THE PRACTITIONER

Meeting Industry Waltz has its Rise and Fall

Conferences and tradeshows have suffered greatly these past 12 months as budget cuts and travel restrictions have kept potential attendees locked to their desks. What I find interesting is how this has spurred a renewed, and genuine, interest in virtual conferences as a way to keep the show going. What will be the next big [...]

Courtside at Infor’s Annual Sales Conference

This week Infor, a $2.1 billion enterprise software company, is holding its annual sales conference (June begins Infor’s fiscal year), and because Infor is a client of the agency, I was fortunate enough to attend the kick-off Monday. Infor’s Chairman and CEO, Jim Schaper set the tone for the conference with a speech intended to [...]

The Portal to Speaker Success

YouTube is the popular video sharing website on the web.  People spend hours a day watching YouTube clips, and the site has turned ordinary people into minor celebrities. While this is an entertaining site, don’t rely on it to prepare the presenters for your company-sponsored conference. No matter the size of your company or conference, [...]

Identifying the right conference to reach your audience

Your name is Roy Williams and you coach the 2009 National Basketball Championship team, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. How hard would it be to find Coach Williams a slot to speak at a national basketball conference? It wouldn’t be that difficult given his resume as a Division I coach. As you seek [...]

Use Social Networking to Promote Speaking Engagements

Has social networking surpassed email on the list of the most popular Internet activities? Yes, according to a new study released by Nielsen. We are in the middle of a transition and you are part of it. If you have been to a large conference or tradeshow in recent months you have noticed the reduction [...]

Getting Your Name on the Conference Marquee

Brad Pitt was a huge draw for moviegoers to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2008. Eric Roth, a prolific screenwriter whose credits include Forrest Gump, developed the story of Benjamin Button, but it was Brad Pitt’s star-power that really helped sell the movie. If you speak at conferences and tradeshows to generate [...]