mind4meetings

5 places to find sponsors and exhibitors

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:37:00 +0000

With budget cuts and travel restrictions, it's become harder for conference organizers to find exhibitors and sponsors to help fund their events. Here's a list of places to look, some of which you will no doubt already have covered, but perhaps a few that you hadn't thought of.

1. Your Existing Database
It's obvious, yes, and you've probably already worked through this list of past and possible exhibitors more than once. But go through it one more time and this time with a fresh outlook. Do you still have a list of "maybe's"? If so, what's holding them up from making a commitment? If it's just payment, offer to take a small deposit and then defer the remainder until a future date, perhaps something in their next budget year. Often it's just a matter of being flexible and finding terms that will work better for them. If your budget can swing it, work toward getting their written commitment then worry about collecting funds later.

2. Past Conferences
When was the last time your conference was held in that city? If it's been a while, see if you can find a list of exhibitors and sponsors from that year, then call them to gauge interest. There are lots of regional reps that will eagerly exhibit when an event is held in a city near them, but have to decline the following year because of sales territory restrictions within their organization. Also, don't just look at last year's exhibitor and sponsor list, look at the year before that, and before that, etc. Perhaps there's a new rep, a shift in their sales focus or maybe there was a schedule conflict over the past two years that isn't the case for the upcoming conference.

3. Vendor Lists
Obtain a list of vendors your organization has used over the past year or two. Perhaps there are some on the list who haven't been approached to sponsor or exhibit. Maybe they aren't even aware of your event, and would welcome the opportunity to increase their business by being exposed to your attendees. You can get a list from your accounting department and/or your purchasing department, but also consider approaching employees and attendees - what products do your attendees use?

4. Similar Events, Similar Organizations
Take a look at your competition - who is exhibiting at their events? What companies are sponsoring them? It's possible major sponsors won't be eager to sponsor your event if you're a true competitor, however you could certainly approach that sponsor's competitor. For example, if American Express sponsors one of your competitor's events, why not approach MasterCard? if you're an association take a look at similar associations. Take a look at other chapters or the national and international governing bodies.

5. Social Media
Who are you following? Who is following you? Are they interested in exhibiting or sponsoring? Twitter and Facebook have recently gotten much smarter at making connection suggestions, which makes it easier to find potential backers. And don't forget to tweet and post a call for exhibitors and sponsors - you never know who is out there that might be interested.

Got any other ideas on where to look for exhibitors and sponsors? Please comment below and share with us!

Hotels.com commercial - no friend to the meeting planner

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:09:00 +0000

Hey conference planners, have you seen this TV ad for Hotels.com? Does it bother any of you?

In case you didn't notice, it shows two office-types using the Internet to search for hotels to stay for a conference. Did you cringe at the thought like I did? Here's what pretty much went through my head....

No, please! Don't search online - we have already guaranteed rooms at the conference hotel for you! If you don't stay there then the organization will need to pay for the room (it's called attrition) and that will hurt us. This means we might have to increase membership dues and/or the cost of future conferences - in other words that costs gets passed along to you, the attendee.

Were you looking for a lower rate? Did you calculate in the cost of cab fare, rental car, gas, etc.? What about the hassle with traffic and finding your way around in another city? And by the way, the savvy meeting planner that worked on this contract guaranteed the lowest rate at the host hotel so you won't find a better deal there. Oh, and yes, she checks it twice weekly to be sure.

So please, Hotels.com, I beg you. Stick to vacationers and business travelers and leave our conference attendees alone!

I'm no slave to social media

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:03:00 +0000

Well, summer hiatus is officially over and it's time to get back to business. As you know, I am a full time meeting planner, but also a full time mom and wife - sometimes one's real life must take precedence over one's virtual life. This summer we were busy with football, work, family activities and other obligations, so unfortunately my blog (and Twitter) suffered for it.

I am sure I was not as missed as I would like to have been. But that's OK. I am first and foremost a "real" person and my "real" life always comes first. And I'm not ashamed.

I guess it all boils down to priorities. Sure, social media is a fun, free and popular way to connect with others, learn new things and promote your business/meeting/personal brand, but if you're spending more than an hour or two a week doing it, perhaps it's time to take a good hard look at the effectiveness of your work habits.

For me, it's crucial that I don't ever lose sight of what is really important in life. How different our lives will be a year from now. My oldest will have left the nest for his venture into adulthood by way of military service. My youngest will be a freshman in high school and already his social life is cutting into family time. I can see it on the horizon - more and more dinners for two (hubby and me) instead of four. And eventually, not too long from now, two at dinner is all we will have.

So I'm going to enjoy what I have now while I still have it, without regrets. If that means a few months between blog posts, then so be it.

What is a QR code and how do I use one?

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:46:00 +0000

Just when you thought you were on top of technology, along comes another new innovation. Using something called a QR code, your mobile phone can be utilized in yet another very productive way.

Let's say you're planning an event and you want people to add it to their calendars. Use a web-based code generator called Maestro to create a QR code. Send the QR code through email, publish on a website, print on a poster or even use it on a printed postcard that you send through the (gasp) mail. All your potential guests have to do is snap a photo of it with their mobile phones using a free app, and voilà, It's been added to their calendar in a matter of seconds!

QR codes can be used for web addresses, contact info (mine is inset, feel free to add me to your contacts), maps, text messaging and there's even a RAW mode, so you can customize these handy little codes to suit your needs. Have you heard the buzz about how you can soon use your mobile phone as your boarding pass? All made possible with QR codes!

A few examples of how you, as a meeting professional, can use QR codes:

Print your QR code on your business cards - associates can take a photo of your business card and upload your contact info into their phones in a matter of seconds.
Generate QR codes for registered convention attendees and train exhibitors how to upload attendee contact info instantly, using technology they probably already own.
Print QR codes on attendee registration receipts and check them in at registration by simply snapping a photo of their printed confirmations.
Generate a QR code for a map and directions to the conference location.
Use QR codes to organize your conference shipments, handouts, sign placement... the possibilities are infinite.

Links:

Maestro QR Code Generator
SPARQCode QR code info & demo video
Free QR code reader apps - available for Blackberry, iPhone, Palm, Windows Mobile and Droid phones (or check your phone's app store using a search for "QR code reader")
Track flights using QR codes with FlightStats
See how they're using QR codes to market Legos in Germany

17 ways to use Google Docs for meeting planning

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I've been using Google Docs for some time now, and cannot understand why there would be any meeting planners out there who are not using it. If you are not sure what Google Docs is, here's a 3-minute video explaining what it's all about:

Google Docs is a wonderful tool that lets you collaborate with staff, AV vendors, hotel salespeople, conference service managers, speakers... the list goes on and on. Here's a handy dandy list of ways in which Google Docs (and other cloud computing systems) can be used in meeting and event planning.

Google Docs Documents
1. RFPs and detailed meeting specifications.
2. Simple informational websites for exhibitors and speakers - include policies and links to forms, hotel reservation site, show floor plan, etc.
3. Staff project wikis - Share login info, notes and contact information.

4. Printable forms and documents - flyers, sign-ups, etc.

Google Docs Spreadsheets
5. Meeting specifications and agendas - list setups, AV needs, etc.
6. Project timelines - have staff members update progress.
7. Conference reports - room lists, payments, exhibitor lists, registration reports, pace reports, etc.

8. Contact list - share emails and phone numbers of key planning contacts with your team.

9. Financials - budgeting and tracking expenses.

Google Docs Forms
10. RFP responses - have properties enter rate and availability, property info, concessions, etc.
11. Post-event evaluations - information is captured in a spreadsheet, which can easily be converted into graphical format.
12. Registration - if you aren't collecting payment, this is a quick, easy and free option, though attendees won't have the ability to change, cancel or view their submissions, and they won't get an automatic confirmation.

Google Docs Presentations
13. Handouts - attendees can access these as online presentations before or after the meeting.
14. Event promotion - create a slide show with meeting highlights and give your delegates a sneak peek at what they will encounter by attending.

Google Docs Drawings
15. Rough sketches of setups - these won't likely be to scale, but they might help communicate setup needs to the venue.
16. Flowcharts - create and share procedural flowcharts so team members are clear on responsibilities and progression of tasks.
17. Mind-mapping - because Google Docs are shared real-time, you can brainstorm and use graphical mind-mapping with colleagues during a conference call (or Google Talk chat!).

The possibilities are truly endless. How do you use Google Docs for event planning? Please share your ideas by leaving a comment below.

Teambuilding with the Marshmallow Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:45:00 +0000

If you haven't used the Marshmallow Challenge teambuilding activity at past conferences, you should consider it. It's a very budget-friendly way to get people together in a collaboration activity. All you need for each team is 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string and one marshmallow. Teams have 18 minutes to build a free-standing structure with the marshmallow on top. The team with the tallest structure wins.

What's great about this activity is that after the 18 minutes is up, the moderator has the opportunity to discuss with the group what did or didn't go well. What techniques worked best and why? What "types" of people did best and worst? What skills and thought processes do these people have that others can learn from?

In this video from TED.com thought leader and innovator Tom Wujec discusses some interesting findings on how teams work together and which types of people come up with the best results.

From TED.com Tom Wujec: Build a tower, build a team

Link with instructions on how to run your own marshmallow challenge: MarshmallowChallenge.com

Between a rock and a hard place

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:23:00 +0000

I hate to say it, but I think some meeting planners have become spoiled. The poor economy of the past couple years had hotels begging for their business, offering no attrition, no deposits and countless other ridiculously one-sided contract terms. Truthfully, it's capitalism at its finest - supply and demand - and we love it.

But with indications showing the meeting and event industry picking up, some planners are still expecting properties to kowtow to their every wish. This saddens me, and at times frustrates me too. Best practices dictate that a contract between a hotel and client should be mutually beneficial.

This week one of my clients, against my advice, had me go to a hotel and make ~~demands~~ requests that I knew they wouldn't agree to.

I've always valued my vendors and truly look at them as partners. When I bring business to a hotel, I want them to be happy that our group is there. I want them to feel that we are bringing them profitable business. I want them to service my group as the important guests that they are, not feel as though they have been nickel-and-dimed. I want to pay a hotel for their services, and pay them what they are worth. This is a fair business agreement.

As clients are my first priority, I did my best to represent their wishes. I did my job.

And as I had suspected, the hotel was not able to agree to the client's terms. After weeks and weeks of working on a contract, it looks like we are going to have to walk away from it and start with another hotel. I wonder whether another hotel would even agree to these terms. But as the client grows more upset and frustrated that they aren't getting what they want, we as a third party planner just have to do our best and liaise between the hotel and group, advising both along the way, and trying to minimize the damage done to the relationships with both vendor and client.

cool tool: randomizer

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:22:00 +0000

Got a random prize drawing at your event? Tired of cutting up little slips of paper with names on them? With a randomizer tool you can forget all that. Just export your potential winner list and import it into the randomizer. You'll get a list of prizewinners in an instant.

Things to know:

Don't forget to remove any ineligible prizewinners such as exhibitors or executives.
Since the winners are picked ahead of time (even before you leave the office) there isn't the drama of having tickets pulled from a bowl onstage. Sure you could fake it, but then whoever is on stage would have to pull the ticket/paper and then read the real winner's name from a hidden list. Not impossible, but there's a potential for audience confusion.
This method of prize drawing works best when you have winning names or numbers posted on a bulletin board, say, in the exhibitor or registration area, where attendees can come by to check whether they won.
If your randomizer uses numbers instead of names, you can use the attendee's registration confirmation number.

Here are a few great online randomizers:

Random Line Picker
Randomizer.org - view their links page for more randomizing tools
Random.org - they also have a random drawing service for $4.95

Just for fun, I used Random Line Picker to randomize my blog posts and came up with Texting technology at meetings

Upcoming movie for those who love to travel!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Sat, 15 May 2010 19:27:00 +0000

If you've read the book, then you know how great this movie will be. Julia Roberts is perfect casting!

6 things to consider when selecting top quality speakers for your conference

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Tue, 04 May 2010 04:07:00 +0000

Looking for topical speakers can be a daunting task. Filling your conference's agenda with presenters the attendees will be drawn to can be hit or miss, so it's important to consider these key factors.

1. Relevance
There are many speakers out there who are willing to tailor their presentation to your needs. That's all well and good, but beware of the presenter who insists he or she can speak on any topic. In that case, you can probably bet it's as the old saying goes, "Jack of all trades, master of none." In my experience, attendees will appreciate a less-polished speaker if his or her content hits the mark.

2. Demographics
You should pay attention to your attendees' demographics, but don't underestimate the power of finding a speaker who is the complete opposite. Got a bunch of stiff businessmen in suits? Rather than pick a dry, stuffed shirt, find someone with a comedic sense who is likely to liven up your group, keep them interested and best of all, offer an element of surprise.

3. Price
The best advice I can give here is to be realistic, and remember, you usually do get what you pay for. If you're pressured to deliver on content but executives give you a low budget, try and get creative. Are there other conferences happening in town that might be able to share some of the hard costs with you, if you share a speaker? Will a presenter cut a deal with you if you hire him or her for multiple programs? Don't try to talk a good speaker down too much - remember that what they deliver has a certain value. You don't want to risk them cutting out too much of that or your program will suffer for it.

4. Logistics
If you find a great presenter and he or she has a scheduling conflict, you might be disappointed. Do you have the flexibility to switch your agenda up and have him or her present on the next day instead? A speaker's availability is only a part of this factor; consider geography. A presenter based in New York City might not be a good fit for your San Francisco conference, simply due to airfare costs and travel time - what if you don't have an extra room night to spare? You'd be better off finding someone local or regional and in that case you're more likely to have someone familiar with the venue and their staff. Plus, you might be able to negotiate a reduced fee since the speaker's time on the road would be decreased as well.

5. Marketing potential
How will you promote your speaker and his/her sessions? Does he/she have a YouTube video, Twitter account or Facebook fan page you can use as a marketing and cross-promotion tool? Would he or she be willing to do a short and simple video specifically for your conference website? Has your presenter authored any topical publications that could add to his or her credibility? Consider offering a signed copy as a reward for early bird conference registration, or if the budget allows for it, send out advance copies to your attendees so they can read up on the subject and get to know your speaker's voice.

6. Star quality
There are plenty of great speakers out there who are experts in their field, but some of them lack a certain spark. Hiring an actor, talk show host or sports celebrity is a great way to draw attendees in, but your delegates might be more impressed if you hire a leader in their own field to speak.

More reading on speakers:

cool tool: twitterfountain

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Want to jazz up your website or blog? Take three minutes of your time to create a Twitterfountain like this one:

Tip: To get relevant images for your fountain's background rather than the default Twitter images, create a custom keyword on your Flickr account - something nobody else could accidentally use. Then specify that keyword to designate the images you want to appear in your Twitterfountain's background.

Use your customized Twitterfountain to promote tweets on your blog, website or other online applications. Be careful though, as all tweets with your specified keyword will show up in the fountain. If you use your event's or trade show's hashtag as the keyword, all tweets about it will be displayed, including anything negative or controversial.

Link: www.twitterfountain.com

Post note: Twitterfountain is free, and like all things, you get what you pay for. When I was composing this post, my Twitterfountain was working great. Now that I posted it, it seems sluggish and tweets aren't appearing, nor is my chosen background. Be prepared that sometimes this "cool tool" might not work exactly the way you want it to, or when!

3-1/2 social media mistakes event marketers are still making

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:34:00 +0000

With the ever-growing popularity of social media, it's hard to believe there are still organizations who just don't get it right when it comes to promoting their trade shows, conferences and events. Here's what they're doing wrong:

1. Hashtag ~~abuse~~ spamming (a personal pet peeve)
Are you an event spammer who uses industry hashtags? Do your tweets consist of nothing but promos for your upcoming conference or trade show? Or are you a smart marketer who mixes in event promo tweets in addition to valuable information those hashtag followers want to see? If your tweets are nothing but commercials, you are likely annoying the people who rely on the hashtag to deliver valuable content and connections. Considering those very people are your potential attendees, why would you want to annoy them? 1a. Failure to engage* Sadly, you are missing out on the real purpose of Twitter and other social networking tools: To engage with others who share common interests. One-sided event commercialism is far from engaging, and sends the message that you don't want to bother with the social aspect of Twitter. You would be better off finding another way to promote your event, but stop using the hashtag and instead tweet just for your followers. That way, people can at least choose to follow or unfollow you.
*marked as 1/2 due to its close relation to #1

2. Choosing quantity over quality
I know you've seen it: Tweeters or Facebook fan pages offering an iPad or some other hot item as a prize to their 1,000th follower. Is this an effective way to increase your follower base? You bet. Is it smart? No way. Quantity does not equal quality. If you were, let's say, a neighborhood garage, and you wanted to bump up your business through advertising. Would you place an ad in a nationwide newspaper? Of course not! You would advertise in the local paper. You don't want to waste your time or energy on people who are not your target market. If you want to boost your following, think inside the box a little. Rather than blatantly offering a prize to anyone, make it for event registrants who are following you on Twitter or are your Facebook fans. This is a double-whammy because it encourages your registrants to follow/fan you, and encourages your fans/followers to register for your event.

3. Failing to measure your ROI
Yes, social media is technically free. But you truly get out of it what you put into it. You need to spend a fair amount of time and resources (which honestly do cost money, don't they?) to build and maintain your social media contacts. It's important to measure the return on investment for social media efforts because it will help you to learn what you're doing right and correct things that could take you off target. Evaluating ROI helps you to maximize value and ultimately, attendance. But where to begin? Start here with Mashable's excellent article on how to measure your social media ROI.

Hopefully, with time, people will learn not to make the above mistakes. In the mean time, if you know someone who is, please pass this article along to them. And feel free to comment and add any other mistakes you've seen.

cool tool: receive flight alerts on your smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:59:00 +0000

Ever wonder whether your VIP's flight is arriving on time? Or whether your own is delayed? There are a lot of flight tracking tools out there, but I am fond of one in particular, called Flightview.

I travel a lot, and I've used a lot of travel tools. I like Flightview because it allows you to set up an alert using your smartphone as far into the future as two months. Simply enter the airline, flight number and date of departure and you will begin receiving alerts a few hours before the flight. Can't remember the flight number? Not a problem - you can also look up the information by entering the departure and arrival airports.

When you receive an alert that a flight is "in air" you then have the ability to open a new window with a graphical image of the flight's air position - pretty cool!

The app is available for Blackberry and Palm smartphones, but if you don't have one of those, you can still use the site's features by visiting http://mobile.flightview.com/

There are also tools available on the Flightview website, including airport stats. However the site does not have the capability (yet) of setting up alerts in conjunction with your phone. But you can use your desktop/laptop to track flights on their site anytime and their "Go Live" feature is a cool Java-based graphical image which allows you to zoom in and out, show or hide the weather map, and even "replay" the flight path.

Flightview is a great tool for a road warrior like me, but the Massachusetts-based company also offers more in-depth and customized services. Their data feeds, reporting, web components and consulting services are helpful to companies in various industries including ground transportation, airports, airlines, aviation operations and professional services.

I don't use it for anything fancy like that, but I'm just happy to know that my Brother-in-Law's flight is delayed so I can sit here and watch Project Runway a little longer.

Link: Flightview.com

Related post: Cool tool: Get real-time info on airport delays

7 steps to your event's social media marketing campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:08:00 +0000

You can't escape the viral buzz that the new media has created. It serves as an efficient marketing tool and if done right, can be quite effective. There are 7 basic steps to creating a social media marketing campaign.

1. Set your goals
Someone once said If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there? To set the proper goals, you must determine specific, attainable goals, and know how to measure the results. Your overall goal is likely to maximize attendance, but think about the smaller picture. Are you looking to develop awareness of your event or influence people to attend who might be on the fence about it? Are you looking to increase exhibitor income and sponsorships? Are you trying to establish your conference or convention as the premier event in your industry?

2. Know your target attendees
What do they tweet about? Which LinkedIn groups do they like to connect with? Which blogs do they read and comment on? What are the hot subjects they are buzzing about? Most importantly, what are their favorite social media? Knowing where they spend their online time and what they buzz about will help you to know where you need to have a presence.

3. Select your tools

Though they are probably the most popular, the "new media" isn't just Facebook and Twitter. Don't count out MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon and others. (For an extensive list, check out www.addthis.com) Don't oversaturate however - choose wisely. The more places you hold a presence, the more places that will require your attention and upkeep. Again, it comes down to knowing where your potential attendees spend their social media energy - go for quality, not quantity.

4. Gather your army

It takes a team to plan and execute your event. Likewise, it's a good idea to share the workload associated with your social media event marketing campaign. Doing so not only saves you the work, it gives your event more credibility and adds variety in conversation. Give others in your organization the ability to tweet and post Facebook updates about your event - but don't forget to look past your core team. Go to your exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, venue, host city's Convention and Visitors Bureau... any business or person who has a stake in your event's success. Invite them to connect with your audience as well.

5. Develop your event's online presence
You've done all the background work, now it's time for the fun. Get in there and tweet, retweet, engage, inform! Be sure the message you're sending is in line with your event marketing goals, but don't lose your followers' interests by keeping is all business. Along with your "housekeeping" posts about registration opening and sponsorship thank yous, be sure to reference relevant online articles and blog posts. Better yet, learn something about individual followers and post something: "Congratulations John Doe on winning the 'Chiropractor of the Year' award!" Don't get too personal however - you don't want to look like a stalker!

6. Give your followers a means to connect
The new media is all about making connections and engaging with others, right? Think strategically about how you will connect with people and give them opportunities to connect with each other to build excitement before the conference. Face-to-face networking (and socializing) is in the top 3 reasons (usually #1) why attendees go to an event. Get them talking to each other beforehand. How? Post provocative questions for them to answer, host Twitter chats, and announce a time and location for an informal "tweetup" at your event.

7. Continuously monitor and maintain steps 1-6
With social media, as with anything, you get out of it what you put into it. Ensure your plan is working and if you're not happy with the results, change things up a bit.

With a social media event marketing campaign, that old "you get what you pay for" rule applies. Using the new media to promote your event is easy and "free", but to get the maximum result you'll have to put some sweat into it. Don't have unrealistic expectations - with some time and effort, you will see positive results.

cool tool: video in 5 minutes or less

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:57:00 +0000

Jing by TechSmith captures your screen for up to 5 minutes while recording your voice (or whatever other sounds your mic picks up, be warned). Aside from composing your basic "how to" video, some good applications for this tool:

Use it as a "show and tell" to get people excited about an upcoming event - show screen shots of the hotel, city attractions, speakers, etc.
Showcase your speakers and their bios to get people excited about upcoming sessions
Give attendees a brief topic overview of basic/background info to save time in the actual session
Click through a PowerPoint show to give a more in-depth overview of a conference agenda
Use it as a demo/training video to assist any attendees who might be confused about registering online or making online hotel reservations.

Pros:

Free download for Windows and Mac
Pro version available $14.95 per year
Five-minute limit keeps you to the point

Cons:

Five-minute limit might force you to leave out details
Sound quality isn't the best - try using a dedicated microphone instead of the one bulit into your computer

Links:

Learn more about Jing and download for free: http://www.jingproject.com/
The Jing Blog: http://blog.jingproject.com/

lowest rate clause - friend or foe?

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Let's rewind the clock a couple of years and pretend it's 2007. The economy is doing OK and you've got your hotel contract finalized for your 2010 annual conference. You're pretty proud of your work - you managed to get the hotel to agree to most of your clauses and concessions and your executives seem happy with you. You've got all your favorite clauses, including a "lowest rate" clause, stating that the hotel must not offer any rates lower than your negotiated group rate.

Now let's fast forward to 2010, about 30-40 days before your group meeting. Your hotel block is underperforming and pickup is not at all what you or your executives had expected. You cite the economy and budget cuts, but back in 2007 you didn't realize things would be this tough. So now you have to alert your executives that they might have to pay that ugly thing called "attrition damages."

When you contact the hotel to gauge the situation, you learn that they are wide open over your conference dates, so unfortunately there's little chance that they will sell out, lowering your amount owed proportionately.

But hold that thought just a minute. That "lowest rate" clause you were so proud of way back when is now biting you in the butt, isn't it? If the hotel was allowed to publish a lower rate than yours, theoretically more people would book there, right? Then the amount your organization owes for attrition damages would decrease, or in the case of a sellout, disappear.

Solutions? Maybe they would be willing to lower your group rate in hopes of getting more heads into beds. That would allow them to drop their published rates in turn, and potentially everyone would be happy. If that isn't a consideration, then you might want to give them permission to offer your negotiated group rate to the public. I'm not saying that you should ever give the hotel carte blanche to have a fire sale. But at this point, it's really important to have a discussion with them, and see what they might be able to do to help. After all, no hotel wants to have empty rooms, even if they know your group will have to pay attrition damages - because attrition situations hurt hotels too.

The best case scenario really would have been to leave out that best rate clause altogether, and instead reword it in a more favorable way. Perhaps something stating that any published rates lower than the group rate will be extended to the group would have helped to avoid this situation altogether.

There is something else that should be said about this situation. As a meeting planner, if your group takes up most of the hotel's meeting space then they really won't be able to sell to another group. Sound good? Maybe not - if another group was in-house and their room block was overperforming in the above scenario you could ask the hotel to give them some of your reserved rooms and adjust the attrition accordingly.

The primary lessons to learn here? (a) Be careful what you put into the contract and be sure you are prepared for the consequences; (b) be realistic, perhaps even conservative, with your blocked meeting space; and (c) keep an open dialog with your hotel partner, be honest and remember that you are both working toward the same goals.

Related post: Why "no attrition" is no good

Trend: "Give & Takes" a chance to teach and to learn

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:42:00 +0000

Here's an article of interest - an idea that could really get your attendees interacting with each other.

Link: Give & Take lets participants learn the ins and outs by Richard Chin

The "Give & Take" event - this one in Minneapolis - is a place where you go to teach others what you know, and learn from others on subjects you want to know more about. For example, if I were to attend I'd fill out a name badge that listed the following:

Name: Jen

I know: Cooking, social media, how to negotiate a hotel contract

I want to know: How to make more business contacts, ideas on how to motivate my employees, new restaurants to try

So I would network with individuals around the room, sharing knowledge in my expertise and potentially finding people who knew things that could help me as well. The evening includes some brief presentations but it's dead-set against becoming another Toastmasters or business networking event.

The point? This could be a great idea for you to get your attendees to interact with each other on a more personal level. Customize it for your needs - maybe use it at a welcome breakfast or at a luncheon toward the beginning of the conference when people are making new contacts all around them. It's amazing what you can learn about people when you just take a little time to listen to them talk about something they are passionate about.

cool tool: social media cheat sheet

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Check out Drew McLellan's post on THE CMO’S GUIDE TO THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE. This graphical "social media cheat sheet" was created by CMO.com and brought to us by the author of Drew's Marketing Minute blog. It's an easy-to-understand tool for helping today's marketer decipher which medium to use for their purposes, outlining the ten most-used social media: Twitter, FaceBook, flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube, Digg, Yahoo Buzz, Reddit and Delicious.

You can download the full PDF version here.

Related post: 7 steps to your event's social media marketing campaign

What you've been waiting for: All things to remember when planning a meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:40:00 +0000

That's right - everything you need to remember when you're planning your meeting right here, right now, in one handy dandy little blog post.

Attendees
Attendees
Attendees

Seriously, what could be more important? Now I don't mean to diminish the importance of sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, VIPs, even staff. But no matter how well the planning of a meeting might seem to be going, no matter whether you've checked off all the items on your to-do list, or how well you've met your deadlines - if you sit back and can honestly say to yourself that you've kept the best interest of your attendees in mind, then you've done your job.

So, what makes a good meeting for attendees? Well, obviously that depends on your group. Which of these key elements are most important to them?

Networking and socializing with colleagues
Education opportunities, speakers, presentation content
Purchasing opportunities/vendor networking
Value for the money
Location: Venue/hotel/city in which the conference is held
Quality of the host venue(s)
Timing - length of the meeting and of each session, days of the week and time of year held, amount of free time attendees are given

Analyzing all these elements and knowing the answers is key to satisfying your attendees. The best way to analyze? Surveying of course. You probably survey your attendees after a conference in consideration of the next one, but don't rule out the idea of conducting a survey in the planning stages in order to gauge what they are thinking leading up to the event.

I'll have a post this week on the ins and outs of evaluations, but the purpose of this post was to remind us as planners how important it is to keep the best interests of our attendees in mind, no matter what. In the mean time, feel free to leave a comment on your thoughts.

What's all the buzz?

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:11:00 +0000

Just when you thought you didn't need another social networking tool, Google Buzz enters the scene with something truly amazing. It's so new, I honestly don't understand its full capabilities, but I do think it will help us to integrate our emails with our social networking. I also don't think it will replace Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, but perhaps supplement.

For the basics on Google Buzz, visit this Mashable blog post.

I'm tasking myself with learning more about this interesting platform and all its potential, so stay tuned for more info.

Lessons learned as a road warrior

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:41:00 +0000

At my first job where I was a dedicated meeting planner, several of my colleagues would complain about the amount of travel they had to do, where they were going and how long they would be away from the office. I don't know if their motivation was to get sympathy or to simply to share grievances among each other, but I always took a different perspective.

I consider myself lucky to be able to travel to new and different places. Whether I'm going somewhere as colorful as Malaga, Spain or somewhere less exotic like St. Paul, Minnesota, I always welcome an opportunity to learn about a new place and to meet new people.

Here are a few things I've learned along the way:

In Spain, they don't readily speak English as is expected in most of the rest of Europe. Instead, they study French in school, which makes sense since if you look at a map of the country - you will see that France cuts it off from the rest of the continent (barring Portugal). Side lesson learned: It's remarkable how much Spanish you can remember from studying in high school, even after not using it for a dozen years.
In Hawaii, the afternoon clouds combine with volcano particles, creating what is known as "vog" (volcano/fog).
In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, there's a daily changing of the guard on Parliament Hill, complete with parade down the city's main streets. The festivities march right past the Westin Ottawa. Plan your CEO's general session address accordingly.
The Marriott in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota makes absolutely delectable fresh homemade potato chips and they are only steps away from a light rail train that will take you to a world-famous shopping mecca.
The Mission Inn in Riverside, California is a diamond in the rough; It is an absolutely gorgeous hotel with a multitude of beauty at every twist and turn. Their steakhouse also serves delectable food and wine.
The 1980 Robin Williams/Shelley Duvall movie Popeye was filmed on the tiny island of Malta. The set is now a tourist attraction, and a very odd one at that - imagine walking through a village resembling a "real life cartoon".
In St. Paul, Minnesota, a daily high temp of 7 below zero is not considered "cold".
In Italy (and probably other parts of the world) it is not uncommon for the centuries-old decayed corpse of a saint to be displayed securely, in plain view, for tourists. This is something that honestly took me aback every time, though I saw at least a dozen of them while I was there.
Every January, San Antonio drains its famed Riverwalk. Must be considered before planning a meeting there, unless your group would enjoy what is known as the Riverwalk Mud Festival.

I have had so many other learning life experiences because of my travels, there are far too many to list here. How could I consider myself anything less than fortunate? The one lesson that I will never forget, however, won't probably surprise you. Wherever you go, and forever how long, there truly is no place like home.

Airport ponderings

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:42:00 +0000

I love airports. Yes, you heard me right - love them. I know, I'm an oddity. But tell me, where else but the airport could you spot a grown woman wearing bright pink galoshes, a little old man eating out of a homemade lunch pail, a platinum blonde diva with 4-inch heels, an entire family adorned with Mickey Mouse memorabilia and countless retired couples in matching attire? Where else would you find a businessman in a $2000 suit standing in line next to a vacationer in worn out flip flops, cutoff jean shorts and a Laguna Beach t-shirt? Airports are a stop within an itinerary that is not our norm. An interruption in our regular schedule, but a potentially welcome one.

Sure the airport has its share of annoyances. I'm actually at the Charlotte airport right now and already this morning have witnessed the usual ones. The guy on his Blackberry talking too loudly to notice hordes of travelers rushing by him. The intolerably long lines at the coffee/pizza/burger stand (or bathroom). My biggest pet peeve is the casual traveler who is oblivious to others around him/her - walking slowly, gazing around, then suddenly coming to a stop smack dab in the middle of the walkway to dig through his/her luggage for something (presumably his/her boarding pass?).

But there is something else about an airport that's particularly exciting. Airports are our "holding area" - the place where we wait to be taken to somewhere else. Somewhere hot and sunny or somewhere cold where a warm fireplace awaits us. Somewhere new and adventurous or somewhere comfortable and familiar. Somewhere we'll get to meet new people or somewhere that reunites us with those we love. And on the return trip, the airport is where we wait to be taken to the place we belong - home.

So as I wait for my flight (to somewhere many would call paradise) I will just sit back and people-watch. Wonder where these people are going, who they are going to see, and what circumstances are bringing them there. And that's one of my favorite things to do.

Is it time to revisit hotel security for your events?

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:46:00 +0000

After reading the ABC News article regarding how Michael David Barrett managed to convince the hotel to put him in the room next to ESPN's Erin Andrews, it occurred to me that the hotel is partially to blame. In case you hadn't heard, Barrett captured her undressing in her room on video - a video which then ended up on the Internet. He simply asked to have the room next to her, and they granted it without question or confirmation from her.

In fact, according to the article, it's not that difficult to find out where a celebrity is staying. If you have one speaking or performing at your conference, how many places have you openly announced it? Certainly your attendees can figure out they'll be staying at the host hotel, and unless it's a completely private meeting, chances are you've got the info all over the Internet as well, with easy access to the public.

What can you do as a meeting planner to help ensure the security of your speakers, performers, executives and attendees? Here are a few ideas.

Use pseudonyms - When I planned an event at which Tom Brokaw was a speaker, I put his name on the room list as "B. Thomas." Not even the hotel knew who this was.

Require that the hotel obtain your approval for all special requests - Getting a room next to a celebrity can be as easy as simply telling the reservationist that you're in their party. When a request like this comes through, the hotel should contact your staff immediately for confirmation.

Reinforce the importance of keeping room numbers private - Meet with the front desk manager to discuss your security concerns. I am still astounded by the number of hotel front desks that will openly say "You're on the 8th floor, Ms. Merkel. This is your room number." Pardon me, but that creepy guy in the corner over there heard you, can you please reassign my room on another floor and then not openly announce it? And by the way, I can tell by the room number what floor it's on, but if you think I don't look bright enough to figure it out, you can just write that on my key folio next to the room number.

Hire security - People who are determined to wriggle their way up to a celebrity can usually figure out how to do it, but don't make it easy for them by skimping on security. Security should only let people with official badges into your events.

How else can you help ensure the safety of people at your conferences? Please feel free to comment with any other ideas.

Outside the comfort zone

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:01:00 +0000

Last night I was participating in one of my favorite, although at times excruciating, activities - Zumba class. For those of you who aren't familiar with Zumba, it's basically an aerobics session with Latin dance moves mixed in. You have your traditional leg kicks, grapevines and arm pumps, but there's the added spice of cha-cha, samba and salsa moves. Plus lots and lots of hip-shaking.

Last night's class was a bit different however, because for the first time since I've been attending we had not one, but two guys in the class. Clearly brought there by their girlfriends/wives, I wondered whether they lost a bet? Yet at the same time, I give them über-props for having the guts to do something usually considered quite feminine.

So, these 6-foot-plus guys - one built like a basketball player and the other built like a football player - did a great job keeping up with the rhythm and moves. Probably better that I did at my first class. They didn't make all the steps (but then, neither did I), and there were times they needed to stop and catch their breath, but really, they did great. Though clearly out of their element, these guys tried and they conquered. They made their significant others proud, and judging by the big smiles on their faces afterwards, they were proud of themselves as well.

On the short drive home, I reflected on the class. I was thankful for being presented with the opportunity to witness their participation. Yes, it was entertaining as well as refreshing. But it also made me sit back and think about how the experience relates to my meetings.

Yes, there is a point here. Let me bring it home.

Think about your attendees. What sorts of things are you doing at your meetings to bring them out of their element? What new experiences are you presenting which will give them the opportunity to feel the gratification of an accomplishment? Will they leave the conference on departure day with the feeling that they did something worthwile, or will they feel like your conference was just the same as always?

looking for a truly "different" venue? why not meet in a cliff dwelling?

noreply@blogger.com (Jen / Desert Drivel) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:12:00 +0000

The next time your Board of Directors scoff at your site selection ideas (which you probably based on the feedback they gave you at last month's meeting) have a brochure for this cozy hotel handy.

They will really get to rack up the frequent flyer miles as the Elkep Evi Cappadocia Cave Hotel is located in Turkey. It's a haul, but don't despair. Once they arrive they will be able to enjoy modern comforts such as "larger and airier cave rooms, each with a private terrace carved into nook of the cliff."

After viewing their online photo album, I have to comment that the accommodations look very modern and comfortable, and the scenery is breathtaking. Apparently they were featured in the 2008 edition of the Lonely Travel guidebook - no small feat!

Current rates are single cave room @ €65 (about US$92) and double cave room @ €90 (about US$127) which of course include breakfast. There are room upgrades available such as suites with Jacuzzis or Turkish baths. There's even a honeymoon cave suite!

Link: Hotel Elkep Evi