Author: Mosaic Traveler

As a professional administrative assistant, there are several unique challenges you may face when it comes to planning a corporate event. Some of them are timeless, and some are unique to our times. From budgeting to ensuring that all the necessary resources and personnel are available, planning an event can be daunting.

With the help of our in-house event experts, Robin Polling & Shelley Gutta, we have put together some common challenges, with possible solutions, to ensure that the process is much more manageable.

Conferences provide opportunities for professional development and business networking, which are essential for innovation. A successful conference can have a large or small turnout, depending on the industry. For example, a weekend conference might have 200 attendees, while a week-long conference could have 15,000 attendees. 

As a conference planning manager, you have a lot on your plate. There’s a lot to consider, from booking the venue to arranging transportation and accommodation for attendees.

That’s why, with the help of Catering & Conference Manager Jake Zadjura, we’ve put together a conference planner checklist to help make your job a little easier.

According to a Harvard Business Review, having a feeling of inclusion at work leads to more than just pleasant sentiments and friendships. It promotes employee performance, higher revenues, and low turnovers.

However, two-thirds of employees still tend to feel isolated, and their opinions are not valued. Feeling disrespected or unheard is one main reason people quit (and quiet-quit) their jobs.

Building an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they are part of the decision-making process is important if you manage a team. Starting with your team meetings is a great way to do this.

In inclusive meetings, each staff member has a say and feels motivated to engage actively and present their unique ideas. Meetings are the way to get started if a company wants to create a more inclusive culture — and executives want to exemplify the feeling of belonging.

Sales manager Shelley Gutta shares a few tips on fostering an inclusive culture through inclusive meetings.

We’ve all been there – a corporate meeting filled with PowerPoint slides and jargon-laden language. Our eyes start to glaze over, and our minds wander. We’re daydreaming about anything and everything else.

Now, imagine a corporate meeting that’s the complete opposite. A meeting where the content is engaging, the dialogue is lively, and we’re actually excited to be there. What’s the difference?

In short, it’s about incorporating opportunities for “white space.”

Let’s explore the concept of “white space” and learn what to look for in a meeting venue, thanks to some tips from our sales manager, Shelley Gutta. 

You know that networking is vital for your career, but you may still be hesitant to attend networking events. Maybe you’ve had your share of expensive conferences that seemed like a waste of time. Maybe you’re wondering if LinkedIn and other social media are enough on their own.

The truth is that face-to-face communications still carry more weight than emails and texts. Plus, events can be an efficient way to meet a large number of potential contacts in a short time.  

Robin Poling, our sales manager here at Stonewall says, “I believe that the in-person meetings  allow us to be authentic, and it also allows meeting attendees to have that human touch, which we so desperately missed in the last 24 months or so.”

Making that in-person connection can elevate your business relationships and increase your ROI. If you want to come home from your next networking event with something more valuable than a pile of business cards and memories of free cheese, read our tips for networking at your next meeting, conference, and other in-person events.

There’s no denying that today’s organizations are turning to group meetings as a way to boost productivity and drive innovation. Naturally, that became tricky when the pandemic changed how the entire world operates. We are seeing a return to in-person events overall, but not all venues are created equal in terms of their ability to return to bringing teams together in person safely. 

Safety, social distancing, varying vaccination requirements, and health screenings are now a part of our daily lives which can make gathering in one place increasingly difficult. As they say, the show must go on, and your business has to continue moving forward, even through difficult circumstances.

If you’re planning to implement group meetings again, be sure you choose a venue that can accommodate your needs while making the health of your attendees a priority.