I realize it’s a personal peeve of mine [...]]]>

While on site visits in the last week or so, I noticed many hotels and other locations have removed their fall or Halloween decorations and already put up Christmas trees. I truly almost resent the fact that as a society we seem to just skip right over Thanksgiving.

I realize it’s a personal peeve of mine because I love Thanksgiving. It doesn’t get muddied up with the presents and gifts and “I want…” lists. It’s strictly about family and being thankful for what we have. And in a year such as this one when so many people are out of work and our own neighbors may be in need, it’s important to be thankful for what we have and to try to do some good. And this got me to thinking about what good our events can do.

Lives of Great men all remind us,
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing leave behind us,
Footprints on the Sands of Time…….
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For the past several years, we have tried to incorporate some form of community service at one or more of our annual conferences. By painting and deep cleaning a youth homeless shelter or building bikes for foster children or providing school supplies and toys for children whose families are living in a homeless shelter. One of the challenges I find in incorporating these into the overall event is time. Aren’t we all already so pressed for time at our conferences to fit in the appropriate content and the right mix of networking? Then add the logistical challenges of finding causes and venues where 300 to 700 people can participate and make a difference in a short amount of time along with physically transferring everyone.

So I started collecting ideas I’ve run across on the news or in magazines (or yes, on Oprah).  Ideas that can be incorporated into our events simply by asking attendees to bring a small item to the conference or by designating a local organization to receive donations. I wanted to share information on some of these great organizations and individuals I ran across in the hopes that we as individuals, or our organizations, or our own conferences, can help.

• Pajama Program - $10.00 donation gives pajamas to orphans and foster children around the world. Scholastic donates a book for every set of pajamas donated. How easy is it to fit a pair of kids’ pajamas into your suitecase? Host a Pajama Drive. There are chapters or individuals in many cities around the U.S. and other countries so the immediate community benefits.
• The Dinner Garden - $5.00 donation provides enough vegetable seeds to feed a family of seven here in the U.S.  End hunger through gardening.
• Vitamin Angels – $1.00 gift can provide vitamin supplements to children under the age of 5 and pregnant women around the world and yes, even in poor areas of the U.S.
• Share our Strength - Feed a child for a month with a $35.00 donation (one less dinner out with friends or family).
• Micro Loans – Give the gift of Opportunity. Individuals receive a loan to help them create or start their own business. When they repay their loan then those dollars are used to finance another loan. It’s a perpetual system. There may be business opportunities that tie in with your industry.
• Hannah’s Socks - A donation of $5.00 buys seven pairs of socks for a homeless person.  (FYI: socks and undergarments are the least donated item.)  Hannah was a 4-year old who with her parents was helping serve dinner at a shelter and she noticed a man without socks and she worried he’d be cold. She and her parents donated socks to area shelters for a couple of years before expanding their efforts. Currently based in Northwest and Southwest Ohio.
• Evelyn Mount and her husband began by feeding 25 homeless and needy families a Thanksgiving meal out of their family’s kitchen in 1976 in Reno, NV and now feed thousands each year, still operating out of the garage. Additionally, throughout the year Evelyn seeks donations so she can cook and deliver meals for low-income seniors and grandparents raising grandchildren on tight budgets.
• Haven for Hope in San Antonio – I recently was able to visit this new facility, a campus really which is still in progress, and was so impressed. Haven for Hope treats the root causes of homelessness with a wide array of social services in a single and central location. Donations or volunteer opportunties exist for individuals and groups.

So think about it.  You can easily find a cause that ties into your industry. Can you add a page or blurb to your conference website? Can you add a donation box near the on-site registration for dropping off items? Can you and your organization and your attendees make a difference? Yes, you can.

While I obviously was not able to experience the normal networking and social opportunities that go along with physically attending a conference I was able to at [...]]]>

This week I attended the ASAE Annual Meeting in Toronto, but the cool thing is I didn’t have to fly there.  I was a virtual participant!

While I obviously was not able to experience the normal networking and social opportunities that go along with physically attending a conference I was able to at least experience a significant portion of the educational content. Utilizing a live Twitter stream, marked by Hashtag #ASAE09, I attended three General Sessions (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) following the tweets posted by virtual and live attendees.  It was a very positive and interactive experience!  Sunday’s opening session featured Gary Hamel, and was outstanding, and I wrote a blog article recapping it from the tweets that were posted.

To their credit ASAE made a significant effort to embrace and utilize social media tools to enhance the quality of this conference.  On Friday I posted an article on my personal blog (McCurry’s corner) outlining all the innovations introduced at the 2009 ASAE meeting.  To view that article please click here.

Sadly, one major component was missing from the ASAE conference, a live webcast of their general sessions.  In my opinion this adds a blemish to what could have been characterized as a “technology homerum” for ASAE. During the conference I posted a Twit Poll asking attendees if they felt ASAE should have offered these sessions in a webcast.  Unanimously, all respondents answered “yes.”

The only session offering a webcast was one led by Jeff De Cagna (Twitter handle @pinnovation) entitled “Associations Next: Serious Questions for 2010 and Beyond.” Jeff actually webcast his session independently of ASAE, using a personal video camera.  To view an archive of this session click here.  The quality of the video is so-so, but the quality of the content is top notch.  In addition Jeff did a really nice job of connecting with the virtual audience!  One tip — when you open the video please fast forward by fifteen minutes to avoid some tech issues at the beginning.  From that point it is excellent!

It is really exciting to see the meetings and events industry demonstrate innovation and adaptivity to new ways of doing business.  Congratulations to ASAE for leading the pack with their 2009 Annual Meeting!  Not only did they serve their live & virtual attendees well, but they showed thought leadership and a commitment to the future of the industry as a whole!

This situation is a classic example of great customer service!  Many ASAE members/non-members were not able to attend ASAE in Toronto, but due to the innovations deployed by ASAE at this event, they were able to virtually connect with attendees and enjoy “cliff notes” of the education content.  I know, from my perspective, experiencing all this motivates me to find a way to attend the event live next time around.  I am gonna start saving my money now!

If you were a virtual or live attendee at the ASAE 2009 Annual Meeting how do you view the experience?  What did they do well and what could be done better?  If you did attend virtually does this experience spike your interest/desire to attend next year’s meeting live?  Please share  your thoughts with us?