OUR EXPERTISE
Decades of experience. Strategic, data-driven insights. A wealth of knowledge and expertise to share with our clients.
Learn more about our service offerings and areas of expertise:
Site Selection / Sourcing of Venues and Service Providers
When negotiating with venues and service providers, do you know if you’re getting the best deal? We do.
Aspire is an expert in venue/service provider sourcing and risk mitigation. We've navigated numerous market shifts over the past 25 years (recessions, post-9/11 travel bans, sellers'/buyers' markets) -- and of course, the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic -- so we especially understand the significant impact these events have on your venue contracts. In fact, the risk mitigation strategies we employed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to successfully negotiate out of 28 venue contracts (and saved more than $7 million in potential penalties) and reduce financial liabilities for our clients.
When sourcing for our clients, we ensure that they are receiving the most competitive venue rates, concession packages, and favorable contract terms by:
Reviewing our client's current pain points and challenges, and identifying venues, service providers, and other resources to solve each of them
Leveraging the full value of your event with meeting destinations & venues, using your event history, current and future programming needs
Understanding our client's key objectives and monitoring market shifts/industry trends, and negotiating packages that set our clients up for success
Incorporating risk mitigation strategies and contract language that prepares for the unexpected and translates into cost-savings and significant peace of mind
And the best part? When our site selection partner handles your venue sourcing/site selection, your organization will regain 35-40 hours of staff time per meeting so your team can focus on more crucial planning tasks that will grow your meetings. We’ll do all the leg work, present you with options for you to choose from, negotiate and prepare contracts that protect your interests.
In addition, we have extensive experience sourcing and working with some of the best general service contractors/decorators (GSC’s), A/V and production firms, destination management companies (DMCs),
and event tech firms in the industry. Let us help you find the best service partner for your next event.
Event Planning / Management
As a full-service meeting and event management firm, we work with each individual client to identify the scope of services that meets their needs and stays within budget.
Every event we work on is different – and so are each of our clients. Every client we work with has varying levels of need and support. Some organizations have limited staff with few, if any, meeting professionals in-house – and we provide the planning expertise they need to give their meetings that professional touch. Others have a full team of education and events staff, but need additional support – and we happily step in and work hand-in-hand with their staff every step of the way.
We offer a comprehensive list of planning services, for every size organization and event:
Abstract and Speaker Management
A/V and Event Production
Budget Preparation/Financial Analysis
Catering/Food & Beverage Planning
Virtual/Hybrid Events
Entertainment
Event Décor
Experience Design
Event Strategy/Strategic Planning
Event Technology Adoption & Implementation
Housing/Room Block Management
Logistical Planning/Event Operations
Meeting Room Set-Up
Registration Management
Security
Site Selection/Venue Sourcing
Sourcing of Service Providers
(AV, General Service Contractors, DMC’s)
Sponsor Management
Trade Show/Exhibition Management
Tours and Transportation
Utilities (Internet Bandwidth, Electrical)
While based in New England, we’ve planned programs in 1st and 2nd Tier cities all across the country. We’ll travel with you and your team and take the lead on-site to ensure flawless execution of your next event.
Event Consulting
Using a holistic evaluation process, we’ll make recommendations for future growth while maximizing the resources you have.
Is your organization looking to launch a brand-new event or are you struggling to address challenges facing your current event? Through a holistic evaluation process, we’ll analyze your event in the following areas and develop a strategic plan that will generate positive results.
Needs Assessment
Identify goals and objective for the event.
Financial Analysis
Review the budget and identify areas to reduce expenses and generate additional revenue, leading to a more robust bottom line.
Analyze past/current contracts and recommend strategies to reduce your organization’s risk. Will also assess insurance requirements, to include event cancellation insurance.
Risk Mitigation
Strategic Planning / Data Analysis
Conduct a thorough review of event metrics and analyze registration trends, demographic reports, conference program/speaker feedback, exhibitor lead generation, exhibit hall traffic reports and heat maps, event surveys and evaluations, exhibitor and attendee retention rates, etc.. Identify event strengths and areas for improvement and develop strategic plans that will lead to improved outcomes.
Evaluate your planning process/timelines and identify areas for improvement that will lead to clearer staff roles and more efficient planning operations. Recommend areas where outsourcing may be beneficial to your team, so they can focus on the critical day-to-day tasks that will grow your event (audience generation, speaker management, exhibit/sponsorship sales).
Planning Operations
Technology
Assess the tools used to manage the event (call for proposals, mobile apps, registration/ticketing, housing, lead retrieval, speaker/session management, exhibit/sponsor management, session recording/online learning, live-streaming, CEU management, evaluations, etc.) and recommend tools that will enhance your participants’ experience before and during the event, and lead to better data collection.
Event Technology Adoption
Ever think Event Tech is out of your reach? Think again. Give us your "wish list", and we'll show you how to get the most for your money.
As a former association meeting planner, we understand the limited staff and financial resources that associations have to run their events. We’ll analyze your meeting operations and identify cost-effective, integrated event technology solutions to streamline your event operations, and provide more effective data and reporting to plan your next event.
Looking for ways to generate more excitement during your event and increase engagement among participants, but don’t know where to look? We keep up with the latest event tech developments so you don’t have to. Concerned about the time it will take to implement new event tech into your organization? We’ll work with the tech provider to build it for you.
Do you assume that you simply don’t have the budget for event tech? Competition is so fierce in the event tech space, there are often a number of companies offering good quality tech products at widely ranging price points (including some free or low-cost options). So, let’s chat about what you wish you could incorporate into your next event and what you truly need it to do. You may be surprised by what is actually available for you – and fits your budget!
Here’s just a sampling of the types of event tech we’ve worked with to date:
Event Management Software/Event Websites
Abstract and Poster Management
Speaker and Session Management
Exhibit/Sponsorship Sales and Interactive Floorplans
Mobile Apps
Virtual/Hybrid Event Platforms
Session Recordings (in-person and remotely)
Online Learning Communities/
Learning Management Systems
Digital ePoster Presentations
Interactive Session Polling and Audience Response Systems
Registration & Lead Retrieval Systems
LET'S COLLABORATE
We love a challenge! What struggles are you facing with your current events, and what support do you need?
We work with organizations of all sizes, and would love to roll up our sleeves, learn more about your next event, and see how we can help!