Event Strategy & Design

From the physical set-up to the way you orchestrate sessions and interaction, we help you put the latest smart thinking into practice to create environments and experiences that have an impact.

CL24 Playbook for EIC Silver Sustainable Event Standard Certification

Here’s a look at how PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 achieved Silver certification — and what considerations and steps are necessary to raise the bar in 2025.

BY Michelle Russell May 20, 2024

Waste Not, Want Not: Making Leftover Event Materials Serve the Community

After WrestleMania concluded in Philadelphia, the CVB found a way to give the professional wrestling event’s banners a second life, while giving back — joining several other large events that have made sure that what’s left over goes to a good cause rather than the landfill.

BY Casey Gale May 20, 2024

When It Comes to Taking Sustainable Action, Peer Pressure Works

Dozens of global studies — and a food scale named Wade — demonstrate that the influence we have on one another is a powerful motivator for changing our impact on the environment.

BY Barbara Palmer May 20, 2024

Navigating Political Polarization at Your Events

Political divisiveness has increased dramatically in the U.S. in recent years. How much have you thought about the impact that may have on participants at your events — or what you can do to manage its effects?

BY Barbara Palmer May 13, 2024

Help Out Your Exhibitors

The Exhibitor Advocate recently released its 2023 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates. This report compares material handling, labor, and equipment costs across 24 major U.S. destinations. Here are two takeaways you should consider.

BY Dave Lutz, CMP May 9, 2024

Moving Your Meeting Amid Rising Reproductive Rights Concerns

Post Dobbs decision, the destinations where the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine can safely meet have dwindled to a select few. Here’s how the association has navigated increasingly tricky legal contracts, member dissonance and advocacy, and the difficult decision to relocate the meeting at the last minute.

BY Jennifer N. Dienst April 25, 2024

Earth Day 2024: Ending Single-Use Plastic

Plastics are one of the most pressing environmental threats we face. And it is a threat that the events industry can do something about.

BY Barbara Palmer April 21, 2024

Academic Conferences Tackle the Taylor Swift Phenomenon

Taylor Swift’s fans are legion, but she has also attracted the attention of academia: In the past six months, two successful academic conferences have been built around discussing her impact on the economy and pop culture.

BY Casey Gale April 17, 2024

How Have Panels Evolved — or Not?

A new survey will measure how the popular session format has developed over the past decade. Your participation is welcome.

BY Michelle Russell April 9, 2024

From Skeptic to Sought-After TEDx Speaker Coach

Fifteen years ago, she coached speakers for the first major TEDx event. Hayley Foster has since built that initial experience into a successful business, helping speakers to focus on what makes their message unique and their presentation authentic.

BY Michelle Russell April 6, 2024

4 Mistakes to Avoid When Speaking at Events

Your speakers aren’t the stars of your show — their message should take the spotlight. In Don’t Tank Your TED Talk, short talk expert Hayley Foster offers a primer for succinct and compelling presentations you can share with your presenters to keep the audience engaged.

BY Michelle Russell April 6, 2024

The Anti-Diet Movement on Display at an Event for Dietitians

A recent Washington Post article pointed the finger at a nutrition conference as an outlet for misinformation that can contribute to the obesity epidemic.

BY Michelle Russell April 4, 2024

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