

Jim Alkon
Aug 25, 2018
Book Review: Still Crazy After all These Years
The following book review first appeared on BookTrib, for which I am Editorial Director. One day at the age of 10, as a student at a New...
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Jim Alkon
Aug 25, 2018
How Aetna Approaches Social Media in the Healthcare Industry
This story was written for and first published by PR News. Why has it seemed like such a challenge for healthcare providers,...
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Oct 3, 2016
Traditional Ads Meet Content Marketing at Ad Week 2016
This blog first appeared on the website of CRN International, where I am the company's Marketing Director. Hold on. We’ve heard some 300...
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Jun 20, 2015
Getting in Tune with Non-Traditional Radio Marketing
(This article first appeared in www.chiefmarketer.com and the Chief Direct Marketer newsletter.) Anyone searching a stock photo library...
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Apr 22, 2015
The Innovative Spirit at Work
This post first appeared on www.crnradio.com, the website for CRN International, a radio marketing company where I am Marketing Director....
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Oct 4, 2014
The Wild, Wacky and Worthy of Ad Week 2014
This blog was first posted by CRN International, for which I am currently Marketing Director. “I’m a big advocate and supporter of radio;...
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Dec 30, 2013
My Five Favorite Posts of 2013
Too Many Awards -- Or Not Enough? The principal of my daughter’s elementary school many years ago went on and on at an assembly praising...
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Dec 12, 2013
Time to Rethink the Association Model?
This article was written for and first appeared in MeetingsNet.com. It was a discussion among association chapter leaders on how to...
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Jun 19, 2013
Measuring Value: It's Not a Pipe Dream
A common sequence surrounding a discussion of ROI in the meetings industry: Speaker says measuring ROI is essential for validating and...
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May 15, 2013
Booking the Most Compelling Speaker - You!
If given the choice at a professional education event, would you rather listen to an engaging speaker and get a new idea or two, or meet...
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Apr 8, 2013
A Walk You Need To Take
Between associations pounding the drums in Washington, advocacy experts spreading the word in forums near and far, and social media...
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Apr 2, 2013
Wall Street Wake-Up Call - The Sequel
It was an inadvertent wake-up call, initiated by a Wall Street Journal commentary ripping the meetings industry to shreds. And you know...
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Mar 20, 2013
The Inadvertent Wall Street Wake-Up Call
Thanks for reminding us what we’re up against and how far we have to go. In the days since reading Holly Finn’s cynical and scathing...
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Jan 9, 2013
Too Many Awards -- Or Not Enough?
The principal of my daughter’s elementary school many years ago went on and on at an assembly praising staff members and volunteer...
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Dec 12, 2012
What is an Endorsement Worth?
With elation, curiosity and confusion, I was notified that my daughter had endorsed me for Advertising, Social Media Marketing and Events...
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Dec 6, 2012
A Simple Holiday Wish
So there was Dad out of nowhere standing in our yard – totally unexpected. Didn’t even see the car. He looks great, good shape, that...
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Nov 30, 2012
Thinking About the Way You Think
As I entered the dry cleaner this morning, my friend behind the counter was serving another customer and, while doing so, told me to drop...
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Nov 13, 2012
The Cold Truth
For a recent assignment, I had to make 50 to 100 cold calls a week. That’s actual conversations. Here’s a composite of how I fared, using...
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Nov 9, 2012
A Misguided Assumption?
This week I discovered the answer to life’s burning question can be as close as your next lunch. Okay, so I wasn’t asking what reality...
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Jun 24, 2012
Using Passion as a Prerequisite, Size Matters
Would you rather belong to a club of 800 with 20 percent engaged members or a club of 200 with 100 percent passionate ones? I thought...
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Apr 15, 2012
On Women of Influence
When Successful Meetings magazine started unveiling its 2012 list of The 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry, I sent a...
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Mar 10, 2012
Engagement Puts Meetings and Incentives at the Forefront
I asked three smart friends if they’ve ever heard the term, “Enterprise Engagement.” (I also asked three not-so-smart ones.) They were...
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Feb 27, 2012
Industry Education Not Compromised
“If vendors are only focused on selling, they are missing the boat.” This observation was offered by one of the most respected...
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Jan 17, 2012
Building Awareness For Your Brand
What’s the difference between the independent meeting planner you met on the elevator and the one you’ll have a drink with and the one...
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Jan 10, 2012
Be Our Guest -- That Is, If You Qualify
Are you the type of meeting planner who would attend an industry event at an exotic resort all expenses paid and, as part of the bargain,...
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Dec 5, 2011
Fearless Forecasts For 2012
Listen to these old industry trends I dug up looking through magazines in the attic: shorter and smaller meetings, meeting closer to...
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Nov 11, 2011
Stop Wasting Your Time
“You’re wasting your time on social media.” As a casual Alec Baldwin gets ready to address a group of disinterested real estate salesmen...
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Nov 7, 2011
A Lot Of Noise
Am I part of the problem or part of the solution? I write a blog, so while I hope this puts me in the latter group, I likely qualify for...
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Oct 21, 2011
Superstitious?
For each of the five title-clinching games by the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox I’ve watched in my lifetime, I have worn the...
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Oct 6, 2011
Telling Truth to Power (Clients)
“The customer is always right,” is a mantra we hear all the time, so often, in fact, that it’s become canonized as one of the first rules...
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Oct 3, 2011
The Best Way To Sell - Don't
For all the event industry salespeople who have either heard the discussions about enhancing the attendee experience or are living on...
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Sep 29, 2011
All Is Not Lost
There’s this object with a rubber cork center, wrapped in yarn (which when stretched out could span about a mile), covered in leather,...
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Sep 23, 2011
Calculated Gamble or Educated Guess?
Here’s a shock: people join industry trade groups primarily for networking and education. Meeting Professionals International, arguably...
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Sep 20, 2011
The "Science" Of Spotting Industry Trends
What are the top five trends affecting the meetings industry in the year ahead? Attending the MPI Greater New York Chapter’s recent...
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