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Tips & Strategies Q&AS WITH EVENT STRATEGISTS New L.A. Marathon Creative Director Peter Abraham Is Overseeing the Race's Shift From Winter to Spring Virginia Gold Cup's Katie Snyder Adds Sponsor Categories for New Revenue Streams Jennifer Üner Overseeing Calendar for More-Diffuse-Than-Ever L.A. Fashion Week World Wildlife Fund's Tara Wood Asks Canada to Turn Off the Lights Daytona 500 Organizers Slash Ticket Prices, Anticipate Fewer Spectators Absolut Mango Launch Had (Predictable) Tropical Setting, Skewered Fruit   PLANNERS' PICKS Gen Art Likes BBJ Linen Agenda Likes Vox and ELS OK Mag Chooses Goa, Foxtail, and Green Door CIM Group Picks Joe Lewis and ELS Warner Brothers Picks MTV's Jabbawockeez M.A.C. Chooses L.A. Models, Gadgethouse Niche Media Picks Carving Ice and DJ Pesce Variety Picks Images by Lighting and Elements   PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT... How Two Recent Events Used Social Networking Sites to Woo Attendees Mindful of the Recession, Planners Open Doors to New Vendors With a New Bill in the Works, Caterers See Obstacles to Donating Leftover Food M.C.s Gone Wild: Keeping Talent From Going Off-Book and Out-of-Bounds 15 Ways to Go Green—and What They Cost   FROM COLUMNIST TED KRUCKEL Talking to Ted: Mary Micucci Opts for Mojitos, Short Ribs At Grand Central, I Got Revved Up Over Art-Splattered BMWs At These Two Cultural Events, My Eyes Went to the Art and the Meat New Private Rooms That Will Make You Want to Throw a Party I Saw Fierce Models and Senator Feinstein at Two Presidential Inaugural Fashion Shows "Art Rocks" Really Did Rock, and I Even Had Fun at a Cancer Benefit     Q & A    07.02.09 8:26 AM Monster's Phil Cavanagh on Taking Things In-House and Managing the Crowds at Career Fairs Monster's Keep America Working Tour Photo: Courtesy of Monster.com FROM NEW YORK The demand for jobs has been particularly high in 2009, and to accommodate the need, online job placement service Monster.com decided to revamp its touring career fair by producing it in-house and making 140 stops in the U.S. alone throughout the year. Monster Worldwide Inc. senior director of global events Phil Cavanagh oversees all of the company’s corporate events and trade shows and worked with his team to launch Keep America Working. He spoke with us about what Monster did to make the tour's rigorous schedule go smoothly and how career fairs seem particularly rewarding in this economic climate. How is the Keep America Working Tour different than previous Monster.com job fairs? Our old model was a straightforward career fair. Job seekers would come in, present resumes to recruiters and then leave. It used to be managed through a third party, but this time we decided to do it all in-house by our global events team. We looked at people's needs this year, and we found that they're really just looking for information and a sense of empowerment. So we created the event with three components. It does have the recruiting area where employers interact with the job seekers, but we've added a theater presentation that has our career experts telling people how to stand out in the market and a kiosk area that shows attendees how to use the different career tools on Monster.com. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Monster.com EVENT INTELLIGENCE    07.01.09 6:30 AM Proving Your Worth: How to Avoid Getting the Boot—and Fight It If You Do Stephen Viscusi After years as a corporate headhunter and résumé doctor, Stephen Viscusi has taken on the role of job retention expert. His most recent book, Bulletproof Your Job: 4 Simple Strategies to Ride Out the Rough Times and Come Out on Top at Work, offers tips for people sweating out the uncertain job market. How can people best prove their worth in the workplace today? The most important thing is to establish a personal relationship with your boss, and your boss’s boss, so that they know you as an individual. The hiring process today sterilizes who we are, and it means that bosses don’t often know their staff. Nobody likes firing people, but it’s easier to fire someone you don’t really know. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Proving Your Worth EVENT INTELLIGENCE    07.01.09 6:15 AM Proving Your Worth: The Example Liz Glover Wilson Photo: Leslie Hassler This story originally appeared in the most recent issue of our magazine; subsequently the subject, Liz Glover Wilson, left her job at iStar Financial to start her own event and fund-raising company for nonprofits, Elizabeth Rose Consulting. Before she left, Glover Wilson expanded her two staffers' job descriptions, and they were promoted and remain at the company. One of her first clients is the iStar Charity Foundation, and she'll be hosting its annual charity shootout in July. Here's our original story. Liz Glover Wilson has spent nearly 13 years at iStar Financial, steadily increasing her presence at the company by centralizing its approach to meetings and events and rising to vice president of corporate events. Now that funds are being taken from her department, she approaches every project with an argument for its necessity, and so far, she’s making her point. How She’s Already Proven Her Worth When Glover Wilson joined the real estate investment firm in 1996, planning its events was a one-woman job. She spent her first few years running 35 big events a year on a shoestring budget and eventually implemented a standard by which all iStar events are produced. Glover Wilson now has oversight of all meetings and event initiatives nationwide, so whether someone in her department or an administrative assistant plans them, they should deliver a consistent brand message and use her proven cost-saving methods. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Proving Your Worth, iStar Financial EVENT INTELLIGENCE    07.01.09 6:00 AM Proving Your Worth: 5 Discussion Points to Make the Case for In-House Event Jobs Cost Savings Nothing speaks to employers like the bottom line, so you should already be keeping track of how much money you’ve managed to save through negotiations, partnerships, and minor budget-saving adjustments. “Even more than the economy today, people are worried about future money,” says Gen Art New York event director Kaki Stergiou. “Something I would have hired a freelancer for, I’m now hiring volunteers [to do], on the promise of partnering with them on something else. And for venues that are hesitant to give a low rate, I’ve gotten discounts for signing on to do two [events] in a year instead of just one.” MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Proving Your Worth Q & A    06.25.09 9:56 AM Home Depot's Shannon Gerber Is Streamlining—and Saving Money on—Small Meetings Planned by Admins Shannon Gerber is director of events management for Home Depot’s Atlanta headquarters. With the company since 2002, she was initially hired to oversee enterprise-wide events such as the annual managers’ and shareholders’ meetings. Over the years, though, she realized smaller meetings were falling through the cracks when her team would be called to do damage control for contracts or commitments negotiated by administrative staff or other non-pros. In late 2007, Home Depot rolled out a pilot program, EventsTHD, to capture and manage smaller meetings and events. A year in the making, EventsTHD was rolled out companywide in February 2008.  What was the impetus to put the plan in place? For me, it was being a part of so many different organizations, like Meetings Competitive Advantage Forum and the National Business Travel Association Groups and Meetings Committee. It’s learning from people around you. We recognized that there was a need to centralize the process, which would provide greater cost savings. It was just finding the time to focus on it and make it a priority. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Home Depot TED KRUCKEL    06.19.09 8:21 AM The U.S. Open Is All About Getting Close to Tiger, and the Sponsors It's a breathtaking view from the first tee at Bethpage State Park, once you get there. Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images FROM NEW YORK It’s just like standing in the square at St. Peter’s. He’s far away, but unmistakable. There’s his little hat. Everyone is oohing and aahing. And taking cell phone pictures, which is so against the rules. While some may think it sacrilege to compare the Pope to Tiger Woods, for this lifelong, reluctant attendee to both houses of worship, it is exactly the same thing. Everyone is quiet. Well, quiet except that they’re whispering all the time, always whispering the same things. Here are the top ten musings that everyone is murmuring at the 109th U.S. Open, held at Bethpage State Park on Long Island. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS U.S. Open, United States Golf Association, American Express, Lexus, Tiger Woods, Real Housewives of New York City Q & A    06.18.09 1:00 PM SwimShow Director Brings on New PR Firm, Trims Show Length to Cut Costs SwimShow executive director Judy Stein Photo: Courtesy of Swimwear Association of Florida FROM MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA The Swimwear Association of Florida’s annual SwimShow is the largest swimwear trade show in the country, with more than 2,500 lines represented. Originally encompassing 100,000 square feet of exhibit space at the Miami International Merchandise Mart when it was founded, the show moved to the Miami Beach Convention Center in 2004 and now has more than 250,000 square feet of exhibit space for its 27th annual show, which is scheduled to take place July 18 through July 21. Along with returning labels such as Max Mara, Diana von Furstenberg, and Billabong, multiple new European labels will use the show to launch in the United States. SwimShow executive director Judy Stein spoke with us about the grassroots marketing efforts that have helped her continue to grow the trade show, despite economic setbacks. How do you promote the show to potential exhibitors and attendees? Our direct mail, advertising, and marketing campaigns assure them that this is one-stop shopping. There’s no way at a regional market that they’ll be able to see the caliber and variety of lines that are at the show, so if they’re in the swimwear industry, this is the trade show they need to come to. We’re constantly pounding the pavement to make sure we bring in the resources that we feel our retailers want, which is based on word of mouth and what we read about in publications. Having a new [exhibitor] come on board is something that’s exciting to us—we know the retailer will be excited as well. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Swimwear Association of Florida, Max Mara, Diana Von Furstenburg, Billabong, City of Miami Beach, Greater Miami Beach Convention and Visitors' Bureau Q & A    06.11.09 7:26 AM Anik Gagnon Leverages L'Oréal's Luminato and Fashion Week Sponsorships to Reach Consumers L'Oréal Paris communications director Anik Gagnon Photo: Benedicte Brocard FROM TORONTO L’Oréal Canada has been involved with the Toronto art festival Luminato for three years. As the festival's presenting sponsor, the company—which includes the Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Maybelline, and L'Oréal Paris brands—has coordinated initiatives each year, bringing on Giorgio Armani for the festival's opening night party and installing a L'Oréal Paris makeup tent at Yonge-Dundas Square. Anik Gagnon, communications director for L'Oréal Paris, spoke to us about how she uses initiatives like the makeup tent to reinforce brand identity. What was it about last year’s experience that made you decide to participate in Luminato again this year? L'Oréal Paris did a tent at Yonge-Dundas last year, and we're doing exactly the same thing this year. Our brand strategy is to really align ourselves with fashion and to show the expertise of our beauty experts. Our vision with that tent was to take everything we do with Fashion Week and with Project Runway Canada and bring that backstage feel to the street. Last year we conducted 6,500 makeovers [over three days]; the success was so great that we decided to do it again. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS L'Oréal, Luminato Toronto Festival of Arts + Creativity, LG Fashion Week, Project Runway Canada Q & A    06.04.09 9:10 AM McDonald's Sofia Therios on the National Launch of McCafé Coffee Drinks The McDonald's McCafé lounge at New York Fashion Week Photo: AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams FROM CHICAGO In May, McDonald's embarked on the nationwide launch of a coffee-centered brand extension called McCafé. With a marketing program rumored to cost about $100 million, the company is promoting its new line of espresso-based drinks through "advertising, promotion, electronic and digital efforts, merchandising in our restaurants, and events," said to Sofia Therios, director of marketing for McDonald's USA. Amid speculation that the economic climate—in which even Starbucks is losing its footing—makes for risky timing for the McCafé launch, we spoke to Therios about how she is using events and other experiential components to promote new products, how the company is adapting its marketing to different regions, and how successful the launch has been thus far. Why is now the right time for the McCafé launch? It always starts with the consumer. If you start with the consumer, and focus on what consumers are looking for, the answer is right there. We have a wonderful business research [and] consumer insight team and we talk to our customers regularly. We also have the benefit of our restaurants, which let us communicate with consumers and understand what they're looking for at the restaurant level on a day to day basis. These are products that our customers want [right now]. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS McDonald's, Fashion Week EVENT INTELLIGENCE    06.02.09 6:00 AM Guerrilla Marketing Guide: Where to Stage Stunts in Six Cities Tennis pros Venus Williams and Andy Murray stopping traffic in Miami Photo: Getty Images Chicago Where to Go: One of the Windy City’s most iconic locales, the Daley Center, allows marketers to reach consumers—including the lunching masses—under the watchful eye of a 50-foot untitled Picasso sculpture. A few blocks northeast, and just outside the Loop, is Pioneer Court. The petite, extremely busy plaza sits where the Chicago River meets Michigan Avenue and sees most of the 40 million tourists who visit Chicago annually. What It Takes: The Daley Center’s plaza is owned by MB Real Estate (312.603.7981), which prices permits individually. Pioneer Court is controlled by the Equitable Life Insurance Company and the Chicago Tribune Company, but any event using the streets around it would require permits from the City of Chicago (Office of Special Events, 312.744.0626). Months of red tape and a 28-page application packet might persuade you to go guerrilla instead. Recent Stunt: When More put future first lady Michelle Obama on its October 2008 cover, the magazine deployed 100 readers to the streets around Pioneer Court to pose with issues—and it didn’t spend a penny on permits. Who Can Help: Based in Chicago, Legacy Marketing Partners has earned a lot of attention from experiential campaigns like the Stoli Hotel and the mobile Burger King/NFL Challenge. MORE >> RELATED TOPICS Guerrilla Marketing, More Magazine, Sony, DirecTV, Budweiser, Ikea, Ikea, Sony Ericsson MORE NEWS Activities/Experiences >> Catering/Food Services >> Decor/Design/Flowers >> Entertainment >> Event Planning & Marketing/Meeting Planning/PR >> Event Production/Audiovisual Services >> Gifts/Premiums/Awards >> Hotel Accommodations >> Industry Resources >> Invitations/Name Tags >> Photography/Videography >> Planning Tools/Software >> Rentals/Props >> Security/Fire Services/Insurance >> Signage/Banners/Printing >> Special Effects >> Staffing >> Trade Show Services >> Transportation/Parking Services >> Search Our Venue Directory MOST POPULAR STORIES 1. Glittery Tank Takes Brüno's Star to Arrivals—Obscuring Michael Jackson's Hollywood Boulevard Star 2. BET Awards' Hastily Planned Jackson Tribute Yields Ratings Triumph 3. BET Hosts Opulent, Crimson-Toned Awards Pre-Party for 350 at Drago Centro 4. 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