ceuevents

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CEU Events and IACET announce corporate strategic partnership

Los Angeles, March 16, 2021 - CEU Events and IACET are pleased to announce their corporate partnership.  This partnership combines CEU Events’ world class SaaS platform with IACET and their mission to improve the quality of worldwide continuing education and training worldwide through accreditation and a vision to advance the global workforce.

With technology playing an increasingly critical role in professional education, companies recognize the need for digital solutions to remain efficient and competitive. The CEU Events + IACET partnership blends a deep knowledge of continuing education requirements, technological strategy and development, quality assurance, and digital program management. 

Martin Siwy, the founder and CEO of CEU Events stated, “The CEU Events + IACET partnership is a powerful combination. IACET’s leading continuing education accreditation process that is accepted by entities worldwide and CEU Events SaaS platform will provide all the necessary tools for our mutual clients and members and their continuing education programs. Together, we can ensure the best experience for professionals needing continuing education in their field.”

“We are pleased to have CEU Events join IACET as a Corporate Affiliate. This is an incredible partnership. I am confident that our relationship with CEU Events will prove to be a resource to many of our Accredited Providers and to the continuing education and training industry at-large. We look forward to informing the development of products and services that align with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard.” said Casandra Blassingame, CEO of IACET.

About CEU Events: CEU Events is an online collaboration platform that transforms the way teams manage and promote their Continuing Education programs. With the elimination of paperwork and efficient event management, CEU Event provides user-friendly features that allow for better collaboration, marketing, and CEU presentations while providing quality assurance.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mandy Moore CEU Events media@ceuevents.com

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Welcome HKS to CEU Events

We are excited to announce the collaboration with HKS!

About HKS We are a design firm of more than 1,400 architects, interior designers, urban designers, scientists, artists, anthropologists and more.  We work together across industries and across the globe to create places that delight, heal and stimulate peak performance.  We nurture a culture of extraordinary people with curious and creative minds who are passionate about delivering elegant solutions.  We also have a dedicated research team devoted to discovering processes and ideas that improve outcomes for everyone.

This collaboration between CEU Events and HKS will help expand the tools for the A&D community.  The process of managing and tracking continuing education credits between multiple associations and state requirements has been outdated and inefficient.  Our goal is to challenge ourselves to think outside the box in order to build necessary tools that will harmonize Continuing Education with the A&D community.

We are honored to be recognized as a solution by the HKS Learning Team and will keep you posted on our development progress.

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NEW CEU Events Reporting Module is LIVE!

We believe that a real-time reporting is a key part to success and efficiency. Our subscribers can now enjoy having this crucial information to guide them to an even more successful programs.  To learn more click here.

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Update Release

Includes an option to toggle between List View and Calendar View under the ‘Events’ menu.

We are now distinguishing the two types of Events as either Public or Private.  This will be utilized to display upcoming public events on the Company Profile Page.

For Subscribers, we have added a ‘Notification Center’ for important notifications that require immediate attention. 

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CEU Events Partners with DPHA

We got an exciting news to share! "Understanding that education is the key to success, Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Association (DPHA) is proud to announce its partnership with CEU Events®. After extensive research, DPHA believes that CEU Events provides the best collaborative platform with which to manage and promote in-person Continuing Education programs." Official page: https://www.ceuevents.com/dpha

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The Pain Points of Attendance Recording... SOLVED!

If you’ve ever presented a CEU course, you know as well as anyone that recording attendance by using a paper sign-in sheets is time-consuming.  The process also comes with challenges that I’m sure you can relate to:

You realize that you cannot read peoples' handwriting 

Not all the necessary information are provided

Back and forth correspondence in getting the right info

Manually creating and sending out the Certificates of Completion

There are many other issues with the current process, but it’s all been solved with the all-new Class Code introduced by CEU Events.

Each CEU Event is now assigned a unique four-character Class Code (e.g., 1234) and URL (e.g., www.ceuevents.com/1234).  At the end of the presentation, the Instructor can direct the attendees to the unique URL which allows them to register or sign-in to the event in real time.

Even if you are presenting in front of 10, 500 or 1,000 attendees, everyone will be able to use their own mobile devices to register or sign-in for your event at the same time!

This new feature saves everyone time, assures accuracy, and is 100% electronic!  Give it a try and let us know what you think.  

Please click here to join the thousands of our happy CEU Events users!

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CEU: Turning Education Into Specifications

“There’s no better opportunity than CEU events for showrooms, representatives and manufacturers to be able to regularly visit design firms and educate them about products and new technology.” - Martin Siwy

I’m going to start off with some statistics we found from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). According to the 2017 survey reported by National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, there were 113,554 registered architects in the U.S., and that number is increasing every year. Based on the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) website, the organization has more than 20,000 registered interior designers. All of the combined members (based on the individual association average state requirements) need a total of 2,143,972 hours of continuing education annually. That’s an average of 8,214 CEUs issued per working day in the year 2017.

What are CEUs? CEU stands for Continuing Education Unit. A CEU is a unit of credit equal to the time of participation in an accredited program designed for professionals with certificates or licenses to practice various professions. Certain professionals like architects, interior designers and certified kitchen and bath designers are required to earn a specific number of CEUs per year to ensure that they are up to date with current practices in their field. Proof of credits earned is necessary in order for these professionals to renew their licenses or certifications.

If you are a showroom, representative or manufacturer, ask yourself: How many CEU events have I hosted in 2018? It’s likely that the answer is: not enough. The good news is, there’s a great opportunity for your business to shine and to build relationships with trade professionals, especially in the kitchen and bath industry.

Data from the AIA 2018 conference shows that in 2017, 68% of all Learning Units obtained were by members attending in-person CEU presentations. If we assume that percentage is similar across other associations mentioned above, that’s an average of 5,586 hours per working day or 1.4 million (aggregate) hours per year that trade professionals spent attending and receiving credits for CEU events in the U.S.

If you’re a manufacturer, showroom or representative in the kitchen and bath industry, take note of these numbers. There’s great potential for growth and awareness in the kitchen and bath industry and for you to get involved in offering additional benefits to trade professionals. In exchange, you will have many opportunities to build better business relationships.

Why host or conduct CEU events? Based on a 2016 report, “The Architect’s Journey to Specifications,” almost 60% of the time, architects already know which materials manufacturer they are going to use. And the same is likely true for kitchen and bath designers.

Additionally, more than seven in 10 architects choose suppliers with whom they have an existing relationship. And this is why it’s so important for representatives and showrooms to get involved in continuing education. The reason is relationships.

What materials end up getting specified for a project depends primarily on who you know. Trade professionals rely primarily on existing relationships they have established over the years with building product manufacturers, their representatives and the showrooms they are comfortable with. As the old saying goes, “People do business with people they know,” and they also do business with people they like and trust.

When you look up the word “relationship,” you will find synonyms like connection, association, bond, alliance and involvement. In order to build a successful business relationship, you need to be consistent with the other party. You cannot simply visit someone once, neglect follow-up, maybe send them a catalog and expect to have a business relationship with that person. Instead, you need to connect with them, you need to be consistent and you need to build trust. What better opportunities are there than CEUs for showrooms, representatives and manufacturers to be able to regularly visit design firms and educate them about products and/or technologies your company provides? Trade professionals need you more than you think! They need you for 1.4 million hours a year. Imagine you, a manufacturing representative or showroom owner, getting a call from the firm that you have a relationship with: “When can you come in to tell us what’s new in the kitchen and bath category? We need CEUs!”

REMEMBER YOUR AUDIENCE

Your audience is made up of educated professionals who make their living by billing hourly for their services. They don’t like to waste their time. Make sure to have the best visually appealing presentation with a strong educational script on a relevant topic. Have clear learning objectives that leave them excited enough at the end of the presentation that they will be talking about your products and/or technologies around the office.

Consider offering follow-up materials so they can keep you in their minds. And, please, keep the history part to a minimum as your audience probably learned about that in school. Follow the association rules and stay brand neutral during the accredited portion of your presentation.

GET THE LOGISTICS FIGURED OUT

You want to look professional and be efficient when it comes to coordinating CEU events. Start by having access to software that will enable you to swiftly create electronic invitations with an option for an RSVP. You want to send a professional-looking invitation, be able to capture the RSVPs and, in most cases, use that invitation to promote your event via social media. This is also important to keep branding consistent for all of your instructors.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Typically, you will be doing a lunch-and-learn or after-hours event. Make sure to plan and provide a meal for the event. You don’t need to be extravagant, but please don’t serve cold hot dogs with a two-liter bottle of soda. In the past when I conducted CEU events around the country, I catered Panera Bread since they are a national eatery with plenty of food options and will deliver while providing utensils, etc. You are putting on an event for trade professionals and you want to make a positive, lasting impression on them for you and the company you represent.

THE PRESENTER

There’s nothing worse than a CEU event where the presenter is reading bullet points slide-by-slide. Be fully prepared for a conversational type of presentation. Have your story polished, know the material and engage with your audience while presenting. Be sure that your technology works before you begin your presentation. Connect your presentation source to a projector or TV, and if you need audio, make sure it all works before you begin. You want to minimize any possibility of experiencing technical glitches during your presentation so your audience doesn’t get distracted and lose interest.

CREDITS & CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION

As a presenter, you are responsible for taking attendance and recording the information with various associations. In addition, you will be asked by participants to issue their Certificates of Completion for attending your course. There’s a solution to making this process electronic and automated so you don’t have to spend a lot of your time writing them one by one. Additionally, make sure that attendance information gets reported to the associations right away so no one has to be following up with calls and emails six months after the event to figure out the credits.

SAMPLES AND TAKEAWAYS

The accredited part of the one-hour CEU event should take about 45 minutes and you should have 15 minutes or so at the end for Q & A time. This is where you can talk and show specific samples, displays or any takeaway materials that you brought with you. Remember, your audience is highly visual and they want to see and feel products. Don’t forget to follow up!

There are resources and technology available to help you with the logistics for your CEU events and guide you through the process in order to become a rock star CEU presenter. Bear in mind, building relationships and trust take time and persistence. Keep expectations at a minimum and be passionate about the topic you want to educate these trade professionals about. If you keep educating and conducting CEU events, eventually you will become their advisor and expert in your product category. You can only expect to receive what you’re willing to put in when establishing a business relationship. Remember, we all should be focusing on turning education into specifications.

If you want to Present More and Manage Less request a demo today.

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CEU Events Mobile App Coming Soon

While our web platform can handle adding new attendees on site by manually typing it in, we've realized that Instructors:

May only have one device for the presentation

May want to keep presentation slides up on the screen

May not always have access to WiFi

This is where the CEU Events Mobile App comes into place. When developing the app, our goal was to create tools as an extension to our current web platform.  The app will have two different views depending on the user type.

The Instructors will have a dashboard with Upcoming and Past events.  When the event is selected, they will be able to view and edit the list of the attendees who has RSVP'd. The Instructor will be able to issue attendance credit and send a Certificate of Completion from the app.  Adding non-RSVP attendees can be done in two ways.  Select "Add" and the information can be typed in, or if the attendee creates an account by downloading the app, they will have a unique QR Code that can be scanned by the Instructor eliminating the need for typing. This style of attendance taking simplifies those days where there are many non-RSVP attendees.

The Attendee will have a dashboard with My Events (past and future), My QR, and Profile page.  The Attendee will be able to instantly download their Certificate of Completion from past events and email the Instructor for any additional information.  Most importantly, the Attendee will have a unique QR Code that can be scanned by the Instructor for a swift and accurate check-out.

The CEU Events Mobile App will efficiently and accurately capture necessary records while providing information in real time.

iOS version is coming soon followed by Android.

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Welcome Russ Diamond of Snyder Diamond!

CEU Events is proud to welcome Russ Diamond as our Industry Advisor for Decorative Plumbing and Appliances. As CEO of Snyder Diamond, Russ brings a wealth of experience to our upcoming platform extension. Snyder Diamond is a progressive and luxurious kitchen and bath showroom with three locations in California: Santa Monica, North Hollywood, and Pasadena.

"We look forward to collaborating with Russ and building precisely what showrooms need and want to revolutionize and elevate Product Knowledge education throughout the industry." - said Martin Siwy (President, CEU Events)

"CEU Events, in a short amount of time, has successfully captured a substantial share of the industry's most well-known and respected brands with their continuing education platform.  I look forward to being part of their extension into Product Knowledge training for showrooms." - said Russ Diamond (CEO, Snyder Diamond)

To learn more about CEU Events Places click here.

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Elevate Your Email Signature with "CEU Instructor"

You know that you're a true email marketer if every single one of your emails includes a call-to-action. We're not talking about email marketing blasts here. What we have in mind are the individual and personal email messages you send on an everyday basis.

Yes, your personal email signature can provide a serious marketing opportunity. You are already using your email signature to provide information about who you are and where you work. However, you can take this practice to the next level by updating your signature and reflect the fact that you are an approved CEU Instructor.

Instructors on our platform can now enable their Profile Page which will activate their unique URL link. They can add CEU Instructor hyperlink pointing to their URL in their email signatures. This way, anyone clicking on the CEU Instructor link will be able to see and request their next CEU Event directly with them.

Join CEU Events today, promote your CEU Program, present more and manage less tomorrow.

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CEU Events (R)

LOS ANGELES (Setptember 2018) - The United States Patent and Trademark Office officially recognizes CEU Events® as a registered service mark for in-person education forums in the field of architecture, interior design, plumbing, engineering, real estate, electrical, nursing, insurance, education, law, medical and social work. Reg. No. 5,557,547

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NEW Instructor Profile Pages

How do you promote yourself as an Approved CEU Instructor? How do you measure the success and create demand for the CEUs that you are approved to present?  Where do your clients go to request your CEU course?

We launched revolutionary and most technologically advanced CEU Events Instructor Profile Page which includes the following:

Your Instructor Profile URL

List of your CEU Courses that you are approved to present

Call-to-action “Request CEU Event” button

Real-time request notifications

Territory and Accreditation Filters

Dedicated “Requests” dashboard

One-click conversion from Request-To-Event  

Here are a couple of examples on how you can promote yourself and your courses:

Add Approved CEU Instructor line to your email signature with a hyperlink to your CEU Events Instructor Profile Page.  Your email recipients will be able to click on the link and request their next face-to-face CEU event with you. Please make sure to check with your Marketing Department first Example: Jimmy Rockstar CEU Events National Sales Manager Approved CEU Instructor 213.787.7165 www.ceuevents.com

You can also use the unique URL to promote your CEU courses on your Social Media platforms and/or your website. The viewers will be able to click on the link and request their next CEU event with you.

PRESENT MORE. MANAGE LESS.

Request your DEMO today!

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NEW Company Profile Pages

What marketing methods do you use to effectively promote your company’s CEU Program?  How do you measure the success and create demand for your program?  Where do your clients go to request their CEU Events?

Introducing revolutionary and most technologically advanced CEU Events Company Profile Page which includes the following:

Company URL

List of your CEU Courses

Call-to-action “Request CEU Event” button

Real-time request notifications

Requests linked directly to Instructors and their territories

Territory and Accreditation Filters

Dedicated “Requests” dashboard

One-click conversion from Request-To-Event  

We allow and encourage Subscribers to use our CEU Events logo or CEU Events™ as a link or a button on their company website in order to promote and allow the visitors to request their next face-to-face CEU Event directly with Instructor in the area. PRESENT MORE. MANAGE LESS.

Request your DEMO today!

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Request a CEU Event - Coming Soon

We are excited to announce a new feature, Request a CEU Event, which will be going live in the very near future!  With trade professionals seeking their required CEU credits, we have built an industry first, cross association locator which makes it simple for professionals to find you and to request their next face-to-face CEU Event.  Based on data below from AIA '18 Conference on Architecture, we are convinced this discovery tool will help promote your brand's CEU Program.

In order for the CEU courses to appear on the Request a CEU Event locator, the Subscriber will need to assign territories covered by each of the Instructors. A new "Globe" icon will appear in the Instructors menu and it will allow the Subscriber to assign territories for each of their Instructors. We will begin with the United States and Canadian territories first, please let us know if there are other countries and territories you would like to have listed by emailing us at support@ceuevents.com.

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2017 AIA CEU DELIVERY TYPES

CEU Events is launching an industry-first feature at the end of this month for all of their Subscribers.  We cannot wait to tell you how these numbers relate to what's coming up soon!

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CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION BUTTON GETS A COUNTER

A "counter" was added to the Certificate of Completion button.  When the Certificate of Completion button is clicked, a number will appear indicating how many times a certificate was issued to a particular attendee. This way, you will always know if and how many times the Certificate of Completion was issued.