Miller Tanner Associates Team, Author at Miller Tanner Associates QC

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Meet MTA: Steven Garberg, Software Engineer, MTA Technology Services

The Miller Tanner (MTA) difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that bring our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. Today we introduce you to Steven Garberg, a software engineer with MTA Technology Services. Steven is one of our tech masterminds behind our event management products: EPIC^TM, VALTs^TM, and Attend^TM.

Meet MTA: Steven Garberg

Tell us about your current role with MTA? What are your primary responsibilities?

As a software engineer at MTA, I spend much of my time coding new features and enhancing existing functionality in our event planning applications. I’ve spent an especially large amount of time on EPIC^TM, our internal event management platform, as well as our learning management system, VALTs^TM.

How many years of industry experience do you have and what did you do before joining MTA?

I started freelancing web development about 8 years ago and officially transitioned into software development a little over 4 years ago.

Before joining MTA, I was a full-stack software developer for a hotel reservations company. Before that, I worked for a year-and-a-half as a game developer on an online fishing game and related products.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

What I enjoy most is my team – 100%. They are amazing people to work with and are an invaluable support system for me in the role I have here at MTA.

What’s your favorite aspect of software development?

My favorite aspect of software development is problem-solving; working out solutions to business needs and resolving the issues that cause bugs gives me a very rewarding feeling at the end of the day.

What’s a favorite unique trait of one or all of MTA’s event tools?

It’s most definitely the level of interconnectedness among the tools. It’s an amazing feat to take over multiple individual applications and connect them all together.

What inspires you most when developing new software/technology for MTA?

The knowledge that my work can assist the other good folks here at MTA, as well as our clients inspires me most. It feels good to know that my work has an impact on people’s day-to-day, and I feel like I really push myself to work even harder some days because of that.

Where do you live and what do you love most about your state/city? Any must-see attractions?

I live in Clermont, FL which is just outside of southwest Orlando. There are a lot of great theme parks around here of course, but there are also a ton of different natural attractions in the surrounding area. I personally like to spend some of my weekends kayak fishing at the state parks in the area, which are absolute must-sees.

What do you do for fun?

I enjoy fishing, playing guitar, cooking, and tending to my pets – a corgi and several fish tanks.

What makes Miller Tanner stand out as meeting planning company?

Would it be biased if I said our software?

What are some of your favorite tech trends?

I’m keen on keeping up with the latest language features for C#, which is my bread and butter programming language. I’m particularly a fan of some of the “syntactic sugar” Microsoft has been adding to the language, which is shorthand methods of writing code that will allow us to write more concise, readable code.

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Case Study: How a Hotel Contract Cancellation Clause Resulted in Zero Penalty During Pandemic

The Event

Multiple face-to-face events with meeting attendance directly threatened by a public health crisis, COVID-19 between February 2020 through June 2020

The Challenge

Given our previous experience with global outbreaks and public health crises including SARS (2002), Swine Flu (2009), MERS (2013) Ebola (2014) and Zika (2015), Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) knew that it was likely meeting attendees would be reluctant to attend face-to-face events with so many looming unknowns related to the meeting’s safety, travel, and accommodations. In these instances, travel could be prohibited for in-person attendees without advanced notices. Based on our extensive industry knowledge, we had historically included hotel contract clauses to address these emergency epidemic/pandemic situations among others. Typically, generic clauses are offered by venues; however, those are not always in the best interest of our clients who might need to proceed with the meeting on the same timeline, but in a different format.

Expanding upon our prior global experiences, in early January 2020, the Miller Tanner Associates’ Global Experience Team discussed the growing uncertainty and concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak that was happening in China and how it could impact upcoming Asia Pacific meetings as well as other global regions worldwide.

The Solution

MTA includes several clauses in all venue contracts that protect our clients in situations of emergency, terrorist attacks and other scenarios that would impact the full or partial audience attendance. We evaluate our contract clauses often to ensure that we have measures in place to protect our clients from situations outside of the norm.

Taking a proactive approach and utilizing our strong hotel partner relationships, we implemented a cancellation clause for all our hotel/venue contracts in reference to COVID-19 specifically. The COVID-19 clause allowed MTA 100% cancellation in case there was a need to cancel any event impacted by the pandemic with no obligation to rebook at a future date – allowing those events to move forward on their own time and in their preferred way.

As a result, we secured 100% forgiveness of payment obligation for scheduled events that were canceled due to the coronavirus between February 28 – June 2020. This enabled our clients to avoid cancellation costs associated with their events during this timeframe and allowed for the future rescheduling of their events without penalty. We value our venue partnerships, especially during these uncertain times, and appreciate all who worked with us to put our clients’ and customers’ best interests first.

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Virtual Events: Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about virtual events? We have answers.

Q: Is virtual really the best option for my canceled meeting?

A: Virtual event solutions are a very effective alternative to a canceled face-to-face event. Even when you can’t meet face-to-face, our virtual solutions offer an option to deliver your message to a virtually-engaged audience.

Q: Why should I use Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) for my virtual event?

A: We have over 10 years of virtual event planning experience. With a virtual event planned and managed by Miller Tanner Associates, your organization can streamline everything from staff training to annual investor recaps. We have created an innovative approach to virtual event planning and management that is focused on delivering a fully-tailored experience that suits your individual needs and goals. Years of experience have taught us exactly what works in the virtual event space. Now, we are able to make virtual events as powerful as meeting face-to-face.

Q: How are your virtual solutions and planning processes different from others?

A: Our approach is to partner throughout the process to plan your virtual event experience. First, our team identifies your virtual event goals so that we can recommend the best technologies for your virtual needs. Platforms are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to virtual meetings and it takes expertise to determine the best fit for your specific event goals.

Secondly, we guide you through the entire virtual event planning process and can assist with everything from managing registration, providing redundant systems, optimizing your presentation materials, coaching your presenters, creating an effective agenda, providing tech support, and ensuring audience engagement throughout the event production.

Q: How many attendees can participate in a virtual meeting?

A: There is no limit restriction for the number of participants for a virtual event.

Q: Will I have to “go it alone” during the virtual broadcast?

A: We have a team of experts working alongside you to provide technical and practical support throughout the duration of your virtual event.

Q: What if I lose audio or video during an event?

A: MTA’s support will provide assistance to make sure your virtual event runs smoothly. If it is a system issue, MTA will work diligently to get everything up and running. We have specific processes in place to avoid and remedy any issues that a participant or presenter might have when participating in a virtual event.

Q: What about security for my virtual event?

A: Because of our expertise and security parameters, your event is secure. Our systems are geographically disparate and resilient. We use established and constant internal auditing processes. Individuals are issued unique credentials for virtual meeting access. Security is paramount for each and every event that we host.

Q: How can I ensure the electronic signature and related records are secure?

A: This is an important differentiator for clients in the life sciences industry. However, many other industries find it supports their requirements as well. As part of our virtual event solutions, we developed a proprietary tool VALTs (Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source) which supports 21 CFR Part 11 requirements such as trustworthy e-signature and reliable electronic records with associated audit trails. Through our dynamic client reporting, clients can monitor training completions and produce electronic training records for their files through a secure system.

Q: Will I know who attended?

A: MTA provides post-event reporting that will identify the attendee by the unique URL they were provided when registering. This will show the client who attended from registration and the duration they were in attendance.

Q: How do I keep attendees engaged throughout my virtual event?

A: This is one benefit of having a professional meeting planner support your virtual event. With over 10 years of experience in virtual event planning, Miller Tanner Associates has developed best practices and a variety of strategies to ensure that your virtual event is engaging and interactive. Once we understand your event goals, our team designs an event that keeps your audience attentive and captivated throughout every session.

Let our team of expert planners handle the details from start to end. Are you ready to get started planning your virtual event? Contact our team to learn more about how we can support your virtual experience.

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Meet MTA: Janina Pineiro, Global Experience Designer

The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that bring our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. Today we introduce you to Global Experience Designer Janina Pineiro. Janina brings to the team a wealth of knowledge from her background in experiential design. With her creativity and expertise combined, she guides clients through the complexities of designing face-to-face and screen-to-screen event experiences that hit the mark.

Meet MTA: Janina Pineiro

Tell us about your current role with MTA? What are your primary responsibilities?

As a global experience designer, I am a lead planner for corporate programs. My primary responsibilities include everything from client communication, logistics planning, and on-site and/or virtual event execution. With my background in luxury event design and experiential design, I love understanding the primary goals of my clients’ programs and meeting those goals in a unique and unexpected way.

What did you do before joining MTA?

I have been working in the event industry for 10 years. Before joining MTA, I worked in many avenues of the live event industry from beautiful hotels and venues to luxury event design. My most recent experience took me to the beautiful Napa Valley, where I developed social and culinary experiences.

What’s the best part of your job?

Designing a custom experience for each client is one of the best parts of my job. I love how each meeting and live event has a uniquely human element where everyone is learning, growing and being impacted by the content, no matter how big or small.

As more companies are now seeking virtual events as a result of COVID, how have you pivoted within your role as an event planner?

With a background in production and AV, I found myself immediately pivoting to learning about technology solutions that recreate an immersive experience in a virtual setting. It was incredible how the event industry came together to support virtual event education through webinars and various learning opportunities. Now instead of sourcing the perfect meeting venue, we have pivoted to source the best virtual platform.

What do you think is a key factor in delivering a successful virtual event?

Elevated production! Ensuring the virtual presenters are set up with the best camera, lighting, and audio will ensure the successful delivery of the content.

Janina virtual events — Behind-the-scenes, in this case, behind-the-screens, Janina guides our clients through the complexities of hosting a virtual event and offers expertise for how to design engaging virtual experiences.

What’s a common misconception surrounding virtual events?

I believe a common misconception is that it should cost less to host a virtual event than a face-to-face event. While there are absolutely cost savings to be accounted for, a creative way to translate an on-site food and beverage budget to virtual would be to consider sending “pre-mailer packages” to attendees for engagement value.

What’s been the most challenging/rewarding/exciting aspect of switching to virtual events for you personally?

Personally, it has been very exciting learning about creating engaging experiences in a virtual environment. What I love is that there seem to be endless technology solutions for recreating an experience – like a virtual DJ kicking off a general session or hosting a virtual wine-tasting as a virtual networking opportunity. We strive to create an experience that brings us together, even though we are apart.

What’s been your favorite event destination as an event planning professional?

I have truly enjoyed planning programs in Barcelona, Spain. It is one of my most favorite cities in the world featuring a city experience with a Mediterranean influence.

What’s been your most memorable event to date and why?

My most memorable was working with a client in Boston, Massachusetts at the beautiful Fairmont Copley Plaza. The hotel not only features stunning architecture, but the team was also among the best with which I have ever worked. Making an event memorable for our clients starts with the collective team working together as one. We accomplished the client’s vision by including a unique dining experience in the Restored Oak Long Bar + Kitchen and St. James Room together with a series of seamless meetings. I loved spotlighting the city during the event by featuring local cuisine with lobster rolls and craft beer at the welcome reception.

What’s one place that you’d love to travel to for an event and why?

I would love to travel to Japan for an event. My sister lived in Japan for about 2 years and I was lucky enough to visit her while she was there. I would love to plan a program in this beautiful country because of Japan’s rich culture and unparalleled hospitality. I would also love to explore the technology they have available to advance global meetings.

What do you do for fun?

I absolutely love traveling on my personal time. I jump at any chance I get to experience a new culture or unique cuisine. I also have a strong passion for wine and I am currently studying for my WSET ( Wine and Spirits Education Trust) level 1 in wine.

What makes Miller Tanner stand out as a meeting planning company? What’s your favorite aspect of MTA?

In my opinion, the people truly make Miller Tanner stand out as a meeting planning company. In a fast-paced and high-demand industry, we work together as a team and company to exceed expectations. My favorite aspect is that even though we are a virtual company, I feel connected with my team and clients daily through our platforms and teamwork. Trust in your team and clear communication paired with customer service contribute to the experience that the Miller Tanner Global Experience Team brings to each client.

To meet the entire Miller Tanner Associates team, check out our associates here.

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Virtual Meeting Tips

Virtual Meeting Tips for Success

To ensure that your next virtual meeting is a successful one, the Virtual Events Team at Miller Tanner has compiled some useful best practices.

When planning the virtual meeting:

Be time-efficient. Streamline your meeting by compressing your agenda to fit within a 4-hour or less timeframe.
It’s preferred to use video conferencing but also provide an audio dial-in option as a back up for anyone that might have internet challenges.
Have a backup plan in case of audio/video connection issues or other technical difficulties that might arise.

When you are the presenter:

Have the right equipment. To avoid the common pitfalls of virtual meetings related to audio and visuals, have the right equipment and network connection, such as a high-definition webcam, hard-wired internet connection, external microphone, lighting, or quality headset, and most importantly, know how to work this technology properly. Do not use cell or speakerphones because this can muffle your voice and pick up distracting background noises.
Dress for success. Be mindful that what you choose your wear might interfere with your microphone (scarf, large earrings, etc.). Also, consider your color of clothing. For example, if you are using a green screen, avoid green and/or patterned clothing. Stick with basic solid colors.
Practice and practice again. Rehearse so that you are well prepared to deliver your presentation. When you present live, have a glass of water nearby as well as your notes to use as a reference if needed.
Don’t forget to run through a technical rehearsal. Understand the technology and how it works. Prior to your event, rehearse slide navigation and all the features that allow you to engage with your audience. Understand the tools such as how to advance slides, manage chats, and push out pollings.
Review housekeeping information with attendees prior to the virtual meeting presentations to ensure that your attendees are comfortable submitting or asking questions and understand where to access all support documents.
Make your presentation engaging – this is key to a successful virtual experience. Virtual meetings should include a lot of discussions. Pose questions regularly to encourage chat and make it a priority to interact with participants throughout all your event sessions. Engage your audience with the virtual event platform features. Ask your audience questions in a wide variety of formats, such as multiple-choice, rating, text responses, polling, voting, breakout sessions, and even fun game challenges. With these methods of engagement, your audience will be more inclined to participate and interact with the presentation.
Screen share so that your attendees can follow along. Keep your presentations concise and on point.

When you are an attendee:

Test the technology ahead of time so that you aren’t joining your meeting late.
Use the chat window to ask questions and engage with the presenter.
Turn off any distractions and close any unnecessary screens.

When on camera (presenter and/or attendee):

Check your lighting. Natural lighting is best with windows facing you to illuminate your face.
Give eye contact to your camera and look into it when speaking. Your camera should be placed at eye level.
Frame yourself in the camera view so that your head and top of your shoulders are prominent in the screen. Adjust your camera or your chair if you are too close or too far from the screen.
Be aware of your background. Less is more. Make sure your background is simple and uncluttered. You can use a green screen image to replace a messy background.
Minimize distractions. Close any open screens that might distract your attention from the virtual meeting. Remember you are on camera, so you always want to give your full attention to the speaker.
Raise your voice one notch higher so that you can be heard clearly through the external or internal microphone. This helps you feel more confident while speaking and helps keep a slower pace.
Mute your microphone when you are not speaking. And unmute only when you speak. This allows for there to be no noise distractions during presentations.
If you need to step away from your desk for a moment or eat, etc., make sure that you turn off your camera and, of course, mute your microphone.

Implementing these tips and best practices into your next virtual meeting can greatly improve its effectiveness and enhance the overall experience for you as a speaker or as an attendee. Miller Tanner Associates can help assist you through these virtual meeting best practices and more to ensure an exceptional meeting from start to finish.

Download our Virtual Event Checklist

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Celebrating 23 Years of Planning Event Experiences

We are jazzed to be celebrating 23 incredible years in the global meeting and event industry! Your partnerships have played an instrumental role in our success. Thank you for the opportunity to create memorable virtual and face-to-face events for you across the world.

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Virtual Event Mash-Up

We’ve curated a mash-up of some of our best blogs with tips for creating successful virtual events. Now more than ever virtual events are essential. Use these strategies from the Miller Tanner Team to improve and maximize your meeting’s capabilities.

Switching to Virtual Meeting Solutions

Even when the face-to-face can’t go on, your meeting still can. Businesses can easily switch to virtual options and not miss a beat when they have the right partner in place to guide them through the switch. More here.

4 Tips for Virtual Meeting Success

Virtual meetings are an ideal option for many companies needing to provide the latest information to attendees without the need to consider travel, hotel, and other logistics. Since the cost is a fraction of a face-to-face meeting, more and more companies are finding this option to be a valuable solution to educate and update attendees, especially within short time frames. Read more here.

Using Virtual Solutions to Relocate a Meeting

A lot goes into planning a meeting and yet even the best-laid plans can be derailed by the unpredictable. That was the case for one of our clients who had to consider canceling their event after the sudden emergence of a public health crisis. Read more here.

3 Reasons You Need a Virtual Meeting Planner

Reasons you need a planner for virtual events

Though you could conduct a virtual meeting using in-house resources, oftentimes many companies do not have access to the equipment and expertise required to produce a seamless virtual event. With virtual events, a well-executed deployment is essential; otherwise, you easily run the risk of a virtual event failure, wasting time and valuable resources in the process. Read more here.

Let Miller Tanner Associates set you up for a virtual success. Learn more about our virtual event solutions here.

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Miller Tanner Associates Virtual Event Solutions

Pivot to Virtual

Virtual Events are the perfect solution when the unexpected happens.

Planning in advance and for the unexpected is a given for us at MTA. Even during the unexpected, you can still expect that your meeting’s message will be heard.

How? Short answer – through our virtual event services and VALTs™ (Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source).

Miller Tanner are the virtual meetings experts

MTA has the expertise to produce interactive, engaging, laser-focused virtual events, that can be easily replicated to achieve your virtual event messaging goals.

Add in VALTs™ our proprietary tool that can replicate your message or provide training that is budget-friendly while simultaneously creating an audit-ready, permission-based training record that can be accessed in real-time.

VALTs: Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source

Combined together, a virtual event with our customized VALTS™ product is a dynamic dual alternative solution for your meeting needs.

To learn more about our Virtual Solutions, contact us today or download our Virtual Event Solutions Guide!

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5 Corporate Event Experience Trends in 2020

Last week, we shared our top five favorite event style trends from Event Manager Blog‘s 2020 top trends list. This week we share our five favorite event experience trends. Bring these popular ideas to your next corporate event experience.

1. Include Altruism, Wellness, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Tap into the emotional intelligence of your audience by bringing a more altruistic midset to your event. This is an important piece of everyday life for individuals so why not showcase at your event to inspire your attendees.

Some ways to do this:

Include zones where attendees can focus on wellness aspects like a yoga zone or massage chairs.
Schedule outdoor breaks that allow your attendees the opportunity to get outside, breathe fresh air, or take a brisk walk.
Focus on others with an onsite CSR project built right into your meeting.
Be mindful of work-life balance and incorporate concepts into your event.

2. Content is Key

With so much easy access to information 24-7, it’s vital that your event content is engaging in a way that isn’t just added white noise among the barrage of information.

“Keeping your audience engaged means more than simply entertaining them. To engage an audience isn’t just to hold their attention, but to hold their attention for a thoughtful purpose…stimulating the five senses can do wonders, as long as it serves to keep the audience focused on a thematic message,” reports Event Manager Blog.

3. Listen to Your Audience

How will you know that your content was engaging? Simply, by listening to your audience through their feedback. Post-event surveys allow you to evaluate the return on the experience (ROE) so that you can continue to improve your participants’ experiences at future events.

4. Add the Element of Surprise

By adding an element of surprise to your event, you keep your audience more engaged. This can also create a more memorable experience while adding to the WOW factor.

Some ways to do this:

Create an interactive mystery element, for example, escape rooms or a murder mystery dinner.
Provide unexpected gifting suite/baskets or even a handwritten note from team leaders.
Plan surprise entertainment or an outing around the host city.

5. Learn from Neuroscience

We can learn a lot about attendee behavior from emerging neuroscience data. What creates better social opportunities? How can we improve attendee knowledge retention? How can we boost engagement? These are all questions that neuroscience can provide clues for answering.

Plan breaks in your agenda, preferably every 20 minutes; it improves engagement, learning, and attendees’ overall wellbeing.
Build in time for your attendees to process the information being learned. This can be done through small groups, break-out sessions, or individual time spent writing down what they’ve learned.

Let the Miller Tanner Associates team guide you through the complicated task of planning an event experience that will yield measurable success.

Resource: Event Manager Blog

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5 Event Style Trends in 2020

Event Manager Blog lists 2020 top trends in event style and decor. These are five of our favorites mentioned from their compilation. Explore how you can boost the power of your event by incorporating these trends.

1. More Networking-Friendly Space Design

Did you know that where furniture is placed, can often dictate the behavior of your event attendees? Knowing how to stage an event space is key to driving the interest of your attendees. If your event space is outside, comfortable lounge options can set a relaxing tone and invite more room for conversation.

Aside from furniture staging, here are some other trending ideas to create a more networking-friendly space: Live music and candlelight can both create an ambiance and set the mood for your attendees. Using a balloon canopy or drapery can create a more inviting space. Try any of these ideas to create a more ambient atmosphere for your event-goers.

2. Interactive Furniture for Different Learning Styles

Tailoring the seating choices to your audience’s needs can improve overall learning and engagement.

For example, swings, exercise balls, and bean bags might be useful for kinesthetic learners while sofas or comfortable furnishings provide an informal feel for the attendees who want to relax and focus on the message. It’s also helpful to have furniture that’s easy for note-taking and supporting computer work. Try adding a variety of seating choices to your event to suit a diverse audience.

3. Bold Color

Splash and pops of color are a must at events this year. Floral patterns are a blooming trend that includes large-scale floral prints displayed on tables or across a wall. Also, bold vibrant lighting is stealing the show to add a more dynamic edge to your event. Make a bold impact with color.

4. Refreshment Reimagined

Out with the sugary and heavy refreshments and in with more healthy options. Event-goers are interested in healthier, lighter fare served up in the form of smoothies, juice bars, or mocktails with self-serve options or the creative twist on a food truck. Bring some healthier options into your food and beverage line up as an extra treat for your attendees.

5. Interactive Zones

Another popular trend is creating various “zones” at your event to appeal to the different interests of your attendees. For example, charging zones where computers and phones can be recharged and pampering zones like a massage chair or yoga space that offer attendees time to unplug. Your attendees will thank you for the opportunity to “zone out” periodically between sessions so that they can “zone in” on the important messages being delivered at the event.

Do you want to jump on these trends for your 2020 events? Reach out to our team to design the perfect event this year.

Resources: https://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-trends