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

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