Are your annual meetings stuck in a rut? Your mental model may be holding back your most important event of the year.

The Velvet Chainsaw Consulting blog shares six conference paradigms and how to break free of them for more innovative meetings.

One way event pros often think they can achieve success is by improving on last year’s meeting by smoothing out glitches and creating a more seamless experience. But that may not be enough.

“We have to spend more time searching for new opportunities and helping our target market solve their problems,” writes Jeff Hurt. “Instead of being reactive, we must become proactive seeking strategies to help our target market customers prepare for their futures.”

Hurt also says that allocating resources to improve meeting logistics is another paradigm you need to leave behind. “We spend our time, labor and resources on being more efficient,” he says. “Instead we need to focus on effectiveness, innovation and maximizing our opportunities.”

Reporter-Friendly

https://twitter.com/EdBarks/status/1019235555371028482

It doesn’t take a lot to make your website more reporter-friendly, and doing so can help you secure more coverage.

Make sure your press contact’s information is easy to find on your press/media page, and include the full name, title, direct line, and email address of this person, says Joyce Bosc in a recent Boscobel Marketing Communications blog post. Also, be sure to have concise bios of leadership, downloadable images and logos, and an organizational fact sheet on your site.

“DON’T force reporters to fill out a form to submit a contact request,” suggests Bosc. “If they can’t get in touch with someone right away, they will move on to another source who can help them meet their deadline.”

Other Links of Note

How does Facebook use Twitter? Digiday reveals how the major social platforms use other social channels.

Looking to boost employee engagement? HR company People Matters says to start with the job description.

Content marketing isn’t an exact science. A Forbes contributor shares a few common mistakes that nonprofits make.

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