We're now almost 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Many meeting organizers had hoped that 2021 would be known as the year that live events returned. But there's still a few too many hurdles to overcome...thus we are seeing conference organizers now planning a second virtual conference. After a "hurry up and learn" mentality in … Continue reading Virtual or Hybrid? A Few Ideas to Consider…
Top Posts: June 2021
Did you read these posts? They were our five most-read posts in June: Planning for the Hybrid Experience How do you Communicate with Attendees during a Virtual Event? Virtual Conferences: Can Print Add Value? Webinar Recap: Engaging Virtual Attendees Virtual Conferences: What about your Store? Would you like to discuss our print and digital publishing … Continue reading Top Posts: June 2021
Hybrid Events & Digital Publishing Tools: Trends We Hope are Here to Stay
There's no question, the pandemic has forever changed the meetings industry. As live events resume, there will be a lot of familiar elements, but many new ones as well. A recent Associations Now article from caught our attention, as it pointed out a few meeting trends that developed during the pandemic, but should be here … Continue reading Hybrid Events & Digital Publishing Tools: Trends We Hope are Here to Stay
Case Study: APIC Virtual Conference
APIC Daily News has been the official daily newspaper of the APIC Annual Conference, dating back to 2006. And even though this year's conference was held virtually, the publication again shared conference news with a wide audience. Advertising was sold in both the digital publication and the email newsletters that were sent to conference attendees … Continue reading Case Study: APIC Virtual Conference
Case Study: NCVH 2021 Annual Conference
Earlier this summer, the CustomNEWS team returned to live events, with the publication of a conference newspaper at the New Cardiovascular Horizons (NCVH) conference at the Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans, LA. CustomNEWS has been producing "What's on the Horizon?," the conference's official daily newspaper, since 2010. Over the years, the publication has become a go-to … Continue reading Case Study: NCVH 2021 Annual Conference
When to Bring in an Expert?
Conference organizers have always had many moving parts to juggle; but that's expanded ten-fold now thanks to the impact of COVID-19 on the meetings industry. An interesting article from Naylor looked at the benefits of adding a third-party planner to your team. The same could be said for working with an experiences conference publisher such … Continue reading When to Bring in an Expert?
No Tote Bag? What about a Polybag?
If you were to look at a conference's sponsorship prospectus in 2019, you'd probably see a lot of "tried and true" offerings that often get scooped up very quickly. But when the COVID-19 pandemic required an immediate shift to virtual events, sponsorship prospectuses ended up in the trash. Lanyards, hotel keys, tote bags and escalator … Continue reading No Tote Bag? What about a Polybag?
2021: The Year of Hybrid Events?
If 2020 was the year of the virtual event, what's the outlook for 2021? I do not think anyone expects "the same ole" meeting environment. Virtual platforms became the "go-to solution" when COVID-19 brought the industry to a standstill. And now, as vaccine rollouts become more encouraging, does this mean "same ole, same ole" live … Continue reading 2021: The Year of Hybrid Events?
Yes, Virtual Events Need Printed Materials
Over the past few years, there's been a trend in the events industry to reduce the amount of printed materials at meetings and trade shows. Mobile apps have made some of these printed items obsolete, but not everything can be replaced with an app. Print for Virtual? Now, with the majority of events taking place … Continue reading Yes, Virtual Events Need Printed Materials