In partnership with the Event Leadership Institute, BizBash will once again host the Workshop Series at the BizBash IdeaFest New York, scheduled for October 30 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The morning workshops are designed to provide hands-on skills to advance the careers of meeting and event planners and will cover several topics including social media's impact on marketing, running an event business, and ways to foster innovation.
Broken into two separate sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to choose two workshops—one at 8 a.m. and another at 9:05 a.m.—or participate in the Plan-A-Thon, which is scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. Registration includes admission to the Workshop Series, the IdeaFest trade show floor, the Event Style Awards celebration, and pre- and post-event parties. Interested? Register here.
Below is more information about the schedule and educational programs.
Plan-A-Thon: Brainstorming Your Way to Better Events [8-10 a.m.]
David Adler, C.E.O. and founder, BizBash
Maya Kalman, C.E.O. and creative director, Swank Productions
Marcy Blum, owner, Marcy Blum Associates
Cara Kleinhaut, founder, Caravents Inc.
Hillary Harris, executive director of special events, Warner Brothers Entertainment Group
(additional participants to be announced shortly)
How would you dream up the ultimate Twilight premiere? If resources were endless and the budget limitless, how would you plan the Super Bowl halftime show? How would you reinvent the Tony awards? If an event budget was cut, how would you reallocate resources, yet still create a memorable event? After examining key strategies for brainstorming techniques, participants will learn how teams successfully gather ideas and devise a plan to implement these concepts into real-life scenarios. David Adler and a lineup of industry all-stars will work with participants in this hands-on workshop where attendees will discuss how to reinvent three key event formats: the award show, the gala fund-raiser, and the product launch.
The Business Owners' Roundtable [8 a.m. only]
Howard Givner, founder and executive director, Event Leadership Institute
(limited to 20 participants)
It can be lonely at the top. Business owners don't have many people to open up to about the key strategic and operational challenges they face. In this innovative closed-door session, exclusively for owners of event industry businesses, participants will break into small groups and will have an opportunity to help analyze and solve one another’s challenges. Whether the issue is sales growth, staffing, marketing, compensation, operations, or finance, owners will benefit from hearing their peers’ fresh, unbiased perspectives. Participants will likely get as much if not more value out of advising others as they will from the advice they receive.
Social Media and the Future of Event Marketing [8 a.m. and again at 9:05 a.m.]
Gemma Craven, executive vice president and New York group director, Social@Ogilvy
(this workshop will be available for both sessions)
Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, blogging, etc. New social media platforms are sprouting up faster than businesses can keep up. The first half of this session will feature a detailed overview of each platform, including the pros and cons of each, plus information about how your business can incorporate the platforms into content marketing and social media strategies. The second half will include an interactive review of case studies of businesses that have used these platforms successfully (and some, not so successfully). Participants will have the opportunity to review their company's strategy and help take it to the next level.
How to Think Like Google, Disney, and Other Innovative Brands [8 a.m. and again at 9:05 a.m.]
Kevin White, chief strategist, XPL
(this session will be available for both sessions)
The event industry is one that lives and dies by the idea. But are we doing everything we can to nurture an innovative mindset in our companies and teams? Why do some companies seem to be constantly setting the trends, while others are following? What are Google, Disney, and 3M doing internally to foster a culture of innovation and ideation, and how can you adopt those principles to your team? This workshop will look at the characteristics that define such processes and how to best apply them in a business setting, plus give resources to foster creativity at your company.
Building Your Personal Brand [9:05 a.m. only]
Howard Givner, founder and executive director, Event Leadership Institute
What differentiates you personally from your peers? Why should a client ask to work with you individually over your equally skilled colleague? Whether you work for a corporation, nonprofit, event agency, venue, or other supplier, your personal brand is what sets you apart and positions you for growth. In this interactive session, participants will learn how to define their personal brands and build their reputations.
