Podcast Transcripts & Articles

Mar 19 2012

Wedding Industry Leaders Conference – Seattle

By Speaking Events

Join me for an intensive series of informational, thought-provoking and motivational topics. After a successful event last year, Wedding Network USA has once again invited me to come up to the Pacific Northwest for a conference.

This is a different setup than the other Wedding Industry Leaders Conferences. There’s an afternoon workshop on websites.

• 10 Ways Your Website is Killing Your Business – followed by real reviews of the websites of some attendees

Then the evening is two presentations:

• How to Communicate Better with Brides via Email

• Can Your Business Survive Without Social Media?

To see the full schedule, list of topics and to learn more about the Wedding Industry Leaders Conference, click here to see the registration page

Mar 05 2012

And the winner is…

By Blog

I’m just back from another great Catersource conference, this being my first representing my own company, not a media company. My time was jam packed with presentations, consultations and my trade show booth. I saw some familiar faces and made some new friends.

At my booth I had all 3 of my books, my 5 DVDs and I was featuring my new online video site AlanBerg.tv, which now has 3 different “All Access” pass subscriptions: 3 months, 6 months or 12 months, where you can watch all of the full-length presentations for one, low price.

I had a box at my booth where I was offering a Free One-Year All Access Pass subscription for one winner who dropped their card in the box.

And the winner is: Laurent Glasroth, from Out To Lunch Catering in Vancouver, BC.

Laurent will be able to watch these full presentations and more (keep reading and see how you can, too):

• Close More Sales, Today!
• Your Attitude for Success
• 5 Reasons Why They’ll Leave Your Website in 5 Seconds
• Speak Like a Pro
• Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience
• Bridal Black Belt (my highly acclaimed keynote presentation from Wedding MBA 2011)
• Bride’s Buying Signals (also from Wedding MBA 2011)
• and 6 more videos (with more to come)

As I add more videos, Laurent will be able to see those as well.

Everyone Wins!

In honor of a successful conference I want to offer all of you a discount to get on AlanBerg.tv to watch these videos. Just use the Coupon Code “SAVE10” and you’ll save $10 off any “All Access Pass” 3, 6 or 12 month subscription.

Feb 17 2012

Bridal Show Producers International (BSPI) annual conference

By Speaking Events

I’m delighted to be invited back to present at the BSPI annual conference. I know how important bridal shows are to so many wedding pros and we’re going to be discussing many ways to enhance the experience of both the brides and the wedding pros who exhibit.

I’ll be presenting “Can your business survive without Social Media”, a different take on what you should and don’t have to be doing on Facebook, etc. We’ll also have a Town Hall discussion on new ideas.

Feb 17 2012

National Speakers Association (NSA) conference

By Speaking Events

I’m so privileged to be invited to speak at the National Speakers Association (NSA) annual conference this year. The NSA is the premier group for professional speakers, and I’m proud to be a member. They’ve asked me to present “5 Things You Wish You Knew Before You Made Your Website, and How to Fix them NOW!”, which is the basis for my book “If your website was an employee, would you fire it?”.

While I’ve been speaking professionally for over 10 years, this will be my first time presenting to a group of professional speakers. No pressure!

In addition to speaking, I’ll also be playing keyboard in the NSA All-Star Band for various sessions and events throughout the conference.

Feb 07 2012

What do brides really think about your websites and Facebook pages? Alan’s Top 10

By Blog

I had the privilege last week of presenting at the Wedding Biz conference in Atlanta. Donna Jakulski and Linda Surles did a great job arranging and producing not only the day of vendor education, but also a fantastic bridal show the day before.

The highlight of Wedding Biz, for me, was the first session where 5 real brides were invited to be on a panel. Donna asked them some great questions and here’s what stuck out for me.

Here’s my Top 10 list highlighting what these real brides had to say:

  1. The brides said that very, very few of the wedding professional’s websites they went to were good. Some even implied that none of the ones they saw were any good. (ouch!) Read More
Feb 02 2012

EPMEN Conference

By Speaking Events

Join me again at the EPMEN conference in Allentown, PA. Come back for more details and the link.

Info from the EPMEN site:

The Eastern Pennsylvania Meeting & Events Network is dedicated to promoting unity and education among wedding and special event professionals in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley. Our goal is to bring all of the business’ that make up the Wedding industry together to network, learn, and raise the bar of professionalism for Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. While our name indicates our Pennsylvania roots, we encourage and invite Wedding & Event professionals from all over the country.

Our first EPMEN conference found attendees from New Jersey, New York and reached far out across the states. This year’s event we envision being even bigger and better than our inaugural event. As our website grows, we will continue to update information about our speakers, sponsors and more. Thank you in advance to all of those who continue to support EPMEN and a special Thank You to this year’s sponsor, Bride Live.

Adam Skuba, Event Director

Jan 24 2012

Wedding Works @ CanadianSpecialEventsExpo12

By Speaking Events

Join me in Toronto for the CanadianSpecialEventsExpo12 – A fresh approach to everything you know about events.

I’ll be joined by Marcy Blum, David Beahm, Diane Devitt, Jacalyn Bernstein and other industry greats for this event.

Are you ready to step outside the ordinary and jump into a fresh, innovative, two day conversation with hundreds of people who share your passion, your vision and your thirst for new innovative event ideas?

This year canadianspecialevents.com is throwing out the template, breaking down walls and creating WIDE open spaces for you to Learn, Engage, Connect and most of all Create! Get ready to be INSPIRED!

For more information and to register click here

 

Jan 22 2012

Can your business survive without social media?

By Blog

I attend a lot of conferences around the country, both local and national and one of the hottest topics is always social media. Too often I see attendees coming out of these sessions with that deer-in-headlights look. They’ve just heard someone pontificate about all of the things they need to be doing with social media or their businesses will wither and die. While I agree that social media is an undeniable piece of your marketing puzzle today, it’s not the be-all and end-all that some would have us believe.

So, what is social networking and how is it different from social media… or is it? When you attend Wedding Biz or any trade association meeting or event you’re doing social networking. You’re be surrounding yourself with like-minded businesses who are also there to jump-start their success. Social networking has been going on throughout the ages. Connecting with others who have a common interest is a basic human need. Whether it’s a trade association, a PTA group or the Girl Scouts, people have and will continue to get together around a common interest. Social media has just added a new dimension by eliminating the need to physically be together. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is a debate for another time. Read More