Are You REAL ID Compliant?

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With travel restrictions and budgets opening up, more and more people are taking to the skies again to attend trainings and conferences. But, did you know that even after you've gotten the needed approvals to travel you may soon be grounded due to new identification requirements for domestic flights?

REAL ID was passed by Congress in 2005. It sets standards for the "issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses." This means that federal agencies can refuse to accept forms of identification that do not meet the standards. For travelers this means that the TSA can refuse drivers licenses that do not meet the REAL ID standards and in turn keep people from boarding a flight.[Tweet "In the future, TSA can refuse drivers licenses that don't meet REAL ID standards. #GovEventsBlog"] TSA will not begin enforcing use of REAL ID compliant identification until January 2018 so for now all drivers licenses still allow you to board an airplane.

Today, 23 states are compliant with the REAL ID Act (to find out the status of your state, click here). 27 non-complaint states have been granted extensions to meet the law requirements which means people holding an ID from one of those states may continue to use their driver's license even after the enforcement of the act begins in 2018. Another six states are non compliant and do not have an extension as of now. Residents of those states will need to use an alternate form of identification when the act goes into effect for air travel in 2018.

Passports, passport cards, Global Entry card, U.S. military ID, airline or airport-issued ID, and federally recognized tribal-issued photo ID are all REAL ID compliant identifications and can be used in the place of a drivers license.[Tweet "Passports, passport cards, U.S. military ID are all REAL ID compliant. #GovEventsBlog"] But even presenting one of these IDs may be difficult for some. As this article points out, The State Department is now required to deny a passport or turn down the renewal of a passport to a seriously delinquent taxpayer (defined as "an unpaid, legally enforceable federal tax liability" greater than $50,000, including interest and penalties).

So with all of this in mind, here are the dates to be aware of for changes to ID requirements at airports:

January 22, 2018 -- Airline passengers will need to show a REAL ID compliant form of identification to board a plane. Currently, 23 states issue drivers licenses that are REAL ID compliant, making them valid forms of ID. Citizens who live in a state that was granted an extension can continue to use a non-REAL ID driver's license. Citizens of states that do not have compliant IDs and have not been granted an extension will need to show an alternative form of acceptable, REAL ID compliant identification for domestic air travel to board their flight.

October 1, 2020 -- Every air traveler will need a REAL ID-compliant form of identification whether that is a state-issued drivers license or another, accepted ID form, for domestic air travel.

[Tweet "The REAL ID Act also applies to IDs being accepted to enter federal facilities. #GovEventsBlog"]The REAL ID Act extends beyond air travel and also applies to IDs being accepted to enter many federal facilities - many of these facilities may host events and trainings.

As you are planning out your training needs for the coming years (using GovEvents.com, of course), keep the status of your identification in mind and plan accordingly.

Your Privacy and the iPhone–What You Need to Know

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Cybersecurity practices, privacy policies, intelligence community best practices are all hot event topics on GovEvents.com. These topics are also garnering intense media focus with the ongoing battle between the Justice Department and Apple to provide access to data on the phone of the main suspect in the mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA. While the back and forth between the FBI and Apple has been well documented in the media, it is a complex issue in terms of what it really means for us as citizens and government professionals.[Tweet "Your Privacy and the iPhone -- what it really means for us. #GovEventsBlog"]

The background: Following the San Bernardino shooting, the FBI realized there may be critical evidence on the shooter's iPhone, which they have been unable to access.  The FBI hopes this information will shine a light on the motivation and any terrorist ties.

The reason the FBI cannot get into the phone without Apple's help comes down to one setting that anyone can turn on or off in seconds. Within Settings, users enter their passcode to lock the phone. Once that's done, a screen appears with the option to "Erase Data. Erase all data on this iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts."  This makes traditional hacking attempts useless. However, the shooter had an older version iPhone and iOS, which, according to the FBI, means Apple has the ability to override this erase feature and access this phone. Newer phones, and those that have updated iOS, would not be accessible as this 'loophole' was eliminated as part of a 2014 operating system update. Continue reading →

Through the Looking Glass: Adventures in Social Media

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Social Media has become a critical component for marketing an event. It has also proven to have great worth in providing real time feedback on the event. But even with these benefits it can feel overwhelming to manage all of the work and data resulting from social media. Without focus, it can turn into a never-ending quest with many distractions. Like Alice traveling through Wonderland to find the white rabbit, we can get distracted by all of the new and interesting things we see along our way.[Tweet "Through the Looking Glass: Adventures in Social Media #GovEventsBlog"]

To make social media management easier, we need to focus on the data that really matters. This means looking beyond likes and shares and really digging into what people's social activity is telling us. If you know what you are looking for, you'll have a better chance of finding it. There is a good deal of work and analysis involved, but there is also a valuable level of insight that can be gained if you put in the time.

Here's a quick list of what to spend time looking at within your social media strategies.[Tweet "Quick list of what to spend time looking at within your social media strategies. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

Getting the Most Out of Tradeshow Investments

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Exhibiting at tradeshows involves a lot of time and money. From the upfront costs of renting the exhibit space, to travel expenses, not to mention staff time working the event -- choosing to exhibit at a tradeshow may be one of the costlier line items in a marketing budget.[Tweet "How do you know if you are getting the most out of tradeshow investments? #GovEventsBlog"]

How do you know if your investment was worth it? How do you measure and then ensure ROI? Here are a couple of tips for making the blood, sweat, tears, and dollars all worth it.

  • Know your audience. Presumably you've done your research on show attendees before committing to attending, but when planning metrics and ROI measurement take another look at the attendee profile. Do they have direct buying power or are they the influencers? If they don't have direct buying power, setting a metric around closing new sales within a month of the conference will likely be unsuccessful. If your audience is influencers, look instead to measure success by follow-up meetings or increased engagement with your brand online.
  • Be clear, stay focused. Make sure everyone staffing your booth knows who your target audience is at the show.[Tweet "Make sure everyone staffing tradeshow booth knows who target audience is. #GovEventsBlog"] Focus efforts and time on qualified leads and set clear expectations for follow-up. You may collect 200 names at the show but if no one is tasked and incentivized to follow-up, those leads will just be names on a list. You can even make it easy to start the follow-up at the show.[Tweet "Make it easy to start the follow-up at the tradeshow. #GovEventsBlog"] At a recent networking event we had a goal of setting a minimum of 15 post-show appointments. We designed a promotion where any attendee that scheduled a phone appointment with us to discuss their marketing needs for 2016 was entered into a drawing to win their choice of a $350 Visa gift card or an Apple iWatch Sport. We had a printed calendar on the table with available times for meetings so we could easily write in their info on the day/time that they chose for quick follow-up and action.
  • Create a theme. If you are taking the time to create and print new materials and design a booth or signage, make sure there is a unifying theme within all of these materials. This theme should, of course, tie into your brand but also reflect the theme of the show you are attending. This will help make your booth more relevant to attendees and will provide a focus in message for your staff.
  • Get to know your sales rep. Stay in touch with your sales rep after you sign the contract. Make sure you understand all of the benefits of your sponsorship or space buy and make sure you are using them to their fullest. As the show gets closer, check in to see if there are any other additional opportunities to promote your brand. They may be running deals on additional sponsor activities as the show gets closer, making additional exposure at the show more affordable.
  • Be Picky. Choose your booth staff carefully. At too many shows we see staff on their phones who barely look up when someone comes by their booth. Find the people that will be able and willing to carry your message and will respond to the overall goals of the event. Make sure they are qualified to talk to all sorts of potential customers on a variety of topics. Arm them with key messages as well as incentives for bringing in qualified leads.
  • Get creative. Creativity does not just apply to your theme, it can apply to how you measure success. Leads and sales are obvious metrics, but don't stop there. If your company has a social media presence or a blog, use the show to drive more followers. Set a goal around the number of new followers gained from a show. Make your social properties prominent in materials and find ways to encourage people to start following your company. Collect details on the social properties of attendees and prospects and begin following them. This interaction on social will give you touch points with these leads long after the show doors have closed.

We'd love to hear from you. How do you ensure you are getting the most out of your tradeshow investments? Let us know in the comments. If you have not decided what shows might work for you, spend some time searching the listings at GovEvents.

Exploring Vendor Relations

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In this post we're going to to get real about our relationships. Before you think we've changed our focus here at GovEvents, this post is focused on the relationships with the vendors who make events happen. This vendor group includes hotels and other venues, catering companies, AV services and product companies, as well as transportation and logistics partners, and photographers to name a few.

A great vendor relationship is worth its weight in gold. Having a great relationship with all vendors involved in an event has benefits for attendees and planners.[Tweet "A great vendor relationship is worth its weight in gold. #GovEventsBlog"] Attendees get a seamless experience and the event planner or  host can feel a sense of calm even during the mad rush leading up to the event. But how do you cultivate long-term relationships and how do you get off on the right foot? Continue reading →