Business of Events Track

Friday, August 3

Your Individual Path to Starting a Business

This might just be the push you need! There is no one path to starting a successful business in any field, particularly if you have chosen the Event and Meeting arena. This panel/roundtable discussion is led by industry leaders who have started and maintained successful business. Ranging from Wedding and Social, to Corporate Event and Meeting Production, each panelist gives a 10 minute introduction on how they started and what got them to take the leap. Afterwards, attendees will be able to choose from the panelists those they most align with for more one on one discussion at informal roundtables.
Presenters:
• Kristjan Gavin, CMP, In Good Company Events, Inc.,
• Mary Baird-Wilcock, The Simplifiers
• Sue Werb, CSEP, Simply Elegant Events, Inc.,
• Ryan Hanson, CSEP, BeEvents;
• Jennifer Trethewey, The JT Group
• Gwen Helbush, CWC, Where to Start Wedding and Event Managements
Participants will:
• Gain invaluable first hand insight into the individual process of starting a business
• Have access to and be able to ask those “trade secret” questions and formulas
• See “under the veil” of billing procedures, first steps of the cliff, naming, and a myriad of other components to starting your own business

Saturday, August 4

Events that Give Back - AIDS Lifecycle

Join Greg Sroda, Director of AIDS/LifeCycle for an in depth discussion of what it takes to pull off a multi-day charity event with a nineteen year history of producing high revenues at a low operating cost. The strength of the community, the commitment of the volunteers and the connection to the cause are just some of the reasons that AIDS/LifeCycle continues to be the number one single event fundraiser for AIDS in the US. Pulling off an event that moves down the coast of California in seven days is no small feat. Learn how a small and mighty logistics team, backed by an army of volunteers, creates an event that participants come back for year after year. The discussion will focus on the history, logistics, results and the future of AIDS/LifeCycle.

About AIDS/LifeCycle:
AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully supported, seven-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money and awareness in the fight against AIDS. The annual fundraising event attracts thousands of participants from across the country and around the globe. In addition to raising millions each year for the HIV/AIDS services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, AIDS/LifeCycle is also a major force in raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and the growing need for prevention and care services as the number of people living with the disease continues to rise. For more information, visit www.aidslifecycle.org. 
Presenter:
• Greg Sroda, Director of AIDS/LifeCycle
Participants will:
• Learn how logistics come together for a charity event of this magnitude
• Discover how to balance expenses and maintain a low cost of fundraising
• Experience the fun, excitement, power and emotion of a charity fundraising event 

New Technology: Next Level S#*@!!!

If they can make a building melt and bring a dead rapper back to life at Coachella, what's next?
With new video, hologram & multi-touch technology, cutting-edge event planners are taking center stage. Learn the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to blow the minds of your clients and their audience. This hands-on interactive session will explore what's inside a media server and how that translates to creative content that will leave people speechless and in awe! Touch the future with the World's first transparent Multi-Touch Podium, Emulator.
Presenters:
• Ernie Ernstrom, Artchitecture
• Alan Smithson, Smithson Martin
Participants will:
• Walk away with a new understanding of the future of transforming any space using video and interactive multi-touch exhibits
• Create 3D Mapping, Multi-Touch DJ systems, Interactive Lighting and more...

Get Your Professional Credentials: the CSEP Program

This session is designed to provide attendees with basic information on the Certified Special Events Professional designation. Experienced event professionals earn the CSEP certification through education, performance, experience, service to the industry and demonstration of a high standard of professional conduct and ethics. CSEP designations worldwide enjoy a competitive advantage when soliciting business, building alliances and establishing a presence in their respective markets. Become part of an elite group of event professionals who hold the designation and position yourself ahead of the competition.
Presenter:
• Jodi Collen, CSEP, Augsburg College
Participants will:
• Learn about the CSEP and its value
• Learn how to leverage the CSEP for you professionally and for your business
• Get all of your CSEP application and exam content questions answered!

Collaborating for Future Events Professionlals

Find out how you can tap into future Events Industry professionals. Hear from ISES Australasia and an Australian Education expert Director of Event Management from William Angliss Institute in Melbourne. Sharon Hebdon will present how industry and educators come together to grow knowledge of the ISES brand from the ground up. Discover the success of the ISES Student conference which attracted over 400 students and how they work together, identify opportunities and are building the Events workforce of the future.

Presenters:
• Sharon Hebdon, William Angliss Institute Melbourne Australia
• Shannon Rowe, The JT Group
Participants will:
• Discover how collaboration creates a highly professional Events workforce
• Determine how to tap into the future Events workforce
• Conclude how to build the ISES brand through education providers

AT&T Park: Spin it to Win it: Justifying Your P&L to Your Clients

Join us for an interactive session modeling the client/event planner relationship. Teamed up with other session participants, groups will pitch the panel (the “clients”) on various aspects of an event with the goal of convincing them to pay for various line items in an event planners’ P&L. Participants will be forced to think on their feet while creatively justifying expenses and return on investment to their clients.
Which team will convince the panel to hand over their dough for event expenses? There may even be some prizes for the winning team…
Presenters: Panel TBA, AT&T Park

Participants will:
• Improve ability to pitch clients on event elements
• Learn how to more creatively justify expenses to clients
• Better balance the client’s return on investment with the planner’s P&L concerns