Chris Wood, a longtime staffer with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), will show attendees at the 2011 Small Market Meetings Conference how they can work together in specialized networks to ensure that their meetings and events are green. The second annual conference, Sept. 26-28, will be in Little Rock, Ark.
During his seminar, Wood will describe the elements of green meetings and show attendees how they can leverage their partnerships to lessen the environmental impact of their meetings and save money.
Wood will emphasize a community/network approach to understanding and applying green practices to meetings and provide examples of associations that have successfully implemented sustainable practices and some whose efforts to do so failed.
Wood, director of social responsibility for ASAE, is also the leader of the 1,000-member Convene Green Alliance (CGA), which ASAE recently acquired.
CGA is a resource for associations that are interested in sustainable meetings. It provides networking opportunities, online tools and resources, and outreach and education about producing green meetings and events in the association industry.
Wood has given several talks on sustainable meetings, including one in February for the Meeting Professionals International MACE! Conference.
Wood and two of his peers launched ASAE’s social responsibility initiative in 2007, and the following year, they organized the Global Summit on Social Responsibility.
The summit, the first of its kind, brought together more than 800 ASAE members in face-to-face meetings in Washington, D.C., and in 19 other locations around the world and online.
Participants created a social responsibility agenda for the association industry and wrote the Global Principles for Socially Responsible Associations and Nonprofits.
Wood also directed and produced ASAE and the Center’s Nation’s Capital Distinguished Speaker Series for 13 seasons.
Held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, the series hosted presidents, prime ministers, Nobel laureates, media personalities and other notables who spoke about current events and their leadership roles.
Norris explores social media
An equally pertinent presentation at the conference in Little Rock will be Marla Johnson Norris’ seminar on social media.
Her talk, Marketing is in Your Hands: How Social Media, Mobile Technology, and Geo-Location Services Can Build Your Audience, will show attendees how learning the essentials of a positive social media campaign, applying mobile technology and effectively using geo-location applications can make the difference between a successful conference and one that falls flat.
Norris, CEO of Little Rock-based Aristotle Interactive, will explore social and mobile trends that can increase conference attendance.
Through case studies and engaging with attendees in real-life examples, she will demonstrate how meeting planners can use the Internet and mobile technology to communicate with potential clients.
Norris will also help attendees understand both the basics and advanced features of social media and provide her audience with tips and tricks for mastering viral campaigns.
For more information, contact Kim Dolan
800-628-0993
KDolan@smallmarketmeetingsconference.com
www.smallmarketmeetingsconference.com
Little Rock CVB
800-844-4781
www.littlerock.com
