Webinar Series: Learn from our Event Experts

Register for one or all our interactive and educational webinars that will bring meetings and events industry experts to a screen near you. Earn continuing education hours and sharpen your skills through sessions covering relevant topics like choreograph experiences, industry insights, upcoming meeting trends, and much more.

Once you have registered,simply use your Chime Live login credentials when it’s time to begin.

Boundless Possibilities for Event Engagement

Date: June 15, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. EST

As a part of the Hybrid webinar series, the first step to maximizing boundless possibilities for event engagement is to realize that engagement opportunities begin way before the doors open and continue far after the last session ends. In this webinar, you’ll learn pre-show strategies, such as how to create audience engagement with your registration site and marketing campaigns, how to extend the excitement and create curiosity from one event to another, and prepare your event participants for the upcoming experience, and learn more about who’s coming. You’ll be introduced to inventive ways you can leverage second screens and engagement technology to keep participants engaged during the event, and you’ll also learn about post-show strategies that will improve the desired actions, sustain the momentum, and generate interest, including earned word-of-mouth sharing and recommendations, in your next event.

Learning Outcomes:

      • Learn how leveraging advanced technology can increase participant engagement
      • Examine different strategies and tactics used to engage in-person and remote attendees
      • Discover creative ways to activate and engage participants’ senses (sound, sight, smell, and touch) during in-person, hybrid, and virtual events
To Register or log in: click here

Professional Edge Archive - 2022 Sessions

Hybrid Essentials for Small Meetings

Date Recorded: April 27, 2022

In-person meetings are back. But not all meeting participants are. Even in-person meetings need to have a fully integrated and immersive hybrid component. During this 45-minute session, you’ll learn about the most important hybrid tools to make your small meetings more inclusive, why these tools matter, and how they work in real-life room sets. Join us for this free webinar and learn about the most effective ways to transform your hybrid events into something extraordinary.

Learning Outcomes:

Learn how to best connect in-person and virtual participants

      • Learn how to best connect in-person and virtual participants
      • Understand the different hybrid essentials for small meeting
      • Describe how each component enhances the experience for in-person and remote participants
      • Identify ways to maximize attendee engagement with hybrid room set-ups
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

DIY digital event platforms demystified - In partnership with Cvent®

Date Recorded: February 16, 2022

According to recent Encore Planner Pulse insights, only half of event organizers surveyed consider the needs and goals of their events prior to selecting a digital platform. Yet, to produce successful events, you need both the right platform and tech team. If you’re struggling to make the connection, this webinar is for you. We’ll examine real-life case studies and solutions that range from do-it-yourself to full-service support so you can elevate your next event experience.

Host:

      • Donna Hubley, Vice President, Field Sales
 

Panelists:

      • Karri Hobson-Pape, Executive Director, Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance
      • McNeel Keenan,Vice President of Product, Cvent®
      • Andrew Rohland, Project Management, Encore
      • Erik Bockelman, Sales Manager Virtual & Hybrid, Encore
      • Corey Bryant, Senior Director, Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance
       
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

Professional Edge Archive - 2021 Sessions

Next Practices: Successful Fundraising & Social Events  

Date Recorded: December 01, 2021

Whether you’re a corporation, association or non-profit, now is a great time to think about social events or adding social aspects to your next event.  For non-profits, as much as 80 percent of their net operating income may come from a once-a-year event. While for corporations, giving back is a key goal this time of year.  Or maybe your organization is looking for ways to recognize and celebrate key contributors to your 2021 success?  

Host:

      • Donna Hubley, Vice President, Field Sales
 

Panelists:

      • Audee Kochiyama-Holman, Director of Alumni relations, Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
      • David Eck, DES Virtual & Hybrid Specialist, Global Sales
      • James Hess, Virtual & Hybrid Sales Manager
       
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

Planning Complex Events in Times of Uncertainty

Date Recorded: October 13, 2021

Planning a large-scale conference or exhibition is no easy task, even in in ‘normal’ times. But with Covid-19 variants potentially impacting the best laid plans, how can you organize events in smarter ways?

Join our panel of experts from Encore, Intel and Notified as we discuss the process of planning complex events, Virtual & Hybrid event formats, contingency plans, special considerations, exhibitor integration and methods for maximizing sponsorship ROI.
 

Host:

      • Donna Hubley, Vice President, Field Sales
 

Panelists:

      • Jim Huss, Director, Event & Experiences at Intel Corporation
      • Tony Lorenz, Global Head of Event Solutions | SVP, Strategy, Notified
      • Kaelynn Mahalak, Director Global Sales, Encore
      • Alan Gillis Jr., Program Producer, Encore
 
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

Next Practices: Hybrid Event Room Design and Engagement Through Technology

Date Recorded: September 15, 2021

If you’re still designing physical spaces for hybrid experiences the way you did for in-person meetings, you’re wasting money and alienating remote participants. Designing rooms to stream content require adjustments to traditional sound, lighting and equipment set-ups. You also need to tweak how you communicate with speakers and participants pre-event. Learn what these hybrid event “next” best practices are and what new technologies can help you engage and elevate the experience for everyone. 

Host:

      • Donna Hubley, Vice President, Field Sales
         

Presenters:

      • Karla Reyes, Senior Sales Manager
      • Irina Batchelor, Sales Director
      • Damein Futch, Product Manager
      • Tommy Kotz, Product Manager
 
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

Creating an Accessible Meeting with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Mind

Date Recorded: August 25, 2021

Hybrid drives expanded reach of content and collaboration, diversity and inclusion of attendees, lowering the environmental impact of events and improved accessibility for those with disabilities. 

Host:

      • Donna Hubley, Vice President, Field Sales

         

Presenter:

      • Samantha Evans, Certification Manager, International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)
      • Kevin McFarlane, Director of Product Development, Concise
      • MaryBeth Costello, Vice President Talent, Global Learning & Corporate HR
      • Gloria Gonzalez, Sales and Marketing Manager, CSI
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

How Choreography Creates Transformative Events

Date Recorded: July 28, 2021

Planning events can be daunting. With so many details to manage and stakeholders to please, how do you bring clarity and focus into the process? Learn how to strategically plan and deliver Choreographed Event Experiences — and drive positive outcomes for participants, presenters and planners with this approach.

Host:

      • Jo Merriman, Client Services Director, Concise Europe 

Presenter:

      • Doug Kunnath, Client Experience Director, Concise US
 
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

Why Your Upcoming Event Needs a Plan B (or even Plan C)

Date Recorded: June 30, 2021

Have you ever lost power, internet, meeting space, presenter content, etc. during your meeting? You’re not the only one who’s had mishaps. Learn about challenges your peers have experienced in planning and executing events and how they were addressed successfully.

Host:

      • Donna Hubley, Vice President, Field Sales 

Presenters:

      • Alex Wedesky, Field Operations Manager, Internet Services
      • Derek L. Coleman, Vice President, Power Distribution Services, Design and Integration
      • Brandon Goodman, Senior Director, Project Management, Encore
 
Access On-Demand Sessions: To Register or log in click here

Hybrid Help – Ask the Experts

Date Recorded: April 28th

It’s the ultimate AMA session! Ask the experts and get a recap of the most commonly-asked questions from the entire How-to-Hybrid series. This is a great session if you’re having trouble identifying how the drivers work in concert with one another. Don’t miss your opportunity to talk to our panel of experts, each a specialist in their respective subject area:

      • Environment
      • Experience
      • Engagement
      • Connectivity
      • Content
      • Production

 

PRESENTERS:

      • Matthew Johnsen, Vice President, Product Management
      • Robert Parrish, Vice President, Field Sales
 

The Art of Planning – Building an Effective Event Strategy

Date recorded: February 17th

Using proven methods and a creative mindset, Tara Higgins, walks you through event strategy and design – specific to hybrid events. As the first course in our How-to-Hybrid series, Tara shares ways to develop a deeper understanding of your audience and then transform those insights into a creative, enriching in-person and online experience. Learn how to set event benchmarks that yield success, and learn how to develop hybrid engagement strategies to meet them.

PRESENTERS:

      • Tara Higgins, Senior Vice President, Commercial and President, Hargrove
      • Jim Huss, Director, Event & Experiences at Intel Corporation
 

How to Hybrid 101

Date recorded: March 3rd

Class is in session! John Rissi, and Debra Mategrano, dissect the anatomy of a successful hybrid event. By breaking down its components, John shows you how to take any event and adapt it into a worthwhile hybrid experience. Learn how these 6 Key Drivers – environment, experience, engagement, connectivity, content, and production – support every participant’s objectives. Learn how the key drivers are able to scale for a variety of meeting and event types and find out how they all work together to create an unforgettable hybrid experience.

PRESENTERS:

      • John Rissi, Senior Vice President, Customer and Industry Relations
      • Debra Mategrano, Regional Sales Director, Field Sales
 

A Meeting Environment to Suit Every Hybrid Experience

Date recorded: March 17th

Brian Johnston, guides you through the moment it’s time to select a meeting environment for your hybrid event. Learn how your event environment influences the delivery of your content and supports both the in-person and remote participant experience. Pick up tips for optimizing your hybrid event space and create an environment built for learning, multiple presentations, and keeping the focus of your in-person and remote attendees.

PRESENTERS:

      • Brian Johnston, National Director, Creative Innovation
      • Zoila M. Rivera, CMP, Regional Sales Director
      • Joe Pasterkiewicz, Regional Vice President, Venues
 

Creating Engagement at Hybrid Events - From Informed to Engaged & Back

Date Recorded: March 31st

Wondering how to create greater  engagement at hybrid events? This is a perfect session for you. Chris Bryant will cover what needs to be factored in to avoid fatigue in an easy-to-understand way.  Learn about: 

      • Adjusting for the hybrid participant journey 
      • Event platforms and what to consider when selecting a partner 
      • Using engagement tools to help you deliver on your desired outcomes 
      • Unique considerations for engaging and supporting your hybrid audiences 
      • Internet connectivity for a seamless and uninterrupted hybrid event


PRESENTER:

      • Chris Bryant, Director, Global Accounts, Concise
 

ProEDge Special Edition - Women in Business: Cause, Effect & the Future

Date Recorded: March 29th

In honor of Women’s History Month, we take a deeper dive into a case study with Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a leading non-profit organization dedicated to helping women-owned businesses thrive. Join us for this compelling session with WBENC’s Sr. Vice President of Marketing, Pat Birmingham joined by our very own Tara Higgins, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Encore & President, Hargrove. Learn how the pandemic has affected women owned businesses.  As part of the discussion they will focus of the future of events, and how WBENC reimagined a format to continue to support the growth and revitalization of women owned business and how as a community we continue to support women in the events industry.

Key Takeaways:

      • Learn how WBENC have changed their approach to events in order to get critical content to their community
      • How female entrepreneurs and careers in general have been impacted through COVID
      • How WBENC are thinking about event planning for their events in the future


PRESENTERS:

      • Tara Higgins, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Encore & President, Hargrove
      • Pat Birmingham, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Technology, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
 

Eyes up front: Maximize your Hybrid Event Content with Production Value

Date Recorded: April 14th

Learn how to take a production-minded approach to hybrid events. Get a behind-the-scenes look at a hybrid production environment and familiarize yourself with various production tools, personnel, and equipment that are well-suited or must-haves for hybrid events. We’ll talk about staging, lighting, sound, extended realities, pre-recorded and live content, and the importance of a deliberate engagement strategy. With proper management, learn how the MTV (Money Time Value) of your initial investment reaps short-term and long-term rewards through a focus on delivering content in a memorable way.

PRESENTER:

      • Megan Angle, Senior Producer, Creative Services
 

Professional Edge Archive - 2020 Sessions

From planning to execution, creating a successful event experience takes strategy, organization, and know-how. In this How to Hybrid ProEDge series, our experts will walk you through all of the elements of a hybrid event and provide insights on how to increase engagement, create meaningful content and more.  Watch On-Demand   

SITE Texas - How to Hybrid: Planning a Safe, Engaging Event

In this session, learn how SITE TX produced their first successful hybrid event: “How to Hybrid: Reimagining Meetings & Events”. From 90 expected attendees to 700+ virtual and 35 in-person attendees, SITE TX’s expectations were exceeded in terms of content and global reach. Explore the challenges they faced and learn about their planning experience as they worked through those challenges with the Gaylord Texan, Marriott and PSAV teams.

PRESENTERS:

      • Bud Monefeldt, Director of Sales, Encore Global
      • Lorraine Mahoney, CITP, President-Elect for SITE-Texas, Global Account Manager for Marriott International
 

Presentation Stages: Meetings at Every Phase

Virtual experiences will undoubtedly be part of event strategies for the foreseeable future. With some locations allowing small gatherings and hybrid meetings and others limited to strictly virtual, there will be an influx of solutions that will help guide the fluid transition between virtual, hybrid, and face-to-face. But which solutions — and to what degree will they be used — is still relatively unknown.

What we do know, however, is that creating an impactful look and feel for both remote viewers and in-person attendees will always remain the top priority. Tune in to hear insights from our teams around the globe who will be sharing with you our Presentation Stages — a transitionary solution that allows planners and their clients to elevate production standards in a controlled, safe environment.

Presenter:

      • Anthony Vade, Experience Architect, FMAV
 

The Virtual Producer's Toolbox

While pivoting to virtual many #eventprofs have discovered that virtual event experiences differ from live events in many ways. We are in an age where technology is readily available, anyone can create & post a YouTube video, and Zoom fatigue is real. As a meeting planner new to the virtual world, partnering with a subject-matter expert is key to avoiding sleepless nights and creating a polished attendee experience.

This session will empower you to turn your event from a “post and hope” digital activation to a full engaging and immersive virtual production. In this session, we will share insights into the role of the virtual producer while providing tips and tricks for getting the most out of your virtual event production including:

      • Building a team that you can rely upon to deliver a polished virtual production
      • Common production mistakes new virtual adaptors make
      • Speaker preparation and coaching
      • The producer’s role in managing and communicating platform opportunities/limitations
      • Understanding the attendee attention span and tools to keep them glued to the screen
      • Managing the desire for human contact in the cold world of digital technology

Presenters:

      • Alisa Zinovoy, Program Production Director, Encore
      • Amber Cunningham, Producer and Stage Manager, Encore Canada
      • James Shepheard-Walwyn, Managing Director, Concise
      • Anthony Vade, Experience Architect, FMAV

Leading Through Change

The COVID-19 pandemic brought an unprecedented level of change to our lives — both personally and professionally. This session will explore the loss that businesses and employees are facing because of that change, and the emotions employees are likely feeling because of it. We will communicate the calls to action for leaders to take on the role of “Listener,” and the behaviors and language they can use to best support and help employees process their emotions. We will provide tactical applications leaders can use to help ease the shock of sudden change and provide several resources for continued learning and use as teams move through this phase of the change process.

Presenter:

      • Mark Wojcik, Director Talent Management, Encore Training and Development

New Challenges, Big Opportunities

This session will address questions that you may ask yourself, your stakeholders, and your suppliers before uncovering the challenges and opportunities that Virtual and Hybrid events present.

Presenter:

      • Bryan Sterling, Group Director, Global Sales, Encore

MeetSAFE™: Helping our Industry Get Back to Work

As businesses reopen and restrictions on public gatherings start to ease, the question we keep hearing is: What will meetings and events look like following the COVID-19 pandemic? This panel discussion of industry experts will dive into the risk and health considerations during the road to recovery, along with our newly released MeetSAFE™ guidelines.

Presenters:

      • Kevin Carey, Executive Vice President and COO, AHLA
      • Matt Johnsen, Vice President of Product Management for Encore

Plan, Set, Show: Create a Seamless Event

Are ineffective processes holding you back? Learn how to apply Six Sigma and lean principles to event planning and execution, resulting in improved event design and implementation.

Presenter:

      • Brandon Goodman, Senior Director, Encore, Project Management

When Science and Events Combine: Adult Learning and Technology

Effective use of psychology principles in event technology can ensure your conference message is hitting the mark with attendees. Learn how the right mix of science and technology play a major role in a successful event.

Presenter:

      • Hope Holm, Regional Sales Director, Encore, Field Sales

Experience Design on Any Scale: Go Beyond a "Meeting" Planner

Meeting planners are being told, “You’re an experience designer.” So, how do you do it, and where do you start? In this exploratory session, you’ll learn the core strategies for designing events, omnichannel journeys, and environments that focus specifically on attendee experience. Finally, discover how a little empathy can help ensure attendees’ needs are met and your strategic goals are realized.

Presenter:

      • David Solsbery, Vice President, Creative & Marketing, Hargrove

Content for All Ages: Education and Engagement for Modern Times

We hear a lot of buzz around the need to use technology to attract and engage Millennials and Gen Z’ers. In reality, technology has changed the way everyone learns, increasing the need for more engaging and interactive sessions. Join us to discuss what has changed and explore ideas around delivering content in new ways to create an overall engaging experience.

Presenter:

      • Debra Mategrano, Regional Sales Director, Field Sales, Encore

Trends, Tech, Futures: Trending Pathways

This insightful presentation covers tech-forward meeting trends, preparing event professionals for the rapid change inherent in the industry. Make your meeting more impactful with recent insights about the critical technologies that power these trends and how they advance live events.

Presenter:

      • Christian Wright, Director, Research & Development, Encore, Product Management

Live from the Living Room: Connecting and Presenting Virtually

Presenting from home? Make sure you’re doing it like a pro. During this session, you’ll learn tips and tricks to optimize your Wi-Fi, develop an at-home studio, and never worry about a “spotty connection” again.

Presenter:

      • Alex Wedesky, Sr. Field Operations Manager, Encore, Internet Services

Unlocking Opportunities: Building Your Sponsorship Strategy

With a crowded event space, sponsors are having to make tough decisions on where they spend their marketing dollars. If organizers don’t have a strategy in place to help meet the marketing goals and objectives of their sponsors, they will soon see their revenue decrease. A multi-year strategy offers the opportunity for maximum revenue generation, creates loyal sponsors and, at the end of the day, deepens attendee engagement.

Presenter:

      • Meg Fasy, Principal, FazeFWD Sponsorship Marketing

Technology Ways to Wow: Impactful Tech, Powerful Results

Maximize every opportunity to energize your audience with technology. In this session, discover innovative ideas to leverage technology for inspiring events regardless of your budget.

Presenter:

      • Todd Marinko, Group Vice President, Encore

Encore has been approved by the Events Industry Council (EIC) as a Preferred Provider of the listed continuing education courses, which qualify for CMP continuing education credit.

CMP-IS — sessions fall into the following areas: Meeting or Event Design, Site Management and Strategic Planning

CE Hours: each session is 0.75 CE

Delivery Method: Live Webinar