Midori Connolly
Midori Connolly is the Principal at AVGirl Productions and former co-owner of an AudioVisual company. She is best known for producing the first set of best practices for Sustainable AV Staging. Now Midori produces and consults on meetings and events around the world, with specialties in her turnkey hybrid meeting solutions and green(er) AV production. Recently appearing in Wired Magazine, she is also recognized as a Platinum Speaker by Meeting Professionals International and a Best-in-Class Speaker for Professional Convention Managers Association. Midori speaks to many private groups about how to stay productive, healthy and safe in our digital culture. Midori was most recently named to the 2012 Most Innovative Event Professionals by BizBash Media and 40 Under 40 for both Collaborate and Connect Magazines. She is the AVGirl advice columnist for PlanYourMeetings.com, peer-elected Chair of the Infocomm International Rental & Staging Council and was the only woman who served on InfoComm???s first-ever Green AV Task Force. Midori truly is devoted to making technology more human, approachable and sustainable. Midori is a Phi Beta Kappa and graduated cum laude with a major in International Business and a minor in Japanese from San Diego State University. When not exploring the technium, Midori can be found golfing, hiking, horseback riding or enjoying sunny SoCal with her son and daughter.
Midori Connolly is the Principal at AVGirl Productions and former co-owner of an AudioVisual company. She is best known for producing the first set of best practices for Sustainable AV Staging. Now Midori produces and consults on meetings and events around the world, with specialties in her turnkey hybrid meeting solutions and green(er) AV production. Recently appearing in Wired Magazine, she is also recognized as a Platinum Speaker by Meeting Professionals International and a Best-in-Class Speaker for Professional Convention Managers Association. Midori speaks to many private groups about how to stay productive, healthy and safe in our digital culture. Midori was most recently named to the 2012 Most Innovative Event Professionals by BizBash Media and 40 Under 40 for both Collaborate and Connect Magazines. She is the AVGirl advice columnist for PlanYourMeetings.com, peer-elected Chair of the Infocomm International Rental & Staging Council and was the only woman who served on InfoComm???s first-ever Green AV Task Force. Midori truly is devoted to making technology more human, approachable and sustainable. Midori is a Phi Beta Kappa and graduated cum laude with a major in International Business and a minor in Japanese from San Diego State University. When not exploring the technium, Midori can be found golfing, hiking, horseback riding or enjoying sunny SoCal with her son and daughter.
Ideas to Invent the Future of Your Meetings in 2015 and Beyond
More than ever, an event professional is tasked with having ideas to accommodate an era of multi-directional communication. We must be well versed and flexible in the ways that matter most to our attendees.
This session will explore the most significant trends impacting events - from gamification to seating - and provide ideas and inspiration for strategy, technology, sustainability and more to refresh and revitalize your meeting programs in 2014 and beyond. (A little hint -...
I Don't Speak Lumen: AV Ninja Skills
Have you ever walked into a room and found yourself desperately trying to make the microphones work...even though they look like they're on? Have you been in a bind trying to figure out why a Mac won't connect to a projector? Or has your budget ever jumped $40k in one day because of unexpected labor costs? If you feel this frustration, you are amongst the majority of event industry professionals. In an informal poll of speakers and event organizers, the AVGirl discovered that 100% stated...
Qualified to Teach Grant-funded MPI Hybrid Meeting Content
Do you have a 4-camera, $2 million production shoot for your live streaming? Or do you have the family camcorder and a handheld microphone that services your webcasts? Either way...are your hybrid meetings helping you achieve your goals? Do you feel like you're getting what you needed from the time, effort (and possibly gobs of money) that you've invested? If not, then you need this session.
Taught in a fun, friendly AVGirl way, you will learn a proven process...
Strategies for a Digital Culture
The ubiquity of social communications has created an environment where multi-directional communication and a high-level of interactivity are the norm. In this session, we will explore how online behavior has permeated our lives, and how these patterns can be applied to all aspects of our communication and business activities. We will explore technology such as beacons, the Internet of Everything and Augmented Reality. It is an exciting, intriguing and future-facing session that teaches...
Wifi Know-Why: Internet and Bandwidth for Meetings
"Why isn't wifi free?" may be the most persistent and frustrating question facing the hospitality and events industry. While there is no clear answer, there are key tactics and facts about Internet needs for events that can help mitigate the frustration everyone feels.
The AVGirl way is to present technological information in a friendly, non-intimidating manner. Unlike the other wifi sessions out there, this one is an unbiased overview from an experienced practitioner/buyer of...
Strategic Management of Mobile Apps
(*brand new for 2015* This session can include a hands-on app-building segment if allotted enough time - 1.5-2 hours needed, can be split into 2 sessions. Includes two handouts: app building worksheets and session summary) Does it ever feel like every time you open your inbox there's a solicitation from a new mobile app company? And your reaction to their features is either a) Totally EXCITED about the innovation but overwhelmed at how to implement b) Meh...seems exactly the same as the...
Death by Bulletpoint: Designing the presentation afterlife
The word PowerPoint has become another way of saying creating visual aids using technology. But in a digital culture that is steeped in exciting videos and creative visuals (but also a lot of noise), it can be difficult to for your presentation message to stand out if it's a string of white pages with bullet points and a few token clip arts. This session will help you reconsider the basis of a presentation, exploring the concept of visual storytelling using technology. From learning to use...
Tech Toolbox for Busy People
If the idea of inbox zero feels as imaginary as unicorns, you could probably use a few tools to manage your personal and professional life. Trying to stay organized and efficient in a world where we are hyperconnected to people, information and work can sometimes feel impossible. The constant demand for our attention leads to decreased productivity and even health issues such as obesity and emotional strain. From mobile apps to useful gadgets, this session will provide at least 50 tips and...
Privacy and Security in a Digital Age
If your eyes are the window to your soul, then your online presence is the window to your...well, everything. When you pause to think that the Internet is essentially millions and millions of computers linked together, it's impossible not to imagine how you are potentially exposing your most private and important information to malicious user who crawl this Web. In order to keep your personal information safe and secure, there are a handful of steps you can take to protect you and your...
How to Make Virtual Teams Feel Less Virtual
Although not technical trying to keep the romance alive in a professional long-distance relationship, building trust, energy and clear communication can still be difficult when separated by geographical boundaries.
With a little bit of creativity and a few key tools, there are ways to address the challenges of a virtual team structure to keep your team functioning as a well-oiled unit.
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