THE RISING CONCERN OVER SECURITY AT CONFERENCES: Granted, most of us will never be in charge of putting together a conference event that needs airtight security, as they did at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. However, the rise in security breaches at every level needs to be addressed. While the level of law enforcement at those events was staggering in its complexity and cost, it should leave one to pause on what is needed for smaller events. The unfortunate truth is that there is no conference, event, meeting or gathering that is not a possible target of someone seeking to create an incident. That is merely the truth of this society we live in. At a recent speaking engagement, I encountered more than one attendee who was armed. Indeed, both individuals were carrying small handguns, insisting they needed it for their own personal protection. As one individual said to me, "I have no idea who or what is going to be at any large gathering, and I'm damn certain to take every step I can to protect myself and those around me". Now, think about that. I will wager that at many events of varying sizes, someone is armed, be it legal or illegal. According to statistics from the Pew Research Center, 72% of gun owners carry and use their weapons for personal protection. So then, what do we as meeting and conference planners do to keep our event safe? What should we be doing, and what is the interaction with the venue and local law enforcement that's necessary? In light of what society is today, how much attention should we pay to heightened event security? We've opened a rather interesting and perhaps even alarming Pandora's Box here, and it would seem the time is right now to address concerns. Email me at fuzzydogsproductions@gmail.com with your responses.
THE MEETING ROOM OF THE FUTURE IS MORE THAN JUST AN A/V SETUP AND FOLDING CHAIRS: Depending on the venue and the size of the event, there may not be much we can control in the actual meeting space. Smaller venues are limited on what they can provide, and even larger venues are, in some cases, still far behind the times in what to offer as ancillary equipment and set-up. That needs to change as we move forward in the evolution of meeting and events. The International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) recently issued a report where 170 venue operators and 275 meeting planners from around the world were asked what they needed to see in these future meeting spaces. A greater emphasis on lighting and sound quality, stronger and more effective Wi-Fi for attendees, a greater attention to catering diversity, and being aware of clients on a strict budget all came up as main topics of concern. From experience, I can tell you that as a speaker, I have often run into situations where the audio was subpar at best, there was little or no modern equipment for proper stage presentation, and there were plenty of times I asked for technical assistance in setting up and was confront with poorly trained individuals, some who seemingly couldn't care less. I actually had one person say to me, "that's not my job", and then quickly disappeared before I could follow with, "well then, could you help me find someone who can help?" With a greater eye on the performance and the cost, venues need to take that step into the future yesterday.
STOP SAYING "I DO" TO WHAT IS NO LONGER NECESSARY AT WEDDINGS: Time marches on, costs change, tastes are always evolving, and therefore the wedding event industry needs to pay more attention than ever before to what sells and what doesn't. According to a 2024 ZOLA report, the average wedding spends around $33,000, and more than ever, people are watching pennies. I recently ran across an article on Buzzfeed where they asked their community to comment on those items once thought to be indispensable at weddings, but are now considered unnecessary relics. Some of it seemed common sense, other items were a little eyebrow-raising. There was a call for artificial flowers over the much more expensive (and not lasting long at all) real ones. The suggestion that if you weren't a couple that danced much before you got together, then spending a ton of cash on a pricey DJ makes no sense at all. Besides, I think we've gone past the hilarity of watching as others attending the reception try to do something approaching coordinated body movements and instead come off more in the vein of Elaine Benes from "Seinfeld". Even skipping the pricey wedding favors comes up as a good idea. At "Event Laughers", in delivering customized comedy for wedding invitations, receptions and "thank you" messages, we are always first and foremost aware of budget, the timely nature of our productions, and ensuring that the genre of comedy works for every individual. It's that special "1 to 1" attention on detail we strive for, always keeping cost and quality as our main focus to make it something very special for every special occasion.
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