Meeting Planning Innovation

Not too long ago, if you wanted to sharpen your event planning skills, you needed to sign up for a course. Today, with the wealth of information on the web, learning just got a whole lot easier AND more accessible, especially through thought leader blogs.

Now, the big challenge is filtering out the noise to find the solid gold, learning gems.

As you strive to create the best possible conference event experience for attendees, I offer you 5 Great Blogs (in no particular order) that have helped make ME a better event planner in 2011. Keep in mind, I'm assuming you're already a regular visitor to one or several of Cvent's "Big 4" Blogs on Event Planning, Web Surveys, Hospitality, and Strategic Meetings.

1. Jeff Hurt Blog: Head for the intersection of Learning and Conference Events and there, waiting for you, will be Jeff Hurt. On Twitter, he describes himself as "reflective, thinker, advocate, progressive, nonprofit junkie, meeting/event planner, educator, change strategist, social media explorer." Churning out daily, thought-provoking posts, he's the leader for knowledge transfer who inspires us to embrace our important role as champion for conference event learning.
       
2. It's All Virtual: As technology develops, so too does the world of virtual events. Dennis Shiao, Director of Product Marketing at INXPO, delivers a steady stream of technology updates, ideas, and considerations for choosing the virtual meetings route. As we explore virtual and hybrid meetings, Dennis is at the forefront, calling out plays and next practices. I'm no tech geek, but he manages to make technology less daunting and more approachable... even fun. 
      
3. Social Fish: This blog explores the social vibe through the association/non-profit lens and Maddie Grant lights up your "thinking cap" like no other.  The writing is great, but often, it's the infographics, videos, and images that speak volumes. I can't tell you how many times a 2-minute morning visit to Social Fish sparked ripples of "what ifs" throughout my day.  I love the sidebar, where you can browse through past blog posts with intention or for serendipity!
     
4. Liz King Events: I've never met Liz, but in reading her blog, I have a hunch she's smart AND fun. Her blog strikes a more conversational tone and she's often shining a light on social media, technology, and a wealth of other event service providers. Sometimes I get a little too deep in my learning & instructional design cave. Liz helps me climb out and explore other aspects of event design.
     
5. Idea Architects:  This one's a new entry on my blog "Favorite 5" dial. Jeffrey Cufaude is an architect of ideas, with a keen eye on learning and community building. At first, I'd catch a post from Jeffrey thanks to Twitter, but now, I'm a regular visitor. Jeffrey is a masterful storyteller and I've borrowed his stories on occasion for my own workshops. I enjoy his Monday Leadership Limericks, too.
     

So there you have it. That's my Favorite 5 as of today, but it's a fluid mix. Entries are always floating in and out.

PS: In an effort to boost both learning AND regular exercise, I strapped a board to my treadmill to hold my laptop. Many mornings at 6 am, you'll find me multi-tasking, as I read blog posts and clock a few more miles. I know, pretty crazy, but it's working.

Happy Learning!