The “reimagined event” is all the rage these days. But what does it mean, and when does it make sense to jump on the bandwagon? By Regina McGee

Confere enc Direct®

IndustryInsights for the Meetings Community

Sponsor BrandingHow to successfully plan, negotiate and sell sponsor branding at hotels Page 10

Event SecurityWhat you need to know to keep your meeting, and your attendees, safe Page 50

Registration SelectionKey areas to consider when choosing a registration system Page 62

If you google reimagined, you will quickly see that everything from sneakers and cameras to toothpaste is being reinvented at this very moment, not to mention cities, physics and higher education.

Organizations of every kind — from govern-mental agencies and nonprofits to corporate titans and Main Street businesses — are being challenged to rethink their relevancy, strategy, products, market position, audience, mission and revenue streams.

What’s driving the reinvention train? “In the business world, disruptive innovation is the name of the game and is actually the current path to prosperity,” said Jeff Hurt,

executive vice president, education and engagement, with the meetings consulting company Velvet Chainsaw. “The marketplace has become extremely dynamic. New ideas fuel new products and services. New players don’t follow time-honored rules. And they are willing to keep adapting to our needs.”

For meeting organizers, one of the major reimagination drivers is declining or plateaued attendance, sponsorships and exhibitors, Hurt said. “Declining or stagnant attendance, coupled with the expectations from today’s conference registrants to participate in a per-sonalized, immersive experience, is increasing

continued on page 42

Seat 1A, page 65

Patricia Blake, a long-time health care association executive, on the power of associations and what it takes to be a transformational leader

CD: By The Numbers

See Page 25

Volume 10 Issue 1 Spring 2019

MeetingMentor ®

Does Your Meeting Need a Reinvention?

Scenes from the 2018 Xperiential Design Project, ASAE’s reconceived spring conference

The only meetings industry publication delivering a core audience that books over 14,750 meetings and conventions annually!

IndustryInsights for the Meetings Community

2019

MeetingMentor quarterly business journal is read by over 14,000 meeting planners, including a core audience of multiple representatives of the 3,000+ corporate and association clients, and 390+ associates, of ConferenceDirect, one of the leading third-party meeting site selection and management companies worldwide.

In addition, MeetingMentor publishes a monthly E-newsletter for 30,000 members of the meeting planning community- including our core audience- providing an excellent way to supplement your primary marketing message in the quarterly MeetingMentor magazines.

MeetingMentor is the ONLY meetings publication that can guarantee the volume of definite business placed by its core audience in every destination, hotel brand, and individual hotel or resort worldwide!

®

®

Brian Stevens, CEO

About ConferenceDirect®

A leading global provider of outsourced meeting planning services, ConferenceDirect is a full-service meeting solutions company specializing in site selection/contract negotiation; conference management; housing and registration services; and strategic meeting management services. Since its formation over 20 years ago, ConferenceDirect and its 390+ Sales Associates continue to book record-breaking numbers of meetings, conventions, and events for our constantly growing list of clients.

“We are dedicated to saving our customers time and money by having the most professional Associates within the industry,” said ConferenceDirect CEO Brian Stevens. “Our goal,” he added, “is to exceed expectations at every point of contact.”

ConferenceDirect Associates receive continuous training and education. Many hold memberships in the meeting industry’s foremost professional associations. We also have developed our own internal certification process to ensure that our Associates provide the highest level of knowledge and expertise in serving our customers.

“The pressures placed on our clients today require us to play a larger, more consultative role than ever,” said Stevens. “We are constantly working to ensure that our customers have the most timely, relevant information to assist them in saving time and money while being best-in- class within their organization and industry. MeetingMentor is a critical vehicle to deliver this knowledge to our customers – whether it is the latest in meeting destinations, cutting-edge technologies or best practices, or useful insights into hot-button issues.”

About MeetingMentor®

MeetingMentor is a no-nonsense quarterly business journal, and monthly (except January and July) digital newsletter, that delivers timely and sophisticated editorial content to help our readers deal with the many challenges of 21st century meeting planning. From controlling rising AV and food & beverage costs, to exploring new convention and trade show formats, to taking programs to foreign countries, we deliver facts instead of fluff- on a schedule that our readers can keep up with- guaranteeing an audience of decision-makers who are engaged in our editorial content… and open to your brand or destination’s marketing messages.

To learn more about advertising directly to ConferenceDirect’s clients and associates through our highly targeted marketing platforms, please contact your Northstar Business Development Director or call or email Chris Baum, Senior Vice President and Publisher, MeetingMentor, at (213) 379-3345 or chris.baum@conferencedirect.com.

Print Advertising Sizes & Specifications

2019/Spring 2020 Publishing Dates

Summer Issue mails: June 5, 2019 Special Editorial Features: CD Top 100 Awards and Convention Centers & Big Box Hotels Ad Closing: May 2, 2019 Materials Deadline: May 9, 2019

Fall Issue mails: August 30, 2019 Special Editorial Features: Great Second Tier Meeting Destinations and Resorts & Gaming Destinations Ad Closing: July 30, 2019 Materials Deadline: August 6, 2019

Winter Issue mails: November 20, 2019 Special Editorial Feature: International Meetings and IncentivesAd Closing: October 18, 2019 Materials Deadline: October 25, 2019

Spring Issue mails: March 16, 2020 Bonus Distribution: ConferenceDirect Annual Partner Meeting Special Editorial Feature: CD: By the Numbers and Fearless ForecastsAd Closing: February 11, 2020 Materials Deadline: February 18, 2020

PREMIUM POSITIONS Inside Front Cover:Full Page, 4-color plus $1,500 netBack Cover: (if no Belly Band is sold 21 days out) Full Page, 4-color plus $1,500 netInside Back Cover: Full Page, 4-color plus $1,000 netBelly Band plus Back Cover: $17,000 netNote: All issues have bonus distribution at ConferenceDirect’s IndustryInsights series, CDX Spring and Fall, CD Forum, Annual Partner Meeting, or CEO Summit.

Required Materials & Submission Methods Please provide ad as a high resolution (300 dpi or higher) PDF/X-1a file saved in Adobe Acrobat at the size being printed.

Provide 0.125” bleed where appropriate and make sure all artwork, fonts, and graphics are embedded in the file.

It is preferred that ads be sent electronically via web submission using an ftp site like www.YouSendIt.com. Enter the email address listed below for notification.

Supplied inserts (18,000 required) are accepted on a limited basis; contact your advertising representative for a quote. Please note that Back Covers are accepted, at the stated premium, ONLY if NO Belly Band has been sold for the issue within 21 days of closing.

Please send high res files to: Traffic Manager, MMTraffic@conferencedirect.com

On bleed ads, DO NOT place any non-bleed imagery or text within 3/16” of the trim. Position all crop marks OUTSIDE the 1/8” bleed area.

For more information, contact:

Your Northstar Meetings Group Business Development Director, or Chris Baum, Senior Vice President and Publisher, MeetingMentor, at 213-379-3345 or chris.baum@conferencedirect.com

®

Ad Rates (Net)

1x 2x 4x

Half Page, 4-color $4,000 $3,750 $3,500

Full Page, 4-color $6,000 $5,500 $5,000

Half Page Spread, 4-color $6,500 $6,000 $5,500

Full Page Spread, 4-color $8,500 $8,000 $7,500

Mechanical Specifications

Trim Size: 8 1/2” x 10 7/8” Paper: 50 lb. coated stock

Ad Size Width Depth

Full Page 7 1/2” 9 7/8”

Full Page Bleed 8 3/4” 11 1/8”

Full Page Spread Bleed 17 1/4” 11 1/8”

Half Page Vertical 4 3/4” 7 1/4”

Half Page Horizontal 7 1/8” 4 3/4”

Half Page Horizontal Bleed 8 3/4” 5 5/8”

Half Page Spread 17” 5 1/2”

Half Page Spread Bleed 17 1/4” 5 5/8”

Rates (Net) and Sizes

ALeaderboard

728 x 90 pixels

B Button

120 x 90 pixels

E-Newsletter Advertising Sizes & Specifications

MeetingMentor Online is distributed ten times annually to over 30,000 meeting planners worldwide, including ConferenceDirect’s 390+ associates and multiple business partners at their 3,000+ corporate and association clients.

Leaderboard (A) $4,000 728 x 90 pixels, Maximum file size: 40kb

Button (B) $2,000 120 x 90 pixels, Maximum file size: 20kb

Box (C, D, E)

$3,500

180 x 150 pixels, Maximum file size: 30kb

Banner Strip (F, G) $3,000 402 x 95 pixels, Maximum file size: 35kb

Acceptable Ads:

n Image Ads (.jpg, .gif)

n Animated/Rotating Ads (.gif)

Reservation Materials Distribution

May 24 May 31 June 10July 26 August 2 August 12 August 23 August 30 September 9 September 27 October 4 October 14 October 25 November 1 November 11 November 22 November 29 December 9 January 24 January 31 February 10February 21 February 28 March 9 March 27 April 3 April 13 April 24 May 1 May 11 May 22 May 29 June 8

®

NOTE: E-newsletter is not published in January or July

E-mail Web Ad Materials (JPG or GIF format) and URLs (to link ads to your Website) to: Traffic Manager, MeetingMentor, at MMTraffic@conferencedirect.com

Banner Strip 402 x 95 pixels

FBox

180 x 150 pixels

D

Banner Strip 402 x 95 pixels

G

Box 180 x 150 pixels

E

Box 180 x 150 pixels

C

2019-2020 Deadline Dates for MeetingMentor Online Advertising

2019

2020