Last night at our monthly board meeting we were discussing what members care about, we were talking about our monthly luncheons, the things that work and the things that we could improve. We talked about your survey comments and how much we appreciated the feedback, and we talked about how we could let you know that we hear you and we care. You'll hear more about that at our next luncheon (and here's my shameless plug - our next luncheon features Lenn Millbower (Disney fame - Meet Like A Mouse & Meetings Makeover) at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, Wednesday, March 20, 11:30 a.m....register here).
So, we decided that instead of investing our energy in producing a newsletter, we would start blogging on topics that our members want to hear more about. And, we invite you, our members, to submit blog articles to us...so that we can all benefit from our collective wisdom.
Here are some ideas for blog topics that got bounced around the boardroom table last night:
- How do they do it? A behind the scenes look at high-profile events in the city of Edmonton. Examples could include Oprah's visit, Cavalia, Cirque du Soleil, etc. How do we bring headliner shows to town?
- Demystifying Common Contract Clauses. This blog could include samples of attrition clauses, force majeure, etc. and what they really mean to you as a planner and supplier.
- Measuring Success in Events. This blog could include tips for writing SMART objectives and ways to measure event outcomes for both planners and suppliers. How do I quantify the value of my meetings, or as a vendor, quantify the value of my services / products?
- Green Meeting Tips. How to get started, baby steps, easy ways to start making a difference. Being green is hip (and hippie!) ...in a good way!
We'd love to hear back from you about topics you want to hear more about or that you'd like to contribute to our chapter blog. Want to share a success story or lesson learned? We'll share them here on our blog. Email mpiedmonton@gmail.com, Subject: blog topic and we promise to follow up. And, for any of you that are interested in contributing, here's a link to some blogging tips that you might find helpful: http://weblogs.about.com/od/bloggingtips/tp/TipsWriteBlogPosts.htm
Looking forward to seeing the collective wisdom of Edmonton MPI members come to life on this blog...or else you'll be stuck with me writing about contract clauses and green meetings and whatever else strikes my fancy to blog about to all of you!