To hold or host? That is the question, Christy Lamagna, a strategic meeting planning expert with more than 26 years of industry experience, said during a Wednesday (Oct. 17) workshop at IMEX America in Las Vegas. Containers are made to hold things. But venues--they host events.

As the world of event planning evolves, so do the methods of industry experts who specialize in event strategy, design, technology and social media.

“Just cater to people as individuals, treat them as humans,” branding expert Michaela Alexis said. “For me, it’s really important to think about your strategy. How are you going to build up the anticipation for this event? How are you going to get your attendees involved? How are you going to get your speakers involved? How are you going to get your vendors involved?

“And after the show, what are you doing to encourage those relationships beyond that time they spend at the event itself?”

Alexis, Lamagna, Julian Lwin and Tahira Endean focused on their areas of expertise during the workshop, explaining tips and tricks for meeting planners that are all part of the strategies they’ve instilled in Crowne Plaza’s new Meeting Mentors program.

The quartet is an industry dream team of individuals who own their own brands and collaborate to create quality events.

“If we don’t collaborate, we fail,” said Lwin, a design expert who stressed the importance of bringing creative minds together to create the best possible experience. “The human condition, the global family, is about making things better.”

Crowne Plaza is hoping the Meeting Mentors program will invigorate human connections by creating meaningful meeting experiences, while further establishing the brand as a trustworthy, credible partner for meeting planners.

The four globally recognized industry experts conveyed one common message, and that is to understand the target audience’s needs and delivering by implementing a unique perspective to the planning process. By doing so, it affords strategy experts the opportunity to design strategic events that achieve business goals.

“As the industry evolves, now we need to know social media, now we need to know meeting design, now we need to be (cyber) security experts,” Lamagna said. “If we involve true strategic planners instead of event planners--it’s a difference in the way we think."