Healthy Up Your Next Event [Event Solutions]

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By Cassie Brown

You don’t have to look too far to see that people are paying more attention to healthy eating. General Mills just announced the removal of GMOs in Cheerios because of a Facebook campaign. Yogurt companies are doing ads announcing the removal of high fructose corn syrup and diet soft drink consumption is down. People are becoming more aware than ever of what they are eating and increasingly value healthier food options, something the event industry commonly overlooks.

The meeting industry hasn’t historically always been great in supporting healthy habits. Pasta bars and continental breakfasts are cost effective. And let’s face it, an afternoon brownie treat is more exciting than a carrot stick. However, these options may not only be unhealthy, they can be counterproductive to the meeting. And as the interest in proving event ROI continues, it is important to look at all ways to make meetings productive. What we feed people is a key element to keeping them engaged, thinking, learning and conveys the message that you value their health and food preferences, and are willing to invest a bit more in the budget to deliver that. Here are a few ways to make that happen:

  1. Reduce the high glycemic foods. Foods with a glycemic index of 70 or above are high and aren’t great for keeping people alert in meetings. As blood sugar rises, concentration declines and people can get tired, fidgety or fuzzy brained. Continental breakfasts usually include pastries, muffins and high sugar fruit juice which kill attendees concentration before the meeting even starts. Serving oatmeal with a selection of healthy fresh fruit berry toppings is a much better option. Oatmeal, a “super food”, is the perfect way to stabilize blood sugar and prevent the mid-morning slump. High protein items like hard boiled eggs or a vegetable frittata also provide a healthy, tasty way to start the morning.“Brain foods” such as almonds, blackberries, blueberries, yogurt, dark chocolate and peanut butter are great afternoon snacks. A hummus selection instead of a cookie display can help those afternoon speakers get their content effectively across too!
  2. Make it easy to increase physical activity. Include fitness options on the website, event apps, and registration booking – and don’t make it just a small one sentence blurb. This allows people to pack the right attire in advance, rather than arriving and realizing there are unprepared. At a one day meeting, include it in the pre-event information. During site selection, pick a site that is good for attendees to walk, run or be active. Give people walking directions to offsite events if feasible.
  3. Encourage hydration. The human body is over 70% water and fluids are a necessity for wellness. A body suffering from dehydration goes into fatigue. Even mild dehydration of 1-2% can impair concentration. In addition to water stations, remind people to drink! Notes on the screen, reminders in content, a group water toast – whatever it takes to keep people hydrated throughout the day. Make it fun!

Companies spend a lot of money on bringing people together for educational, collaborative events. Offering healthy food and physical activity options can heighten the overall experience and can increase your ROI.

Read the original article in Event Solutions.

The Top 10 Mistakes Companies Make with Events [Sucessful Meetings]

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By Matt Alderton

Even in the digital age, live events are pervasive, according to event planning firm TCG Events. Last year, it surveyed 300 executives and found that 84 percent work at companies that hold corporate events. Just because a majority of companies host events, however, doesn’t mean that they do a good job of it. For that reason, TCG CEO Cassie Brown has compiled her list of “The Top 10 Mistakes Your Company is (Probably) Making with Events”:

10. Not getting a music license.
“Your DJ isn’t taking care of this. And you’ll wind up paying a steep price,” Brown says.

9. Making your company event an afterthought.
“Not including it in the yearly budget, or even picking a specific date,” is a mistake according to Brown, who says “surprises at work, especially in accounting, are not so welcome.”

8. Not taking employees’ wants and needs into account.
“Events should be planned to the demographics of the employees,” Brown says. “For example, a company with mainly millennials should plan a different event than a company where the majority of employees are married with kids.”

7. Not taking an RSVP.
Again, Brown says, surprises in the workplace are a bad idea.

6. Interrupting family time and not inviting the family.
“An event attended grudgingly, rather than the positive morale builder it was meant to be,” is a failed event, Brown says.

5. Not making it cool enough to be on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
“Make the most of your event investment and turn it into a brand builder,” Brown advises.

4. Designing a half-hearted invitation.
“This tells your invitees, ‘I don’t expect this to be worth your time, feel free to make excuses,'” Brown says.

3. Serving a vegetable tray and cheese tray.
Brown has one word: “Boooooring.”

2. Scheduling a speech where the CEO or another executive rambles on, and on, and on.
“Nobody wins in this situation, not the speaker nor the attendees,” Brown says. “Design a compelling, fun, 2-minute video, instead. Your attendees and your executive team will thank you for it.”

1. Having the same party year after year.
“The most important, deadly mistake is annual repetition,” Brown concludes. “Events are an opportunity to bring your brand to life, whether for your employees, your investors, or your clients and prospects. You wouldn’t let your brand get stale — don’t make that mistake with your company events.”

Source: TCG Events

Read the original article in Successful Meetings.

Invites Matter: What Makes a Compelling Invitation

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Throughout history, invitations have always represented the host. Originally they were hand-written to show literacy. Today, wedding invitations showcase a couple’s personality. But when it comes to corporate events, many organizations fail to utilize the invitation as an opportunity to showcase its brand.

Invitations market two things – the event and the organization. Companies spend a lot of money hiring marketing agencies and designing pretty brochures but then make invitations an afterthought; an irony considering more people will see the invitation than the event itself. No one wants to attend an event that looks boring based on the invitation. They still might attend, but it becomes a complained about obligation – not the kind of buzz that was intended. Spending money on an event that no one wants to attend doesn’t provide the best return on investment.

What makes for a compelling invitation?

  • It can’t, in any way, be mistaken for junk mail.
  • Its size, shape, or color needs to stand out.
  • No metered or bulk rate stamps.
  • Hand written or typed addresses are preferable to mailing labels.
  • Limit logo soup (large numbers of sponsor logos).

Many people think electronic invitations are appropriate, and for some events like association meetings they are perfect. Evites are considerably less expense. They also provide great data like the ability to be able to track metrics – how many received, opened, forwarded. Unfortunately, they lack the “this event is special” appeal and more are more likely to be ignored. There is no reason to discount electronic communication – just use it for save the dates and reminders, not inviting.