Events > Forward

An effective 'contest marketing strategy' is a critical driver to the success of your sales incentive campaign. To put it simply, the goal of the campaign is to drive greater returns through the qualification period by communicating to and motivating the contest participants.

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, connects with Anne Zambrano on the very interesting topic of incentive contests and marketing strategies around them. A good contest is always aligned with the growth objectives of the organization or department. So, ultimately the objectives of the campaign are to keep the contest top of mind, “move the middle” as we like to say, and drive performance. Anne Zambrano is the Marketing & Communications Lead for M&IW. In her position, Anne partners with our sales, marketing, and incentive travel teams to develop impactful marketing communications, incentives contests, and sales campaigns for our client programs.

Tune in to our interview with Anne Zambrano to hear why organizations need to develop a 'contest marketing strategy' and the role that marketing campaigns play in delivering investment returns.

For more information: 

We have written several blogs on this topic that can be found at www.meetings-incentives.com. Additionally, our team is always available for a conversation to discover and present a variety of ideas that can impact the marketing and communications of your sales incentive contest. Finally, we are releasing an Incentive Contest Marketing Guidebook in the near future, so make sure you are subscribed to our communications to receive the guidebook when it is released.

As we ready our organizations for the return of in-person events, many in a hybrid environment, we talked with Jessica Menzer a few weeks back on what it takes to build a powerhouse hybrid events team. If you missed that episode, she shared how events of the future will be more dynamic with blended audiences and customized content.

In this interview, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, continues the conversation with Missy Peterson around hybrid events, and more specifically, the role that event technology strategy plays in the design, planning, and production of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Missy is the Sr. Director of Event Technology Strategy for M&IW. This role was created in quick response to the pandemic and the need to shift client events from in-person to virtual. In her position, Missy provides consulting, guidance, and training on both virtual and hybrid strategies. However, even before the pandemic, event technology was a hot topic with event planners and the options not always easy to navigate. 

Tune in to our interview with Missy Peterson to learn why, especially now, you need to develop an event technology strategy for all your events. And, what you need to consider as your move forward. Also, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.

The initial discovery process for sourcing in-person meetings has changed since pre-pandemic. Having open and honest conversations will lead to a more comprehensive and transparent sourcing process to ensure the personal safety and security of all your participants. 

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, catches up with Kristen Allan, Manager of Hotel Procurement. Kristen joined M&IW in 2019. Her career and background have been centered on hospitality and meeting planning for the past 21 years. She started in convention services, spanning into meeting planning and hotel sourcing and procurement.

This is the second part of this episode when Kristen shares insight about 2022 being referenced as the “come back year” for in-person meetings. She recently conducted a site visit in Orlando and will reveal what she experienced and how that will shape her sourcing process in the future. While momentum is building and confidence growing, we are still in constant change when it comes to sourcing meetings and events. Event stakeholders and planners need to ask more and different questions before determining the best destination and hotel venue for their event. The RFP questions go well beyond confirming if your event is in-person or hybrid.

Tune in for our interview with Kristen Allan to make sure you are armed with the information needed to safely source your next event. Also, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.

The initial discovery process for sourcing in-person meetings has changed since pre-pandemic. Event stakeholders and planners need to ask more and different questions before determining the best destination and hotel venue for their event. The RFP questions go well beyond confirming if your event is in-person or hybrid.

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, catches up with Vicki Schmitz, Senior Manager of Procurement, to discuss the changes that event managers and meeting stakeholders should consider as part of their sourcing and contracting process to be sure the goals of the event can be met while also ensuring the personal safety and security for all of their participants.

Back in July of 2020, we did an episode called Before Your Source Your Next Event and interviewed Denise Farrell, Director of Procurement, and Vicki the Senior Manager of Procurement to discuss the changes that event managers and meeting stakeholders should consider as part of their sourcing process. Well, that episode did so great that we decided to do a follow-up episode. This is the first of a two-part episode where I'll first interview Vicki and then be interviewing Kristen Allen, Manager of Procurement.

Tune in to our interview with Vicki Walsh to learn what you need to consider before sourcing your next in-person or hybrid event. Also, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and in-person gatherings came to halt, M&IW was thrust into the virtual world. Fortunately, they were able to leverage event planning tools and technologies to produce almost 1,000 virtual events for their clients. Around that same time, they launched the Events > Forward Task Force to focus on the safe return of LIVE in-person events and how the pandemic would reshape events in the future. 

Now, with the vaccines rolling out, optimism is returning. M&IW knows they still need to adhere to not only local guidelines but also client meeting and travel policies. They know health and safety will continue to be top of mind even past the pandemic. More importantly, they know the expectations of their clients and event attendees have changed. 

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, talks with Jessica Menzer, a Strategic Account Manager within Global Enterprise Solutions at Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, on how events of the future will be more dynamic with blended online and offline audiences. As the project lead for a new initiative called Events Reminagined, she reminds us that you can't just smash together an in-person format and virtual format and call it a hybrid event. The strategy and approach should be thoughtful to create an impactful and unique experience for both audiences. It is important to consult with event owners and guide them through all of the new options and considerations to design and produce a successful hybrid event.

Before all else, you need to have the right team in place to design and produce a successful hybrid event for your organization. A hybrid team includes many of the individuals from your in-person events planning team, but now you also need to factor in new roles to blend and engage your online and offline audiences. Tune in for our interview with Jessica Menzer to learn what it takes to build a powerhouse hybrid events team. Or, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.

You may not be able to predict when emergencies will strike, but you can plan for them by having an Emergency Response Plan. In fact, detailing emergency preparedness procedures is one of the most important strategic decisions a business can make. Knowing how to manage risk and navigate uncertainty is essential for event planners to keep attendees safe. Historically, emergency management has been reactive. However, there has been an evolution in the development of emergency preparedness for events as a result of increased weather catastrophes, heightened security risks, technology breaches, and newly identified health threats such as COVID.

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, talks with Connie Nau, CMP, CRP, our Senior Director of Talent Engagement of Meetings & Incentives Worldwide. In Connie’s experience, most organizations have not updated their emergency preparedness plans recently to account for all the different scenarios that can and most likely will, occur on-site. “Our primary goal is to prevent incidents before they happen. But, if one does occur, the actions taken in the initial minutes of an emergency are critical. Preparedness is the process of turning awareness into action to improve your event team’s capability to respond and recover,” says Connie.

Truth be told, it can be time-consuming and intimidating to formulate a comprehensive emergency response plan that prepares your organization for the extreme or unknown. Understanding that no two events are the same, you might wonder how you even begin to develop a plan for the safety of all event attendees? Or, maybe you do have an emergency response plan, but wonder if it is comprehensive enough to mitigate your risk and equip your team.

Tune in for our interview with Connie Nau to learn more about what’s involved in developing and updating your Emergency Preparedness Plan for events. Or, if you are interested in working with M&IW, please visit https://meetings-incentives.com.

Welcome to the Events > Forward Podcast by Meetings & Incentives Worldwide. In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, connects with Chip Begley, our Director of Event Technology. When our clients had to quickly pivot from in-person events to “live” virtual and digital experiences, it redefined and magnified the role of the event technologist. As an innovative company and early adopters of technology, our event technologists have always played an important role in the planning process with registration websites, mobile apps, on-demand badges, onsite event technology, vetting new technologies, and more. But, with the increase in virtual and hybrid, the event technologist is now critical to the success of events.

Chip Begley is the Director of Event Technology for Meetings & Incentives Worldwide. Chip joined the company in 2011 as a Senior Web Designer, has held various positions over the years, and currently manages a team of 20 event technology experts. Chip earned his Event Professional Advanced Certification from Cvent.

To learn more about our Event Technology and Virtual/Hybrid Solutions, visit www.meetings-incentives.com.  

Welcome to the Events > Forward Podcast by Meetings & Incentives Worldwide. In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, catches up with both Denise Farrell, Director of Procurement and Vicki Schmitz, Senior Manager of Procurement, to discuss the changes that event managers and meeting stakeholders need to consider as part of the sourcing and contracting process to be sure the goals of the event can be met while also ensuring the personal safety and security for all participants. Join us for a 15-minute chat to learn what questions you need to ask when it comes to sourcing your next event.

For more information on our hotel sourcing and contracting services, visit www.meetings-incentives.com

Welcome to the Events > Forward Podcast by Meetings & Incentives Worldwide. Our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, and Samantha Gerhke, Senior Manager of Group Travel, talk about safety protocols, travel updates, and need-to-know information as our client groups consider safely return to the skies. This is very uncharted territory for both the airlines and our customers. All airlines are taking extra sanitization and cleaning measures. However, when it comes to travel policies and traveler safety practices, there is inconsistency and variation across carriers. Join us for a 10-minute chat to hear what you should consider when it comes to booking your next group and moving your events forward.

For more information, visit www.meetings-incentives.com

Welcome to the first episode of the Events > Forward Podcast by Meetings & Incentives Worldwide. Our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, and Mae Ibe, CMP, Director of Conferences and Tradeshows, talk about the development of the Events > Forward Task Force and initiatives underway to better prepare organizations for the safe return of their live "in-person" events during a pandemic. As circumstances change, you'll definitely want to stay up-to-date with timely, relevant, and accurate information. Join us for a short, but impactful conversation on actions you can take to move your events forward. 

For more information, visit us at www.meetings-incentives.com.