MPI-CAC TechCon Chicago 2012

Earlier this month, Meetings Michigan traveled to Chicago to sponsor the 2nd Annual MPI-CAC TechCon 2012 Conference held at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza on February 8th, 2012. We were joined by 6 of our partners: Marina Grand Resort, Discover Kalamazoo, Great Lakes Bay Region CVB, Westin at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and the Traverse City CVB.

During the General Session, all 7 of us went on stage in front of the 200 attendees to do a "Michigan Trivia" presentation.  Similar to what we've done in years past at the CMP Boot Camp and MPI Mid-America, we did a PowerPoint Michigan Trivia presentation with Michigan Fun Facts. Numerous folks came up to us after the presentation to say how much they enjoyed seeing such a large, unified team promoting Michigan.  They also enjoyed hearing unique fun facts instead of a traditional promotional presentation on hotel rooms, square footage, meeting space, etc.

Throughout the conference, we met with Chicago area meeting planners from various companies including Sara Lee, Avon Products and Abbott Nutritional Products. We also had the opportunity to listen to a very informative and engaging presentaion given by Richard Saul Wurman, Founder of TED Conferences.

Overall, it was a great show and we enjoyed the opportunity to support our friends at MPI-CAC!

Boosting Event Attendance by Rick Elamin

BOYNE Resorts, located in picturesque Northern Michigan, recently sat down with Rick Elamin, owner and event promoter of SinglesDetroit.net. Rick Elamin offers 3 ways to boost event attendance:

1. Use Social Media to promote and brand your Event - Social Media is the new way of communication for events. This promotion type is essential for a successful event. People must be aware of your event in order to attend. Besides traditional event promotion, social media offers new and effective ways to market your event. Especially the most famous networks like Facebook and Twitter can be a key to boost attendance. Social media is also critical in post-event recap. This includes photos, attendee feedback and testimonials.

2. Word-of-mouth marketing has been the single most effective tool for increasing attendance that I have seen. Instead of just sending out blast e-mails about an event (which you should still do) build a group of people that are responsible to invite people during the course of regular conversations. So, if you send an e-mail to a friend that might benefit from attending ask if they are going to be at the event and let them know that you are going to be there. Creating incentive for people to spread the word to others can prove beneficial.

3. There is no doubt that the right venue can compliment an event, but it can also play a big part in making the event a success. The right venue will portray your company in the right light and making the event even more appealing.  For my larger events at BOYNE Resorts my guests will find a wide choice of accommodations, from hotel room's to three bedroom condominiums. And the wide array of recreation choices is ideal for the annual MLK Ski Weekend sponsored by SinglesDetroit.net.

With my newest endeavor, owner of the renown Marylyn's on Monroe in Greektownbit closer to home.  Come check us out!  419 Monroe St, Downtown Detroit