Monthly Archive: December 2012

Social Media & Content Marketing

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New Name, Smarter Shift for 2013

  • December 31, 2012

Since its beginning, nearly three decades ago, The Conference Publishers has been all about content. Focused on the valuable information produced by conferences and meetings, the company pioneered the art of content capture at events, creating summaries, newsletters, news briefs, white papers, and more out of live presentations.

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The Conference Publishers

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Banyon Trees: A Lesson in Support, Community

  • December 13, 2012
English: A Banyan tree claimed to be the oldes...

English: A Banyan tree claimed to be the oldest in , located in Cleveland beside the Grand View Hotel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tahira Endean has come to believe that Banyan trees have much to teach humans.  She shares her thoughts about this fascinating tree, here.
To see a Banyan Tree is at first confusing, with its roots appearing to go up and down, but as we learn about them we see they are truly symbiotic.
They have deep meaning to the Indian villages where the Banyan tree is a gathering place, a town centre offering shelter and providing a huge canopy under which to trade stories and goods.
In other cultures they are home to spirits and resting places for both good and evil, to be worshipped or avoided depending on your particular beliefs.  Some of the oldest and largest cover nearly an acre!
The genus of tree from which they come is also known as a “strangler fig” as it springs from berries who find their homes on other hosts, trees, walls or similar structures, and wrap their roots around making their home where they land.  Once the tree begins to grow, it develops vines, which grow to the ground, eventually rooting in the ground they reach, and giving the tree another source of nourishment.
To me this is symbolic of many things, from parents giving birth to their children and slowly watching them grow until they find their own roots, and as they find their own roots they begin the process of first supporting themselves, and later, the parent (tree).
In business we go through a similar process as the more experienced members of the team bring in younger team members and allow them to find their way, and plant roots, making the entire structure stronger.  When we understand that we need a combination of experience with enthusiasm, knowledge combined with fresh eyes to look at how we do things to grow, then our organizations become stronger for it.

To read the rest of this post, please  go to http://tahiralovesevents.blogspot.com/2012/03/banyan-trees-analogy-of-support.html Posted with the permission of Tahira Endean.

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Low-Carbon Meeting Design

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NYC Conference Makes Event Sustainability Sexy

  • December 11, 2012
Not long ago, Deborah Pannell attended a conference focusing on event sustainability – a big issue for today’s event planners.  She shares what she learned from the experience here.
Sustainability has become a big issue in the world of event planningSustainability – it’s on everyone’s mind. In addition to the idealism fueling the eco-friendly movement, big companies like Wal-Mart, Kraft Foods, and Nestle are now really stepping up their game. It’s no longer just the right thing to do – it also makes business sense.

Led by Jill Taub Drury and the team at Drury Design Dynamics, the New York Metro Chapter of ISES (International Special Events Society) presented its second annual Sustainability Summit at the Rubin Museum of Art this past Tuesday, April 3rd. The ambitious late afternoon/evening program included educational workshops, presentations and an expert panel discussion. After being well educated and inspired, attendees were invited to mingle with experts and other guests in a stylish alternative to the traditional trade show floor, dubbed “Marketplace 2.0.” Add the sumptuous offerings of Stephen Starr Events (cold curried pea soup topped with lobster and an assortment of local artisan cheeses were among my personal favorites), and you get a sense of just how luxurious sustainability can really be!

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  • About Smarter Shift

    Smarter strategies to get smarter messages out to the audiences you need to reach. That’s what a Smarter Shift is about.

    Social media open up new channels—and a whole new list of do’s and don’ts—for anyone who needs effective, targeted communications. So if you’re trying to attract an audience, establish a market, or bring together a community of interest for a new way of doing things, why would you use old techniques to deliver the message?