(ST. CHARLES, MO) – Global Spectrum, managers of the St. Charles Convention Center, have hired Bill Nicely as the new Director of Sales and Marketing. Nicely will be in charge of overseeing all sales and marketing operations at the 154,000 sq. ft. facility including prospecting, booking, contracts, and sales reporting. In addition, he will oversee all marketing aspects, including facility marketing plans, budgets, and advertising efforts. (more…)
Christine Duffy has accepted a position with Cruise Lines International Association beginning February 1. Duffy served most recently as Maritz Travel President and CEO and will be replaced in the interim by Jane Herod – COO of Maritz Travel. Maritz Travel, one of the largest meeting, event and incentive travel management companies in the world is headquartered in Fenton, Missouri. (more…)
What’s missing from the silent auction table in this photo?
There are no bid sheets. You see three items, and no bid sheets.
Your silent auction can now “go digital” through the use of handheld electronic devices.
There are a handful of companies offering electronic bidding technology. Each has their own approach.
At this auction, guests were handed the electronic device (the size of a cell phone) when they registered. They carried it with them and when they wanted to bid, they entered the item number and pressed a button to record their bid. The wireless network allowed them to bid wherever they were … in front of the item, sitting at their table, or in the bathroom.
The devices are used for silent auctions and cash appeals where the bidding is slower. They aren’t used for live auctions.
(For you tech-y readers: I’ve worked one benefit auction in which we did have live internet bidding. That auction used software made for commercial auctions, not benefit auctions. The technology exists for you to use internet bidding in your benefit auction, but most groups don’t use it.)
I wanted to give my thoughts on the advantages of these devices as a preview to Thursday’s FREE technology call. (more…)
Branson Airport Wins Top Award
BRANSON, MISSOURI – The Airline and Airport News & Analysis website anna.aero has awarded Branson Airport (BKG) the anna.aero U$ ANNIE Prize 2010 “Fastest Growing US Airport 100,000-500,000 passenger category.” Opening just over 15 months ago, seat capacity at the Branson Airport has more than doubled in only one year of service as a result of expanded AirTran flights, the addition of Frontier service and the development of Branson AirExpress. (more…)
