Meet the Pros at Meeting Sites Pro, Inc.: 2020

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

See-Through Masks from Meeting Shields

Masks have become the new normal in the world we are living in today. As we begin to meet face-to-face, masks can seem to feel like you are disconnected because you cannot see each other’s facial expressions.

Meeting Shields is currently developing a new face mask that has a see-through mouth part that allows you to better understand each other when speaking and feel more connected. The mask also has an eye protection piece to provide you with an extra layer of protection.

At Meeting Sites Pro, it is important to us that even in our current situation we are finding ways to safely bring people together to meet and create connections.

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Learn More About Meeting Shields: https://meetingshields.com/

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Attendee Engagement Best Practices - Meeting Supplies from Sensational Baskets

Events are meant to bring people together, during this virtual time in the world its important to try and integrate that connection into your virtual events. Sending attendees something before the event can help create excitement and anticipation for the presentation.

During our webinar last week on attendee engagement, we heard from the president of Sensational Baskets, Helen Taffet. Sensational Baskets has a variety of basket types including custom baskets created for clients, seasonal baskets and much more. For your next virtual meeting try sending clients a custom basket with the agenda and goodies for everyone to enjoy during the meeting. This will make attendees excited for the presentation and make them feel special for receiving something unique in the mail.

At Meeting Sites Pro, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to get attendees excited about our meetings before they even arrive!

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Attendee Engagement Best Practices - SongDivision

During our weekly virtual webinar last week, we learned from one of our presenters at Song Division about fun and interactive games using music to keep attendees engaged throughout presentation. Song Division’s passion is believed that music is used to make events engaging and powerful. Music during a virtual event can give people hope during this time of uncertainty.

Song Division has experience with many platforms and uses many interactive games such as music trivia and "finish the line". One of our personal favorites here at Meeting Sites Pro., is the activity SongDivision hosts at the end of an event where they perform a song written during the event summarizing the key points for attendees to take with them.

Watch our recording from last weeks Webinar and wait for the end to see the song created by our Song Division presenter Benji Harris. It was written on the fly in just 7 minutes and wraps up some of our key points on Attendee Engagement!

Attendee Engagement Best Practices - Wildly Different Teambuilding

As we continue to hold virtual meetings, it is important to find interactive ways to keep attendees engaged and still connected. We heard from the CEO of Wildly Different, Lisa Jennings, on how her team is creating engaging virtual activities to implement in your next meeting!

The games are generated straight from your phone and come in a variety of themes for groups to try and solve. If the meeting is held over zoom, people can breakout into different private rooms and solve the puzzles together. This will give attendees the opportunity to connect and interact with one another and take a break from the presentation.

At Meeting Sites Pro, we are always looking for ways to build a connection between attendees as we learn to navigate through this time of virtual events. We have partnered with Wildly Different on a face to face event and are excited to hear about their success in the virtual arena.

Attendee Engagement Best Practices - Appealing Content from Sides Creative Agency

As we continue to explore the world of virtual events, a topic that becomes even more important is how to create engaging content for attendees. On our latest webinar discussing attendee engagement, we heard from Dan Sides, the owner of Sides Creative, on some of his best practices he incorporates in his content for clients

Limit to two fonts and use color as accent
Get rid of clutter and let the white speak for itself
Keep writing large and limited (under 25 words per slide and over size 18 font)
For a presentation, move the slides in a timely manner
Keep it simple!

By implementing these best practices in your flyer or presentation, your material will stay appealing and easy to read. During presentations, this helps keep attendees engaged throughout the meeting whether in person or virtual.

At Meeting Sites Pro, we are always looking for ways to implement new best practices in our content to keep attendees engaged during our meetings!

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Best Practices - Multi-Course Plated Meals

As we get back to hosting face-to-face meetings, a great way to eliminate touchpoints for attendees is providing them with a premade multi-course plate. The plate will have all food selections on one tray, so attendees are able to pick up food at a single place rather than multiple stations. In the picture, you can see the tray includes an appetizer, main course and two sides to eat with the main meal including dessert. This will assist in eliminating foot traffic at multiple food stations during a mealtime.

This type of food option could be served to the attendees at their table or be handed out at a station for them to grab on the way to their seats. Overall, the presentation of the plate is very appealing and can give attendees the reassurance that safety measures are being taken.

At Meeting Sites Pro., we are always looking for new and innovative ways to keep our attendees safe and fulfilled!

Best Practices - Care Stations

As we start having face to face meetings, we have noticed some initial hesitancy among attendees. One way we have found to address this during meeting is to have care stations placed outside and around the meeting space. In the picture, you can see the station can provide basic supplies such as sanitizer, tissues, masks, and gloves. While we encourage and request all attendees bring their own items, these supplies will be available for any attendees that may be in need whether due to a forgotten or broken item or a moment of worry.

This is a great best practice to include during the meeting or event to ensure attendees know the supplies are accessible at any time. At Meeting Sites Pro., we want to ensure our attendees can feel safe by having best practices like this care stations at our meetings!

Best Practices - Hotel Amenity Management

As hotels begin to open back up, we are notice our hotel partners working hard to find the best way to keep their guests and staff safe while still providing an amazing experience. One of our team members recently stayed at a hotel and shared a best practice from her hotel experience.

The Sheraton Desert Oasis in Arizona has a unique pool system to keep their guests safe while using the pool space. As you can see in the picture, this hotel had designated pool times for guests. Each guest was given a colored wrist band that would indicate when the gusts could use the pool.

This best practice is assisting in keeping the pool space safe for all guests by allowing social distancing and avoiding overcrowding. It also provided this information to guest up front so there are no surprises. At Meeting Sites Pro., we enjoy learning about best practices so that we can get the industry back to business!

Monday, August 3, 2020

The New Touchless Buffets

Due to the new world that we are living in, many industry professionals thought buffets were a thing of the past. However, while they look quite different, you may be seeing buffets at your next meeting or event sooner than you thought.

These new buffets provide a touchless experience for guests. When an attendee arrives at the buffet, a staff member equipped with proper PPE is stationed behind a plexiglass barrier. The attendee is then able to instruct the staff member on which items they would like served on their plate. Once they reach the end of the buffet, the staff member will then place a lid on the plate and set it on a table for the attendee to pick-up and walk back to their table.

At Meeting Sites Pro, we are dedicated to finding new and innovative ways to ensure the safety of attendees while we get back to business!

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

New to Meetings & Events | Directional Arrows

As we begin to hold face-to-face meetings, one of the new items that will be displayed are directional arrows. These arrows will be used to guide attendees safely through the meeting space and create one-way aisles that minimize cross over. In the diagram above, you can see the directional arrows are creating a safe walkway for attendees to move around the room and exit/enter the meeting space.

In addition to assisting with traffic flow, directional arrows also offer a new and unique sponsorship opportunity. The arrows can be personalized to include logos or event branding materials. By allowing sponsors to display their logos on your directional areas you can add a new revenue stream to your next event. At Meeting Sites Pro, we are dedicated to working with our clients to find functional and safe ways to meet face-to-face.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

The Future of Meeting Space

As we look forward to planning meetings and events, one challenging factor is accounting for social distancing. In the current environment, it has become difficult for planners to maximize the space in a room while creating a memorable experience for attendees. However, there are still ways to ensure safety and still meet face-to-face.

In the diagram below, you can see the layout for a classroom set with one person per a six-foot table. While this does look quite different than what we are used to seeing, this set allows attendees to maintain six feet of social distancing and meet safely. You will notice that there are arrows displayed on the floor to guide attendees when they enter and exit the meeting space and reduce contact.

A great resource for creating a social distancing diagram like this one is allseated.com. The site provides feature that ensure six feet of distance between all seats and allows you to add directional arrows. Although meeting diagrams may look different for the time being, face-to-face meetings can still create a memorable and safe experience for attendees!

Meet the Pros at Meeting Sites Pro, Inc.