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 Melissa Eggert, CMP, Global Experience Manager (GXM). As a GXM, Melissa’s role is to meticulously architect meetings from beginning to end.
Continue reading “#MeetMTA: Melissa Eggert, CMP, Global Experience Manager”
Meetings come in all shapes and sizes. As meeting and event planners, we’ve planned a full gamut of meetings ranging from clinical to commercial and every meeting in between. Whether it be a sales meeting for a team of regional staff, an annual conference, or a President’s Club for employee recognition, we know what works. We’ve found that with just a few additional creative measures, you can create a more memorable meeting experience for your attendees, exceed your meeting goals, and foster connectivity among your group that will garner an impressive return.
In our previous post, we explored how themes can enhance the overall meeting experience for your attendees. Today we deep dive into how to best select a winning theme. Gracie Fisher, CMP, Global Conference Director for Miller Tanner, lends her expertise with these 5 suggestions:
Your meeting theme should be directly aligned with the greater objective and vision. If your themes are intentional, purposeful and meaningful, your attendees will embrace the themes and see the program sponsors as also authentic in their objective and purpose.
Branding, theme, and objective are fluid and symbiotic. Each translates into multiple products and each depends on the other to drive home a unified program. With this in mind, choose a theme that is elastic and can expand to accommodate for growth.
When developing a brand or theme, choose a theme based on more than the aesthetic. Themes should have vertical possibility allowing them to tie into presentations, products, programming, etc. This will create an environment that stimulates the attendees to align themselves with the messaging. They’ll be more likely to see the value of the investment of their time and participation.
Think about your theme from the perspective of an attendee who has no insider information. Is the theme clear? Is it inviting? Does it inspire confidence, participation, and unity? Would you walk away understanding the objectives of the meeting after the program’s end?
By being mindful of your attendees’ perspective, you can design a more cohesive theme to support your overall goals for the meeting.
Brainstorm! Great collaboration always comes forward from imperfect ideas being shared and refined. You may find a gem.
From an event planner’s perspective, it’s helpful to dream out loud with our clients first without being consumed with logistics and to speak to what’s possible, shape a dream collaboratively and ultimately bring those ideas toward the vision.
We can make your next event memorable in every way. We’ll transform your ideas into a winning theme and design a meeting that exceeds all expectations.
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Last week on our blog, we discussed team building as an effective way to create a memorable meeting experience. Today we explore how to create an unforgettable meeting experience through a well-executed theme. Discover how you can bring your next meeting, be it a regional sales meeting or a leadership conference, to life by weaving in themes to accomplish your meeting goals, excite participants, and shape your overall meeting experience for your attendees.
Continue reading “Creating Meeting Experiences: Themes”
Planning a meeting is one thing. Planning a memorable meeting experience is another. The difference is — personalizing it.
That’s what Marnie Battistini, CEO of Miller Tanner Associates believes. “You create a memorable meeting experience by connecting with people. Personalizing it. If you are going to spend money to bring your team together, then maximize that investment by making it a memorable experience.”
In this series on our blog, we will explore dynamic ingredients, that we deem the secret sauce, for creating not just a meeting, but a memorable meeting experience that will have a significant, positive impact on your attendees and your entire group long after the actual face-to-face meeting.
Continue reading “Creating Meeting Experiences: Team Building”
We are pleased to announce our inaugural “Superlatives” for the year! In July, at our Miller Tanner Global Workshop, we recognized and awarded distinguished team members for their outstanding contribution to Miller Tanner throughout the previous year. Their special talents and skills contribute to the “Miller Tanner Difference”. We thank them for their dedication and hard work throughout the past year. Here are our “Hall of Famers” for 2015-2016:
Continue reading “MTA Superlatives Awards”
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 Laura Noel, Director of Strategic Development. Laura is charged with driving the strategic development for Miller Tanner Associates both through marketing and in management. She works to “connect the dots”, making sure our clients know Miller Tanner is their best solution for all their global meeting and event needs.
Tell us about your current role with Miller Tanner – what do you do as the Director of Strategic Development? What are your primary responsibilities?
As Director of Strategic Development for Miller Tanner, I am privileged to be allowed to do various things to help move our company forward. One of my primary responsibilities is to help guide our marketing efforts. In addition, I provide support for management of our third party vendors. Beyond that, I do whatever seems like it needs doing to help drive business to Miller Tanner!
How long have you been with Miller Tanner?
I have been with Miller Tanner for two and a quarter years. Prior to joining, I worked directly with Miller Tanner through other companies with whom I was employed.
What did you do before joining Miller Tanner Associates?
Before joining Miller Tanner, I spent 21 years in the clinical research industry working for different Contract Research Organizations (CROs). I started in that field as a clinical research associate (CRA), progressing through the ranks until my last position, which was the Director of Planning and Resource Management. Prior to my CRO life, I spent 6 years in the Army Nurse Corps.
How does your experience in pharma, support the work that Miller Tanner does?
Based on my previous work experiences, I better understand our clients’ needs and motivations. It helps to problem solve with clients if you have worked closely with them or nearly walked in their shoes. Instinctively you understand the pressures they are facing and can hopefully provide some solutions to help ease to their stressors.
What do you feel are the most fulfilling aspects of your job?
This sounds so cliché, but I truly love the people I am privileged to work with daily. Working together as a contributor on this talented team is great stuff.
What do you think makes Miller Tanner stand out as meeting planning company?
The first thing that makes Miller Tanner stand out as a company is the philosophy of our CEO, Marnie Miller Battistini. She believes in being transparent and she is not kidding when she says, “Do the right thing and good things will come”. This creates a positive environment of openness and trust that is hard to describe. I know that everyone who is employed here wants to give 110% of themselves to help the company further grow. When you have that kind of dedication and support, there is nothing that is impossible. This is visible to our clients too as what we like to call, “The Gift of Service”, which translates into no request being too big, as well as, course correction when things appear to be veering from the desired goal.
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What do you do for fun?
I am not sure I want to give away my trades secrets! I like to laugh in almost any situation. If you can’t see the humor in things and laugh at yourself, well what’s the point? So with that attitude, a lot of things can become fun!
Laura and team members cook up some great recipes for team building at MTA’s 2016 Global Workshop in Atlanta.
The MTA Workshop was last week. What’s the overall purpose of the Workshop and what do you personally gain most from a week together with all MTA staff?
The overall purpose is to bring the global team together to train, network and reinforce the bonds that make us strong and help us get stronger by building new bonds. We have grown a lot in the past 2 years. Personally, I walk away from the Workshop filled up with love. I know that sounds mushy, but it’s true.
Quotes are an emphasis at the Miller Tanner Workshop this year. So what’s your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
As Director of Global Business Innovation, my role is to ensure Miller Tanner is always on the forefront of technology by introducing new ideas, workflows, methodologies, services and products all while maintaining the highest level of security for our clients’ intellectual property.
Global Business Innovation encompasses every department and aspect of Miller Tanner’s business model. An example of our latest technological advancement is implementing an UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) system so our clients and vendors can reach us anytime, anywhere on any device. The system encompasses telephone, text, instant messaging and video collaboration.
Advances in technology have benefited the bio-tech and pharma meeting process by making it more efficient for all involved. Gone are the days of receiving a faxed registration form, completing it and faxing it back. With Miller Tanner’s proprietary registration program, attendees register electronically, which is a huge timesaver and increases attendance. Our overall technology advancements have streamlined both the face-to-face and virtual meeting process by providing substantial return on investment in both time and cost savings benefits to our clients and attendees.
Miller Tanner created a new division in the fall of 2014 called Software Development. Our new in-house Software Development Team allows us to offer our clients a much more streamlined and secure system for event management. To date, our Software Development Team has developed a customized proprietary software program for event registration, mobile access, on-demand training and most recently, a learning management system.
Miller Tanner’s On Demand Trainer/Learning Management System, our newest service, combines repurposing the training sessions provided by our clients at face-to-face and virtual meetings with learning management features such as e-signatures and electronic training reports. Miller Tanner’s On Demand Trainer/Learning Management System was developed to support the FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11 requirements for e-signatures, electronic records and security. The system provides 24/7/365 customizable reporting for our clients.
For the end user, the On Demand Trainer/Learning Management System allows online 24/7/365 access to the training materials and media with options that include: ask the presenter questions; resetting assessment questions if the end user does not meet the client requirements of passing score; and printing their personal electronic training records (when they have met the criteria set by the client). Another service we included in 2015 was to provide the event attendee with the ability to request reimbursements for incidentals through a secure and electronic format.
MTA is fearless when it comes to trying new technology and we love to implement innovations that are efficient, cost-effective and, most importantly, create the highest level of customer satisfaction by leveraging ease of use.
Every meeting should have the following technology tools to be successful:
The ability to access a meeting either in person or virtually from any device at any time anywhere will increase overall attendance and thus profitability. The traditional mobile workplace is more than just your home office. It’s anywhere you are.
Making an event engaging has a positive effect on attendees’ motivation levels, determining what they learn and how much information they will retain. MTA’ s Mobile Web Site is a great example of features every event should include. We offer chat among attendees, ARS (Audience Response System), team-building and networking games.
We all like to feel special. An easy way to accomplish this goal is to personalize the meeting experience and offer the very highest level of customer service. It can be something as simple as greeting a person by their name upon initial check-in having never met them before or presenting them with a customized amenity gift. By making an event a personalized experience, you will have a much higher customer satisfaction resulting in attendee retention and engagement by increasing conversations.
Receiving instant feedback will reveal how attendees are feeling while they’re in-session, or on-site. Attendees are much more likely to respond while still engaged at the event rather than filling out a survey later. Speaker evaluations, live polling, and event surveys help you know what’s working and what isn’t, so you are equipped with as much information as possible when planning the next event.
Miller Tanner Associates has always prided ourselves on offering the ultimate in customer service, the latest in technology and paramount security all while maintaining an excellent return on investment for our customers.
Interested in exploring the latest and greatest technology trends at your next meeting? We can help you choose the technology capabilities that best fit your meeting’s needs.
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.
Tell us about your current role as Director of Compliance for Miller Tanner Associates?
As Compliance Director for Miller Tanner Associates, I work with all internal departments as well as our clients to assure we are complying with policies, procedures, and guidelines established to produce quality products and services.
What are your primary responsibilities?
My role is to support and guide our teams to understand what compliance means, why it is important in terms of how we produce a quality product.
How long have you been with Miller Tanner Associates? Four years on July 1st.
What did you do before joining Miller Tanner?
Before joining Miller Tanner Associates, I worked in the clinical research organizational industry in global clinical operations and clinical quality compliance roles for twenty years. I was responsible for the development of departmental standard operating procedures (SOPs), process standards, benchmarking, system and reporting tools for multiple companies. I also have ten years in nursing, and have held positions in hospitals, clinics and home care, with a therapeutic focus in oncology, nephrology and orthopedics.
What do you feel are the most fulfilling aspects of your job?
It’s very fulfilling to be able to work across departments and clients!
What compliance related concerns do our clients have and how does Miller Tanner address these concerns?
The pharmaceutical industry that Miller Tanner has served for over 19 years is a very complex, but exciting arena. Pharmaceutical companies invest significant time and effort to develop relationships with physicians that are experts in patient care for specific diseases to better understand and help document how their product or drug impacts that patient population. Clients have to assure their interactions with physicians and other healthcare professional can not be perceived as to influence the physician’s decision on how to best treat a patient. Miller Tanner assists our client in planning and managing events globally with healthcare professionals that are always professional and conducive to scientific training.
You are based out of San Antonio, Texas, right? From a local’s perspective, tell us 3 must-see/must-do attractions when visiting San Antonio.
Some of the best attractions in San Antonio are the Mission Trail, the River Walk and Tower of the Americas, which is a 750-feet tall tower with panoramic views built as part of the 1968 World’s Fair.
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 want to introduce you to Molly Suggs, Global Account Director. Molly leads our Commercial Operations Department of Miller Tanner Associates. She has recently taken on this exciting role as Miller Tanner expands to offer an array of commercial meeting opportunities to our clients.
Tell us about your current role with Miller Tanner Associates as a global account director? What are your primary responsibilities?
As Global Account Director, I am leading the Commercial Operations Department of Miller Tanner Associates. This is a section of our operations department that manages all types of events for our clients outside of clinical investigator meetings. These types of events can include product launches, leadership conferences, sales meetings, and Presidents Clubs to name a few. There really isn’t an event that we are not interested in taking on the challenge.
What makes Miller Tanner a good choice for planning commercial meetings?
MTA is a great choice for planning commercial meetings because we are an ambitious group that constantly wants to outdo ourselves from the time before. We are process driven, organized, strategic, and experienced in producing fabulous events within our clients’ budgets.
Why is it important to hire a corporate meeting planner for commercial meetings?
It is extremely important and valuable to hire a corporate meeting planner for commercial meetings because planning these types of events is a full-time job and requires a tremendous amount of attention to detail. When hiring a corporate meeting planner, the client is able to remove the planning stresses from their plates and focus on the big picture of the event rather than the details. Corporate meeting planners are experts in their field and they are meant to help all clients deliver a magnificent event.
How long have you been with Miller Tanner? I started with Miller Tanner in October of 2015 – so about 9 months now!
What do you feel are the most fulfilling aspects of your job?
I love working on projects that have a beginning, middle and end. Every project is different, every project has its own challenges and every project finishes with much key learning for the next one. I am fulfilled with my job by taking on all of those challenges and seeing our team learn, grow, and come out stronger after each event. I love this part of my job; there is never a boring day! The people that I work with are among the best and I am inspired by them daily.
What did you do before joining Miller Tanner?
Before joining Miller Tanner, I was in the events world, but in the sports marketing and sporting event industry. For many years, I worked for an amazing agency based in San Francisco where we strategized, planned, and executed hospitality programs for top sponsors of all major sporting events. This was a combination of planning the events around the hospitality programs and working closely with our clients to help them best represent their brand within their sponsorship. This job included a great amount travel around the world and the opportunity to attend many Super Bowls, Final Fours, Masters, Olympics, and FIFA World Cups.
I also worked specifically for the organizing committee of a global sporting event in Alpine skiing – this brought a completely new perspective to events. Up until this point, I had always planned events from afar, and now I was planning a global event right under my feet.
With this experience, I can say that an event is an event – that doesn’t mean they are all the same, but the skeleton of an event is similar to the next and they all require a tremendous amount of organization, strategy, creativity, and a great team to execute. I am very happy to be with Miller Tanner to lead the commercial events. Our team is among the best and looking forward to all the events and challenges in our near future!
Do you have a favorite sport or sports team?
I worked in Alpine ski racing for a few years – so I am a huge fan and definitely follow the season closely, but being in the Mile High City, I have to say I am very proud to be a Denver Broncos fan!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I always struggle with this question because I don’t know how to narrow it down. In a nutshell, I love to be outside, I love to be with dear friends and family, and I love to travel. Skiing, biking, hiking, being on the beach, exploring a new city, watching a movie…you name it, I probably enjoy it.
Do you travel much in your role with Miller Tanner? What would be your most favorite work-related destination thus far and what made it memorable?
I do travel in my job, and my favorite trip this year so far was to Dublin, Ireland. We were executing a large leadership conference and I fell in love with the city and the people! The cold rain and gray skies didn’t scare me away one bit!
Today on our blog, we take a look at data security, primarily as it relates to your meetings. Ensuring that your sensitive data is secure at every meeting is our top priority. We take no chances.
We recently interviewed our own Miller Tanner expert, Daniel Conroy, Director of Technology Services, who offers his insights and advice on the topic and further explains the methods that Miller Tanner employs to ensure the security and protection of your meeting’s information.
It all starts with our classification of data. We treat all data, whether created internally or received from a client or vendor, as sensitive. Sensitive in the data security sense means that if this information were to be compromised or publicly released such an event could negatively affect either Miller Tanner or our client/vendor. That information security awareness helps our staff better understand why the measures we insist on are important as well as how they might proceed if presented a challenge we didn’t consider.
More tactically, we have several procedures in place to protect our data in transit and at rest. All of our mobile devices are encrypted and we own our gear. This means we aren’t renting hardware so we can control what information goes on and what information comes off. Furthermore, we wipe (securely remove data) all ‘show’ laptops after a meeting to ensure we didn’t miss anything.
All of it. If you make information security part of your corporate DNA it is much easier to protect than trying to decide if this or that document, video, etc. meets the security standard. If I had to pick between client data or internal data, however, I’d always say client first. Our clients are the reason we are in business and we never want to forget that.
The fact that we own and operate our own equipment is a big differentiator. Miller Tanner Associates has invested significant financial resources to ensure that we can control both the hardware and data on our gear. Laptop rentals are great, but what happens to those files once the rental company gets their gear back? The answer is no one can be sure, even if the files on that laptop were deleted. I know our devices are encrypted against lost or unauthorized access, but also we securely wipe any machines used in a meeting once the meeting is over.
Prepare for a meeting or prepare their organization to be more secure? If it is for a meeting, there is really little in terms of preparation. We offer access to a trusted third-party email encryption service for our clients so that they can securely share their data with us from the start. As you might imagine we have other secure methods of data transfer should they need that as well.
If you are talking organizational security, I think the first line of defense is preparedness. Preparedness for information security comes in the form of education and training. One of the most prominent attack vectors today is phishing. Organizations need to educate people about phishing, how to spot phishing attempts, and what to do once they are presented with it.
If I can climb onto my digital soapbox for just a moment, I’d like to make a Public Service Announcement for two-factor authentication. To quote the 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, “Passwords are great – kinda like salt. Wonderful as an addition to something else, but you wouldn’t want to consume it on its own”. Simply put, no matter how good a password you have, use a second means of authentication whenever you can.
Think of two-factor authentication as similar to getting money from the ATM. You need your card AND to know your account PIN. If you don’t have both you don’t get any money. Two-factor password authentication works the same way. You need your username, password, and a one time passcode that can be sent via a text (or similar).
Many popular tools like Gmail, Yahoo and Facebook already offer this feature. Once you enable two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication on your account a lost password or even security breach at the company is less damaging. The attacker may have your password, but they don’t have that second factor which means they can’t access your account. And lastly, consider using a different password for all services and use a password manager to keep them straight.