Posted by Andrea Doyle Responses (5)

“Whatever you feed your attitude is what it becomes. Your attitude is something that is always at work, working for you or against you, personally and professionally. It’s the first thing people experience when they meet you. If you don’t like your behavior, your output, then you need to begin to change your input. Begin to read good material. Listen to positive words and music. Surround yourself with people of character. This means you have to get rid of some of the trash—the negative stuff you are feeding your life. A lot of times we want to change others or situations, but the key is in knowing that we can’t. But that we can change ourselves and our attitude by how we deal with others and situations.”

This was the message Sam Glenn, author of A Kick in the Attitude!, gave approximately 300 meeting planners and industry professionals convened at The Palace in Somerset, NJ, for MEET New Jersey 2008, last week. Given the current state of our economy, his words took on even more importance. He explained we all have “kick” in us. “Our kick is our enthusiasm, energy, vision, determination, and ambition.” He illustrated his points by painting a canvas as he spoke in luminous chalk.

MEET New Jersey was sponsored by EMCVenues, a global meetings resource company based in Brielle, NJ. The company’s focus is on connecting meeting buyers with suppliers. This educational event has been so successful on the East Coast that it is being brought to San Francisco for the first time December 3 and 4. Go to www.EMCVenues.com for more information on the event or the company.

Meeting new people at MEET New Jersey was a breeze with the help of nTag Interactive that supplied the name badges. Attendees got to vote on “favorites” and were then paired with those with like interests during networking events. Many commented on the green aspect of the technology, as business cards were not exchanged. Everyone got a list of those they met e-mailed to them when they were back in their offices.

For more information on the way similar technologies are being used at events, check out the story I wrote that will appear in the December issue of Successful Meetings Magazine.