FICP Anytime | Webinars | Podcasts | Speaker Showcase | Education Week | Resource Bundles | SIGs
Upcoming Webinars and Chats
Join Jen Squeglia, CMP, FICP Board Member, as she brings together our Meetings Professionals members and Hospitality Partners to moderate a discussion about the future of meetings.
During this discussion, we will be focusing on technology, virtual events and their role in our industry over the past year. We’ll also discuss hybrid events and how virtual/hybrid events will be positioned as part of our overall event strategies complementing in-person events moving forward.
Topics include:
- What are our virtual event best practices?
- What virtual platforms/technologies are you using and for what type of events?
- What have you seen from an engagement and networking perspective that is new and different?
- How do you see virtual events remaining as part of your event strategy moving forward?
- Is hybrid a consideration to facilitate social distancing and/or to accommodate attendees who are not yet comfortable travelling?
- Budgeting and Communication Best Practices for virtual, hybrid and in-person
- How our hospitality partners support:
- Virtual Site visits / planning visits - share tips on how to do this successfully
- In-house AV teams offering equipment / robust internet connectivity for hybrid meetings
- DMCs / production companies and their amazing support of virtual events, inclusive of gifting logistics and ideas
- Keynote speakers and Entertainment presenting virtually – several have made an amazing pivot and reaching a larger audience!
Register on TheNetwork
So 2021 looks a bit different, eh? As we move forward with our events, staff & budgets may be leaner but the need for moving forward with the technology that supports your events and constituents remains integral. Your skill set in this new normal demands an even better understanding of the tech tools that can get the work done. From easily creating apps for your events and management to automating workflows, from voice interfaces to developing mixed reality, this session shows that the tools to create exceptional tech functionality reside in your hands, and within your budget.
After participating in this session, the attendee will be able to:
- Identify and use over 5 high tech tools that can be created and implemented at little to no cost
- Create an organization or conference app at no expense
- Understand the meaning and implications of the low-code/no-code tech movement for most businesses
- Identify 5 online meeting tips to enhance your organization’s virtual communications and security
About the Speaker
James Spellos is the President of Meeting U. whose mission is to help people become more productive and comfortable with technology.
In 2015, Jim was named one of the Meeting Industry’s trendsetters by Meetings Today magazine. He was a faculty member at New York University for 25 years receiving both their Award for Teaching Excellence and their Outstanding Service Award.
Jim is on the Board of Directors for Rock and Wrap It Up, an anti-poverty, anti-hunger organization which recovers excess food from events. Jim co-created their Whole Earth Calculator app. He also speaks about food recovery and sustainability in the industry. In 2018 & 2019, BizBash named Jim one of their top 500 people in events for his work in sustainability. Jim is an accomplished musician and songwriter who released his first solo album, Stroke of Genius in 2020. He also has a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies, and supports Plant Powered Metro New York in educating people about a healthy lifestyle.
Register on TheNetwork
Webinar Recordings
Missed a webinar? These recordings are available on-demand in TheNetwork. Click the name of the webinar to learn more.
Show and Tell: In-Person, Hybrid and Virtual Events During a Pandemic
Presented March 26, 2021
Moderated by: Barbara Scofidio, Prevue Meetings & Incentives
Panelists: Sterena Strickland, ACCESS Destination Services; Florence Nalepka, One Smooth Stone; Nuria Candel, Dorchester Collection
FICP put out a call for case studies earlier this year and you responded with examples and ideas that took programs to the next level! A variety of hospitality partners will talk through how their partnership with clients elevated the attendee experience during their programs, including awards, hybrid events and safe in-person experiences. This is not your typical webinar – after hearing from the panelists you will be able to dive deeper into each story and topic through virtual breakout rooms. You’ll leave this program with new ideas and ways to increase your attendee engagement throughout your events, no matter the format.
Watch the Recording
FICP Chat: The Future of Meetings, 2021
Presented March 4, 2021
During this discussion we focused on what the rest of 2021 will look like.
Discussion Topics:
- What factors are impacting the decision to host in-person events in 2021?
- Our hotel partners have done a great job with Covid-19 protocols – what do meetings professionals need to help communicate a safe meeting to their attendees?
- What are company stakeholders saying? Who has the final say about when a corporation holds meetings again? CEO, CDC, state governments?
- Each state’s reopening plans are different – how does that impact bringing people together especially for a national conference?
- How far out are you making decisions whether or not events will take place?
- When we meet again, it will be important for hotels and meetings professionals to revisit contracts and space to accommodate potential room block decreases and more meeting space needed to accommodate for social distancing.
Watch the Recording
How to Have Difficult Conversations
Presented February 26, 2021
Have you ever had a difficult conversation with a team member or client? Tough conversations are a necessary ingredient in workplace performance, client and colleague relationships and growth. But those conversations are, well…difficult. As such, we tend to avoid them. In this session, we’ll explore what makes these discussions so challenging. You’ll obtain actions you can immediately implement to ease the discomfort of difficult conversations for more transparent communication, improved performance and stronger relationships.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss what constitutes a difficult conversation What constitutes a difficult conversation?
- Explore the business case for difficult conversations
- Identify the biggest challenges in these conversations and how to overcome them
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All Eyes on Contracting: Force Majeure, Cancellations and More! (Follow Up)
Presented January 29, 2021
Barbara Dunn, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Lisa Devlin, Devlin Law Firm PC, and Meredith Brewer, New York Life Insurance Company, continue the conversation from FICP: Reimagined. They discuss force majeure, cancellations, and best practices while drafting these clauses. Questions submitted during FICP: Reimagined are also be addressed.
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Presented December 4, 2020
Did you know it matters which eye to look into while talking to someone to come across as likeable versus authoritative and that there is a formula that can help you have an amazing conversation with just about anyone? Zoom networking has become a part of our new routines and one-on-one video conversations are happening daily, are you maximizing the online time you have with your customers, clients or partners?
Join Myka Meier, etiquette trainer and best-selling author of Business Etiquette Made Easy, to learn how to network like a pro.
Sponsored by Goodman Speakers
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Health Security and Hospitality 2.0
Presented October 29, 2020
Ensuring the safety and wellness of attendees is paramount to the return of meetings – this has not changed. However, what has changed since we last met in June to connect on our industry? Tune into this panel conversation to hear from those working on business recovery plans and standards for the hospitality and events industry, as well as legal and medical perspectives.
Moderated by Heidi Carlisle, Second Vice President, Travel, Meetings & Incentives, Aflac; Michael Dominguez, CHSE, President and CEO, Associates Luxury Hotels International (ALHI); Jonathan Spero, M.D., CEO, InHouse Physicians; Liz Warwick, Vice President, Meeting Management and Event Strategy, Liberty Mutual; Barbara Dunn, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Watch the Recording
FICP Chat: Engagement Strategies for Your Team and Your Attendees
Presented October 22, 2020
Join Jen Squeglia, CMP, FICP Board Member, as she brings together our Meetings Professionals members and Hospitality Partners to moderate a discussion about the future of meetings.
Seven months into the pandemic, how do you beat Zoom fatigue and keep people engaged and motivated? During this discussion we will be focusing on innovative and creative techniques – whether it be for yourself, your team, co-workers and/or meeting attendees.
Topics Include:
- Networking Activities
- Teambuilding
- Games
- Musical Entertainment
- CSR
- Gifting
Watch the Recording
FICP Chat: The Future of Meetings: Hybrid Meetings: The Bridge to Bringing Back In Person Meetings
Presented October 1, 2020
Join Jen Squeglia, CMP, FICP Board Member, as she brings together our Meetings Professionals members and Hospitality Partners to moderate a discussion about focusing on how your career trajectory has been impacted by COVID-19.
During this discussion we will be focusing on Hybrid meetings; our success in bringing people back in person will largely depend on the transition through Hybrid events.
Topics Include:
- The art of engaging two audiences – in-person and virtual – in one meeting
- Thinking in terms of a sporting event scenario – same game – two very different audiences – fans in the stands and people watching on television.
- The budget impacts of a hybrid event
- Communication best practices to both audiences
- When is the right time to provide a common experience for both audiences and then separate experiences for each?
- Maintaining a level of great engagement for both audiences
Watch the Recording
FICP Chat: The Future of Meetings - Your Career During COVID
Presented September 10, 2020
Join Jen Squeglia, CMP, FICP Board Member, as she brings together our Meetings Professionals members and Hospitality Partners to moderate a discussion about focusing on how your career trajectory has been impacted by COVID-19.
Topics Include:
- Growing your career during a global recession
- How to maintain the tremendous resiliency of industry professionals
- Top career advice
- Importance of mentoring during these uncertain times
- Taking advantage of all the free content available
- Taking time to learn and obtain designations
- For the Hospitality Partner community impacted by record-breaking furloughs and layoffs – as things reopen and group business returns, how to best prepare for the re-hiring, training and ramp up
- For the Hospitality Partner community impacted by record-breaking furloughs and layoffs – as things reopen and group business returns, how to best prepare for the re-hiring, training and ramp up
Watch the Recording
You Are Not Alone When it Comes to Planning
Presented September 2, 2020
Moderated by: Susannah Frances, CMP, Senior Event Planner, Sun Life
Presented by: Cindy Y. Lo, CEO & Chief Event Strategist, Red Velvet Events, Inc and Taylor Levy, CMP, Regional Director of Sales, Destination South Meetings + Events
As many meeting professionals try to navigate through virtual conferences, hosting in-person events this year or postponing everything until 2021, we want you to know you are not alone! Join a panel of Hospitality Partners, moderated by Susannah Frances (Education Committee Member) as they share how their teams have been working with meeting professionals alike to host the best event possible. Our panelists will provide key takeaways on what their teams have been working on, over the past few months, to follow local and state regulations.
With our industry changing, this provides new opportunities for collaboration and partnership between organizations across the board. Susannah will host an open-discussion with Cindy Lo (Red Velvet Events) and Taylor Levy (Destination South Meetings + Events) on how their collaboration opportunities have grown since COVID-19 and how they’re going to continue to work together.
Key Takeaways:
- Learning how to readjust your mind to utilizing your strengths vs. just outright selling your traditional services/products
- Leveraging technology so that we can help each other go beyond our normal audience
- Being mindful of how we reach out to clients and prospects (because video fatigue is real) and making a more lasting impression through creative and intentional engagement
Watch the Recording
The Strategy Behind Pivoting to Virtual
Presented August 28, 2020
Presented by: Koleen M. Roach, Director, Meetings & Conference Management and Angela Wolf, Senior Meetings Management Specialist, Securian Financial Group
The pandemic has completely changed our industry, with in-person event being difficult to plan or needing to be canceled entirely. Because of this, meeting professionals have been tasked with making the pivot to virtual events. However, making this pivot is not as easy as it sounds. Join Angie Wolf and Koleen Roach of Securian Financial as they share the strategy for making the move to virtual, tactics and timing of the programs and learning how to manage the new role you may need to support (no more F&B). They will also be able to share how they selected the right platform for their event and the tips and tricks they learned along the way!
Watch the Recording
FICP Chat: Going Virtual Part 2
Presented August 13, 2020
During this discussion, we will revisit “going virtual” and its continued significant role in our industry moving forward. Topics include:
- What platforms are you using?
- Creative virtual networking ideas
- Hotel / Destination Site Visits
- Hotel Updates for Technical Support
- Hybrid Meetings – how to pivot and engage both in-person and virtual attendees together
- The amazing pivot and resources of DMCs and Production Companies
- Great Speakers / Entertainers who are excelling at Virtual presentations!
Watch the Recording
Peace of Mind for You and Your Attendees
Presented July 31, 2020
Presented by: Desi Whitney, President & Co-Founder and John Whitney IV, CEO, Emergency Conciege International
CMP-IS Domain C: Risk Management, 1.00 CE
It can be hard to keep up with the different state and federal regulations that have been put in place over the past few months. With each state taking their own approach on re-opening, and various individual comfort levels, this can make things even more difficult to plan and prepare for.
In this webinar we will discuss:
- How to mentally prepare ourselves to host meetings again
- Conversations to have with stakeholders to support moving forward with meetings
- Defining your own guidelines and best practices and pushing back on venues to ensure theirs line up with yours
- How to instill confidence in participants, while understanding their concerned perspectives, when we are able to meet in person again
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FICP Chat: The Future of Meetings - Sustainability
Presented July 23, 2020
The events industry has made decent progress in the last few years with sustainability – with the global pandemic and the concerns about germs and viruses spreading, we will not abandon but refocus our efforts!
Topics include:
- Silver linings for Sustainability as a result of the pandemic (i.e. Many “no touch” processes / less print materials)
- What has changed as a result of the pandemic (i.e. More Single Use Plastics and Transportation)
- Climate Change / Carbon Footprint – how can we help?
- Meetings Professionals Best Practices
- Hospitality Partners Best Practices
- Food & Beverage Best Practices
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Health Security & Hospitality
Presented during FICP 2020 Education Week
June 23, 2020
Moderated by Heidi Carlisle, Second Vice President, Travel, Meetings & Incentives, Aflac; Michael Dominguez, CHSE, President and CEO, Associates Luxury Hotels International (ALHI); Jonathan Spero, M.D., CEO, InHouse Physicians; Liz Warwick, Vice President, Meeting Management and Event Strategy, Liberty Mutual; Barbara Dunn, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Ensuring the safety and wellness of attendees is paramount to the return of meetings. Join this panel discussion to hear from those working on business recovery plans and standards for the hospitality and events industry, as well as legal and medical perspectives. Learn your role in building stakeholder and attendee confidence in face to face meetings.
Watch the Webinar
Are You Taking Care of Yourself?
Presented on June 11, 2020
Join Jen Squeglia, CMP, FICP Board Member, as she brings together our meetings professionals members and hospitality partners to moderate a discussion about the future of meetings.
The destabilization of our industry and the uncertainty of what lies ahead can really wear on us emotionally and physically – let’s help each other by sharing some of our best self-care tips! Topics include:
- Exercise
- Nutrition
- SLEEP!
- Mindfulness
- Balancing “Work” and “Off Duty” when you’re home all day...
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FICP Chat: Booking Group Business in the Future: The RFPs, Proposals and Negotiations Before Going to Contract
Hosted May 28, 2020
During this discussion, we will be focusing on how site research, the RFP process and negotiations will look different moving forward. Topics include:
- It used to be “everything is negotiable,” but is it in this new environment? Respectful communication and partnership will be paramount.
- How will company RFPs need to be adjusted for both hotels and DMCs?
- Updating of event space needs based on “social distancing” set considerations
- Inclusions of cleaning and food service protocol requirements
- Transparent communication of expected contract clauses – who takes on the risk if someone becomes ill?
- How will hotel and DMC proposals need be adjusted?
- Due to new cleaning protocols – will check-in time and check-out times change? Have early check-ins and/or late check-outs gone away?
- How to communicate your safety protocols?
- Will concessions need to be adjusted? What concessions will be easier to provide? Which ones will be harder to offer?
- Will there be a limit on types of food & beverage service – do you foresee service charges and/or gratuities increasing?
Watch the Webinar
Chain of Communication: Bridging Confidence and the Future of Meetings
Hosted May 27, 2020
Communicating difficult decisions is never easy. The pandemic - with all its unknowns - makes those having those critical conversations and writing effective emails even more of a challenge. Join Sue Hershkowitz-Coore (SpeakerSue), Tom Foley (Atlantis Paradise), Holeigh Daniel (Aflac) and Brittany Boldizsar (Encore Boston Harbor) as they walk through the chain of communication and what this means to planners and suppliers. You’ll hear fresh ideas and practical tactics to initiate conversations