Organizing an event successfully and sustainably can be a rewarding as well as challenging task. Now talking about sustainability, what does it actually mean? In common, an event which is eco-friendly can be classified as a sustainable event. If you can manage something in favor of the environment during your event, it will be much appreciated. Some of the tips which can be adopted by the event organizers to host sustainable events are listed:

1. Educate your team: Enlighten your team members about the type of event you are planning to host. Make them aware of the various aspects of sustainable events. Stick on to the ecological, economic and social aspects of sustainability. Make it a priority to establish at least two aspects of sustainability in your events. Knowing what they are doing will automatically hike the productivity of your team dramatically as they feel a sense of acceptance.
2. Begin With The Food: Order organic food. Serving organic food which is cultivated organically without using human-made chemical fertilizers and pesticides will provide an additional sustainable appeal to the event. Approval from the ‘Soil Association’ is a trusted meter for the authenticity of the organic food. Delighting the attendees of your event with fresh and tasty food is one of the best ways to make your event the best.
3. Paper Free Event: Spreading out the sustainability message and flooding the venue with papers is a paradox. Minimize the use of papers. Rely on online methods which will save you a lot of time and expense. This will help to spread the message, ‘Go Green’,  better. Also, online tools are much faster and easily available these days. It can be circulated efficiently and effectively. So go digital and be sustainable.
4. Hire local providers: Hiring the providers nearby will bring us fresh products as the traveling is fast and convenient. Involving the locals will mark your event more sustainable. Also opting for the locally grown food and available stationary will provide an additional income to the locals. This will be much cost effective too. This is all about economic sustainability.
5. Use LED lights: By using LED lights for illumination you can save a lot of money and power. The once expensive LED bulbs have become affordable recently. So using them is a sustainable way to light up the event. This will bring down the wastes too as LED bulbs emit much less heat compared to other sources of lights. So light up your events in a sustainable way.
6. Select a green certified venue: Make it a point to plan your venue at a green certified location, where it will provide access to more sustainable materials. Green certified locations obey certain norms which makes it an eco-friendly location to choose. For example, a LEED certified location can be the best choice. These places always provide a positive energy to work with. Sustainability of the location matters.
7. Use bins: Use the bins and mention clearly what should go in each. This will help to manage the wastes efficiently after the event. Placing closed bins will make people think twice before throwing something into the bins. Don’t confuse people with long instructions, make it short and precise.

Hosting a fantastic AND sustainable event is a much-appreciated endeavor to work upon. Following the GREEN concept and making sure that the details of the event is in accordance with the ecological, economic and social aspects of sustainability. Doing something in favor of nature will bring us the happiness of sustainability.

A cliche product demo is hours of one-way presentation and dull monologue. As a result, you lose half your potential customers then and there! Insteading of burdening your attendees with a ton of information about your product, think about how you can engage them in the conversation and discover what they want to learn about your new product.

A very simple way of creating an engaging product demo is by using a live poll. A live poll turns a one way presentation into a conversation and you’ll have the answers you need, once you get your questions right! If you have the right conference planning and management team who can trust your event with, setting up a live poll is easy.

So, are you ready to use live polls? Let’s start.

#1 Who’s in the room?

The first way of successfully using live polls during your product demo is by finding out who’s in the room. Yes, we know you have your guest list and we are sure your presenter is going to be well versed and is going to hit all the right notes during the product demo but we’d still like to suggest that you run a poll to find out who your guests really are.

This helps kick-start the conversation while helping your presenter identify who the potential clients are and what topics need to be stressed upon so that your audience listens to what you have to say!

Example:

On what level do you connect with the product?

• Direct user
• Administrator
• Project manager
• Other

A question such as this one is key to identifying the background of your guests. Make sure you let your guests know when the polling is closed.

#2 What do your guests want to learn?

Your presenter is all set with his/her slides and speech ready and we’re sure they are going to do a brilliant job promoting your product. But yet again, this is going to end up being a monologue and your guests will lose interest over time. You could turn this scenario into an interesting two way conversation by asking your guests what are their topics of interest.

A simple question like the one below, helps your speaker identify what kind of information your attendees are looking for.

Example:

What kind of information are you looking for?

• Case studies
• Features
• Training and integrations
• Other

A quick poll could easily help your presenter discern the areas that require more emphasis and your attendees will thank you for it!

#3 What problem does your product solve?

The biggest goal for your product demo is to identify potential customers and how your product helps them.

Instead, shift your focus towards providing value to your potential customer. It is the quickest way to convert them to clients! Avoid jumping straight into product features. Instead, opt for a live poll.

Example:

• What is the biggest challenge your organization faces today?
  (Provide answers relevant to your field)
• What is your approach/tool to solving them? (Provide answers or an open text area)

Once you are aware of their pain points, you can demonstrate how your product solves their problem!

#4  Ask for feedback

After the show is over, use live polls to get feedback from your audience. With a feedback query, you can measure the impact your product and your presentation made on them.

Example:

• Rate the demo on the scale of 1-5 ( 1- not useful and 5- highly informative)
• What is your favorite product feature?
• What would you like us to improve?
• Would you like to use this product?

And that’s a wrap!

Everyone would like to make his or her event to look amazing and memorable. You will note that if your event is memorable, you are likely to get more attendees in the future. More people will look forward towards your event. However, achieving this goal is not that easy. You need to consider a number of concepts that can help you achieve this objective. These include the following:

1. Silent disco
   Most business people have appreciated the use of the wireless technology headphones in their conferences. These headphones serve several purposes. You will note that they help deal with common problems such as lack of attention and even lack of engagement. This will keep everyone attentive providing 100% engagement at your conference or event. These headphones are usually ideal for any type of a silent event’. You will be able to put your point across without any hassle while your attendees also get learn without being distracted by interruptions or a babble in the audience which is generally the case at regular conferences.
2. World Cafe
   You can arrange your visitors such that they form small groups around a table. Break your big group into fives or sixes to a table. World cafe provides a great networking platform. Each member at the table is given time to present their problem and gather solutions from other members at the table. Don’t forget to place pens and notepads on each table! With the world cafe concept, you can accommodate more people and encourage more engagement.
3. Pechakucha
   This presentation style has become very popular nowadays. You can decide to show 20 slides for a period of 20 seconds each. The good news about this presentation is that the presentations are kept concise and fast. This can help you save more time and cover several items in your conference. In some cases, your audience also come up and make a presentation too. This technique is generally used to put help your guests put across new ideas and discuss their feasibility.
4. Provide a participant-driven open space
   It is always wise to give your attendees an opportunity to participate in the agenda of the event. If you have a wedding event, you can allow them to participate where necessary. This can be a good opportunity for them to bond with one another and perhaps make new friends. You will also have a good opportunity to interact with them.
5. Hire an expert
   We all know that arranging and managing an event is not an easy undertaking. It actually requires you to hire an expert to help you out. You will note that there are several venue management companies that you can hire out there. However, some of them are not reputable. Others, are not qualified to offer these services. Hiring them can frustrate you. In this case, you should hire Coast to Conference & Events. You will note that they usually provide the best conference management & event management services in California.

Would you like to build business contacts at your next event?

You need to consider a number of ideas. You will note that most business people usually network during events in order to increase their customer base. Having the right professional contacts can help you expand your business and even open the door for more opportunities. There are several ideas that can help you achieve this objective. These include:

1. Hire a professional event manager
   This can allow you to have time to interact more with your guests. You will note that managing events can be time-consuming. Hiring a professional can help mitigate this situation. In this case, you can hire Coast To Coast Conferences & Events. These are professionals in the field of organizing and managing events and conferences. You should allow these experts to organize it for you. This can give you more time to collect important details about your clients.
2. Have plenty of business cards and a pen
   These business cards can help to make your business. Your visitors will get to know the kind of products and services that you offer in your business. If these products please your customers, they will contact you. However, this is not enough. You need to have a pen and a notebook where you can note down important details about your visitors. You might interact with a number of visitors and they might be your potential customers. It is important that you collect their contact numbers and email addresses. This can allow you to reach them later.
   In addition, you need to dress appropriately, it creates a lasting impression on your attendees. This can increase your chances of business expansion and of course selling your products better.
3. Share your passion
   Most visitors would like to know why you started your business or company and so on. You should show them that you enjoy offering your products and services so that they can be more interested in your products and services. This can help you to create a memorable two-way conversation.
4. Follow up
   You should stay in touch with those people with whom you interacted with in your event. This can make them feel valued and appreciated. They might buy your products in the future and even encourage others to buy your products and services.

Hiring event management companies can allow you have ample time to talk and interact with your visitors. Consider the services of Coast To Conferences & Events today and you will not regret.

Clients always expect their events to be fresh and exciting! One way of keeping your event alive and trendy is with floral decor. Innovative floral arrangements are now taking center stage when it comes to event decor and styling, not just at weddings; flowers have found their place at team dinners and annual corporate events too.

Event and venue management companies take inspiration from popular floral couture artists to make their event look elegant and beautiful.

Floral couture trends have upped the style quotient at several events. Here are some of the contemporary floral styles that you could use at your next event-

1. With Pantone declaring ultra-violet as the color of the year, the floral decor industry has brought out elegant variations of purple in their arrangements. Striking purple Anemones and Hydrangeas make brilliant centerpieces by adding depth and texture to your general decor.
2. Voluptuous flowers are also making waves in floral decor events. Floral designers are now using single colored flower arrangements that might not look fancy but definitely adds depth and a rustic feel to the furnishing.
3. From floral walls, we are now about to delve into brighter and better floral structures. Floral ceilings and structural installations such as floral staircase with a bunch of flowers flooding the end of the handrail or a train of flowers cascading off the end of the table onto the floor are a few masterpieces that will be seen at events this year.
4. You are going to see a lot of floral art at events this year. Flowers will be used with elements such as clear glass, mirrors and combined with soft-toned lights to create artistic decor! It is said that luxurious blooms such as garden roses and orchids will be used to craft these accent floral installations.
5. Dried botanicals are headed your way. Although they aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, but when used the right way, they create stunning pieces that could steal the show. They may be used to compliment your floral decor or used in large quantities to craft a statement piece on its own. Florists make use of pampas grass as part of dried botanicals to add spice to the floral arrangements and they undergo irradiation treatment before use!
6. Pastels are staying. Pastel shades ranging from, mocha to pastel pinks teamed with soft greys, creams, and whites will be used to create a subtle ambiance.
7. Vases are going to get bigger. Elegant and classic vases are not going anywhere but big vases are also going to be used to let the displays be striking and stand out.

Hosting conferences is tricky and finding the ideal location to host one, is trickier. No matter how large or small the group, your reputation is at stake while organizing and hosting a destination event.  Conference planning and management get complicated when you’ve got to juggle with the vendors, inviting the best speakers, picking interesting menus, arranging the transport facilities and also setting up the destination to suit your needs.

But in the process, let’s not forget that your event is not about the grandeur of your venue but more about what unique experience it has to offer to your attendees.  The destination you pick must compliment your event theme because it is where your guests will be holed up most of the time. But, you have got to keep in mind that they need free time to socialize too!

Taking note of these little details, here are the top 5 conference destination trends to help you choose the perfect location-

1. Pre-event surveys – Unlike post-event surveys, that ask your invitees how your event went, ask them what they actually want from your event. Event organizers send out questionnaires much before they even create a blueprint for the event. This survey can help you identify what your guests really want from you. Do they mind traveling between the event destination and place of stay? Would they like a sight-seeing session or just free time to socialize? What are their food preferences( You give them options!) etc. With a clear picture of what your guests have in mind, you can easily strike out the locations that don’t fit, leaving you with a few ideal ones to choose from!
2. Is it the best fit- Some event organizers rely on the reputation of the hotel alone. But events don’t work like that anymore. So before you pick a destination, ask yourself, is it the best fit? Your guests expect a lot more than being holed up at the convention center or the hotel all day long.  Taking event planning up a notch, event and venue management persons now suggest choosing an affordable location that suits the needs of your guests over popular cities that simply don’t fit you!
3. What does the destination offer – Once you have shortlisted your favorite few, you could begin by listing out what each of the locations has to offer. Choose local restaurants and cultural entertainments over high-end dining options.  This rising trend in event planning not only helps your guests loosen up and socialize but also goes easy on your budget! If there’s anything a location offers, that isn’t found anywhere else, that’s a brownie point!
4. Better location infrastructure – Before now, venue managers would make do with available infrastructure facilities but now this norm is being replaced by making things happen! Most hosts today like to create a lasting impression on their guests and what better way to impress your team than with infrastructure that leaves them in awe! Venue management companies today make use of temporary setups along with the location infrastructure, that work well with their event and doesn’t cost much either.
5. Going green – There are several cities that are taking their environment very seriously. They make it a point to extend this awareness even in the meetings and conferences they host.  Green events are in. The question is, are you game?

Your company is relying on you to pull off a successful event and you need an experienced partner who can handle the details. We can help you!

Contact us here- https://ctcconferences.com/contact/

We’ve all had our share of boring lectures and lessons at school, college and sometimes at business meetings and conferences too.  With so many guests and all their needs to cater to, making your workshop engaging for all of them is a daunting task!

But it’s not impossible. Take a walk down memory lane, to the time you were at school or college. There sure must be one particular teacher or lecturer who’s classes you loved to attend. Why? Because they were interesting! Because he/she explained stuff in a way everybody liked and followed.

The same goes for organizing your workshop. But before you start, it is quintessential to find out what your potential audience would like to learn. You might want to start with some initial research or pre-event survey to identify your potential audience’s pain points and how you could include them in your session.

Once that is done, you can follow these tips from a popular event and venue management companies to spice up your next conference or workshop and engage your guests.

1. Revamp your venue layout. Yes, that’s right! Your room needs to be a lot more than just a classroom or a conference room or a big hall with tables and chairs. Do away with all the conventional arrangements and surprise your guests with a more relaxed bean bag arrangement or bar stools if you have a small group. Being a little creative with your venue layout can help keep your audience hooked!
2. Put your point across using different learning mediums. Well, research proves that everyone has a different learning style. Incorporating a few of them in your workshop can make your presentation highly engaging. Using a visual presentation with graphics and the right kind of music is customary. It is a fairly accepted method of reaching out to your audience but you could use memes as examples together with your regular presentation to add a touch of humor to your talk while keeping your audience on the same page as you.
3. Never keep your workshop strictly formal unless it is some serious business because people now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish! Yes, the human attention span has come down to a mere 8 seconds, thanks to all the digitization and technology.  Therefore, make use of props and games for better engagement. This might sound a little childish to you but it still works. As per the norm, you split them into groups and bring in the element of competition amongst them with fun and interactive games and pop quizzes. Moreover, you could also use props that are crazy and fun such as a wand, rubber chicken, sword (Be careful with that one!), shield or anything that makes your workshop interesting.
4. Play music for the duration of your class. It can really help stimulate your audience and set the right mood for the event. Music keeps your attendees from getting distracted and also adds the right amount of emotion you need during your talk. You could play a peppy number to let your attendees feel pumped and mellow it down to soothing tunes when they are busy with their tasks and discussions.
5. Keep your sessions short. This way your guests do not feel overwhelmed by all the information provided and they remember what they have learned. Give your guests short breaks during the workshop. It gives them time to process what they have learned while they grab a cup of coffee or discuss stuff with their groups. Don’t forget to provide them with pens and notepads etc.
6.  At the end of it all, give away awards to the best participants of your workshop and certificate of recognition to all of them for having attended your session.

Corporate events hold a bad reputation; they are boring and feel like just another party. But not anymore! Renowned corporate event management companies are of the idea that corporate events in 2018 are going to showcase some of the most promising trends of the year making them massive crowd pullers.

As a reputed event management company, we are well aware of the fact that a client always wants to see value for their money on every level of event organization and execution. They aren’t interested in cliche theme parties with boring food, that employees attend with half a heart. Today, clients want a lot more than just throw a random party, they want their attendees to enjoy the event thoroughly and keep it etched in their memories.

Here are the 4 most promising corporate event trends of the year:

1. The “why” of your event is the foundation of everything else. Companies no longer throw random annual parties but instead, they now focus on how to communicate what the organization stands for, but in a creative way. The “why” must resonate with the entire gathering. There lies the success of your event!
2. Exclusive venues are the sine qua non of all trendy corporate events today! Hosting your corporate event at a unique venue intrigues your invitees thereby increasing the number of attendees.  Book a castle for your annual party or revamp an authentic industrial setting for your product launch; you could even set up your event atop high rise buildings just to use the breathtaking horizon as your backdrop.
3. Chatbots are in! Yes, a chatbot is the new shiny toy in the event industry and it is a ‘must-have’. There has been a massive paradigm shift from event apps to AI- enabled chatbots. Chatbots are common on social media platforms such as facebook messenger and your attendees are surely familiar with it. But where do chatbots fit in at your event? With the rapid evolution of technology, chatbots are becoming highly sophisticated and come in handy for registrations and handling FAQs of your attendees.
4. Everybody looks forward to the food! But today, attendees expect a lot more than just a food truck. Event organizers and caterers are now pushing creativity barriers and fashioning exciting food menus! Brand color inspired, made to order food stations or make your own burger station or even a kitchen theatre, is fun and your attendees will love it. It’s no longer about delish food but also the overall experience.

When events go international, the planning gets a little more complicated. With borders, time zones, the difference in businesses and culture and language barriers as well, organizing an overseas conference or international meeting becomes daunting. It requires a whole lot of meticulous planning and coordination and most importantly a devout team to pull off a successful overseas event.

Planning an event across the border?  Here are tips from the experts at leading conference management companies that can help you plan and host a hassle-free overseas event!

Give yourself time to plan

Ideally, you should give yourself 8-14 months time to do your homework because events abroad require very careful planning and more lead time. Identifying the scope of the event and your requirements are essential during the period.

Listing out your prerequisites or even better using a checklist with all your big and small requirements listed out, will surely cut you some slack.

Seeing is believing

It is ok to look up hotels on the internet that you think might meet international standards and fit your budget, as well. But don’t fall for the pictures and promises they offer online. Go and inspect the site for yourself before you book the place! The best venue management service professionals suggest that the only way you can identify opportunities and potential problems the place offers is by going down there and running a thorough check.

The tasting trial

Guests often look forward to a good meal after a tiring day of meeting sessions and brainstorming. So, make sure you put together a menu of scrumptious food even if it isn’t a big fancy one. Your guests will be grateful! Ask your venue manager to organize a tasting trial, so you could include local delicacies and ensure the food suits your guest profile.

Talk to your vendors and suppliers

You need to have the right team in place and all your supplies at hand. It is essential that you communicate with your team and ensure that all your supplies are onsite on time. Don’t wait to gather the things you require from the location because you may not really find what you need or it may exceed your budget. Instead, have your team of vendors and suppliers stay close to your venue to track and coordinate the event better.

Transportation

Travel plans have to be thought through, way earlier than most of the other aspects of the event. Since you’ve got to book airline tickets, the earlier the better. Certain airline companies offer amazing deals on group travel, consider them before you book ‘em up. When it comes to transporting the supplies, big trailers or trucks should do.

Go local on the entertainment

Too much of business talk gets your guests bored easily. To lighten the mood and give your audience a break, arrange for a local form of entertainment rather than flying your team across.

Security

Since the event is overseas, double the security measures. Hire a local security unit if you like, but the safety of your attendees must be your biggest priority!

Be prepared for contingencies. No matter how well you plan, things are bound to go wrong, sometimes. So to stay on top of things, contact a few local vendors and suppliers you could use as a backup. Furthermore, store the local emergency numbers on speed dial!

In just a few days, ACHSIA will be meeting in Tucson, AZ for their Annual Conference. Each year, Coast to Coast helps ACHSIA put on their conference by sourcing venues, collecting proposals, negotiating hotel contracts, and managing the group reservations for the event. By using our national partnerships and 24 years of experience in contract negotiations accordingly, we are able to work with the hotels to provide a package that works with ACHSIA’s budget needs. We are also able to provide them with the high-value concessions that help make the event a success. Moreover, by having us take care of negotiating the contract to book the venue, ACHSIA  can focus on reconnecting with their members. We do all of this, meanwhile saving them 35% on their bottom line.

About the Association

ACHSIA’s membership consists chiefly of retired and former U.S. Customs Special Agents, currently active Special Agents now with the Department of Homeland Security, and other former Customs Officers from the many specialty occupations. Together, they made the U.S. Customs Service the nation’s primary guardian of our borders.  That legacy lives on and continues to thrive under the purview of the Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations. Furthermore, ACHSIA provides continuing comradeship, networking for post-retirement occupational placement, and providing recognition and support to active and retired members. Moreover, they support the enforcement mission of Homeland Security Investigations.

ACHSIA and CTC in the Future

After we signed the final agreements for the 2018 Annual Conference in Tucson, AZ, we jumped right into planning for 2019 in Orlando! We made sure that ACHSIA can announce the location for the 2019 Conference at the 2018 event. Consequently, this will go a long way towards maximizing membership involvement for 2019.

Coast to Coast Conferences & Events brings you strategic, cost-efficient, end-to-end event and conference planning. We offer the latest in innovative event technologies, detailed logistics management, destination services, and hotel housing solutions. Most importantly, we always get the job done and we always do it right; reach out today if you’d like to know more!