04 Jun 10 How to Plan a Meeting Time and Venue with Difficult Participants
Meeting planners are required to constantly prepare meetings, which is far more complex than it seems on the surface. To being with, the entire process is far less linear that it seems on the surface. Some might believe that organizing meetings starts with contacting individuals or parties, or perhaps contacting venues to see what is available; neither is necessarily true. In fact, this particular combination of factors can actually end up being something of a chicken and egg problem, where one is constantly trying to find purchase on a slippery slope.
This entire process can be made far simpler by starting with an approach that is more time sensitive in nature. Start by contacting parties and offering a few choices, and checking for blackout times and dates. This should be a simple selecting process that empowers participants by allowing them to choose from a selection of available times. Once that is accomplished, it will be far easier to actually schedule a venue. Hopefully, the selection of a venue will not result in unsatisfied parties or participants that will no longer be able to attend.
As previously mentioned, the life of a meeting planner is not as simple as it might seem on the surface. Remember that when dealing with your meeting planner next time.
Tags: Available Times, Blackout, Chicken Egg, Choices, Egg Problem, Meeting Planner, Meeting Planners, Meeting Time, Nature, Participants, Slippery Slope, Venue
12 Oct 09 Unique Event and Meeting Venues
When was the last time you held an event somewhere other than a hotel or convention center? There are other options, some of which are quite affordable. Any place that has enough seating for your group and can meet their needs is a potential event site.
Theaters aren’t just for plays and movies these days. Most of them are more than happy to be considered for an event. In fact, many movie theaters include an ad promoting the idea along with the upcoming features. Theatres are quiet, private, and they might even open the concession stand for your event. Private theater owners are as open to creating new revenue as chain theaters. Explore both possibilities and compare costs and available services.
Museums and public art galleries are feeling the economic pinch of the recession. Most of them have spaces that are ideal for business meetings. Using a local site gives your client the benefit of getting out of the office without expending a great deal of cash. Sometimes a fresh site will inspire fresh ideas in your team.
Don’t limit yourself to the same list of meeting places no matter how grand and exciting they might be. The more choices you offer clients, the more clients you may have.
Tags: Available Services, Benefit, Business Meetings, Choices, Concession Stand, Economic Pinch, Local Site, Meeting Places, Movie Theaters, Movies, Museums, Plays, Possibilities, Private Theater, Public Art Galleries, Recession, When Was The Last Time
08 Sep 09 Is Design Really Important?
Event design is one of those things that may seem dispensable in these days of bad economies and bailouts. Many are afraid the public will scrutinize everything from the front door sign to how many post-it notes the company goes through a month; consequently they may question the need for good event design.
Your answer is simple but may be difficult to present. A company shows its colors with an event. While it may not need an appearance by the full performing lineup of the Cirque du Soleil, proper and aesthetic design of events will tell the world what it truly is.
As a planner, you have choices to help the client make. Is she going to go so cheap that the schedules will be hand written and photocopied, then left in a stack at each door? How about the reception? Will it be a cash bar with two kinds of drinks available, or will the client spring for something nicer?
Okay, so there is not a lot of money to play with here, so perhaps you can axe the reception in favor of an informal networking session. Instead of booze offer a small dessert cart with shot-glass samples of to-die-for confections. It may be a lot cheaper than the disastrous reception and will serve a better purpose. Observers would rather see a networking session than a bunch of drunks at a reception anyway.
That is just one example of how important design can be. Your job is to take it out of the handwritten schedule realm and make it look important, relevant, and productive.
Tags: Aesthetic Design, Appearance, Axe, Booze, Bunch Of Drunks, Choices, Cirque Du, Cirque Du Soleil, Cirque Soleil, Colors, Dessert Cart, Glass Samples, Important Event, Informal Networking, Job, Kinds Of Drinks, Lot, Networking Session, Observers, Shot Glass, Stack, Two Kinds
04 Sep 09 Destinations for 2010
The April “Meetings and Conventions” Perfection in Planning supplement took an in-depth look at where planners were looking for their overseas destinations in 2010. Europe took the lead, with a whopping 51%. Canada and Mexico took second place with 38%. It’s the third in a row Europe was solidly in first place.
In some ways this is a stamp of approval for those of you who are looking at European destinations for your offshore meeting plans. However, it is also a call to action for those of you who have clients trying to save money.
Canada and Mexico, at second place, may be poised to provide better prices and service. Mexico has suffered recently from h1n1 flu scare as well as crime waves, but there are destinations that are perfectly safe–and the flu has moved out of Mexico for greener pastures (the U.S., for one).
Asia came in third, and yet offers beautiful scenery and top notch service in many destinations, including Vietnam. The Caribbean and Bermuda are tropical and laid back, and offer relaxing seaside destinations.
Africa, the Middle East, and other destinations that came in close to last also may be better choices, depending on your client’s needs. The bottom line is that you can save money and offer beautiful and interesting destinations at the same time. A little research can help you a lot, so don’t be afraid to put in a little time and stock up on alternative meeting targets.
Tags: Beautiful Scenery, Bermuda, Bottom Line, Caribbean, Choices, Conventions, Crime Waves, European Destinations, Flu, Greener Pastures, Laid Back, Little Time, Notch Service, Overseas Destinations, Planners, Scare, Seaside Destinations, Stamp Of Approval, Targets, Vietnam
31 Aug 09 How Regulations Help Your Business
Meeting planners today are faced with a changing environment, and these changes are not always friendly. Regardless of who is to blame, perhaps you should be thinking about who to thank. Here’s why.
Let’s take the medical meeting regulations. These guidelines change often and sometimes without ceremony or warning. They squeeze a little tighter every time, and give you less freedom to make decisions and offer variety. However, this can be a good thing–when you and your client are pressed for money, time, or both, who needs to be worrying about choices?
For example, let’s say that the regulations now include how much you can spend on a keynote speaker. You have a slew of them that you often use for your medical meetings, but now three of them no longer qualify because of their level of pay. This may leave you two. Now you only have two people to call.
The rub comes when you can’t fill the position. Let’s say that neither of those two speakers is available. You can offer less money to the other three–quoting the new regulation–or you will have to find another way. (more…)
Tags: Business Meeting, Business Relationships, Business Today, Choices, Debris, Decisions, Flexibility, Freedom, Keynote Speaker, Medical Meeting, Medical Meetings, Meeting Planners, Money Time, Slew, Speakers
17 Aug 09 Choosing Entertainment for Your Next Meeting
If you are a budding event planner and has not yet been intimidated by the idea of booking entertainment, you will be in the future. If you have already been, you know that it will happen again. To make your life a little easier, here’s what’s hot and what’s not for 2009.
What’s Not
Many people are offended by religious leaders these days, even if they are religious people. There are so many religions and so many splinter groups it’s hard to know what the predominant religion will be.
Along those same lines, politicians can be absolutely deadly to the success of your meeting. There will always be people who disagree so strongly that they will be offended at the choice. So steer clear of both religious leaders and politicians unless you are scheduling speakers for that particular group.
What’s Hot
Who doesn’t need a good laugh now and then? While some comedians can be offensive, there are some that have notoriously good taste when it comes to general audiences. You can often find them through entertainment agents.
Improv groups are becoming all the rage lately, and they are often comedians as well. Almost every city has a popular improv group or two–again, check with entertainment booking agencies for the best choices.
Really want to wow them? How about jugglers with a sense of humor? A magic act that is truly amazing can hold people’s attention and let them escape into, “How did he do that?” for just a little while.
Because entertainment will be one of the signatures of some of your events, start building a file of ideas now. Then when you need them, they will be there.
Tags: All The Rage, Audiences, Booking Entertainment, Choices, Comedians, Entertainment Agents, Entertainment Booking Agencies, Event Planner, Good Taste, Improv Group, Improv Groups, Jugglers, Laugh, Magic Act, Politicians, Predominant Religion, Religions, Religious Leaders, Sense Of Humor, Signatures, Speakers, Splinter Groups
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