Category Archives: Conferences

Be a Valued Business Partner

19 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology, Video

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Have you ever felt like you are an order taker, taking in client requests from a request form like a Chinese food menu?  Order one from column A and one from column B.  Most agree that request forms have their place and value but it doesn’t have to be so transactional.

To thrive in today’s business environment, striving to be your client’s valued business partner can help separate you and your team from the appearance of being just an order taker to being a service; a service offering a partnership that, enhances value, shares experience and builds trust.

  • Partnership:  You are in it together.  Achieving success as a team and having a shared desire of a successful end product.
  • Value: Not only financial value but the value of your collaboration, skills, and innovation.  Embracing the out-of-the-box solution, doing the basics flawlessly and consistently while providing legendary service.
  • Experience: Best practices can be one of your most valuable assets.  Your team does this work every day, your client maybe a few times a year.  Guiding them through the successes and pitfalls from past experiences instead of just doing what was requested shows that you care.
  • Trust:  Building and cultivating trust are the results of your partnership, value and experience.

Take a look at this YouTube video I found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7XqZxsIyks.  We are reminded that “at 211 degrees water is hot, at 212 degrees it boils.  The extra degree makes all the difference.  The one extra degree of effort in business and in life…separates the good from the great!”

Valued Business Partner
When providing a webcast for example, you could easily just come to the venue, setup in the back and wait for the presentation to start.  It would meet expectations, but would do little to increase your value.  To exceed expectations you could also make sure the PowerPoint is projected and formatted correctly, provide best practices when working with a hybrid audience, brief the presenters on the presentation technology used in the room, and to provide logistical support in blocking their event to name a few. Most of all make sure you are visible and available for any client need, in scope or out, to help ensure their success (and yours).

By becoming your client’s valued business partner you can seamlessly integrate into their business and become an invaluable resource to them and their fellow employees.  What are some examples of what you have done to add that extra degree?

Article contributed by Jim Fox, CMMA Board of Directors

The Do-it-Yourself Video Production Trend

23 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology, Video

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Should we embrace the growing demand for Do-it-Yourself video production?  The use of video is exploding and becoming a more dominant communications preference. Therefore, the need to create video is also exploding.  Our department goal is to effectively and efficiently support our corporate growth strategies through video communications.  Nowhere in these goals does it say, “Only high-end productions”.  In fact, it is our responsibility to help employees be aware of all the video resources available to them.

At the recent CMMA National Conference, I shared a case study about the installation of our new Do-it-Yourself (DIY) video recording studio and editing suite.  Many of the media managers in attendance shared their same challenge with this business dilemma.  Being associated with the low-end productions concerned my colleagues as it might dilute their department’s brand name or quality reputation. However, satisfying our client’s business requirements has enhanced our reputation.  Another concern was the DIY facility would take away business.  In some cases, these new clients are validating the need for a video to meet their business objectives, and after digging in, they realize they are not qualified to produce video. As a result, they come to us for a producer and we’ve gained a new customer.

The more important question to ask ourselves may be: what will happen if we don’t embrace DIY video productions?  If producing low-end, YouTube, or DIY, style videos truly is a new business requirement, employees are going to find a way to shoot and edit these projects on their own.  We think it makes better business sense to have a centralized, minimally supported, shared production facility than it does to have little DIY studios popping up all over.  In addition to the overall cost savings, this model gives us a better chance to implement production and format standards and asset management.

We started supporting the DIY trend three years ago with an internal Video Library (ala YouTube) and now have over 7,500 user generated videos in the system.  It didn’t take long for employees to start asking for a production facility.  Our objective was to provide an easy to use, low investment, HD video production facility to capture and edit video with minimal support.  With a few muslin backdrops, LED lighting, a remote controlled camera, and simple video capture software, we find with a little training our DIY producers can create great looking videos.  The editing suite is simply an engineering workstation PC running Adobe Elements 10, consumer oriented video editing software.  So far we’ve only sent out one e-mail communication about this new service and are already seeing 70% usage.

Should you embrace the Do-it-Yourself video production trend?  Absolutely!  Your group will still be seen as video experts in your company, but also as a group that listens to customer requirements and is willing to adopt new business models to meet them.  Adding DIY production capabilities is really a low risk/low dollar investment; you’ll see some fresh creative concepts along the way and engage a whole new group of clients.

Article contributed by Doug E. Salmela, CMMA Board of Directors

Top 3 Benefits of Hybrid Meetings

04 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology, Upcoming Events, Video

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Are you looking to increase audience participation and engagement for your conference? Have you tried a hybrid meeting? For most people, I’m sure the answer to the first question is a resounding “yes.” However, many people have not added a webcasting component to enhance the conference experience.

Hybrid meetings integrate in-person communication and virtual meeting elements, which allows attendees to connect and share information across the globe. Participants who are unable to travel due to time or budget constraints now have easy access to participate in the event, either live or on-demand.

If you’re considering a hybrid meeting for your next conference, consider these key benefits:

Increased Participation – While many businesses may think webcasting will cannibalize their event participation, it actually helps increase engagement. By offering an alternative to onsite attendance, those who are unable to attend due to travel costs or timing can still enjoy the conference experience. Businesses that provide live and on-demand viewing options have an even better chance of distributing their conference messaging as attendees can watch at their convenience. Onsite attendees may even decide to tune into the virtual experience – you never know when conflicting presentation times may cause conference attendees to miss a presentation they would like to see.

Also, speakers and other thought leaders that may be unable to travel to the conference can lend their expertise by presenting virtually. As a result, you won’t be missing out on incredible presentations and can connect and collaborate with individuals across the globe.

Convert Webcast Attendees to In-Person Attendees – Content is king, so if your business secures strong speakers, organizes interesting panels and provides attendees with networking opportunities with key constituencies, online participants will think it is absolutely necessary to attend in-person next time. After all, there is nothing like meeting face-to-face.

Education and Promotion – Hybrid events not only provide participants with another means of attendance, but the archived webcast can be used as an educational and promotional tool. Edit and re-purpose portions of the conference/meeting for sales and marketing tools to attract future attendees or use as an educational piece for new employees, organization members, etc. The content can also be shared through social media channels to generate additional interest.

In a business environment where increased communication and participation are paramount, companies, and conference organizers in particular, are leveraging technology in combination with their tried-and-true event strategies.

Physical events are here to stay and will continue to exist alongside virtual ones. Talk to your conference/meeting attendees to determine what they are looking for an online event component.

Then, choose a webcasting provider that will work with the onsite event AV team. This will minimize production issues and provide a better experience for participants.

Finally, use polls and exit surveys during and after your hybrid event to find out why attendees participated online. All of this information can help you create an event that works for all of your constituencies. You’ll gather real metrics, real data and real results.

This article was contributed by TalkPoint – CMMA Partner Member

Editor’s Note:
At the upcoming CMMA national conference in Nashville, TalkPoint will help CMMA execute the organization’s first hybrid meeting, using webcasting to facilitate increased communication and engagement with conference attendees. They will provide the webcasting technology to capture key elements of the conference including speaker presentations and case studies.

Do We Really Need a New Idea?

01 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology, Upcoming Events, Video

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This October, Innovation is the theme for the CMMA National Conference in Nashville. Recently, David Burkus wrote in the Harvard Business Review, “…in most organizations, innovation isn’t hampered by a lack of ideas, but rather a lack of noticing the good ideas already there. It’s not an idea problem; it’s a recognition problem.” He says there is a “negative bias against creativity” in uncertain times and I, and I’m sure many of you, are living through uncertain times in your organization. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/07/innovation_isnt_an_idea_proble.html

Many businesses utilize a form of internal social networking for collaboration and employee engagement. Years ago, we explored a program, Yammer, as a solution to the assertion that, “we need to be cutting edge, we need a new idea …” comment from one of the directors of our sales development team. He wanted his managers to communicate with each other to develop ideas and strategies in a more collaborative way than email provided. Our Yammer experiment lasted for a month, and died a slow death.

Then, our training team pursued an tool that would allow them to collaborate, share best practices, access training tools and videos, and develop solutions to common challenges. They too re-examined the use of Yammer. Once again, the department didn’t have a firm plan to go along with this tool. Subsequently, it produced, three months of “inspirational messaging” from one Senior Manager, and a couple “selfie” pictures from team members. No one utilized the training videos we had in the file base.

Finally, the groups that manage our Contact Center staffing and Workforce Management teams came to me with the same challenge as the aforementioned work groups. Once we had a firm plan and an inclusive process for working in this collaborative environment, Yammer turned out to be the right idea after all. Now we share best practices via self-produced video trainings and developed a community of people throughout the company who share a common goal and mission. With some of these “training videos” they’ve prompted our Contact Center training group to integrate some of these ideas into formal processes. To date, it has saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in staffing time and training adjustments.

Ultimately, we often need to take the time to re-evaluate an existing idea and determine if it can be reworked, repurposed, or utilized by others within the organization. Innovation may be as simple as seeing the good ideas already in front us, maybe not for what they are… but what they might become. To Burkas’ point, “It’s not an idea problem; it’s a recognition problem.”

Article contributed by Gerry Harris, CMMA Board of Directors

A Culture of Innovation

10 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology

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“An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.”  — Winston Churchill. To me, an optimist… innovation is all about seeing opportunities as you go through your daily routine – the things you read, the people you meet and hopefully few calamities!

Innovation is anything but new. Many years ago I read an article that basically stated that many organizations focus on addressing problems, the most successful focus on raising the bar. The opportunities we’ve embraced over the years have kept us a value to our organization. We have always seemed to have “that person” who was always curious and had the drive to push new processes or technologies. As we move forward with fewer people, even “that person” is overwhelmed by his workload with little time to think about anything else.

How do we change that?  How do we ensure that innovation continues to happen? One of the ways we can do this is by creating a culture where innovation thrives. Building an environment through the effective use of people provides the competitive edge needed to build value within the organization. I am eager to attend the CMMA Fall Conference in Nashville to find out more about creating a culture of innovation – what I’m doing right and where I could improve. Here are some of the things we’ve determined in my department over the years:

If passion exists, nurture it. Look for small ways to give employees, at every level, the opportunity and encouragement to follow their interests and express their unique talents. As busy as we’ve become with recent downsizing, it is important to set time aside to try new things. I encourage reading trade magazines, networking with local company peers and visiting local companies as ways to inspire innovation. Finding out what other people are doing to solve their problems can often trigger a completely different solution to one of your problems or a new opportunity.

Have a goal to work toward. Ideas can come from anywhere to accomplish a variety of things but we’ve found that some direction helps. At our annual planning meeting we talk about things we can do in the next twelve months to provide greater value to our organization. This can be in terms of services we provide, programs we start or abandon, or technologies we introduce. We have some goals that we continue to work on such as our digital infrastructure. And, we have new ones that are added such as mobile delivery. So mobile delivery becomes a trigger when we meet with peers or vendors and something is said that ignites ideas to move us forward.

The leader’s role. Fortunately it’s no different than a leader would normally do. Inspire the team to keep moving toward the desired goal; keep everyone focused on the priorities; provide assistance and opportunities for funding as warranted, set the example of ways innovation can be achieved, and reward those individuals who have gone the extra mile.

I would be interested in your comments or stories around building a culture of innovation. How have you achieved it in your organization?

This article was contributed by Steve Tingley, CMMA Board of Directors

The Best Practice of All

28 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology

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Great projects and disasters all start in the same place. And just one step can make the difference between the two results.  Get this step right and we’re well on the way to success. Get it wrong and we could be on the way to wasted resources, an ineffectual product and a dissatisfied client. This critical step is to clearly define what the project needs to accomplish. Before starting any work we must learn and understand the goal of the work we’re considering.

This isn’t any secret – it’s something we’ve all learned from hard experience.  Starting without clear objectives almost always leads to work that’s not going on the show reel. Think back to your own difficult projects.  The chances are good they involved clients who didn’t know what they wanted.

Conversely, we worked with a client who was quite clear about the goal of his business meeting.  He was also very transparent that the work had to be different and, that his career might be affected by the outcome.  We responded with a complete package including a style guide, invitations, staging, videos, speaker support and room décor right down to unique seating and custom desk blotters. The result was a distinctive, highly successful meeting that was talked about (and emulated) for months. It was successful because every element was aimed at meeting that one, clear objective.

Our departments have and will continue to be asked to do more, and typically with fewer resources.  We have to make sure that the work we do is as effective as possible.  This is particularly true in demonstrating our value as strategic partners.  Understanding the goal of the work being considered is a critical step.  Defining the goal isn’t always easy and it can be work for the client but, it is imperative.  Clear goals fuel the creative brief. They can act as a touchstone against which all creative ideas can be tested.  Clear goals are essential when we’re measuring success and, well defined goals can help ensure efficient, economical production that doesn’t waste anything on endless revisions.

In defining goals, get the right people involved from the start.  Be certain to gather input from anyone who will be approving the final plans. Then ask the clients to define the goals for the project.  Ask this question in different ways and then look for nuances, missing information, inconsistencies and any contradictions.  Keep asking questions until you are certain that you understand clearly what the project needs to do.  In the process you’ll learn what the client wants or thinks is important.  Use this to shape how the work will be done.

Starting well is the best way to ensure that a project will end well.  Start by taking the time to thoroughly clarify your clients’ objectives.

This article was contributed by Jeff Boarini, CMMA Board of Directors

Cloud-Based Tools: Changing How We Engage Participants

08 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Management, Media, Technology, Video

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My team supports a lot of live events, and we’ve always encouraged our clients to make their meetings as interactive as possible. Giving participants a way to provide real-time feedback not only keeps them engaged, it also helps them retain the content.

Whether it’s YORN, “the real-time opinion getter,” or Event Pad for “one-to-one event interaction,” our clients are interested in finding innovative ways to use these new tools. In addition to experimenting with the use of them in large meetings, they’re being used in bid meetings for new business with clients, and in executive board meetings for real-time opinion gathering.

YORN and Event Pad are great examples of online companies that take full advantage of the fact that all of our audience members have a mobile device, sometimes two, with them when they attend a meeting. Their solutions are cloud-based, and generally very easy to use.

These mobile device driven polling and opinion gathering resources are definitely challenging our ability to sell our traditional audience response system to our clients.  Some clients are also opting out of using mic runners for Q/A sessions, relying on the text gathering capabilities of the system instead.  However, we still have skills and insights we can offer our clients that allow us to add value to the interactive experience.

Here are some things we’ve offered as production professionals that can enhance the use of YORN or Event Pad in our meetings, and generate some additional production services as well:

Speaker and Emcee Coaching
Our clients don’t always consider the impact real-time opinions from participants can have on the role of the meeting emcees and speakers.  Our production team can prep and train the client and emcees for the meeting on how best to handle the flow of the participant feedback.

Hiring Professional Talent
We sometimes recommend and hire professional talent to take on the role of the YORN emcee.  This allows the internal hosts of the event to stay in a neutral role, while the hired talent fields the questions and reacts on the spot.

Technical Producer for Opinions and Polls
Our busy clients still appreciate having someone they can lean on for coordination, and so we’ve offered to have one of our producers take on the role of integrating YORN into each presenter’s message and working with the tool to program all of the polls.

Opportunities for Creative, Graphical and Scenic Integration
We can shine creatively by using these new channels to reinforce the themes in our events, both before and during the event.  We offer to present the data from the polling tools in a more appealing way since many of the display functions in these tools lack visual sophistication. We can also sell additional projection or scenic options to enhance the user experience while featuring these tools creatively on screen.

By viewing new technology as an opportunity rather than a threat, we’re continuing to be trusted consultants to our clients!

Yorn and Event Pad are just two available options that we’ve tried — if you’ve used another tool you like, please share your experiences.

This article was contributed by Thomas M. Densmore, CMMA Board of Directors

Education In and Out of the Classroom

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology, Video

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Educational administrators work hard trying to determine what skills employers are looking for in college graduates. We love to see our students happily and gainfully employed.

According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU), you – the “hirers” of the world, are relatively happy with the way we are preparing graduates for entry-level jobs, but you also see room for improvement.

  • You appreciate the value the broad knowledge base a liberal arts degree affords but,
  • Even more important than an undergraduate major, you’re looking for graduates who demonstrate strong critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Collaborative problem solving skills are essential.
  • In addition to resumes, you like to review electronic portfolios.
  • Applicants must demonstrate strong ethical judgment
  • Reflecting today’s global economy, you are interested in students with intercultural skills.  Quoting the report, “While employers may not be clamoring for colleges to increase their emphasis on civic learning or on teaching about global issues, they widely agree that all students should receive civic education and learn about cultures outside the United States.”

So as educational administrators, how can we ensure that we are providing college graduates with the most current and useful resources?

In my case, I extend my own outreach beyond academia. I realize that the more I can continue my own professional education and stay current in the “best practices” across the business community, the better equipped I am to provide cutting-edge tools and information to my students. My primary resource is the Communications Media Management Association. CMMA is the premier professional organization for people who manage the creation, distribution and utilization of communications media for corporations, non-profits, government agencies and educational institutions.

Through my active participation and service on the Board of Directors of CMMA, I am able to build professional networks and gain insight and best practices from management leaders in such diverse companies as Mayo Clinic, Best Buy, Monsanto, American Family Insurance, and many more.  As a result, George Mason University students benefit from my own continuing education and networking. It’s important to ensure academic relevance is in line with practical, field experiences and communities.

The global business community requires a vast array of experiences, resources, and professional networks. The earlier educators can bring this information to their college students, the better the graduates’ future employment opportunities. After all, education takes place in and out of the classroom.

This article contributed by Susan Kehoe, CMMA Board of Directors

Networking Through Mentoring

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology, Video

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It’s no secret that building a strong network is one of the keys to success. Not surprisingly many of us identify networking as the number one benefit of CMMA membership. But what about networking within the work environment, do we really need to network internally too? After all, there’s rarely a shortage of work for most of us. And many would argue that’s the reason for networking. While it’s hard to argue with that, I would add a few additional reasons:

  • Networking helps build customers beyond your existing organic base
  • Networking provides a vehicle for collaboration
  • Networking gives you opportunities to champion your team
  • Networking can help keep your group relevant
  • Networking can secure your team’s place at the table
  • Networking has the potential to showcase your leadership acumen

So what has all of this to do with mentoring? In a word – EVERYTHING. Having mentors is essentially networking with a higher purpose.  Networking through mentoring allows you to develop yourself as well as your department. If you’re not quite sure how to get started here are a few thoughts:

  • See if your organization has a formal mentoring program. Start with your HR rep. These programs are often reserved for up and coming high potentials and aren’t broadly advertised. I learned recently that if you ask nicely they sometimes consider medium potentials too! I guess my point here is – don’t wait for an invitation.
  • Identify respected leaders within the organization and ask about an informal mentorship. Look for folks you know you can learn from. I currently have four key leaders in our organization that I meet with on a quarterly basis. Each of these relationships have helped me grow as a leader, brought in new business to my team and given me a level of visibility I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
  • Think about departments your team relies on like IT, Public Affairs, Legal…
  • Identify a leader in a department that your team doesn’t have a good relationship with. As my peer Greg Sneed likes to say, “it’s an ecosystem folks, not a battlefield”.
  • Look for mentors in CMMA!

Once your mentors are in place here are a few additional tips:

  • Always bring a question or two. It’s not the job of the mentor to simply share their knowledge. You are responsible for driving the conversation.
  • Bring a problem and a solution – to see what they think of your fix rather than simply asking how to handle a tough one.
  • Be humble. This works in every relationship by the way.

Lastly, keep in mind that most people like being asked their opinion. I’ve yet to be told no when asking about mentoring possibilities. After all, who doesn’t enjoy hearing, “what do you think”?  This works up, down and across the organization. Ask the CEO or the Intern and they will both love you for life!

This article contributed by Clifton Brewer, CMMA Board of Directors

A Presidential View

03 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in Communications, Conferences, Leadership, Management, Media, Technology, Upcoming Events, Video

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At our recent Spring Professional Development Conference (at McDonald’s University outside of Chicago) I was having lunch with my media manager colleagues from Intel and McKinsey. It was a matter of fact conversation – we were talking shop about our facilities and the daily challenges we face – but at one point it struck me like a thunderbolt: this is what CMMA is all about! In 20 minutes, while noshing on our Chicago-style hot dogs, Best Buy, Intel and McKinsey were benchmarking each other! I was amazed at how simple this was and powerful at the same time. As always, our conversation confirmed how much we had in common and how enlightening it was to share stories.

I’ve been a member of CMMA for over 6 years now and it has been an excellent and fulfilling experience getting to know the folks out there that do what I do – folks who manage teams that create videos, other media and live events. I’ve learned so much during that time. For my company, Best Buy, it’s been a great “return on investment” as well. Our ability to benchmark systems, approaches, vendor partners, etc. in a matter of hours or days is invaluable.

This fall we’ll all meet again at our National Conference in Nashville, TN. Our theme is “The Innovation Conference,” and will undoubtedly be an exciting and educational experience. The agenda is shaping up to be a very cool event, and I expect more of what I have come to enjoy every time CMMAers get together – great conversation, sharing and learning. And fun! I hope to see you there or at any one of our regional get-togethers over the summer.

For more information on CMMA membership, or to watch the Nashville conference presentation video, and a chance to meet the members, visit us at www.cmma.org!

Cheers,
Chris Barry, CMMA President