As a seasoned event planner renowned for exceptional skill in curating unforgettable experiences, Beth Lawrence has been at the forefront of the industry's latest trends. From orchestrating multi-day conventions and innovation festivals to organizing fundraisers, incubator programs, and statewide historic site tours – in-person and virtual – her expertise spans various event types.

As a seasoned event planner renowned for exceptional skill in curating unforgettable experiences, Beth Lawrence has been at the forefront of the industry's latest trends. From orchestrating multi-day conventions and innovation festivals to organizing fundraisers, incubator programs, and statewide historic site tours – in-person and virtual – her expertise spans various event types.

In the race to provide the ‘best online experience’ since the pandemic began, many professionals (myself included) looked immediately outside of Zoom. Give us the new, the flashy, the bells-and-whistles. Guess what? Sometimes, it was extremely effective, and absolutely necessary, to use those large and complex systems. And sometimes, we set ourselves up for a side job: training speakers and volunteers on a new software system, while planning an event. Read on to discover how simplifying can lead to more effective events.

This two-day virtual event was attended by 298 people – 48 more than the attendance goal.

By working with Beth Lawrence Meetings & Events, the New Jersey Historical Commission held an expertly curated event that kept all attendees engaged over two days of virtual programming.

The event included keynote speakers, panel discussions, lighting talks, a moderated Q&A, post-event surveys, and a detailed post-event report to all stakeholders.

This experience attracted students from over 40 schools and universities. Over 15% of the attendees were teachers, professors, or assistant professors.

Planning an event is an enormous task to take on. There are countless elements that need to be addressed before an event can occur, including: catering, registration, speakers, sponsors, itinerary, virtual platform, bar, AV...and the list goes on and on. With so many different aspects to plan, creating an event from start to finish can be daunting. If you find yourself overwhelmed and unsure where to start or do next in your event planning process, check out BLME’s ideal event planning timeline here.

If you’re like us, right now feels a bit like Deja Vu (and, to be honest, like a bad group project where some people do the work for the entirety of the group). In the Spring, we saw vaccinations as a ticket to ‘normalcy,’ or as close to it as possible.

Although much of the nation is vaccinated, new variants and ever-changing mask mandates have event planner’s heads spinning, and clients thinking twice about large, in-person gatherings in Delta variant hotspots.