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Author: |
Dean Jones |
Created: |
Thursday, July 26, 2007 |
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Welcome to my blog! Inside, you will find tips and stories about my experiences as an event planner and my perspectives on the industry of faith-based meetings. Whether it's discussions about shifts in the industry or insider tips that will help you manage your events, I’m ultimately here to serve YOU! |
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Recipe for Disaster |
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By Dean Jones on
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
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Inexperience and lack of professionalism, for planners and convention services managers alike, too often characterizes the marketplace.
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Does the Presence of a Union Affect Your Site Selection? |
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By Dean Jones on
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
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I read an article today about a potential strike of the Casino and Laundry Workers Union in Las Vegas. The union has promised an $80 million strike fund to help support the process. Whether or not you meet in Las Vegas, no doubt you've utilized or at least considered cities where a union has a presence. Does the presence of a union, any union, sway your decision? Can your organization afford the additional fees or do you just consider it the cost of doing business and budget for it? Or do you high-tail it out of town and look for an alternative, union-free city? My biggest union experience occured during my early years and was certainly a learning experience, which I'll save for a future post. But I think others could certainly learn for the collective experience and errors we've all made. Do you have something to share???
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Comments (2)
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FAM Trips - Blessing or Curse |
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By Dean Jones on
Monday, September 03, 2007
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In the 20 years I've been a planner, I've attended 3, maybe 4 FAM trips. Why? Because I believe most FAMs attempt to show the 30K foot view and don't take time to focus in the what's important to me as a planner. Sure, I'm glad city X has a new mall or a zoo that ranks in the top 20 in the good ole USA, but I'm not holding my meeting at the zoo or the mall.
Another issue becomes the time away from the office. There's not a meeting planner alive that has too much time on his/her hands. We're all scrambling for more efficient ways to accompilsh our jobs. So when the CVB extends an invitation for the latest, greatest FAM - the first thing I look at is how long will I be away from the office. Sure, there are a lot of cities that I'd like to explore further to see if they have potential for f ...
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Comments (1)
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Everyday Safety Issues |
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By Dean Jones on
Friday, July 27, 2007
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As a former youth conference director, keeping kids safe from all sorts of dangers is a high priority for me. I’m not going to address the obvious threats, except for one. If any of your attendees are children or students, be aware of the potential for predators to make an appearance at your event. Check with local authorities to discern the potential for this type of threat, and seek their assistance in developing a security plan for your event. They typically know who is registered in the area (many states have sexual predator information available online), as well as what other groups in their city have experienced in the past.
The less-obvious thr ...
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Personality Counts |
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By Dean Jones on
Friday, July 27, 2007
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As you scan down your site-visit checklist, there are some items that are obviously more important to you than others. In your mind, you’ve already ranked their importance, whether or not they appear in that same order on paper. There are some that are deal-breakers and some that are just fluff. Some you can live with, some you can’t live without!
Which one rises to the top of your list? Is it location, price, or available room blocks? Perhaps your list includes ADA compliance, air service, or quality food and beverage. After literally hundreds of site visits over the years, there is one item that will continue to get top billing on my site-visit checklists& ...
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Comments (0)
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More...
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Here to Serve YOU |
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By Dean Jones on
Friday, July 27, 2007
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Eighteen years ago this month, I landed my first full-time job as an event planner. I was hired by a religious denomination as an assistant planner for the group’s annual youth conference. Over time, the role changed, people retired, and I ended up as the organization’s convention planner, overseeing an annual event for 6,000-plus people, as well as other meetings and events.
My previous employers were extremely dedicated to education- long before event planning was considered a profession. They believed in setting high standards for procedures, paperwork, and protocol. They insisted back in 1994 that I earn my CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) credential. Seven years later, they encouraged me ...
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Comments (0)
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More...
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 Welcome to Dean's Blog
|
Author: |
Dean Jones |
Created: |
Thursday, July 26, 2007 |
|
|
Welcome to my blog! Inside, you will find tips and stories about my experiences as an event planner and my perspectives on the industry of faith-based meetings. Whether it's discussions about shifts in the industry or insider tips that will help you manage your events, I’m ultimately here to serve YOU! |
|
|
Recipe for Disaster |
|
|
By Dean Jones on
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
|
|
|
|
Inexperience and lack of professionalism, for planners and convention services managers alike, too often characterizes the marketplace.
|
|
|
|
Comments (0)
|
More...
|
|
|
Does the Presence of a Union Affect Your Site Selection? |
|
|
By Dean Jones on
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
|
|
|
|
I read an article today about a potential strike of the Casino and Laundry Workers Union in Las Vegas. The union has promised an $80 million strike fund to help support the process. Whether or not you meet in Las Vegas, no doubt you've utilized or at least considered cities where a union has a presence. Does the presence of a union, any union, sway your decision? Can your organization afford the additional fees or do you just consider it the cost of doing business and budget for it? Or do you high-tail it out of town and look for an alternative, union-free city? My biggest union experience occured during my early years and was certainly a learning experience, which I'll save for a future post. But I think others could certainly learn for the collective experience and errors we've all made. Do you have something to share???
|
|
|
|
Comments (2)
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|
|
FAM Trips - Blessing or Curse |
|
|
By Dean Jones on
Monday, September 03, 2007
|
|
|
|
In the 20 years I've been a planner, I've attended 3, maybe 4 FAM trips. Why? Because I believe most FAMs attempt to show the 30K foot view and don't take time to focus in the what's important to me as a planner. Sure, I'm glad city X has a new mall or a zoo that ranks in the top 20 in the good ole USA, but I'm not holding my meeting at the zoo or the mall.
Another issue becomes the time away from the office. There's not a meeting planner alive that has too much time on his/her hands. We're all scrambling for more efficient ways to accompilsh our jobs. So when the CVB extends an invitation for the latest, greatest FAM - the first thing I look at is how long will I be away from the office. Sure, there are a lot of cities that I'd like to explore further to see if they have potential for f ...
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|
|
Comments (1)
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More...
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|
Everyday Safety Issues |
|
|
By Dean Jones on
Friday, July 27, 2007
|
|
|
|
As a former youth conference director, keeping kids safe from all sorts of dangers is a high priority for me. I’m not going to address the obvious threats, except for one. If any of your attendees are children or students, be aware of the potential for predators to make an appearance at your event. Check with local authorities to discern the potential for this type of threat, and seek their assistance in developing a security plan for your event. They typically know who is registered in the area (many states have sexual predator information available online), as well as what other groups in their city have experienced in the past.
The less-obvious thr ...
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|
|
Comments (0)
|
More...
|
|
|
Personality Counts |
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|
By Dean Jones on
Friday, July 27, 2007
|
|
|
|
As you scan down your site-visit checklist, there are some items that are obviously more important to you than others. In your mind, you’ve already ranked their importance, whether or not they appear in that same order on paper. There are some that are deal-breakers and some that are just fluff. Some you can live with, some you can’t live without!
Which one rises to the top of your list? Is it location, price, or available room blocks? Perhaps your list includes ADA compliance, air service, or quality food and beverage. After literally hundreds of site visits over the years, there is one item that will continue to get top billing on my site-visit checklists& ...
|
|
|
|
Comments (0)
|
More...
|
|
|
Here to Serve YOU |
|
|
By Dean Jones on
Friday, July 27, 2007
|
|
|
|
Eighteen years ago this month, I landed my first full-time job as an event planner. I was hired by a religious denomination as an assistant planner for the group’s annual youth conference. Over time, the role changed, people retired, and I ended up as the organization’s convention planner, overseeing an annual event for 6,000-plus people, as well as other meetings and events.
My previous employers were extremely dedicated to education- long before event planning was considered a profession. They believed in setting high standards for procedures, paperwork, and protocol. They insisted back in 1994 that I earn my CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) credential. Seven years later, they encouraged me ...
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|
|
Comments (0)
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More...
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