Make the most of longer days

With the days getting longer, NHS Blood and Transplant is asking people from Milton Keynes  to think about blood donation as they start to make more plans.

As Spring starts, winter hibernation can be forgotten – with extended daylight, Bank Holidays and Summer holidays to look forward to.

But when you’re planning how you’re going to enjoy 2013, make sure you fit in giving blood. Or if you’ve never done it before, why not book in now?

Anyone aged between 17-65, weighing more than 50 kg (7st 12lbs) and in general good health could potentially start saving lives by becoming a blood donor. There is no upper age limit for donors who have donated in the last two years.

For more information or to book an appointment visit www.blood.co.uk or contact 0300 123 23 23.

Upcoming local sessions include:

M K Christian Centre
Strudwick Drive Oldbrook
Milton Keynes
Bucks
MK6 2TG

Tuesday 23 April. 2013

13:30 – 15:30

16:45 – 19:15

Social Media has gone mainstream and is now an important tool for business. So are you serious about growing your business through the power of social media?

Would you like to?

• Drive more traffic to your website
• Get new customers
• Gain more revenue

Don’t miss out. The following Workshops are for everyone who wants to optimise their online marketing and grow their business.

Email anne@mediatrain.uk.com or call Anne on 07711 787216

Learn the practicalities by attending our friendly, small, hands-on:

WORKSHOPS and DROP-IN CLINICS with a 1-2-1 SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT/STRATEGY BENCHMARK HELP at MKCC- Conference Venue

Join us on:

5^th March: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:JUMPSTART YOUR STRATEGY (AM)

20^th May: LINKEDIN FOR BUSINESS (AM)

17^th June:TWITTER FOR BUSINESS (AM)

ALL DATES:DROP-IN CLINIC AUDIT/BENCHMARK HELP (PM)

Attendance is guaranteed to make you realise how Social Media can revolutionise your Marketing Strategies

Who you choose to speak at your event, conference or meeting can play a huge part in whether or not it is deemed successful.  The right person can make your event memorable in all the right ways whereas the wrong person could potentially be inappropriate, and not represent the ethos of your company appropriately.

So where do you start when it comes to finding the right person?:

• Think about budget – different presenters/ speakers can cost varying amounts. Think about if you will need to cover their travel expenses or accommodation costs.

• What sort of person are you looking for? – Make a list of the sort of character traits and personality that you are looking for, think about how that person might fit into the general feel and ethos of your event, are looking for a celebrity, an educator, an entertainer or a motivational speaker? (E.g. A quite serious, corporate event may not suit that guy with the cheesy grin and sparkly suit!) Think about your audience.

• Word of mouth – can you find out anything about this individual from another colleague? If not do they have a dedicated website where you can find out more about expertise, years of service, credentials, clients, and testimonials?

• Communicate – In order to avoid any embarrassing moments communicate to your speaker in plenty of time what you expect from their presentation.  What are your goals and themes for the event? Can you send your speaker any information regarding your company or any material from pervious events in order to give him/her a feel for what would be appropriate?

• Think about the theme – what is the theme of your event? What are your objectives? Get this right and you should be able to find a speaker who suits these elements perfectly.

• Talk directly to the speaker – do your best to find the opportunity to talk to the speaker directly before the event, not just his/her representative.  Some of your decision should be based on your intuition that this is the right person for you!

Assuming that all of the basic principles are in place such as organisation, resources and budget then we can then start to look at the concept of adding a little extra something to the event, ensuring it stands apart from the crowd as ‘that little bit different’ and memorable.

One idea could be to use a wacky venue or space which adds an extra element to the conference; although this might take a little more planning and preparing on the organisation side of things. For example instead of the typical venue consider perhaps (weather permitting) having the conference or event outside, or even perhaps a country manor to add a touch of elegance, even on a boat is an option! Be free to think outside the box.

There is also a lot to be said for the little details, although usually reasonably inexpensive and easy to manage they can make a huge impact on the client. For example are the seats comfortable?  (a big deal if you’ve been sat on one for a 3 hour session), is there plenty of good quality coffee? Is the room the right temperature? Is there free Wi-Fi? Also think about the potential of offering some ‘Freebies’. It doesn’t cost much to get some branded pens, sweets or coasters to go on the tables, (a little bit of inexpensive marketing for the venue) or even to provide the client with free notebooks on the tables!

Lasting impressions mean a lot in the conferencing world and ending with a ‘bang’ to send everyone on their way with a sense of the event being a true success will be what your client remembers. Think about ending with a great speech from your guest speaker, a performance or a video summary of the day, again creativity means a lot!

Think about how people can feel connected at the event. Are real and significant issues discussed? Does the content encourage a movement in people?  People want to feel like they are a part of something great and like they can truly meet, network and connect with others around them.

These are just a few ideas to inspire you to run a conference which stands apart from the typical. Push the boundaries of what is expected of you and you may find that your  clients end up feeling pleasantly surprised!

1. Adopt a Culture of Care
Customers will only receive the level of care they expect if every member of your organisation understands that the needs of the customer should always be the top priority.
At MKCC we understand that organising an event, conference or meeting can be challenging. This is why we take the time to explain to our staff why customer care matters and the impact good customer care can have not only on our customers but on the events and conferences they run.
2. Keep your Promises
There is nothing more likely to incur the ire of a customer than a broken promise. Do not be tempted to make commitments that you cannot honour just to make a sale.
When you organise your conference with us, we promise that we will pull out all the stops to make it  happen.  Still, if we know can’t deliver what you want, we will be upfront and honest from the start.
3. Identify Needs
You can better care for your customers (and increase your sales) by considering their needs above all else. This might mean going as far as changing your  service model/template – or it might just be as simple as considering ways that will make dealing with your business a more pleasant experience for customers.
We are passionate about listening to customers’ needs and working out a plan that meets those needs. We understand that meetings and conferences come in all shapes and sizes and at MKCC, you can be assured that we will be proactive in not only identifying potential requirement, but finding the right solution for you.
4. Start with a ‘YES’
It is easy to underestimate the power of positivity. Wherever possible, your default position should be to say ‘yes’. Customers understandably react badly to negativity, but appreciate it when businesses actively try to solve their problems with optimism not pessimism.
At MKCC we pride ourselves on being flexible and active seek every opportunity to fill any gaps. We know that while challenges are, well, challenging, they serve to continually improve the service we offer.
5. Listen to Feedback
No-one has as good a view of your customer care as your customers themselves – so you should make sure that you are listening to them. Take the time to get their feedback as it’s not something that is freely offered by every customer. This may require implementing something like a Customer Evaluation Form, or could be as simple as a follow up call by one of your team.
Our relationship with our customers is at the heart of our business and we are committed to listen and act to improve the service that we provide. We have successfully built great relationships with businesses because we have listened to their feedback and made adjustments where required.

Follow our simple five-step plan for selecting the right venue and you’ll be one step closer to running a successful event or conference!

1. Budget

Work out your (or your client’s) budget before starting the venue search. There is nothing worse than suggesting venue options that are either too expensive or too cheap and that subsequently do not fit into the event’s ethos.

2. Target Market

Learn about and understand the target market prior to looking at venues. This is key – get the wrong location and your target market will not turn up. Will you target market travel by car, will parking be a priority?

3. Venue Requirements

Be clear on your venue requirements. Do you know how many delegates you are aiming to attract? Do you know how many rooms you need? Do you know what layout the rooms need to be in? All key questions and you need to know the answers to each and everyone.

4. Technology

Does the event require advanced technology such as WiFi, hearing-loop systems, high specification Audio Visual (AV) equipment, etc? Don’t underestimate how the cost of services such as AV and sound can impact on the event experience from both a delegate and sponsor point of view.

5. View the Venue

Have you seen the venue before? If not, organise and personally attend at least one site visit prior to deciding on the event venue. This will provide you and your client with the perfect opportunity to confirm that the rooms are the correct size, the staff are helpful, the venue is in a good location and importantly that the venue is in a good condition.

When it comes to marketing your event or conference Social Media is your best friend. Not only is it usually free, easily accessible and user friendly, it’s incredibly effective and can make a big impact on your past, present and future client base.

Facebook

There are several things you can do on Facebook to advertise and bring attention to your conference;

1)  Create a ‘page’ – A ‘page’ is almost like a fan site where people can ‘like’ your event, read up on news and info and stay in the loop about what to expect at the conference.

2)  Create a Facebook ‘Event’ -  Invite your Facebook friends along, highlight the date, times and location of the conference and keep tabs on attendance. You could also use a registration tool on there such as http://www.regonline.com/__event-registration/event-registration-tool or http://www.somethingon.com/.

3)  Advertise – You can use an advert on Facebook. There is a cost for this service however you can reach your target customers such as those in a certain age bracket, location, interests or profession.

Twitter

Twitter is a quick, easy and simple tool you can use to get the word out about your event.

1)  Set up a ‘profile’ for your event –  Tweet about things that your potential delegates could experience, count down the days till your event.

2)  ‘Follow’- Follow other conferencing twitter accounts to help with networking and reaching other customers.

3)  Hashtaging – Using a hash tag(#) in your tweets  not only adds a bit of personality to your updates but focuses more attention on your event and puts emphasis on the key elements to your event such as it’s name or date. See here for some inspiration… http://www.tweetmyevents.com/.

As well as Facebook and Twitter there are several other social media services you can get stuck into. Blogging can be in incredibly effective, as well as sites such as Eventbrite, Eventful, Myspace and Tweetvite. You can also upload videos to Youtube and photos to Flickr then link these in with your Facebook page.

With Social Media the possibilities are endless but your main priority should be to advertise your event as quickly, easily and effectively as possible and using Social media will help you to do just that.

So start exploring online and happy ‘Tweeting’, ‘Blogging’, ‘Posting’, and ‘Uploading!’

So how can you make sure that your conference is planet friendly?

One main point that is raised time and time again is the issue of using online and digital information at your conference and during the lead up to your event such as e-mail updates, online registration, electronic brochures and presentations.

Think and be conscious of how much paper you are using and whether or not you are using re-usable materials such as cups, pens etc, and when it comes to catering look into using locally sourced organic foods and support the businesses in the local community. Why not in those all important coffee breaks, serve Fairtrade coffee too?

Also dont forget about the venue you’re using. Is it easy to get to? Within walking distance of local train or bus stations? It may not cross your mind but you can reduce your carbon footprint before your conference or event even begins. (At MKCC our conference venue is situated  close to the heart of Milton Keynes and is in easy walking distance of train and bus stations as well as the MK:centre. Call us today on 01908 553063 for more information)

And most importantly, recycle, recycle, recycle!

We have found some helpful and insightful websites for you to browse through here;

http://www.meetingmakers.co.uk/sustainable-conferences.asp

http://www.lgsa-plus.net.au/www/html/1726-running-a-green-event.asp

http://www.confpeople.co.uk/greeneventsintro.html

Good luck and enjoy the challenge! After all… ‘It’s not that easy being green’

Don’t forget! At MKCC we have the perfect meeting room available for hire.  When you want to get out of the office to meet, think and plan with colleagues you don’t want it to turn into a planning exercise in itself. Our meeting room accommodates between 2 to 8 people and comes with everything you need to make it worth meeting. Please call 01908 553063 for more information.

It’s every event organiser’s nightmare, so what could you have done better to make sure that your delegates actually appear on the day?

• Time – Give yourself at least 2 weeks to get the word out, the general rule is the larger the event the more time needed to advertise it.

• Keep it simple – information overload is a killer. All that’s needed is date, time, where, what and why? You don’t want to give too much away.

• Be clear – Make it obvious who they contact to register, one number and one e-mail address.
• Be original – Use your imagination for your campaign, stand out!
• Advertise, Advertise, Advertise! – Facebook, websites, meetings, e-mail shots, get the word out and remind them over and over!
• ‘MIMO’ (Miss It Miss Out) – Make it clear to your potential delegates that if they don’t go they’ll miss out big time!
• Be Personable – Tell as many as you can face to face about the day, this is more memorable, word of mouth is your best friend.
• Who? – Think about who you’re event is for and make the promo specific to your audience.

Of course we can never plan what might happen on the day but the key is to cover every eventuality.

So get promoting and good luck!