Ready to Declutter Your Digital Life?

It’s a new year and with a new year comes new year’s resolutions. Many of us resolve to tidy up our closets and garages. This past holiday season, I decided to declutter my digital life. Here’s what I ended up doing: Cleared my Email I have unlimited storage in Gmail, which is a good thing […] The post Ready to Declutter Your Digital Life? appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

What the Vietnam War and the Stockdale Paradox Can Teach Us About How to Face 2022

It’s 2022 and it feels like 2021 again. We’ve got another COVID wave, more lockdowns, more virtual schooling, more work from home, canceled trips, and a country more polarized than ever. I can sense fatigue and hopelessness from my family and my staff. During these times, I turn once again to a great video from […] The post What the Vietnam War and the Stockdale Paradox Can Teach Us About How to Face 2022 appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Reflections from 2021, Thoughts for 2022

It’s December 22, 2021. Phew! Another year has come and gone and as usual, I’m thinking about the coming year. I’ve been having conversations with my team, friends in the industry and fellow CEOs about what to expect in 2022 and we all agree that next year will be another wild ride. Who wants to […] The post Reflections from 2021, Thoughts for 2022 appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Reflection from 2021, Thoughts for 2022

It’s December 22, 2021. Phew! Another year has come and gone and as usual, I’m thinking about the coming year. I’ve been having conversations with my team, friends in the industry and fellow CEOs about what to expect in 2022 and we all agree that next year will be another wild ride. Who wants to […] The post Reflection from 2021, Thoughts for 2022 appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Elevate Your Next Conference with a Professional Emcee

Want to elevate your next in person or virtual conference? Consider hiring a professional emcee! We recently hosted the SQF Unites conference for the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) in BeSpeake, our virtual meeting platform. SQFI wanted to elevate their virtual conference and ensure that their attendee journeys were meaningful and intuitive. To help with […] The post Elevate Your Next Conference with a Professional Emcee appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Using Video to Promote Your Meetings and Conferences

We all know that video rules. Check out these amazing video statistics from 2021.  I recently attended Non Dues a Palooza (NDaP) in Nashville, TN. NDaP is devoted to helping associations and nonprofits learn new ideas for generating non-dues revenue. Yes, I attended in person and it felt great! Teri Carden, the conference organizer and […] The post Using Video to Promote Your Meetings and Conferences appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

How the Air and Space Museum is Using Virtual Docents

My younger son and I are listening to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Andy Weir also wrote The Martian, which was a great movie and an even better book. Both The Martian and Project Hail Mary are adventure books set in space. Both are full of science and science fiction. If you love space […] The post How the Air and Space Museum is Using Virtual Docents appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Combine Virtual and In-Person Networking Before Conferences to Increase Engagement

I’m attending Non Dues-a-Palooza (NDAP) next week in Nashville, in person. NDAP is a conference devoted to helping associations and nonprofits increase their non-dues revenue by bringing together execs and solution providers, through case studies and panels. This will be my third NDAP event and I’m pretty excited. Even though the event will be in […] The post Combine Virtual and In-Person Networking Before Conferences to Increase Engagement appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Review of ASAE 2021 Annual Meeting Hybrid Pop-Up in D.C.

I attended the Virtual ASAE Annual Meeting last week. Unlike other virtual meetings I’ve attended recently, this one had a hybrid pop-up strategy. 10 cities hosted half-day in person events. I got to attend the DC pop-up on Monday, August 16. How did it work and was it successful? Here’s my review. The Venue The […] The post Review of ASAE 2021 Annual Meeting Hybrid Pop-Up in D.C. appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

What Have We Learned About Creating Engaging Meetings from Virtual Conferences?

Heinan Landa (CEO of Optimal Networks) asked me last week: As we’re slowly returning to the office and in-person meetings, what lessons from 15 months of virtual meetings should endure? It’s a great question. Over the past year, I’ve had many clients bemoan virtual, but I’ve also had many clients express joy over the benefits […] The post What Have We Learned About Creating Engaging Meetings from Virtual Conferences? appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

What Are Natural Language Queries and Featured Snippets and Why Do They Matter?

When it comes to search engine optimization there’s one very important thing to always keep in mind: Google doesn’t like cute, Google likes clarity.  When writing any online content, whether it’s for your blog, about us page, store or resources, you must always consider the Google gods, and craft your content accordingly. While “writing for […] The post What Are Natural Language Queries and Featured Snippets and Why Do They Matter? appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

How BeSpeake Clients are Adding Fun to their Virtual Meetings

“How do we add fun to our virtual meeting? How do I get people chatting during our sessions? How do we get attendees interacting with each other? These are just some of the questions we get when we meet with BeSpeake clients each week to plan their virtual meetings. While there’s no magic formula, here […] The post How BeSpeake Clients are Adding Fun to their Virtual Meetings appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Why Journey Mapping is so Important to Creating Amazing Member Journeys

Matrix Group is working on an email signup project for a longtime client. This client wants to create an easier way for members and non-members to see all the newsletters the association has to offer, and easily subscribe to receive them. Some newsletters are open to the public, while others are members-only. The client has […] The post Why Journey Mapping is so Important to Creating Amazing Member Journeys appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

We Need to Bring Back the “Meet” in Meetings

During a kickoff meeting with a new BeSpeake client, I asked this question: What did not work during your annual meeting last year? Answer: While the education offerings were excellent, there were few opportunities for attendees to connect and network, and the few that did exist, were simple text chats. This client isn’t alone in […] The post We Need to Bring Back the “Meet” in Meetings appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

The ASAE Annual Meeting Goes Virtual; Why This is a Good Decision

I read the email from ASAE (the American Society of Association Executives) yesterday afternoon about the ASAE Annual Meeting. Citing concerns for the health and safety of all members, ASAE Annual, which was supposed to be in person in Dallas, will once again be virtual, coupled with smaller, regional hub gatherings. Ugh. After a year […] The post The ASAE Annual Meeting Goes Virtual; Why This is a Good Decision appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story