One Short Post - Summer in Chicago!

This post is the first in a monthly series called "One Short Post". Each month, a new question will be posed to the members of the One Smooth Stone team. We encourage you to participate and post your own response to each month's question!

It is officially summer in Chicago! And One Smooth Stone is celebrating 15 years of excellent work and great summer weather! Check out what the Stonies are doing for fun (when they aren’t working!).

Then, please post YOUR favorite summer activity.

Kevin: “Walking 18 holes of golf and then remembering all the putts that almost went in, grillin’ and chillin’ on the patio, and making smores around the fire pit!”

Gary: “Having an afternoon to ride my bike and not returning to my backyard until the moon is out.”

Brad: “Golfing! Kevin and I recently won our local Stonebridge Tournament, an accomplishment we are very proud of!”

Kimberly: “Cycling for miles on rural, well paved roads! Grilling dinner, a glass of Sangria and great friends on our back patio tops off the day.”

Mark: “Participating in the annual Microbrew Review in my hometown of Oak Park, IL benefiting Seven Generations Ahead. Over 50 microbrews on tap for an entire afternoon!”

Steve: “Enjoying dinners out on the deck with family.”

Ken: “Hanging out with the kids…anytime, anywhere, doing anything!”

Stephanie: “Spending the day at the Brookfield Zoo with my girls."

Bethany: “Going cycling with my husband. We are training for our first 100-mile bike ride and we’re enjoying getting out on the road this summer.”

Emily: “Attending concerts with friends at Pritzker Pavilion in Millenium Park. We set up blankets and enjoy cheese, wine, great music and the beautiful summer weather.”

Barb: “Being outdoors and getting together with family and friends in the backyard, at festivals and at parties.”

Megan: “Going down to the city and walking around by the lake.”

Sandy: “Riding my bicycle to Brookfield Zoo and back with my husband.”

Lisa: “Having picnics in the parkway with my kids.”

Joanne: “Having friends and family over and enjoying our pool on a hot summer day while sipping ice cold lemonade.”

Andrea: “Taking late night bike rides with friends through Chicago…and ice cream! Mint chocolate chip, to be specific.”

How do you get started with virtual events?

You knew this day would come. Waiting for you in your inbox this morning was an email from your CEO. She had read about virtual events in a business publication and wants to know more about the company’s virtual event strategy. She would like to explore how it would increase the visibility and participation of customer events.

If this hasn’t happened yet, it is sure to come…and when it happens, be prepared. Virtual events have exploded as a result of the current economic realities combined with significant technological improvements. Not sure how to prepare or where to begin? Here are 5 quick tips to get you started on your first virtual event.

1. Develop Your Strategy First
Successful virtual event planning begins with clear objectives and a strategy. The internal discussion should start with your methodology…

• What marketing or communication problem are you trying to solve, and is a virtual event the right vehicle with which to solve it?
• Is your goal to generate demand or leads for your organization’s products and services? Or are you trying to generate revenue, i.e., sell sponsorships and booths to industry vendors or channel partners? Or are you seeking an economical alternative for sales training and communication?
• What is your budget and expected ROI?

The answers to all of these questions will shape the size, scope and strategy of your virtual event.

2. Target your Audience
It is critical to focus on the audience you are trying to reach. During the development process, identify and segment your target audience including, but not limited to, demographics and psycho¬graphics. What are your audience’s pain points, needs and values? Also, consider whether the audience is equipped for a virtual experience. If your target audience isn’t prepared, what educational information and tools can be provided via email or video, prior to the virtual experience?

3. Have the Proper Staffing
A virtual event requires just as much thought, planning and effort as a physical event. Event managers and marketers still need to develop relevant content, book keynote and session speakers, sell sponsorships and floor space, and manage booth staff. The audience still needs to be targeted, acquired and managed; interactions need to be considered and designed, feedback gathered and analyzed. So the question to ask yourself before you start is…Do you have the right staff for marketing, content development, sales and event management? Assign staff specifically to the virtual event much like you would a physical one to ensure that the event runs smoothly and the audience and exhibitors are pleased with the experience.

4. Executive Support
In order to be successful, C-level executives within your organization must understand the value and effectiveness of virtual events. Remember that senior management will likely have to sign off on budgets and technology requests. Are they convinced of the need for virtual events as part of your marketing and communication mix or do they remain skeptical?

Comprehensive data analysis and careful tracking of event ROI is often paramount to secure senior executive buy-in. As you begin the RFP process with virtual event platform providers, ask prospective partners for the potential cost savings and incremental revenue that their platforms can help your organization realize. Compare them to your existing event marketing budget results. Tangible results are what counts here, especially during this time of increased belt tightening.

5. Start Small
Instead of launching a fully-baked hybrid event alongside your large annual conference, consider a smaller program for your first try. Like any new program, there are sure to be learnings from your first virtual event that you will want to apply to your more high-profile, large-scale events. After one successful virtual event, your confidence will increase significantly and you will be better prepared the next time around.

Emily Miller wins Tomorrow's Leader Award

The MPI Chicago Area Chapter bestowed its annual awards at LEAP (Leadership, Education & Awards Program) on April 26th. Emily Miller was presented with the Tomorrow's Leader Award and recognized for her outstanding work on the Leadership Development committee. As Vice Chair of the committee for 2009 - 2010, Emily has worked closely with her committee members to plan and execute events that equipped and motivated chapter leaders and recruited new committee volunteers. Emily also led the charge in developing and managing new monthly volunteer webinars. Next year, Emily will step up to lead the Leadership Development committee, serving as the team's Co-Chair.

Congratulations, Emily!

Bethany Johnson is named Volunteer of the Month for MPI’s Chicago Chapter

The Chicago Chapter of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) recently named One Smooth Stone Associate Producer Bethany Johnson “Volunteer of the Month” in April for her work on the chapter’s Leadership, Education and Awards Program on April 26th. LEAP, modeled after the famous TED conference (www.ted.com), brought together chapter members for a day of education and awards at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Bethany served as one of the planning committee’s Vice Chairs, as well as producer for the ballroom that hosted the event’s breakfast, lunch and closing reception.

As volunteer of the month, Bethany will be featured in MPI-CAC’s monthly email newsletter, Skyline, and its quarterly print publication, News & Views. Congratulations, Bethany!

Results Rule Video Training

In 2006, One Smooth Stone was highlighted in the business strategy book Results Rule!: Build a Culture That Blows the Competition Away, written by author and trainer Randy Pennington. Results Rule! provides strategies and concepts to create a culture that sets your organization apart in a marketplace where products and services are increasingly seen as being interchangeable.

Randy has now released a valuable business training package that takes the content from his book and kicks it up a notch, reinforcing it with additional training material. One Smooth Stone is again featured in Randy's program, but this time in video format featuring Executive Vice President Gary Vlk.

Results Rule!® Video Training Program

The heroes in every marketplace are defined by their results, and the leader's job is to create and sustain a culture that consistently shouts Results Rule! Send the Results Rule! message to your organization in a new, entertaining, and economical way. This video training program allows you to carry the insights from Randy's award-winning book throughout your organization.

The training package includes the following:

• DVD with 43 minutes of video that support the six choices successful organizations make to consistently deliver results. The DVD can be used in a variety of training formats and programs.
• Participant manual for duplication by you. The participant materials are designed to support a single half-day program or multiple sessions of up to seven hours in length.
• Leaders guide and PowerPoint slides for the program to allow you to teach everything yourself.
• Results Rule! poster for duplication.
• One copy of the Results Rule! book

For more information about the Results Rule! training program, please visit http://www.penningtongroup.com/video_training.htm.

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Google Search

Computer users are familiar with the power of the Google internet search, but many people don't realize how to maximize their search effectiveness. Here are a few useful tools and tricks that I learned while attending “Even More Googlicious”, a knowledge session taught by Jim Spellos at MPI’s MeetDifferent conference in February.

1) Use the plus and minus signs. Place a “+” or a “-“ immediately before a word to ensure it is included or excluded in every search result. For example, type “restaurant portland Oregon +Thai +Chinese +sushi –burgers” to find asian restaurants in Portland and ensure no burger joints turn up in your search.

2) Never search just one word. The more specificity you include in the search box, the better results you will receive.

3) The first shall be first… Words are given importance in the order they appear. Put your most crucial search terms first and they will be given top priority.

4) Use "quotation marks". Putting a phrase in quotation marks will ensure the words are found in that specific order. For example, “red bicycle” will provide results with only red bicycles, rather than red items and a variety of bicycles.

5) Find synonyms. Placing a “~” immediately before a word will also search synonyms of that word, which will expand your results.

6) Make everything lowercase. Although most searches are not case sensitive, it is safest to use all lowercase text to ensure no results are accidentally excluded from your results.

7) Use the “search within results” link. This is an easy way to narrow your search further.

8) Try the “advanced search” button. This link provides some easy tools for refining your search capabilities.

9) Search number or dollar ranges. By placing two periods between numbers, you can narrow your search to numbers within a range. For example, type “HDTV panasonic $100..$1,000” to find TVs in your price range.

10) Go deeper. Don’t limit yourself to the first page of results. Read through at least 3 – 5 results pages before giving up!

- Bethany Johnson, Associate Producer

President Kevin Olsen brings his family to Nicaragua

After several trips to volunteer at a Samaritan's International Compound in Nicaragua, President and Founding Principal of One Smooth Stone, Kevin Olsen, brought his family in January. Over the 5 days, Kevin’s wife, Carol, and their two daughters, Emily (age 11) and Abby (age 7), joined a team of 13 adults and 16 children from Ginger Creek Community Church to plan a baseball camp for local kids, distribute clothing and shoes donated by Illinois families, and construct walls on a home for an impoverished family. Partnering with the non-profit organization Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), the team also handed out nutritious meals from a food distribution center in Pucha Quape where FMSC feeds 25,000 starving children a day. The organization makes a great impact in combating hunger, especially at the local dump (La Chureca) where thousands reside.

After returning from the trip, Kevin remarked that the experience greatly impacted his two girls. “It was my third time in Nicaragua, but our first time as a family. This trip solidified the relationship our family will have with the people in Nicaragua for years to come.” Emily already has plans to return in the summer with her youth group, and Abby is eager to go back and see her friends in Nicaragua. They both gained a new understanding of what it is like to live without the comforts of their home in Illinois, as well as had the opportunity to meet people who were very poor, but still deeply content.

Emily Olsen hands out shoes

Kevin makes friends with a Nicaraguan girl

Abby enjoys connecting with a new friend!