers a free meeting DIY mobile guide app with up to 500 downloads per event. Google Hangouts On Air offers free multipoint video conferencing, steaming and recording. Joomla provides free web site building and content management tools with over 9,000 plugins. …just to name a few! These forces are also driving mobile app development with hundreds of thousands for free or very low cost app available; many of them of great help to meeting professionals."

Above quote used with permission from an article on Corbin Ball's Website.

--Corbin Ball CSP CMP, Owner at Corbin Ball Associates.

Short term requests and bookings will continue

"I believe 2013 will continue the trend of short term requests and bookings as our industry continues to be responsive and reactive to creating meaningful meetings and fantastic events. I look forward to seeing how the changes in social media and technology affect our event planning, execution and ultimately the guest experience from marketing to evaluation, and all the touch-points in between. I believe this is something that will be affected partly by generation and adoption phase of both Planner and Participant. 2013 will be a year of evolution, globally and in North America as clients who understand the power of face-to-face meetings, incentive travel and responsible fundraising respond to the economic realities that we are in."

--Tahira Endean CMP, Director - Creative and Production at Cantrav and Blogger at Events, Life and Impact Points

App 2.0 should be pursued for meetings and events

"In 2013, I'd like to see the meeting industry (e.g. meeting planners, in conjunction with technology vendors and providers) pursue App 2.0 for meetings and events. While App 1.0 was successful in providing the basics (session and exhibitor listings, social media integration, some degree of profile matchmaking), App 2.0 goes deeper to enable our mobile devices to be a more valuable and trusted "partner" to make the most of our meeting experience. What does that mean? That's for the industry to determine."

--Dennis Shiao, Director of Product Marketing at INXPO and blogger at It's All Virtual

Jobs will continue to be more niche oriented

"Social media seems to be the 'go-to' place for networking and making contacts. Personal branding (knowing who you are, what you do and what differentiate yourself from others) is an important step in 2013. It sets you apart from the rest of the pack internally within your organization and externally if you are searching for the next opportunity. Jobs continue to be niche oriented. Medical companies wanting medical meeting planners, financial companies wanting financial planners, associations seeking association planners. Specialties within the niches also have become important."

--Dawn Penfold CMP, President at Meetingjobs

The industry needs to focus on transparency and ethics

"In 2013 our industry will need to focus increasingly on transparency and ethics. These are multi-faceted issues, and incorporate everything from ethical bid processes, to the social and environmental impact of our events, to intellectual property in a social media age and to acceptable elements in our events within the global economic context. We've made great progress in recent years in being able to articulate the business value of meetings, and we need to ensure that our actions and professionalism as an industry support the delivery of this message."

--Mariela McIlwraith CMP CMM MBA, President at Meeting Change

Content (marketing) is king

"This year has been the year of "content marketing" as organizers start to see the value of promoting the true value of their content rather than relying on the old tried and tested marketing messages. In 2013 content marketing will continue to help the good events differentiate themselves from the bad and the down right ugly. "

--William Thomson, Head Honcho at Gallus Events

Mike Penney, a pro photographer, recently took some photos of a $500,000 boat. It was sold sight unseen within 48 hours based on the pictures alone.

Not only that, but it turns out that this boat had been on the market for a year with somebody else's cell phone photos and nobody would even look at it. "All we had to do," says Mike "was show people what the boat really looked like."

Of course, showing people what a boat or a fancy event space or a two million dollar condo really looks like is easier said than done. We had a chat with Mike, a veteran in the industry who has done countless photos for hotels, real estate, and events, as well as large corporate clients like Microsoft and Angie's List about just what goes into a pro photo, and why if you're selling anything online that has real value, why hiring a pro may be your best option.

What's in a pro photo?

I know what you're thinking. How hard can it be? What makes photos taken by a professional besides the fact that they might have better, more expensive equipment? Can't you just take your handheld camera, read a few tips from some photography blogs and get something that comes close?

If you think you can, you might want to check out this photo below.

The WAMU Theater Charity Event

What it took to make this photo:

• This above image of the WAMU theater in Seattle looks like just one picture, but that's actually misleading. It's actually more like a combination of five different exposures combined in Photoshop.
• Each exposure is taken from the same point and captures the detail of the white and blue in the overhead fabric.
• The tables are actually much darker than the ceiling so a separate exposure was need to capture that.
• Finally, the floors were painted darker in Photoshop to show a pool of light at each table.

The result is a scene fit for a charity fundraiser event that aimed to raise a million dollars for pediatric hospitals. Not a bad picture for a space that's essentially a parking garage under a football stadium. Try to do this with a cell phone.

Washington State University Dinner

This photo above was taken for a Washington State University Alumni dinner

What it took to make this photo:

• This is actually a basketball court… in the dark behind the curtains are rows and rows of seats.
• This was done with one 15 second long exposure. Except the video screens were cut from another much shorter exposure or they would be pure white.
• During the 15 second exposure I am painting, with a hand held spot light, the front 3 tables to lighten up the flowers, dishes and chairs.
• It took several attempts to get everything perfectly exposed and without the work crew showing up. You can still see a couple of ghost workers if you look closely; the long exposure usually renders them transparent.

5th Avenue Theater Event

The stage is set up for a dessert service after the annual gala auction. The picture needs to show something of the theatre, of course, yet it has to stop the action of the people in the shot.

What it took to make this photo:

• The camera iso is set higher than normal at 640
• f is set to 4.5 for a little depth of focus
• the shutter is 1/40th of a second
• the flash is set to under-expose by 1 stop
• And, of course, you have to hold the camera still. Mike does that AND shoots 3 to 5 shots quickly to make sure he has a good one.

Before You Hire a Pro: Some Things You Can Do Yourself

We've established that professional photos really do make a difference when presenting a meeting room or event space, but we know that many of the venue owners who use our site may not be prepared to invest in photos just yet. We asked Mike about this and he offered some tips.

Tip #1: Know Your Customer
"My first question to a lot of people–and you'd be surprised how many people cannot answer this question–is: ‘who are we selling to?" After all someone who wants to do a wedding will have completely different ideas than the corporate event planner.

If we're after the corporate event planner, for example, then the room needs to be a little bit on the sparse side in terms of decoration with perhaps the idea that you can serve coffee and water. If your photo is marketing toward the the wedding professional, however, you may want to add more colorful decorations.

Tip #2: Remove Junk and Clutter
"A lot of times I see too much junk in the room," says Mike, "The client doesn't care about your personal decorating tastes. They're coming there for a meeting and they're going to bring what they want to bring."

Do your best to make your space clean and neat. Be sure to take all wastebaskets, loose power cords, and stacks of paper out of view. Also, make sure that all chairs are at the same level.

Tip #3: Put Something Interesting on the Table
"Some of the better hotels and meeting room places…have their own corporate identity on their writing pads and ballpoint pens. They may even have their own labeled bottled water." says Mike.

The point is, a lot of meeting rooms look the same. "It's a lot of beige and brown" says Mike. Putting a vase of flowers in the middle of can really add a lot.

Tip #4: Choose The Right Time of Day
If a room is going to be used in the evening, take the picture in the evening. If the room will be used in the afternoon, then take the picture in the afternoon. You want to present a room in such a way that it feels as though someone can step right in and use it.

Making the Investment

Obviously there's a lot that goes into venue photography and the above tips will only go so far. If you're really serious about selling, whether you are renting out your space on eVenues or listing a house on a real estate website, investing in photography can be on the most important things you can do. Great photos that sell require years of skill, experience as well as the right equipment in order to show a venue as it really is. And that's the name of the game.

Recycling bins ready to go at the 2008 Democratic National Convention

Over the past year, we've noticed that the blogs and the trade magazines have used terms like "Green Meetings," "Green Event Planning," and "Sustainable Event Management" with increasing frequency.

But just what does it mean to produce a "green" meeting? Are there any real standards that meeting planners need to follow in order to call their meetings and events "green," or is it all just "Greenwashing"? Is it a PR ploy to make the companies and organizations producing meetings and events seem more environmentally conscious, when in their day to day operations they may not actually be practicing what they preach?

To get a better perspective on this issue, we reached out to some folks in the meetings industry, and had a chat with Jaime Nack, president of Three Squares Inc., an environmental consulting agency that helped out with such large events as Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, and the Democratic National Conventions in 2012 and 2008. Jaime and her team also did the logistics and greening for the last two conferences for the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). Says Tamara Kennedy, executive director of GMIC, Jaime's team was "Phenomenal and helped us exceed some of our greening goals by working with the local team" at the conference. From her, we learned a lot about just what it means to put on green meetings and events.

Jaime Nack

First of all, green meetings and events aren't just greenwashing. While there may indeed be some greenwashing out there, sustainable event management goes far beyond the surface PR ploy. In fact, according to what we found, many companies actually want to keep their green agendas private.

"For a lot of [our] clients," says Jaime, "It's just something that's part of their internal fiber or their corporate culture and so they want to make sure that they're walking the talk and they're doing it right. But it might not be something that they want to promote externally for fear that if they promote that they're doing X someone might try to dig deeper and say 'Well, what about Y and Z?'"

Many organizations may want to be more sustainable and more green, but they may not be able to comply with all the rigorous industry standards all at once. Thus, smaller gestures like producing a green event can be misinterpreted by the press who say that ABC Corp. is greenwashing when really they're just taking the first small steps toward sustainability. Because of this, many companies and organizations will keep their green initiatives, including their green events, private affairs.

The Lasting Impact of Green Meetings and Events

"That's all well and good," you might say. "But what kind of lasting impact do green meetings and events actually have?" After all, an event is a one-off deal, and while it's nice to produce one sustainable event, what about all the other events out there that aren't sustainable? Couldn't our efforts be better directed elsewhere?

Colorado Convention Center Recycling Station

When talking with Jaime, however, we found that one of the most rewarding aspects of her job was actually the lasting impact her events had. By showing venue staff, (kitchen staff, housekeeping staff, facilities staff, etc.) easy ways to make their event more sustainable, they were then able to adopt those practices for future events regardless of whether or not those future events were planned with sustainability in mind. It's this very light bulb going off, this idea that venue staff and even the people attending the meeting can adopt the same sustainability practices themselves, that is most rewarding for the green event planner.

As Three Squares continues to produce events, the more impact they have. The Colorado Convention Center, for example, kept compost stations on as part of their system ever since the Democratic Convention there in 2008, an event where Jaime and her team helped manage sustainability practices. Also, several smaller hotels whose staff Jaime's team trained decided to keep doing what they were advised to do simply because it made sense as far as sustainability was concerned.

"[Event professionals] live and thrive on that rush of the events coming up--but then when it's over, it's over, and we move on to the next one" says Jaime. "We kind of wish that we had a little bit more impact than the couple of hours when folks were there on-site at the event. So I think this allows you to have that impact…and leave a legacy behind."

What Can Planners Do to Make Their Meetings and Events More Sustainable?

We've covered the "why" of green meetings and events, but what about the "how?" If you're an event planner and you're reading this, how do you get started making your events more sustainable?

We put this question to Jaime and she said that that the key to starting out in the sustainability biz is research. Look at the industry standards that are out there and start to familiarize yourself with those standards and with the tools and resources that are available online.

Once you've familiarized yourself with the standards, "You're able to make choices," says Jaime, "Simple choices: food that you order for menus and choosing not to buy materials that are made thousands and thousands of miles away and shipped over with maybe not fair labor laws in that country. You have the choice and the way of making recommendations and finding and sourcing locally and being able to even price match."

When choosing a meeting space, consider sustainable venues like the io/LA meeting space pictured above. Just so you know, you can use eVenues' advanced search feature to find sustainable and LEED certified venues in the cities where we list venues 

Jaime emphasizes that planners are the ones spending money, either "their money or spending their clients money, and they can do it in a way where it's having a positive impact." Having the right knowledge is the way to begin making this impact.

Sustainable Meetings and Events: How the Pros Do It

Green event planners are generally hired to do two things: Plan green events or meetings from the ground up, or to be brought in to manage the sustainability aspect of larger events.

Obviously, when planning an event from the ground up, a lot of the decisions you make will be the same. Now, however, you'll be adding sustainability to the list of criteria you have when making a decision about this or that venue and this or that supplier.

In these situations, Jaime and her team are essentially setting the tone from the venue RFP (Request for Proposal) stage on out. They write their specs into the venue RFP and then once they get proposals back from hotels or convention centers they have site visits with those that rank highest according to their own criteria.

On those site visits, they look at everything: from energy, waste, water and transportation to the distance of the venue to the airport. They have a process of doing a site assessment and diving into those details with whomever the venue contact might be so that the venues can follow the correct practices that they need to have in place in order to earn their business.

For those managing just the sustainability aspect of an event, on the other hand, the job is very similar. Planners will most likely be in the conversations about sustainability practices with whomever the lead is on the planning or production side rather than with the suppliers themselves.

While the event planner may be making sure that they're providing enough food for everyone in the room, a sustainability consultant will be looking at what types what type of food is being served. Is it local produce? What types of fish are on the menu? They'll have language that they'll advise their clients to write into all of the BEOs (Banquet Event Orders) which provides bulleted lists of the the types of items that are preferred, like actual spoons instead of wooden stir sticks for coffee, and linen napkins instead of paper napkins. Furthermore, they'll be working hand in hand with the banquet staff to ensure all waste is being cleared in a way that's in line with sustainability standards.

A Bigger Impact Than You Think

Considering that it contributes nearly a trillion dollars to the U.S. economy, the meetings industry is no small potato. Considering how much water, electricity, and fuel gets consumed and how much waste gets produced for all these meetings and events to run smoothly, the consequences to the environment can't be small.

Because of this, it's important that event planners start thinking about sustainability. Planners have the power to encourage venues and suppliers to adopt sustainability practices, practices which will remain in place long after whatever event they happened to have planned is over. Now is the time for planners to to utilize this power and educate more and more people about sustainability and its importance.

Don't know where to start? Try some of these resources:

• The Green Meeting Industry Council
• USGBC Green Venue Selection Guide
• EPA.gov: Green Meetings
• EPA.gov: Waste Management
• Eventsustainability.co.uk
• Meetings and Conventions Magazine: A Multi-Tiered Approach to Green Meetings

The 2012 Republican National Convention

Televised debates, political rallies, straw polls, town hall meetings, $10,000 a plate fundraisers, and national conventions can be a logistical nightmare. It takes real skill, focus and years of experience to successfully plan for all contingencies and organize all the details.

With the presidential elections just around the corner, we decided to investigate just what goes into a political event, what makes them so challenging, and what it takes to successfully pull one off.

We reached out through our network here at eVenues and got in touch with Julie Ann Schmidt, meeting planner and managing partner at Lithium Logistics. In addition to many state and city level political events, Julie Ann has done work for the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, the 2011 Iowa Straw Poll, as well as managing logistics for the South Dakota Delegation to the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.

Julie Ann Schmidt, CMP, CMM

We chatted over the phone and Julie Ann was kind enough to share with us her considerable knowledge of political events. We talked about how she got involved with political events, and discussed just what makes political events different from “regular” events. Finally, Julie Ann also shared some war stories about hurricanes and attempted glitter bombings–more about those below.

Getting Involved in Political Events

While Julie Ann had experience in politics in Wayzata, a smaller city in Minnesota, the job was largely apolitical. Because she wanted to get involved in more politically oriented events, however, she eventually passed up on a promotion and started pitching her services to officials within the party she affiliated herself with.

She told them: “I can door knock. I can work the phone bank just like anyone else, but I can be of more value to you if I’m helping you save money on your events, reduce the risk on your events [and] plan more logistically tight events…Let me bring you the skill set I have because you don’t have that resource as in-depth on your team.”

And that’s how it all started. through her local government connections and by promoting her services as a planner, Julie Ann was given an opportunity in 2008 to work for the RNC in the capacity of the committee on arrangements (COA). The COA is the company that gets formed to execute the RNC every four years. For Democrats it’s the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC). These entities get formed in the city where where a convention is to take place. They hire staff, they employ them, they run the business, then after the convention happens, they close the business.

For Julie, Ann working for the COA was a “Phenomenal opportunity. I knew at the time it was once in a lifetime and I look back and it was THE once in a lifetime [opportunity]…When you work on something that big it’s it’s a big, very big event. I really think the only thing bigger is an Olympics. But yet it’s not as big as an Olympics so that you can still understand the whole event and get to know every part of it,” says Julie Ann.

Political Events: It’s all about connections

As far as doing work for political events, one opportunity has lead to the next. “You work on something, you meet somebody, and all of a sudden there’s another opportunity,” says Julie. Ann

All of Julie Ann’s political business has been referral. She gave one example of how she did some work for the Republican Party of Minnesota’s State Conventions. It just so happened that one of the people she worked with on a State convention became the executive director for South Dakota. Through that connection she was later hired to do their conventions as well.

What Makes Political Events Different?

Political events are a special breed, and while many elements of planning a political event are the same as they are for regular events, there are a few differences. The main areas where differences can be seen are with security, press, the agendas and flow of the events, and it goes without saying, the politics.

Security

Political event planners will often look at security in a different way. For a State Convention the main floor space is just for voting delegates or alternates, so the space needs to be controlled This requires security to control a few access points and it helps keep people who are not credentialed off the floor.

Votes are oftentimes voice votes. If a vote count is needed, people will be asked to stand up and have their vote counted manually. State conventions want to ensure that only the elected delegates or their alternates get to vote, so they’ll often have their own security people doing things in addition to what you think of as traditional security tasks.

Glitter bombing, or the act of dumping glitter on a candidate or political figure as a form of protest, can also be a concern. In fact, during the midwest leadership conference in 2011 that Julie Ann planned, they had had a number of high level speakers and an awareness of potential glitter bombers and they even had pictures of who those people were.

At this particular event, they had someone try to glitter Karl Rove. Since security was on the alert for them, they knew kind of what signs to look for. The glitter bomber approached Karl with a Triscuit box full of glitter but because they were watching, they were able to stop him, knock the box of glitter down, and none of it got on Karl Rove.

After the attempted glittering, they were able to then contain the person and ask Karl, the client putting on the event, and the venue if they wanted to press charges, which, says Julie “is something you’d never do at a corporate event.” The outcome of that was that Karl and the client didn’t press charges but the venue did press trespassing charges because the glitterer had hit somebody else at their building before, “Because,” explains Julie, ”from their point of view as a venue, he’s being dangerous and disruptive [and] could make clients not want to come.”

The Press

The press is another element for meeting planners to be aware of. “Rarely do you have press show up at a corporate annual meeting and you certainly don’t have press risers and mult boxes at the back for multiple cameras or a sectioned-off area of the floor for press,” says Julie Ann.

If you’re doing a convention or similar event you’ll be giving space on the floor to press and that’s something you’ll have to plan for. If you’re doing something in a more open area like the Iowa Straw Poll, however, you’re not controlling a space for press, but they’ll be present at the event. They might be coming to your space and interviewing people and things like that, and that’s something to be aware of.

Agendas and Flow

Corporate events follow a pretty much set pattern. There’s a general session, breakouts, another general session and then meals afterwards. For the most part the audience is there to learn and hear material, not to discuss any issues or make a proposal. With the exception of Q&A, it’s pretty much one sided.

Political events, on the other hand, can be quite different. “With state conventions, more so than national conventions,” says Julie Ann, “[there is] a little more of a give and take with the audience and the presenters, so agendas can be different and have a different style and flow…You’re having reports on rules and dialogue from the floor [and] proposals” This give-and-take aspect can make the agendas very different than a regular event.

The Politics (Of Course)

Another thing for planners to watch out for that Julie Ann mentioned is that individual personalities tend to be a bit stronger in a political environment than what you might encounter in a more toned down corporate or association environment. While there may be some politics involved in planning a corporate or association event, rarely do you have three candidates who are running for the same spot staying in the same hotel. The question of course arises as to who gets which suite and how to make everything seem fair.

The 2012 RNC: A “Perfect Storm” of Challenges

Hurricane Isaac Approaching Tampa before the 2012 RNC

As you may know, being an event planner is all about planning for contingencies and putting out fires, and with events the size of a national convention, the scale of these fires can increase to epic proportions.

The 2012 Tampa RNC was no exception. There was a lot of reworking of the agenda due to the potential of Hurricane Isaac coming to town. “That was a real challenge,” says Julie Ann, “cancelling buses, moving bus times, and everyone’s doing it…the bus company’s getting 40 phone calls from people…different state delegations that need to move their buses.”

Because of the bus problem Julie Ann and her team also had to rework a lot of the details in the agenda they had prepared for their delegation. “All the plans we had kind of went out the window,” says Julie Ann, “and you’re just reacting to things as they happen…It was challenging but everything really worked out and given me and my team’s experience, we were able to really give our clients the best and advice and make the best changes…and react to the different changes that were happening day to day.”

Who Really Makes it Happen?

In the coming weeks when you watch the televised presidential debates and other poltical events, take a moment to think about all the work that went behind the scenes. What did it take to bring all those people together? Where did those thousands of red, white, and blue balloons come from? Who sold them? Who ordered them? Who put the security in place? Who prepared for the press? Who organized hotel rooms and meals for the thousands of people attending? Behind the fanfare and spectacle, there are hundreds and hundreds of phone calls being made, RFPs being submitted, contracts being signed, rooms being reserved, and tickets being bought. It’s the meeting planner who makes all that happen. Take a moment to think about that.

One of The Woods Coffee shops with a room listed on eVenues

Ever since the days of the Ottoman Empire, coffeehouses have had a rich history as meeting places. These coffeehouses made their money by providing a beautiful free space for people to meet and to work--provided that they bought a beverage or some baked goods. Customers enjoyed the luxury of these "free" spaces with the understanding that the cost of using the space was included in the price of each cup.

This business model has been the standard deal for nearly five hundred years. So when Wes Herman, the founder of  The Woods Coffee, started charging customers to use a room in one of his shops, it seemed unthinkable.

So far, however, it's proven to be a success.

Story of The Woods Coffee

Wes Herman

The Woods Coffee is a chain started by Wes Herman, his wife, and their four teenagers. Over the last ten years they've become a fixture in Bellingham, WA (Pop. 81,000) having built over 12 stores (it'll be 14 by the year's end) within a 20-mile radius from eachother. They have, in Wes' words, "become the local go-to product that allows people to have an alternative to some of the bigger coffee giants."

Of those 12 shops, the Boulevard Park coffee shop, is one that they're most well known for.  It's located in a public park 10 feet from the Pacific Ocean and has been considered by some of the leading coffee trade magazines as one of the best coffee shops in the world.

An Extra Revenue Stream 

While most coffee shops are considered free meeting places (provided that you get a muffin or mocha, of course), Wes decided to convert the Kiln Room at the Boulevard Park shop into a private conference room, because, says Wes, "it was so close to the water and such a unique site that people would want to come down and utilize this space. So we created it in such a way where it's completely private." Wes set the room up with a large table, 12 leather reclining chairs, as well as a 42-inch screen with hookups for whatever presentations might be needed.

View of the Ocean from the Kiln Room

So far this experiment has proven to be a success. In addition to the extra revenue from rental fees, those utilizing the space usually order drinks and food from the shop. Thus, it becomes a two-way opportunity to generate income.

Benefits to the Community

And it's not just The Woods Coffee that has benefited from having this meeting space, but the local community as a whole. "We get emails from folks that say they love the space because it's so unique," says Wes. "It allows them to kind of unwind--get away from the regular pace. We've actually used the room for small weddings. People have multiple day events there where they'll be there for three straight days staying at a hotel nearby."

Wait a minute...weddings? It was hard to believe a wedding would ever happen in such small space.

Wes explained: "A coffee shop is one of those places where people meet for the first time because it's an easy first date and sometimes it turns into a lifelong relationship and they want to culminate that with a wedding in our space because that's where they first met."

Yes. More than one wedding has been held here.

Managing the Space with eVenues

Despite the benefits, both to the business and to the community. Managing a meeting space is, after all, a distraction from the day to day business of running a successful local coffee chain. This had led Wes to look for an online service that would allow him to easily manage bookings. "We didn't necessarily want to take phone calls during the day. We didn't want to have to deal with the collection of money. So eVenues was a solution that allowed us to completely do it without any effort on our part. It allowed us to run a smooth operation as opposed to breaking up our normal routines," says Wes.

Wes told us that they typically have the store manager overseeing the bookings. They log on to eVenues to see when it's booked and then, says Wes, "it's just a matter of greeting the guests and setting them up with the space."

When I asked Wes about any issues they've had with eVenues, he said that overall his experience has been "great," but there has been the minor issue of educating customers and non-profits about discounting programs they might be offering but that overall, "It's been so easy. We don't have to worry about it...We get a check from eVenues and it's all good."

More Meetings, Not Enough Spaces

Tools like Eventbrite,  Meetup.com, Plancast, and Facebook's Event Calendar have shown that technology, instead of limiting face-to-face interactions, has done quite the opposite. The one thing missing, however, are the actual spaces where all these events can take place. While happy hour gatherings might be okay for a single's party or a networking event, the lack of privacy can be a little distracting for those who need to make decisions, engage in discussions, and get things done.

Savvy business people like Wes Herman taken advantage this trend by creating private, rentable conference rooms in a places where people usually meet for free. While it's clear that Wes could have probably taken care of all the details himself, eVenues' scheduling and booking services has allowed him to focus on more important things like managing his business. In fact, when you go to the Woods Coffee website to book the kiln room, the link goes straight to its eVenues profile page.

With the growth in small meetings, there just aren't enough meeting spaces to go around. There's no reason why small business owners can't advantage of this trend.

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Related Article: A Brief History of Coffee Houses as Meeting Places