Session Descriptions
-
Education sessions… As diverse as you are!
Maybe you’re a veteran planner who’s clueless about social media, or a brand new coordinator with an MBA. No two planners are alike, and at IncentiveWorks, we know that the length of time you’ve been a planner doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an expert or a novice in any one topic. So we’ve designed sessions that bring you and your peers together based on areas of interest, not years in the industry.
Gone are the “beginner,” “intermediate” and “senior” labels.
Say hello to sessions “designed for” multi-faceted you!Tuesday August 20
WORKSHOPS
8:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
360 Degrees of Stakeholder Engagement
Presented by: Betsy Bondurant, CMM, CTE, president of Bondurant ConsultingDesigned for: Those with a keen interest in stakeholder engagement, and are looking for a practical, “working workshop”
Meeting professionals frequently think of “stakeholder” as a single entity (the person who owns the event). But there are many stakeholders in our ecosystem: department managers, colleagues and—most importantly—attendees. In this learning lab, you will explore the importance of engaging all your stakeholders, and see how those stakeholders are intrinsically tied to demonstrating a meeting’s value. You will work through case studies and identify best practices that illuminate different challenges and offer key solutions. You will develop a Plan of Action (POA) by completing a stakeholder mapping exercise, and you will build a list of questions that will lead to meaningful measurements for your meetings and events.
Takeaways:
- Understand the 360-degree landscape of stakeholders and how to engage them.
- Identify best practices in gaining stakeholder buy-in for articulating the business value of meetings.
- Create a Plan of Action for the development of meaningful measurements that will demonstrate the business value of your meetings.
8:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Meetings: The Social Platform of the Future
Presented by: Jackie Mulligan, director of enterprise and principal lecturer for the International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism and Hospitality at Leeds Metropolitan UniversityDesigned for: Those who have an understanding of social platforms and want to see how this new social world will impact meetings
Discover how you can design meetings for the social changes, needs and demands of the future in this interactive session based on the latest findings from MPI’s future of meetings research, which tracked social media live at events across the world and surveyed four generations on four continents. Take a close look at what makes these generations different AND the same, and understand why people share so much or so little of their lives online. Explore the opportunities ahead and discover how you can successfully engage your participants and clients online and offline.
Takeaways:
- Develop ways in which you can encourage people to share more to enhance their meeting experiences
- Identify key generational differences and consider their meeting design implications
- Appreciate the value of online connections in supporting offline events and networks
8:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Stop Working and See Productivity Soar!
Presented by: Paul Marchildon, leisureologist, motivational speaker, mentor and trainer who considers himself, “self-unemployed” (To find out more about what that means, follow the link to his bio).Designed for: Those who want to get more out of their employees, attendees and selves.
Leisure and meetings? It seems like a contradiction companies just can’t reconcile! Whether they are preparing for an important product launch or want to reward high-performing salespeople, meetings can be a key ingredient in both promoting a leisure ethic and advancing business objectives. With Paul’s guidance, meeting professionals will learn to reframe their audience’s perspective of work vs. leisure.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Deconstructing Events: Reengineering your event for higher engagement
Presented by: Ben Moorsom, president & chief creative officer at the Debut Group®Designed for: Those who haven’t really considered (or put into practice) emotional engagement, when planning and executing their events.
With so many messages hitting your sales force, employees or event attendees, how do you make sure that your message will resonate? Logic changes what people think and emotion changes what people do. By re-mapping your event along an emotional arc (pre, during and post your event) you can inspire your people to act, thus generating lasting results. Emotionally connecting with your audience at strategic touch-points inside and out of the ballroom to increase engagement will create a moving experience that will inspire and motivate them beyond the meeting room. This interactive session will walk the participants through the psychological science behind emotional engagement and then how to identify your audience’s state of mind so that you can deliver an event that is emotionally engaging and creates an impact.
9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Relationship ROI
Presented by: Nikki Pett, author and speakerDesigned for: Those who are looking to cultivate relationships or simply need a refresher.
This workshop will take you through the steps to building strong relationships with clients, vendors, sponsors and/or team members. The strategies taught will apply to various relationships within the scope of your work, regardless of which stage you’re at in your career. Nikki will address positive error rectification as well as techniques to forming strong and mutually beneficial business partnerships. You’ll then be able to leverage those relationships negotiating event contracts/sponsorships while working more efficiently with committed team members and vendors.
Wednesday August 21
WORKSHOPS
8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Fool-proof Attendance Strategies
Presented by:Sean Beckingham, creative content director, Branding and Buzzing and Steve Dempsey, group event director, medical conferences and exhibitions at diversified Business Communications CanadaDesigned for: Those who worry about their marketing efforts, or worse yet – don’t until it’s too late.
It’s a question that keeps planners up at night: What if no one shows up? In this two-part marketing workshop, you’ll hear from a self-taught veteran planner who’s had those same fears throughout his career and a new media marketing expert equipped with the tools you need to ensure you reach your audience and get people talking about your event (so you can stop worrying). This session, tailored for those who are new to marketing, will show you how to build an effective and realistic marketing plan, and how to make it a reality.
8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
How To Transform Your Meeting: The 5 principles of Meeting Design
Presented by: Samuel Smith, Interactive Meeting TechnologyDesigned for: Those who’ve seen it all and want to re-vamp their meeting design, based on MPI’s research
Is your meeting stuck in neutral? Are you looking for new approaches that will help you create breakthrough experiences? This interactive workshop introduces you to five principles of meeting design based on MPI’s research — the Principle of Assessment and Evaluation, the Principle of Meaningful Engagement, the Principle of Distributed Learning, the Principle of Collaboration and the Principle of Experience.
Takeaways:
- Discover new design principles
- Review industry leading examples
- Learn how to bring these principles to life in your own events
8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Is Your Sales Approach in Need of a Shake Up?
Presented by: Jill Harrington, president of SalesSHIFTDesigned for: Both planners and suppliers who have gotten stuck in a rut when it comes to sales and need a way out.
If you’re like most industry suppliers and third party incentive planners your biggest challenge today is getting the time and attention of new buyers faster against a backdrop of competitors all citing the exact same benefits. Why do so many sales pros struggle? Simple. It’s time to shake up your thinking. If you’re relying on your “extraordinary creativity,” “exceptional service” “professional team” or some other company benefit to stand out in today’s business environment … or if you continue to cold call and answer a myriad electronic RFPs to find new business opportunity, face it … no wonder you’re stuck. Time to make the shift. Join sales expert and industry hall of famer Jill Harrington for this high energy interactive session that deals with your real-world issues and gets you firmly on track to ongoing sales success.
Takeaways:
- Discover the hard truth, and cool opportunities, about differentiation in today’s meeting and incentive market
- Learn how to get the attention of, and access to, new buying contacts
- Find out what it takes to be “top of mind” when your best prospects are looking to buy
8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Fast-Forward: A Look at Future Meetings Technology
Presented by: Jackie Mulligan, director of enterprise and principal lecturer for the International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism and Hospitality at Leeds Metropolitan University; and Greg Van Dyke, vice-president of global sales for PSAVDesigned for: Those who like to be ahead of the (tech) curve or in-the-know
Beam up to a future world filled with technologies that are just emerging in labs and outside the industry. In this interactive session, you will see a timeline of new technologies and imagine what you might do and what meetings, travel and hospitality might look like in this new robotic, holographic, augmented, neurally connected world. As well as stimulating creative future thinking, you will uncover practical technological solutions for your current events based on future directions.
Takeaways:
- Show off your technological savvy in your work with colleagues
- Appreciate how new technologies will transform meetings in the future
- Leave with a range of technical solutions to deepen engagement
If you have any question about this year’s education content, please contact us today:
Christine Otsuka
Conference Content Manager
Tel: (416) 442-5600 x 3255
cotsuka@meetingscanada.com
Social Media