E-Reader 101

Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, Barnes and Noble Nook, or Kobo eReader...

Choices, choices and more choices... we are constantly bombarded by the "newer and better" in electronics. So, how do you decide?

According to an article I read in my National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) Magazine, "carrying the new bestseller in your already-too-heavy workbag is so last century. With all the reading you do to keep your competitive edge, consider investing in an e-reader."

But which one should you purchase?

David Carnoy, executive of CNET had the following suggestion to NAFE, who considers him the smartest techie they know.

E-READER: Amazon Kindle (from $139 amazon.com)
PRO: Long battery life: turn the wireless on and read for up to three weeks, turn wireless off and read for a month. 4 GB of memory means you can store 3,500 books.
CON: No expansion slot for adding more memory. Battery is sealed into the device and isn't removable. Not compatible with loaner e-books from libraries that use the EPUB format.
BEST FOR: Someone who has a long reading list, looking for user-friendly device and doesn't usually buy books on the fly.

E-READER: Apple iPad (from $499 store.apple.com)
PRO: Multiple features including Web, email, photos, video and a large screen make it an all-in-one package.
CON: The price tag.
BEST FOR: Someone who is looking to do more than just reading with the device.

E-READER: Barnes and Noble Nook ($149, new Nook Color listed at $249 barnesandnoble.com)
PRO: Large library with more than a million e-books, newspapers and magazines. Wi-Fi connectivity. 2 GB of internal memory as well as an expansion slot for additional memory.
CON: Lacks a text-to-speech feature. Color LCD appears to have a significant impact on battery life. In-store reading and loaning capabilities come with notable limits and caveats.
BEST FOR: Someone who is looking for more bells and whistles and doesn't mind the shorter battery life.

E-READER: Kobo eReader ($139, recent listed price drop at $99 borders.com)
PRO: Now available on Wi-Fi. Users can select more than 2 million e-books.
CON: Text and images are black-and-white only.
BEST FOR: The occasional reader who isn't looking to make a major investment.

Do you own one or more of the above? Which would you recommend and why? Have any other pros/cons to add to the list? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Tweet Your Way to Better Business

Using Facebook as a marketing tool is almost mandatory. But before you ask clients to friend you or follow you on Twitter, consider the most effective uses of social media. Here are some tips from Giovanni Gallucci, an award-winning new media producer, author and digital media strategist.

Research. Learn how to find your existing and potential customers. Search for groups and buckets of people who share a demographic on the social media sites, then join the groups and start interacting.

Expand, don’t replace. Use social media to amp up current strategies, not replace them. “Some small business owners and entrepreneurs think social media is going to come in and replace their other types of advertising and marketing,” says Gallucci. “We find best success when we use sites like Twitter to compliment other advertising and marketing tactics.”

Build slowly. Start with just one, two, maybe three sites that make sense for your industry. Try tactics like building groups for disseminating information, posting giveaways on Facebook and sharing links about new trends on Twitter.

Protect your reputation. Be mindful about how your brands and products are perceived. Be careful about what you say online and how you respond to a customer’s posted comments and concerns. Address any problems and clearly explain what went wrong.

Keep up the momentum. If you don’t find value initially, don’t give up, Gallucci advises. There’s no magical number for how long it takes to get traction. You need to give yourself enough time so you can build a following.

Source: NAFE Magazine (Smart Talk)

2011 ISES Northeast Regional Education Conference Recap

A few weeks ago I attended ISES Northeast Regional Education Conference (REC), which was hosted by the New Jersey South and Greater Philadelphia Chapters, for event professionals from throughout the Northeast Region and around the world at the Bally's Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.

This was an amazing conference: the education was great, the speakers inspiring and it was wonderful to see and networking with colleagues from near and as far as Sydney, Australia.

All the services and décor were donated by ISES members who all worked very hard to make this conference a success; but again, we never expect anything less from ISES members – we work hard, party harder and put out the best events! Moreover, we cannot forget to thank all the sponsors for all the in-kind contributions.


The opening luncheon was spearheaded by David Merrell, AOO Events who was fabulous and shared the newest design trends, which were all amazing. On Monday night, we enjoyed a fabulous luau with great food and entertainment at the beautiful Harrah’s Resort poolside. The conference concluded with a lavish brunch and a phenomenal presentation by Brett Culp where he shared his award-winning filmmaking approach as an effective and profitable marketing technique. He was brilliant!

Education session topics included:

• Event Technology Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2011
• Catering Events at Hotels – the Inside Information on Negotiating the Best Deals
• The Perfect Event Redefined: Build Your Reputation One “Moment” at a Time
• CSEP Exam Preparation Tips, Techniques and Changes
• Get You “Creative” On The Art of Being Creative & Working with Creative People
• Marketing Trends and Best Practices to Generate Business Success
• But Don’t Green Events Cost More Money? Top Ten Tips for Greening Your Events AND Saving Money
• Is it Possible to Achieve a Design “WOW,” in Today’s Economy?
• Strategic Partners – Making the Connection
• Master Tricky Sales Situations
• How to Get and Stay in The Event Planning Business
• Sexy Tents: A Peek Under The Covers
• Scentertainment®! Celebrating the Senses!
• Branding – What Your Image Says About You!
• Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Fire Marshal?
• Tips to Ensure Your Event is Safe Without Compromising Creativity
• Get in the Spot Light of Social Media
• Dealing with Event Disasters, Are you the Problem or the Solution?
• WWSF…The WOW World of Special FX
• The Facts of Light: An Event Professionals Guide to Understanding Lighting
• The Newest ISES Member Benefit – Learn the “Insider Secrets” of Credit Card Processing

Already looking forward to the next REC in 2013!

What's Next in Meeting Technology

Meetings and Connections (M&C) Magazine, asked several forward-thinking tech experts to share their projections about tomorrow's hottest meeting technologies:

1. "Mobile apps for events will become true revenue generators." -Bob Vaez, President and Founder of Toronto-based 5Touch Solutions, which makes the EventMobi app.

2. "Events will be one piece of a larger communications strategy." -Minneapolis-based event technology consultant Samuel J. Smith.

3. "Contact information exchange will become more streamlined." -Bellingham, Wash.-based consultant Corbin Ball. Note: it is already possible to exchange information between an iPhone and Android using the Bump API.

4. "Virtual components will become more engaging." -Samuel Smith

For more in-depth reading, see the January 2011 issue of M&C Magazine.

How Meetings Benefit from Today’s Technologies

Five technologies that are changing meetings: Some tech-savvy planners are already employing to make their meetings more efficient and effective.

1. Mobile Apps: On a basic level, there are two types of mobile apps for events: a web-based program that might be accessed through an Internet-enabled phone, iPod or tablet, or downloadable software that runs natively on a specific device.

Two categories of mobile apps that are relevant to meetings:

• Meetings management apps: Often free and provide planners the ability to tap into web-based meeting platforms from their mobile devices while on-site or in transit.

• Meeting apps for attendees: Usually free, these event-specific apps can be downloaded by attendees. May include all of the speakers, scheduling, seminars, keynote and attendee information, exhibit floor maps and/or everything from social-media platform links to attendee messaging or local restaurant listings.

2. Social Media for Events: Social media facilitates interaction, networking, and a dialog among participants -- goals not unlike those of many meetings.

3. Virtual/Hybrid Events: from basic (and free) streaming options through full virtual show platforms and professional video production houses.

For more, visit: M&C January 2011 issue.

Computer and Cell Phone Backups

Image courtesy of www.gadgettastic.com

Love them when they work, hate them when they don't, and hate them even more when they crash!

A few weeks ago, I received a message that BlackBerry had new updates for my phone. However, since I had not synchronized nor backed up my data since the month of May, I thought it would be wise to do so first. Now, you would think that from prior experience (when my laptop crashed) I would be more deligent in backing up my data. Right? Unfortunately, not! I kept putting it off each day saying to myself, "As soon as I'm done with this, I'll synch my phone!" How many of you are guilty of this as well?

Anyhow, I proceeded to perform a synch/backup only to learn that I could not do so prior to updating my phone. After numerous attempts to skip the update, I gave up. The update did not take long and when it was done, I said, "WOW! I love the new updates! And, I sooo love my BlackBerry even more now!" ...only to realize a little later, that I lost everything I had enterred since the last backup in May! I was livid and angry with myself for not continuing to backup on a weekly basis! Lesson learned the hard way!

Thankfully, after my laptop crashed and after Geek Squad  recovered some files, I put new systems in place to ensure everything is backed up on my external hard drive and looked into off-site backup services. Consequently, even if my computer crashes again, I will still have all my data somewhere. Now, I just need to make sure that the same preventative measures are in place for my cell phone.

With that said, I thought that this would be a worthy topic to blog.

Having a reliable backup system is very crucial in running a business; even more so now than ever before with Green Initiatives in place and many people not printing much. Another plus to off-site backups is that even if your place of business burns down, you will still have access to your data.

For a reasonable fee, several companies provide backup services off site on a secure online database.

Computer Backups
Here are a couple companies you can consider:

1. Carbonite: For just $54.95 per year (about $4.58 per month), Carbonite securely protects your files from

• accidental deletion
• drive failure
• theft
• power surges
• disaster

2. MOZY: For $4.95 per month for personal computers and $5.00 per month for businesses, they will provide the same services as the aforementioned company.

Cell Phone Backups
Whether you lose, break or simply replace your phone for a new one, you may encounter problems with tranfesrring your phone book and other data. Again, as with computers, there are several ways to backup your cell phone data:

1. Provider/Carrier-specific services: Alltell, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, etc.

2. Third-party backup services: Backup-Pal, Cell Stik, and DataPilot Universal Plus to name a few.

3. Finally, there are various Apps (some free, others not) that you can download directly onto your smart phone... got-to love those Apps! These will backup the info on an ongoing basis.

Do not become the next statistic... take charge! It is worth every penny and your peace of mind!

October Events

This is another catch-up post, picking up from where I left off after the September Events post. Here's the update from all the events I coordinated and/or attended in October!

1. October 2nd: I collaborated with VMG to plan and produce Total Health Care's 40th Anniversary Fundraiser at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront (BMW). The event theme was Old Hollywood Oscar Night with all the glitz and glamor -- we had actors as paparazzi, Joan Rivers on the Red Carpet, President Obama and First Lady Michelle (complete with a Secret Service detail), and LIVE Oscar statues. It was such a successful and memorable night! The BMW is one of the premier venues in Baltimore, Maryland -- check it out for your next special event! (I'll share additional pictures once I receive them from the photographer).


2. October 6th: I went on a FAM tour to visit all the Prince George's County Parks & Rec venues. I visited Newton Mansion, The PG Ballroom, Oxon Hill Manor, and many more wonderful sites. These venues are rich in history, have beautifully manicured grounds, and are terrific alternatives to typical hotel venues in the Baltimore/Washington area.

I attended a second FAM tour to visit all the Annapolis Area & Anne Arundel County facilities as well. Again, these venues are spectacular and typically more affordable alternatives to hotel venues. They are great venues for weddings, corporate events, and more!

3. October 21st: I went to New York City for the Biz-Bash Trade Show. The event was fabulous! I was able to gain lots of interesting insights on New York venues and vendors for destination events. I also got to see the Bidpal in action -- an innovative tool for those fundraisers!

4. October 22nd: I attended the Harvest Festival Event at the Strathmore in Rockville, Maryland. This is another unique space to consider for your next event. The Mansion and the Art Center are fabulous sites!


5. October 29th: I wanted to share some pictures from my DC ISES Halloween Party. It was held at the National Crime and Punishment Museum in Washington, DC -- how appropriate a venue for the occasion! The hauted house was amazing and truly scary for those of us who scare easily. It was a blast! By the way, that's me in the jailbird costume!

6. October 30th: I attended a very emotional speaking event by motivational speaker The Scary Guy; and yes, "Scary Guy" is his legal name! His speech was absolutely phenomenal and I had to stuggle to fight back some tears. He is truly passionate about his cause -- bullying, violence, and hate crimes among youth -- which we all need to be ambassadors to. Please take a moment to visit his website: www.thescaryguy.com

7. October 31st: Halloween! Here are some family Trick-or-Treating photos I couldn't resist sharing!


Next, I'll post my events from early November and I'll have you all caught up!

Planning a "Green" Event, Part I

We all need to be more proactive in making environmentally responsible choices in our everyday lives, and planning an event is no exception! When planning a "green" event, an individual, planner, host, or supplier should ensure the use of sustainable products and utilize efficient waste management practices as often as possible.

This will be the first post of a two-part topic, each offering three usueful "greening" tips to get you started with planning your next eco-friendly special event. Here are the first three great tips:

1. The venue: A truly "green" event will be hosted in a "green," or LEED certified building. Not only will the building itself be built to safe, eco-friendly standards, but they will also offer everything from recycling bins to composting containers for separating waste to ensure a successful event. If there are no LEED certified venues available in your area, try to choose a venue that is easily accessible by public/mass transit or near an airport to accommodate guest travels.
   
   
2. Serve ware: There are several ways to incorporate eco-friendly alternatives for trays, plates, silverware, and glasses. Reduce and reuse as often as possible! If you plan to use disposable serve ware at your event, ensure that the serve ware is biodegradable and/or compostable.
   >>Great Finds!
   
   • Biodegradable dinnerware made out of bamboo by bambu
   • Dinnerware made from fallen leaves by Veterra
   • Compostable disposables by Compostable Goods
     
     
3. Technology: Go paperless by encouraging and promoting the use of digital technology whenever possible. Send out "e-vites" instead of traditionally mailed paper invites, and have your guests RSVP by phone or email.
   
   

These three tips should help get you started with planning your "green" event. The next post, "Planning a "Green" Event, Part II" will focus on three additional tips concerning food, distance/location, and decor. Be sure to check back soon!