Convention and Trade Show Educational Program

Wednesday, August 5th

• Identifying Marketable Assets and Packaging Them to Maximize Revenue
• Creating Effective Proposals and Getting Them in the Right Hands
• Adding Value to Your Offer beyond Basic Benefits
• Selling Strategically and Negotiating Effectively to Close Deals

Thursday, August 6th

Knowing what decision-makers want for their sponsorship dollars is the key to negotiating a winning proposition.  With the right tools you can avoid spending time on sponsorship proposals that lead to the dreaded "no."  After this session, you will no longer "spray and pray," but learn how to build a targeted sponsorship program in order to stand out from the competition and create value for your brand.

This session is designed to take a person with a limited understanding of the Internet and give them a detailed understanding of the steps necessary to successfully market a website on the Internet.  In this session, you can expect to learn about the following:

• What is the purpose of search engines and how they work.
• The steps necessary to get your web site listed on the search engines. Both naturally and with paid advertising.
• What are black hat practices? What are the common mistakes made when marketing a web site that will hinder your ranking on search engines?
• Search engine advertising methods.
• Pay Per Click management.
• Analytics. How to track the traffic on your web site and the importance of doing so.

This session will give you a detailed description of the steps necessary to market a website today in an easy-to-understand presentation.

In this session, Mat will give tips on how and where to locate quality bands of different genre in all price ranges.  He will also share how to negotiate contracts and riders, providing samples.  He will also share his opinions on what styles of music work best for certain situations and what bands tend to increase revenues of food and beverages.  Mat will cover his successes with media partnerships to secure, sponsor, and promote bands. And finally, Mat will just be happy to answer questions and talk bands! 

10:00 AM - 11:15 AM


ADVANCED SPONSORSHIP STRATEGIES
Presenter: Julie Kimball, Senior Project Director, IEG Advisory Services, Chicago, IL

Far more than strictly a "sales" seminar, the session will give you the tools and knowledge to take full advantage of current and potential corporate partnerships, ensuring that these important relationships represent profitable revenue and have a positive impact in other critical areas beyond the bottom line.

SITE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT - HOW TO SAVE YOURSELF TIME AND MONEY
Presenter: Suzanne Neve, Director of Programs and Services, Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce

Are your site operations expenses getting out of control?  This session teaches you how to effectively evaluate your current inventory and spending practices to eliminate any unnecessary spending.  During the session we will also discuss best practices and procedures for budget reduction sponsorships, RFP templates and organizational tools to help manage your event operations from a time and cost perspective.

Wrapping Festivals & Events Into Consumer Vacation Packages
Presenter: Joe Veneto, The Opportunity Guy, Quincy, MA

Grow the customer base of your festival or event by creating compelling consumer vacation packages. Joe Veneto, a.k.a. "The Opportunity Guy", will provide his secrets on the trends, tools and techniques for creating consumer vacation packages. You will also learn about Lee County Visitor's & Convention Bureau's strategies to wrap fall festivals into consumer packages. Finally, you will discover how to wrap your event, regardless of its size, into different types of packages to create success and increase attendance.

1:30 PM - 2:45 PM

HANDLING A CRISIS
Presenter: Don Silver, Chief Operating Officer, Boardroom Communications, Inc., Plantation, FL  

This presentation covers pertinent topics that will enhance your understanding of the various crisis communication concepts and tools, and will leave your staffers better prepared to guide your event through difficult times. Topics include:

• Anticipating potential crisis
• Understanding the various stages of a crisis
• Dealing with key stakeholders
• Internal communications
• First response option
• Managing the media
• Utilizing online tools to get your message out to those who count
• Communications techniques and tools

In addition to reviewing the basics, we will also conduct an audience mindshare of crisis that have afflicted your events so we can discuss what went right, what didn't and lessons learned.  So, be prepared to share your "war stories" with the group.

GO GREEN - ADD A FARMER'S MARKET TO YOUR COMMUNITY
(OR IMPROVE YOUR EXISITING ONE)
Presenter:  Sandi Moore, Main Street Manager, Leesburg Partnership, Leesburg, FL

Farmers markets continue their remarkable contribution to the allure of Florida's communities.  They are bustling hubs that can highlight the local culture and food culture of a community as well as provide a source of pride and prosperity.  This session will prove valuable to both communities aspiring to start a farmer's market or those looking to improve an established market.  She will provide a case study, as well as practical how-to direction on running a thriving farmer's market that boosts foot traffic and is representative of your community.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: UTILIZING LOCAL NON-PROFIT FOOD VENDORS AT YOUR EVENT
Presenter: Sandy Price, Executive Director, Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, Fernandina Beach, FL

Maximize your event's community support and economic impact by using local non-profit groups as the food vendors. Follow an actual 3-day event from set-up to break down, from pitfalls to profits, from application to the final report. And keep your local restaurants happy, too!
 

Working with Corporations in the Down Economy
Presenter: Philips McCarty, Principal Innovation Strategist, Cause Innovation, LLC, Memphis, TN

Tough economic times have hit corporations and cause major changes in how corporate sponsorship is approached. So how do events work with corporations now? How can nonprofits and events secure deals amid the turbulent economy? How are consumer cause marketing campaigns fairing in this economy? Learn more about corporate trends and gain valuable tips for working smarter to develop and revitalize corporate relationships in spite of market pressures.

3:00 PM - 4:15 PM

LET'S GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT:
UNDERSTANDING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA CONVERSATION
Presenter: Mande White, Head Social Media Coach, FreeSocialMediaHelp.com, Boynton Beach, FL 

You've heard about Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin...but have you figured out how to harness the power of these applications to build relationships with clients, recruit future clients/employees/business partners or spy on the competition?  In this session you'll learn how to not just listen in on the conversation, but how to come up with valuable, insightful and witty things to converse about so people will be lining up in droves to do business with you.

ASSEMBLING A SPECIAL EVENT COMMITTEE FOR TODAY'S ECONOMY
Presenter: Chris Carson, Recreation Supervisor, City of Winter Springs, Winter Springs, FL

This session will include how to create an event planning committee and whom to consider as members. You will learn a step by step approach on how to build an efficient and effective group that shares the same vision. Included will be an overview of budgeting, fund raising, community education/marketing, roles of committee members as well as execution of the event. Discussion will occur on goal setting and long term planning which may make all the difference in the world when it comes to today's economy.



EMBRACING CHANGE
Presenter: Jeannette Peters, Nonprofit Management Consulting, LLC, Gainesville, FL

The biggest threats to your organization's survival and success may come from the inside: complacency, resistance to change, and refusal to accept changes in the political and funding environment.  Learn strategies to help your staff, board and stakeholders move past anger and denial and embrace opportunities to adapt, evolve and grow through organizational change.

UNLEASHING THE POWER OF VOLUNTEERS
Presenter: Wendy Spencer, CEO, Governor's Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service (Volunteer Florida), Tallahassee, FL

In today's economy, event organizers are struggling to meet sponsorship and attendance goals, even from tried-and-true supporters who are hesitant to give – or to give as much – in the face of economic uncertainty. But the current economic climate also has a bright side; it has created a renewed spirit of service in America! Learn cutting-edge techniques for recruiting first-rate volunteers to make your event a success. There's no better time than now to unleash the power of volunteers!

Friday, August 7th

8:30 AM - 9:45 AM

THE ZEN OF COLLABORATION
Presenter: Jeannette Peters, Nonprofit Management Consulting, LLC, Gainesville, FL

Why is effective collaboration -- between staff members, board members, and partner organizations -- so difficult to achieve, and almost impossible to maintain?  Our minds tell us that collaboration is less efficient than just doing the job ourselves, but history shows us that collaboration is the only approach that creates permanent, positive impact.  In this workshop we'll discuss the cultural expectations that make it hard for us to collaborate effectively, and explore ways to break through collaborative barriers for continuously higher performance.

JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE TWEETING, FRIEND-ING, & BLOGGING DOESN'T MEAN ANYONE IS LISTENING: HOW TO MAXIMIZE THE RETURN ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA INVESTMENTS
Presenter: Mande White, Head Social Media Coach, FreeSocialMediaHelp.com, Boynton Beach, FL

If you know how to tweet, ping, post and poke, but you want to take it to the next level in terms of revenue generated, pipelines filled, events attended or time managed then this session will give you the blueprint.  We'll work through the aspects you need to be paying attention to as well as what you can start outsourcing or ignoring.  You'll get some insider tips on creating tweets that spread like wildfire as well as how to automate things so you can spend more time playing.

10:00 AM - 11:15 AM

ENHANCING YOUR EVENT'S REPUTATION IN THE COMMUNITY
Presenter: Don Silver, Chief Operating Officer, Boardroom Communications, Inc., Plantation, FL  

Are you satisfied with your organization and event's reputation in the community?  How can you measure what people really think?  How can community leaders and centers of influence be swayed to support your event?  What role can new media play in building support?  Is community relations still a viable option when trying to generate positive publicity for an event?
These are just some of the topics we will cover in a getting back to the basics session on image enhancement.  Come prepared to discuss your challenges.  This session will include an overview by Mr. Silver followed by a forum discussing your individual challenges with the group.  You will be surprised how much you may have in common with the other attendees and just how much help a room full of experienced event professionals and an experienced public relations executive can be when the issues are put on the table.

FOOD.....CREATING AN ATTRACTION BY ATTRACTING THE CREATIVE
Presenter: Dave Schlabach CFE, Executive Director, National Independent Concession Association (NICA), Tampa, FL

Most of the events and festivals in the country are finding, through their exit polls, that food is almost always rated in the top three reasons for attending and more often than not, food is in the number one or two positions. These events are using the talents, resources and experience of mobile independent food concessionaires. These concessionaires are family owned, and have created their own specialty items. Independent concessionaires are equipped to be on the road and are trained to present their product at an event safely and esthetically. This workshop will explore how to attract and keep the most creative concessionaires.

TIMES ARE HARD - HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE!
Presenter: Lorna Kibbey, Lorna Kibbey Leadership Solutions, Fort Myers, FL

We know these are difficult times. We also know opportunities grow from difficult times! We will look at examples of people who have had great success when faced with great failure. We'll examine ways to improve your attitude, your confidence, and your enthusiasm. Then, we'll talk "cutting edge." What future are you creating for your organization? How can you attain great success by creating change?

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to flip your perspective
• Examine ways to remain confident - and why you should
• Explore change - see how you can create change and ensure success
• Practice techniques that will help you to come up with that next great idea

SPONSORSHIP 107: THE SEVEN QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK TO SECURE SPONSORS
Presenter: Cinde Martin, City of West Palm Beach Consultant, Office of Mayor Lois Frankel, West Palm Beach, FL

Cinde Martin will explain her sponsorship philosophies and strategies for securing revenue. In plain words, Cinde will describe how to obtain long-term media partnerships, create tailored proposals and create partnership promotions to give your event ‘legs' to lean on. She will share the seven questions she asks before ever even thinking of pitching a sponsor. Cinde will share her professional experiences to help you set-up systems, proposals and most importantly grow your property's sponsorship revenue and close the deal!



1:45 PM - 3:00 PM

"THE PLAY'S THE THING" (William Shakespeare)
"BUT IT'S NOT THE ONLY THING" (Michael Kilgore)
Presenter: Michael Kilgore, Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experiences, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center (TBPAC), Tampa, FL

Everything affects your patrons' impressions of you and your venue or event.  It starts with a response to your advertising and runs through every interaction from website to telephone operator to parking to volunteers.  How your customers feel about all of that is ultimately how they will feel about you (and themselves!).  And whatever they feel, they have unprecedented ways of sharing their feelings with others.  Learn how experiential marketing can be good for business and peace of mind.  It's not just customer service anymore; it's a business model and a way of life.

SYSTEMIZE, ORGANIZE AND CATEGORIZE
Presenter: Sharon McAllister, Executive Director, ArtFest Fort Myers, Inc., Ft. Myers, FL

Do you think you just can't get it all done?  Well guess again - it's the dilemma of most event directors, staffs, volunteers and boards. Let's pause, take a breath and talk about solutions. This session is targeted to events of all sizes because it does not matter the size of your event or the size of your staff, the solutions are the same.  We'll start analyzing your own job and determining what your time is worth and whose job(s) are you doing.  Then, we will move on to solutions for effective use of time, staff, outsourcing, technology, and much more.  We will end with providing systems for organizing and categorizing your equipment, warehouses and offices.  You will leave this session learning current systems for operating more effectively.

LEARN YOUR PERSONALITY AND SUCCEED
Presenter: Greta Schulz, President and CEO, Proactive Training and Consulting, West Palm Beach, FL

What determines superior performance?  What makes a prime candidate?  If you were to pick just one skill, what would it be?  Personal accountability is not only an important skill to possess, but it is also in high demand.  In over 95% of the jobs Proactive Training studied, personal accountability was one of the top seven personal skills that are required for superior performance on the job.  Most companies would agree that responsibility for actions is a major component to success on the job and will look for this skill in any employee review or selection situation.  Unfortunately, personal accountability can be difficult to gauge and is often times not genuine until you can scratch through the surface.  In this session, you will learn how you react to certain situations and why.  You will also learn why others react they way they do.  These techniques will help you relate more easily to all different personality styles. All participants will complete their own personality profile during the session! 

It's Not Your Mother's Sponsorship Approach
Presenter: Philips McCarty, Principal Innovation Strategist, Cause Innovation, LLC, Memphis, TN

In this day and age we can't afford to be mundane and usual when it comes to finding corporate dollars. Innovation is a must, as is applying the latest and greatest in measurement, language and presentation appeal when approaching corporations. You'll learn how to approach sponsorships and corporate partnerships from a completely new level, including how to build partnership opportunities that are measurable and tangible for businesses.

3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL - HOW TO HARNESS THE POWER OF MULTICULTURAL AND ETHNIC MARKETING
Presenter: Cornelia "Corky" Dozier, Executive Director, Greater Miami Host Committee, Inc.

Multicultural marketing is defined as targeting and communicating to marketing segments based on their diverse cultural framework.  This session will be an interactive workshop with activities to include simulations, role playing, and group projects.  The session will begin with identifying the characteristics and nuances of target ethnic markets in Florida-(Asian, Native African, Hispanic/Latino American), and their subcultures.  It will also explore other multicultural groups to include: women, youth, mature, disabled, urban and gay/lesbian.  Participants will receive key demographics, and be exposed to the top trends in multicultural/ethnic public relations, media preferences, as well as traditional and non-traditional multicultural marketing strategies - grassroots, non-traditional, word of mouth, text, internet, guerilla, and street marketing, for an effective multicultural marketing plan.  Workshop will conclude with a multicultural calendar team selection to develop a marketing and public relations plan for a culturally specific event.