SAVE THE GREEN, MONEY THAT IS

If you are in the event planning industry, chances are you have been pondering the concept of Green, the environmentally - cautious movement that is sweeping through our country. You might be wondering, how much should I invest in "greening" my product? Or maybe you're thinking, should I even bother with being "eco-friendly" - odds are people will give up this ideology in a few years. Or maybe you fall into the category that "Going Green" is a must. You have hired your consultant and are on your way to being the environment's biggest fan.
The Convention Industry Council will release their very first Green Meetings and Event Standards this month. The anticipated release drummed up several discussions on LinkedIn this week. Here are a few: Will these new guidelines change the way the event planning industry operates? Will they change what our customers demand? Do I need to transform my company into a Green Machine?
We asked the question in our ongoing Paragon Events' Fall Formula Survey  "Do you feel it's important to offer green solutions to your clients, why or why not?"
The Results: While a majority of people claim to love our earth and love the concept of eco-friendliness, they care more about the green in their pockets. Companies and consumers alike agree, if the price is right they will go green; but saving the monetary green is more important.
Three things to keep in mind when plotting your green initiatives:
1) Clients will not pay more for eco-friendliness.
2) Be creative and you will find that you can actually save clients money if you choose to go the green route.
3) Last but not least, I think companies will start to see more and more benefits from going green, such as tax credits and niche markets. As the economy improves, more people will demand green services.
 I believe the green phenomenon is not a trend, but here to stay. The new guidelines will make this more evident. Start devising your green concepts now. To see how Paragon Events is plunging into this market, check out our new Eco-Vents division.

PROUD TO SERVE OUR NATIONS' CAPITAL

Paragon Events Expands Driven by increased demand for its offerings,Paragon Events expands to the Washington,DC market.   DELRAY BEACH, FL - November 3, 2011 - Paragon Events, Inc., is expanding it's services to the Washington, DC market as a result of the nationwide increase in demand for Paragon Events' premier Meeting & Conference Planning services as well as Destination Management services. Ms. Terry Bradley has been appointed Director of National Accounts Northeast Division and will serve as an executive level liaison to this market. With this addition, Paragon Events, Inc. secures a footprint in this emerging sector and plans to meet the growing demands of the Washington, DC corporate and philanthropic events planning and destination management community.  Director of National Accounts Northeast "Our remarkable and consistent growth is a result of our strong positioning and innovation in the event planning marketplace," said Renee Christiansen Radabaugh, CEO and Founder, Paragon Events. "Our presence in the Washington, DC Metro area and the expansion of our National Sales team represent huge milestones in the growth of our company, " said Radabaugh. "These developments also secure our commitment to serving this innovative, quality-demanding market with our best-in-class event planning services. We are particularly excited about our new event planning division, Eco-Vents, that should be appealing to our environmentally-minded partners in Washington, DC. Terry shares our philosophy on being truly committed to sustainable practices while serving the customer. Her addition to our sales team is a true benefit to our organization and our clientele." Living and working in Washington, DC for 25 years, Terry Bradley is a seasoned executive. For the past two and a half decades, Terry has been associated with a wide range of leaders from government, corporate and non-profit industries as well as the governing boards of leading colleges and universities. She is widely traveled within the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Canada and Mexico. Terry has a deep knowledge of successful conference planning techniques through her work as Founder and Chairman of her own non-profit agency, the Washington,DC-based organization August Rain. This role allowed Terry to focus her energy and passion on helping those who cannot help themselves by delivering clean drinking water worldwide. Terry will be responsible for leading sales growth, managing Paragon Events' regional expansion and bringing Paragon's Destination Management services to this market.  Ms. Bradley is as demanding of excellence in the planning and production of an event and destination meetings as she is insistent on delivering superior customer service and innovation to each of Paragon Events' clients. The many and varied relationships she has enjoyed while living and working in Washington, DC provide her with a wealth of knowledge and resources. Her philosophy is simple: Find a way or make one.  Paragon Events, founded in 1989, specializes in Corporate Event Planning, Destination Management and Association Management. This full scale meeting and special events firm was founded by Renee Radabaugh, President and CEO.

CLEAN THE WORLD

It is a luxury most people take for granted, the ability to wash our hands without thinking twice about it.
In America, it seems that soap is very much an item taken for granted. We can purchase soap at the local convenience store for next to nothing. We can buy it in bulk, which will keep us stocked for months on end. Americans can even give soap as presents. High-end retailers offer soap gift baskets and decorative soap bars for lavish bathrooms. Soap is so integrated into our culture, it often does not receive the credit it deserves.
Clean the World, a social enterprise based in Orlando, Florida, hopes to change our outlook on soap and educate us on the life-saving powers this cleansing bar holds.
Every year, millions of people worldwide lose their lives due to hygiene-related illnesses. Clean the World's dual missions: saving lives across the globe by providing soap and reducing the waste of plastic bottles, are two goals we knew we had to support. By teaming up with hotels across the nation and people like you, Clean the World is able to collect and distribute cleansing products to impoverished people everywhere.
Join Paragon Events, this Saturday, November 5th at the Peabody Hotel for Clean the World's Inaugural Gala. Hope to see you there and together we can Clean the World!

WHEN A CRISIS STRIKES.....

Renee Radabaugh, CEO and Founder Paragon Events, shares her four tips for managing a crisis in the event planning industry. Plus, her own crisis management story.

MORE IS MORE

It sounds simple enough, communicate regular updates to your clients; but this is a big point of contention in the business sector. In a world where communication is now a cornerstone, clients expect their hired service providers to be able to effectively communicate around the clock. When it comes to communication, less is not more. As a Director or Manager in any industry, it is safe to say the more you communicate with your client, the more your services will be appreciated.

In our ongoing Fall Formula survey, Updates, Good Response Time and Communication were all mentioned as top qualities a business partner must have. These same three nouns were also mentioned as frustrations often experienced when dealing in professional settings. So, it becomes quite obvious, if you want to be a top dog, you have to be willing and able to relay information at the drop of a hat. The good and the bad and the not so sure, clients want to know it all.

How can your business step up it's communication? Do you have a Communication Policy in place? Is there a game-plan for follow-ups? Have you asked your client their preferred method of communing? Emma Thompson says it best, "Any problem, big or small, always seems to start with bad communication."

WHAT'S YOUR FALL BUSINESS FORMULA

The metamorphosis from summer to fall brings a myriad of changes. The autumn air has a way of producing alterations in our fashion, climate, landscapes and recipes just to name a few. The fall also helps kick off football season and several favorite American holidays. For those of us in the business world, the change from summer to fall also initiates Fourth Quarter Business Decisions.
Hence, the official launch of Paragon Events' Fall Formula Sweepstakes. The Sweepstakes will provide participants with knowledgeable insights into this season's most important issues in the event planning industry. The nuggets of wisdom will be published bi-weekly on Thursdays right here on our blog. By taking part in the Sweepstakes, you'll also have a chance to win a new iPad 2; a piece of technology that Oprah Winfrey claims has completely changed the way she does business. Get involved in the conversation and help make your fall business plan and your event a stunning success.
And remember, as you break out the sweaters and whip up the season's first pot of chili, that just as the seasons are always changing, so is the way of the event planning world.

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA FITS INTO YOUR CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN

It seems that Social Media is everywhere these days; watching TV a little tweet pops up with a tweeters opinion of the show that I am watching. Magazine articles now have QR Codes. On the weekends, instead of hanging out with friends, our teens are on Facebook hanging out in the virtual world. Besides Social Media invading my personal life, this virtual world has become a "must have" in my business world.
I am 24 hours a day 7 days a week, connected in this cyber space. It makes you think, if the unexpected was to happen, if a crisis strikes, Social Media is a pretty important tool to have. In an instant, you can blast an update to event attendees, suppliers, vendors, staff and anyone else who could possibly need to know what is going on; when it is “Go Time” on Plan B.
So, when it comes to your Crisis Management Plan, is Social Media on the checklist?
Here are five ways to incorporate Social Media into your Crisis Management Plan:
•First things first, be actively engaged on at least one platform in Social Media.
•Create a Facebook Event Page for the event that you are planning. Instead of updating all of your Fans; you can update this single event page designated for everyone involved in the event, including attendees.
•Have a “Social Media Task Force” in place. At least one staff member who is in charge of updating your Social Media sites and mass texting everyone that needs to know. Depending on the crisis, updates should be sent out every 15 minutes with accurate information. Make sure you have a list of names and emails of everyone who needs to be informed on event day.
•Update all of your sites quick and easy with a Social Media Dashboard. A single program that updates all of your sites at once; saving a tremendous amount of time and increasing your efficiency even more.
•Depending on the crisis, you can use Twitter to retweet information from news outlets to your followers. This adds even more credibility to your brand and it shows you truly care about keeping your followers informed.
Don’t wait for a crisis to hit before you build your Social Media network. If used correctly and effectively during a crisis, Social Media can take your relationship building to the next level.