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....  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

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