Meet MTA: Connie Winter, Production Manager
The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that brings our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. Today, we introduce you to Connie Winter, Production Manager with Miller Tanner Associates. Connie is a master at planning and conducting all media and production details to ensure flawless execution at each and every event.
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4 Common Mistakes that Successful Virtual Events Avoid
4 Mistakes that Successful Virtual Events Avoid
From creating an engaging agenda – that doesn’t leave your audience hitting the snooze button – to troubleshooting technology glitches, there’s no room for error with your virtual event. Here are 4 common mistakes to avoid when planning your next virtual event. Continue reading “4 Common Mistakes that Successful Virtual Events Avoid”
Marnie Miller Battistini, CEO, Receives 2018 Smart Women in Meetings Innovator Award
2018 Smart Women in Meetings Innovator Award
Miller Tanner Associates is pleased to announce that Marnie Miller Battistini, CEO of Miller Tanner Associates, has been named a 2018 Smart Women in Meetings Awards winner. The team at Miller Tanner Associates could not be more proud of our accomplished and deserving leader. Continue reading “Marnie Miller Battistini, CEO, Receives 2018 Smart Women in Meetings Innovator Award”
#MeetMTA: Susan Caven, Global Event Director
The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that brings our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. Today, we introduce you to MTA Susan Caven, Global Event Director. Susan brings a unique perspective to the Global Events Team by combining her comprehensive knowledge of the financial side of event planning with her on-site event management expertise.
Continue reading “#MeetMTA: Susan Caven, Global Event Director”6 Benefits of a Virtual Investigator Event
Though face-to-face investigator events are ideal in many ways, virtual events, despite some misconceptions, can be an equally effective way to deliver your investigator meeting. Common reasons for offering a virtual investigator event might include:
- Short timelines – Virtual events can be planned with very little lead time compared to face-to-face events. Additionally, the length of the event itself is a more concise, efficient way to educate your audience.
- Urgent important protocol amendments – When urgent updates occur in your study, a virtual event is the quickest way to disseminate the information.
- Budget constraints – For limited budgets, a virtual event is an ideal solution for training, particularly for audiences that are in multiple locations and multiple time zones.
Continue reading “6 Benefits of a Virtual Investigator Event”
6 Ways to Add the Wow Factor at Your Company’s Next Global Event
6 Ideas to Make Your Global Meeting Memorable
1. Attention to Details
When you drill it all down, the key to launching a successful event is the attention to the details. Whether you are providing customized gifts for each attendee, designing the space in a way that nurtures conversation, or implementing a theme that resonates with your audience, it’s those numerous details that make a lasting impact.
This is where Miller Tanner Associates Team as expert planners can help you add the WOW factor to your event. With over 20 years of experience in the event industry, we know how to execute every detail of any event.
2. Make it Interactive
Want a stronger corporate team? The trend in training these days is to make it interactive and experiential. Not only does this keep your trainees fully engaged but it also helps with learning retention. Get creative with how you deliver your messaging and content. Is it through an interactive tour? Or maybe a role enactment? Make it interactive and you are sure to ramp up the engagement from your attendees.
We planned an interactive training, in partnership with our client that was incredibly well received by the attendees. By collaborating with the team, we helped to bring their idea to fruition. The idea was to create an interactive tour similar to a museum tour – our Miller Tanner team designed the space with white wall panels, rental furniture, and lighting. We also had fresh popcorn available just outside the door along with Bluetooth headsets so that each attendee could learn at their leisure. It was a successful approach to sales training that made a lasting impression.
3. Customize it
Cookie-cutter events are so passé. Make your event stand out by customizing it! You can do this a million different ways from room drops to planned excursions. When you take the time to customize your event in a way that speaks to your audience, you’ve tapped into something special that will make your event memorable for years to come. Not sure how to customize it? Our planning team uses several methods for determining the best way to customize your event for your attendees.
4. Include CSR Activities
One ingredient of creating a meaningful event experience that WOWs is to personalize it through team building. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects are an excellent way to initiate team building. This is a highly effective approach in that it boosts motivation, builds collaboration, fosters communication, and engages your team. Your company and your employees gain impressive benefits by doing good in your community. And as an added bonus, companies with engaged employees outperform those without by up to 202%!
At Miller Tanner, we practice what we preach. CSR activities are an integral part of our annual internal meetings when our team from across the globe comes together for training each summer. We’ve built bikes for the Boys and Girls Club, collected toys for hospitalized children, worked to spruce up a children’s home, built a Habitat house, and have taken part in many other enriching activities throughout our 20 plus years as a team. Our team agrees that this has a lasting WOW effect on any event.
5. Get Outside
Break up the meeting with time outside of the venue. Doing so will help invigorate your teams and keep them more engaged and productive. You can incorporate being outdoors while participating in your CSR activities; or why not take your event outside under the stars, beside the ocean or in the middle of a vineyard. Engaging all the senses of your attendees adds value and makes for a more energizing event.
6. Don’t Forget the Cultural Experiences
No matter where your event takes place, be it Atlanta or Athens, mixing in some cultural experiences of the location creates a more dynamic, rich and memorable experience for your attendees. It breathes life into your event and builds a connection among your attendees with the destination.
We’ve planned everything from an antique road rally along the coast of Portugal, an Irish music pub tour through Dublin, and a Spanish Fiesta evening to include a traditional Horse Show while in Southern Spain. If you want to add magic to your event, be sure to include the cultural excursions.
By incorporating these six ideas, you can deliver the WOW factor to any corporate event. We have a team of planning experts located around the world that can help you plan the perfect event in the upcoming year.
#MeetMTA: Ingrid Easter, Director, Special Projects
The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that brings our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. Today, we introduce you to Ingrid Easter, Director of Special Projects for Miller Tanner Associates. This month, Ingrid celebrates her 20th-year anniversary as a valued team member with MTA. Her ability to transform “big picture ideas” into achievable details coupled with her exceptional, supportive skills in strategic development and training has proven to be invaluable to our team. Continue reading “#MeetMTA: Ingrid Easter, Director, Special Projects”
2017 CSR Highlights and Our Miller Tanner Team
Because our Miller Tanner team members are located around the globe, we have the great fortune of supporting organizations and those in need throughout the world. We embrace that opportunity to serve and make an impact in our respective communities by encouraging our associates to participate in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Over the past year, here are just a few ways that our incredible team members have generously contributed their time and talents to corporate social responsibility. This speaks volumes to “the gift of service” and altruistic nature of the people who work at MTA – always looking for ways to serve others whether it be our clients or those in need. We are grateful for the work that they do across the globe not only professionally but also philanthropically.
Our Media and Production Team, consisting of members based in the US, South America, Europe, and Asia, pooled donations to support the work of Kiva.org, a person-to-person micro-lending program. What an impact they’ve made globally! They’ve currently loaned $5,625 to date serving 225 people in 72 countries.
Our Barcelona-based associate, Gemma, volunteered with Banc dels Aliments, a local food bank in Barcelona whose main objective is to recover food surpluses and distribute them among local entities so that they can reach people in need. Gemma helped with food collections at a local supermarket and school and filled almost 5 large boxes during her volunteer hours. With Gemma’s help and other generous supporters, the organization collected more than 4 million kilos of food in the Catalonia area in two days!
Our Denver-based associate, Meredeth, volunteered her CSR time to help with Jewish Family Service “Lunch Box Express“, a free lunch program serving kids up to age 18 during the summer months. The program has 5 buses that run daily throughout the summer handing out between 700-1000 lunches every day!
Our Canada-based associate, Glenda Ann, has dedicated her CSR time to support several causes throughout the year. She volunteered to help with Habitat For Humanity Women Build Quebec all-female building teams that raised $5000 and built a home for a single mom. She also helped launch an Out of the Ashes campaign to help families in the Province of Newfoundland who were evacuated from Fort McMurray, Alberta due to the forest fires. With help from others, they supported 35 families by collecting donated items and raised $2,500 for the Red Cross. Using social media to get the word out and hosting a fundraiser in collaboration with local musicians, they raised $45,000 to support the cause! She also worked with friends to collect donations for care packages for the Syrian refugees living in Montreal. The packages included clothing detergent and other useful toiletries. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Meilleurs Coeurs Solidaires Orphanage in Benin, Africa which hosts 27 children.
Fifteen of our Tennessee-based MTA staff had the opportunity to volunteer with Thistle Farms, a nonprofit that provides safe and supportive housing, the opportunity for economic independence, and a strong community of advocates and partners for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction.
The day began with an inspiring meditation led by graduates of the Residential Program, followed by a couple hours of work in the Thistle Farms Studio and Body & Home Manufacturing Center. Our team partnered with employees (many of whom are graduates or current participants of the residential program) to clean and organize their art/paper studio and assist in the production of handmade bath and body products. By adding 15 extra people in the mix of their normal operations, the team was able to make a huge impact, especially preparing their manufacturing center for a fast-paced and demanding holiday season.
Each summer, our entire global Miller Tanner Team comes together for annual training and a team-building CSR project. Miller Tanner proudly donated 7,050 school meals through the Feed Projects and our team members also dedicated a morning to sprucing up a local children’s home by cleaning, painting furniture and walls, and giving the property a fresh new look. It was amazing to be part of the transformation and experience the difference that a little paint and a lot of teamwork can make.
Click here to read more about the value of CSR.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead
