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Find Attendees Looking for an Event Like Yours on Google

Find Attendees Looking for an Event Like Yours on Google

by | Jul 25, 2019 | Attendee marketing

 If you have a mailing list that includes customers, members, and past event attendees, you have a built-in conduit for advertising upcoming events.  What about people who are not yet connected to you and don’t even know your event exists?  How do you think these people are most likely to find your event if they’re looking for something like it?

These days, the average person seeking an event of some sort is likely to start their search on Google by simply entering a query.  This means you and your corporate meeting planner have to find ways to show up in results for relevant searches, and ideally, before competing events.  How does this happen?

You’ll need to rely on search engine optimization or SEO.  When a Google user enters a search for “gaming conventions” or “food trade shows in Los Angeles”, you want them to find your event first, and this means playing into Google algorithms that deliver the most relevant and authoritative data for related terms.

Proper SEO strategies ensure that Google recognizes your expertise and delivers your links to users searching for events like yours.  Here are just a few things you and your event organizer should focus on when it comes to getting your data in front of the right users.

Nab Popular Keywords with Your Event Organizer 

As you probably know, including the name of your company is important, especially if it’s attached to the event or you’re the main sponsor.  This is not only a crucial aspect of growing brand recognition, but it helps Google to properly index for search results, linking the event to your brand and your website.

Unfortunately, most people who are unaware of your particular event are unlikely to search for it by name, or by your brand name, so you also need to cherry pick keywords most closely associated with your event, including terms related to the nature of your event.  If you’re hosting a food trade show, using keywords like “food trade show” and including other data, searchers might use like the location city or the current year of the event is wise.

Google can help you to discover related search terms, but you and your convention planner are going to have to choose the best terms, and it’s important to understand you will have to pay to use them in advertising.  However, if you’re facing competition, it’s worth paying something for prominent placement.

Keep in mind that the more specific the terms you use (such as long-tail keywords), the less competition you’re likely to have, but you’re also less likely to match up to generic search queries.  If you aren’t already aware of the growing use of voice search and how to choose the right keywords for this field, now is the time to learn.

Don’t Skimp on Meta Data

The titles, tags, and descriptions for landing pages may not be seen by readers, but that doesn’t make them any less important.  They are seen by Google search bots and used to help index your site and your pages.  By including relevant keywords in your metadata, you and your event organizer can reinforce the keywords featured in your content and help to boost relevance for related searches.

Develop a Network of Valuable and Organic Links

Link building became something of a bad word a few years ago thanks to underhanded linking schemes that helped to boost Google rankings at the expense of the user experience.  That said, back-links are still one of the primary methods Google uses to determine relevance and authority, and you and your convention planner can’t do without a strong network of valuable links.

While black hat SEO practices like linking schemes will get you delisted from Google these days, you can still build up a network of back-links by creating content that begs to be shared organically (and spreads links to your pages).  You can also work with trusted and highly-ranked websites and blogs within your industry to get valuable links that will weigh heavily in your favor.  Whether you build relationships with these online outlets or you offer content in exchange for links is up to you.

Focus on Mobile Optimization with Your Convention Planner

Says Annie Fernandez, Director of Marketing at AMI, “Google is all about mobile first, and you want to make sure you’re on the bandwagon.  They’ve said websites optimized for mobile users are going to get preferential treatment moving forward, so your SEO efforts should definitely place a premium on mobile content.”

With more and more users searching via phones, tablets, and other mobile devices, Google wants to make sure to deliver on customer expectations.  You and your event organizer can’t afford to ignore their mobile first initiative if you want the best chance to connect with attendees seeking events like yours on Google.

American Meetings Network Prime Member: Carey Transportation

American Meetings Network Prime Member: Carey Transportation

by | Jul 23, 2019 | The American Meetings Network

Meet our Prime Supplier: Carey Transportation

Our Prime Supplier Member,  Carey Transportation joined The American Meetings Network and they are already seeing the benefits by meeting 1:1 with AMI’s Meeting Planners and Sourcing Managers at Global Procurement Day.

About Carey Transportation:

Carey is the world’s leading provider of chauffeured services and ground transportation logistics management.  With an exclusive global network spanning more than 1000 cities worldwide, Carey offers unrivaled safety, consistent service standards, and innovative travel technology for both travelers and arrangers.

How to Staff an Amazing Events Team

How to Staff an Amazing Events Team

by | Jul 12, 2019 | Venues and sourcing

As the event host, you’ll play a major role in planning and managing the event, and you’ll have your hands in every aspect of operations from beginning to end.  That said, no one is an island, and you can’t expect to pull off a truly spectacular meeting or convention without a bit of assistance.

You’re going to need a reliable team of experts to manage the various facets of transforming your vision into a successful event.  You need coverage for areas where you have no expertise.  Even if you’re organized and you have a big-picture mentality, you might not know a lot about logistics, technology, décor, customer service, or other integral aspects of making your event a success.

This is where an amazing events team comes into play.  With the right staff on hand to pick up the slack, you can delegate essential tasks to professionals who can handle them, leaving you free to focus on the aspects of planning and managing an event that fall in your wheelhouse.  Here are just a few of the key positions you’ll want to populate with qualified individuals.

Convention Planner

Even though you have the ultimate say in how planning progresses as the host of the event, a professional convention planner can help you to get all of your ducks in a row.  Those who specialize in meeting and event services can help you nail down the details for every aspect of event planning, from branding and promotion, to attendee recruitment and registration, to presentations and technologies, to vendor discovery and contract negotiation, to overall management and follow-up.

Says Tessa Cameron VP of Strategic Sourcing at AMI, “Think of your convention planner as the foundation for a successful event, the base that all the other pieces of your team are built on top of.  This is the first person you’ll want to bring on board when you’re planning an event.  This is the person who can help you put together all the pieces.”

You’ll also need administrators to head up different areas of the event planning and management process.  These professionals will report to you and your event organizer and take some duties off your plate.

Creative Coordinator

Your convention planning team will consist not only of people who handle logistics, but also those who come up with innovative design ideas suitable for your brand and your event.  The creative team will be involved with marketing and promotions for your event, brand imaging at every level (website and social media, as well as print materials at the event), media for presentations, and design and décor for your event.

Everything from event maps, to logos, to banners and kiosks could fall to the creative coordinator and his/her team to create.  Although you’re likely to have some ideas about the design process and your event organizer will probably have suggestions, as well, you really need a creative team in place to bring your vision to life.

Tech Director

There’s no denying the importance of technology in modern day events.  Event the simplest meetings and presentations will benefit from audio/visual elements, and you can use technology in ever-increasing ways to improve logistics, engage your audience, and add convenience to every facet of your event.

Your technical director can help you not only determine which technologies are suitable for your event, but also how to implement upgrades and even find partners in creating custom software or apps for your events.  Whether you want to set up kiosks with tablets featuring interactive displays or you plan to provide all event info and an easy means of event registration via app, you’re going to need a professional that understands the benefits and challenges of working technology into your events.

 

Head of Security

You might not necessarily have to hire this important team member – many venues that host big events already have their own security staff in place or they outsource to a local provider for security details.  If you happen to have an experienced security professional on staff that you trust, he/she can act as a liaison with on-site security personnel to create a plan than ensures safety for event attendees.  Your convention planner can also help you to find security experts as needed.

 

Event Organizer Recommendations

If you’re relatively new to event planning or you’re hosting an event overseas (where laws and expectations are different), you might not even know what types of people you’re going to need to pull off your event.  The good news is that an expert event organizer has the knowledge to guide you through and a network of contacts to tap into for assistance or advice.

American Meetings Network Prime Member: TeamBonding

American Meetings Network Prime Member: TeamBonding

by | Jul 8, 2019 | The American Meetings Network

Meet our Prime Supplier: TeamBonding

Our Prime Supplier Member,  TeamBonding joined The American Meetings Network and they are already seeing the benefits by meeting 1:1 with AMI’s Meeting Planners and Sourcing Managers at Global Procurement Day.

About TeamBonding: Where work meets play.

Fresh, exciting, strategically-focused fun is what clients want from TeamBonding , and that’s exactly what they get. For Fortune 500 companies and smallish non-profits, for start-ups and universities, TeamBonding’s remarkable facilitators have delivered literally thousands of team building events around the globe.

AMI Wins Coveted CVS Ruby Award as New Supplier of the Year

AMI Wins Coveted CVS Ruby Award as New Supplier of the Year

by | Jun 30, 2019 | Pharma News

Most consumers are familiar with CVS Health Corp., the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States with more than 7,900 locations throughout the country. What consumers may not know is that CVS Health is a leader in supplier diversity. In fact, the Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based company plans to continue to expand the amount of goods and services it purchases from diverse suppliers — including companies owned by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals  To help meet this ongoing goal, the company recently launched an innovative executive-learning program designed to help ensure the inclusion of diverse suppliers in its supply chain, which AMI participated in.

The program, called CVS Health Executive Learning Series, is an 18-week online and in-class course designed to help suppliers attain the knowledge, skills and capabilities to better equip themselves to do business with CVS Health, as well as other businesses and industries. The curriculum — developed by Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island — is similar to an executive MBA and incorporates finance and budget strategies with leadership, management, social media and technology skills, human resources and communications.

Monette Knapik, CVS Health’s senior director of strategic sourcing and supplier management, said all executives at CVS Health — from the C-suite to front line management — are advocates of the new program. “We want our supplier base to represent our employees and the communities we serve,” she said. “We recognize that this program is just good business practice.”

Ten business owners were selected for the course and chosen by a committee of national organizations that support supplier diversity, including the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce®, US Business Leadership Network®, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Rising Tide Group, US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce and Southern Florida Minority Supplier Development Council including American Meetings, Inc. –AMI.

Raul Suarez-Rodriguez, manager of supplier diversity at CVS Health, is pleased with how well the program is going, adding that the company’s relationship with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has been “tremendous” through the many years that CVS Health has been a corporate member and that the chamber has been instrumental in getting LGBT businesses ready to work with companies like the national pharmacy chain. “The NGLCC helps develop LGBT businesses to be well-prepared to do business with corporations like ours,” he said. “The course is really robust and I hope that at the end of the program there is going to be a mentoring-type element attached to it.”

AMI was selected by CVS Health for 2018 class, and also received Supplier of the Year Ruby Award from CVS Health for its partnership in conference management.