A version of this post originally appeared on EventBooking’s blog and is republished with permission.

For those of us that work in the events industry, trade show exhibiting and conference attendance is a large part of our marketing budget. So how can we make sure that we spend our time and marketing dollars effectively at industry events?

Most people will consider the number of leads a show generated (and then subsequent sales) as the primary way of measuring a return on investment. This is certainly the most obvious benefit we want to reap from a show, but what if an event does not directly provide leads?

It can provide an opportunity for Networking 2.0.

Networking should be reimagined for the purpose of gauging the general sentiment on three primary issues:

1. The perception of your company and products
2. The perception of other companies and products
3. The state of the industry

This is Networking 2.0 because it’s twice as valuable as a stack of business cards and cold or lukewarm leads.

In addition to paying attention to what your customer says about your company, pay even more attention to what they stop saying about it. If you hear less and less praise, it doesn’t mean they have stopped using your product. What it does mean, however, is that they are not as engaged as they previously were.

This approach to networking is instrumental because it offers insight about when a company has lost credibility, has started to lose direction, or has strayed away from the values that clients initially loved about it.

Additionally, Networking 2.0 is a great chance to let people express how they perceive the current financial climate at their company. If they start talking about “hiring freezes,” it could be that they are anticipating an economic downturn. Take note of this, because it might be time to revise budgets yourself. Conversely, when people speak of expansions and new initiatives, this could be a signal that their business is going well. Such information could also reflect the state of the industry as a whole.

The rewards we reap from attending an industry event should go far beyond the potential revenue opportunities. It’s a unique chance to find out what is happening in the industry and how people perceive you and your products—through Networking 2.0.

Deadline to submit nominations for the 2017 Charles A. McElravy Award is Nov. 30, 2016.

The Charles A. McElravy Award may be awarded annually to an IAVM Professional, Honorary, or Retired member who, in the opinion of the IAVM Board of Directors, has made the greatest lifetime achievement to the welfare of IAVM or profession.

The following criteria are established for the McElravy Award nominees:

1. The nominee must have been an IAVM Professional, Honorary, or Retired member in good standing for at least 15 years total (though not necessarily consecutively).
2. The nominee needs to meet the minimum service to IAVM requirements for Honorary Membership, but is not required to be retired. The following criteria must be met for a member to be eligible for consideration for Honorary Membership: 1) Attendance at no fewer than 10 Annual Conferences (VenueConnect) during the past 15 years; 2) Attendance at no fewer than five Region Meetings during the past 15 years; 3) Service as chair of at least three international or two Region committees during the past 15 years; 4) Service as: Director of IAVM or officer in a Region at least once during the member’s tenure with IAVM or b) Program chair for an IAVM venue-specific or specialty meeting during the member’s tenure with IAVM or c) Member of Board of Regents, Board of Trustees, or Board of Governors during member’s tenure with IAVM.
3. Any member in good standing may make a nomination, which must provide, in writing, a minimum of three examples of the nominee’s outstanding contributions to IAVM and/or the industry (for example: leadership, accomplishments, professional service/activities, projects/results).
4. At least three letters of recommendation must accompany the nomination letter.
5. No IAVM Chairman of the Board (or past president) is eligible for consideration until the third annual conference (VenueConnect) following his/her term of office.
6. Previous recipients are ineligible (and may be found on our website under Legacy of Leaders).

The nominations and letters of recommendation should be written to IAVM President and CEO Brad Mayne, CFE, and submitted to Rosanne Duke electronically. The nomination letter and all letters of recommendation must be received by close of business Nov. 30, 2016.  If you have any questions, please contact Rosanne Duke at 972.538.1025.

IAVM is expanding its podcast circle with a new series, The Venue: Coffee Break with Alexis and Shelley. It is an addition to the successful series, The Venue, which airs monthly and is a call-in show that includes live chats straight from the headlines of IAVM’s VenueNet member forum and issues we face every day.

The Venue: Coffee Break will also include live chats and will be hosted by IAVM members Alexis Berggren, director of event services at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, and Shelley Ellis, general manager of the Visalia Convention Center. It will also include special guests.

The first episode of the new series was live at VenueConnect 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and featured Mark Gnatovic, senior vice president of SearchWide, a company that provides executive search services to convention centers, arenas, exhibition, and event companies. During this episode, Mark discussed how resumes have changed in recent years, the impact of LinkedIn, and what each of us can be doing on LinkedIn to stay relevant.

Future episodes will cover a range of topics, and will be designed to educate and entertain. The second episode will be The Venue: Coffee Break “Human Resource Edition.” Alexis and Shelley will discuss human resource issues and employee evaluations with Kelli Zohar-Davis, SPICE training manager at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Other upcoming topics will include:

• An interview with Brad Mayne, CFE, IAVM’s president and CEO. During this interview, we will all gain insight on Brad’s first few months as president and CEO, the future of IAVM, and ask Brad the question: “What would you tell your younger self when you first started this industry?”
• Book Club Edition – The first book that will be featured is The Girls Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding by Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio. This one is sure to have some laughs. Grab your copy.
• Social Media Success Stories – Alexis and Shelley will interview a firsthand expert in our industry.
• Venue Horror Stories – We each have them, and we want to hear yours. Let’s laugh together.

Listeners can expect to have fun, relax, sit back, and enjoy chatting along with Alexis, Shelley, and special guests, but also hear about venue related trends and news content you crave.

“We want to provide information to IAVM members and listeners in an alternate way while having a lot fun,” Alexis and Shelley said. “We are all in this together and this podcast won’t be perfect. We will definitely have fun and we will make fools of ourselves at times, but we love what we do and we want to share our passion with others and want to hear from each of you. We are all on this journey together and the more we can share the better we can each become at what we do.”

Take a coffee break along with Alexis and Shelley! The next podcast will be Friday, October 7, and you can register here.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday 246-177 to delay the Labor Department’s upcoming overtime rule by six months. The rule is set to take effect on December 1. The U.S. Senate would need to pass legislation, also, to delay the bill. However, Congress is adjourned until November 14.

“We all agree we need to modernize our nation’s overtime rules, but small businesses, nonprofits, and colleges and universities should not be hurt in the process,” said Congressman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), who introduced the bill, in a statement. “The department needs to abandon this flawed rule and pursue the balanced approach we’ve been fighting for from the start. Instead, they are forcing those who have to deal with the real-world consequences to make significant changes before an arbitrary December deadline. While the department continues to ignore widespread concerns, the House has taken an important bipartisan step to provide hardworking Americans more time to implement this expansive rule. The administration should do the right thing and approve this much-needed delay.”

The White House threatened to veto the bill.

“While this bill seeks to delay implementation, the real goal is clear—delay and then deny overtime pay to workers,” the White House said in a statement. “With a strong economy and labor market, now is a good time for employers to provide these essential protections for workers, who cannot afford to wait.”

IAVM leadership—represented by President and CEO Brad Mayne, CFE, and 2016-2017 Chair Mark Mettes, CFE—sent a letter to Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) on Wednesday in support of his proposed bill, the ” Overtime Reform and Enhancement Act.” The complete letter is as follows:

Dear Congressman Schrader,

On behalf of more than 5,500 public assembly venues and suppliers, the International Association of Venue Managers extends our support for the Overtime Reform and Enhancement Act.

IAVM represents public assembly venues from around the globe. Members include managers and senior executives from auditorium, arenas, convention centers, exhibit halls, stadiums, performing arts centers, university complexes, and amphitheaters. IAVM also counts more than 500 Allied companies among its members. These companies provide products and services used by venue managers.

When the Department of Labor’s final rule, entitled “Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees,” takes effect December 1, 2016, it will more than double the salary test of those now eligible for overtime from $23,660 to $47,776 without any adjustment to reflect wide regional variations in the cost of living and will permanently index the threshold for inflation.

This will have a dramatic effect on personnel cost by greatly expanding the number of employees eligible for overtime pay. Reclassifying employees from salaried to hourly will limit an employer’s flexibility, bonus and incentive pay while demoralizing many more employees who would now be subjected to punching a time clock. In the long run, this rule will have the unintended consequence of reducing employee benefits and serve as a detriment to future hiring. The DOL ruling adds another increased cost for our membership that will lead to future consolidation in our industry and have a dramatic impact.

For these reasons, we believe the Overtime Reform and Enhancement Act provides a much more reasonable timeline for organizations to comply with this significant payroll burden, starting with a salary threshold increase to $35,984 on December 1, 2016, with additional, incremental increases phased in over the next three years. IAVM also supports the provision in the bill that would eliminate the automatic increase to the salary threshold every three years to maintain the threshold at the 40th percentile of full-time salaried workers. This proposed salary threshold should also be subject to public notice and comment periods consistent with the rulemaking process.

We strongly support your efforts.

IAVM members should be following this story with the understanding and preparation that as of today, September 30, the effective date for the overtime rule will stay December 1. Continue due diligence with your HR department and attorneys to stay up to date on the rule and any changes to it. The U.S. Department of Labor is also a good source for updates.

Here’s where we spotlight some of our favorite Instagram photos we’ve seen from the past week. The photos are from members and venues worldwide. If you haven’t followed us on Instagram yet, now is a good time. We may just include your photos in a future post.

By following us, you’re also entered into our monthly drawing where you can win such prizes as conference registrations, full-page ads in FM magazine, and textbooks. Congratulations to Bridgestone Arena, who is our recent winner. The next drawing will be in October.

Behold, this week’s top five!

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