A Virtual Role for Online Meeting Assistance
With the advent of COVID19 meetings have moved from onsite to online. With that, the role of an onsite Travel Director (TD) has morphed into the role of a Virtual Meeting Moderator. If you are planning a meeting or if you are a TD, below are a few of the roles that come into play. Additionally, below you will find tutorial links to help bring you up to speed with various platforms.
Virtual Meeting Moderator Services
Based on the software platform, the Virtual Meeting Moderator roles may vary slightly. Additionally, different meeting types, client requirements, and nuances will impact service needs. Moderators are provided live streaming schedules to support the flow of the virtual experience for everyone involved. A few of the most crucial aspects to moderating a program are:
• Openings & Closings & Speaker Introductions
• Improving the Attendee, Speaker, & Rep Experience
• Managing Q&A
• Moving Attendees to Breakout Rooms
• Slide Deck Management
• User & Attendee Microphone Management
Links to Virtual Meeting Educational Resources
- Adobe Connect Education
- Adobe Connect Essential Tips
- Cisco WebEx Education
- Cisco WebEx Tutorials
- Cisco WebEx Events
- Go To Meeting Education
- Google Hangouts Education
- Microsoft Teams Education
- RingCentral Meetings Education
- Zoom Tutorials
- Zoom Recorded Educational Sessions
Content has been supplied by various sources including Plannernet. For more information, contact Carolyn Davis, CMP at cdavis@strategicmeetingpartners.com.
- Published in News, Virtual Events
Carolyn Davis – WINNER / 2017 SPIN 40 over 40
SPIN Launches Recognition Program for Seasoned Planners
SPIN: Senior Professionals Industry Network has released the list of winners of its inaugural SPIN: 40 over 40 program, which honors veteran planners for their work as influencers, innovators, and pioneers in the meetings and events industry.
SPIN Founder Shawna Suckow calls the depth and breadth of what the honorees have achieved “amazing,” adding, “Just like our membership, this list is diverse and includes planners for large corporations, associations, and smaller third-party agencies. Our award recipients speak, they teach, they plan large conferences and small incentive programs, work locally and globally, and find time to mentor and volunteer.” Winners each receive complimentary registration for SPINCon 2017, and another free pass they can give to their nominator or a fellow qualified planner. They will be recognized at the conference, which will be held at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas, December 3–5.
“This is an exciting and humbling honor to be recognized by SPIN for my contributions to the industry,” says Terri Woodin, CMP, of Meeting Sites Resources. “There are so many truly amazing planners around the globe that work tirelessly to achieve great things for this industry, their company, and themselves, so to be selected as one of the first 40 is very rewarding.”
Another honoree, Marti Fox, CMP, CMM, CPECP, of GlobalGoals, Inc., says, “We have taken different paths to get where we are today and are all committed to the elevation of the meeting planning profession.”
- Published in News
Hotel Towels Do Make a Difference
Is this Hotel Must-Have on Your Site Inspection List?
File this one under the strangest press release I’ve gotten so far this week: A low-water laundry system maker surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers to find out how towels impact the quality of the hotel guest experience. And guess what? They said that it matters—a lot. In fact, 84 percent said it influences their perception of the hotel brand, and 73 percent said towel quality influences their decision to return to that hotel brand in the future.
“The results of this study illustrate that travelers care quite a bit about the towels they use during hotel visits. Cleanliness, followed by softness, is top criteria for judging the quality of a towel,” said Jonathan Benjamin, global president, laundry, at Xeros. “The quality of the towels impact guest satisfaction, brand perception, as well as customer loyalty.”
And what makes for a good towel experience? Obviously, cleanliness came in first, followed by softness. High thread counts, not so much—that attribute of expensive, luxury towels came in dead last on the list. A fresh smell helps too, but it appears they did not ask about the impact of towel origami on the guest experience, much the pity! Eighty-five percent said they reuse their hotel towels out of concern for the environment, and more than three quarters said they value eco-friendly laundry practices. So if your hotel has a sign that says they won’t replace it if it’s hung up, don’t replace it! It sounds like I’m not the only one who gets irked by that.
But are hotel guests really all that towel crazy? Apparently, they are, with a third saying they would write a negative online review if their towels weren’t up to par. And more than half said they had already dissed a property due to their unhappiness with the towels. Who are these people??
So when you do a site inspection of your next meeting hotel, pay some extra attention to the towels. As Benjamin says in the press release, “Towels are a relatively unexplored branding touch point in the customer journey and has the potential to be an emotional tipping point turning a visitor into a loyal customer.” Or a happy meeting participant, apparently.
spelletier@meetingsnet.com | MeetingsNet