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

Virtual Events Made the Conventions and the Inauguration Celebrations More Accessible

On January 20, I watched the Presidential Inauguration celebration from my couch. Normally, I would have been jonesing over the inaugural balls I’ve never been invited to, but this year, I had a front row seat as Tom Hanks hosted a star-studded musical extravaganza. How amazing to see John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, Yo-Yo […] The post Virtual Events Made the Conventions and the Inauguration Celebrations More Accessible appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Top 5 Web Design Trends for 2021

It’s safe to say that, thanks to the pandemic, our lives are lived online now more than ever before. The more time we spend in the digital world, the more the lines are seeming to blur between physical and virtual, lending way to some exciting new web design trends. Here are the 5 trends that […] The post Top 5 Web Design Trends for 2021 appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Lessons from Three Seasons of Virtual Meetings

Well, the pandemic that was supposed to last a couple of weeks has dragged on through the Spring, Summer and Fall. Nearly 10 months since stay at home orders were issued, what have we learned about virtual meetings and engagement?   Pre-Recorded Is Giving Way to Live Early in the pandemic, meeting planners pivoted to Zoom […] The post Lessons from Three Seasons of Virtual Meetings appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

The Road Ahead for Virtual and Hybrid Meetings in 2021

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Techsy Talk Global Conference. One of the best sessions was called “The Road Ahead: Industry Landscape for 2021” by Howard Givner of the Event Leadership Institute. Howard provided an overview of the meetings and conference landscape, covering the latest news related to vaccines, state COVID regulations, […] The post The Road Ahead for Virtual and Hybrid Meetings in 2021 appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Are you Team Live or Team Pre-Recorded During Virtual Meetings?

I’m attending and speaking during the techsytalk GLOBAL conference this week. Liz King Caruso, the organizer, ran a poll on the first day and asked attendees if they were on Team Live or Team Pre-Recorded. Turns out 100% of the attendees voted Team Live. And yet… I attended a couple of conferences last week where […] The post Are you Team Live or Team Pre-Recorded During Virtual Meetings? appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

What Makes a Successful Virtual Meeting? Lessons Learned from the Battlefield

Since July of this year, we’ve had the honor of hosting 9 virtual meetings. It’s been a season of learning because the meetings landscape keeps changing and attendee expectations have shifted dramatically since the pandemic began. Here are some of the things we’ve learned: Good communication is key! Even though it feels like we’ve been […] The post What Makes a Successful Virtual Meeting? Lessons Learned from the Battlefield appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Revisiting the Attendee Experience During a Virtual Meeting

A couple of years ago, I posted this: An Executive Director’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Next Conference. I quoted my friend and client Carol Neuvelt, Executive Director of NAEM, who tells her staff and members to make sure they do this during a conference: 1) Learn something 2) Participate in the […] The post Revisiting the Attendee Experience During a Virtual Meeting appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

What Your Virtual Sponsors and Exhibitors Want Most

Many organizations are wrestling with how they can pull off a successful virtual meeting, especially with regard to their sponsors and exhibitors. How do you provide real value for them in the virtual environment? How do you convince them that it’s worth the time and investment? Heck, will they even want to consider it? Good […] The post What Your Virtual Sponsors and Exhibitors Want Most appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Should Virtual Conference Sessions Be Live or Pre-Recorded?

I’m attending a lot of conferences these days. I’m also helping clients plan and execute a lot of conferences. All of them online, of course. One of the biggest questions being asked by meeting planners is: Should my educational sessions be live or pre-recorded? Live streamed at a certain time or available on demand? Pre-recorded […] The post Should Virtual Conference Sessions Be Live or Pre-Recorded? appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Tips for Creating a Powerful Membership Directory

MatrixMaxx has out-of-the-box member directory searches. We have a company search and an individual search. These searches can be configured to search different criteria and skinned to match a client’s website. They are terrific and get the job done. Sometimes, however, clients want something completely different for their company search. In these instances, the question … Continue reading Tips for Creating a Powerful Membership Directory → Full Story

Learning Resources for PowerShell

On Friday, I’ll be speaking at the Perl and Raku Conference in the Cloud. My topic? PowerShell for Perl Experts. Yep, this is a techie topic for advanced developers. PowerShell is Microsoft’s automation scripting language and shell. PowerShell allows the automation of just about any aspect of Windows Server and Microsoft’s enterprise software, including Azure. […] The post Learning Resources for PowerShell appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Why New Member Onboarding is So Critical to the Member Journey

Imagine this. A person (or company) has made the decision to join your organization. What happens afterward? Does she get a giant welcome packet that she won’t read? Does the packet contain current or outdated information? Does he get nothing for a few weeks while you process the application and add him to lists? Does […] The post Why New Member Onboarding is So Critical to the Member Journey appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

How Much Should I Charge for My Virtual Conference?

As the world of work continues to transition from physical to virtual, the same is happening to conferences, trade shows, and meetings. There are platforms to choose, new or different program formats to consider, and on and on. But the biggest question on everyone’s mind is: how much should I charge for my virtual conference? […] The post How Much Should I Charge for My Virtual Conference? appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story

Should You Convert Your Conference to a Virtual Conference? TLDR: Yes

All Spring, one client conference after another was cancelled or rescheduled. A few clients converted their conferences to a series of Zoom meetings. With some states opening up, is there a chance that conferences will come back in the Fall, if not the summer? For organizations that have conferences coming up, should you wait or […] The post Should You Convert Your Conference to a Virtual Conference? TLDR: Yes appeared first on The MatriX Files. Full Story