On Monday, April 15, otherwise known to all Bostonites as “Patriot Day,” our nation suffered another egregious attack on our freedom.  Unbeknownst to all associated with the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) 101st Annual Conference, Image Audiovisuals, The Sheraton Hotel and FSMB  would emerge together through media frenzy, marshal law, a city lockdown and a manhunt to successfully convene and achieve a semblance of normal business through extraordinary circumstances.  Below is the account of a show which will forever be memorable to everyone involved, as recited by Mac.

“The hotel venue was located less than a block from Boylston Street, where the bombing took place.  Most of the team was set to arrive on Tuesday, following the difficult decision by FSMB to continue the conference.  It was a surreal experience winding through the city in a cab, having to find alternate routes to the hotel amid all of the street closures and strong police presence. ”

Upon arriving, another main concern was the arrival of the production truck, carrying all of the conference equipment and two key Image AV team members.  Coordinating the logistics for the arrival of a massive truck in a downtown metro is an already daunting task, but when you factor in all extenuating circumstances, a solution needed to be found to accommodate the load-in for the show, storage and load-out.

“Once my team secured parking and storage at an alternate location, the remainder of the day was to do what all of us do during shows; attend pre-convention meetings, connect with key hotel personnel, manage any client requests and/or changes and begin to go through the normal mechanics of managing a conference.”

The conference opened on Thursday, April 18, while questions still remain as to how and why the attack occurred.  While the conference included the usual elements of the National Anthem, a color guard processional and conference invocation, it is clear to all attendees that this is a conference unlike any other.

“Between Thursday and Friday, the FBI needed an outpost to announce information on the two suspects and release images and photography that had been obtained over the week.  FSMB had the contracted space, but all willingly pushed agendas and production orders aside to accommodate the press conference.  It was here that the FBI identified the two individuals.”

The IAV team would do a number of resets and reconfigurations, working in conjunction with the hotel to go from an FSMB gathering to the national center of breaking news, as much of the space was used by law enforcement in between conference events.  The city was now in a full-scale lockdown and people were advised by a “shelter in place” order, making the bustling downtown streets desolate, and preventing hotel employees from arriving for work shifts.  Unaffected, the IAV team pitched in to assist banquet staff and hotel employees as needed.

“In the end, the conference finished successfully, even though our client went from 17 conference coordinators and employees to 5 onsite.  Our team has always operated by a simple motto, ‘Finish strong on the final day,’ because at the end of an event, if you don’t finish strong, it doesn’t bring closure.  As all of us were loading the truck to leave, we would witness people adding flowers or signs to the makeshift memorial on Boylston and we all could say we finished strong for the whole nation.”
Yes, IAV did finish strong.  Boston Strong.

Thanks to Mac and his unwavering leadership, as well as to all of the IAV family who observed the events and participated in the FSMB collaborative effort.

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“This certification is a great testimonial for our continued efforts within the Convention Center in moving toward adopting resources and services that follow the green and sustainable trends of the hospitality industry,” said Diana Mueller, CEO and Co-Owner.

For more information on Image Audiovisuals at the Colorado Convention Center, please contact or to read the full certified transcript from ASTM, please contact Dave Kreutz at 303-228-8047 or via e-mail at dkreutz@imageav.com.

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Don’t leave your audio visual needs last!  Because of room sets, equipment footprints and overall design, involve your Audiovisual company at the beginning of your event, meeting, or conference to ensure synergy between venue staff and Audiovisual needs and services.

For more audio visual tips for meeting planners, please contact Image Audiovisuals at 303-758-1818.

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IAV: Brooke, you have been “In the League” for many years now… Where have you been and where are you going?

Brooke: I was a Corporate Meeting Planner for StorageTek, and survived two acquisitions, the first when StorageTek was purchased by Sun Microsystems, and then when Sun was acquired by Oracle. In 2010, I branched out and started Strategic Conferences to assist my clients with not just space finding, but through all variables of a meeting or conference, including the strategic “whys” surrounding the reasons to meet in the first place, and the terms of the development of the “how” to get their message across.

IAV: The industry has changed from when we all used to carry oversized three-ring binders to planners who “Plan by iPad”… What trends do you see staying and what do you see going?

Brooke: (laughing) I still carry a three-ring binder! Planners are very visually oriented, so even though technology is here to stay, face-to-face meetings and hands-on approaches will never be obsolete for some. That trend will stay. I actually think too much emphasis is placed on technology. It always seems to be a go-to, whether it is the subject of breakout sessions at conferences or the main topic at a luncheon – I feel like we are overwhelmed with it. Technology is in our lives, whether we like it or not, but I would like to see it take a back seat to some other topics for a while, as far as a trend goes.

IAV: Speaking of the trends you have witnessed, what is the biggest shift where hospitality is concerned?

Brooke: Companies are starting to give a larger role to meeting planners, whether it is a third-party or not, in the overall development of meetings and conferences. Meeting Planning is becoming a viable position and seen as more strategically important for many corporations, which is good. The trend is starting to shift to leaving meeting planners to professionals and not to overloading administrative staff with the minutiae.

IAV: It sounds like you are talking about SMM… the big buzz phrase these days… What are your thoughts on Strategic Meeting Management?

Brooke: There is more to SMM than just cutting dollars and cents off the bottom line, which is what some trivialize it to be. It has a much broader scope and that point of view is what I strive to instill in my clientele. SMM needs to begin at the nucleus of the definition of meeting… or conference. And then, it must explore why spending is necessary, how the spending is used and where spending can be shelved. It isn’t just the “how” of cutting costs. Too much emphasis is placed on this aspect of SMM instead of SMM’s core logic.

IAV: How has the emergence of social media affected you professionally, as an owner of a meeting planning company?

Brooke: I need a “Twitter for Dummies” course. Wouldn’t that be helpful rather than a seminar that blankets all forms of social media? I would like to tweet. I am so opinionated on things! Actually, social media has opened a ton of doors for independent planners and how they can branch out their businesses, so there are opportunities galore, which is why I need a tutorial on how to tweet (laughs), blog, etc.

IAV: Caramel Macchiatos or Chai Tea?

Brooke: Neither. I go for the Orange Blossom Green Tea at Starbucks. I actually travel with it, in case a hotel does not have it, or their tea does not measure up to my standards.

IAV: Do you have a meeting planning pet-peeve?

Brooke: Actually, I just wrote an article about this in Colorado Meetings and Events Magazine! If I had to pick one, it would have to be Hotel Executive Sales Management , because they no longer value relationships and the personal side of customer service… they only see things “by the numbers.” Some brands have done things like go to a more regional sales team that is not located on property and it seems so commercialized and impersonal. Not to mention, they don’t know their own properties. I remember back in the day, I used to plan events at hotels and I would deal with the same Sales Manager from year-to-year. It took time for me to learn how to work best with that person and for that person to learn best practices with my planning needs. Now, some are just a big wasteland of revolving doors of people.
Some brands have missed the boat on how critical relationships are.

IAV: So… if you weren’t planning meetings or helping customers with
their strategic meeting development, what would you be doing?

Brooke: I would fix our education system.

Questions or comments? Contact Kelly Kucera at kkucera@imageav.com.

The post Planner Profile! Presenting Brooke Sommers President, Strategic Conferences appeared first on Image Audiovisuals.

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This is the largest number of Colorado visitors in 18 years spending $10.8 billion. Here are a few of the reports’ findings:

• There was a strong recovery in business travel – business trips to Colorado rose 4 percent and business travel to Denver rose 17 percent.
• The bulk of spending was on accommodations and transportation, due to increased hotel rates and gas prices.
• Colorado’s share of national overnight visitors rose to 2.7 percent.
• Day trips to Colorado increased by 4 percent.
• Colorado attracted the most overnight skiers in the nation (18.6 percent).

This is great news for the Denver events industry! For information on the Colorado tourism industry, or regarding hosting a convention in Denver, please contact Scott Cornelius at 303-228-8047.

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