Oregon School Counselor Association Conference Photos

Got some photos back from our Oregon School Counselor Association conference a couple weeks ago. So great working with this group! EJP Events helped them from beginning to end, starting with venue search, contract negotiations, sponsor and vendor solicitation and management, catering menu planning, registration, social media, event marketing (the conference sold out for the second time we have been involved!), to onsite coordination and check in. We even printed and ordered their swag items, such as t-shirts, bags, pens, and notepads.

Portland Event Planning by EJP Events

More photos from this wonderful conference available here:
We love working with our conference and event planning clients and making their jobs easy!

Portland Retro Gaming Expo

As wedding season moves indoors and gets quieter, conference and expo season surges forward! This weekend we’re happy to help Portland Retro Gaming Expo coordinate their hotel logistics as they welcome 10,000 attendees to the Oregon Convention Center to enjoy hundreds of retro arcade and console games. Did you know EJP Events is a member of American Express Global Business Travel’s Meetings Expert program? I love helping groups find the best hotel venue for their needs. We were thrilled to match PRGE up with the Crowne Plaza Portland, Doubletree Portland, Jupiter Hotel and Residence Inn Lloyd Center this year. Let me know if I can help your group!

Portland Retro Gaming Expo - Convention Planning and Venue Sourcing

via Buffer

Things That Annoy Your Attendees During Online Event Registration

gif via Popkey

I just saw a tweet about a really interesting conference coming up on the East Coast. Relevant speakers, education credits, a great registration fee, a compelling location. However, I’m stuck, just stuck, right in the middle of the registration process, trying to find out more. My pain is your gain, however, as I walk you through the things that are completely annoying me about this event registration page.

1. When is it?

The date is in 9-pt type in a light grey, against white background. I’m squinting. Come on guys, your target audience is meeting professionals and many of us are over 40 and starting to lose our eyesight. PLEASE MAKE THE DATE BIG, and put it first so we even know whether or not we can attend.

2. No link to hotel information

The hotel looks really nice! There is a huge embedded Google map showing the location. However there is no reference to a group rate for the conference, nor a link to the hotel, nor a group code. Nothing. I can’t fly across the country to your event and not knowing if I can stay at the convention hotel. PLEASE MAKE THE LINK TO THE HQ HOTEL BIG. And clickable.

3. Sponsors are listed, but no links to their websites

Look at all these sponsors! Some of the top players in my industry. But if I put my finger on the logo (yes, I’m on mobile, just like 73% of the world’s population) nothing happens. What? The logo should take me to more information about this great company, so I can learn about what they do and offer. You’re not giving your sponsors full value, and you’re doing a disservice to attendees, if you don’t link out to their information.

Please, for the love of your attendees, and so you don’t lose us during this process, take care of the basics! (Note: I did not end up registering for the conference. Oh well.)

 

Blog Roundup: What Corporate Events Can Learn From Wedding Planners

 

Spot the meeting planner vs. the wedding planner.

Do wedding planners have anything to offer corporate events? Is the experience that a wedding planner brings to weddings valuable, when staring down the barrel of a large, multi-day, multi-track, executive-level conference?

BizBash, Etouches, WilsonWest and Meetings+Events Magazine, some of the top voices in our industry, all say a resounding YES.

I present the following readings to you that remind us all that for high-level events, whether they have a social or corporate focus, there is always a “bride” (a VIP or group of VIPs), and the details always matter.

Raise the Bar on Your Next Event by Thinking Like a Wedding Planner – Meetings+Events Magazine

What Can a Wedding Planner Teach Us About Strategic Event Planning – WilsonWest

10 Lessons Event Pros Can Learn From Weddings – BizBash

Weddings and Corporate Events: Not So Different After All – See more at: http://blog.etouches.com/tips-and-tools/best-practices/weddings-and-corporate-events-not-so-different-after-all/#sthash.Yqql1fGo.dpuf

Weddings and Corporate Events: Not So Different After All – eTouches

 

Weddings and Corporate Events: Not So Different After All – See more at: http://blog.etouches.com/tips-and-tools/best-practices/weddings-and-corporate-events-not-so-different-after-all/#sthash.Yqql1fGo.dpuf
What Can a Wedding Planner Teach Us About Strategic Event Planning? – See more at: http://www.wilsonwest.com/what-can-a-wedding-planner-teach-us-about-strategic-event-planning-2/#sthash.xjG4uAiC.dpuf
What Can a Wedding Planner Teach Us About Strategic Event Planning? – See more at: http://www.wilsonwest.com/what-can-a-wedding-planner-teach-us-about-strategic-event-planning-2/#sthash.xjG4uAiC.dpuf
What Can a Wedding Planner Teach Us About Strategic Event Planning? – See more at: http://www.wilsonwest.com/what-can-a-wedding-planner-teach-us-about-strategic-event-planning-2/#sthash.xjG4uAiC.dpuf

The net-net? Don’t conflate wedding planning skills with frivolous knowledge – the skill set is very similar; the major difference is where the money comes from. A veteran wedding planner is merciless with budgets – a skill prized in corporate circles. Someone who knows how to soothe ruffled feathers during the most over-the-top family dramas is the diplomat you want when tensions run high in a conference committee. And an onsite wedding whiz who can think on their feet and handle a million guest and VIP requests simultaneously with aplomb can be a valuable contributor to a corporate event team.

National Federation of Nurses Launch

Tonight we’re blogging live from the National Federation of Nurses Launch Party in Portland, Oregon.  We’re going green with the guest book and letting our attendees sign in with comments!  Also, allowing our remote attendees to twitter with the #nfn09 hashtag and text to http://tinyurl.com/nfnlaunch with their congratulatory messages.
Please join us by leaving a comment for this wonderful new nurses’ union!