Solutions for Events

Where's the beef? Well...meeting value, that is.

Architect Scott Simpson described a concept KlingStubbins called a team structure and the industry now calls Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). The concept is key for a collaborative project approach, but its importance is more universal. The phrase that stuck with me was "decision-ready information".

Decision-ready information consists of the key facts required for a meaningful, final decision about a subject to be decided.

In an IPD project, major decision-makers are expected to attend every meeting, so that decisions made in the meeting have meaningful buy-in and closure. These meetings can be intense, not to mention very expensive.

It's the responsibility, therefore, of each team member to bring decision-ready information for the decisions on the agenda.

Wouldn't this information design approach make meetings more valuable...and engaging!

Read more at BuildingProductMarketing.com

Geotourism Engages Travelers in Authentic Cultural Experiences

Tourism has undergone a dramatic shift in recent years and many in the industry believe the change is permanent. In the past, American tourists sought familiarity in even the most exotic destinations. Today, the more sophisticated consumer seeks experiences as unique as their destinations. This industry-wide travel trend, called "geotourism," attracts modern vacationers who are now looking to immerse themselves in the authentic culture of a place.

Geotourism for Sustainable Development

Jonathan Tourtellot, the director of the National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Development and an American geotourism pioneer, coined the term "geotourism" to define responsible, authentic travel. Tourtellot observes,"Geotourism is no flash in the pan: travelers around the globe are seeking it out in both rural and urban settings."

Environmental responsibility is one reason the trend is gaining ground. Like sustainable tourism, geotourism wants to preserve the ecological attributes of travel locations. But unlike sustainable tourism, geotourism appeals to the mass market. It isn't just for the altruistic few who want to save a place; it is for anyone looking to reap all the unique benefits a place has to offer: the cultural, historical, archeological, architectural, and natural elements that combine to create authentic vacations.

Before the emergence of geotourism, destinations often sacrificed their distinctive characteristics in order to make consumers feel at home. As a result, many vacation destinations gave up the very things that attracted travelers in the first place: unique customs, cuisine, architecture, etc. Conversely, geotourism enhances a destination's natural and cultural distinctiveness while still providing a high-quality visitor experience.

Amble Resorts (http://www.amble.com), an environmentally responsible real estate development company, has tapped that very idea. Owner Benjamin Loomis remarks, "Amble was basically founded to cater to the geotourist market segment, which we think will grow significantly as travelers become more and more sophisticated and demanding."

Loomis is preparing to break ground next year on an eco resort in Panama's Gulf of Chiriqui, The Resort at Isla Palenque (http://www.islapalenque.com). "Isla Palenque and the surrounding islands offer all kinds of activities that interest geotourists, from the villages of the Ngobe Bugle to archeological sites to an astonishing diversity of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife," says Loomis of his island resort. 

The Resort at Isla Palenque (http://www.islapalenque.com) and other geotourism destinations are attracting  vacationers with elements of geographical character.

Geotourism has become a popular, effective way for travelers to experience their vacations in a deep and meaningful way -- without detracting from the destination itself.

Are you trying to build a "community" to support your mission, your business or your group?

That's no easy task in today's anonymous urban community and difficult loyalty environment.

Cliff Allen, SureToMeet.com, studies why and how people gather at meetings, "People attend meeting and events over and over again because they feel they receive value from attending each time. Once they attend a few meetings and don't feel that they benefited they quit attending. It's no secret that we all act that way."

He reports on Cynthia D'Amour's Lazy Leader Road Show, in which she shared how to attract (and retain) members by appealing to their "hot buttons."

People who attend meetings are looking for some combination of these attributes:

• Personal/professional development
• Make a difference
• Be part of a community

Building community depends on creating "real value" in your community-building events and meetings -- professional, hobbyist, and corporate at Appealing to Member "Hot Buttons".

What Science Says About Beach Sand and Stomach Aches

By washing your hands after digging in beach sand, you could greatly reduce your risk of ingesting bacteria that could make you sick. In new research, scientists have determined that, although beach sand is a potential source of bacteria and viruses, hand rinsing may effectively reduce exposure to microbes that cause gastrointestinal illnesses.

"Our mothers were right! Cleaning our hands before eating really works, especially after handling sand at the beach," said Dr. Richard Whitman, the lead author of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study. "Simply rinsing hands may help reduce risk, but a good scrubbing is the best way to avoid illness."

Scientists measured how many E. coli bacteria could be transferred to people's hands when they dug in sand.

They analyzed sand from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Using past findings on illness rates, scientists found that if individuals were to ingest all of the sand and the associated biological community retained on their fingertip, 11 individuals in 1000 would develop symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.  Ingestion of all material on the entire hand would result in 33 of 1000 individuals developing gastrointestinal illness.

In a further laboratory experiment, USGS scientists determined that submerging one's hands four times in clean water removed more than 99% of the E. coli and associated viruses from the hands.

In recent years, USGS scientists have discovered that concentrations of E. coli bacteria in beach sand are often much higher than those in beach water.

Beach SAND is not monioried for E. coli 

Follow-up research at beaches around the nation by many scientists has resulted in similar findings, although the amount of bacteria in sand varies depending on the beach.  Although beach water is monitored for E. coli as mandated in the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act 2000), beach sand is not currently monitored for contamination.

Recent analysis of seven beaches across the nation by the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that beachgoers digging in sand were more likely to develop gastrointestinal illness after a day at the beach compared to those not digging in sand. The association with these illnesses was even stronger for individuals who reported being partially covered up in sand. 

Because children played in the sand more frequently and were more likely to get sand in their mouths, they were more likely to develop gastrointestinal illness after a day at the beach.

"The excess illnesses we observed among those exposed to sand generally consisted of mild gastrointestinal symptoms, but it is a good idea to be sure to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after digging or playing in the sand," said Chris Heaney, lead author of the UNC study.

E. coli is an indicator of recent sewage contamination and if it is present, pathogens harmful to human health are also likely present.  The origin of these bacteria is often unknown. They can persist throughout the swimming season, remaining a potential contamination source to beach visitors.

Results of these studies highlight the need to intensify efforts to determine sources of microbial contamination to beaches and associated risk of playing in beach sand.

USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.

These are not your politically correct suggestions.  They are the result of asking why little thinks like not using water bottles have taken over our imagination.  We need some big solutions for some really big problems. 

We're using FOUR times the natural resources as other folks in the world.  We would need TWO to FOUR planets to keep pace with our western "lifestyle" choices.  So...we need FOURX the solutions!  How about these as a starting point for discussion:


Top Ten Things YOU can do to reduce climate change, gluttony, lawlessness, violence, over population...etc. etc. etc.

1. Green your job - be an inside champion to find solutions to green your decisions, purchases, facilities, and company policies.  Business decisions have SO much more leverage than your decisions at home (but don't neglect home, either)

2. Cut the number of children you have to one or none. And encourage young family members to think before they cut the condom.
 
3. Cut down the amount you eat...and eat healthy foods only. Skinny people are healthier.

4. Get exercise by walking where you need to go. If it's too far to walk, use the phone or internet.  At least most of the time.  Reduce your mileage by 80%.

5. Reduce water consumption for bathing, irrigation.  Bird baths work fine on odd days and desk jockey, lazy days. 

6. Use shared transportation as much as absolutely friggin' possible.  You'll  learn a lot about people!  And we need some new and improved people skills! 

7. Buy green, energy efficient products made as locally as possible.  Transportation of all the parts and assembled sub parts and supplies and retail distribution and landfill graveyards add up to a huge number of miles.  Just cut the krap.

8. Build mutually sustainable, positive relationships with everyone in your family, tribe and community.  What we want and need and desire most is human friendship and companionship. So just go for it without all the faldaral.  Shake. Cuddle. Smile. Be nice!

9. Abide by our cultural structure of laws.  Be a good citizen and allow others to live up to their potential as well. A nation of laws cannot survive is it's so corrupt that honest men and women can't make a living.  Enuf said?

10.  Enjoy laughter, joy, natural wonders, people, the arts, and simple pleasures - they pollute less, use less and produce more happiness than any manufactured gadgets!


When we get to this point, we'll all be so happy we won't need gadgets and renewable energy and electric cars and recyclable bottle caps.  We'll be responsible about living and breathing and making a real home and a real community and a real world that can survive our onslaught.  We'll actually be happy.  Simply happy. 

If you're an event organizer, you know that registration services make your leader's work faster, easier and more trackable.  

Make Online Event Registrations


Online tools apply the speed and convenience required by dispersed teams, and they meet the assumed warp speed that members require in their professional lives.

Registration services are core to good meeting management.  Special events happen once a year or occasionally, but ongoing meetings, seminars and workshops also require quality communications of program details, organizational opportunities and revenues involved.

Online event registration services automate and smooth the reporting functions that help with organizing meetings, big, small and in-between.  With online fee processing, registration services make it easy for members to reserve their place with the click of a button, and makes it easy for leaders to track attendance for meeting management metrics.

Event registration systems typically are broken out by "special events" and "meeting management" of regular meetings for membership groups.  EventBrite is an example for special events.  SureToMeet.com is an example of an online meeting management, promotion and registration system for group meetings.  

Online solutions use less natural resources (and energy) than mailings, phone trees and even face to face planning meetings.  Online meeting registration software saves time and provides flexible access when it uses the power of the Internet to connect volunteer officers and committee leaders who organize meetings and events for their dispersed members. 

The Internet has make almost instant communications possible for professional groups and association officers.   

Web-based administration systems help colleges improve and streamline course planning and scheduling, and make the best use of classroom space and teaching resources. All this has another bottom-line payoff as well: immense savings and increased profits.

Colleges aren't all about administrative solutions. Volunteer leaders abound on the college campus! 

Volunteer leadership involves continuing coordination of member involvement and the communications that makes collaboration possible. Meeting registration software, especially when hosted online can ease those meeting organization details.

Features of online meeting registration software include:

•     Online registration forms
•     Online member information administration
•     Event and meeting announcements
•     Community calendars
•     Registration fee collection
•     Payment processing
•     Letters and emails
•     Discussion forums
•     Badges and tickets

By automating time-consuming tasks, staff and leaders of membership organizations and automate recurring meeting communications and announcements, and concentrate of collaborative and person to person service.

Professional staff and leaders need to spend their limited and valuable time developing new classes and programs, supporting new leaders, administering legal and accounting records, marketing educational offerings and membership to potential members.

Member relationship management is a vital and ongoing part of trade and professional association leadership.  Bringing new board members and committee chairs into effective association management includes orientation about what members expect, the organization's programs, membership benefits and of course, meetings and how they benefit members.

There are many companies such as LocalVoice and Sure To Meet that provide software and hosted, member relationship management   solutions that are  designed for the special needs of associations and local professional chapters.

Hosted association solutions enable staff and volunteer leaders to manage member databases, membership registration, email communications, event registration, event calendars, and get those communications to members in a fast and "green" way.

Event registration is even easier with e-marketing automation.  E-marketing features include software enhanced functionality such as personalized sorting of interests and profile characteristics, as well as timed release of e-mail announcements of meetings.

Sure To Meet's Internet-hosted meeting and member management solutions make it possible to affordably automate member subscriptions and profile choices that can shape quality communications based on member preferences.  

MemberClicks provides association management software that automates the membership experience that includes membership management, dues renewal, event registration, and website design.

Wild Apricot membership and database management software offers Web 2.0 technology, to create member websites with online application and event registration forms.

Group membership is the knowledge infrastructure for American business and public careers.  Providing association leaders with easy to use and affordable tools that help members participate in the organization are an important asset that is possible with new software and online hosted information tools such as association management and membership database services.