Hey all! Last week we, your Simply Mumtaz team, had the opportunity to attend both the BizBash Expo and HSMAI Affordable Meetings Conference in Pasadena and Long Beach. Below you will see highlights from both Jennifer Minzey, Event Manger and Jenny Anderson, Events Assistant. Plus, their Top 5 Take Homes!
Jenny Anderson:As a first time attendee and aspiring planner, I was amazed at BizBash's Expo by how much there was to see and learn! I really enjoyed the different types of chairs, couches, tables, and light fixtures that were displayed throughout the main stage.
There was so much new technology being used on the main stage, I particularly liked the I-tiles that were displayed behind the stage.
I loved this layered table! I thought it was a super creative way to incorporate a theme or message of any event for all attendees to see. Walking around the expo floor was so exciting! I was astounded at how many different vendors there were. One of my favorites was the world's fastest etch-a-sketch artist. He drew this picture of us, watching him work was fascinating; he is so talented!
Another part of the expo floor that I really enjoyed looking at was the tabletop decorating contest put on by ISES-LA. The theme "Midsummer Night's Dream". Here are some of the entries, very creative!!
I also gained a lot from the educational sessions I attended as well! Here are my top 5 take-homes:1. Make "green" visible. Simple steps can make a huge difference. Just by placing recycling bins around the event space you can reduce the amount of waste made.
2. Spread your knowledge. Huge impacts can be made in the industry purely by sharing what you already know. I heard many stories about vendors changing the way they operate because of something they learned from planning one event!
3. Stay local. I learned that there are many benefits of using local farmers. Not only does the food travel less (which reduces carbon emission and allows for fresher product!) but some local farmers are also willing to take the waste from an event and compost it!
4. Use social media. These sites are a great way to spread the word about the types of events you are putting on as well as a way to create a company brand for future clients to get to know as well.
5. Keep up with trends. Knowing what is going on in the event industry is important in order to generate new and exciting ideas for clients!
Jennifer Minzey:
It was once again great to attend this year's Biz Bash Expo at their new home, the Pasadena Convention Center. It was great to be in a city I absolutely adore. Here are my top 5 take aways from Biz Bash:
1. Designing: I was one of the few who woke up super early to be at the Design Lab at 8am, with Eddie Zarastian of Tic- Tock Couture Florals, and I had a great time watching him design a table top in a flurry! He was informative and always entertaining! One piece that I took away from him, was always think outside the box, we no longer can afford not to think outside of the box. How true!
2. Food Trends: Who doesn't love talking about food! Hilary Harris made all of our mouths water when talking about the new yummy food trends. I can't wait to try my mini pies and gelato floats! I definitely am looking forward to using at least one of those ideas at an event!
3. Rain Plan: Do you have one? Precision Weather.com, a paid service with professional meteorologists that can track the weather for you right down to your location!
4. Pantone App: Such a cool app! Take a pic of a photo and it will turn it into the closest pantone color. Love it! Pantone.com
5. Be Courageous! It takes courage to do something new. Not everyone can do what we do and be fantastic at it. This is going to be my mantra for the rest of the year. Let's see how courageous you can be!
Jenny Anderson:The HSMAI Affordable Meetings conference in Long Beach was very enlightening. I had the chance to learn tons about the meeting planning side of the industry, something that I am not as familiar with!
The Expo floor was filled with many exciting booths and vendors, like the Las Vegas visitors bureau which was visible from everywhere on the floor! The raffle had some great prizes, including an Ipad2 which unfortunately, and much to my dismay, I did not win. I learned so much at the sessions that I attended that I can barely narrow it down to five things! But here are my top 5 take homes:
1. Technology is changing the face of events. There are so many ways to introduce technology into an event. The amount of involvement can range from a virtual conference to hybrid events (which include both in person and virtual components) to merely posting the presentation material online. The possibilities are endless!
2. Know your audience. Despite the fact that there are many ways to share event information know which way your audience will respond best!
3. Connect. Even though nothing can replace face to face networking, being able to continue relationships you have created at a conference or a meeting using social media is very beneficial! There are websites that allow attendees to find each other on these sites before and after the event.
4. Work with the chef. Don't be afraid to ask the chef to work with your budget. Sometimes it is even easier for them to create the menu knowing what budget you have as opposed to suggesting certain dishes.
5. Being healthy doesn't go out of style. Even though there are always up and coming trends in the food and beverage industry it is always important to serve a healthy option!
Jennifer Minzey: For the second year in a row, it was great to be at the HSMAI Affordable Meetings in Long Beach. It was great to re-connect with some friends from the San Diego Convention Center and meet new ones from the Phoenix CVB, the San Diego CVB and the Albuquerque CVB. Here are my Top 5 Take Aways:
1. QR Codes.... These codes can be used as a marketing piece for your events. Your attendee can click on the code and it will download the information straight to their phone about the event or your company! 
2. Mobile devices....They are becoming more and more popular at meetings, make sure your conference attendees can pull up their conference agendas on their mobile, so you can be more green and not print as many!
3. Ask Outrageously! Wouldn't you rather take risk than not at all? Whether it is for your meetings or for your professional career, take a risk, cause you never know what can happen!
4. Hybrid Meetings.....It is all about inclusion and the future for meetings. They are not the enemy, look at it as a new way to bring in more attendees that might not necessarily be able to attend the meeting. Charge for access to the meeting, in order to protect the value of the face to face meeting.
5. Conference Publishers....they are professional "summarizers" of meetings. Think of them as the cliff notes for the meetings. They will turn a 2 hour meeting into just 2 pages! What a concept.
