Lighthouse Event Management

Located at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, CRC is dedicated to helping coastal communities –in the US and globally– become more effective stewards of their marine resources. They were one of the first to develop zoning for coastal areas in the United States and now work with coastal communities and government officials in countries around the world –including our own-- to promote equitable governance of coastal places. What makes their brand special? Their ability to integrate across different disciplines and sectors, looking holistically at the place and people who live there. This contrasts other approaches which look just fisheries, or just at health or just at poverty. CRC’s innovative integration brings these different sectors together in both conversation and action.

CRC realized that to sustain their success, they must continually review and evolve their internal systems. Sometimes there are big changes, most times they are incremental. They also recognized that having an outside facilitator who can bring structure to these changes and the difficult conversations that often surrounds them is critical.

Over the last few months, Lighthouse has had the privilege to facilitate a discussion with the staff and leadership at the Coastal Resources Center (CRC) to resolve several immediate issues affecting their internal operating infrastructure. Focus areas include clarification on job titles and descriptions, updating IT policies and approaches and describing how centralized communications can support field operations. Working in small teams and in just four months, we helped CRC clearly articulate the problems and have worked collaboratively to develop actionable steps to solve them. Lighthouse brought structure to the conversation, tracked decisions and supported team leaders as they worked through difficult questions as well as providing technical input and suggestions.

The International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC) started in 2002 and quickly grew to be the largest marina and boatyard conference in the US. The event includes educational seminars, networking events, and an exhibit floor with over 100 vendors. By 2012, the conference offered a total of more than 15 seminars in both breakout and plenary formats.

While IMBC’s sessions consistently grew in number and included up-to-date topics throughout the first 10 years of the conference history, the educational program was in need of a change; it required more inspiration and it demanded innovation. The current format was successful, but it felt monotonous. Attendees were going through the motions.

To plan the 2013 conference program, we started by reformatting our speaker guidelines and requiring prior speaking experience to groups of 50 or larger. We created specific topic tracks for breakout seminars to help attendees clearly see what sessions applied to them and their businesses. We also added small-group, hands-on workshops focused on specific topics and designed session styles that described the type of delivery each speaker would use and labeled each session accordingly. We hired a content coordinator to work closely with speakers to develop their presentations and content while considering the IMBC audience and its needs. We required all speakers to submit preview videos and articles on their seminars prior to the conference to generate discussion, excitement, and attendee participation. These changes significantly improved the quality of content and presenters. They also inspired curiosity and increased participation among attendees. Seminars were presented exactly as they were marketed in conference materials. Participants’ expectations were met (if not exceeded) because they knew what to expect before entering a session. The changes also gained IMBC additional press and recognition among industry publications and other industry events. These innovative changes and additions to IMBC’s educational program caught attendees’ attentions and shook up the standard format that conferences often follow, resulting in positive buzz and excitement. We received positive feedback on these changes with many saying, “This was the best IMBC yet.” Each year, we plan to continue innovating IMBC with developments to the seminar schedule to keep it fresh and exciting for the show’s attendees.

The Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association (WPWA) was established in 1983 in response to a groundswell of interest generated by a National Park Service study conducted that year, which identified the Wood and Pawcatuck Rivers as "...unique and irreplaceable resources." WPWA plays an ongoing role in public policy formulation and debate within the watershed. As watershed council for the Pawcatuck, WPWA has legal standing to advocate on behalf of the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed. When necessary to serve the best interest of the watershed resource and the general public, WPWA takes positions on matters of land use, surface and groundwater use, water quality, threats to habitat, growth issues, and river corridor concerns. WPWA works in partnership with local, state, and federal agencies, to encourage the watershed approach to environmental management, and works on the local level with regard to specific aspects of watershed protection.

WPWA needed a plan that provided an operational roadmap that is nested within longer and broader term thinking. The plan was to provide general agreement (but not necessarily consensus) on the WPWA’s key goals, strategies for achieving those goals and then the major activities for advancing those strategies. When we initiated the conversation with WPWA, they thought what was needed was a Five Year Strategic Plan. What resulted was something different, something that directly addressed the key operational and governance issues that needed to be.

Through an intensive process of one-on-one interviews with Board members and regular meetings with the group’s leadership, we identified and wrote-out what changes needed to be made to WPWA’s organizational processes, structure, and planning systems so that they can effectively implement a longer term strategy. The outcomes of the interviews and meetings were shaped into specific questions and, in some cases, probable options, that were presented to the full Board and staff at a one day retreat. This meeting was unique in-so-far as it was less about setting long term strategic visions but rolling up our sleeves and dealing with the really hard and sometimes messy issues of governance and operations. By the end of the day, Lighthouse left the group with a clear roadmap of changes that were needed to be made and a road map for getting there.

The VA marine trades industries had previously had several regional trade associations but over the years the groups disbanded or otherwise became inactive with lack of membership and no driving issues. A small group of people with marine interests saw a need for a true trade association to give the industry a voice on the state and national level, to foster networking among the various businesses, and to enhance education among marine employees.

The challenge this small group faced was how to bring others onboard to their idea that a trade association was needed, how to bring the two existing associations together, how to structure the new organization and how to fund it.

The VA Marine Trades Association was formed with support from the existing associations. A new board was put into place, new membership fee structure formed, a lobbying voice activated, and a work plan developed.

The International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC) came to Lighthouse Event Management before the Association of Marina Industries contracted us to be their association management company. Our work with the conference earned us the management role for the entire association. Before we delivered the conference, it was a home grown, under staffed show that was being challenged to grow and become the industry event. Run by the staff of the trade association, who in addition to delivering the event was trying to run all facets of a trade group, there was no in-house capacity for event management, sales, marketing, etc. All of these factors had produced slow and restrained show growth.

We spent a couple of years improving the organization of the planning details and contracts, exhibit booth, sponsorship, and advertising sales, the registration process (both before and onsite), and marketing. This alone increased attendance and revenue for the conference. But we didn’t stop there! These successes and our experienced team have also driven improvement in the graphics and professional look of the show, recognition by industry press, and continued increases in the number of conference participants. In 2010, IMBC’s exhibit hall sold out and conference attendance increased by over 20% despite the tough economy. IMBC now hires professional speakers, along with industry experts and offers more educational seminars than in the past. We now allow attendees to register online, offer USB drives with presentations rather than paper copies, and include additional networking opportunities and entertainment in the evenings to enhance the value of attending and experience for all participants. Lighthouse Event Management has steadily increased the number of exhibit booths and attendees each year since we began planning the event in 2007. We’ve also increased conference revenue by over 250% in the past 3 years.

IMBC shows no sign of loosing steam with us in charge. We’re constantly up on event planning and association industry trends, brainstorming and developing new ideas, and implementing strategies that will lead to future success and secure IMBC’s position as the event not to be missed.