third place was a Kindle e-reader—which ended up creating the most excitement. While the event cost InterAction “a little money,”Wallace said, “it really added to the ease of networking.” The raf- fles they offered in the past, she added, “didn’t get half as much attention.” Another reason to visit the exhibition halls was
the opportunity to browse an artisan trade fair, which featured crafts made by indigenous peoples from around the world. As attendees shopped for one-of-a-kind handwoven shawls, handbags, and jewelry, conversations buzzed and new friend- ships were forged.
‘Making the Transition’ InterAction’s annual gala dinner and awards banquet, held during the Forum, is meant to be a joyful affair that celebratesmembers’ dedication to saving lives and improving the human condition. But there also is a somber component to the evening’s program: a memorial service to honor the aid workers who lost their lives in service over the previous year. Combining the memorial with the awards banquet has been a delicate
undertaking for the past four years.“Whenweput together this format,”Wallace said,“we really had to thinkhardabouthowtomakethe transitionfrom honoring those who have died to celebrating our award winners.” At the dinner this year, a lineup of InterAction
interns read out the names of fallen comrades, which also appeared on an overhead screen. The memorial was followed by the presentation of a security award recognizing a regional safety and security manager who had taken outstanding measures to protect aid workers in South Sudan. “Originally,wewere going to include the security award inapresentation the following day,”Wallace
Measure by Measure At Forum 2011, Heather Holdridge, Fenton Communi- cations’ vice presi- dent of digital, and Victoria Marzilli, new media specialist for Oxfam America, examined how to measure social media’s impact. Holdridge suggest-
ed counting con- stituents (number of followers), analyzing comments (how many times the mes- sage is echoed) and emotional reach (if constituents person- alize the message), and assessing the resulting actions of constituents. Marzilli presented
said, “but itmademore sense to put it after thememorial.” Then theCoyaba Dance Theater, a
contemporary West African dance company, tookthe stage.The audience shifted into a new energy flow, which set the tone for the remaining awards presentations. “The emcee’s script let people know that we werenowgoing to celebrate the achievements of our top awardees,”Wallace said. For those of us watching, the tran- sition from honoring those who had
COMMON GROUND: This year’s Forum provided more opportunities for participants to have per- sonal exchanges with each other, including browsing the exhibitionhall’s artisantrade fair, featuring crafts made by indigenous people from around the globe, and networking sessions.
fallen, to those who protected, to those leaders who serve, was a natural progression. Laughing at the antics of satirical singing
group the Capitol Steps—who capped off the evening — provided a much-needed emotional release.Wewent homefeeling uplifted and re-ener- gized, ready to once again take on the cares of the world.
50 pcma convene December 2011 PHOTOS BY MARSDEN MEDIA AND INTERACTION
a case study of a social-media cam- paign focusing on the 2010 UN Millennium Development Goals Summit. The metrics used to measure the campaign’s impact included the number of uses of the Twitter hashtag, new follow- ers, influential people who participated, and the overall sentiment expressed by partici- pants—and why.
Maureen Littlejohn is a Toronto-based freelance writer.
Innovative Meetings is sponsored by the Irving, Texas, Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.irvingtexas.com.