What is Attrition and How to Avoid Fees?
What is attrition? Attrition percentages are negotiated in the hotel contract between the hotel and the meeting planner with the…
The Value of Face-to-Face Meetings and Events
Live events and in-person meetings and conferences have all been put on temporary or indefinite hold, and the virtual world…
What are the Benefits of Virtual Meetings, how and why?
With the rapidly changing landscape of meetings, conferences, trade shows, and board retreats, businesses are looking to explore virtual meetings…
The Benefits of Incentive Trips
We get this question all the time. “Hello, Blue Spark! Can you help me? I want to plan an incentive trip…
What Types of Event Staff Can I Hire & Why Are They Important?
In the realm of corporate and live events, producers know that it takes many hands to pull off a well-executed…
Why Hotels Might NOT Want Your Business
You’d think hotels would always be glad to have your meeting on their property. I mean…you’re bringing many people to…
How Will Weather Affect My Event?
As the band Outkast says, “You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.” How will weather…
What Is Hotel Sourcing? And What Does It Cost?
Congratulations! You’ve chosen your host city for your conference and/or event. (Hey – that’s a feat in and of itself…cool)!…
Catering Tips: Dietary Restrictions and Food Allergies
Whether you’re developing a menu for 20 people or 2,000 people…navigating through catering options can be daunting. Especially considering that…
Heather Pilcher, CSEP, CMP joins ILEA International’s 2019-2020 Certification Taskforce
ILEA International’s 2019-2020 Certification Taskforce The International Live Events Association, ILEA, is a global community of thousands of creative event…