Previous Page
Comments
PCMA@LinkedIn: Going Paperless
THOMASAMARAL,EVENT operationsmanager for UnitedBusi- nessMedia, recently askedPCMA’s LinkedIn group:“Has anyone gone completely paperless with their on- site conference guide? If so,what do you provide attendees withwhen they register on-site?” Here aresomeof the responses
he received:
WE’VEDONEAGREATDEAL to reduce paperwaste, butwe’re a longway frombeing a “paperless” conference, and I really don’t think we’ll ever be completely paperless. Ourcall for abstracts is all done online.Weno longer print handouts for the education sessions, butwe have printing stations available at the conference for attendeeswhowishto print the handouts—andmany still do.We print anon-site conference directory/show guide. All the infor- mation contained within the guide is available on our website, but our attendees like to have a printed copy of the guide in their hands during the conference, andthe revenue generat- edby our show guide from adsales is not somethingwe’re willing to part withfor the sake of going green. AmyChisholm, CAE,CMP Director of Conventions and Meetings Building Owners and Managers Association International
THECOMPANYIAMCUR- rentlyworking with is trying to be paperless—andspeakers, exhibitors, and attendees do not like it. I usually
“People like paper. They want to hold, read, take notes, and peruse the material over and over. Not everyone wants to look at his or her PDA.”
8 pcma convene October 2010
print copies for attendees before I arrive on site in case peoplewant a hardcopy. People like paper.They want to hold, read, take notes, andperuse thematerial over and over.Noteveryonewants to lookat his or herPDA. Chez Harper Director of Client Services The Los Angeles Fitness Expo
YES.WEGIVEATTENDEESA jump drive with the agenda and pre- sentations.However, it is not perfect. Sowenowprovide the attendees witha one-page (double-sided) sum- mary. It has cut downon a lot of the grumbling. De-de Mulligan,CMP,CMM Marketing, Communications, and Event Consultant Mulligan Management Group
WEJUSTSTARTEDTHISLAST year.Whatwedo is to post all the handouts on our website for our attendees so they can choose to print or not. Sofar it has worked, andwe hadminimal complaints. RoselleG. Foley,CMP Director of Meetings& Exhibits National Association of Chemical Distributors
THEMAINGOALOFANY meeting or conference is to engage the attendee.Whether that is through networking, interactive sessions, pro- viding training, team-building events, or going paperless, all of these items must be balancedagainst the atten- dees’ needs.Why gopaperless if your speakers and attendees cannot stand it? If you are doing this only to “fit in” with a fad, thenthat is not a good reason to do it. If your attendees have expressedinterest in going green, then that wouldbe the perfect reason. Andy Frezza,CMP Director of Marketing and Sales, Northwest Region Spotme
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 Alan Kleinfeld, CMM, CMP; 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 andSouth 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
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 Richard B. 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.
Convene is a member of
Convene is printed on recycled paper
Convene is a member of