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I recently had the opportunity to attend a couple of my customer's conferences for which I had secured some speakers. Many of us enjoy the chance to see these meetings first hand through the eyes of our customers. Even though all the technical details have been planned in great detail (not the least of which is the selection of the speaker), it’s a challenge not to feel anxious up until the moment the speaker is underway and the audience is rapt. We all know a successful speech is immensely satisfying to witness when all goes right. Following each program I attended (which were home runs), my customers articulated how thrilled and amazed they were with the speaker and the audience's response. Armed with knowing the exact same speaker had been a smash hit with similar audiences dozens of times in the recent past, we suggest and recommend them with confidence. Despite this advantage of experience, our customers marvel at our foresight and we win their trust. Attending these meetings impressed upon me once again the great degree of trust our customers place in us and the role we play in their meetings. We receive deposits, for what are sometimes dizzying fees, well in advance of the play date. The speakers we engage can be pivotal to the success or relative failure of these events. These elements are executed through what can be distant mediums like email and phone. Arrangements like that don’t come about without a high degree of trust. We shouldn't accept that trust lightly and need to earn it every day. Let’s continue to hold our industry to the highest levels of professionalism. Now get out and attend one of your customer’s events if you haven’t lately! ..... Membership News
/ Australian Speakers Bureau Book the Best Jodi F. Solomon Speakers Bureau Knopf Speakers Bureau Pro-Motivate Pro Speakers Speakers Mexico .....
In addition to the announcement of our outstanding first headliner, Daniel Pink featured last issue, we are delighted to also bring Marcus Buckingham to next year’s conference! Buckingham is widely considered one of the world’s leading authorities on employee productivity and the practices of leading and managing. He’s well-known as author of four best-selling books, including his most recent; Go Put Your Strengths to Work. His additional books include: First, Break All the Rules; Now, Discover Your Strengths; and The One Thing You Need to Know.
SAVE THE DATE: ....
Last month Jo Cavender provided an insightful update on the progress made by the IASB Technology Committee. I'm proud to report that we have made significant headway on the central speaker’s repository, which was highlighted as one of the committee's top priorities. An agreement has been signed with eSpeakers and they have given us the end of November as a "soft" completion date. The idea behind the central repository is for speakers to post their information for bureaus (biography, photo, topic descriptions, video link, fees, etc) into one place; providing currency, consistency and a standard process for updates. We expect this will provide an industry service that dramatically improves content accuracy while substantially reducing tedious hours spent on updates. Speakers agree to keep the information updated. The standards will be set when bureaus only accept information in this format and in turn, speakers will only provide information in this format. Not only will it put an end to the hundreds of e-mails landing in your in-box, the countless physical packets and all the phone calls, but it will also give you a link to post on your website and pass on to new speakers wondering how they can share their information with bureaus. Here are some of the features that the repository with include: * Easy sign-up page on the IASB website As you can see, we have some exciting developments in the works to help us use technology more effectively. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available. .... Cabs Go Cashless The below article was reprinted from the October 2007 issue of Meetings & Conventions Magazine. You no longer need cold cash to pay taxi fares, even if you ride in cabs that aren’t equipped with credit-card consoles. Thanks to www.1800CabRide.com, an online service that launched earlier this year and services 25 major markets and counting in the United States, travelers can book cabs ahead of time and pre-pay fares with credit cards (using calculated flat rates that include tolls and tips). Reservations can be booked on-line up to six hours in advance of the ride; last-minute bookings, changes, cancellations and customer service inquires can be made by phone.
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President's Message
Technology Committee Update
