Archive for the ‘Events and Media Planning’ Category

Mike McAllen armed with a flip cam and a flickr.com account heads into the Claremont Resort & Spa in Berkeley California on the first of MeetingsPodcast venue search/venue selection series. Mike will be covering the San Francisco Bay Area.

Meetings Podcast welcomes short videos of venues in your area to be included on the MeetingsPodcast site. If you do a video with us pleas geotag the video which will help planners if they are venue selecting. Email Meetingspodcast@gmail.com

Here is another video I saw on Youtube which has a tad better production value than ours…. (not done with a flipcam)

Hat tip to Dynasty Video Productions

 

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The Meeting Planners podcast source for what’s new and exciting in meetings and events industry!

Mike McAllen of Grass Shack Events & Media interviews Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events
Sashas Blog
About Sasha
Sashas Wedding Design Book:

Please leave us a question or comment, which we will try to address on the show ASAP!

Email us at meetings podcast@gmail.com

or here on the MeetingsPodcast site.

www.MeetingsPodcast.com

Music by the http://www.delgadobrothers.com/

Audio mixing by www.RipTideGraphics.com

Brought to you by Grass Shack Events & Media
Copyright 2009 MeetingsPodcast

Transcripts:
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I think the meetings and events industry is moving in this same direction:

From www.internalcommshub.com

Why crisis planning is now incomplete without social media

In recent years, we’ve seen an important change in the way the world communicates around global crises such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. This change is due to social media. Messages now spread faster and wider, and this communication can minimize the level of damage caused. Euan Semple explains exactly why communicators need to get up to speed with these tools sooner rather than later. The time invested, he says, will be invaluable in times of organizational crisis.

Why event planning is now incomplete without social media:

More and more events,  meetings and workshops are finding to really tap into the three main objectives of live meetings- education, motivation and networking. They are all enhanced by social media and the other virtual experiences that can will ultimately be part of every event in the near future.  Are event management guiding meetings in this direction? Or are meeting planners holding on to the old ways as long as possible?

How to Run Microphones for Q&A at a conference or workshop.

Running microphones is an easy job but shouldn’t be the focus of the question and answer session.

I recently had a shows where the client supplied the Mic runners.  They had young shy associates doing this job.  The executives were constantly yelling at them to go here and there and the Mic runners became the focus.  This problem can easily be avoided.

Three things to remember for great Microphone running:

1) Microphone volume is controlled by the Audio Tech who is usually sitting in the back of the room at the control table. This person will be the one usually who handed you the microphone.

No need to tap the mic to see if it is on at any time.  The Audio tech will bring up the Microphones volume once the person starts to ask the question.

2) Keep moving confidently- keep your eyes on the audience and look for people looking at you.  If they look like they are interested in you start to move towards them.  They will wave you off if they don’t want to ask a question.  Step back and scan for the next person.  If you remember the TV show Donahue was know for running through the audience to get the question

3)  Something that helps the Audio technician is when you hand the microphone off, raise your hand and make eye contact with the Audio Tech. Once he or she nods at you put your arm down and either step back or kneel to keep from blocking the audience behind you.

When the question has been answered get the mic back and repeat the whole process.

Photo credit.. Tim Dorr

Related articles by Zemanta and MeetingsPodcast

• Behold: The World’s First Laser Microphone (Video) (wired.com)

I have been really neglecting this blog for the last few months but not for much longer!

I posted a MeetingsPodcast today which I think you might like!

This last year really has been the year of the wolves for me. You know when something really inspires you to move forward or awakens you?

I saw this story today in the Sierra Rising Coffee shop in Lotus California today and it really made me think about how things will be shifting for me in 2009.

Two Wolves Story:

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life . .

He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil—he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.

The other is good —he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”

They thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win, Grandfather?”

The Elder simply replied, “The one you feed.”

This summer I also had an fascinating experience with actual wild wolves in Yellowstone.

I really have been neglecting this blog and look forward to improving it this year! I will be rolling it over to a wordpress blog this month and working on getting it flowing. I have been spending a most of the last few months working on www.MeetingsPodcast.com and www.SanJoseDoubletreeHotel.com and now we can get back to business on this blog.

Cheers
Mike

IMG_8661
Originally uploaded by mmcallen

Sometimes we just have to lead ourselves through life. Be creative and don’t be afraid to ask for help but don’t be afraid to jump in and lead yourself. Its easy to talk about doing something but harder to do it. So do it!

Image by mmcallen via FlickrI saw this Podcast sales post in my Bloglines reader today. When ever Michael W. Geoghegan has a post on his blog it is usually interesting since he is a smart dude. I even enjoy his Search and Rescue posts since I was a full time firefighter for around 5 years. It seems they are selling all the Podcast Expo/Portable Media Expo/New Media Expo and Podcast Academy sessions for a great big fire sale. Maybe one last way for monetizing the content.

It is strange and fun to think back on the ride he and Tim Bourquin and other podcast pioneers have had with this podcasting stuff. Back in 2004 I was hooked by Reel Reviews, Podcast Brothers and the Daily Source Code. It was neat to be on the forefront of a new distribution method. I wondered how our company Grass Shack Events & Media could utilize podcast content for our clients. I produced several podcasts that each dribbled away or our industy term podfaded. I remember emailing Michael and Rob Walch from Podcast 411 about collaborating with them and our clients to do some podcaasting from our events. It never really materialized. I did one very small, tiny thing for P&GE with Rob but my clients never seemed interested in podcasting. It is ironic because today I am waiting for a conference call and the attendance is way down for this Global Sales Meeting we are producing and I was going to push us podcasting the sessions to the folks who cant get to the meeting. Its 2009 and I am still trying. (They went for it)

I emailed Tim a month or so ago because I have been waiting for a new Podcast Brothers show to come out but Tim Bourquin has always said they wont put out a show just to put out a show. I wondered with his loyal audience if they should still do some sort of show about the niche they lead. When I first listened to the podcast brothers I didnt know/or care about the expo and I enjoyed their take on the digital content niche.

This sale and the disappearance of the Podcast Brothers show makes me think the nails are in the coffin for the New Media Expo, Portable Media Expo, Podcast Expo etc. Also the Podcast Academy which I enjoyed and sadly also bashed in another post a while back. The Podcast Expo felt like a traveling podcast expo at first (like when I went to the Yahoo campus to attend one) but the free podcamps killed them off and it also had a feel like a good ole boys network with most of the same speakers at each one…… I feel like I rode the wave with these guys and did my best to support them. I went to all the Podcast Expos and 3 Podcast Academys. I met so many cool folks and made some great friendships. (was I one of the good ole boys?) One time I sat next to Chris Brogan this is before he was wildly famous at a Podcast Academy. After the first Portable Media Expo I wrote up a long list of things I thought Tim could do to increase the engaement of the audience. It was heartfelt gesture and I even put together a bid to handle the Audio Visual and staging for him the next year. I know we probably were too expensive for his bottom line but I wanted to help out if I could.

Makes me sad it is all over. Of course there are a ton of other conferences to go to Podcamps, Blogworld, SWSW but the community around the podcast expo was a classic community experience. I have always been behind the scenes at conferences and actually I had never been an attendee at a conference before the podcast expo. I have been to hundreds of conferences over the years but always as part of the production company. So thanks guys for the memories…..

I do wonder what Tim, Emil and Michael have in mind for the future. New Media is getting more popular by the day, the economy is slowing it down right now but it is a great time for innovation and creativity so I am sure they are planning more cool stuff.

I do think its great they are selling these sessions………

This sale of wonderful content is a must if you want to learn about podcasting, videocasting, seo, making money with podcasting etc…..

Check it out here……

We’ve opened the New Media/Podcasting vault and have a special offer for one week only.

All the 2006, 2007 & 2008 New Media Expo content plus Podcast Academy™ bonus files!

152 files and over 150 hours of content in a once in a lifetime sale. This is audio that has not been recently available.

Get the historical audio of podcast pioneers and all the information you need for your upcoming podcast production or initiative. Listen to the pros – these are the people with the experience to set you on the right course. This offer includes an amazing deal on all the 2008 New Media Expo audio – normally $149.

This is a 7 day limited offer – act now!

Listen to the interview

Riptide Graphics gives 10 tips and tricks on working with a speaker support operator/ graphics operator/graphics guy on site at and meeting or event.

They have been working with production companies and executives building presentations, running them at onsite events and meetings since 2001.

1) Meeting Planners should make sure their graphic operators spend a ton of time working with executives to make sure presentations are perfect. They have to be able to communicate effectively with clients.
2) Meeting Planners or Producers should be ready to intervene and make sure clear guidelines that executives/ speakers should know how the process works. Rehearsal time is great way to iron out problems and make a smoother presentation for the speaker. (Comfortable with mics, clicker, lights, stage presence)
3) How the clicker works.
4) What does a graphics operator need onsite? Show computer that has the right specifications that is in good working order.
5) Internet access should always be available for show computers to download codecs, versions, software etc.
6) Graphics operators and all backstage guys need breaks. Easy to forget about them behind the screens. Also food and drinks are a good way to keep them more comfortable and focused on the show. (Less mistakes)
7) Working with Teleprompter or down stage notes.
Try to have a backup presentation computer or you are playing with fire.
9) Everyone know their role and understand how each other works
10) Good to have your graphics operator web savvy for end of show deliverables.