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If you want to reduce your impact on the environment and go green the next time you plan a meeting or other event, here is a great article that has 10 Easy Steps for eco-friendly meetings and includes ideas like ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’, ‘Choose a Local Destination’, etc.

Read the full article here:

Green Planning

You would be surprised how easy it is to plan a meeting while taking into consideration the impact it will have on the environment. Follow the steps in the above guide and Go Green!

They say there is nothing new under the sun, but entrepeneurs sure do find ways to mash up old ideas in new ways, and starting a business via crowdsourcing certainly qualifies.

Usually, when trying to launch a new business, or get a new product off the ground, the typical hunt for venture capital or institutional investors takes time, patience, perserverance and a LOT of work.

It’s refreshing to hear about a new business model termed ‘crowdsourcing’ which taps the power of social networks in a way big corporations could only dream about.

Upstarts: Launch Your Own Apparel Company for $50 - The apparel brand, which is still in the design phase, is using a creative business model, known by a variety of names like crowdsourcing, crowdfounding, and community managed, that raises small amounts of money from a large group of …

Read the above article for the full scoop, but the practical upshot of this business model is to get large quantities of people to contribute small amounts of money for input and managerial control of a new product line or business.

Crowdsourcing is also used for mass collaboration projects like Wikipedia or simply designing a new graphic or logo, but raising capital using crowdsourcing may be the ticket for a budding entrepeneur to get started using ‘other peoples money.’

Hiring a professional guest speaker is an important step in planning an event.

Most events feature guest speakers, or at least one professional guest speaker. Sometimes, the main feature of your event is the celebrity guest speaker, so finding one is usually on the event planning agenda.

The following list of event speaker directories and bureaus should provide a thorough resource the next time you are trying to locate the best person for your event. There are lots more than only the ones listed below, but you’ll have your hands full with these to get your started:

www.allamericanspeakers.com - Professional motivational speakers, sports speakers, celebrity speakers, famous keynote speakers, sports figures, best selling authors, corporate business speakers, celebrity chefs, top celebrity talent and comedians

www.totalaccessspeakers.com - Motivational Speakers, Business Speakers, Keynote Speakers, Celebrity Speakers

www.internationalspeakers.com - Internationally Acclaimed Motivational and Celebrity Speakers

www.ovationtalent.com - A fresh approach to solving a number of breakdowns in the current field of speaker management and representation.

speakerresource.com - Provides motivational speakers, celebrity speakers, and professional keynote speakers for any business, association, school or college

speakersrus.com - A Speakers Bureau that will help you find the perfect keynote speaker or entertainer for your event.

www.isbspeakers.com - International and National Professional Public Speakers Bureau for Motivational, Keynote and Christian Speakers

www.leighbureau.com - The world’s longest-established premium speakers bureau

www.speakers.ca - Canada’s leading Speakers Bureau

www.bigspeak.com - Motivational Speakers, Keynote Speakers, Consultants and Trainers.

www.playingfieldpromotions.com - A leading speakers bureau specializing in bookings of celebrity sports speakers, baseball speakers, Olympic speakers, motivational sports speakers and athlete personal appearances and endorsements.

www.nationalgeographic.com/speakers - National Geographic speakers are leaders in the worlds of science, photography, journalism, exploration and adventure.

www.insightbureau.com - Asian and global speakers, moderators, advisors on Asian and global economy, insights for business conferences, client meetings and confidential strategy and planning meetings.

www.dynamicspeakers.com - Sales motivation, keynote speakers, public speakers, personal growth, staff development, personal development, management consulting, motivational speakers, motivational, seminars, management training

premierespeakers.com - Motivational speakers, keynote speakers, or professional speaker

www.speakerservices.com - Free and fee speakers for events, conferences, seminars and banquets.

Whether the purpose is simply to entertain, or your event is geared towards motivating or inspiring your event participants, there are guest speaker bureaus available online that make locating the right talent for your event easy.

Here’s a great list of ‘Dos And Don’ts For Your Next Annual Sales Meeting‘ you are going to want to follow. These same event strategies can be applied to other types of business meetings and conferences. A great article on what to do and what not to do.