Midwest Meetings: Tell us about WALA and your role.
Brandi Davis: WALA is a
non-profi t membership associa- tion that supports those who own and/or operate assisted living communities in Wisconsin. I was drawn to this position because of my interest and desire in provid- ing care to people and this was an- other avenue for me to fulfi ll that need. As Education Director, I’m responsible for managing our an- nual spring conference which has over 800 participants including 105 exhibitors. Our spring confer- ence is currently the largest assist- ed living industry specifi c event in Wisconsin. I oversee everything from designing the theme, devel- oping marketing materials, gener-
Have fun and smile! Event
planning has tons of opportunity to get creative and bring new and fresh ideas to the table. Surround yourself with hard
working people who energize you and want to have fun too.
ating sponsorships and coordinating the 45 or more presenters. I’m also responsible for coordinating and developing our educational courses throughout the year including two nine-day administrator courses, four two-day events, a fall symposium and anywhere from three to six additional educational events that are offered through- out the state. MM: What do you fi nd most rewarding about your role at
WALA?
BD: I don’t know that I can pick just one! I receive a lot of joy through my work. I’m most energized when I have a lot of “pokers in
the fi re” and have the luxury of being creative on a daily basis. I get such a rush when I am able to experience the fruits of our labor at an event and see the appreciation and happiness from our attendees. Even more than the “event-rush,” the attendees I interact with are incredibly rewarding. The people I meet are incredibly hard work- ing, heart-centered and incite me to provide the most valuable and educational events I can.
I’m also blessed to work with such a competent, professional and fun-loving staff. With our staff of six, we work as though we have a staff of twelve and have a lot of fun in the process. MM: What does the future hold for WALA events?
BD: As a non-profi t association, I struggle with the resources that would allow me to incorporate technology into our events as
much as I’d like to. As it continues to gain momentum in the meet- ing/event industry, it is something that I’ll need to embrace for the betterment of our membership and the accessibility of our events.
WWW.MIDWESTMEETINGS.COM
Our membership still prefers face- to-face interaction, but I foresee WALA doing live recording pre- sentations of our conference, us- ing real-time polling in our educa- tional sessions and incorporating live Twitter™feeds at events for real-time attendee responses. MM: How do you keep cur- rent with trends?
BD: I subscribe to trade re- source magazines and e-newslet-
ters. Peer input and experience is incredibly valuable and allows me to be proactive. I’m also one of those weirdoes who enjoys change. I’m always thinking about new things that can be incorporat- ed into an event to make it more intriguing and valuable to the at- tendee.
MM: There are always challenges and last minute surprises in meeting planning, any interesting experiences with WALA?
BD: Event planning is never dull! This year during our spring conference event, our theme was “Born to be Wild. Live to Out-
grow It!” Our opening keynote was going to be presenting with live animals on stage and use volunteers from the audience for his pre- sentation; among the tiger cubs and baby bear was a ten foot boa constrictor! The keynoter came to me the night before and asked if the temperature of the keynote room could be adjusted to be in a range of 65-68 degrees because the snake he would be using on stage can get “bitey” around temperatures of 70 degrees or more. To avoid a snippy snake, I happily worked with the convention center to adjust the temperature of the room during the snake’s appearance on stage and then quickly adjusted the temperature back again for the comfort of the attendees. MM: What advice do you have for your peers when it comes to keeping your passion alive for this fast paced and often high stress career?
BD: Have fun and smile! Event planning has tons of opportunity to get creative and bring new and fresh ideas to the table. Surround
yourself with hard working people who energize you and want to have fun too. As the planner, the tone of your event can be set by you. To create an event that’s full of positive energy and fun, you need to embody that. If you embrace that attitude, it will be evident in your communications with your exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers and it is guaranteed to reach your attendees.
23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100