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Improve Your Next Conference – 5 Really Easy Tips

On 18 April, 2014 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Sales Toolkit, Conference Venue Tips, hotel sales professionals

Tips to make your delegates conference experience easier and dramatically improve networking.

Today’s blog post is written by Kevin Newman who organises BrightonSEO.com conferences as posted in Event Managers Blog. You will love these tips – they just make sense!!

Improve the Usability of Your Name Badges.

Why do you give people name badges at events? It’s probably to make sure you’ve got no freeloaders.
Why are they useful to attendees? To help them remember the name of someone they’ve forgotten or to spot people they’d like to speak to. Yet the badges at most events are tiny, with minuscule fonts that might be on brand but are a nightmare to read at distance.

We take a different approach, that seems to work well for us.
Our badges are huge. A double sided sheet of A6. We do get comments about how huge they are, but making them bigger makes it much easier for them to be useful.
We also use the font Blue Highway. This is not one of our brand fonts. It’s a free font based upon the fonts used on American road signs. That means it’s designed to be clearly read from a distance.
If you can’t read the name of the attendee from 20ft away, we have failed on our badge designs.
Also think about what extra information you could put on the badge with the extra space a bigger badge allows. In the past we’ve included Twitter handles. Sometimes people are more familiar with people’s names on Twitter than their ‘real name’.
Though don’t be afraid to exclude things, on badges whitespace is your friend!

Programme More breaks.

I’ve struggled with this one over the years. I’ve always wanted to cram as much content into a conference as I can, so I was always nibbling away at the breaks.
Then I had a proper read through our feedback. I got the message that the opportunity to network was one of the main reasons people attended our events. So we made more time for exactly that.
Having healthy breaks does mean when a speaker inevitably runs over time, there is still plenty of time for attendees to stock up on caffeine, fresh air and industry gossip.

Arrange More Power Sockets
You can spot who the conference veteran is. They are the first person in the auditorium scoping out the seat nearest a power socket. They will even get charging early in the day to ensure their fully juiced for the whole day.
The reality is at most events your audience will be spending time on their mobile, tablet and/or phone. They will want power to keep them charged.
You can never have enough power sockets at a conference.
Use this opportunity. There are some great off the shelf charging solutions and it’s a great thing to get sponsored or branded. Chargebar is a great service where charging stations can be rented. It becomes the centre for connecting and like the “watering hole” of the conference. Chargers are the most forgotten item at a conference, if you are providing a solution to someones panic of almost running out of juice on their phone or notebook, then you are a saviour.

Send out a ‘What to Expect’ Email

Early on in my conference organising days it amazed me the number of emails I used to get about dress codes. I was organising marketing conferences not gala dinners. It’s one of the things people legitimately get concerned about in the run up to events.
One way to fight this anxiety in your delegates is to send round a ‘What to expect email’ a few days before the event. Talk about dress codes, what types of food and drink are going to be available, whether there will be wi-fi etc.
Think about every small question your attendees have asked ahead of your events. Turn then into a helpful piece of communication. You’ll save your attendees a lot of mental energy fretting.

Schedule Tweets to Pre-empt Problems
There are certain problems we know we are going to have at our events. People arrive early, they can’t find the wifi password, their running out of battery and are looking for a charger.
We know to expect these things so ahead of an event we schedule tweets covering exactly these issues.
It leaves us the time to concentrate on other things on the day but allows people on the back-channel to answer their own questions. You’ll also find other attendees retweeting these ‘Public Service Announcements’. Spreading the message for you.

In Conclusion.
A successful event is all about the details.
These are just a few of the things that have helped make our events more successful. Useful badges, more networking time that you might expect, extensive power sockets, allaying people’s fears with a what to expect email and pre-scheduling tweets to pre-empt problems.

You probably do lots of your own, I hope these tweaks will help you run your event better.

If you like this blog post, you will love these related topics:
One Brilliant Question to Ask When Organising a Conference
How to Effectively Analyze Your Conference – Survey Questions

Feel free to Contact Ciara if you have any questions on how to get the biggest results from your Conference or Event.

Tagged: arranging conferences, charging stations at conference, conference experience, conference organisers, conference planning tips, conference technology. conference apps, networking tips, tips on planning an event

Running a Conference is a little like Theatre…….

On 5 February, 2014 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Event Technology, Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venue Tips, Conference Venues, Hotel Sales, Hotel Sales Tips, Negotiating Rates

“Space Communicates a Message”

Conference Space Design has a massive effect on the outcome and results of a conference or meeting.

It affects people’s mood; how easy it is for them to meet people; their absorption of information, how well they retain information, the overall emotional experience they have had at the conference; what they walk away thinking and saying about the hotel and most of all if they will recommend the hotel or indeed the conference to their connections.

I had a very interesting conversation about Hotel design and in particular the design of conference and networking space. I was speaking with Ted Brumleve, Design Director at Dolce Conference Hotels. I am studying this concept at the moment for my book, I find it really fascinating.

There is a psychology behind well thought out space. Communications experts spend hours and days observing how people use existing space and what walk patterns they use.

I also had a cup of tea with Fiona McDonald of Design Space, Cork; she is passionate about how space design impacts and influences people. I just love this statement from her “Space Communicates a Message“. How true that is. Fiona is so interesting to meet with and talk about the “function of space”. She is also contributing to my book in this chapter about Conference and Networking Space.

So what are the top “must haves” of conference and meeting friendly hotel space– here are the top tips from the experts;

1. Natural Light. And it is “Golden” in the networking area according to Ted Brumleve.
2. Moveable furniture and plants that will influence the direction people walk in, where they congregate and influence how easy it is to strike up a spontaneous conversation.
3. Ciara Mundrow, International Communications Director of The Cardiology Society of Europe (who organise conferences of 200 to 30,000), told me they spend considerable money creating coffee shops and lounges at their events. This is essential to facilitating networking and the sharing of information; a key reason their delegates go to their conferences in the first place.
4. Effective Lighting. Invest in a lighting expert as this effects people’s mood at an event. Day lighting, soft lighting that makes everyone look good, evening lighting and night time lighting all play their individual role in the successful outcome of an event.
5. Brilliant technology behind the scenes. A conference centre and meeting place must be wired to assist the Meeting Planner run a smooth event. There is no excuse for delegates having to complain about the strength of the Wi-Fi, quality of the projection or not being able to see the presentations clear enough. It is the “backbone” of a great conference according to Ted.
6. Access to outside. Ideally patios off the networking areas.

The good news is most of these are easily fixed if a venue doesn’t have them naturally. You just have to speak to the right Design Space experts to ensure your hotel is helping Meeting and Conference Planners to run what they all want to run, a successful event. All sales pitches to Conference Organisers and Meeting Planners must include how the design of the hotel can help them achieve their goals.

——————–

Ciara Feely is a Conference Sales Coach. She makes filling a hotel with conference and meetings business easy. For info on bespoke training, webinars and ebooks on the topic, feel free to email or call. +353 86 3611428, Ciara at FindaConferenceVenue.com.

Tagged: arranging conferences, conference and meeting place, Conference Hotels, conference organisers, conference sales coach, conference sales mentoring, conference sales tips, conference venue ireland, Conference Venues, conference venues dublin, hotel revenue, Hotel Sales, Meeting Room Venues, networking, networking space

Price is NOT a factor in chosing a Conference Venue

On 20 November, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Sales Toolkit, Conference Venue Tips, Conference Venues, how to negotiate

The Conference Organiser does not make a decision based on Price.

So Stop Pitching your Conference Hotel Based on Price!

I am regularly asked in my workshops how to deal with negotiating on price. I am told all decisions come down to price and competitors keep lowering their price so in order to get the business they have to lower their rates.
I completely disagree.

Over the last few years as a Venue Finder, no conference organiser has ever said to me Ciara the only thing that matters to me is price. There is always something more important behind it. That “something” is what must be discovered. This statement is not just made based on my experience of speaking to hundreds of Conference Organisers , it is based on biology. The part of the brain that makes decisions does not understand price or language. The part of the brain that makes decisions does not understand price or language! So why are the majority of hotels leading with price? 8 out of 10 hotel websites that I go to have an annoying pop up window with a “special offer”.

If everything else seems the same, then a decision will be made on price, so you must pitch your venue at another angle and stop the “Price Pitch”.

Qualifying the client at first contact is critical to successfully selling your property and getting the rates you need to sustain profitably. Focusing on the conference and meetings market is the key to getting higher rates and more profitable business.

For more insights into how to understand the decision making process of the Conference Organiser, come to one of my workshops.

Next one is this Monday, November 25th, Dublin, Clyde Court Hotel. 2-5PM. Email or call to sign up.

I also do private mentor sessions or bespoke in house trainings for the whole team, Chef and Housekeepers too! Showing them how they can help create an amazing conference experience.

Ciara (at) Finda ConferenceVenue.com
086-3611428

1 Brilliant Question to Ask When Organising a Conference

On 6 November, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venue Tips, Hotel Sales Tips

What is the point of the Conference? 5 Tips to ensure the investment in a Conference pays off…

This week’s blog is taken from the brilliant Tuesday Tips of Andy Bounds. I had the pleasure of hearing him in action at a conference recently and he was outstanding. I also had a meeting with him and got some nuggets on my communication. He is the Afters Man…. read any of his books to discover the genius behind why it is so important to speak with our clients in terms of our Afters – what we leave them with after having worked with us. In this blog post Andy discusses my number one question for Conference Organisers to ask themselves and the Conference Committee. It is also a brilliant question for Hotel Conference Sales Teams to ask.

“Conferences are a massive investment of man hours and money. The outcomes have to be amazing to warrant that level of investment. Here are simple techniques to help ensure you get them:

#1 be clear on the DO
Every time a company asks me to help with a conference, my first question is always “what do you want the audience to DO after it?”
And, virtually every time, people don’t know. They often have lots of ideas about content, speakers, venues, welcoming music and other funky ideas… but not enough clarity about their #1 issue: what they want the day to cause. But, of course, when you don’t know this, it just won’t happen. You’ll have a great day; nothing more.

#2 identify your very few, very key messages
Once you know what you want your audience to DO, identify the 2-3 messages you have to get across, to maximise the chance of them doing it. This simplicity and clarity helps guide all future planning. And, without it, things can get very messy, very quickly.

To illustrate this, here is an example that worked for one of my customers:
- The DO – for the audience to be more audience-focused every time they communicate
- The key messages to get across:
# communication isn’t good here
# everyone suffers because of it
# the three steps to improving it
# how we’ll follow up

Once they had this, it was relatively straightforward to build the content around this skeleton (believe me, this is much better than starting with “what slides have you got that we can use?”)

#3 create content around the DO/messages

The next step is to build the day’s content. This involves identifying:
- Content that will:
* give people the ability, motivation and confidence to do the DO
* overcome their concerns about doing it (if you don’t overcome these, they stay concerned)

- The best speakers, who have the skills, authenticity and power to deliver the messages (remember when choosing your speakers: availability is not a skill. Think “who’s best?”; not “who’s available?”)
the flow, so people understand how everything fits together

#4 simplify things even further

A lot of people have heard the mantra “you should have no more than three key messages in your presentation”. But, if you have six speakers, that’s a total of 18 key messages. And nobody will remember all of them.
So, simplify everything into the smallest number of messages, for people to remember.
As a general rule, it’s worth making one point in an entertaining, memorable way, rather than ten points in a rushed, forgettable way.

#5 practise
If your speakers don’t practise, they won’t be as good as they could be. This is bad whichever way you look at it:
# is disrespectful to the audience
# wastes time – thousands of man-hours absorbed watching somebody wing it
# causes people to feel disappointment and underwhelmed

And, let’s face it, it never does the speaker much good, does it?
You can add your own points to my five, of course. But if you don’t do things like this, the costs of holding a conference can become higher and more measureable than the returns.
However, get it right, and everything changes. I’ve seen countless examples of conferences that have been so powerful, that a workforce has transformed within just one day. Are yours as good as they could be?”

So that is it! Wonderfully written by Andy Bounds, I couldn’t have said it better myself! Hearing this from the Man Himself is so much more powerful.

For more brilliant tips from Andy Bounds, sign up here.
To find more brilliant Conference Speakers – talk to Mary Menton, Irish Speakers Bureau.
To get more brilliant tips on organising a Conference, sign up here.
To get more brilliant tips on how to “Win More Conference Business” – sign up here.

Tagged: arranging conferences, arranging events, conference organising, conference tips, how to increase midweek business hotels, midweek business hotels, midweek hotel business, top tips for organising a conference, win more conference business

Google Opens a Conference Centre – Dublin’s hottest new venue

On 2 October, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venues, Dublin Conference Facilities, Venue Reviews

Google opened a hot new venue in Dublin just a few weeks ago. The Foundry – A Conference Centre designed to inspire, communicate and help companies build their business community. They went for a “Posh Garage” look – exposed ceilings, funky design, splashes of colour. Who was the first conference client to experience it – Ikea!

“It is a digital, conference centre and networking place to bring together the best people, share best practice and help super charge the economy” as described by John Herlihy, Head of Google Ireland. There is a Google Hang out room (Hang out on Air), for companies to hang out with and talk to their customers. Lots of fun gadgets and even a shopping experience. At long last, a space to inspire thought and innovation as a conference centre. Can’t wait to see it for myself. A tour is in the works for my next visit to Dublin. I have 3 clients it will suit perfectly for 2014 and 2015 conference venue enquiries.

Auditorium style it can fit 360 conference delegates.

Google Venue, Dublin\'s newest Conference Venue

Tagged: arranging events, city centre venues, conference and meeting place, conference hotel, Conference Hotels, Conference Venues, conference venues dublin, Conferences Dublin, Cool venues, corporate event planning tips, corporate event services, Corporate Team Building activities, Corporate Team Building Venue Dublin, Dublin City Centre Venues, Google Conference Centre, Google Conference Venue, Google Dublin, Google Venue, Meeting Room Venues, networking tips, The Foundry Dublin, tips on planning an event

G8 Summit Conference Hotels and Venues…

On 17 June, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Golf Venues, Meeting Rooms, Venue Reviews

Ireland a serious contender for International Conferences with validation of our world class conference facilities…

The world leaders have been welcomed to The Lough Erne Resort for the G8 Summit 2013. The Northern Ireland Conference Hotel was chosen to host this prestigious conference that will result in long lasting benefits to the hotel. Speaking to the Director of Sales – John O Neill, the sales department has experienced an influx of enquiries in the last year from the corporate and conference market of Ireland and indeed internationally. Being able to say they are the chosen venue of the G8 Summit, speaks mountains about its credibility as a venue capable of handling the highest calibre of conference delegates and logistics.

It is estimated the G8 Summit is worth £40 million to the local economy, resulting in 45,000 room nights being booked. The counties of Sligo, Donegal, Cavan. Fermanagh and Monaghan have all enjoyed the conference sales benefits. The Radisson in Sligo are hosting the 2500 delegates coming from America for the Summit. The delegates, media, security and administration staff and picketers all make up the 45,000 room nights. The £40 million in spend is being generated by G8 contracts given to Northern Ireland businesses, over-time payments for security and other staff plus the spend on preparation and practicalities such as training exercises, accommodation, catering and logistics. Homeowners in the area are also benefiting – renting out their houses for up to £1300 for the few days – it sounds familiar to the Ryder Cup event held at The K Club, Kildare 2006!

Ireland being the venue for the G8 Summit has long reaching benefits for Ireland being considered as a conference venue for International Associations and corporate conferences and will all help to platform us as the fantastic country it is for conferences.
“Ireland has the perfect mix of facilities, accommodation and professionalism to host any major meeting. Drawing on the visit of the G8 to the island of Ireland, we are reminding potential ambassadors that they too can bring their global gathering to the ‘island boardroom’ according to John Concannon, Director of Marketing with Fáilte Ireland. Click here for details of the Irish Ambassador Programme.

The first six months of 2013 will see 114 international conferences and business events take place in Ireland bringing a total of approximately 31,000 delegates with an overall estimated economic impact of €37 million, that is not including the G8 Summit Conference.

Check out this review of the resort for the leisure traveller as experienced by Pol O’ Conghaile who writes for the National Geographic Traveller.

Tagged: arranging events, association conference hotel, conference and meeting place, conference center ireland, conference hotel ireland, conference organisers, Corporate Event Venues, find a conference venue, G8 2013 conference hotels, G8 Ireland Summit, G8 Summit, G8 Summit hotels, Meeting Room Venues, team building venues ireland

3 Smart, innovative conference hotel experience ideas

On 23 May, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Conference Event Technology, Conference Hotels, Conference Venue Tips, Hotel Sales Tips

3 great ideas that create a wonderful sense of arrival for any conference hotel to deliver….

I discovered a great article on luxury hotel innovations written by Coyle Hospitality that enhance the guest experience. These would really be fantastic for any conference goer and make a conference organiser’s life a lot easier too.

1 – This is my favourite one — ipads supplied for each guest. The Plaza Hotel in New York have enhanced their guests experience by offering each guest an iPad from which they can do just about everything they need while staying at the hotel, including control the temperature in their room, order room service, make restaurant reservations, communicate with the concierge, request wake-up calls, explore NYC destination guides, and even check airline schedules and print boarding passes. How great would it be then to pre-load the ipads with the conference agenda, list of delegates, apps to network with, articles on the conference speakers, the conference organisers contact information, things to do in the area and a feedback on the conference app.

2 – Good bye to the front desk(This one I just love too as it is my pet peeve checking in at hotels) — Arriving guests are met by roving hosts, who sit down with them, offer a free glass of wine or coffee, and complete the check in process on a tablet computer (or iPad). It is soooo welcoming and sets a relaxed tone for the stay.

This I would just love for a conference experience as networking would be made so much easier, conference delegates generally arrive around the same time so this would kick off networking straight away. I find the “Front desk” just places a barrier between the guest and the hotelier, the most welcoming guest houses don’t have them, why should hotels? The new Hyatt brand – Andaz has this “welcome” as standard and more and more luxury boutique hotels are moving towards this also.

3 – This is niche within a niche – introducing hypo-allergenic rooms. This has been introduced by Hyatt Each “Respire” room gets a one-time shock treatment to minimize irritants, hypo-allergenic mattress and pillow cases, a powerful air purifier that’s listed as a medical device by the FDA, and other treatments that eliminate allergens on carpets and upholstery. – The number of asthma sufferers is projected to hit 400 million by 2025, so this may no longer be niche, just necessary.

For expertise on Hotels and venues, feel free to call me. Ciara zero86-3611428

Tagged: andaz hyatt, arranging conferences, conference and meeting place, conference hotel, Conference Hotels, conference innovatino, conference organisers, conference technology, conference technology. conference apps, corporate event planning tips, hotel experience, hotels, hyatt hotels, networking tips, smart conference tips, tips on planning an event

Excellent Conference Centre option in Kilkenny

On 2 May, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Venues, Venue Reviews

Kilkenny adds another reason to take a conference or association meeting to the City….

There is another conference and convention centre option in Kilkenny. Association and conference organisers will love it. The Hub in Kilkenny, located just off the Dublin Road is a wonderful option for exhibitions, large conferences, summits and trade shows. It accommodates up to 1200, what organisers in particular will love is that it is open space, very flexible and can be turned a number of ways.
conference space at the Hub Kilkenny
http://findaconferencevenue.com/venue/The-Hub-Conference-Centre-Kilkenny-Conference-venue-and-exhibition-space

Kilkenny is just over an hour from Dublin, just off the M9, making it extremely accessible and a great conference destination. Kilkenny City itself has a host of hotels with top class accommodation offerings, Lyrath Estate is the closest conference hotel to The Hub.

Tagged: association conference centres, association conference venue, association hotels, conference and meeting place, conference centre hotel kilkenny, conference venue ireland, Conference Venues, conference venues ireland, find a conference venue, kilkenny conference centre, kilkenny convention centre, trade show centre, trade show facilities kilkenny

Conference Organisers use TripAdvisor to help decide on Conference Hotel…

On 5 March, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venue Tips, Conference Venues, Dublin Conference Facilities, Venue Reviews

This is a fact. A client of mine recently chose not to book a week long conference at the Burlington Hotel based on their reviews on TripAdvisor. Ouch! It is being used to find the right conference hotel.

TripAdvisor have now introduced a business listing which I would highly recommend serious conference hotels in Ireland upgrade to. Why? – the hotel gets….

Link to your website
Email address
Phone number
Link to special offers
Special offer tag
Custom photo slideshow

It is all about making it easy for the conference organiser to get independent reviews about your hotel that are believable and based on a real experience.

TripAdvisor spoke at the IHF Conference in Killarney today on this topic and needless to say it was a heated debate about listing the reviews directly on hotel websites and them being anonymous. I highly recommend it. If you are not putting the reviews on the hotel website, conference organisers are just going to look for them anyway. If there are negative reviews, it all depends on how they are handled. Some negativity makes them more believable. Conference Hotels can’t ignore the power of TripAdvisor in converting a conference, meeting or event enquiry, they are being used to find the right conference venue and conference hotel.

Tagged: arranging events, Business listings, conference and meeting place, conference organisers, conference reviews, conference venue ireland, corporate event planning tips, Corporate Meetings, find a conference venue, hotel reviews, TripAdvisor

Conference Hotel in Tipperary – The Horse and Jockey as a Meeting Room Venue

On 8 October, 2012 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Venues, Venue Reviews

Conferences are a serious business at the Horse and Jockey Conference Hotel– it is not all about the races in Tipperary………

The Conference Rooms at The Horse and Jockey Hotel Tipperary are fresh, tastefully decorated and inspiring. It is one of the few conference centres in the country with an Auditorium style room set up – permanently set for 200 delegates with integrated AV controls from the podium.

From a conference organisers perspective the following are what makes the Horse and Jockey Hotel a great meeting venue choice for meetings and conferences.

Easy to get to – just off the M8. Extremely central being 1.5 hours from Dublin and 1 hour from Cork.

Great networking space in the meeting room and conference centre areas. Lots of comfy couches that encourage the all important networking side to a meeting and event.

Decor – is professional, colourful and not imposing.

It is reasonably priced – making a return on investment easier to achieve.

Lots of free parking

Fresh scones and cakes served from its bakery – num!

Great break out space Horse and Jockey Hotel

The staff are local and very accommodating, there is a choice of dining options from the bar to restaurant to the cafe/bakery. The restaurant is a great option for private lunches during meetings. The hotel is easy to access and with all the meeting rooms being in the one area and on the one level, it is stress free on the organiser and the delegates. Contact the venue directly for an instant quote.

Beautiful meeting rooms Tipperary Hotel

Wonderful Leisure and Spa facilities Horse and Jockey Hotel

Ciara Feely is an expert on conference hotels and venues in Ireland. Feel free to get in touch for our independent opinions and advice.

Click here for other Conference Hotels in Tipperary, other meeting rooms in Tipperary.

Older Posts »

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GREEN VENUES

Improve Your Next Conference – 5 Really Easy Tips

Running a Conference is a little like Theatre…….

Price is NOT a factor in chosing a Conference Venue

1 Brilliant Question to Ask When Organising a Conference

Google Opens a Conference Centre – Dublin’s hottest new venue

G8 Summit Conference Hotels and Venues…

3 Smart, innovative conference hotel experience ideas

Excellent Conference Centre option in Kilkenny

Conference Organisers use TripAdvisor to help decide on Conference Hotel…

Conference Hotel in Tipperary – The Horse and Jockey as a Meeting Room Venue