2011 Great Ideas Conference

1 > 310:45 am – 12:00 pm

Monday, March 14Hub Id: #ideas11 LD5

Steve Drake, MADen Gardner, BS

Diane Johnson, CMP

1 Better Than 3

ObjectivesWhat do you do when your meeting is competing against others in the same market space?

•Learn how three separate organizations in the same industry merged their conventions into a single, successful joint conference that added a record-breaking international component this past year. •Find out tips, techniques, and secrets to successful partnering, lessons learned, and join in discussions with other meetings professionals to see where similar opportunities might be awaiting your organization.

Coming Together

• Publishers surfaced the concept• Multiple planning meetings• Common mission• Moved from “3-year experiment” to LLC• Now in 13th year• Record-breaking event in 2010

#1 Differing Cultures:

Each organization had its own conference.

Face-to-face planning meetings were essential to create trust and understanding

Adopted standards and policies that both organizations could accept

Issue:

Discussion:

Solution:

#2 The Ca$h Box:

Deciding how to split revenue, expenses and profits.

May be the biggest issue facing a collaborative partnership

Created a single budget and track actual revenue and expenses for the joint conference

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Discussion:

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#3 Multiple Staffs

Who does what?

How to avoid duplicating efforts.

Identified the key functions and “assigned” each to one staff.

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#4 Scheduling

How to “merge” two conference programs into one?

Donut? Consolidated? Other formats?

We settled on a single, consolidated program open to all and integrating professional development, trade show, entertainment and association sessions.

Issue:

Discussion:

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#5 Content and Speakers

What topics? What speakers?

The 3 represented various, somewhat overlapping work functions.

Focused on professional development. Joint program committee.

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#6 Decision Making

Who makes decisions?

Needed continuity + a system that fairly represented all the partners.

Created a 7 person Steering Committee.

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#7 Legal

How provide legal protection?

Each had own. New entity didn’t have any initially.

Became an LLC the three entities own.

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A New Conference

“My dream of a joint meeting came true last week. Four organizations came together last week in Phoenix and it was a huge success. We had almost 800 people attend and it looks like we will do it again next year. “It was great to celebrate manufacturing again!”

Contact Information

Steve Drake, presidentDrake & Company

636/449-5050 • drake@drakeco.com • www.drakeco.com

•Den Gardner, executive director

American Agricultural Editors’ Association952/758-6502 • aaea@gardnerandgardnercommunications.com 

www.ageditors.com

•Diane Johnson, CMP, executive director

Livestock Publications Council817/336-1130 • dianej@flash.net • www.livestockpublications.com