Products and Services
IACC Reveals the 10 Most Important Items in a Complete Meeting Package
August 31, 2010
Custom menus, pillarless meeting rooms and complimentary high-speed Internet top the list of things that meeting planners want most in a Complete Meeting Package, according to the International Association of Conference Centers, which this week announced the results of a series of customer roundtables designed to gather direct feedback from customers about conference center products and services.
"The primary purpose of the project was to expand and strengthen the conference center concept, which continues to differentiate IACC members from traditional hotels and meting venues," IACC Americas President Tom Cappucci said of the roundtables. "The focus was on what was important to IACC customers in providing an exceptional meeting environment."
The customer roundtables took place at nine IACC-member properties in the United States and Canada, where a total of 105 conference center customers participated in them. Customers were given a deck of 57 cards — each featuring a component of an "ideal" meeting — that they were then asked to rank in order of importance.
The results, according to IACC, were the following top 10 rankings of the most important items in a Complete Meeting Package:
1. Customized menus for special dietary requirements
2. Unobstructed views in meeting rooms (no pillars)
3. At least one complimentary high-speed Internet connection
4. Skilled onsite audio/visual and IT technicians
5. Wireless high-speed Internet access in guest rooms
6. Acoustically rated walls in meeting rooms to eliminate sound distraction
7. At least one LCD projector
8. A single point of contact (i.e., a dedicated conference manager)
9. Easy-to-read, one-page invoice
10. Individually controlled meeting room climate control
Said Eric Whitson, director of sales and marketing at The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Va., which among the roundtable host properties, "We are absorbing this important information and will be using it as a baseline as we host subsequent customer roundtables in 2010 and beyond. This will allow IACC to keep a pulse on trends and shifting priorities among our customers and help ensure IACC and its members stay ahead of the curve as it relates to anticipating and exceeding the needs of the conference market."
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