An Independent HelmsBriscoe Associate | 636-678-7661 | jstone@helmsbriscoe.com

Jill Stone

Your Meeting Matchmaker Fairy Godmother

RFPs: The Ugly, The Bad and The Good

RFPs

I know the title may seem backwards, but I wanted to start with what are ugly and bad, in order that we can end on a good note! As a person who has seen and created many RFPs over the years, I know what to do, not do, look for and steer clear of, so[...]

If Cupid Were a Meeting Manager

If Cupid were a meeting manager, the lives of lovers would be so very flawless. There would be no haphazard shooting of love arrows into just any ole pair. Instead the love arrows would hit at just the right time, be well planned, happen almost without notice and the two would be perfectly suited from[...]

All the Other Events

As a meeting planner, can you enjoy the events of others? You don’t want to be hypercritical, but at the same time you cannot help but think, “What were they thinking?” And though they probably should have asked for your advice, you are also sort of happy that they did not ask for your advice.[...]

Meeting Trends 2014

Meeting planners not only follow the trends closely, but they also have a trendsetter mentality and practically refuse to ever play catch up!  Here is what is hot in meetings for 2014. According to IMEX, our attention spans are shorter than ever; your meetings are to be content driven and done so in a quick[...]

Hut, Hut, Hut – Part 1

It’s football season meeting planners, and no matter the team you are hoping to follow from kickoff on opening day to Super Bowl Sunday, we love our football teams. And why not?  It is as American as Apple Pie, though beer and chicken wings are more its style, and it showcases stellar athletes in tackles[...]

Clone Yourself with One Phone Call, Part 2

Last week I shared with you some of the points from my recent interview with Cathy Sexton, The Productivity Expert. She asked me to be on her radio show “Ignite Your Performance,”  to share with her audience the exciting world of site selection (which truly is quite exciting!). Here are some more of the talking[...]

Rx For a Happy Day

Meeting Planners spend most of their time working to make people happy.  Each meeting is designed with the success and happiness of the attendees, staff, management, board members, vendors and more; happy with everything from the turn out, the schedule, the entertainment, the speakers, and menus, to the color of the carpeting at the venue[...]

Year of the Meeting Planner

Okay, not really. It’s actually, according to The Chinese culture, the Year of the Snake, most specifically the Water Snake. We tend to call people who are untrustworthy, or sneaky, or all around slimy – snakes. But this is not the case at all when it comes to the astrological aspect. Instead, snake people are[...]

I LOVE Meeting Planners

I know it may sound cliché, but I really do “heart” meeting planners! I wish I could send each of you a big box of chocolates and nice bouquet of flowers for Valentines Day. In lieu of such extravagances, please accept this VALENTINE from me to you: Value-Add: I add value to your life. Let[...]