As Seen on News One Now with Roland Martin

(Read on News One Now)

April 6th, 2013
2013 Set to Be an Innovative Year in Corporate Events
Innovation is critical for economic success. After serious economic decline brought on by the Great Recession, companies in various industries are now thinking outside of the box to expand their product offerings, reduce their production costs, and ultimately gain market share. One of the industries planning to come back from the recession strong is the events industry. With research groups like The Aberdeen Group predicting that spending in the industry will grow by 11% in the next 2 years, there is no denying that expansion is a primary goal. But an increase in spending is not the only way to expand. To truly expand companies in the events industry must be innovative and strategic by controlling the costs to ultimately increase the Return on Investment.

5 Innovative Trends that Are Emerging in the Expanding Events Industry

1. New Technologies Are Being Leveraged by Planners to Improve Attendance

In the corporate event industry, attendance is critical. Planners must find a way to keep attendees interested in the information being presented, and one ways of doing this is by leveraging new intelligent technologies. With advanced programs, planners no longer have to compile information at an event and then wait until after the event to review and analyze the data. Instead of doing this, planners can compile all of the data they need real-time and then adjust their strategies based on the information that has been gathered. This innovative trend is giving planners more power to earn a greater ROI.

2. As Smart Technology Matures, Smart Events Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

From smartphones to smart cars, going smart is a trend that is definitely not going away. Smart technologies offer convenience, are efficient, and are also environmentally-friendly. In a society where the importance of going green is stressed, it is no surprise that smart events are becoming the new trend in 2013. New smart event management technology programs are being introduced to the industry that will help businesses in the industry operate more efficiently and expand. While spending has gone up, the innovative smart technologies that cater to planners in the industry will grow ROI to grow profits.

3. Smartphones Will Become the New Device to Engage Target Audiences

Smartphones are capable of so many things, and planners in the events industry are just now leveraging the power of smartphones when it comes to attendee engagement. As a mobile device that will give attendees access to the web on-the-go, integrating these devices into event planning is an effective way to track the activities of all of the attendees. Designing innovative applications will give planners the power to engage attendees not only during the event, but also after the event is long over. This strategy will help a planner's event make a bigger impact by keeping attendees engaged and by encouraging attendees to share their experiences on social networking platforms.

4. Automation: An Innovative Trend Gaining Popularity in the Industry

A huge problem in the industry has been how budgets are used. New technologies, specifically Strategic Meeting Management systems, are now being used to find ways to reduce costs so that planners can use their expanding budgets more efficiently. This key innovative tool is making it possible for planners to make their event planning for efficient and transparent.

5. Integrated Solutions Make Planning More Efficient

In the past, planning involved involved using solutions that only focused on a single aspect of the event. This approach was far from streamlined for planners who want to see how everything will come together as a whole. New innovative and integrated solutions are reducing the amount of time it takes to create an event and helps make events successful. These integrated solutions are all about reducing workload and increasing efficiency, which are two main goals of innovation.

The trends in 2013 in the events industry are all about minimizing the costs of planning an event and maximizing the returns. By leveraging the smart devices on the market and the technologies that cater to the industry, planners can find several different innovative ways to rebound from the Great Recession and earn a larger Return on Investment. It goes without saying that things like events procedures and insurance policies covering events may need to be modified in light of technological changes. This is to ensure that both companies and event attendees are covered for all eventualities but especially when engaging via new mediums or utilizing new event technology. These new trends are all about efficiency, reducing costs, and seeking new ways to engage and expand.

October 11, 2010
Welcome to our redesigned website! Our thanks to YellowFever Designs for their amazing work and creativity, this is truly an inspired piece of work done by Dante Alston. Believe it or not we started this process last summer and I am so proud to roll it out before the holiday season. Speaking of the holidays, can you believe in about 6 weeks it will be Thanksgiving and another 5 weeks after that Christmas! Its not too late to contact us to plan your holiday events and beyond. Be sure you check us out on Blog Talk Radio as we talk about planning for the holidays, shows you don't want to miss. Next up, roll out of Black Bag Bridal magazine - wait until you see it! Until next time...

April 28, 2010
Can you believe its almost May? We've been a little busy over the last couple of months. We've launched our new online radio series Wedding Wednesdays, we will be launching Travel Thursdays next month and we are working on making some fabulous changes to our site that will be unveiled soon, so bookmark us to see the new site. Have you started planning your holiday vacation? No? You should get started now - check out Black Bag Travel to see what's going on, I promise, its always a great special. Getting engaged? Thinking of a special anniversary celebration? Call us - we can help put together an unforgettable event. I'm on the run today, but keep checking back, you never know what's next with Black Bag Productions.

February 27, 2010
Okay so we've had a little snow here in the DC area, check that, 3 feet plus! We lost power for 24 hours, but we managed to make the best of the situation. We can't wait for spring to arrive! Speaking of which, have you booked your Memorial Day weekend plans yet? What about your Thanksgiving and Christmas tickets and trips? If you haven't NOW is the time to do it. Black Bag Travel will be hosting two group cruises, so keep your page bookmarked to us. We are finally rolling out a new website for Black Bag Travel in April - wait until you see what we're offering. Speaking of roll outs - we are thrilled that our online radio show has been moving along nicely and since our rollout in November, we've had nearly 500 regular listeners. Tell your friends to listen to us on demand and if you're interested in being on the show, send me an email. We're searching for magazine writers for our bridal magaxine, Black Bag Bridal. If you are interested, send me an email and let's talk! We have so much going on with The Magic Wand Project, Black Bag Bridal, Black Bag Travel and of course Black Bag Productions, become our fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter so that you are always up to date. I'll be chatting more soon, in the meantime, keep your sunglasses handy, summer is just around the corner! Peace.

January 9, 2010
Happy New Year!! Can you believe it? Have you ordered your Valentine's flowers and candy already? Planned a trip for NBA All Star Weekend in Dallas, which happens to fall on Valentine's weekend? What about going to the NAACP Image Awards or the Oscars? These events are NOT to be missed! What about your holiday 2010 vacation plans? Its never too early to plan - Black Bag Travel can help you with all of it. Our online radio show on Blog Talk Radio is starting to build a regular audience, listen live or an archived show, we have some exciting guests lined up for the next few shows including Deb McCoy of American Academy of Wedding Professionals, Neville Waters of The Waters Group and more. Our magazine, Black Bag Bridal is still searching for contributing writers and columnists, advertisers and subscribers. At The Magic Wand Project, we're gearing up for prom season 2010 - be on the lookout for our next dress/tuxedo drives and Magic Wand Parties. As you can see, Black Bag Productions has got big plans for 2010 and we want you to be right there with us, we're thankful for our current clients and hope that you'll become our client if you're visiting our site for the first time.

December 17, 2009
So much has happened since our last posting - I had surgery which kept me from getting the magazine launched and diminished some other activites, but thankfully, I'm back to work! Look for Black Bag Bridal to launch next month and of course we plan to have a bridal event in the spring season. We have also launched our online radio show on Blog Talk Radio - check us out and listen live for our next show on January 9. We added a shopping page to our site for those of you who are searching for uniques gifts and of course special occasion fashions. Mens Wearhouse sells more than tuxedos, and House of Brides has everything for brides, bridesmaids and more. We're an Ardyss distributor which means we have Body Magic and the entire line, you want to get in shape for 2010 - we can help. We've had a few bumps along the road of life this year, but we are so thankful that you have been right there with us and supporting us. We'll be back in January ready to really move full steam ahead and hope that you have your seatbelt fastened. From all of us at Black Bag Productions, thank you again for your support and we wish you and yours a very happy holiday season and peace and blessings for the coming year!

November 1, 2009
We have turned the clocks back but we're excited that the year is winding down, can you believe that in exactly 61 days it will be 2010? Its been a busy year and we have been thankful to be in the midst of so many amazing events and now we are ramping up for our Bridal event on November 14, space is limited so get your ticket! You could be featured in our magazine's next issue, you never know! I'm searching for magazine contributors, if you're interested, send me an email! November 21 we're getting ready to present our newest client, contemporary gospel artist Melahne. Her voice is amazing and if you are interested, sign up to see her at Diamond Design Fashions Salon, this invitation only event is being produced by us, to get an invitation, please join our mailing list.

October 8, 2009
Well its fall and the sun is setting earlier, the nights are getting cooler and we are ready for the season of change. You may have visited our site in the last week and seen our new website designed by Yellow Fever Designs. We wanted to get it out there to see the reaction from a select few of our clients and the response was fantastic. The new site will be up permanently later this month. We rescheduled our Bridal event for November 14, so if you had a conflict and couldn't make the October 17 date, you have a second chance. We'll be selling raffle tickets for a wedding cake that will serve 75 donated by LeMon Delights. LeMon's cakes are absolutely fabulous, we had them bake a cake for our client's bridal shower and the client was speechless - the design featured the lyrics of the song that the bride and groom had their first wedding dance to. New York photographer Anton Frid, Mary Kay cosmetics, Carlson Craft invitations, and more, so get your tickets NOW. Seating is limited to 100 guests! If you are a vendor and want to be at this event, contact me. We're gearing up for the holidays and for 2010 so contact us now for your holiday events or for events that you have scheduled for 2010 and beyond. Watch for our new Facebook page so that you can become a fan of BBP. Also coming next month, Black Bag Bridal magazine, we can't wait to unveil it and show you the best in bridal for brides of color and "repeat" brides. Black Bag Travel will be hosting a virtual show as part of the world's largest cruise party next week, you don't want to miss it. Until next time, wishing you peace, blessings and all the good things of the fall!

August 9, 2009
Well here we are at the near end of summer - we've been busy getting ready for a client wedding that takes place next Saturday and we can't wait to show you the pictures from it. Our clients are excited and so are we! We'll have a full spread in our newest venture - Black Bag Bridal magazine. We'll shoot a press release when its going to launch and of course have a party! So much to work on and get ready for fall. We'll be on the sunny beaches of Cancun in 10 days and we'll make sure we have all the photos and stories for you when we return. Hope your summer is going great and that you'll be ready to plan Holiday 2009. Okay so its a recession, that doesn't mean you can't celebrate in style for less - call me and I promise it won't hurt. Until next time, peace and blessing and enjoy the rest of the Summer!!!

June 15, 2009
Hard to believe the year is half way over, wasn't it just Valentine's Day? Well in any case, my wedding client is 60 days away from her fantastic event, I can't wait for you to see the pictures from our latest creation for her. On a separate note, I'll be working on events full time beginning August 1 and I'm so excited. We've been incredibly blessed with The Magic Wand Project and meeting Brianna and Lynne who are working with us to create excitement about this worthy cause; we've mastered some new skills and I'm just thrilled to have been able to celebrate another birthday. God is indeed good. I'll be writing more often once I don't have the day job! Peace and blessings to you.

April 26, 2009
I'm on such a natural high now its almost overwhelming! My co-founding partner of The Magic Wand Project, Diane Freeland and I had successful prom dress giveaways in the last 2 weekends and we just couldn't get over how excited the girls were at finding dresses. The faces on their Mom's said a silent "thank you" for helping me make my daughter's dreams come true. Harry Jackson hung in there with us and got so many great shots of both weekends, so you'll see them on the Magic Wand webpage and this one. We were especially thrilled when 2009 Miss Black Teen DC, Brianna Burnette made a special appearance - the girls were tickled to have their picture with Brianna and her input. Big thank yous and shout outs to Brianna, her parents, Harry for the great photos, and the hotels for helping us pull a great event together. Special thanks to Jennifer Wright for introducing Brianna to us, also to my new dry cleaner who gave us a great deal on cleaning the donated dresses, we are truly thankful!! Yep you guessed it - I'm already planning the one for September and homecoming season!

January 22, 2009
It's finally over, we are so thrilled and proud to say that we were there! The Inauguration Day festivities were nothing short of amazing. I've posted photos that Walter took (sorry we didn't take any of him that day!) during the time we were working directly across from the Presidential viewing stand, and of my new friends - the Bleacher 15 team. Despite getting up at 3am to get on Metro at 4am and then ride into DC and withstand the cold from 6am to 5pm, we wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. We met some great secret service agents (Michael Williams, Darrell with the cool shades and white scarf) and some great audience members (shout outs to "the Ham", the Cackalacky's and Michigan folk!). Of course there was a little drama, but all in all, everyone was just great. I'm now suffering the effects of working two events back to back and not getting enough sleep in between plus the exposure of severe winter weather. Enjoy the photos and of course we'll have more in the next edition of Event Notes.

January 19, 2009
Even though the working day started at 9:30am and ended at 10:30pm for me, I had a great time. Met a fellow BizBash LinkedIn person, met a new friend who is working on a doctoral degree, made friends with Dina who quickly dubbed me, "mini-me", we'll see each other next month in Los Angeles at the NAACP Image Awards, and I was the talent escort for none other than Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx (who by the way is a great guy, as is his management and security team that was with him). Also at the event, Usher and his wife Tameka, Queen Latifah, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and more. My granddaughter was so pumped that Nana was there in the mix and said quickly - "Nana you are so lucky!" She was right - I was. I made new friends and even though I was "dead on foot" as my dear friend RaeCarol would say, I had a great time. Shout outs to Dina, Jerry, Jerry, Joey, Tori, Nira, Bill and the rest of the gang that worked that day - thanks for a memorable event!

January 12, 2009
Exciting news! Black Bag's President, Kim Moss was selected to be a volunteer for the 56th Presdential Inaugural. She was selected to be a team leader with a team of 25 volunteers who will be working the Inaugural parade. Additionally, she'll be working at the youth concert held at Verizon Center to be televised on Disney channel Monday, January 19. Looking for commemorative items? The online Inaugural store is open as well as the store here in Washington. You can bet, Black Bag has already gotten several items for keeping and be sure to check back for all the pictures from Inauguration weekend, we'll post them so you can see where we were for this historic occasion.