How the ACCP Conference Shifted to Virtual and Won “Association Program of the Year” with Cadence

About The Association of Club Catering & Event Professionals

The ACCP is the first and only association designed to satisfy the educational and creative cravings of Catering & Event Professionals in the private club industry. Every year, longtime Club and Catering industry expert, Lynne LaFond DeLuca, spearheads this event, providing Clubs with the tools they need to provide dynamic member services, significantly increase catering revenues, and boost member retention.

Why ACCP didn’t settle for an online meeting platform

Given their expertise, event professionals have high expectations when they attend events—even virtually. This year, the ACCP felt like COVID-related restrictions actually provided them with the opportunity to educate, inspire, and set an example for event professionals in the private club industry. Their goal has always been to push the boundaries of what’s possible with events – and so they sought out an online event venue that would allow them to set a new standard in their industry.

My audience is used to something over the top, experiential, and interactive. Everybody had this huge expectation, and I knew it couldn’t just be an online meeting call.

Lynne LaFond DeLuca

Executive Director, Association of Club Catering & Event Professionals (ACCP)

• ✅ Host a fun and memorable experience for an audience with high expectations
• ✅ Keep attendees engaged with live streams and pre-recorded content
• ✅ Provide opportunities to network
• ✅ Connect their creative partners with the attendees
• ✅ Use a platform that is easy to navigate for all ages

How the ACCP Conference won the “Association Program of the Year” award in their industry

In just two months, Lynne and her team created an engaging online virtual conference consisting of 13 creative and educational sessions with 22 speakers.

The ACCP used the following Cadence features at their conference:

1. Zoom integration to host live and pre-recorded sessions.

• Chef Michael Ponzio, Executive Chef at Union League Club in Chicago sent “Meal Prep” recipes and shopping lists in the swag boxes. Chef Michael did a cooking demonstration during the Sunday Kick-off Party so that everyone could prep the meal and eat the meal together during the Monday conference.
• Greg Lambrecht, Founder & Chairman of Coravin Wine System, guided attendees through a pouring demonstration where attendees could learn how to use the Coravin that they received in their swag boxes. They playfully set a world record for the largest Coravin group pouring in history.
• Speakers from past ACCP conferences were asked to record 2 minutes or less of advice and inspiration during the pandemic. These short videos were combined into a segment called “2 Cents in 2 Minutes” that made it feel like the speakers were popping in live from all over the world.

2. Companies for showcasing all of the creative partners, so attendees could learn more and connect with representatives from each sponsor. In order to create a high-touch event, ACCP pre-shipped “swag boxes” with over $425 worth of gifts from Creative Partners. The boxes also included beautifully designed and printed agendas, a personalized letter from Lynne LaFond DeLuca, the Meal Prep Cards and a door hanger that said “Shhhhhhhh! Do Not Disturb! ACCP Virtual Conference in Progress!”

3. Live Feed where attendees broke the ice, networked, and captured their favorite moments. This social wall was also used to make event announcements and highlight sponsors.

4. Profiles for Speakers & Attendees in order to help the audience get to know each other, and even stay in touch after the event. ACCP attracted some of the top speakers and educators to engage with their attendees, including:

• Simon T. Bailey, Speaker, Author, Life Coach, and Entrepreneur
• Michael Cerbelli, CEO of Cerbelli Creative
• Donna Otis, CEO of The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe
• Deb Gee, Experience Director at Lululemon

5. Notifications to create excitement before the event, make important announcements, send reminders, highlight sponsors, and engage attendees post-conference.

6. Custom Menu item names to create a personalized experience and Color Theme to match the ACCP’s brand personality.

7. Materials to upload and share recorded sessions.

I loved the way you can customize everything. Everything could be specifically geared for our audience.

Lynne LaFond DeLuca

Executive Director, Association of Club Catering & Event Professionals (ACCP)

Results

The ACCP Conference won “Association Program of the Year” in the private club industry from Boardroom Magazine. They also received dozens of emails thanking them for an incredible industry event.

• ✅ 95% attendance during the 2-day conference
• ✅ New revenue stream by selling post-conference tickets to access the recorded sessions
• ✅ Attendees shared their enthusiasm on social media
• ✅ Won “Association Program of the Year” in the private club industry from Boardroom Magazine

It looked like we planned that thing for a year, and it only took us a couple of months. It wouldn’t have appeared as smooth and polished without Cadence.

Lynne LaFond DeLuca

Executive Director, Association of Club Catering & Event Professionals (ACCP)

What attendees said:

I never knew something virtual could be so much fun and interactive.

Connie Marlow

Director of Catering, Midland Country Club

AMAZING! The best virtual event I have attended by far! Congratulations on a flawless event!

Melissa Minto

Director of Catering, Westwood Country Club

Being able to “meet” some of the other attendees, share our ideas, and learn from the wonderful speakers virtually was amazing!

Kaitlynn White

Catering Sales Manager, Oak Hill Country Club

Interested to see how Cadence could work for your upcoming event? Schedule a free consultation. We’ll recommend the best solution based on your goals—even it’s not Cadence.