Meetings Mean Business
Recently we held our third annual educational conference for meeting professionals in our destination. It is difficult to pull people away for a full day event but we were determined to pr
ovide top-notch education that would be equivalent to the high cost of travelling to a major industry event. Organizing an event like this takes as much coordination as a three day conference and sometimes more in that timelines are tight. So what are some of the steps in putting the event together?
1. Consult with your target audience. Don’t assume you know what will motivate them to come. By bringing a team of seasoned planners together we were able to get their ideas on what type of education an advanced planner would find valuable. The other benefit is that once people share their voice, you have buy in. A third benefit is that the energy of the event changes when seasoned planners are in the room. This was a great blend of strong talent from all corners of our industry.
2. Build a team of committed volunteers. This was the toughest part I encountered. Volunteerism seems to have lost the sizzle. So many teams are working with fewer staff and larger workloads. Business is short term and a few members had to step down to manage revenue generating activity. It is a sign of the times that our association and many others are going to need to address in an effort to provide the same level of benefits and programming that were offered when volunteers were able to give more time and talent and had greater support from their employers. The team that was consistent needs to be recognized for the added effort that was required because there were not enough of us. Marketing suffered because the talent and financial resources were lacking.
3. Identify the topics that need a zoom lens. What will get YOU out of your office for a full day? There were lots of ideas about topics of interest and the key thread was to make it advanced learning. We typically cater to a beginner or intermediate audience in an effort to widen the net. With this conference we determined that the “big fish” was the advanced learner. In looking at our chapter demographics, we have a lot of baby boomers so some of the technology shifts may appear to be less advanced but appeal to the generational gaps that are evident in today’s meeting world.
4. Build the schedule. We knew we needed the workshops to have more than 1 hour since there was a lot of material to cover in each topic. We kept most of the workshops on the same floor as the general sessions and meals but 15 minutes really was not enough time for breaks as this group LOVES to network and time needed to be built in for more interaction with the office. I believe the 15 minutes pre and post lunch was fine but we needed 30 minutes between the opening session and 1st set of workshops and again between workshop 2 & workshop 3. The closing session could have been blocked for 15 minutes allowing for closing remarks and the final raffle. Keeping the traffic buster in a public spot at the venue was a great call and I was thrilled so many folks found their way there.
5. Identify the anchor key note topics and speakers. Asking our board for suggestions on the most inspiring key note speakers who really have a grasp on our industry is what got us to contact Laura Schwartz. WOW! What a gift this gal is to the meeting and event industry. Always upbeat and so engaging yet she is real people … we became instant friends and she has such a powerful, well prepared message to share. From the time she finished speaking until the event was concluded 3 hours later there was a line to meet her and purchase her book. Bruce MacMillan, CEO and President of MPI was our opening speaker and we were so fortunate that he had the interest to see what we are doing and he donated his time to share the value of belonging to our parent organization. Of course, we took the opportunity to thank our gifted members for all their time and talent and the connections we have tracked of $1.4 mm since July 2010. Membership in the Tampa Bay chapter has a proven return on investment.
6. Identify the experts to train the workshops. Chapter Leaders have access to many proven experts who speak at other chapter events listed by topic. We started with this option and also looked at who is tops in their field in our local marketplace. Speaker travel and speaker fees add to the expense column and don’t insure greater attendance. Balancing the budget was an exercise that became extremely difficult when some sponsorship opportunities did not materialize. Still, we made a substantial investment in quality speakers and we had the perfect venue for advanced learning.
7. Creatively financing a $30,000 + meeting experience. Our number 1 goal is to invest in our membership and provide a learning and networking atmosphere where quality planners and suppliers can build relationships. A typical monthly educational meeting is built on strategic alliances that actually help to fund meetings and events like this one. We applied for an educational grant through the MPI Foundation which helped to further offset costs. We work on every possible avenue to provide the highest quality through our generous supplier donations. When challenged by lack of sponsorship, we work on creatively impacting the goals in the most affordable manner. Thank you Sam’s Club for the one day membership! I hope everyone enjoyed the healthy options!
Early results indicate a high satisfaction rating and a desire to make Meetings Academy and annual event with a full day of educational content. I would say that it was a success and my only disappointment is that the attendance numbers should have been much greater. A very special thank you goes out to the chairs
-
Margaret Williams (strategic alliances),
-
Christy Cromwell (education chair),
-
Roberta Blum and Carol Eaves (co-chairs managing logistics),
ent both sides and I am a meeting planner! The fact is that businesses may agree to terms that don’t protect them but they set up assurances that are outside of the agreement. For instance, if you want a block of 100 rooms for 3 nights and your history shows the most you have ever used is 80, the hotel may bind themselves to hold 100 rooms and honor that commitment if it materializes however, they “blind cut” your block and hold 80 rooms out of inventory so they have a more realistic accounts receivable forecast. Many hotels will hold a net block but honor the full contracted block if needed. This practice will be impacted further if there is an agreement that there will not be any attrition. So often we only think of attrition as a shortage of rooms utilized by the group and we don’t often hear of the hotel not being able to honor the full block.
mory box each year and create a priceless gift of your own. Build a bucket list of memories to attain in 2011. We found this box and printed our memories on business card stock. It made each memory consistant in size, on a good card stock and easy to punch out rather than lots of cutting and flimsy strips of paper. After the gift was prepared with photos to accompany many of the memories, every contributor got a copy of the finished memories from all involved. Some members did not contribute at that time but have time to contribute as they desire … the gift keeps on giving.
differently depending on the size and relationships on the guest list. 
very opportunity to dive into self-discovery. Lisa Kraus with Plan Your Meetings is one of those individuals who turned my sour grapes complaint into sweet wine endorsements. Because of that experience, I have become a raving fan and speaker whenever she needs me to help out. Be sure to use them and their suppliers as a resource. They are committed to education, extreme customer service, relationship building and collaboration. Check out their Knowledge Series 
Finally! Twenty eight days prior to major arrivals I get the call and it is all systems go! Some of the things that were completed were:
question. We had escalating prizes for three levels per game.
Got the latest dirt on the floods, the oil spill, hurricanes, the tornadoes, the fires, murders, strikes, earthquakes? Does news need to be sexy, shocking or shameful to attract your interest? Will you read a positive message that lacks a little sizzle? It is no secret that our economy is struggling, there have been some horrific natural disasters and now more than ever we need positive, uplifting, inspirational, spirited information that strengthens our bonds to one another.
The job of a meeting planning professional is to plan and execute a successful meeting or event. We are not audio visual, website or catering experts. We utilize preferred vendors and trusted suppliers to put the pieces of our events together. Hotels will usually have a one stop shop approach and keep as much as possible in house but you can never assume that they will be able to do it all. Relationships with trusted suppliers will streamline the process and increase the professional polish to your meeting or event. 
e to my aid in very difficult situations and the outcome was seamless to the audience. Steve, Jim and Ivy are incredible ambassadors and seasoned professionals. AVI-SPL has several locations throughout the country and they are involved in taking the meeting profession to a higher level. The audience EXPECTS a seamless production and that doesn’t always happen with the wave of the magic wand. Be sure to treat your suppliers right and say thank you for a job well done.
