Freelancers, Find Talent, Virtual Events Nikki Gonzales Freelancers, Find Talent, Virtual Events Nikki Gonzales

Maximize Your Strengths for Professional Success: “Elevate Your Career” Virtual Event Series

Join us for a three-part Elevate Your Career virtual event series “Maximize Your Strengths for Professional Success” hosted by Soundings. Each one-hour event features a presentation on leveraging your strengths for desired personal and career growth, followed by dynamic peer-to-peer career conversations.

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Virtual Events Nikki Gonzales Virtual Events Nikki Gonzales

Labor Shortages Add to Challenges During Comeback - Corporate Event News

CORPORATE EVENT NEWS // Across all aspects of the industry, labor shortages will cause anything from headaches to cancellations for the foreseeable future. Now that the pandemic is receding, Tracy Judge, Founder & CEO of Soundings, is no longer ahead of her time in raising the alarms about how short-staffed teams are going to operate events.

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Common Freelancer Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

The economy is changing constantly, and with these changes business is being conducted in new ways. Freelancers will need to keep up to date on new technology and soft skills in order to thrive in this competitive job market. Coursera and LinkedIn Learning offer many free opportunities to level up! Learn the newest project management systems, earn a certificate in instructional design or marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The Pandemic Protocol Certification is especially useful. Learn more about the Pandemic Onsite Protocol training by MPI here. Cvent is one of the leading technology providers offering solutions for virtual and hybrid events. Cvent now offers free courses for Meeting Professionals through Cvent Academy.

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Live Meetings Are Back! Surprising Things to Consider When Hosting a Conference

Live Meetings are coming back but what has changed? Hotels and service may look a little different than we are used to. Here is what we noticed. Hotels Rates Are Not Competitive Surprisingly, hotel space is more limited. Many cancelled events from 2020 have been re-booked for 4th quarter 2021 and 2022. As a result, hotel space is selling at a premium. Many travelers assume that hotels are reducing rates to attract guests but, they don’t need to.

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Conference Planning & COVID Compliance 101

Many are anxious to meet again but are we ready for live meetings? Whether it is a live or hybrid event, meeting professionals can create a safe environment for attendees and staff with proper planning and preparation. When sourcing meeting locations, ask for the current safety policies and emergency plan. How are they preventing infection?

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Thinking About Becoming A Freelancer?  

COVID-19 has forced many event and hospitality professionals to think about new ways to generate income, and long-time corporate employees are opting to take advantage of freelance/contract opportunities. Whether it is project management or virtual event planning, freelancing has become popular for both the company needing help and the professional seeking project-based work.

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BYOB : How to Build Your Own Benefits Package

Do you love the idea of freelancing, but also love the perks of corporate world benefits?

In addition to salary, employer sponsored health insurance, a retirement account, and paid vacation are standard benefits of full-time employment. These benefits are the main reason professionals choose the employee model vs freelancer.

You don’t have to give up all benefits to become a freelancer! As a best practice, add 15-30% to your rate to offset costs like payroll taxes, 401k match, insurance and workman’s compensation. As a freelancer, your rate should include the cost of providing those items yourself.

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Virtual Events, In the News Nikki Gonzales Virtual Events, In the News Nikki Gonzales

Virtual Events Institute Teams Up with Soundings and Informa to Prepare Event Professionals for a Digital Future - Corporate Event News

CORPORATE EVENT NEWS // In an effort to connect the many dots—that draw a picture of 2021—VEI has forged a partnership with talent platform Soundings that will benefit all affected groups. Under their new brand, Soundings Thrive, a vibrant members-only freelance community, the company is collaborating with VEI to offer offering additional education and networking opportunities for freelance event professionals to help them become workforce-ready for assisting virtual and hybrid events.

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Virtual Events, In the News Nikki Gonzales Virtual Events, In the News Nikki Gonzales

Hybrid Events Are Here: How 4 Traditional Job Roles Have Evolved

EVENT CADENCE // Collaborative partnerships that create win-win situations for both parties are becomingly increasingly important. Partnerships help find and recruit adept talent for multi-channel market growth, and they harness creativity and innovative thinking for new avenues of inspiration.

We are excited to announce our partnership with Event Cadence for the next Platform Playground Mock Events program!

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Virtual Events, In the News Nikki Gonzales Virtual Events, In the News Nikki Gonzales

Our Best Career Advice of 2020 - Smart Meetings Magazine

SMART MEETINGS // COVID-19, social distancing and furloughs, oh no. It has been a troubling year for those working in the meetings and hospitality industry, with pandemic precautions resulting in huge economic loss—and unfortunately, many unforeseen career changes. Throughout the year, Smart Meetings has been posting resources for the business owners, employees and independent planners navigating their way through this new reality. Whether you are job searching, adding new skills or trying to keep your business afloat, take a look at the best Smart Meetings career articles of 2020 can offer you some guidance.

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In the News, Virtual Events, Thought Leadership Nikki Gonzales In the News, Virtual Events, Thought Leadership Nikki Gonzales

Top 5 Talent Tips for Virtual and Hybrid Events - Smart Meetings Magazine

SMART MEETINGS // Earlier this year we launched Soundings Thrive, a platform providing tools for freelancers to stay relevant in the marketplace and accelerate their business. Since the launch, our primary focus has been to help freelancers embrace their potential in the virtual event world.

Read about the top 5 things we have learned from launching the Platform Playground mock events program for freelancers.

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Virtual Events, In the News, Freelancers Nikki Gonzales Virtual Events, In the News, Freelancers Nikki Gonzales

Trade Shows And Exhibitions In The Post-COVID-19 Era

FORBES // Since March, the world has wondered when we can return to normal, including the tradeshows and exhibitions we’ve attended in the past—the way we’ve attended them in the past. It may be a while. While social distancing and proper health hygiene—which includes wearing a mask—can allow some people in the door, the days of crowded trade show floors are so 2019. It may be a year or two—hopefully not longer—before we see those crowded aisles again.

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Freelancers, Find Talent, Virtual Events Nikki Gonzales Freelancers, Find Talent, Virtual Events Nikki Gonzales

Leading with Inclusion: Furthering the Conversation About Diversity + Inclusion in the Hospitality + Events Industry

REVIVE + INNOVATE // Over the past month, the national conversation has centered around the harmful effects of racial injustice and systemic racism in the United States. As the meetings and events industry continues to move forward and recalibrate in response to the pandemic, this moment implores everyone in our industry to carefully examine and improve their diversity and inclusion practices.

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The Safety Dance: Navigating Health and Safety for Events in a COVID World

REVIVE + INNOVATE BLOG || Like their hotels and venue partners, meeting and event industry organizations have also been rolling out initiatives to tackle health and safety concerns. As new information regarding COVID-19 becomes available, meeting and event industry professionals can access these resources as they navigate evolving government guidelines and establish new health and safety best practices. What’s more, these resources can be used to inform, educate and increase communication between stakeholders.

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The New Hybrid

Virtual will never replace face-to-face events, but hybrid events are definitely here to stay. While we’re unable to travel, we’re turning to virtual events as a short-term solution for suspended live events. When it’s safe to travel again, we predict hybrid events will be the norm.

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Planning a webinar or virtual event? Here’s why we love Intrado.

Due to over anticipation of demand and under-delivery in terms of customer engagement, we’re still learning how to leverage virtual events to best serve everyone. At Soundings Connect, we’re highly impressed by Intrado’s increasingly sophisticated and interactive suite of cloud-based webcasting and virtual event solutions.

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Find Talent, Freelancers, Virtual Events Tracy Judge Find Talent, Freelancers, Virtual Events Tracy Judge

Meetings Gone Virtual

Like most of the events world, Soundings Connect has been leaning on digital platforms that are designed to bring people together virtually. While we’re unable to meet in person, online tools give us the opportunity to create web-based experiences that help us build and maintain professional relationships and communities, especially as we pivot in response to rapid changes in business.

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