Blogalong with Eventwist - Vancouver, New York, and Yes Las Vegas

This week I had the distinct pleasure of being part of the new VANCOUVER booth at AIBTM in Baltimore. OK, reality check, I was administering this booth - making sure all the partners had what they needed for uniforms, swag, support etc. etc. Now, there is a reason I am the Creative Director at Cantrav. and not the administrator of much! So I dug in and got it done and I think I can safely say this was a roaring success - great sales team on the floor, great quality of hosted buyers who were committed to maximizing their time at the show and a great space to do it in!

Here was the funny/great thing about our row for me... beside us MGM Resorts on one side and Boston on another. Dave Gazley had lost the bet with Boston - check this out for Dave wearing the Bruins Jersey - a good sport that one! Just beside Boston, New York! So I think that between the class of Vegas's MGM Resorts and the yellow taxi cookies of New York, we held our own! I think that Lenny from Vegas may have been a bit surprised when I came up and gave him a hug, but when King Dahl says "Hug" - well. you HUG!  Whatever they might say about New Yorkers - I found them VERY friendly and I can't wait to go!

We LOVED having Kiki L'Italien filming Social Media Sweet Spot LIVE from the booth and we sure had some of the who's who stop by, naturally bringing them in for an interview - check it out and you will see Jeff Hurt, Joan Eisenstodt, Dave Lutz, Liz King, Traci Browne and then our Vancouver hosts including Ken Cretney from the gorgeous Vancouver Convention Centre and Doug Tewnion with the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle - at least! Thank you ALL (but especially Kiki!)

On a personal note, seeing for the first time IRL people who have inspired me on-line for nearly a year - you know who you are - Jenise, Lindsey, Traci, Barbara, Ruud... and reconnecting IRL with Greg who took us to some serious local haunts (Nacho Mamas, the fabulous Blue Hill Tavern and then of course Walt's for Karake and Mamas on the Half Shell and then cannolis) - thank you sir, you are a star!  Andy - how much fun did we have? Thanks for sharing the experience. Liz, Billy, Andrea, Kiki, Glenn, Trevor, Joan, Midori, Jeff, Jessica, Christine, Dave... For anyone who does not understand the power of SOCIAl (media) - all I can say is keep reading...

I am so fortunate to have connected with people who are PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES, who understand that meetings can make a difference, and that when we as planners and producers take care of the people who attend our events and their educational, personal, professional needs are met through events that allow them to be engaged and to truly connect... this is what is going to make meetings and events continually better through relevance and proven RO... I(nvestment), E(ngagement), R(elationships)... let's create memorable moments and give people information they can use when they return to their organizations...  I say BRING IT ON!

How do we know THEM?

Recently my husband had a birthday and we invited the usual cross-section of people that tend to intersect at our house. Over the years many have become familiar faces to each other, even though it may only be with us they see each other.  At the end of the evening, my daughter asked "how do we know them?" referring generally to the people who were there. The answers of course varied. Some had been friends since high school, some through tae kwon do, or Greg's curling team, some people I work with and all of them people we are richer for knowing.

A day or two later I was again at a One Degree of Separation event.  This is what I refer to as "our secret club" although it is neither secret or a club, it is a gathering nearly monthly that began last year when two lovely men, Michael and Marc and I were at an event with ok wine, people we didn't really know, hellomynameis badges and said "wouldn't it be great to go to an event where the wine is good, there are no name badges and we are talking with people we like, and while they might be in similar industries, it is not about business cards."  The next week we decided to try it out, and nearly a year later it is a highlight of each month. The One Degree simply means you need to know one of us, or the host (which changes monthly with the venue) and you are welcomed in. Wine is often simply by donation, the food never complicated and the people, well let's say the time flies, and many of us have both deepened relationships and made new connections. A few have even found new work because of the connections made. Do we all still belong to and support traditional industy associations? Heck yes!  Would we give this up... Well not for a while.

Then it was on to SPINCon, where I had the opportunity to co-present on creating Brain-Friendly Meals for your Meetings with Andrea Sullivan; participate in a session led by Sam Smith; be "Canada's Leader" for Sam and Erica St. Angel; see Midori Connolly present on new gadgets; and see Brandt Krueger's band play at Memory Lanes... What is interesting about this? Before this weekend we were on line friends via twitter, but hanging out with them was like hanging out with old friends - totally great!

Next time you are with a group of people, ask yourself, "How do I know them?" and remind yourself of the value of friendships.