Virtual Event Education Package

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design

This session is graciously sponsored by

Internal events aren’t just about the next happy hour or employee training. Marquee events like your sales kickoffs (SKOs) or companywide are rally points that can springboard success for the next year. Last year leaders learned how to create impactful events virtually. As you plan to kick off 2022, you need to embrace the new hybrid world – whether you host a hybrid event, or need to be prepared for in-person, virtual, or hybrid as market conditions change. Join us to learn how the right technology tool can help you plan for an event in any format – virtual, in-person, and hybrid. You’ll learn everything, from best practices for using enterprise-grade video streaming, to audience engagement tools, networking, and feedback surveys to ensure your SKO or companywide is a dynamic and energizing event that will prepare your teams to WIN in 2022.

In this webinar we will discuss:

• Hybrid event challenges and solutions
• How a hybrid event platform can drive absorption of content, real engagement and collaboration at your events
• Keys for capturing powerful digital data and analytics on employee activity

A proud supporter of:

This session is powered by:

Communicate in Any Language - Everything you say, translated on the fly.

Accessibility

Platform: Zoom Meetings (more information)

Accessibility Features:

• Wordly captioning and translation
• Transcriptions

Accommodation Request Contact: MPIAcademy@mpiweb.org

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design

Using Meals to Drive Virtual and Hybrid Event Engagement 11.16.2021

This Session Graciously Sponsored by:

Last year, in-person meetings were abruptly canceled, forcing meeting planners to develop fully digital strategies. As we wrap up 2021, the virtual events model has proven to be an effective way to foster digital connections with any audience, including employees, sales prospects, and clients. Join Grubhub for an exciting discussion about how meeting planners across the nation are using meals to host stand-out virtual and hybrid experiences. We’re excited to share that all webinar attendees will receive a $20 Grubhub credit* to try the Grubhub corporate product first-hand (to be used within the United States). *Terms apply*

During this session, you will receive...

• Case studies sharing how companies are using food to increase registrations and engagement. 
• Actionable tips for safe food ordering that enhances the event experience, in-person and online, including ideas for the holidays.
• Three considerations for streamlining event meals in a cost-effective manner.

In addition, our sponsor, GrubHub, will be providing a $20 credit to GrubHub. Be sure to "opt-in" to sponsor contact to receive your credit after the event!

This session is powered by:

Communicate in Any Language - Everything you say, translated on the fly.

Looking for insights on how to make your virtual or hybrid meetings better. Look no further. Prof. Dr. Joe Allen, a world-recognized meeting scientist, will share insights into effective virtual and effective hybrid meetings and collaboration. With meetings a window into the culture of an organization and with so many of our larger meetings occurring in various remote or hybrid formats, Dr. Allen shares insights from longitudinal data on how to succeed even within these complex environments.

About Dr. Allen:

Joseph A. Allen, Ph.D., is a Professor of Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology at the University of Utah. Before he completed his doctorate (Ph. D.) in Organizational Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) in 2010, he received his Master of Arts degree in I/O Psychology at the UNCC in 2008 and his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the Brigham Young University in 2005. His research focuses on three major areas of inquiry including the study of workplace meetings, organizational community engagement, and occupational safety and health.

He has more than 100 publications in academic outlets, another 20 under review, and many works in progress for a number of journals. He has presented over 250 papers/posters at regional and national conferences and given more than 100 invited presentations on his research. His previous academic outlets include Human Relations, Human Performance, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Business Psychology, American Psychologist, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Group and Organization Management, and so on. He serves as a reviewer for various journals including the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Creative Behavior, and Academy of Management Journal.

He is an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Business and Psychology, Group and Organization Management, and the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. He also sits on the Advisory board of several start-up companies, including MeetingScience and H2HI (Human to Human Interaction).

He directs the Center for Meeting Effectiveness housed in the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health.

Dr. Allen has consulted for more than 400 non-profit and for-profit organizations. These include animal welfare organizations, human services organizations, large corporations, government entities, emergency safety and intelligence agencies, as well as retail conglomerates and external talent management firms.

His research has attracted internal and external grant funding of more than $5 million since 2010.

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design

In partnership with

As the pandemic forced the meeting industry online, hundreds of companies created streaming platforms or pivoted from other event technology solutions. You were left to figure out how to translate and adapt your agendas, find unique sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities and explore ways of engaging and keeping their online audiences engaged. 

And you learned that adding online components to events expanded your audiences globally, introduced new and engaging formats, generated content for marketing and attendee on-demand experiences, and gave voice to those who might be reluctant, or unable, to attend in person.

A few months ago, MPI in partnership with Radisson Hotels engaged industry techspert, thought leader, and hybrid pioneer Brandt Krueger to rewrite the hybrid playbook we launched a decade ago with new knowledge, best practices, and methods for hosting events that connected two or more audience groups. We’ll showcase highlights from the playbook as well as a curated Q&A with Krueger that will enable you to find success in the hybrid events world.

Access the Hybrid Events Playbook here!

Learner Outcomes:

1. Gain an overview of the next-generation Hybrid Playbook, with insights on where to go for answers to your critical questions.

2. Learn a few dos and don’ts from expert Brandt Krueger with years in the hybrid event space.

3. Find answers to your burning questions about hybrid—and the return to in-person.

This session is powered by:

Communicate in Any Language - Everything you say, translated on the fly.

After a year of disruption and with the prospect of returning to Live events in the near term, what our attendees and exhibitors thinking? What are the key strategies as we move into the new opportunities in front of us? And how can we use this information to better engage our customers, prospects, and partners? Learn how general consumer habits and behaviors have evolved and how those changes will impact event stakeholder expectations. The session will provide an in-depth look at the latest industry research and share insights about the future of face-to-face and omnichannel experiences, followed by open forum Q&A and idea-sharing. 

Learner Outcomes

1. Apply data-driven research on attendee preferences, expectations, and human behavior when planning and executing a successful hybrid event. 

2. Leverage digital marketing and content ecosystems to improve the attendee journey for a better hybrid event experience. 

3. Develop hybrid event strategies for 2021 and beyond to increase attendee and exhibitor participation and improve stakeholder engagement.

Session Sponsored by: 

Eighty-seven percent of companies think digital will disrupt their industry, but only 44% are prepared for a digital disruption (Silicone Republic). This digital disruption was accelerated over the pandemic; with the shift to working from home and the complete shutdown of in-person events. Associations had to pivot or risk losing their members to digital alternatives or just losing their members altogether. This presentation explores lessons learned from our work with associations over our 12 years in business but with emphasis on the changes accelerated in this last year, and how associations can apply those lessons to their virtual, hybrid, and digital engagement strategies in 2021. These lessons helped our association partners successfully pivot to digital transformation and provide member experiences that drove recruitment, retention, and revenue. Industry thought leader and President of WorkerBee.TV, Dan Stevens, will talk about the dos and don’ts of virtual and hybridized events utilizing 5 peer association examples.

Learner Outcomes
1. Blending In-Person, Live Online, and On-Demand is the Future. Virtual events work. In-person events work. Now that members have had the experience, they want the added value, but hybrid has always been too costly. Attendees will learn that it is possible!
2. Your Website Needs to Become the Hub. Your website should be the hub of all events and content. Attendees will learn how to create predictable, familiar behavior and develop a one-stop shop for resources, continued education, and engagement.
3. Digital Transformation Requires Cross Department Collaboration. Attendees will learn how to shift from measuring transactions and look at the holistic engagement your platform creates. Leverage all departments to deliver value pre, during, and post events.

It’s the “Year of Hybrid Solutions” as the industry moves beyond tired debates of getting back to normal, virtual burnout, and digital platforms, and looks forward to providing a vibrant blend of live and digital meeting experiences with more engagement, connection, and value. And with the right resources and relationships, it might just be easier to deliver than you think.

Last year, during the height of the pandemic, MPI members Theresa Duncan, Senior Manager of Corporate Events for Kubota Tractor Corporation, and Kelly Massey, Managing Partner of Grit Productions & Expositions, teamed up to produce two hybrid events providing attendees eager for human connection the opportunity to meet safely in-person, while also creating a more accessible and engaging virtual experience. From enhanced sponsorship opportunities to improved reach and ROI, their collaboration is a case study for conference and trade show planners in delivering meaningful solutions to bridge in-person and online events.

It’s a candid conversation on best practices and lessons learned around the costs, technology, equipment, skills, and solutions necessary to meet the challenges ahead for the meeting and event industry, and help you design experiences that #movemeetingsforward"

Learner Outcomes

1. Identify key deliverables and ROI for a successful Hybrid Event.

2. Compare and Contrast approaches to merging in-person and digital meeting attendee experiences.

3.Create meaningful Reach and Engagement opportunities for both in-person and online events.

Session Sponsored by: 

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting and Event Design

Events have the power of bringing change in attendee behavior with one event at a time. With an opportunity of paving a new way through humanity, it is imperative for Event Professionals to ensure the experiences they design to deliver a message of 'Inclusivity as natural behavior' that makes everyone feel welcome. How do you create an Inclusive experience in a virtual environment? Let's talk about 10 best practices that make sure all attendees experience your events to its full potential.

Learner Outcomes:

1. Create inclusive virtual experiences in order to increase your brand credibility and humanize your events.

2. Deliver a virtual event experience that will help in increasing attendee engagement and interactions in an environment that is safe and inclusive for everyone.

3. Inclusive virtual experience is a continuous process in order to make it seamless and second nature to brands and their audience outreach.

This session is powered by:

Communicate in Any Language - Everything you say, translated on the fly.

Sponsored by MPI partner eSpeakers.com

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design

Presenting through Zoom is not the same as presenting on a stage. You can’t ask people to put their screens away and give you their full attention - it is through these screens that your audience is watching you! Unfortunately, one-way communication is easy to ignore. Zoom fatigue makes our audiences tune out, and highly addictive social media is only a click away. By using the Power of Play, and inviting interaction from your attendees, your next Zoom presentation will be engaging, exciting, and full of smiles.

Learner Objectives:

1. Appraise their own energy as a member of an audience playing a game, in order to contrast that energetic state with a passive observer of content

2. Recognize the difference between speaking and facilitating, in order to apply both modes of delivery to an audience

3. Discover the shift in their own attention when they are invited to contribute, in order to plan interactive exercises that engage their audience

This session is powered by:

Communicate in Any Language - Everything you say, translated on the fly

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design

Before 2020, meetings and conferences were in-person events. Yes, there were a few you could “watch” after the fact, but nothing compared to the in-person experience. This is still true however, with COVID still ever-present, our push to get back to the way it was is coming up short. We need to be ready for the future of meetings and conferences. That means hybrids. Hybrids will allow companies and organizations to plan in-person meetings providing a viable option for those that are not comfortable traveling to the meeting destination. Meetings and conferences will need to become a dynamic experience for those on-site and those tuning in remotely. For planners, this adds many new levels of complexity to your planning process. Can my standard meeting format work? What needs to change? What should I watch out for? What are the secrets to a successful hybrid meeting? What are the watch-outs? Join us as we explore and contrast the traditional, old-school hybrid (pre-COVID) and what must happen now to keep everyone engaged and offer a unique and valuable experience to all your attendees regardless of location. This session is specifically designed for meeting planners who plan corporate meetings and conferences and foresee hybrids in the future of their meeting structure. This session will provide tips, general information, and examples of how you can take your meetings and conferences hybrid.

Learner Outcomes:

1. Understand the basics of hybrid meetings

2. Understand the fundamentals of planning a hybrid meeting

3. Learn best practices

Event Cost

• Non-Members: $9.99
• Members: Free

Want access to great educational content year-round for a free or reduced rate? Learn more about MPI membership here today!

This session is powered by:

Communicate in Any Language - Everything you say, translated on the fly.

This webinar is graciously sponsored by Mohegan Sun 

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting and Event Design

In November 2020, MPI delivered an industry-leading hybrid event in-person at the Gaylord Texan in the heart of Grapevine, Texas, and live online to a global audience representing 17 countries. With more than 600 onsite and 1,200 digital participants, MPI’s lofty mission—to execute a safe, engaging experience for all attendees that delivered on its theme—Reunite for Recovery. Join MPI for this deep-dive conversation about the strategy and execution of the World Education Congress Grapevine from early critical choices to duty of care to the realities of hybrid. These hard lessons well learned to provide a pathway for meetings and events moving forward and a blueprint for our industry’s recovery.

Learner Objectives

• Discover best practices for duty of care and participant health and safety during a pandemic.
• Discuss critical considerations for creating hybrid experiences that connect people across borders.
• Learn key lessons learned by MPI for designing experiences that bring people together—at six feet

The planning for WEC 2020 was in the home stretch until COVID-19 derailed everything. When MPI’s leadership made the decision to postpone WEC to November, the WEC planning group had to throw out years of traditional event planning best practices and not only start from scratch but transition a highly interactive live event into a hybrid conference. Kevin Iwamoto, GLP, GTP and Melinda L. Burdette, CMP, CMM, HMCC, Director, Events for MPI discuss what happened and how MPI pivoted to re-create WEC 2020 in a pandemic world.

For over a decade, the industry has been content to be "in-person first", despite having bullet-proof solutions for live streaming and remote audience engagement. Then COVID-19 happened, and we were forced to take our events completely online, all at once. And what did we see? Increased attendee counts more diverse and worldwide engagement, hundreds of new streaming providers, and for some even a bump in membership and revenue. There is no question in-person events will always have a future, but now that both planners and attendees have had a taste of the power of online events, how can we move forward? The future is hybrid. Learn how modern events will incorporate two distinct audiences, online and in-person, and how to build unique, engaging experiences for both.

Have you ever attended a large-scale event that fell flat? Sometimes the large macro experience gets lots of love, but we forget about all the important micro-moments. Every experience contains a myriad of micro-moments. Sometimes, though, within the hustle and bustle of designing the event, some of these micro-moments lack the intention and time they deserve. What if we were able to create, moment by moment, identify, and then design specific micro-moments we knew would yield specific outcomes? Zooming out, think of what the entire experience might look like with that level of intention! This session will define and describe distinct “micro-experience” types grounded in experience design research and show participants how to intentionally craft events by carefully curating micro-experiences that climax in a magnificently personalized experience and gives your participants exactly what they want and need.

Customer experience is recently considered as a more competitive advantage than price, product, or quality. However, virtual event experience is different from traditional meetings due to the lack of face-to-face social interactions with people and the physical environment, as well as a lower level of engagement. This session aims to present the results of the MPI research project on virtual event experience and attendees' risk perceptions during the post-COVID-19 era, introduce different components and temporal dimensions of virtual event experience, and propose new innovative measures to capture the affective and moment-by-moment nature of event experience, including survey scales, experience sampling method, electrodermal activity, electrocardiography, pupillometry, and other emerging techniques.