5 Sales Meeting Presentation Tips

Here are five quick tips to get you feeling more comfortable to present at your next company gathering. I watch many presenters make the same mistakes over and over again bringing the high cost of meetings higher.  Use your companies time wisely and everyone benefits.

1) Know your attendees in the audience.  Think about who they are, demographics,  even what generations they come from.  Tailor your presentation to engage and educate them.

2) Practice, practice, practice- before you arrive.  Rehearse as much as you can.  Ask your event organiser or production company to build in ample rehearsal time.  Getting on that stage will make you more comfortable and it will show when you do your presentation. (Did I say practice?)

3) When you hit the stage breathe and take your time.  If you make a mistake dont point it out; you are the only one who probably noticed it. Try to tell stories. People love stories.  Even if you are talking numbers, put some real life stories into your presentation to engage the audience.

4) Visuals-  Ask the production company for help.  The graphics people do this every single day, so they can help you.  Hopefully, you will ask before you get to the venue, like way before if possible.  Use images to make points not long bullet point lists.  Also, don’t read your slides. (see #1 above)

5)  Have fun and be real.  No matter what level you may be on the companies organizational chart,  everyone likes someone who smiles and enjoys presenting. Everyone knows you aren’t a professional speaker so relax.   If you aren’t having fun then fake it till you make it!  (see picture above- Mike faking it)

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The last several years I have become an internet nerd. Like most people, I spent more and more time online. It all started for me by getting involved with forums like MiForum, Meco list- Meetings Community -(which I was banned from because I was offering folks tours of Second Life.) Then I started podcasting /blogging and enjoyed sending my podcast links over to those communities and my virtual network.

I moved on from there to spend more time in LinkedIn and Jigsaw to try to increase my client base. I graduated to using Twitter for hours and hours a day to Facebook to engage and interact with my network. One big takeaway firm all of this, I still follow a few folks who have held my attention from the first time logging on and discovering them.

Justin Kownacki is one of these people. I have only engaged with him a few times, basically to praise his work. (Here I go again.) But what he has done really caught my interest. I have been part of producing hundreds of corporate production video: conference opening videos, testimonials, instructional, internal and external marketing modules, instructional videos etc… over the years. I am also surrounded on these video projects by guys and gals who wanted to be the next Spielberg. But, they needed to pay the rent, so they do corporate work and then slowly lost their mojo to make their Spielberg dreams come true.

Justin put together an internet sitcom in 2003-2009 called Something to Be Desired (search on iTunes store for free downloads) which I loved. At that time Adam Curry was telling his audience that audio podcasting was going to change the world.

Justin is at it again….. and he needs help. Join me in helping him start a new series by throwing him a few bucks to make it happen. He is using the website Kickstarter.com to raise money. Justin has all sorts of offers for incentives to get you more involved if you contribute to this project. Get a T-Shirt, coffee, even a character named after you!

So join me in helping him get this web show off the ground: Head over to Kickstarter.com and throw this creative dude a bone or two.

Moments- I have seen this video a couple of times and it really makes me think about how your plan your production. We closely look at moments in video production. For meetings and events it could be a great tool for your tool box. If you were to step back from the details and look at your meeting or event as a series of moments. Could you place them in categories to engage and educate your audience. Plan the outcomes moment by moment?
Regardless it is a wonderful video. Thanks to Jeff Hurt for posting it today on his Facebook stream.

Moments from Everynone on Vimeo.

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In all the years I have been in the Meeting Production business, I have been a part of producing events and meetings all over the world.  This includes lots video production.  Being entrusted with the all the production of sales meetings and product launches of large pharmaceuticals, tech,  government meetings, to a wine and jazz festivals These meetings and events all have the same formula.    Of all of the companies I have worked with: Jack Morton Worldwide, Bill Graham Presents, InVision Communications and now Grass Shack Events & Media use the same event production model.

1) Find a network of trusted vendors ( Audio Visual, Scenic, Graphic and Motion Animators,creative directors, directors of photograph, leadership speakers, entertainment etc…)

2) Rent equipment and resources. Keeps overhead down, best and latest equipment used onsite.

3) Save Meeting Planners and Marketing Communications time, money and cohesive events.

So it is nice to see the regular world outside the ballroom can have this same model with Zilok now.  Zilok.com is a website where you can find other peoples unused stuff and rent it.  Lets say you are putting up a fence and need a drill for 3 days .  Instead of heading to Home Depot for your production tools which will be used that once and then stored in your own garage for years on end, you can rent your neighbors drill.

So join Zilok, get an account. Zilok will process the fees involved, tracks reputation of your renting partner and in some countries insurance can also be bought in case of damage.

Swaptree is another service for books and CDs.

Shared Earth lets Gardners use other folks land to grow food.

Zimride lets people share rides with facebook friends and friends of friends on facebook.

If this type thing floats your boat check out Rachel Botsman new book- “What’s mine is yours”
What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption

Do you know any other cool sites like this?  please share.

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What do Michael McCurry and OchoCinco have in common?

Sitting down doing my morning meeting production work. Billing for last weeks show and I saw a shiny object that caught my attention on my tweet deck.  (tweetdeck is a twitter desktop client I use)  It was Jeff Hurt pointing out a Michael McCurry posting on ASAE which is going on right now.  His post was about virtual access to the ASAE conference in Los Angeles.  Pretty interesting take on the emergence of virtual access for people who cant make it to the conference. The price for the access was pretty spendy. $795 dollars.

I also saw a news post about OchoCinco the football player who was fined 25K by the NFL for tweeting during game time.

“Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and conductor on the ego train Chad Ochocinco faces a hefty $25,000 fine for tweeting during a game. Rules laid out by the National Football League prohibit the use of cell phones, computers, or other gadgets by players and coaches from 90 minutes before kickoff to the end of the game.
Ochocinco took to his Twitter account to post a response, tweeting, “#OCNNnews I’ve been fined by the league a substantial amount of money for tweeting, 1st time twitter hasn’t made me money but cost me money.” He followed up the “news alert” with an apology of sorts to the NFL: “Dear NFL I apologize for tweeting during the game but that was 2 monthsof my Bugatti payments you just took from me,I won’t do it again.”

In both instances the associations and the league don’t get social media and the interwebs.  Both Michael McCurrys post and OhcoCinco, understand personal branding and the importance of networking.  To make something cost too much or keep people from hearing from a star, both are idiotic in my mind.  Marketing 101 is to try and get people to your events or watch it,  so you can collect fair revenue.

If ASAE wants someone like me to attend their live event they should make the virtual access free, or affordable, or get it sponsored.  Show people your cool content and fun hallway conversations. Make people want to attend. (Production can be expensive but not ASAE expensive)

The NFL should be rewarding OchoCinco (full disclosure I think he is an ass) to build the NFLs brand and get people talking about it- interacting and  ultimately get people to watch and go to the games. He is promoting himself and the league.

Now- I head back to my daily work!

Question? What is the most you have paid for virtual access to an event?

What is the most you have been fined for Tweeting?

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15 Ways To Build A Kick Ass Corporate Meeting Production Company

I am currently sitting at the control desk for a week long project where we are doing all the meeting production plus video production for our client.    This is a particularly challenging client who shoots for perfection onsite. The main challenge is the CEO makes many of the decisions the day of the meeting. This is kindling to start little spot fires of budget overages and stress but we contain the fires and find solutions.   As all of this is going on, the first thought that comes to mind is oh crap we could have done this weeks ago.   Looking for blame seems to be the answer as the long hours take their toll on everyone’s patience.   But, as I looked around at my core team they were unfazed. They rolled with it and pushed forward to make it a perfect show. (Like a duck to the client. Smooth above the water – but underneath their legs were paddling furiously)
For the fires we found solutions, and the client never even saw any smoke. Love that I helped build a kick ass production company that can work under this kind  of pressure flawlessly.
1) It is all about attitude and using your teams strengths to the fullest.
2) Build a strong Team.  Start with a great event producers, then build your cohesive, creative teams.
3) Size does not matter anymore. Resources do.  Obviously, the Internet has changed on how many companies do business. You can now hang your shingle on a web page not a building.
4) Remember business is hard. Simply put, if it isn’t hard you aren’t trying hard enough.
5) Take as many shots as you can. I still follow my coach Peter McCoy who told me when I was a kid playing for #1 AYSO soccer team The Hurricanes. Pulling me aside during a game he said. “Mike, The more times you shoot the more times you score.”   This is something I have used my whole life, to start scoring more goals, baskets, friends, girls, and for the past few years, more clients.
6) Build a family. The company I came from before starting Grass Shack Events & Media build a great company family. When the talk of how great the old days was the  constant topic I  knew it was time to move on to the next stage and start Grass Shack Events & Media.
7) Success happens in stages overall.  Overnight successes rarely happen.  Shoot for stages. Your drive will be the success of your business.
Vision. Work with your clients vision. Don’t let your own agenda get in the way of the clients vision. Solve their obstacles, provide solutions, and uniquely push their message to their audience. That’s why corporate meeting production companies and video production companies exist.
9) Help everyone.  I mean everyone. Competitors, resources,  everyone you can. One of the video editors we have here is a new guy. But this new editor thanked me. When he moved to San Francisco a few years back he called me and told me I gave him some names to talk to to find work.
10) Figure out what do you do and do it better than everyone else. Obsess that your company
Keep planning. When you stop planning you aren’t pushing
11) Perception- Perception in business it’s almost everything.  Obsess on how you want your company to be perceived and drive that perception.
12) Commit- Commit to goals. Tell others this commitment. You will be amazed after telling others how much faster you will accomplish them.
13) Credit- Start working on it now. Talk to your banks small business representative. Corporate shows are expensive and large companies procurement departments are slow as molasses.
14) Insurance- shop for insurance to cover your events. Some hotels try to get clients to use in house AV by having the production companies show proof of 1 million to 2 million dollars of coverage. And protect yourself and your crews.
15) Website. You need a place for people to find you and a place to send people to find out more about you.

As we work through this last General Session for today and do final preparations for tonight’s award dinner I again think about that first even and how Grass Shack Events & Media has evolved into such a great, fun company to work with and for.

Can you think of anything I missed in my list?  Love to add to it.

Please email me if you want to work with us on your next sales meeting or product launch!

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The local CEO Steve Jobs runs Apple and Pixar at the same time. Here at Grass Shack Events & Media we have a Steve Jobs of our own. No, she does not wear mock turtle necks and jeans everyday. But she does wear Monolo Blahnik heels pretty regularly. Her name is Carrie McAllen.

Grass Shack Events & Media and Meetings Podcast has been quite successful as start up event businesses go. Our very first large meeting(s) production was with Siemens Medical Solutions. We were lucky to have such a great client in Ede ten-Weges who led the effort from Germany. His vision was successfully brought to life. 6 meetings, 2 client events all in one week. Since then we have provided solutions for our clients sales meetings, and a burgeoning video production department.

The foundation of all these successes is our President Carrie McAllen.

Carrie started Grass Shack Events & Media, and when the team was in place and humming nicely, she was recruited by a headhunter to take a business development position with Hilton Hotels. We talked about it and she wanted another challenge.   She moved into a Steve Jobs like role.   She runs our company in the evenings and works full time with Hilton during the day.

At Grass Shack our competitors have been winning awards, but they are the sort of awards you apply for,  and then pay a fee to be recognized.  Carrie on the other hand has been winning  awards internally for the Hilton globally.  The past two years she has been kicking ass at both companies and I wanted to recognize her talent and hard work here on our blog.

Here are the two most recent awards she won:

1) Best Utilization of Online Marketing- Doubletree Hotels Worldwide.
Her Online Marketing and Social Media efforts are setting the standard for Hilton Hotels and are used in training.

2) 2010 Global Leadership Award for Hilton Worldwide for Sales and Marketing.
This award was open to all Hilton brands (Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Doubbletree etc…) and she won it!!! She build targeted revenue generation marketing campaigns that were recognized by Hilton worldwide.

Congratulations to Carrie!

This is arguably the #1 Essential Corporate Meeting Production Tip for Meeting Professionals. It is great for any type of event or meeting. When I came across this video I could only think about how many little tips and tricks meeting professionals learn after working on different meetings in different cities and venues.  So many small details can be forgotten and resourceful event professionals who succeed usually provide great solutions for any challenge that might come up.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today’s show is an interview with Patrick Payne founder of Quickmobile.com.

QuickMobile’s events platform is comprised of pre-designed, customizable, plug & play application that your attendees can simply use before, onsite and after the event to further networking, content spread  and offers up onsite communications.  The interface can significantly reduce your events carbon footprint by eliminating conference guides.

Patrick talks about the benefits and features of the Quickmobile platform.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Meetings Podcast Going Digital 3-

EIBTM Worldwide Technology Watch Contest for Meeting Technology & Innovation

Samuel J Smith interviews the Judges of EIBTM Worldwide Technology Watch Contest Chairman Corbin Ball and Ruud Janssen. Full disclosure Sam is also a judge in this contest.

Explanation of the award, the applicants, how it is judged.

What are the Trends the judges looking for? Where are they coming from?
Mobile, tablets, social media, websites?

Will technologies blend into meetings space. Adoption from industry.

What do the winners get?

Sam describes what winning at Spotme was like.. He also talked to last years winner Jordan Schwartz

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