Cost-Saving Tips

Checklist: F&B Cost Savings

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 12:00:00 EDT

At a session at Meeting Professionals International's recent Professional Education Conference in New Orleans, Janet R. Pickover, CMP, a director with Site Inspections Plus in Princeton, N.J., offered these cost-saving tips: Buy bottled water in bulk and custom brand it, instead of serving the expensive branded bottles hotels typically provide. Put reception food tables against the wall rather than

Streamline Your F&B Budget with this Cost-Savings Checklist

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Think it's Possible to save thousands of dollars on your food and beverage budget? Think higher. In a session at Meeting Professionals International's recent Professional Education Conference in New Orleans, presenter Janet R. Pickover, CMP, told the story of a meeting planner who, over the course of several years, managed to save hundreds of thousands: $300,000, in fact. Incredibly, all her savings

Budgeting for the Unknown

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:00:00 EDT

It Seemed a pretty straightforward proposition. Budgeting for air travel for a Monsanto sales incentive in Hawaii, while bound to be expensive, should have been fairly easy to calculate. Identify key cities from which prospective winners will be flying, get the typical fares, and come up with a group analysis. Simple, right? For Kathleen Brassil, CMP, manager of the meeting services department for

Flexibility Key for SMERF Groups

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:00:00 EDT

In a discriminating seller's market in which hoteliers are turning away business, SMERF (social, military, educational, religious, and fraternal) groups which are typically the most budget-conscious of all are finding that a little flexibility goes a long way toward getting rooms at the right price. We still try to focus on tier-one cities or cities that have special interest to our group, says Matthew

Golf & Spa on a Budget

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:00:00 EDT

With greens fees on the rise and meeting budgets stagnant, planners of golf events face a challenge: Put on the same top-notch tournament as always but for the same amount of money as last year (and the year before that). Moreover, the number of people signing up for golf tournaments is declining, thanks to tighter corporate purse strings. Frank Sablone, president, Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute