By Nicole Millman-Falk, CAE
In the midst of a gloomy and grey winter, the sun shone brightly for NYSAE's Fifth Annual MeetNY a one-of-a-kind supplier-hosted event for meeting planners. The day began with two premium education sessions and was followed by networking, tabletop exhibits and a networking reception at the Hard Rock Café, and a Broadway show.
Special thanks to Milton Segarra, President & CEO of Meet Puerto Rico, NYSAE's Platinum Corporate Leadership Partner and Marquee Partner of MeetNY. "Meet Puerto Rico wants to engage with meeting planners and association executives. We promise to be authentic and provide you with good information to empower you to make good choices," said Segarra.
Other corporate partners for MeetNY included the Hard Rock Café, which hosted the trade show and reception, and Professional Images Photography. The educational sessions were held at the New York Society of Security Analysts.
MeetNY 2014 Gallery
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Using Social Media
"Mobility is key in 2014," said Lesley Kyle, CMP, CEO of Open Mind Works, who spoke on Social Media Effectiveness for Meetings and Events. Kyle, who served as Director of Event Management for the Society of Plastic Engineers for 11 years, discussed how to use social media to grow and enrich the member experience, as well as to build buzz and excitement before, during, and after meetings. Among the interesting facts she pointed out:
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Lesley Kyle, CMP, CEO of Open Mind Works (second from right) spoke on Social Media Effectiveness for Meetings and Events. She was joined by (left to right); Joel A. Dolci, CAE, President & CEO, NYSAE; Milton Segarra, President & CEO of Meet Puerto Rico, NYSAE’s Platinum Corporate Leadership Partner and Marquee Partner of MeetNY; Dean D'Anna, Associate Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Chair of NYSAE’s MeetNY Committee; and Stephen Crane, Executive Director, American Thoracic Society, and Chair of NYSAE.
- One in four online searches is conducted through a mobile device;
- 57% of people who are looking at company websites, will not recommend the site if mobile website is not up to par;
- 57,293 is average number of hours that an average American will spend on a cell phone during his or her lifetime; that's about two hours a day;
- 2/3 of people use a mobile device to connect with social media;
- Two and a half times as many people check LinkedIn via a mobile device than from a desktop.
"'So what?' you ask! That means your association must be mobile to engage with members and potential meeting attendees," Kyle said. Use social media to tie in with your event then, generate positive buzz about a program, reinforce the event's value, and bait the hook coming back to your social media site(s) for more information.
Best practices for a successful social media campaign for a meeting include: planning ahead; designating a driver (or several people if a larger event) to be responsible for monitoring all social media 24/7 and responding in real time; pushing information before, during, and after the meeting; responding carefully and genuinely; owning and dealing with criticism instead of ignoring it; embracing your virtual audience since they be next year's attendees; and planting the seed for the next event.
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Gregg Talley, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO, Talley Management Group, moderated a panel on Reducing Risk…Minimizing Meeting and Event Security Threats .
Reducing Meeting Risk
Natural hazards such as hurricanes, snowstorms or tornados, a fire or electric outage in the hotel, protesters against a speaker or your industry, stolen intellectual or personal property or equipment, medical emergencies, are among the many potential hazards that can befall a meeting.
Addressing the topic of Reducing Risk…Minimizing Meeting and Event Security Threats were: Eric Mazzella, Director of Security, New York Marriott Marquis; Niall McKeon, Director of Security, Sheraton New York Times Square; Lt. Mario Rivera, NYC Police Department; Johnnie White, CMP, Executive Director, Cardiovascular Research Foundation Center for Education; and Mark Genatempo, Managing Director, Cardinal Point Strategies. Gregg Talley, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO, Talley Management Group, moderated the discussion.
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Eric Mazzella (center), Director of Security, New York Marriott Marquis, answers an audience question. He is joined by Niall McKean (left), Director of Security, Sheraton New York Times Square, and Mark Genatempo, Managing Director, Cardinal Point Strategies.
The key to dealing reducing risk is planning ahead, agreed all the speakers. Develop a crisis management plan that takes into account all potential situations and what you will do if they occur: Who is the association's point person? What are you going to do in the case of …? How will information be disseminated to attendees? Who will coordinate with the hotel? With the Police or Fire Department? Homeland Security?
Talley noted that his organization includes security questions as part of its RFP process. "We want to know how comfortable the city or hotel we are considering is in dealing with the types of issues that come up at our events. Does the city work together with local law enforcement? Does the venue have a process in place? Who is in control in the event of a crisis? How will they interact with my organization?"
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"If a hotel has to temporarily evacuate everyone because of loss of electricity, for example, the police are involved," says Lt. Mario Rivera, New York City Police Department. "In addition to doing a theft assessment, we are the people who will get a city bus into a frozen zone, who provides security as attendees walk from hotel a to hotel b. We can only respond quickly and efficiently if we know what we are dealing with ahead of time."
Advised Genatempo, "Integrate the hotel plans into your crisis management plans, since they have already worked out possible contingencies."
It is the responsibility of both meeting planners and hotels to discuss security early on in the process. "Security is a very important part of the meeting planning process, and if you don't use us, shame on you," said Mazzella. "The minute you book a meeting, you should be in touch with the hotel's security team."
McKeon agreed. "Too often, we learn about potential problems that may occur at a conference at a precon meeting the day before, or when we get a call from the protective detail of one of the speakers. If we learn about potential threats the day before a meeting, it narrows the window for us to do what we have to do."
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Jonnie White, CMP, Executive Director, Cardiovascular Research Foundation Center for Education, says he has observed more theft at meetings than in years past.
Hotel security work with the local police departments to limit potential hazards as well. "Our concern is the safety of your attendees. We want to make sure you don't get embarrassed at your own event," said Lt. Rivera.
Talley suggested meeting planners make use of the vast resources available to the from: the International Association of Exhibitions and Events; Professional Convention Management Association; Department of Homeland Security; American Society for Industrial Security; hotel security teams; local law enforcement; and private security firms which offer risk management assessment.
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Life time NYSAE member Richard M. Fiorentino, President of Fiorentino & Associates is photographed along with Trisha Meili. All silent auction proceeds will benefit the Achilles Freedom Team.
Trade Show and Reception
NYSAE and MeetNY were up in lights on the marquis of the Hard Rock Café. Hosts of the MeetNY included more than 200 convention and visitors bureaus, hotels, meeting and destination sites, and suppliers. During the cocktail reception at the Hard Rock Café, invited association executives and meeting planners had the opportunity to network, socialize, and visit tabletop exhibits, while dining on tasty hors d'oerves and listening to great music. Money raised during a silent auction held during the reception benefited the Freedom Team Wounded Veterans of Achilles International.
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The Supremes were portrayed by (left to right) Sydney Morton, Valisia LeKae, and Ariana DeBose.
Neon Lights of Broadway
The evening was topped off when attendees were treated to the Broadway show Motown. The show tells the story of Motown founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul, who launched and catapult the careers of Diana Ross & the Supremes, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, and others.
MeetNY Committee
Members of NYSAE's MeetNY Committee include Chair Dean D'Anna, Associate Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; P. Dean Altvater, Director of Sales/Worldwide Accounts, Hilton Sales Worldwide; Marion Bossard, Vice President, Meetings & Events, Toy Industry Association; Jeffrey P. Fagan, CMP, CASE, Director, National Accounts, Marriott Global Sales Organization; Richard M. Fiorentino, President, Fiorentino & Associates; Susan Hennig, CTE, Sales Manager, United; Rita M. Lopez, Director of Sales, Puerto Rico Convention Bureau; and Alexandra Maiman, Sales Manager, NYC & Company. Staff Liaison Brandon A. Dolci, CMP, Vice President, Meetings & Conferences, NYSAE, is also on the Committee.
Nicole Millman-Falk is President of Millman-Falk Communications, LLC, a public relations and editorial services firm. Millman-Falk is the Managing Editor for InView and is Chair of NYSAE's Awards Committee. She can be reached at 201-652-1687 or mfc32@optonline.net.