Good & Bad Conference Giveaway Ideas | 會議伴手禮送什麼好?

A successful conference is resulted from knowledgeable sessions, interesting keynote speeches, comfortable stay, amazing decoration or thoughtful service. Yet, the little free giveaway would go an extra mile to impress your attendee. It may not be very costly or luxury but it truly says something to the receivers itself. What kind of swag ever made you feel touched? What would amaze the conference goers? And, what is good to thank speakers? Here are some ideas for the conference organizers!

For All Conference Attendee

Image the whole journey a conference participant would take: prepare for leaving à get ready for conference à long flight à arrival with exhaustion à join conference. Standing in their shoes, the first thing they would need is something to refresh themselves and then would need handy stuff for conference and the following few days. Therefore, when we prepare the free gift for the guests, we should consider not only budget, although it leads the way, but also their needs. So, here are some ideas for you.

1.       Upon Arrival

To hand in a care package will give a sweeter welcome message than a Hawaiian Lei. A care package gives a small bottle of water, a quick snack (vegetarian in favor), wet tissue, comb, bandages, and maybe aspirin. Your company / conference logo is to be printed on the bag and to better put in the hotel information card. They would keep it with them throughout the conference and keep it mind afterwards.

            

Care Package

Travel Kit

If you are receiving a small group or your reception team is able to assist, a welcome gift on the bedroom would definitely surprise them. You can be very creative on welcome gifts, simple as local specialty, thoughtful as overnight amenities kit, or useful as travel charger.

Plug Adapter

      Solar Charger

2.       At Registration

If registration is on the same day with arrival, a conference kit is a better choice to offer at registration desk, complete with pen, notepad, USB with session slides, map of the neighborhood, and of course the program booklet. To think about the topic / theme of your conference, you can also put in relevant products to smile your guests. For example, a new launched snack can be offered in a safe food conference yet remember to take the food preference in consideration.

Moleskin: handy & useful

source: pinterest - pinterest

3.       Before Closing

A farewell gift is similar to welcome gift but suggested to contain the conference minutes, like photos. Because the conference goers would get it before leaving, the size is better to be small and light that he/she can easily put in to luggage or carry on hand.

source: pinterest

For Speakers / Special Guests

As speakers or special guests only stay for one session time, a thank gift to give at the stage or right after stage would be nice. Also he/she might not carry heavy luggage so a valuable and slightly bigger gift is accepted, especially when you need the size to show your appreciation on his/her presence. Plaque with appreciation is common and easy to prepare. Yet, to impress your speakers/guests, some creation is needed, so do some research on his/her favorite or habit. A box of golf ball with his/her name would catch him/her right away if he/she loves golf.

 source: pinterest

source: pinterest

All in all, people love free gift as well as new stuff. So, a Pen is not good enough, a Keychain is definitely out of date, an USB is not interesting anymore, Paper Weight is too much weight, and no one wants a T-shirt not in right size. If you mean to impress them instead of just a routine gift, understand your attendee and be more creative & customized.

◎      Reference

11 Meaningful Gift Ideas for Your Speakers

Event Swag Your Attendees Will Love ... and Loathe

11 Ideas for Cool Giveaways

Top 10 Affordable Tradeshow Gift Ideas

How to Arrange Food & Beverage in International Conferences | 國際會議怎麼安排食物？

Food and Beverage play an essential role in an international conference, which are the simplest and hardest to arrange. Why Food and Beverage matters when you plan your events? Because bad or insufficient food would sometimes ruin all the effort.

So, what diet might be arranged in a conference?

Breakfast

This is usually provided with hotels and only arranged by PCO mostly when breakfast meeting is required.

source: pinterest

Lunch

Lunch boxes are highly recommended when full day meeting is on and this type would save time to be on schedule.

source: pinterest

Dinner

Dinner can be more diverse and most meetings demands one gala dinner or theme party for attendance to talk. Thus, it can be buffet, full served dinner, and so on.

source: pinterest

Refreshment

It is offered with drink, like coffee, during break and sometimes with dessert, bread and fruit.

source: Marriott

It looks easy but it can be complex in consideration to vegetarianism and religions. Here we are going to brief the diversity of dieters and their taboo food.

VEGETARIAN

Vegetarian is universally understood to eat vegetables yet there are a number of types of vegetarianism.

Vegetarian excluding all animal flesh and products, such as milk, honey, and eggs, as well as items refined or manufactured through any such product, such as bone-char refined white sugar or animal-tested baking soda.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian includes animal/dairy products such as eggs, milk, and honey.

Ovo Vegetarian includes eggs but not dairy products.

Lacto Vegetarian includes dairy products but not eggs.

Buddhist has different teachings on diet. Many interpret the precept 'not to kill' to require abstinence from meat, but not all. Some excludes not only all animal products but also vegetables in the allium family: onion, garlic, scallions, leeks, chives, or shallots.

Raw includes only fresh and uncooked fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Vegetables can only be cooked up to a certain temperature.

source: pinterest

MUSLIM

Quran mentions certain rules on Muslim diet and there are several organization to certificate this kind of food, known as Halal (حلال). The most famous forbidden food is alcohol and Pork, including its products and lard. For some very pious Muslim, they would even require all food to be proceeded by Muslim. 

   

source: pinterest - pinterest

HINDU

Because Hinduism worships cattle, they don’t kill cattle and of course do not eat beef and some also refuse pork. Generally speaking, Indian believes to eat more vegetable is more civil so India has the biggest vegetarian population.

source: pinterest

KASHRUT (Jewish Taboo Food)

Although this term is less common, it would be very appreciated to take it into consideration while preparing an international meeting. Jewish also prohibits pork, which is deemed as unclean animal. So are shellfish and most insects. What is interesting to know is: Meat and Milk cannot be mixed. 

source: pinterest

ALLERGENIC FOOD

Allergy is more difficult to handle as the immune system reacts differently by individuals. Yet, the Food and Drug Administration USA lists eight most common food that trigger food allergies by 90% estimated possibility. It can be our best reference for food arrangement. These eight foods are: Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts), Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder), Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp), Soy, and Wheat. 

    

source: pinterest - pinterst

   

 source: pinterest - pinterest

   

source: pinterest - pinterst

   

 source: pinterest - pinterest

To arrange the conference diet appropriately is the best way to show your respect to your guests. Many of us, who are free to any food, can dislike some certain food as well. It is always touching if friends can keep it in mind and try to escape it in the dishes. Remember there was a scene in Sex and the City. Carrie once dined out with her girl friend and she wanted to get rid of parley. So she lied to the waiter that she was allergic to it but the truth is she just didn't like it. So it is why we, as a conference organizer, need to be very careful, especially on religious taboo.

vegetables not accepted by Buddhist Vegetarian; picture source: pinterest - pinterest - pinterest

All in all, the conference dietary plan is suggested to be more comprehensive with all restrictions. For example, to put vegetable dishes on the menu is basic and to make it as strictly vegetarian, e.g. no garlic, no onion, no egg, and no dairy products, is even better. With regards to meat eaters, Chicken is globally accepted. As to seafood lover, fish is safer compared to shellfish. The top 10 most popular food in the world may give you some more idea.

The quantity is another key for feedback. Excess or insufficient food would both lead to negative feedback. The historical dining data of the group and their background statistic, like gender or age, are very helpful to order food. The other reference is their meeting schedule. Don’t plan two meals in short interval nor long. Four hours with light refreshment always works for a big group meeting.

Speaking to refreshment, it is prepared to wake up the attendance in the long and dry meetings. Hot coffee and tea is essential to play the role. Finger food completes the break session.

Therefore, if to take all the above into consideration, it would help to collect the dietary requirement in advance to the conference.

※ Reference ※

素食主義, 維基百科

What is Halal Food,Chinese Muslim Association

印度教飲食禁忌, 台北國際禮儀協會

Kashrut, Wikipedia

Food Allergies: Understanding Food Labels, Mayo Clinic

How do we win the bid? 我們怎麼贏得標案?

source: penny auction

How do we win the bid? The first thing and also the only is RESEARCH!

It does sound funny, doesn't it? We are drafting a proposal, not a paper! Yes, you are and you do need research… on your decision makers, on your competitors, on your destination, on the congress objectives, on the neighborhood, on your own capacity, etc. It is not a joke! When you bid, you are in a battle where you need strategies and throughout understandings. So, let's have a look at the ‘cooking recipe’!

1.    Understand the association objective

Give your audience what they need and want, not yours! So, always keep the objective in mind when planning. Otherwise you will hear: “Thanks, your idea is brilliant but not what we are looking for!”.

2.    Research and Analyze

Analyze your own strength and weakness. Understand who your competitors are. Find out the final decision makers. Know the game rules.

3.    See through the Request for Proposal / Bid Manual

Make sure you do! Just like the old saying: the devil is in the details.

4.    Follow it!

Don’t bother to create your own format. By this, I mean you can amaze them in anyway but put everything required into your proposal in order. So, the board can compare one with another. No one is happy looking up for one thing leaf to leaf.

5.    Develop the Bid Documents

Easy to read (no slang or jargon)

Use images and illustrations

Use correct English

Determine format (online vs. print)

Share responsibility

Be innovative!

6.    Build up the bidding team

Local host

Convention Bureau

Venue

Government representative/City official

PCO

Airline

Sponsors

 source: CIO

Many associations fail in bidding even though they prepare thoughtfully. Many see it like cooking with recipe, easy! But not all of us are talent at cooking. Therefore, even International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) emphasizes the importance of appointing a PCO for bidding because a good PCO is:

- Responsible: To be your reliable partner

- Knowledgeable : You don't have to reinvent the wheel

- Experience: Learning a lot from past experiences & mistakes

- Expertise: So, you can be one step ahead of your competitors

- Specialization: Make your bid proposal unique

source: pinterest

競標，似乎是很多協會組織的一大難題；倒不是因為沒有人或是不夠專業，更多時候是他們太輕忽了。以為照著食譜就可以做出滿漢全席，但其實不是所有人都有天份可以當廚師，是吧?! 的確，寫一份競標書不難，只要注意以下幾點：

1. 了解該組織的目標。給顧客要的，而不是自己有的，才能吸引到顧客。

2. 做足功課並分析。要去了解的不只是目標，還有誰做決定、這場遊戲的規則、對手是誰等等。

3. 看清楚招標書。魔鬼藏在細節裡，對吧?! 所以確實看清楚招標的內容，才不會寫出一份牛頭不對馬嘴的企劃書。

4.  照著做！這點很重要。就像所有主考官一樣，如果它們還需要翻來翻去找資料，那他們很有可能會當作你沒有寫到。除非你買了保險，不然不要隨便冒這種風險。

5.  寫標書時要注意：容易閱讀、多使用圖片及示意圖、使用正確的語言、確定形式(電子檔或書面)、分擔責任、要有創意。

6.  建立競標團隊。團隊成員從當地的主辦方、政府組織、場地聯絡人、PCO到企業代表都可以。

但如果要贏得標案，你需要更有力的協助，這也就是為什麼連ICCA都強調要找專業的PCO是很重要的。

Where is safe for conference in Asia Pacific region? | 亞太區最安全的十大城市

Get bored about Western countries? There are more conference destinations aside from America and Europe, where are even more stunning! Speaking to the decision on destination, safety always comes to the first place. And, it should be easily understanding where is safe for female travelers is safe for all tourists. So, here come the top 10 safest countries in AP region for your reference!

10^th - Kazakhstan

Location: Central Asia, close to Eastern Europe

Crime Rate: Medium

Night Safety: 60% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 79^th

      source: inhabitat

9^th – Vietnam

Location: Indochina, Southeast Asia

Crime Rate: Low

Night Safety: 82% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 12^th

      source: guidora

8^th – Mongolia

Location: East & Central Asia

Crime Rate: Medium

Night Safety: 50% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 42^th

      source: MEMEPIXI

7^th – South Korea

Location: North Asia

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 60% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 54^th

      source: south korea

6^th – Hong Kong

Location: East Asia, close to mainland China

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 88% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 65^th

      source: flickr

5^th – Australia

Location: Oceania

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 70% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 13^th

      source: travel insider

4^th – Japan

Location: North Asia

Crime Rate: Low

Night Safety: 75% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 11^th

      source: pinterest

3^rd – Taiwan

Location: East Asia

Crime Rate: Low

Night Safety: 75% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 40^th

      source: pinterest

2^nd – New Zealand

Location: Southwestern Oceania

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 60% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 18^th

      source: pinterest

1^st – Singapore

Location: Southeast Asia

Crime Rate: Very Low

Night Safety: 98% citizens feel safe walking home at night

Global Safety Rank: 80^th

      source: fokis

Singapore is not surprisingly to take the first place. As seen from the above list, all those cities do not only satisfy traveling purpose but most of them also cater for conference need. Put those on your destination list for next conference!

※       Reference

The 10 safest Asian countries for female travelers, Skift

http://skift.com/2013/06/24/the-top-safest-asian-countries-for-female-travelers/

Why do we need meetings / conferences? | 為什麼需要開會?

As the old saying, two birds never sing the same song, so a meeting in any kinds comes along to close the gap. Yet, in this digital era, many tools, such as phone, emails or messenger, seem to replace the functions of face-to-face conference. So, why do we still need a conference? Even though the reasons on the internet are obvious and easy to obtain, what actually convinces you to join one may be “my boss tells me to do”!

source: Etsy

For long, as a conference organizer, we find the conference is a gift for all attendance, just like to join a party. Here are our findings.

1.    Warm Talk that expand your social network

People easily get closer to talk in person because it starts with a hand-shake. By this, human kind somehow would become more understanding and familiar rather than speaking on the phone. Just like all the arguments about online social networking, get out and meet people are always the key to sustain the relationship in the long run.

source: SCMS 

2.    Efficient Communication with  groups

You probably doubt this point but in the accordance to Albert Mehrabian, only 7% of communication is spoken and the rest are made of tone (38%) and body language (55%). It is truer when engaging a big group. So, the time you spending on transportation will pay back on your discussion time, which can be tripled by talking on phone or via emails and no conclusion.

source: rawz

3.    Have Fun

        Yes, having fun in this occasion. This is the best chance to party with people in the same field. Most of conferences has its purpose and objective and most participants are serious for it. Yet, who earn more in the conference are usually those who come in a party manner. We are not saying to get drunk but to make friends and relax yourself. In this manner, you would smile more (that attracts more opportunities) and have a clear mind to learn from the conference.

source: charter world

Although many argue the Internet stops people from meeting up, thanks to the new technology that we can eliminate some small meetings and only to have the critical ones. There are more strong points that you can find from below references. In brief, image how you keep a good friendship, to see each other is necessary once in a while, isn't it? It is the best reason that you need a conference.

Next time when you have a conference to attend, smile and bring your happy mind to talk with people. Believe you will bring much more back to home.

※ Reference
Why we need conferences

5 Reasons You Should Attend a Conference in Your Field

Why Have a Meeting? 

Online vs. Face to Face Communication