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Archive
2012
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Message from Kimberley Gishler
Submitted by,
Kimberley Gishler, Executive Director
Happy New Year Everyone! I can't believe that 2011 has come and gone. What a year! You know, when I took this position back in 2010, I was excited to come back in a strategic role for CEMA. As a 15-year member, you all know that I am passionate about this group and what it brings to us all -- key learning opportunities and the ability to network; great ideas from peers, great relationships with vendors; and my personal favorite, a close circle of friends. Being an Event Marketer within a company can be a challenging role. So, to have a group of people that identify with the same issues, needs and successes is empowering.
I've been thinking a lot about the direction of CEMA and I'm excited at what 2012 holds for us. CEMA is committed to your success. And, we know that your success is linked to your ability to deliver outstanding and innovative Marketing programs. We've been busy behind the scenes working on programs to help you deliver just that. 2012 will bring you more local and regional events, additional study tours, new webinars and web educational programs. We'll be going to D.C. for a ½ day educational program with Discovery Communications, Orlando for the SAP SAPPHIRE NOW and Indianapolis for the ExactTarget Study Tours, and much more, so stay tuned!
Thank you for your continued support. May 2012 be your best year yet!
Kim
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Membership Renewal
CEMA is pleased to announce that Jack Morton and Aimia dba Carlson Marketing have renewed their 2012 Platinum Memberships; and Alliance Tech, George P. Johnson, Impact Unlimited, InVision and Opus have also reserved their Gold Memberships! Thank you to our IP Industry Members who give so much to our Association!
CEMA sees Success in Your Future! Renew your membership today by clicking here.
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November Member Survey Results Help Guide CEMA 2012 Educational Activities
Thank you to those of you who completed the recent CEMA survey that asked members to help us better understand what key challenges they face in 2012 and how CEMA can help. Feedback from you indicated:
- Budgets continue to decrease across the board. Average budgets are down 35%; however, some companies are starting to spend in these departments.
- Companies are spending less money and resources on number of events, sponsorships and travel and focusing their efforts on the number of customer-focused regional events, proprietary events, social media efforts, thought leadership and speaker visibility opportunities and executive programs that target specific audiences.
- Top 3 most critical issues facing members in 2012 are:
- Doing more with less
- ROI
- Global Expansion
- Key Educational Topics that CEMA was asked to address in 2012 are:
- Professional Development
- Strategic Planning
- Innovative Solutions for our industry
- Understanding Gen Y/Millennial generations and their effect in our industry
We will be using this information to develop our programs, events, discussion topics, etc., for 2012. We will also be sending more surveys your direction throughout the year. Your feedback is critical. Please complete these timely surveys; it will make us all better!
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Aimia, Incorporating Carlson Marketing, Newsletter Sponsor
Carlson Marketing is now Aimia, offering a comprehensive suite of loyalty services for employees, business partners and customers. With this alignment, our meeting and event strategies are now better informed through data, and our technology and communications capabilities are more targeted and relevant. Together Aimia, and Carlson Marketing deliver stronger business loyalty for the world's premier brands.
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Going For It
7 Steps To Selecting and Using Technology
Kristy Elisano, VP Marketing, Sparks
Many a marketer and CEO have been lured into making hasty technology investments for not-so-strategic reasons. There's the "everyone else is doing it," the "it's so cool we have to have it," and of course the, "it's fun to play with." Don't squander your hard-earned marketing budgets by buying the shiny new toys without a solid strategy to back you up. Here are the seven critical steps to making a sound investment.
1. Set Your Goals
Know what you're trying to achieve and be really clear about your program goals. Is it lead generation? A shift in brand sentiment? Publicity? And understand who your audience is, what your message is and what your budget is. "You have to do that early in the process because you can go so many different directions with technology," Jamie Barlow, Director, Interactive Media at Sparks warns. "You need to know what the objective is first."
2. Define the Experience
What's is the attendee experience and what's the need? Is the experience quick? Is it something that's convenient? Is it something that's deep and enriching and a learning opportunity? Is it a surprising realization? Is it something that's easy to share? Break down your customer or prospect's journey moment by moment and clearly define the experience with all of its touch points.
3. Make the Connections
You've defined the live experience. Now, how do you connect that experience beyond the real world touch point? Is it active on the part of the attendee, through social networks, sharing or emailing? Or is it passive, like an instant communication from the brand after an RFID scan in your booth? How will you bring it out of that realm, whatever that touch point is?
4. Refine the Message
How can technology help you bring your brand's best assets to life? In the digital age, content still reigns supreme. Work with your best content creators, or hire outside expertise, to create meaningful messages and compelling stories that immerse attendees in your brand's narrative. Just like an addictive video game or a Hollywood movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, tech-based content should be dramatic, engaging, memorable and entertaining.
5. Empower the Audience
Be micro-focused on your attendees (who are they?), what you want them to do (what specific action?) and then provide them the tools to make it happen. Do you want attendees to be so wowed by your building projection that they post it on YouTube? Create a channel where they can easily upload it. Do you want them to share with their friends on Facebook how much fun they're having at your event? Give them an incentive to post while inside your booth. Define exactly what you want that communication to be and then create the mechanism for them to do it.
6. Pick your Medium
Does the medium map back to the message? Is it large or small scale? Can attendees hold it in the palm of their hand on their own device, or do they need to visit your booth to touch it? The medium should act as the easiest and most likely conduit for communication.
7. Enable Communication
Brands are no longer in control of their message. Consumers today use the power of word of mouth, ratings, reviews and the occasional damning video, to shape public perception. It's imperative, therefore, that your message be authentic. Ask, "What would they be more likely to pass along to their friends?" versus, "What's the brand message I want them to pass along." Barlow says, "It's about influencing people, but it's also about people being able to influence each other through communicating whatever your authentic message is.
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Untangling Employee Engagement: Measuring and Improving Organizational Culture
AIMIA has provided CEMA with an outstanding white paper on motivating employees for ongoing success and is also available for you on our website.
Based on the "Positive Engagement Model", developed by AIMIA, there are six critical facets essential for building authentic employee-to-organization bonds: Achievement, Mastery, Connection, Well-Being, Appreciation and Innovation. The white paper provides an overview of the Positive Engagement Model, How these elements are measured and a case study demonstrating its effectiveness. Click here to view this white paper.
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Upcoming Events
CEMA and Jack Morton Worldwide Host a Not-to-Miss Educational Event
"Communicate. Educate. Advocate: Leveraging Social Media in Today's Changing World" February 2, 2012
CEMA invites you to join us for a unique educational afternoon exploring the role of social media by some of the most cutting edge users. Hear from the RedPeg Marketing's Owner & Founder, Brad Nierenberg, One.org's CMO Jeff Davidoff; Discovery Communications' VP of Global Events, Jeff Kaplan and CMO, David Shackley.
Click here to view the speaker's topics and the day's agenda
REGISTER NOW! As always, we welcome CEMA nonmembers to join these local gatherings. Please bring friends or industry peers with you when you attend.
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New Jobs on CEMAonline.com
We've posted new jobs to the Job Bank on cemaonline.com. Currently job opportunities include:
Marketing Events Coordinator, San Jose, CA
Events Manager, Internal Events, San Francisco, CA
Events Manager, Washington, D.C. Metro Area
EMEA Events Manager, Bracknell, United Kingdom
Sr. Director, Worldwide Events-SMB & Cloud Division, Mountain View, CA
Marketing Manager, Pleasant Hill, CA
National Director of Events and Sponsorship, Santa Barbara, CA
Marketing Events Manager, Seattle, WA
Event Coordinator, Edison, NJ
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A Sad Good-bye to CEMA Members
With heavy hearts, CEMA is sad to share the passing of two of its members in 2011. Arnold Say from HP and Neil Schwartz from California Credit Union League.
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CEMA Member Highlight
We continue to highlight the careers of the key industry leaders who are part of our member community. The knowledge and broad range of experience within our membership is one of the most highly valued membership benefit. Each month we will continue to introduce you to one of our members, either from the agency or the brand side of the industry. The objective of these introductions is to provide you with an understanding of the amazing caliber of your peers and colleagues and to offer resources for Best Practices or Success Stories and peer support. Please respect CEMA's "no selling environment" and do not use these member highlights as a solicitation platform.
This month we highlight Kurt Paben 
KURT PABEN is the Senior Vice President, Business Loyalty for Aimia (incorporating Carlson Marketing).
He is a 25-year veteran of the Loyalty industry with experience in the motivation of employees, business partners and customers for some of the most notable brands in the world. Kurt leads the High Tech and Telecommunications vertical for Aimia. He is passionate about connecting the science of data with the development of personal relationships through events and engagement – believing more engaged employees and higher-performing business partners deliver long-lasting customer loyalty. Kurt uses his love of the theater to inspire dramatic and memorable experiences for the events he and his team creates.
Kurt has played an active role in industry roundtables, advisory boards and speaking engagements for many organizations. Kurt also supports the Site International Foundation and will serve on the Board of Trustees for the foundation starting in 2012. Kurt has been tackling midlife by doing triathlons. |
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