0.2 CSEP Points | ILEA Business Development

Consultancy can be a powerful option for generating secondary income or replacing your current job and giving you the flexibility you've been looking for. How do we get started? Starting a business as a consultant can see intimidating, but there are ways to leverage years of experience as a thought leader. In this workshop, we will identify some quick ways to build momentum as a consultant so you can explore if the path is right for you.

Learning Objectives:

• Catalog your strengths and areas of expertise that could consult on
• Identify areas to start contributing as a thought leader
• Discuss possible pricing strategies for your work as a consultant

0.2 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Food and Beverage - Pre-Production 

(Also aligned with Venues - Pre-Production and Development, Entertainment - Pre-Production and Speaker Management - Pre-Production)

Eating and drinking are fundamental requirements for life. We all must eat to survive. Thus, having safe, healthy and accessible food and beverage to eat at an event is a right, not a privilege. And, yet safe, healthy, and accessible food and beverage are often disregarded when planning meetings and events.

There is definitely plenty of food and beverage at meetings, but in most cases what is offered fails to meet the safety needs of attendees with dietary and/or mobility requirements.

As a meeting professional, you have a duty of care to ensure all attendees, staff and vendors are kept safe and not excluded in at events. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was amended in 2008 expanding the protections provided to people with disabilities under the ADA, that care now includes what food is served and how food is handled and served at events.

In this interactive presentation, we will provide a basic understanding of how the laws that protect individuals with disabilities and will offer guidance on how to create safe and inclusive food and beverage environments for all attendees.

Learning Objectives:

• Walk away with 39 ways to reduce food waste at your meetings
• Learn how understanding your attendees food preferences/needs as well as arrival/departure schedules impact food waste at your meeting.
• Understand food waste impacts your event budget

0.2 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Event Planning - Development

Whether you're planning a conference, trade show, or event, you'll probably have to secure sponsors to be profitable. Your sponsors are customers and it's important to make sure you're selling them the best products. In 2017, social media marketing allows companies to directly engage with their customers, build brand presence, and ultimately sell more products.

In this session, you'll discover options to develop killer social media sponsorship packages that mutually benefit your sponsors and your organization. Social media enables core business objectives and provides many different metrics and new data streams on customers' behavior. With the rise in new platforms like Snapchat and live streaming capabilities, authenticity and shareability have new clout.

Learn how to create innovative sponsorships that will appeal to your attendees and show an increase in ROI to your sponsors.

Learning Objectives:

• Develop insight into the current state of the global meetings and events market.
• Review predictions for how forecasted trends will impact the market within the coming decade.
• Apply these trends to ensure your business stays ahead of the competition.

0.1 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Venue - Development
0.50 Clock Hours | Domain C: Risk Management

We must begin by asking ourselves "Why MUST I prepare myself and my staff for an active threat?" Attacks against the hospitality industry are occurring more frequently and they are becoming more catastrophic in nature. We are living in an era of asymmetric and unconventional warfare; and a terror attack against a hotel or convention any place on the globe sets a template for other terrorist organizations to follow. 

Mentally preparing for an active threat and having a plan is a small investment of time and energy, and we hope that you will never need it. But "hope" is not a tactic, and in the event of an active threat, we want you to come home whole. This session will be a step in that direction, by laying out a simple and effective template that you can use in the hospitality environment to prepare for an active threat.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand why being prepared for an active threat is an essential for meeting professionals.
• Identify the most realistic threats facing meetings and meeting facilities, what vulnerability that threat can exploit, and what the consequences would be.
• Develop a plan for how to prepare for an active threat and steps to implement it immediately.

0.2 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Technology

According to a Nielsen report, 32 million people attend a music festival in the U.S. each year. So, it's no surprise that companies and associations are opting for this new approach to reach employees and stakeholders.

Festivals are fun, inspiring and technologically advanced. But, most importantly, they are engaging and immersivea"two things every company strives for when communicating to staff. Are you thinking of ways you can leverage this trend to drive creativity and technology at your meeting or event? Or, does the prospect of the format make your head spin?

Let LEO Events, a global events agency that connects brands to people through powerful moments, show you how it's done. Kevin Brewer, Principal, and Kevin Underwood, SVP, will share tips on integrating this exciting, fresh concept into your business gatherings and eventsa"and, they'll guide you through the dos and don'ts of festival management.

Learner Objectives:

Attendees of this session will walk away with a comprehensive how-to plan for incorporating both technology and festivals into meetings of any size. 

• Outcome one: Technology, the engine running it all. Attendees will learn how to score KPIs and ROI; how to utilize attendee tracking tools for operations as well as for boosting the guest experience; must-do security and logistics measurements; and much more.
• Outcome two is providing real-life examples and ideas on incorporating the vibe into your event, such as creating engaging, non-traditional presentation and breakout areas to mimic festival performance stages, venues and acts.
• Outcome three will explore ways to treat your attendees like VIP festival patrons. From constant communication via building custom websites, event apps and social media plans all the way to food and beverage choices and "indulgences" one would experience at a festival.

0.15 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Event Planning - Development

Welcome to the Experience Economy. As the Chinese proverb states, "Hearing something a thousand times is less impactful than experiencing it once." Why then do we spend the bulk of our focus on brand messages instead of brand experiences? There's a shift taking place -- leadership brands (from Coke to Mr. Clean) have stopped talking about their brand, to now focus on experiences that get people to live their brand. This represents the single largest white-space opportunity for brands to grow: real life. Taking your brand off the shelf and out of media, to authentically enrich people's life experiences, generates the highest level of loyalty, advocacy, and sales (with a game-changing 95% lift).

Dustin Garis will challenge you on day 1 (our day of Inspiration) to revolt against the routine and start creating memorable experiences. Re-invent yourself, be anti-establishment, and start rewriting the rules instead of adhering to them. Start designing experiences that capture people's senses and help you win back their attention.

It is what people want: Stop planning meetings. Start designing experiences!

Revolt against routine and create memorable experiences. 

Learner Objectives:

• Live your brand -- Create a brand experience that makes a profound impact in people's lives.
• Be a troublemaker -- Make change to uncover the next breakthrough innovation
• Revolt against routine -- Craft engagements that are memorable (and shareable) for years to come.

Dustin Garis is presented by: Engage Your Stage. 

0.2 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Event Planning - Development
1 Clock Hour | Domain D: Financial Management

We have all heard the term "information is power" and clearly this is true when it comes to consolidating meeting activity and spend data to enhance negotiations and deliver ROI. Meetings are big investments and stakeholder expectations for measurable value based outcomes are at an all-time high. Additionally, the strong interest in Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) standards by corporate and association planners have made it essential to track and access key meeting and spend data at all phases of the life cycle for each meeting.

Learner Outcomes:

• Understand trends that validate the need for a meeting activity, data & spend management process
• Examine the umbrella of meeting data and value categories to track and incorporate into an action plan
• Learn how to assess and leverage this data to enhance hotel negotiations and assure value-based outcomes

0.2 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Event Planning - Pre-Production
1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we worked in a meetings world where everyone gets along and does what they are supposed to do, when they are supposed to do it and in the way WE want it done? Unfortunately, that is rarely a reality, especially in the dynamic, fast-paced world of meeting and event planning. Vendors who over-promise and under-deliver, clients that won’t return phone calls, and colleagues that don’t follow through can leave even the most patient meeting planner disappointed and frustrated. 

In this high-impact, interactive session, Jan Spence will share actionable tools event planners can utilize when dealing with the stressful, chaotic details of planning, prepping, and executing to truly surpass their role as a “just a meeting planner” by moving to the next level to become a show producer. Attendees will be challenged to step out of their comfort zone in regards to changing their mindset to move past focusing on just the logistics of the event by truly partnering with all event constituents to produce an unforgettable show.

Learner Outcomes:

• Discover five tips for coping with challenging people, including Jan’s “ALOHA” method
• Uncover three magical phrases to clear up any confusion that arises
• Learn how to set and manage expectations

0.2 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Business Development
1 Clock Hour | Domain E:  Human Resources

This webinar will explore sexual harassment claims in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Women make up a majority of the employees in hospitality and service organizations. The nature of their work contemplates the close involvement of guests/attendees with the goal of satisfying and/or exceeding guest/attendee expectations. Join legal experts from employment law firm Campbell Litigation and learn key principles in sexual harassment claims, including the concepts of “unwelcome” and “severe or pervasive” conduct, a discussion of the increased risk of sexual harassment claims in the hospitality and service industry and guidance for minimizing exposure of these claims.

Learner Outcomes:

• Learn key principles of sexual harassment claims
• Consider the full impact of sexual harassment claims and the unique risk of such claims in the hospitality and service industry
• Develop a better understanding of how to minimize the risk of exposure to such claims

0.1 CSEP Points | ILEA Core Curriculum: Technical Production - Pre-Production
0.5 Clock Hours | Domain A: Strategic Planning

Hybrid is the breakout star of the meeting industry, but it requires meeting professionals to stretch their creativity, strategizing, execution and measurement and integrate technology with traditional live events to create new types of experiences and content delivery tools. Discover the basic tools and skills you need to take your event online to a broader audience, and increase you reach to an increasingly diverse audience.

Learner Outcomes:

• Find the basic building blocks you will need to use to implement a successful
  hybrid event
• Understand the full hybrid event process--from defining your objectives to content design and engagement to measuring and reporting the effectiveness of your event
• Review successful hybrid models from today's top companies