A "green" Party Trick

I thought I would share a couple of green event "party tricks" with you. One of my green event strategies is to save the coffee grounds from events/conferences/meetings for use as compost. I have a network of friends who are happy to receive the coffee grounds. Note: You can divide them up amongst a number of people. If I am working on an event out of town, I try to partner with a local organization and arrange for them to take the grounds (horticultural society, community garden, etc.)

It isn't a difficult strategy to achieve...you just need to arrange with your caterer to save the grounds and provide something for them to put the grounds in. I generally line a bin with a strong garbage bag (the wet grounds get heavy) and the caterer positions it beside the coffee maker. Believe me.....when you are serving coffee to 650 attendees, the grounds add up!

It occurred to me that my attendees didn't know what was happening behind the scenes. They didn't know that we were saving the coffee grounds. For some events I began posting a sign by the coffee station that informed the attendees that we were saving coffee grounds and what the grounds were going to be used for (use pictures to help to illustrate, perhaps a photo of a vegetable garden that received some of the rich compost).

You can take this one step further by having a chalk board or white board beside the coffee station where you can record daily, the weight of the coffee grounds going to compost. If your event is only a one day event, you can still do this.....simply post the results from the morning coffee and then the results from the afternoon coffee break. For multi-day events, you can share the impressive numbers via email in an "eco-daily". An "eco-daily" is an newsletter that informs the attendees of what has been accomplished each day.

If you don't inform your attendees, you can't influence them. Share the message, share the strategies, share the successes.

I believe that your attendee's have an inherent wish to "do good" and when you share with them that they are actually playing a part in something positive, they will respond positively.

Judy

Gone Fishin'

As a Green Meeting planner, I tend to focus on the question, “what strategies can I implement during my event that will minimize the footprint while balancing the delicate equation considering people, planet and profits”. I admit it….I consider(ed) my actions (the action of the planner) to be omnipotent to the overall success of greening the event.

Recently, I had a gut check which resulted in an epiphany of sorts (don’t worry folks…..it wasn’t physically painful, just mildly embarrassing). While collaborating with Shawna McKinley, Director of Sustainability with MeetGreen on the gaming component of Event Camp Vancouver, I was tasked with developing the first draft of green action items. I had to consider these actions from an attendee’s point of view. At first, I struggled…..I was a bit discombobulated with the exercise. I am embarrassed to admit it, but as a planner, I never thought of it that way. In the past, it was always about me (my husband will agree with this). Me! Me! Me! What choices can “I” make that will lessen the overall footprint of the event? I was making these choices on behalf of the attendee. I mean….it made sense right…..?

Wrong!

During this exercise, I quickly realized that I need to get over myself (once again, my husband will agree). I need to recognize the tremendous impact of the individual personal actions of my attendees. It is wonderful if everyone uses the refillable water bottle that I have planned for and provided during my events, but it will be even better if they take the bottle home and use it everyday. It is called building a sustainable event “legacy of actions” (not an official term, but catchy nonetheless).

Oopsey daisy….there goes the light bulb and I find myself having an Oprah “ah ha” moment. Maybe I should sit down.

I realized that (in the past) I was not giving my attendee’s the power, the knowledge or the tools necessary to contribute personally to the overall footprint of the event. When they are at the event, I have made the choices for them, but am I negating the impact/importance of their personal choices?

· Travel

· Hotel Accommodation

· Transit

· Meals

The event might last two days, but if I really want to be a change agent, I have to find ways to influence long term behaviour…..daily actions at home and on the road; at work; at play.

How do I do this?

Realize that control and influence are two separate things. Control is what you have (wish you had in some cases) while planning the event. You are in the driver’s seat; you are the one negotiating with vendors, you are making choices. Influence is what you have with your attendee. You have the ability to influence behaviour through education and awareness. They are a captive audience…..don’t miss the opportunity.

Whew…..that was some heavy stuff; maybe I should lay down.

During Event Camp Vancouver, we are trying to influence the behaviour/actions of our attendees by reinforcing that behavior through the game application. We are making a case for a much more holistic approach to sustainable event planning, but trying to do so in a fun and interactive manner.

There is a famous quote by an unknown author that says, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”. Well…….we are going fishing folks!

See you at EventCamp!

Why event planning sometimes feels like a bad/good/horrible first date…….

Now…..you all are saying to yourself, “how is she going to make this comparison work?”, or “honestly….what some people will do to get attention on their blog”. But, I have been thinking about this for quite some time and there are some very real comparisons to be made between a first date and the relationship that a planner may have with a first time client.

The “Hugger”:

You all know what I mean……many of us have had experiences with a hugger. Generally, you get a sense of this during your first meeting when the client envelopes you in a great big bear hug, crushing her moon beads (her necklace….get your minds out of the gutter) into your chest. She is just “certain that you are going to do a great job”, because she is “sensing great energy” in the room. It actually was the hum of the air conditioner, but you don’t want to ruin her moment. Do not confuse the “Hugger” with ……

The “Cuddler”:

The cuddler is the client who seems really normal before and during the event, but afterwards, just wants to “cuddle”. And by cuddling, I mean they won’t leave you alone. They call you to go for coffee on a daily basis, they invite you to dinner, they text you with things like, “seems like just yesterday we were picking out menus together (insert happy face emoticon here)”. They want the relationship to continue, aka “lets be friends”. They cross the client/planner boundary. Unfortunately, you can never work for them again, because they probably will expect you to give them the “friends” rate. Don’t get me wrong, we all have clients who become friends, but the “cuddler” becomes a creepy friend.

“I just called to say I love you……”:

Kind of like the “hugger” and “cuddler” rolled into one. Terrifying….simply terrifying.

The stalker:

Not to be confused with the micro manager. The stalker is always watching or having someone else watch and report back to them. They don't want to be perceived as micro managing, so they delegate someone else to do it.

I’m not laughing at you, I am laughing with you:

The client who never takes anything seriously.

It’s not you…it’s me and by that I mean that it actually is you:

You just didn’t click, therefore you won’t be making event magic together today or well….ever.

The “quickie”:

This is the out of town client who contacts you via your website, you only ever speak with them on the phone, you only meet them in person the day of the event and then never hear from them again.

We just don’t share the same values….:

Your client is balloon arches and plastic table skirting and you are LED lighting and sustainable centerpieces.

The Daredevil:

“What do you mean we need a back up plan?”

The Passive Aggressive :

“Here you go (hands the planner a daily planner/notebook), I thought you might need a nice notebook, I notice you never write anything down”.

I welcome any other examples…..I am certain there are more out there.

Being an event planner is a constant test of communication skills. Not everyone will like you and you will not like everyone. That is life. However, you do need to get along with many different personality types and be able to switch up your communication strategies as new situations/personalities emerge. Planning an event is stressful for clients, many of whom look upon the success or failure of the event as a personal reflection of themselves. Stressful situations can bring out the best and worst in people, it is our job to (as Tim Gunn from Project Runway says) “Make it work”.

J

As Canadian as Rex Murphy

I am Canadian. I am a proud Canadian. But......sometimes I forget just how wonderful it feels to be born and live our lives in this great country. I was reminded of that this week after having the distinct pleasure of hearing a keynote presentation by National Post columnist and CBC Radio Host, Rex Murphy. Rex was speaking at the 2011 BC Oil & Gas Conference in Fort Nelson, a conference which I had coordinated.

Murphy has a unique manner of drawing you in close to him while he is speaking. He tells stories of his life as a Newfoundlander and of the triumphs and the struggles of his fellow Newfoundlanders. He makes you laugh and he also can render a room silent in reflective thought. He reminds us that life can change in a heartbeat (vanishing cod fishery) and how having compassion for our fellow man is life changing.

Murphy is a wordsmith on a level that I had not seen before. He doesn't throw them around at random, he doesn't waste a word...instead he carefully selects each word he uses, artfully and intelligently weaving it into the presentation.

I am Canadian, but after hearing Rex Murphy remind us of how wonderful our country is, I hold my head up high as a proud Canadian.

If you ever have the opportunity to book Rex Murphy as a speaker......do not walk, but RUN to your telephone and contact the National Speaker's Bureau. He is simply that good.

Judy

The Last Password Standing....

“Please choose a new password”. As my eyes skimmed the five words, I felt sickened…..almost light headed with the realization that today might just become THAT day….the day I had known would come eventually, but that I had feared with an unhealthy fear…..today would become the day that I end up using, “the last password”.

How did this happen? How did we get here….now…today? What led up to this moment (insert 60’s psychedelic swirls here)?

We are all born with a certain number of things; the obvious are arms, legs, fingers, toes….brain cells, ovum, etc. But…I also believe that the human body contains a limited supply of computer passwords. Yes….that is correct. It is a little known fact that we are born with a limited supply of these word/number/uppercase/lowercase combinations and that when you run out – you ARE out. Sure, you can go back and begin reusing something that you used in the late 1990’s but honestly, you are sacrificing your online security.

A good password is like an old friend. It roles off your fingers onto the computer keyboard with nary a backward glance. A bad password makes you stumble, trips you up. We all do the unacceptable with our password selection. A good password with good “security strength” contains a magical combination of uppercase and lowercase letters with a few numbers thrown in for good measure. It shouldn’t be your wedding anniversary date with the initials of your children thrown in; it shouldn’t be the name of your first boyfriend/girlfriend. It is supposed to be completely random and hard to remember because if it is hard for YOU to remember, then it certainly should be difficult for a hacker to hack.

My point is….we all have had good passwords in our lives and bad passwords. A good password is comforting like a warm blanket, a bad password irritates you every time you use it.

Which brings me to now…today, the day that I might have to break out my last good password. Why is it my last? I honestly don’t think I have another really great one in me. I always thought that I would be in my 60’s or even 70’s before I used my last really good password, but between the online banking, itunes, facebook and now google+, I have used up my passwords like the U.S. government has used up stimulus funds. And now it is time to pay the piper.

Walking out to the yard with the shovel, a rush of emotion washes over me and I prepare to dig up the canister that contains my last, perfect, password. I have secured it much in the same way as the cold war launch sequence codes or the Cadbury secret. As I began to dig one hole, then two, then three I realized that perhaps I should have told someone where I had buried my hidden treasure.