Most of us have participated in so many virtual meetings by now, but is the experience getting any better? What keeps your attention and what’s distracting? In this fun, interactive and somewhat outrageous session, join Brad Weaber to learn how to elevate the virtual meeting experience for attendees, speakers, and organizers. We’ll review everything from camera positions, lighting, and audio to clothing choices and backgrounds. Be prepared to share your experiences and opinions, but not your nostrils!

SPEAKER: BRAD WEABER, FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL

THE BRAD WEABER CONSULTING GROUP

Brad Weaber is the Founder and Principal of the Brad Weaber Consulting Group, a firm focused on professional board and panel facilitation (live and virtual) as well as management efficiencies and event strategy review for all market segments. A 30-year veteran of the meetings/events/hospitality industry, he served most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Connections Housing, a leading provider of event and housing management. His previous senior management roles included being the Executive Vice President of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau; EVP for Smith Bucklin’s largest division, Event Services, which includes Courtesy Associates, where he served as President; and EVP and Chief Customer Officer for Experient, Inc. the world's largest event management corporation.

Brad is active with ASAE, IAEE, and PCMA. He is a featured speaker and moderator at industry events, and is a frequent trade publication contributor. He has also served on numerous advisory boards for cities and hotel properties.

What will events look like when we return to in-person or hybrid meetings? Michael will lead us in a discussion to re-imagine our entire experience, including room design and spatial distancing, food & beverage setups, hotel room amenities and more.

Join us for a special return engagement with Michael Dominguez, influential industry leader and former board member of MPI, ASAE and the U.S. Travel Association.

SPEAKER: MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ, CEO

ASSOCIATED LUXURY HOTELS INTERNATIONAL (ALHI)

Michael Dominguez is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). Prior to assuming the role at ALHI in June 2019, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer for MGM Resorts International (MGMRI).

Michael is Past Chairman of the International Board of Directors for Meeting Professionals International (MPI). His other industry leadership involvement includes board positions with the U.S. Travel Association (USTA) Executive Committee and Board of Directors for ASAE. He has served as Co-Chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition as well as Co-Chair of the APEX Room Piracy Taskforce and the APEX Standards Committee. Michael served on the GBTA Foundation Board, the HSMAI Foundation Board and the FICP-Hospitality Professional Advisory Committee. In Las Vegas, he was member of the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees. He was recruited and served in taskforce positions for PCMA, ASAE and CIC (Convention Industry Council).

Now that virtual meetings are commonplace, keeping attendees engaged while they're remote can be challenging. When designing virtual meetings, planners are purposely inserting activities for fun, whether it’s during an opening session, a midday break, or a virtual happy hour.

In our August program, we’ll look at ways to build community, spark attendee creativity, and develop memorable and meaningful activities. Which activities can be done in a general session and which are more conducive to breakout sessions?

We’ll hear from several engagement providers, participate in demos, and discuss obstacles and best practices from the planners in the audience.

Participating speakers will come from:

• The creative business solutions arm of The Second City, the world’s premier comedy theater and largest school of improvisation
• Feet First Entertainment, specializing in live virtual game shows and scavenger hunts
• Piccles, the virtual engagement tool in which attendees create instant drawings to share their feelings

Come prepared to play games and have fun with your RHMP colleagues!

CAREER PLANNING:

CHARTING A SUCCESSFUL PATH DURING ECONOMIC INSTABILITY

The meeting and event industry has been greatly impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting financial crisis. Some colleagues have been furloughed or laid off, and even those who have remained employed are taking stock of their career path. What now? Do we maintain the path we’ve been on; do we remain in the industry and take on a different role, or will we abandon this industry altogether?

In our September program, we’ll be joined by two well-known executive recruiters who will help us make sense of it all. Topics will include the best way to polish your résumé, tips on networking, the importance of social media, whether to become independent and/or start your own business, and how to take advantage of this turbulent time.

Join us, bring your questions, and participate in a thought-provoking discussion.

We have all learned to adapt to the uncertainty, confusion, competing sources of information and disruption caused by a world turned upside down.

Event organizers, planners, sponsors and executives at organizations that rely on events as their primary media platform and source of revenue need clarity as we enter 2021.

These 5 "must-do's" for 2021 will help you establish a baseline for your thinking as you enter the planning cycle for what is sure to be another year of massive change, new opportunities and continued uncertainty.

1. 1. Your event must have a clear economic strategy and be designed for profitability.
   2. A much deeper level of interaction, engagement and intimacy must be achieved. What's working and what's not?
   3. Plan for a portion of your event to be in-person; albeit modest in the first half of the year, more robust in Q3 and Q4.
   4. Strategy must lead and technology and virtual event platforms must follow. Don't let the tool decide the job your event must accomplish. Learn the 7 keys to a good design brief.
   5. The 9P's of marketing are more important and play a bigger role than ever as you seek to ensure that your annual event portfolio is integrated and maximizes the value of each individual event. Understand why you are in charge of marketing regardless of your title.

Join us for this fast paced, strategic and tactical session that will help you see your 2021 event through a new lens.

Speaker: Don Neal, Founder & CEO
360 Live Media

Don Neal is the founder and CEO of 360 Live Media, the nation's premier full-service experience design and marketing agency serving associations and helping them reimagine their events. Don has served as the CMO at Marsh & McLennan, as an advertising executive on Madison Avenue, he was the co-founder of Hallmark Cards Loyalty Group, an adjunct graduate marketing professor at Georgetown University, as well as Chairman of the Board of the Catalogue for Philanthropy. Don has been a featured speaker at national conferences, and he is a regular contributor to PCMA's Convene Magazine.

If only we all had hindsight on how 2020 was going to play out. A worldwide pandemic, a severe financial impact on the hospitality and meetings industry that directly affected many of our colleagues, calls for racial justice, and a contentious election season all swirling around simultaneously.

With many virtual meetings under our belts, and hybrids now becoming more common, we’ll examine the landscape going forward from a city’s perspective.

Join us November 19 when our special guest, Samuel Thomas, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Events DC, will discuss what DC and other cities are doing to reintroduce events. What are the risks and opportunities for live and hybrid events, social distancing and other protective measures in large and small venues, and other best practices that are being implemented. Samuel will discuss how municipalities, venues, and convention centers are adapting to accommodate the needs of meeting planners.

Speaker: Samuel Thomas, Senior Vice President and General Manager
Events DC

The Return to Live

Lo and behold, live meetings are being planned for this year. Discover what planners found when they recently produced and attended live meetings, how priorities and tasks might be changing going forward, and how properties and suppliers have adapted to new conditions based on COVID-19 guidelines.