Sunday, June 4
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
Fuel up for a fund day filled with great education and networking!
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Now Trending Panel
Executing meetings this year promises to be anything but business as usual.
Planners will face a steep learning curve in all directions, whether it’s negotiating in a robust hotel seller’s market, keeping abreast of new technologies or providing engaging content that meets the demands of today’s attendees.
We’ve assembled a panel experts to help on a wide-range of best practices and advice for keeping your company’s conventions in the black and on track.
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m. - Noon
Crisis Planning & Event Security
Whether you are following mainstream media or meeting planner publications it is hard to miss the rise in threats to our attendees safety, both globally and here in the United States.
Does this heightened awareness have you asking, “Is our company prepared? Am I as the meeting planner ready should our event encounters a crisis?”
Bring your questions and experiences for our panel of experts and your peers. Leave with information empowering you and your staff to be better prepared should a crisis hit your event.
Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Networking Lunch
Take a break with your peers and enjoy lunch as you swap stories and share ideas!
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Music Licensing & Entertainment at Live Events
Music often is an integral part of conventions and meetings, whether incorporated during general sessions to support the overarching message or meeting theme, in breakouts and more.
Meeting and convention organizers may not think twice about playing a CD, connecting their iPhone or streaming from sources such as Spotify or Pandora at such an event, but the setting may subject them to liability under copyright law.
Choosing the right live entertainment can add prestige to live events, help tell your story and generate excitement and energy, sending guests home with a sparkling new attitude. After you’ve signed the perfect entertainment for your event, the work begins in earnest.
This session will explore the ins and outs of live performances including:
- Why businesses and organizations need to be licensed to play music, what the license covers and what happens if music is used without permission
- How to work with producers, management and artists to create a positive experience for all stakeholders – and your audience
- How to navigate speedbumps and gotchas in contracts and performances.
2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Incentive Planning – It’s More than the Destination
Location – Location – Location…. While location may be one of the first decisions when planning an incentive program it is by no means the last.
In fact, your location selection opens the floodgates to a much larger set of questions that need to be answered.
This session will explore:
- Benefits of incentive travel versus cash
- Destination selection
- Building excitement for future programs
- How your program can differentiate your brand
- Sponsorship opportunities
- Planning tips for marketing, tracking and participant communications
2:45p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
How To Use the Market: Tapping in to Local and Budget-Friendly Options
Convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) matter to the meeting planners and event professionals at DSA member companies. These organizations are the source of creative ideas, local connections and budget-friendly solutions that make any meeting a great success.
In this rapid-fire session, several CVBs will go beyond the typical sales pitch to provide specific examples of the added value that made them a true partner to an event that was a newcomer in their city.
Participants will hear how CVBs have:
- Shopped a new meeting to introduce it and its potential ROI to the local business and hospitality community
- Sourced local entertainment, personnel and more to provide meeting planners with a positive experience in their market
- Provided the insight that helped meeting planners get the most out of a city’s unique offerings.
3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Break
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Feel Good… Do Good: Corporate Social Responsibility Creating Meetings that Build Heartshare
We are at the beginning of the biggest revolution since the quality revolution of the 70’s and 80’s and now makes the internet revolution look like a blip. It’s called the “Responsibility Revolution”, and according to Tim Sanders, it will mark the biggest business value proposition change in history and have the power to truly change the world.
Businesses are embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the wish of their customers and their employees. But what does that mean, and how can we incorporate it into our meetings, conventions, facilities and programming? We’ll explore dozens of different ways to build CSR into your meetings – and in the process build a stronger internal and external image for your company and brand.
Learning objectives include:
- Understanding why CSR is the hottest new business imperative
- Exploring dozens of ways to build CSR into your business and meetings
- Brainstorming and benchmarking with others on CSR initiatives
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Behind the Scenes Production Tour
A successful meeting is like a great theatrical production: what happens behind the curtain is crucial to the onstage performance.
Here’s your chance to slip backstage to learn how one of the industry’s largest production company’s executives are using the latest innovations to meet and exceed their clients’ needs.
We’ll take a tour behind the scenes as Iacono prepares for DSA’s 2017 Annual Meeting and give you a close-up look at how production companies are reimagining ways to make the magic happen.
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Opening Reception
8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
DSA After Hours Party
Monday, June 5
10:30 a.m. - 10:55 a.m.
Coffee & Conversation
11:00 a.m. - Noon
Passport to Productivity: A Destination Worth Planning For
What sets successful employees apart? Their productivity. They get more done, they’re given more important projects. But productivity doesn’t just happen—it’s learned, planned for, and executed with intention. Develop habits that will set you apart in the following areas:
- Managing your time
- Running effective meetings
- Keeping up with email
- Prioritizing projects
- Controlling all the paper on your desk
3:00 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.
Coffee & Conversation
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Keeping Recognition Exciting, Engaging & On Time
Acknowledging your salesforce for their efforts is one of the most important tools in motivating them to stay engaged. This is why recognition is a critical piece of every company’s conventions and meetings.
When recognition is done right it is a seamless celebration enjoyed by the awardee and audience alike. Achieving success in this area takes experience, planning, organization and creativity.
4:10 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.
The Future of Event Technology – 2017 Trend Watch
Event technology has seen massive changes in the last decade alone. What’s next? Hold onto your iPads, it’s going to be an electrifying ride!
Tuesday, June 6
10:45 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
Coffee & Conversation
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
The Attendee Journey – Tools & Tech to Drive Engagement
With the right event design, and the right technology, you can engage your attendees and drive efficiencies.
Technology enables you to create smoother and more engaging experiences, and provide you the insights you need to report on event success.
DSA Annual Meeting 2017 is best place for meeting planners and event professionals to share their best practices for creating the exceptional event experiences that ignite the imagination of any company's field.