A New Adventure!

First, I want to thank everyone for your support over the past few years as I've been running M+M. I'm very excited to announce today that soon I'll be starting a new social media consulting and management business. In the process of promoting M+M on various social media platforms, I found that I greatly enjoy the creative aspect of developing and curating material with which people connect. My goal is to work with three particular kinds of businesses about which I feel great passion. I'll reveal the name and more details about the new venture soon.  If you'd like to get an idea of my work, "like" the Meetings and Milestones Facebook page (it'll be available a bit longer). Onward to a new adventure!

Images and Videos are MUSTS!

Basically, if you're running a business in 2016, you need to be on social media.  Research your target audience to find out the top 2-3 platforms they're on and learn as much as you can about those particular ones. Don't try to be on every platform. The object is to be social which doesn't mean SELL, SELL, SELL! It means being consistent with your posts and presenting information that will help you develop a relationship with your prospective customers or clients. The 80%/20% ratio is recommended. That means 80% of the time you're connecting with your audience by making posts they will find funny, informative, motivational, useful, emotional, etc. that are not directly about your business. The object is to be SOCIAL! Then 20% of the time post about your business and promote your products or services.  There are lots of good resources where you can find types of posts to make.

When you post, you will get more reach and engagement if you include images and videos. You don't have to be a graphic designer. Numerous free tools exist to help you create graphics. Also, you can find apps to make your videos look better. Pictures and videos taken with a cell phone are fine to start.  I'm including a recent video I did. I've learned it's best to turn the phone horizontally. I need to work on my editing but since I was filming my cats, I had to be quick. They weren't going to wait for me to set up the tripod!  

Always Have a Plan B

Today in Houston, TX parts of the city had major flooding again. The last major flood, if I'm correct, was Memorial Day weekend of 2015. Many homes were flooded and some people were just moving back in recently after repairs were completed. How does this relate to event planning, you ask? There are many beautiful outdoor venues in Houston as I'm sure there are all over this country. Many weddings, anniversary celebrations, birthday parties and other gatherings are held outside especially in the fall and early spring before it gets too dadblasted hot in this part of Texas. If you find an outdoor setting that you love and want to sign the contract, be sure to ask about their rain policy. What is their Plan B? How will they make sure your event will continue as planned? Do they have tent insurance? Of course, if there is a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, that's a different matter! Make sure you're clear on what they do in that situation as well. You want your event to go off as scheduled, I'm sure, but you also want to make sure your guests have a great time so that means making sure they're as dry as possible and most importantly, safe!

 

Business Advancement Conference

This past Saturday I attended the Business Advancement Conference in Houston which was planned and coordinated by Kiersten Kindred of Kindred Communications. Kiersten did a fabulous job! For a really great price I had a head shot taken, enjoyed a continental breakfast and box lunch and listened to eight speakers present on their topics of expertise. In addition attendees were able to sign up for a mini-session during lunch with one of several business experts.  The speakers' topics ranged from how to boost your profits to the power of e-mail marketing to public relations to SEO to how to build a website (and more!). I thought the most motivational speaker was Donna Wick of WICKed Publicity.  She spoke about being open and saying yes to business opportunities. I liked her presentation because she told stories about her personal experiences on the road to success and made it real for the audience.

I have planned several conferences since 2009 and so wanted to mention some observations. Registration was a quick process and the head shot area was set up right across from check-in so people could have that done right away. The room was set up comfortably; the tables had enough space to move between them. Breakfast was ready to serve as attendees arrived. I noticed as I read the agenda that no breaks were scheduled during the day. Actually, this is the first conference I've attended that didn't have breaks scheduled. I remember thinking,"I wonder how this is going to work?" I was pleasantly surprised because as far as I could tell, it worked great! When people had to leave the room, they quietly got up and left.  I'd like to try this sometime. I've always felt that it takes too much time to get people back in the room and settled after a break. A 15 minute break can easily stretch to 25 minutes! I also noticed that Kiersten and her team kept a close eye on the time schedule.  Speakers ended on time! The entire conference seemed to run seamlessly. I'm glad I went. It was a great experience and I came home with information I can use!

Baptismal Celebration

On Saturday, April 2nd my niece's son was baptized. On Sunday my brother's family hosted a reception at their ranch not too far from the city where the baby was baptized. This celebration was very casual, very laid back. A few ladies prepared pre-dinner trays of veggies and fruit. A couple of men started up the charcoal and barbequed chicken and steak as seasoned beans and rice heated up on the stove. When all the food was ready, about 30 guests sat down to enjoy the delicious food and great company. Later, everyone gathered around the two cakes. As it was my nieces' birthday, one of the cakes was for her and the other was in celebration of the baptism. Two cakes: you can't get much better than that!  All sang happy birthday to her and she blew out the candles. The group enjoyed cake and ice cream while chatting with each other. The weather was absolutely gorgeous that day. The party couldn't have gone any better if I had planned it myself! To my sister-in-law and niece: great job you two!  

Picnic for Two, Please

To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of our first meeting on October 23, 2004, I planned a surprise picnic for now-husband.  I knew I wanted do plan something special and unexpected so I asked him to meet me at a neighborhood park.  It's a beautiful park, only a small square block, but it has a little bridge and lots of big beautiful trees which provide an abundance of cool shade.  To prepare for the picnic, I packed a blanket, a battery-operated CD player & CDs (this was before smart phones!), cooler, plastic wine glasses (it was outside after all!) in my car and stopped by the store to pick up snacks, sparkling grape juice and some "Happy Anniversary" balloons.  I even bought him a particular DVD he had mentioned which I gladly drove across town to purchase.  I set everything up at the park and awaited his arrival.  He drove up right on time and was totally surprised and pleased as you can tell from the look on his face.  

You, too, can plan something special for your partner/spouse! It just takes a little thought and planning.  Listen to the other person.  When the person mentions something he/she would like, write it down.  I collect a list during the year so I have it come holiday time and don't have to wrack my brain thinking of what to get him.  You can also peruse Pinterest for ideas about practically anything. If you want to plan something special for your partner/spouse but don't know how to start, contact me.  I'd be glad to help!

Picking the Right Flowers

One of the most important elements of party planning is picking the right flowers. Start with the guest of honor's preferences. Does he/she have a favorite flower or favorite color? Another thing to consider is the odor. You don't the odor so strong that it blows everyone away. Also, some people may have an allergy to certain odors. I remember when I was working in an office and one of the staff loved to spray cologne on herself. I could instantly smell it down the hall and it lead to my developing instant headaches. You don't want that! The party would be over before it even began. You want people to at least stay long enough to eat (just kidding!). But seriously, guests should be comfortable and want to enjoy the party. Flowers really contribute to the ambience and the total experience. Don't forget flowers and remember....fresh is best!