The Podcast Interview is Out!

I'm pleased to say that my interview with David Martin of http://planitpodcast is availalbe on itunes. We are on podcast 84. If you aren't set up yet with itunes, David makes it easy for you to download and get started. You do not need an ipod or m3P player to listen.

I just love this form of promotion, publicity, information sharing, etc. If you aren't listening to podcasts you are behind the times. I was relucant at first and thought those people with those white strings hanging out of their ears were just listening to music. But no, there is a whole new world out there of information sharing. Come on board.

Great Book Review

I had some great reviews on Amazon this week and wanted to add one of them here! I'll add more later.

Don't miss this book, February, 2007
This book will make your next event planning fantastically easy. I have never seen a better book on how to create the event. It is concise but no detail or list has been omitted. The CD-ROM will let you access all the working materials on your computer. It facilitates your creating the ambiance and context you wish to realize through your event. It even helps you "green" your event.
We could say much more but think you will know how great this book is the moment you have your hands on it or view it on this site. The commonsense, dedication, and competence of this quite amazing book will grab you right away.
At The Family Institute of Berkeley we have had to plan many special events ranging from small groups to audiences of hundreds including workshop settings, meals, and lodging for people who have come from all over the world over a period of some thirty years. This book would have spared us a lot of inventing and pouring over lists and reminders. You may be able to do all this work yourself but why not have it done for you?
We have worked with Shannon Kilkenny, participated in events and have come to respect and admire her integrity, determination, kindness, and incredible competence. It is that which makes this book uniquely helpful.
Robert Shaw, M.D. Director, The Family Institute of Berkeley
Judith Shaw, M.A. Education Director and Event Coordinator, The Family Institute of Berkeley

Makes you want to run out and buy one! Please do!

Greening the Hospitality Industry

I just returned from Portland, OR where I attended an awesome conference about changing the way we plan events through environmental practices. Greening the Hospitality Industry is a large task but the people gathered at this event were filled with passion and fabulous ideas. The collection of brilliant people in the event planning industry was inspiring. The ideas that were shared and built upon will have an enormous impact on the industry and ultimately on the planet. All facets of the industry were represented. Unfortunately there were only 100 people attending. There should have been three times the number. By the way, Portland is the number one "green destination" on the planet. Visit Portland Oregon Visitors Association for more information on this facinating City.

My biggest surprise was to see several people from Las Vegas. LV was represented by the Convention and Visitors Authority, the University of Nevada, the hotel/casino industry - MGM Mirage and Mandalay Bay and the Big Springs preservation organization. If Las Vegas can become an environmental destination for meetings and events, then any place can. Kudos to the LV contention.

The host of the event was Green Meeting Industry Council. The event planners for this conference was Meeting Strategies Worldwide. They have been producing green meetings and events for many years. Kudos to all the women from these two groups who's passion and experience were weaved throughout the conference.

This is the new wave of energy and the new way of doing business. If you are not thinking about making some enviromental changes now, you will be left behind! Come on Event and Meeting Planners, join the ever-changing landscape of green techniques and trends. Become a member of GMIC now! And join us at the next conference. Stay tuned for more..............

New Week of Planning

I love Mondays. I have a whole new week of opportunities and possibilities ahead of me. Today it's back to working my timelines and checklists - so much to do - so little time. I'm leaving tomorrow for Portland, Oregon. There is a great conference on "Greening the Meeting and Hospitality Industry". I'm really excited to learn as much as I can so I can pass the information off to everybody I know and through every venue I have. My book, The Complete Guide to Successful Event Planning has an extensive chapter on Planning for the Environment. This is a hot topic right now and we all have to get on the bandwagon. It's not hard to do. Soon we will be going from mainstream to mandate. Be ahead of the game.

I'm having a book launch party this Saturday in my home town of Bolinas, California. I'll get a lot of locals coming out of the wood works. It will be fun and informative to hear what they have to say. This will be my first. I have other book events scheduled and hope to sell lots and lots of information.

I've been writing a lot of articles lately and just agreed to write one for Perspective, the Meeting Planners International (MPI) publication. Hope for some great publicity from that. You can find me all over the ezine world as I am trying to get my name and "expert status" out to the world. My book, The Complete Guide to Successful Event Planning is for everybody, not just the special event promotors and planners. This is a How-To book for everyone.

Thanks for visiting!