08 Jul 10 Pitfalls on the Road to a Successful Meeting/Event
The following is a list of sentiments and ideas that many people have when planning meetings and/or events that should be avoided whenever possible:
• Who needs to eat? The answer is that everyone need to eat, and letting stomachs rumble is a sure way to ensure that nobody is paying attention to anything but the planning of their next meal. If you are planning a lengthy meeting or event, plan on talking to caterers or buying snacks.
• I get up at 4 A.M. so can everyone else! Just because you get up at the break of dawn to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle does not mean that everyone else does or even can. In some cases it may truly be a case of different lifestyles, but in other situations the early bird may be offended those taking care of young children and/or the infirm/elderly by implying that a 7 A.M. meeting is reasonable.
• Caffeine is a stimulant, and that is akin to offering a drug. Those that need caffeine to make it through their day can be indulged at very low prices. Imposing unwanted ethical beliefs on meeting and/or event participants is unlikely to go over well. At best, it will look cheap. At worst, it may look preachy.
• A penny saved is a penny earned. True, but it takes money to make money, so be willing to make an honest assessment of whether or not buying folding chairs instead of office chairs for a meeting is a good idea.
Tags: Break Of Dawn, Caffeine, Caterers, Early Bird, Elderly, Ethical Beliefs, Exercise, Folding Chairs, Healthy Lifestyle, Honest Assessment, Lifestyles, Money, Office Chairs, Participants, Paying Attention, Pitfalls, Sentiments, Snacks, Stimulant, Stomachs
11 Jun 10 The Importance of Seating in a Meeting
Many new meeting planners might overlook the importance of proper seating, but veteran meeting planners already know that seating can be everything. The problem is that many participants in the meeting have their own ideas about how seating should work, and few of those ideas tend to be compatible.
For example, everyone wants to be on the boss’s right hand side, but nobody wants to sit near Steve from accounting due to the fact that his gout medication gives him indigestion. Unfortunately, someone has to sit next to Steve and not everyone can suck up to the boss at the same time.
Here are a few things to consider when arranging seats:
- Bosses traditionally go on the end of the table, but consider suggesting a more central location. Better yet, it might be wise to plan two or three seats that will change for different stages of the meeting so long as the boss is amenable to such an idea.
- Keep seats arranged in such a way that everyone is facing the same direction whenever possible. Unity is hard to achieve when people are opposing one another even in the manner in which they sit.
- Those who do happen to be somewhat unpopular might be a good person to seat next to the boss. Getting close to one means getting close to the other, a balance few will ignore.
Tags: Accounting, Boss, Central Location, Different Stages, Good Person, Gout, Gout Medication, Indigestion, Medication, Meeting Planners, New Meeting, Participants, Same Direction, Sit, Suck, Unity, Veteran
09 Jun 10 Group Cruising Planning
Anyone considering planning a group cruise event can easily be overwhelmed, especially if they do not realize that there are many resources ready and waiting to help them. Here is a good workflow for anyone seeking to simplify group cruise planning:
Check with the Seasite.com first – they have online tools and services that can make planning virtually everything a one-stop process. Nothing is simpler than an all-inclusive group cruise planning at Seasite.com.
Failing that, start with travel – Participants will need to get to and from their hometowns to the port of call for the cruise ship, and that will often entail flights. Many airlines offer special pricing in such situations, so avoid using sites that specializing in shopping amongst airlines and make direct contact.
Cabins – Try to keep everyone appeased when it comes to cabins, but be aware that some people develop sea sickness based on the side of the ship they are on. That is to say that some people will rarely get seasick if their cabin is on the port side, but the same may not be true if they are given a cabin on the starboard side of the ship.
Meeting rooms and events – Remember to schedule at least a few events, even if they are less than formal. A group meeting in a spinning class or during a game of Marco Polo are interesting alternatives to conventional meetings.
Tags: Airlines, Cruise Ship, Cruising, Direct Contact, Flights, Game, Group Cruise, Hometowns, Marco Polo, Meeting Rooms, Online Tools, Participants, Port Of Call, Sea Sickness, Shopping, Workflow
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
26 May 10 Two Critical Skills of a Cruise Meeting Planner
Two critical skills of a cruise meeting or event planner, and how to build them at your current job
Planning cruise meetings and cruise events can be a rewarding carrier, but it takes a certain kind of personality to be successful. Luckily, most of the skills involved in planning cruise meetings and events can be cultivated. Here are the two most basic skills required, and ways to cultivate them at your current job:
Planning backwards – events are often scheduled at specific dates and times, regardless of the planning necessary. This means that time management skills and thinking in a reverse-linear fashion are required. Starting with the event itself, what would have to be prepared? Booking of rooms, suites, conference centers, equipment, and travel arrangements. Starting with the most critical things first, a smart travel planner will plan his or her way back to today. For example, one could start by booking the rooms and conference center on a cruise liner before booking speakers and their flights and communicating dietary needs. Try project planning whenever possible to build this skill.
Planning around complaints – It is not possible to make everyone happy, but a successful cruise planner will ensure that they have prepared plenty of alternatives and options to overcome objections of participants. Speakers and performers are notoriously difficult to deal with, so be prepared to offer cabin upgrades and alternative meals before calling their representatives. To build this particular skill, try practicing dealing with difficult customers if possible.
Tags: Booking Speakers, Critical Skills, Cruise Events, Cruise Liner, Cruise Planner, Current, Dealing With Difficult Customers, Event Planner, Flights, Linear Fashion, Meeting Planner, Meetings And Events, Objections, Participants, Personality, Project Planning, Smart Travel, Time Management Skills, Travel Arrangements, Travel Planner
16 Apr 10 After the Meeting is Over
Everyone enjoys and needs positive feedback. Negative feedback can be very hard to take, especially if it is not constructive. For example, we are all quick to tell our supplier if the order is wrong yet seldom send our compliments when things run smoothly. Do you seek feedback and if so, from whom?
Have you ever included a customer satisfaction survey in an event packet or asked guests to fill out a feedback form before they went home? This can be a good way to get a fix on what worked for meeting participants and what did not. You can’t please everyone but when several people complain about the same thing, it indicates a problem that needs to be addressed.
Do you check in with vendors and convention centers that you have used? A courtesy call after the even can strengthen your relationship with vendors and make the next planning period go more smoothly. Feedback from a hotel or convention center helps a meeting planner tweak the next event, perhaps in small ways, to make it a positive experience for everyone.
Don’t forget to give feedback as well. Even in the most nightmarish situation, someone did something right. Never allow your frustration with glitches to overshadow your appreciation for jobs well done.
Tags: Compliments, Courtesy Call, Customer Satisfaction Survey, Frustration, Glitches, Jobs, Meeting Planner, Negative Feedback, Nightmarish Situation, Participants, People, Positive Feedback, Relationship, Rsquo, Tweak
14 Apr 10 Breaking the Ice on Your Next Meeting
Raising the energy level of an early morning meeting can be quite a challenge. People head for the coffee and tend to gather with familiar faces. This can make things a little awkward for new people in the group and makes it difficult to generate new group dynamics. The right icebreaker can shake things up a bit and get people interested in what is to come.
One fun way to create new groups and start a team building activity is to distribute bits of a building set among the participants. People who hold Legos go to the Lego station, anyone with a Tinker Toy piece heads to the Tinker Toy table, and so forth. Each team has 15 minutes to create a model of a concept on the day’s agenda.
The exercise could focus more on introducing relative strangers to one another. Break the group into smaller parts using the same method, this time using small pieces of candy. This time the group members play 2 out of 3, meaning they write down 3 things about themselves, 2 of which are the truth and 1 that is a lie. The more outrageous the items, the more fun group members will have separating truth from lies.
Tags: 15 Minutes, 3 Things, Breaking The Ice, Candy, Coffee, Energy Level, Exercise, Familiar Faces, Group Dynamics, Group Members, Lego, Morning Meeting, New Groups, Participants, People, Play 2, Relative Strangers, Small Pieces, Team Building Activity, Tinker Toy
02 Apr 10 Sparking Interest in a Cruise Meeting
An all-inclusive cruise is an exciting spin on meeting planning. Participants are well aware meetings formats may center on focused blocks of hard work and it becomes all too easy to forget how to relax. One way to generate excitement for an upcoming cruise meeting is to educate the group about life on board and at their ports of call.
This will be the first cruise experience for many people in the group. Add a list of commonly used “ship slang” to the packet of materials provided to each participant. A simple game of ship speak bingo can break the ice and give group members a chance to get to know one another. By the time the game is over, participants will feel confident that they know their fore from their aft.
Go beyond the standard travel brochure and create guides give group members a few helpful hints on local social graces. These could include: how much and who to tip, how to stay please and thank you in the local language, suggestions for appropriate dress, and portable currency exchange guides. A section discussing which situations are friendly photo opportunities (or not) will give camera buffs something to mull over. Good manners are easy to pack, improve communication, and guarantee a welcome on a return trip.
Tags: Bingo, Camera Buffs, Communication, Cruise Experience, Currency Exchange, Excitement, Good Manners, Group Members, Helpful Hints, Many People, Meeting Planning, Participant, Participants, Photo Opportunities, Ports Of Call, Return Trip, Simple Game, Slang, Social Graces, Travel Brochure
24 Feb 10 Fun Ways to Break Participants into Work Groups
Many trainings, retreats and meetings require breaking your large group of attendees into smaller working groups for games, task completion, brainstorming or team building activities. While you can always simply assign each attendee a number or break them into groups according to how they are sitting, there are also options that are a bit more fun and will get your participants activated and involved in the process, leading to more productivity and more fun.
Little games that break them into groups also serve to re-energize the room and bring more life to your meetings, and for team building.
One example is the comic strip game. This game is easy to organize and takes minimal preparation. Simply clip comic strips out of a newspaper and separate each frame of each comic. During the meeting, have each participant pick a piece of a comic strip out of a bag or bowl. Once all of your participants each have one comic strip frame, the objective is for them to find the folks who have the rest of the comic strip and to line up in the correct order to piece the comic strip back together.
To add a bit of competition, you can also give a prize to the group that is able to find each other and arrange themselves correctly quickest. Upon completion of the game, you now have small working groups that can get to work on a task of brainstorming session.
Tags: Attendee, Attendees, Brainstorming, Break, Comic Strip, Comic Strips, Fun Games, Large Group, Little Games, Minimal Preparation, Objective, Participant, Participants, Productivity, Retreats, Strip Game, Task Completion, Team Building Activities, Work Groups, Working Groups
22 Feb 10 Preparing Your Attendees for a Successful Meeting
Corporate meeting planners wear many hats, which sometimes includes making sure the attendees are well-prepared. Pre-meeting preparation is an important part of ensuring the meeting is effective and productive, and also allows the attendees to know what to expect and which materials, presentations or notes they may need to bring. Productive meetings that stay on task and on schedule reflect well on the meeting planner, even if the planner is not the one actually conducting business during the meeting.
Here are ways you can help your attendees prepare for a great meeting:
1. Distribute the agenda beforehand – Make sure that all attendees have an accurate agenda prior to attending the meeting. Since you will be including the date, time and location of the meeting on the agenda, this also works as an effective meeting reminder.
2. Make sure attendees have background information – Either distribute materials related to the meeting topic, or let the attendees know where they can find the information they need.
3. Give the attendees pre-meeting homework – Whether it is simply asking them to read the background material or asking them to prepare ideas or a presentation, assign pre-meeting tasks that will help the meeting run smoother and get participants involved in the process.
With a little preparation, your meeting participants will have a more fulfilling meeting experience and will have you to thank for it.
Tags: Attendees, Background Information, Background Material, Business Meeting, Corporate Meeting Planners, Date Time, Effective Meeting, Hats, Homework, Meeting Agenda, Meeting Planner, Participants, Presentation, Productive Meetings, Reminder
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