Smith + Stone

Journey Mapping Workshop in a beachside cabana! Yes, please! What a clever and fun way to meet the audience where they want to be while collaborating and learning a fun new strategic design tool. Thank you for having me Northstar Meetings Group I enjoyed being a part of the Destination Caribbean and The Islands Conference! #NMGEvents #eventprofs #meetingprofs #journeymapping #strategicdesign

Speaking Engagement Alert! I am honored and excited to be kicking off the Destination Caribbean and the Islands Conference with a Masterclass in Intentional Design! I hope to see you there as Northstar Meetings Group delivers an incredible opportunity to connect, learn and imagine the possibilities in the Bahamas! #eventprofs #NMGEvents #meetingprofs #intentionaldesign

Speaking Engagement Alert! I am honored and excited to be kicking off the Destination Caribbean and the Islands Conference with a Masterclass in Intentional Design! I hope to see you there as Northstar Meetings Group delivers an incredible opportunity to connect, learn and imagine the possibilities in the Bahamas! #eventprofs #NMGEvents #meetingprofs #intentionaldesign

What a phenomenal article written by Emma Hinchliffe of FORTUNE about the misconception that men are more creative than women. Essential ingredients to creativity are risk-taking and empathy - guess who scored higher in each? "Creativity is not just simply coming up with bold, new ideas but also about developing useful ideas that target the need of an audience." Vaulont says in their study. This speaks directly to empathy, a crucial skill in any business and especially the Business events community where our designers are creating experiences for others. Empathy is also a crucial human skill that AI will never replace. This is a fantastic article. https://lnkd.in/e8dJUud9

See you in September! We’ve talked a lot about the importance of #StrategicPause before but this time we’re putting it in practice. It’s so important for #EventProfs to take time to recover, refuel, and come back to the table better than ever. It can be as simple as a mid-day walk or, in our founder’s case, a trip to Alaska with the family. It’s about taking breaks + allowing your brain to come back to normal. We work in high-pace, complex events that require lots of brain power, creativity, and attention. Make sure to give yourself that same amount of energy. We will be off to enjoy some well deserved time with family this August so we can come back even stronger for ourselves, our family, and our clients this fall. How are you taking a break before summer ends? Drop your strategic pauses in the comments! #BusinessEvents #DesignThinkingProcess #MeetingsandEvents #SelfCare #WorkLifeBalance

?It's important to be intentional about DE&I for events. ? ?Absolutely agree with Alex that inclusivity at events is crucial! ??She outlined great questions to ask or ideas to keep in mind to make inclusive spaces. ? ?To add one of our own: Creating a Sense of Belonging ? ?It's not enough to just include, but to prioritize a sense of belonging. ??Attendees crave community where they can network and connect with others. ??This goes beyond logistics; it's about engaging with attendees on a personal level, encouraging interaction, and ensuring that every voice is heard. ? ?Approaching diverse attendees through the lense of #IntentionalDesign means planning for the different needs of these communities. ? ?This begins with mapping the attendee journey and understanding how different communities may need to be proactively engaged or supported. ? ?This goes beyond basic accessibility and dietary needs but more nuanced factors such as cultural sensitivities providing spaces for different needs. ? ?By focusing on these aspects, we can go beyond mere inclusivity to build events that truly resonate with and embrace the diversity of all attendees. ? ?#DEI #AttendeeExperience #EventProfs #BusinessEvents ?

??New Blog Alert?? Our latest blog highlights the delta in the business events skill level + the needs for the sector to soar. ?We’re talking about the #Strategy Crisis. ?With the influx of new talent, tight turn arounds, and, honestly, the unwillingness to change, the business sector is not preforming a the level I know it can. ?It’s time we talk about investing in creative + strategic thinking. ? Get ready for insights on the Strategy Crisis, the Great Divide in skills vs expectations, and ways we can prepare the next generation of #EventProfs. ? ?Drop a comment with your thoughts! ? ?#MeetingsAndEvents #EventStrategy #NewBlog #B2Bevents

Have you heard about our Customer Journey Mapping Workshop? This is our most popular session to lead for events or individual organizations. This 2 hr workshop is transforming the way our clients approach events. We get all the leaders + team members in a room and create a giant map of every touchpoint - aligning your team on priorities, intentions, and goals. Interested in learning more? Send us a message! Do you use a Journey Map for your events? #EventStrategy #Workshop #EventProfs #BusinessEvents

In the world of #BusinessEvents, it's easy to get caught up in the final product. Every one loves a trendy activation or beautiful photo op. It's what people remember. We all want that “wow” moment. We need to invest in the “how” of it all. It's important we don't forget the countless hours of creativity + strategic planning that go into making that brilliance possible. #EventStrategy is the backbone of every successful experience. The strategy is the guiding light helping the team through challenges + driving innovation. Cheers to celebrating not just the outcomes, but the incredible journeys and strategies behind them. #EventProfs #CreativeProcess #Strategy

Today, most organizations in the M&E industry identify SUSTAINABILITY as a strategic initiative yet many miss checking these 3 critical boxes in activating it: 1. INVEST REAL DOLLARS ?? ? Why aren’t they? Sadly, its an easy one to deprioritize because it’s difficult to make a direct connection between spend in sustainability and an increase in revenue 2. SEEK OUT THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE ?? ? Businesses tend to check this box either: 1. By tasking it to a non-dedicated internal resource (usually to avoid investing real dollars) OR 2. Through mass-produced content at industry conferences These only skim the surface of what’s possible and arent customized to an organization’s core values, market or size ??PRO TIP: if you really want to make an impact, hire an expert like Courtney Lohmann to help accelerate and advance the process - check her out in this post! 3. SCALABLE STRATEGY ?? ? Lead by bringing measurable, purpose-built solutions to clients and attendees at all of your events. Unfortunately, it’s also easy for companies to stop at improving their own internal practices vs going beyond. A comprehensive sustainability strategy extends to what we do everyday in the process, training, metrics that support it. We have the privilege of impacting so many destinations, communities, people and supply chain sectors through events. We can do better! Connect with Courtney to take your sustainability strategy to the next level! It takes all of us doing our part.