Just got hired to do your first meeting? While you might feel as though you're marooned on a Polynesian island or trapped in the Australian outback (not to mention stranded in the Serengeti), consider that there's an entire industry—including this magazine—out there that can help you. So no, you don't have to reinvent the wheel (or brave snakes, rats, or fires, for that matter). Read on for the fundamentals of the biz.
No matter what type of gathering you're organizing, first decide what it's all about. Even if it's an annual get-together, what's the real purpose? Networking? Being motivated? Getting introduced to a new idea or product? This determines every other decision you make, say experts. You can't even choose a site if you're not clear on your goals, notes Gary Rosenberg of Rosenberg & Risinger, an independent outfit in Culver City, California, who recalls a client who wanted to hold a sales conference at a resort—counterproductive, since the meeting's purpose wasn't to motivate, but to review where the company was going.
Get a feel, through observation rather than direct inquiry, for attendees' ages, ethnic backgrounds, countries of origin, and the group's gender breakdown. If it's a group you've never met before, ask someone else on your staff who has. But don't stop with that information—the more you know, the better you'll plan. How familiar are they with the meeting topic? Do they know the destination? One independent planner revised the program for a California meeting when she learned that nearly half the attendees were first-time visitors to the West Coast. She threw in a quick city tour and outdoor party downtown so that the group wasn't spending all its time at a Los Angeles airport property. She wound up with happy attendees—and therefore a happy client.
This step might seem backwards; shouldn't you get quotes from properties first to figure out how much your get-together will cost? Not according to veteran Washington D.C.-based independent planner Joan Eisenstodt, who teaches the Step by Step meeting planning seminars hosted by Dolce International conference centers. "Why look at $110-a-night hotels when you can only pay $75?" she asks.
While it's difficult for newbies to know which properties are in their price range, you can get a feel for costs through local newspapers, CVBs, and industry resources. Eisenstodt recommends the Meetings Industry Mall Web site (www.mim.com), for which she moderates the MIMlist online forum, and the Web site of Corbin Ball Associates (www.corbinball.com), which features budget models and other planner-friendly tech tools. While planning, stick to your budget—or at least notify your boss if it looks as though you're going over.
History includes information such as the number of guest rooms contracted for compared to those actually used (aka the "pickup"), attendees' arrival and departure patterns, food and beverage consumed, audiovisual equipment used, etc. Ask the previous planner if he or she has any history on this meeting, and track the history as you plan. Robin Craven, co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meeting and Event Planning (Alpha Books, 2001), recommends keeping all information on one piece of paper so it's easy to find next year, when you'll use it to justify your needs to vendors, suppliers—and your boss.
When you've come up with goals and objectives and an estimated budget, you're ready to write a request for proposal (RFP), an outline that's sent to meeting properties so they can bid on your requirements. Have it in writing so there's a record of what you actually discussed with properties; this also saves time by letting facilities assign a sales manager and check availability before talking to you.
A good RFP, says Craven, is concise and detailed, including everything you need from the facility, and should provide the meeting's name, dates and days of the week (with alternate dates, if possible), goals and objectives, attendee profile (including percentages of men and women, age ranges, where they're arriving from, and their transportation methods), estimated sleeping room block (total number of guest rooms and nights, aka "room-nights"), meeting agenda with exact space requirements, meeting history, budget, F&B needs, special needs (dietary issues, accessibility requirements for handicapped attendees, etc.), high-tech requests (for instance, high-speed Internet access), the proposal due date, and your decision date.
Think you're RFP-challenged? Corbin Ball's Web site includes samples, or you can post a question to the MIMlist. Another excellent resource is a new site, www.meetingadvice.com, which provides free guidance in five pitfall-prone areas: F&B, hotel contracts, AV requirements, general logistics, and theming or creative aspects. Planners can post queries and get expert-written replies within 24 hours, or search the archives for all questions posted about a particular topic. The site will soon provide sample checklists, budgets, evaluation forms, and other planning tools, says Steve Goodman, the site's managing partner.
Are your must-haves affordable room rates? A knock-your-socks-off location? High-tech capa- bilities? Rank elements by importance before you get replies to your RFP so you won't be seduced by stunning brochures—a common problem for beginning planners, experts say.
No question is too small, experts say. Ask, ask, ask: Is your hotel planning a renovation while you're on site? What other groups are meeting at the same time? Are city garbage collectors planning a walkout? Is the caterer bringing the linens? Are any attendees allergic to nuts? These are but a smattering of the kinds of details you need to keep track of. Notes Bonnie Wallsh, a 22-year industry veteran who teaches planning at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, "Planners need to know everything." The online resources mentioned in this article feature planning checklists.
This tenet goes hand-in-hand with having a backup strategy. If you're planning, say, an outdoor ropes course at your team-building session, set aside a ballroom and arrange indoor activities in case of rain.
Create a "wow," says Richard Aaron, president of BizBash (www.bizbash .com), an online resource for special-event planning, who recommends starting with a theme (lifestyle-oriented ones like "finding the calm" are hip right now) and giving unusual twists to the ordinary: Serve cold soup in shot glasses.
As a planner, you're a hospitality professional, and the hospitality business is all about thanking people. Write thank-you notes and verbally express gratitude to everyone on your team—staff, vendors, sales managers, and so on.After all, they're your partners, who helped make your meeting a success.