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In 2002, the Convention Industry Council created an initiative called APEX — Accepted Practices Exchange — with the ambitious goal of bringing together all stakeholders in the development and implementation of industry-wide accepted practices. The new initiative would create and enhance efficiencies throughout the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry by introducing voluntary standards designed by the industry to streamline business processes and — here is the real news — give you more time to think creatively, do less repetitive work and establish better relationships with your customers and suppliers.

Fast forward to 2007 and the Event Solutions Idea Factory in Miami, where you will have an opportunity to learn from MaryAnne Bobrow, a certified association executive and certified meeting professional; Cris Canning, a certified meeting professional; Daphne Meyers, who holds a global certification in meeting management; and Jeanne Eury about how to put the APEX Meeting and Event Toolkit to work for you.

The Ultimate Planning Toolkit

As a result of the APEX initiative, the first version of the Meeting and Event Toolkit is now available. Here’s how your toolkit will work: As a planner, the form you use to send your specs to a hotel will be compatible with the hotel’s forms for its staff. Imagine generating an RFP, hotel resume or even contract in a few short minutes!

The panel presenting this session at the Idea Factory will show you how to use these tools to eliminate data errors; save hundreds of hours of keyboard time; and create history/post-event reports, resumes/work orders, RFPs, housing/registration, meeting/site profiles and contracts.

And that’s just the beginning of what the Idea Factory will offer this year, with over 40 educational sessions packed into just four days this August. Leading industry professionals began submitting speaker proposals in September, and the lineup already includes an extensive list of sessions that addresses event and meeting planners’ greatest challenges and hits on the hot topics that concern you every day during the course doing business.

Inspiration vs. Perspiration

The event industry loves all that is new, creative and fresh. Accordingly, the focus and the very mission of the Idea Factory is to provide that face-to-face environment in which innovation rules and attendees discover breathtaking ideas.

But what about the back end of the process? We’ve all heard the Thomas Edison quote, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” But what about another Edison quote, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”?

Creating the magic, the experience and the mood that our clients demand for today’s amazing events requires organization, team building, technical development and management. It is the process of what happens when we convert ideas into an event experience. For the event to sizzle, there has to be a great deal of sweat that goes into heating up the process. That’s why the educational sessions at the Idea Factory focus on great new ideas, but also better ways to do your job, grow your business and improve your processes.

Check out what’s in store and register to attend the Idea Factory 2007 today.