convene PCMA ®

PUBLISHER Deborah Sexton, (312) 423-7210 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Sherrif Karamat, (312) 423-7247

CONVENE EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Michelle Russell, mrussell@pcma.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christopher Durso, cdurso@pcma.org SENIOR EDITOR Barbara Palmer, bpalmer@pcma.org SENIOR EDITOR Hunter R. Slaton, hslaton@pcma.org ART DIRECTION Mitch Shostak, Roger Greiner Shostak Studios Inc., (212) 979-7981

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Maxine Golding, Maureen Littlejohn, Julie Ritzer Ross, Sara Torrence, CMP

CONVENE ADVERTISING DIRECTOR, PARTNER RELATIONS & ADVERTISING Mona Simon, (312) 423-7244; e-mail: msimon@pcma.org

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Wendy Krizmanic (AK, CT, DC, DE, ID, MA,MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, NV, OR, PA, RI, VT,WA) phone: (312) 636-9254; e-mail: wkrizmanic@pcma.org

Mary Lynn Novelli, CMP (AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OH, SC, TN, VA, WV, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central and South America, Carribbean) Dallas, TX; phone: (312) 423-7212; fax: (469) 574-5590; e-mail: mnovelli@pcma.org

Albert Pereira (AZ, CA, HI, NM, OK, TX, UT, Canada) 345 Kingston Road, Suite 203, Pickering, Ontario, Canada L1V 1A1; phone: (312) 423-7277; fax: (905) 509-6810; e-mail: apereira@pcma.org

Mary Lou Sarmiento (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, SD, WI, WY, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand) 1033W. Taylor Street, Suite 1E, Chicago, IL 60607; phone: (312) 636-0636; fax: (312) 896-7397; e-mail: msarmiento@pcma.org

Ken Torres (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central and South America, Caribbean) P.O. Box 9128, Miramar Beach, FL 32550; phone: (850) 837-5177; fax: (850) 837-5277; e-mail: ktorres@pcma.org

MANAGER, PARTNER RELATIONS Jennifer Bishop, (312) 423-7288 MANAGER, PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION Keisha Reed, (312) 423-7246 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Natalie Hummert, (312) 423-7236

PCMA OFFICERS

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Kati S. Quigley, CMP, Microsoft Corporation

CHAIR-ELECT Susan R. Katz, True Value Corporation

SECRETARY-TREASURER Kent E. Allaway, CEM, CMP, Produce Marketing Association

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR John Folks, Minding Your Business Inc.

PCMA DIRECTORS Willie L. Benjamin II, American Chemical Society Jack Chiasson, CMP, CAE, NAILBA

Hunter Clemens, CMP, Association Management Group/Meetings Management Betty A. Ford, Scientific Societies James S. Goodman, CMP, American Dental Association RichardB. Green, Marriott International DavidLittle,Western Veterinary Conference Carrie Freeman Parsons, Freeman DavidG. Peckinpaugh, CMP, HelmsBriscoe Robin Preston, CEM, National School Boards Association Randall Tanaka, Hawaii Convention Center Greg Van Dyke, PSAV Presentation Services ChristopherWehking, CMP, American Society of Plastic Surgeons DonWelsh, Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association Johnnie C. White, CMP, Cardiovascular Research Foundation

DavidL.Williams, CMP, International Association for Energy Economics

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of PCMA.

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BE CAREFUL ON HOW MUCH we all discount our events. I’m not saying I disagree, but remem- ber people will pay for value. JimWulfekuhle Director of Marketing and Communications InternationalWood Fair

LIKE JIM, I AM ALSOWARY of discounting. Instead, we are looking at emphasizing the value of attending while removing/ reducing the event participant’s risk of attending, by offering a “satisfaction guaranteedor your money back” deal. Our 2009 event, with record-breaking atten- dance, yielded zero takers of the money-back offer. Our overall messaging spoke to the value of participants’ investment andour confidence that it would meet their needs. Donella Evoniuk Senior Director of Conference Services International Society for Technology in Education

DRIVING ATTENDANCE IS A simple three-step process: 1) Secure the finest presen-

ters/authorities in the given indus- try. Do not go “on the cheap” on this point. CONTENT-CON- TENT-CONTENT.Will the attendees actually learn something meaningful andlasting? Survey similar events andsee what they are talking about, andfindsome- thing unique that you can’t find anywhere else. For example, last year a health-industry purchasing group with whom I worked securedan FBI agent to talk about pharma fraud. It was a huge hit. The FBI provides the speakers for free, but that was not the point; the agent hadan interesting speech, andno one else hadever heard these insights before. 2) Develop quality curriculum

—breakout sessions with (again) goodpresenters who are bona

www.pcma.org pcma convene March 2010 9

fide authorities in the field. Make sure they present relevant topics —no “canned” speeches! 3) Make sure you have your

event in a city that attendees can fly into with the least cost possible. Nicholas Voss Owner Treffen Saint John LLC

WEPROVIDED OUR MEMBERS with a discount on registration at our annual meeting last year if they registered in the first 30 days of registration opening. This really helpedorganizations that sendmultiple people andjump- startedour registration numbers. This year, we are not only trying to encourage attendance but increase our membership with a complimentary one-year member- ship for non-members that regis- ter for the annual meeting. Pamela Reisinger, CMP Director of Meetings American Association of Law Libraries

IWORK ON BOTH SIDES OF the fence, so to speak. I planmeet- ings for mymembers andprospects as well as provide speakers for meetings. When we holdwork- shops, we have reduced the price somewhat, and are providing free services, such as consultation, eval- uations, etc. On the flip side, when we findmeeting planners whose audience needs training, we are offeringWebinars for their employ- ees, members, etc. TheWebinars are enabling them

to pay a fee for each attendee, but it saves hotel, flight, meeting-room fees, food, etc. It’s a win-win for both sides. Plus, theWebinars are recorded, and available to the meeting planner for future use at no additional charge. Brenda Keefer Owner andChief Booking Agent Willow Mist Professional Services