What can I say? I have to drop the hymn title sometime...This topic popped into my head recently when I was looking at a wedding blog. They have a tab called "Blogroll," so I clicked on it thinking: Hm, this will be a great way to see one blog's perpective on the best wedding blogs out there....
Then, BAM! I'm suddenly looking at a list of more than 150 blogs. No descriptions no indications of who is blogging or what they are blogging about; no evidence of a careful curator. Just links. A ton of them. Can you possibly imagine trying to get your business or information noticed in an alphabetical list of 150 with zero guidance?
One of my favorite marketing bloggers out there is Scott Ginsberg, also known as the Nametag Guy. (If you want to know that story, check out his website.) About a month ago he wrote a blog post about "5 Ways to Make Your Business a Friend of Simplicity." In that post, he writes:
"Simplicity isn’t crushing the complicated – it’s eliminating the extraneous. So, start eliminating the unnecessary so the necessary can speak. People will listen."
If the blogroll had eliminated all the extraneous links and focused on the blogs that they believe to be of value, I would have taken the time to look at them. After all, if I'm already a reader then I obviously see some credibility in the source and would trust their judgment.
Likewise, if you have chosen a venue to handle your retreat or conference, wouldn't you also trust their judgment regarding plans for your event? Why then would a venue give you all the possibilities under the sun and expect you to filter out what is valuable?
One of our guests, in a video interview, made a comment about how easy it was to have her event at Montreat Conference Center. She said, "It was easy to book; it was easy to leave; it was... easy."
Not only will we work with you to create an appropriately personalized event for your needs, we also draw on our years of retreat experience to make sure that planning your complex occasion is as simple and "easy" as possible.
And this process will make it easier for you the planner, but above and beyond that it will also--as The Nametag Guy says-- "eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak." Your conference, however complex, will run seamlessly in the eyes of your participants, removing distractions and letting the true message of your event speak loudly.
Think about simplicity. What are you complicating through your current message or way of working?
Cat is the Sales Associate at Montreat Conference Center. She loves helping people plan the perfect Montreat Experience and would love to hear from you about how this blog can help you.
Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.
Cat can be reached at catw@montreat.org or at @Cat_Montreat.
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