Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium was used for the conference's general sessions in order to accommodate the conference's more than 20,000 high school-aged students and their chaperones.

Event: The National Catholic Youth Conference drew 21,000 youth to Indianapolis last November. “We talk about it as three days of catechism or teaching, prayer and worship, recreation and service,” says Gross. “We try and engage people in multiple ways in multiple levels, strengthening their Catholic identities and understanding of our Catholic faith.” The organizers found the city and host diocese such a good fit, they signed up to bring the conference back for the 2013 biennial event before the 2011 event took place.

Location: NCYC has very specific needs in a host city: covered stadium with minimum seating of 20,000 people; a convention center with 750,000 square feet of exhibit space within walking distance, if not connected to, the stadium; 5,500 quad-occupancy hotel rooms within 20-30 minutes of the center; and a diocese willing and equipped to host a group of that size. “It’s not about being in an exciting destination—not to say Indy isn’t exciting—but it’s about driveability. When attendees can bus or drive in cars and vans, we see attendance increase,” Gross says.

Return Trip: Returning to Indianapolis in 2013 has its advantages. “A lot of adults and group leaders have been once before, so for them, it will eliminate the first-time jitters; they’ll know the layout, where the restrooms are,” Gross says. It also allows the planning team to improve problems faced during the previous event.

Trade Show: The event’s trade show, called Thematic Park, was designed to be an interactive venue with a central service area to puts the event’s theme, “Called to Glory,” into action. “It showed how to take [lessons] home and replicate them at the local level,” Gross says. In the past, attendees built a Habitat for Humanity house in the exhibit hall. At this event, students could participate in sports, walk through a disability simulation, sculpt clay at the Creative Corner, or sit at a coffeehouse and listen to Catholic musicians. “It connected to what was happening in our general session in Lucas Oil,” Gross says. “It was always meant to be interactive, and never meant to be exhibit booths in a 10×10 line.”

Face-to-Face: “We draw young people from across the country, and we hear, most poignantly, that they’re the only Catholic in their community,” she says. “They come and are able to see they’re not the only Catholic. [They are] one of tens of thousands, who come together and gather once every other year, who are making the tough decision and living counter-culturally.”

Security: In response to the recent child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops developed a charter to protect young people that all Catholic dioceses in the country have to be in general alignment with. It includes background checks, training to recognize and predict signs of abuse, and steps needed to protect against any such behavior. NCYC did background checks on every speaker and performer who took the stage. “We’re still working on it,” Gross says. “Is it overkill or are we striking the right balance? It’s a major expense—not that finances make the decision—but we didn’t used to budget for this, but now we do.”

| IN GROSS’ WORDS |

When I’m on-site at an event:

I can’t live without my co-workers, including our very dedicated vendor partners. Events don’t happen because of one person. Outside of work, my husband and children. They make everything worthwhile.

I communicate using a radio, texting, and, occasionally, email. We also hold daily face-to-face briefings for our highest level group leaders.

I am most inspired by the young people who attend our youth conference and the adults who bring them.

I most miss my children. (I’m blessed that my husband is a member of our organization and so he is usually present at most of our events.)

I learn the most from doing. I’m a hands-on learner.

Gross tells us why the success of NCYC is about more than a job in A Closer Look.

Why is NCYC important to you?

We draw young people from across the country, and we hear, most poignantly, that they’re the only Catholic in their community. They come and are able to see they’re not the only Catholic. [They are] one of tens of thousands, who come together once every other year, who are making the tough decision and living counter-culturally. From comments we get through video and Facebook, they say they can be authentic to all that they are, and it’s always remarkable their reaction to adults who are present to them—deacons, clergy, sisters who are there—young people treat them with such respect and such generous love. They’re so appreciative that these men and women have taken time out of their busy ministries to be present to the young church.

How did you become a planner?

I was a product of a solid Catholic family but also a really good youth ministry in high school myself, a good parish program and an excellent Catholic high school. When I got out of college in 1992, the Pope was coming to Denver the following summer. I got a job working for the planning organization for that papal visit. I didn’t know people did this. I looked into youth ministry, but it’s not necessarily my skill set. My skill set is planning, handling multiple functions of logistics—that’s my forte.

What’s your inspiration?

It allows me to give back to my church that has given me so much and that has built a foundation that has been invaluable in my own life. I want all young people to have the opportunity that I had. It’s such a blessing to be able to do this within my own faith, to make a living doing something I love for my church and my own faith. I have four children and I want NCYC to continue to grow and mature and be around for them when they grow up.

What’s the best advice you’ve received?

Listen to the little voice you hear in your head, especially when it tells you that what you are planning is a mistake or won’t work.

Read more about the planning that went into NCYC here.

As the executive director of Chick-fil-A Leadercast, Williams is responsible for the planning and execution of the annual event aimed to inspire leaders to make a difference in their local communities.

Forget the 1 percent you hear about in the news all the time. Michael Williams is trying to reach a different 1 percent—the 1 percent of the world’s population that, research shows, can create a culture shift when they grab onto an idea and embrace it. One tool he uses to do this is Chick-fil-A Leadercast, a one-day leadership event started more than 10 years ago by John Maxwell and one of a number of events produced by Giant Impact, challenging people to shift their thinking about how leadership works. On May 4, a number of world-renowned leaders (including CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien and pastor Andy Stanley) will gather in Atlanta for Leadercast to deliver inspiring speeches that will be broadcast to more than 125,000 people worldwide. Here’s how Williams, executive director of the event, and his team do it.

What is the purpose of Chick-fil-A Leadercast?
Our big goal is to change the leadership culture of America—really the world, but starting where we are—from pride-based leadership to humility-based leadership.

Why is it important to align sponsorships, like you’ve done with Chick-fil-A, with the mission of your organization?
We want to find people with the same DNA as us—people who have a high amount of quality service and operational excellence. When we have global brands that stand for those same qualities, it is assurance to the world and reiterates the quality of the event. It’s also a risk for us. When we put a national sponsor’s name on it and they have some sort of negative press, it affects us. So we look at who we want to emulate our message.

How can planners seek those kinds of partnerships?
We’ve always gone at it with the attitude of relationship before any opportunity. We don’t even talk about sponsorships until we’ve added value in some way to that sponsor.

Frans Johansson speaks at the 2011 Leadercast

Why do you simulcast the live event?
If our goal is to change the leadership culture of America first, that’s a huge number of people. Studies show if you can change 1 percent of a given population, you start to see a culture shift. You see that throughout time. You look at the Civil Rights movement. If you start to get 1 percent of the population to stand up for an issue, you see that tipping point. We looked at working class America, the everyday leaders in America, and if we can have an impact on 1 percent of them, we will shift the culture. That number is actually 2,301,315 people. That’s our BHAG—our Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal. We can’t do that with one event. We’ll cap out. We’ll have 5,000 to 6,000 at the live event in Atlanta. Simulcast allows us to empower influencers all throughout the world.

More than 800 host sites simulcast the Atlanta event live to attendees present at their venues. How does that work?
They buy a license to simulcast our event, and they turn around and sell tickets to their public. We have host sites that do it for all different reasons. We have chambers of commerce that want to do it as a way to raise funds. We have churches who do it as an outreach to a local community. We have entrepreneurs who do it because they want to be life coaches and this is a great way to bring clients in around leadership. About 30 percent of our hosts are corporations who are simulcasting internally for their own company benefit.

How do you attract host sites?
We promote through social media. We’re following folks on Twitter and adding value and sharing content with leadership experts there and on Facebook. We take part in a lot of other events and trade shows. We partner with a lot of other organizations who have community influencers involved and we reach out to them with a message of, “We truly want to partner with you to influence your community.” We do that through a variety of technology, through email blasts and through Chick-fil-A. They have a raving fan database they send messages to about the event.

How do you encourage host sites to have a similar experience to the live site?
It is completely up to them. Anything we do at the live site we share. We share minute-by-minute [plans], we share creative ideas. We view host sites as partners, and every day we’re constantly striving to get better at how we equip our host sites. We do webinars, letting people know what we’re doing, the ways we are engaging people, and we encourage them to share best practices between each other.

What are some creative ways you’ve used social media?
We’ve created a private group on Facebook of all of our host sites. You have 800 people who are community influencers or are bringing this into their companies, and they share best practices. It’s amazing to watch that from the inside.

Attendees experience the event from the executive lounge

How do you engage followers?
We’re reading and following our raving fans, and retweeting and interacting with them. We want to know who’s following us and reach out to them because a lot of them have incredible stories and incredible things they are saying.

What about on-site at the event?
The last two years we’ve been a trending topic on the day of the event on Twitter. We do creative things during the event encouraging people to use our hashtag. Last year, we were trying to get a response out of Ryan Seacrest. He’s a big Chick-fil-A fan, and so Tripp [Crosby], our emcee, told everyone to tweet Ryan Seacrest and ask him if he would have lunch with Tripp next time he’s in L.A. or Atlanta. Now you have 125,000 people tweeting Ryan Seacrest with our hashtag, so now it’s interactive. We ask people to tweet in questions to our speakers and we have a backstage interviewer, Michael Hyatt, who’s interviewing speakers when they come off the stage and really looking for the questions from the audience on Twitter. Also, leading up to the event we’ve done twitterviews—interviews over Twitter—with John Maxwell and Suzy Welch. We’re lining more up for this year.

What is the Choice video contest this year?
This year, the theme is all about choices. The choices we make on a day-to-day-basis—the small choices—tend to lead to macro results. We opened a contest to give a $5,000 reward for the best 10-second video clip that illustrates a choice being made. We’ll use all the videos at the event and create a larger, longer video.

Why is engaging your community in this way important?
It guides us when we are coaching speakers and specifically ask them to speak on some of these topics. It’s really important for us to listen, not just push information out, “Hey, here’s a good leadership tip,” but really asking a question on Facebook and on Twitter and engaging to hear what people are saying.

How has social media changed the way events are planned?
One hundred percent. In the past, we’ve had this speaker vetting process to see who is going to speak at our events, and it’s just been us deciding. Through social media, we can ask who you want to see on stage and we get a list of names. Then on top of that, people are tweeting about it and it’s giving access to the speakers. If all of a sudden 10,000 tweets say I want Suzy Welch or Bono to speak at Leadercast, then Bono is getting all these tweets and thinking, “What in the world is this Leadercast thing?” Then when we reach out to them they say, “I was wondering about you guys.” It’s done so much to help bridge access to these speakers.

How has it changed the event?
Especially in a simulcast world, you’re so distant. How amazing is it that I can literally be sitting in South Africa and tweeting Tim Tebow a question that gets answered right then and there? The level of engagement and ownership one attendee feels is absolutely tremendous.

Coca-Cola and Mentos explosion

Tell us about the production involved in the Atlanta event.
We want everyone who comes to the live site to be wowed, so we look at sensory in production—what they hear, what they see, what they smell, what they taste. We use LED lights and huge screens and interaction pieces. Last year, we had fire jugglers and we did a Coke and Mentos explosion on stage. Also, sound—we bring in great musicians. We’re constantly asking how can we engage all the senses and make it something that all fits into the theme.

Why is it important to be creative?
People won’t engage if you’re not. A lot of people think, “I can’t spend the money to be creative,” and then they wonder why there’s 200 people who showed up at their event when they were hoping for 1,000. You’ve got to give people an engagement, and that comes through creativity. Spending the time, the energy and the money creating these wow moments and sensory experiences are what make or break an event.

What if they don’t have your budget?
I wish we had twice the budget. I’m amazed when I walk through and see what our team has created when I know what the budget is. Where our team gets the most creative is when we have a very, very, very tight budget, and then ask, “How do we use what we have?” We’re forced to be creative at that time. Throwing money at something takes no creativity.

What inspires you in your job?
Any event planner who’s doing a large event of some sort has to build an incredible team around them, who know what they’re doing, who are working in their unique skill sets and abilities. I get the most joy out of watching attendees’ faces, seeing the experiences that people are having, and hearing the stories of change, and then to be able to look at my team and say, “You did this.” As the leader of this team, the true joy and the true excitement comes when I can hold a mirror up to the team and say you have done the most amazing job at transforming life all around the world.

Fire jugglers entertain between speakers

How do you encourage your team?
As a company, we really try to reward character, competence and influence. The executive team calls out and appreciates those folks and the team. We also celebrate stories from host sites and attendees. To be able to share these stories, to get a letter in the mail, or a tweet or a Facebook message that talks about the power of impact, and to be able to hand that off to [my team] and say, “This is because of you. Thank you.”

How do you relax after an event?
Run and hide. Most of our team goes dark for a good while, a week or so after the event. A lot of us take vacation. I’m an entrepreneur. I love starting things and having my hands in a lot of things, so I make sure on days when I’m unplugged on the weekends, I really unplug. So I encourage the team to take true free days after the event and leading up to the event. I think it was released recently that event planning is one of the top 10 most stressful jobs in the world, and we all understand why. When we are rested and rejuvenated, we actually work in our most creative zone.

What’s your best advice for fellow planners?
Have a system where you can unplug completely. Turn off your iPhone for a 24-hour period. Turn off your email. Be unreachable. If you can’t turn your phone off, you’re not a good leader. Your team needs to be empowered to make decisions when you’re not around.

What do you have to have on-site?
My phone and my assistant.

Favorite book?
“Good to Great,” by Jim Collins

Favorite music?
I love hip-hop. I love a good beat. I love dancing and having a good time. Hip-hop makes me smile and usually makes people around me smile.

Favorite quote?
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” —Mahatma Gandhi

Event: Connection 2011 is the annual convention for The Foursquare Church. This year’s event took place May 30- June 2, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio, drawing 3,000 pastors, leaders and church members from 54 nations. The four-day convention includes general session with speakers and worship time, business sessions and a NextGen Connections program for children and youth. An online live stream of the general sessions attracted 5,500 unique views during the four days.

Steven Cauble

Location: Cauble was looking for a central, second-tier city that fit his group’s needs, and Columbus, Ohio, and the Greater Columbus Convention Center surprised him. “Columbus wasn’t even on my radar until I met them at Rejuvenate and agreed to do a site visit less than three weeks later,” he says.“I was stunned with all that the city and package had to offer.”

Challenges: “Columbus as a meeting destination/location was virtually unknown to our group,” he says. Even the organization’s president, whose son lives and works there, didn’t realize it’s potential. “We had to do a good deal of education with our group on why to come to Columbus and what it had to offer.”

Volunteers: A local host committee was chosen and responsible for recruiting volunteers. “We have the equivalent of an RFP for volunteer needs that we discuss with them about a year out from the event, and then we meet with [committee members] two to three more times prior to the event,” he says. “They are able to generate between 150 and 200 volunteers for us to fill a variety of needs.”

International delegates

Inspiration: “I grew up watching my own parents attend this event and know how much it meant to them,” Cauble says. “It provided not only inspiration but an opportunity for fellowship with friends they didn’t see any other time. It makes me very happy and satisfied to know that I’m helping to facilitate this same kind of sense of community with a whole new generation.”

Advice: “Don’t be afraid to observe and ask questions of others,” he says. “Many of the best practices we’ve implemented were birthed in watching what another group has done and then customizing it to our needs. It’s not really necessary to completely re-invent the wheel all of the time.”

Event: The Mennonite Church’s biennial convention drew 6,500 attendees to Pittsburgh, Pa., July 4-9. The convention, which combines daily worship for youth and adults, workshops, adult business sessions and youth service projects, next meets in Phoenix in 2013 under a new planner. Glen Guyton, who has been with the organization for two years, has become the primary planner, transitioning into the position formerly served by Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, who was director of convention planning for the past five years.

Experience: As director of intercultural relations and director for constituent resources, Guyton already supervised the planning team. “We worked together a lot because I oversaw the intercultural relations part, making sure…we have racial diversity in the way we choose our speakers, seminar topics, the people that participate in worship.”

Preparation: Already entrenched in mitigating the intercultural challenges the Mennonites face meeting in Phoenix as well as the finances and contracts of the conventions, Guyton used the time before Pittsburgh 2011 to shadow Miller. “[I watched] her and her team, going through every detail that needs to happen to make the convention effective for us,” he says. “I met with every team member and covered all the minute details—transportation to volunteers to who’s going to make the name tags.”

Advice: “Make the old convention planner, if they did a good job, your best friend. Rachel still allows me to contact her and ask a few questions. I try to be respectful of her new role. Depend on the team already in place, listen to them, don’t come into a new position like a bull in a China shop. Tip-toe in, acclimate to the team and listen to the advice that’s there.”

What inspires you about your job?

“My job is about ministry and connecting with people, and that’s one of the things I really like about the convention. I was a youth pastor for 17 years; I love the youth convention part of the overall convention. Seeing the energy and excitement young people have at each worship service, and having a part in the spiritual development of young people keeps you moving forward and excited.”

What’s your best meetings resource?

I like my iPad. It allows me to stay connected on the road. I subscribe to some online convention planning magazines, and I browse through those in my free time.”

How do you relax? 

“I don’t relax! That’s the thing. I had so much energy and was so pumped up after the last convention, I came home, rearranged my office and cleaned out my garage. I think I had so much excitement built up inside of me, I had to burn it off by organizing my house.”

What’s a must-have when you travel?

“Vanilla room spray. Sometimes I stay with friends and you want your room to smell fresh.”

Planner: Bob Kaiser, Meeting Planner/Convention Site Negotiator, IFCA International

Event: The 82nd annual IFCA convention was held at the Drawbridge Inn in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., June 27-July 1, to be near the Creation Museum. Two evening general sessions featured keynote speaker Ken Ham, co-founder of the museum, and attendees spent a day touring the facility. More than 650 people attended the convention, and as many as 700 were in attendance for Ham’s presentations.

Success: “Registrations were up 57 percent,” Kaiser says. “Normal room nights usually have been around 800, and this year there were 1,088 room nights used. Normally, we serve 280-300 meals at seven different sittings, however this year we served over 2,400 at 6 sittings.” Kaiser attributes the success to the popularity of Creation Museum and Ken Ham. The museum did some outside marketing of Ken Ham’s speaking engagements at the convention.

Preparation: “We put a heavy emphasis on location for the conference, and the convention program, with Ken Ham, was emphasized in mailings.”

Going Forward: “We found that location does make a difference, as well as having the right speakers,” Kaiser says. “The board has asked for a study to be done, asking our members what excited them to want to attend. Prior to this past year, we have accepted our convention results without question. If the attendance was down or up, it was just taken as a normal part of the process. Now we are digging deeper to find out how we can maintain the momentum.”

Advice: “Get involved with the whole conference or convention, not only the rooms, meeting space, etc. Learn and challenge the entire program for results. Don’t stop at feeling good because you negotiated a good contract.”

More about Kaiser:

Biggest influence or mentor: “There have been many over the years. My faith means a lot to me though, so I can say with a confident and somewhat proud heart that Jesus Christ influences everything I do. I am representing Him in the field along with the ministry I represent, IFCA International. What people see in me is what they relate to Him and IFCA.”

Best resources for meetings: “I like to build solid relationships with CVBs. I think they are the best source of information and I have found that they try to know your organization and its needs. What makes it especially beneficial is a CVB that has someone who concentrates solely on the religious market. We are unique in our needs.”

How I got into the business: “Following 52 years in various executive positions in the retail food business, I was asked by my good friend, Dr. Les Lofquist, who is the executive director of IFCA International, if I would be interested in supporting the ministry by serving as their meeting planner/convention site negotiator. It was a nonpaid position, but came with many perks. When I retired from the business world, I felt led to take Dr. Lofquist’s offer and join the ministry team at IFCA.”

What I love about what I do: “The travel; building relationships within the field of hospitality; being able to use the business acumen I have gathered over the years in the business world and being able to relate them to the ministry; advancing the Kingdom in a different way.”

How I relax: “I do not answer phone calls or emails for a week.”

Must have when I travel: “My wife. She is my best friend and critic, and a great asset to the ministry. She gives me great input relative to needs of the female delegates and the Women’s Conference, which is a part of our annual convention.”

Recent Event: Q Portland, the fifth Q gathering, April 27-29 in Oregon

Attendees: 700 church leaders and congregation members

Speakers: 35 pastors, astrophysicists, educators, artists and other creatives who sparked discussion on the world at large and ideas that can be applied to the Christian community. They led 9-, 18- or 36-minute talks.

Biggest Challenge: “The act of curating,” Calgaro says. “Deciding who to have and who not to have—there are just so many people doing fascinating things in the world or who have something significant to share.”

Solution: Calgaro and his team used Compression Planning, developed by McNellis, to narrow down speakers. Using different colors and shapes to represent topics, the team looked at all the sessions together to see what was missing. “Using that system helps [us] look for something from a multi-dimensional and multiperspective view,” Calgaro says.

Innovation: Attendees sat at roundtables during sessions, but instead of choosing their own, seats were assigned to them. Assignments changed every session, and facilitators at each table asked questions to encourage discussion. “Our hope is to engage people at a different level so that the conversation can extend beyond the three days they’re together.”

Best advice for planners: During his early planning years at a college ministry, Calgaro sought out Tic Long, the president of Youth Specialties at the time. From Long he learned the value of talking with other faith-based planners, and observing and volunteering at events. Calgaro volunteered at Youth Specialties and other events while planning his own. “That was incredibly valuable…to be there and to see and ask questions, and to actually serve others,” he says. “It helps you to flex those muscles a bit, and it led to a lot of relationships.”

In Calgaro’s Words:

What are the best planning resources?
The McNellis Compression Planning tool, city visitor bureaus, Rejuvenate, the Internet, Google docs, and a new tool called the Creative Board made by the people who made ProPresenter that mimics the McNellis process.

What do you love about what you do?
I really enjoy people and I really enjoy learning, but I have this propensity to enjoy more when others are experiencing that, too. I get a deep satisfaction in connecting people with one another and connecting people with ideas.

How do you relax after an event?
When I was in Pittsburgh, after my event I would spend a week in New York City, walking around the city having good food. Also a friend of mine is an artist, who hosted an event every year [Encounter], and I’d go hang out [at the event]. It was kind of like a retreat for me.

What’s a must-have when you travel?
I definitely have to have a good micro-fine ink pen, Moleskin and my MacBook.

Event: This summer was our 225th recorded Annual Conference of the church. Each year the conference is held in a different city around the U.S. for four nights and five days that include business meetings, worship, workshops, meals and an exhibit hall.

Site Selection: First, we look at areas of the country where we have congregations located. We also seek places with the highest value for more modest costs. Because most attendees pay their own expenses out of pocket, they are looking for the lowest hotel and food costs possible.

Challenge: Our biggest challenge is offering a high-quality event for a limited budget. Keeping attendance up depends on finding price points that our constituency will find acceptable.

Solution: We haven’t completely solved it! However, I’ve been fortunate to find some venues for some of our conferences down the road that are a really good value. Sometimes it means going to a place during their slowest times in order to negotiate better hotel rates, etc.

Biggest Lesson: The most important lesson for me has been the importance of watching every detail in conference planning. There are so many various requests and I need to follow through on each and every detail. I keep endless lists and charts to try to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.

Advice: Always try to find a “win-win” solution as you negotiate. Understanding the needs of the other party in a contract is as important as understanding your own needs.

IN DOUGLAS’ WORDS:

What are your best meeting resources?
Meeting with on-site people, especially CVB folks, talking with other meeting planners and events like Rejuvenate.

How did you get into the business?
I had directed our Youth Ministry office for 25 years and did a lot of event planning as a part of that, including our National Youth Conference every four years for as many as 4,800 youth.

What do you love about what you do?
I love seeing the whole event come together—when the attendees have arrived and are participating in all of the plans that have been worked on for months!

How do you relax (especially after an event)?
Long walks, reading books…staying away from people.

What’s a must-have when you travel?
Wi-Fi

Planner

Event: The Florida State Association of Free Will Baptists combines three conferences in one for its annual state association meeting. The main conference includes business sessions with reports from various boards, committees and national departments and worship services. The Annual Florida Women Active for Christ has a simultaneous meeting with a business session, missions luncheon and special missions service, which is open to all conference attendees. The Florida Youth Conference, which includes music, arts and Bible competitions, as well as worship services for preteens and teens also occurs at the same time.

Challenge: “The biggest challenge is making sure each group is communicating with the meeting planner and with each other,” Bryant says. A steering committee, which has a representative from the state association, the FWAC and the Christian Ministries Board, which oversees the Youth Conference, sets the agendas and schedules for the overall meeting.

Site Selection: Bryant takes several factors into account when choosing a location. “One is that it needs to be equal distance from the extremes in the state so that churches in the extreme Northwest and Southeast are traveling about the same distance,” he says. “From there, we gauge decisions on the rates we are offered, the comp package and then some intangibles that you can not put on paper (i.e., location of meeting space, location of bar to meeting space, availability of restaurants, etc.).”

Volunteers: Bryant has had volunteers return annually to the meeting. “They come from our churches and are familiar with most of what we are doing and what we need,” he says. “When it comes to the youth competition part of the meeting, we usually face some challenges recruiting judges.” He appeals to member churches and attendees when he comes up short, and rewards them by providing housing, as well as financial honorariums and meals for some.

How did you get into meeting planning? “Actually, it was by default,” he says. “In 1990, we decided to go from having three separate meetings in local churches to one meeting in a hotel format. I served our state association in publishing our newsletter at that time and needed to deal with the hotel to have all the critical information to publish and advertise. As the meeting grew, the role of a meeting planner evolved. In 2002, I was selected as the executive director of our state association and the task of meeting planner is now included in that job description.”

What’s your best advice for a fellow event planner? “Plan as much as you can but then be flexible. No matter how much you plan and prepare, something will come up. It might be a speaker needing to cancel or a room change from what was previously planned, but you have to be flexible and roll with the punches.”

Inspiration: “I enjoy the organizing aspect of the task, as well as working with people. There is always great inspiration in knowing the work is ultimately for the Kingdom of God.”

DETAILS: Organized by the National Young Leadership branch of The Jewish Federations of North America, TribeFest was a first-time event for ages 22-40. More than 1,300 attendees from 84 of 157 federations came to Las Vegas for the three-day conference. TribeFest evolved from Washington Conference, a political and advocacy event held since the 1970s that developed into a social service event in New Orleans in 2009 and then a leadership conference in Boston in 2010. “When we started to look at what we were going to offer this year, we decided to roll all of them together,” Weinstein says. “An outreach event needed to reach new individuals from the next generation, so it needed to include all of the aspects—politics, environment, the arts, spirituality, our culture, everything.” To do that, JFNA reached out to 46 partner organizations from inside and outside the Jewish community covering a full range of interests to present at breakout sessions and were part of a trade show.

INNOVATION: The Big Show, TribeFest’s version of a trade show, had a lounge-type atmosphere with couches, lots of drapery, ’50s furniture and a photo booth. Attendees engaged with vendors and partner organizations during a cocktail hour and two evening concerts in the hall. “Rather than ugly pipe-and-drape, we made it its own event,” Weinstein says.

VEGAS: “General sessions, for the most part, lasted no longer than an hour. We know there are short attention spans, especially with this age group and being in Las Vegas,” Weinstein says. “We didn’t start any day until 10 a.m….so we weren’t battling the excitement of Las Vegas the next morning, and we finished all programming by 8 p.m., so we didn’t lose people.” The allure of Las Vegas was an attendance draw. “We know young adults don’t have a huge pot of cash they are looking to spend, so if they’re going to go somewhere, it has to be somewhere exciting.” Weinstein’s team made sure to keep the energy level high. They did away with talking heads, using only the “voice of God” to introduce speakers, and they played a lot of rock and hip-hop music to maintain the vibe.

FOLLOW-UP: Barcodes on attendees’ name badges were scanned at each breakout session so organizers could streamline follow-up with attendees based on which sessions they attended. “We braced ourselves and decided we would deal with [resistance] when it came,” Weinstein says. “A handful of people asked why we were doing it, but we were able to say, ‘We’re doing this for you so you don’t get mass emails,’ and they would say, ‘OK, please scan me.’”

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