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5 Key Items for a Conference Planning Checklist

March 27, 2012 By Comments

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You don’t have to look very far to find a conference planning checklist. And when you Google the term, there certainly is no shortages of websites where you can get conference planning checklist ideas. So they must be important then, right? Well, of course the answer is yes (with some caution). I do have to say, that a good conference planning checklist is only as good as the thought that was put into making the checklist itself. Which started me thinking about which items would be considered crucial for a conference planning checklist.

Items That Should Be Included on Your Conference Planning Checklist

1) Location. This item should be first and foremost, obviously. After all you can’t do much planning, or rather logistics, until you know where it is the conference will be held. Most conference planners will begin to scout locations well in advance of their conference to make sure that they can pick dates, hotels and venues which would be suitable for their conference.

2) Dates. The dates of your conference are almost equally as important as the location of your conference. Of course depending on where your conference will be held, the dates may be dependent on factors such as temperature and other citywide activities occurring in the location over the dates that you are considering.

3) Budget. Before you can begin promoting, and then executing a conference, you will need to determine what your budget is for the conference itself. Sometimes a budget is set by the conference’s committee members ahead of time and then handed to the conference planner for execution. Other conferences may need to determine what their conferences itinerary will be in order to determine what the budget is. Whichever is your case, budgets are a crucial part of a conference planning checklist as it will have a direct impact on your conferences registration.

4) Registration. Of course the success of your conference will be judged by how many people attend. A good conference planning checklist will address registration at the onset. It is crucial today that you have a good registration marketing plan in place. There are many registration software services available to help conference planners in this area.

5) Program/Itinerary. A good conference planning checklist is all about planning for the various elements, or itinerary, of your conference. It should be well thought out in advance and then assigned due dates based on which items need to be decided and secured first. The itinerary is also key when it comes to the conferences budgets. It is vital for a conference planner to know how much money they have to spend on the various components to their conference.

With conference planning, the devil is in the details. Therefore a planner requires a conference planning checklist to help them break down vital components to their overall program. And then to address those items in the order in which they need to be addressed. A conference planning checklist can be a valuable tool as the planner works through their program. The five items listed above are crucial to a good conference planning checklist.

 

 

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World Time Clock for a Meeting Planner

March 20, 2012 By Comments

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As a meeting planner, you already know how busy you are. For any of you reading this that are not meeting planners, you must be wondering – how does a meeting planner plan international meetings? Is there some sort of world time clock for a meeting planner? By now you know that one of the top characteristics, or personality trait as it were, of a meeting planner is their ability to organize.

World Time Clock Options for a Meeting Planner

For meeting planners who need to arrange meetings with people in various parts of the world, a world time clock can be a necessity for a meeting planner. Obviously, as part of the planning process, a meeting planner needs to consider the various time zones that each of the attendees are in.

One of our blog post earlier talked about a world time zone app for iPhones. In that post we featured how the app can be useful when scheduling meetings in various time zones. All that you have to do is enter the cities were each of the attendees reside and the app will tell you what the local time is for the meeting that you are trying to schedule. It’s a perfect app for meeting planners that require a world time clock at their disposal.

There is also a website available that shows a world time clock for a meeting planner. The website is appropriately called timeanddate.com. Similar to the app all you have to do is enter the cities and then it’ll show you the local times in each of the cities you entered. From there you can also determine what the best time would be to host a meeting based on the locations that you enter.

No one looks forward to the scheduling nightmare of arranging a meeting for attendees in many different locations throughout the world. But now a world time clock for a meeting planner enables the planner to determine which times work best in the locations entered. Whether you download the app for iPhones or simply visit the website timeanddate.com, there is scheduling help for meeting planners.

 

 

 

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Do You Belong to a Meeting Planners Association?

March 15, 2012 By Comments

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Many meeting planners evaluate the pros and cons of belonging to a meeting planners association. There are many meeting planners associations out there to choose from. So which one is right for you? Well, of course, that really depends on what you intend to get from a membership to a meeting planners association. Some people are looking for educational components where others are looking for networking and supplier ideas. Whatever your requirements, rest assured, there is a meeting planners association for you.

The Pros and Cons of Belonging to a Meeting Planners Association

Let’s face it, if you’re like most people then time is valuable. And when we think of joining another association quite often the first thing that enters our mind is whether or not we have the time that we can devote to that association.

Some of the benefits from joining a meeting planners association are:

  • a great opportunity to continue your education in the meetings and events industry
  • a chance to network with peers and people within the industry that you look up to (which, by the way, can also be your peers)
  • keeping on top of current industry trends and how they relate to your business
  • converse with industry colleagues on topics that will help you avoid disasters and keep your meeting or event chugging along

While I have to admit it’s hard to come up with a list of cons, here are a few that some of my colleagues in the industry have presented:

  • costs -sometimes, especially new starts in the industry, do not have the budgets readily available to pay for memberships, conventions and travel requirements
  • scheduling – many meeting planners feel that they are so busy that adding additional time requirements is just something that’s not feasible right now.

A Couple of the Industry’s Top Meeting Planners Association’s That You May Want to Consider

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) – as they say on their website PC MA is the leading organization for meeting and event professionals. Their main focus is education. In fact their mission statement is to deliver superior and innovative education and promote the value of professional convention management. This meeting planners association is a favorite for seasoned planners. Definitely a good sign.

Meeting Professionals International  (MPI) – MPI strikes a balance between meeting planners and industry suppliers. In fact it’s their goal that for every vendor there must be a matching planner as to not tilt the balance of membership. MPI is about providing professional development as well as a place for business opportunities. It is literally a community for industry professionals to network, learn and develop together.

Finding the right meeting planners association for you can be a huge step towards your career development. While you do have to balance the need for an association membership against your budgeting requirements, it is always recommended that serious players do get involved with industry associations.

 

 

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Event Planning Conference Software

March 14, 2012 By Comments

We often talk about event planning conference software on this blog. And it’s no secret that we are big fans of event planning conference software. Part of the reason that we often profile industry software is because we are always looking at new and innovative ways to help meeting planners plan, organize and execute their meetings and events successfully.

Event Planning Conference Software Allows the Meeting Planner to Focus on the Event Itself

It’s very easy to get lost in the organizing stage of a meeting or event. I’ve been in that position where I tend to focus more on organizing myself than actually getting the tasks completed. And sometimes when we think of an event that were organizing we start to feel stressed out because of all of the details that are required in order for the event to proceed successfully. You’ve heard the expression you can’t see the forest for the trees. Well event planning certainly fall into that category. What event planning conference software does is help you, the event planner, take a methodical approach to the event itself. Hopefully the goal is to relieve the stress that’s associated with the planning stages of the event.

I was impressed with a particular event planning conference software called “Sign Up 4“. In fact “Sign Up 4″ actually has four event planning conference software packages. The company was started by meeting planners (the first positive sign of a good product for the industry) in 1999 and, as their website states, their objective is to design, develop and deliver cost effective event management tools for event and meeting planners.

The Event Planning Conference Software Products from Sign up Four Include:

Event Management System – this software product allows planners to manage multiple meetings and events from a single dashboard. It allows the planner to create customized event websites with online registration and payment options. The report monitoring for attendee registration alone is valuable with this software.

Travel Management System – handles transportation logistics.

Spend Management System – incorporates accounting modules into the customize workflow design.

The Strategic Meeting Management Suite – this package encompasses the event management, travel management and spend management into one bundled package.

The goal of event planning conference software is to assist the planner in executing successful conferences or events. Software is particularly useful if the planner’s working with multiple events at once. It’s important to remember that when you’re considering event planning conference software it should be designed around what your specific needs are. While there are some common requirements for everybody each of us has specific needs based on our own workflow.

 

 

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How a Meeting and Event Planner Uses a CVB

March 7, 2012 By Comments

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There’s no doubt that a meeting and event planner wants a CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) to assist them with their planning needs when bringing a group or convention to a particular city. A CVB is basically a marketing division for the city that they are in. It’s their job to promote their city in such a way that a meeting and event planner wants to bring their group to the CVB’s city. A CVB will spend mind boggling marketing dollars to brand their city. What exactly does branding a city mean? Well the best example that I can think of, when trying to demonstrate a city that has branded themselves well, is New York City. If anyone comes up to you and asks if you been to the “Big Apple” you most definitely will know that they’re talking about New York City. That’s branding.

A Meeting and Event Planner Uses a CVB to Start the RFP Process

Let’s assume that you are a meeting and event planner. And also let’s assume that you have selected a city to take your group of 50 to. So now what you do? Well obviously you want to develop a meeting planner template or checklist and start listing all of the steps that will be necessary for you to execute a successful meeting. For more on meeting planner templates or checklists see the related articles below.

CVB’s are a free service for a meeting and event planner. So the first thing the meeting and event planner should do is contact the city’s CVB and get their meeting put on the books. Your CVB contact will spend a little time getting to know you as well as a little bit of information about your group (i.e. the type of people, what they like to do, where they like to go and what they like to eat). Following that meeting, the CVB will then send out a request for proposal (RFP), usually to hotels first, indicating how many rooms you are seeking and for how many days (otherwise known as room nights) plus any food and beverage and meeting room requirements. Then the hotel salespeople get to work. They’ll look at their books to see if they can accommodate your request and then send you a summary of rooms available and at what rate. Depending on your food and beverage and meeting requirements you may have some wiggle room as far as room rate negotiations. A meeting and event planner can tell their CVB contact how many hotel properties they want their RFP to go to. The CVB will manage the RFP process from the hotels (although it is the norm that the hotels will communicate directly with the meeting and event planner). Once a hotel has been selected the others will be notified that they did not make the cut.

A Meeting and Event Planner Will Consult with the CVB on Which Service Companies to Hire

A CVB also has an extensive list of service providers. Whether it be a DMC (Destination Management Company), a transportation company, and attraction or restaurant, a good CVB will be able to point the meeting and event planner in the right direction. I usually recommend to meeting and event planners that they ask their CVB contact not to have service companies contact them until they know which hotel they are using. Sorry service providers this is not an attack on your operation at all. It’s just that a meeting and event planner can be inundated with sales calls and e-mails from service providers. And having been a service provider in the past I can tell you that these calls and contacts are all well intended. However the reason I advise meeting and event planners today to hold off on having service companies contact them is so that they are allowed enough time to make the proper decision on their hotel and meeting facilities. Then, once the hotel and meeting facility has been finalized, initiating contact with service companies would proceed. Of course if a meeting and event planner has the budget a DMC is recommended to help with all of the other service aspects of their program (disclaimer – I have worked for a DMC in the past – so I know how valuable their services can be).

While this is usually not a major issue it is worth noting that a CVB can only put forward companies that are members. I say this is not a major issue because most reputable companies do belong to their local CVB. When selecting smaller parts of the program, such as restaurants, you may want to consider talking to your hotel contact as there may be excellent local restaurants that are not a member of the CVB.

A CVB is a great tool for a meeting and event planner. It can help provide the local expertise to execute a successful program. One that has the attendees talking for some time. A CVB can also be assistance by offering city guides and other tourist information to the meeting and event planner.

 

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Have Meeting and Convention Planners Soured on Alabama?

March 1, 2012 By Comments

Meeting and convention planners are always looking for new and exciting destinations to take their groups. Talk to any planner about how they select destinations and almost all of them will tell you that they will avoid controversy. Last year the Alabama Legislature enacted, what many say, is a controversial immigration law. Many are comparing it to Arizona and Georgia’s own tough stand on immigration. However with regards to Alabama, many are wondering if the law has gone too far.

According to Wikipedia, the law, known on the books as HB 56, states:

  • that if police have “reasonable suspicion” that a person is an immigrant unlawfully present in the United States, to make a similarly reasonable attempt to determine that person’s legal status.
  • that the law prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving any public benefits at either the state or local level.
  • that the law prohibits the transporting or harboring of illegal immigrants
  • that it prohibits landlords from renting property to illegal immigrants.
  • that it forbids employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants for any job within Alabama.

Meeting and Convention Planners Avoid Controversial Destinations

There are currently many provisions of the law that are under review by the state legislature. Unfortunately a lot of the provisions that are currently blocked are the ones that might make the most sense. For example, the provision of the law that requires large and small businesses to validate the immigration status of employees is currently being blocked.

A study by Dr. Samuel Addy from the University of Alabama shows that the legislation will be costly for the State. The Addy report as outlined in an Univision news report, found that Alabama could lose about 70,000 to 140,000 jobs, $2.3 billion to $10.8 billion in GDP and $56.7 million to $264.5 million in state income and sales taxes.

Many of the jobs lost will be in the accommodation and food services sector. These jobs will be hard to replace during the current economic crisis. This makes many meeting and convention planners concerned about service levels for their meetings and events.

What also worries many meeting and convention planners about Alabama’s controversial immigration law is what protection do their attendees have in the state. News reports highlighting that a German Mercedes-Benz executive was arrested for not having proper documentation while on business to Alabama do not sit well with meeting and convention planners. Shortly after the story regarding the Mercedes-Benz executive, we also found out that a Japanese Honda executive was stopped for a routine traffic check and was issued a ticket. This in spite of the fact that the Honda executive had a valid passport, an international driving permit and a US work permit to boot.

When you hear horrific experiences such as the ones above, you really have to wonder if Alabama is serious about convention planning. I realize that much of this law is rooted in political pandering. But, at what point do these lawmakers sit back and realize just how silly they are looking to the average person? Seriously, it’s almost as if some of these southern states are more interested in their friends, the corporate lobbyist, then they are at protecting their citizens and encouraging tourism and hence conventions to their state. Unfortunately, it appears, you really don’t need much between your ears to be a politician these days. The sad thing is that they are seriously having an impact on our economic recovery. My advice -vote these bozos out the next election.

The news about business executives being hassled because of the immigration law is in itself enough for most meeting and convention planners to reconsider Alabama as a destination. It should be noted that we did reach out to Tourism Alabama for their feedback regarding any impact (favorably or not) that the immigration law has had on tourism. I did receive a reply from a tourism official that basically said that they had no information to provide me for my article on a state level. Which is a shame considering the beauty that Alabama does have to offer. Normally, Alabama would be an ideal destination to bring your group especially in the cooler winter months that the North experiences. It’s also a shame that politics can have this type of an impact on such a beautiful state. Given the fact that we expect the politicians to actually attract and promote businesses and help grow the economies of the areas that they govern.

 

 

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Characteristics of a Corporate Meeting Planner

February 28, 2012 By Comments

A corporate meeting planner is one busy person. If you’ve read a few of the blogs here then there’s one thing that I’m sure you’ve seen often and that is that a corporate meeting planner wears many different hats. A lot of people have asked me over the years what characteristics are important for a corporate meeting planner.

A Corporate Meeting Planner Needs to Be Extremely Organized

In order to successfully execute a meeting, a corporate meeting planner needs to be a very organized person. But in answer to the question that I’ve been asked many times in the past regarding what characteristics stand out, what I usually tell people is that a corporate meeting planner has to be good at logistics. After all, most corporate meetings involve a whole slew of activities.

Some of the logistics that are involved with executing a corporate meeting are:

Transportation- quite often, and especially with corporate meetings, the corporate meeting planner is required to arrange transportation for the delegates at the airport (and sometimes from their starting cities as well) and transfer them to the hotel where the meeting will be taking place. Many times they are also charged with having to make airline reservations for the delegates as well. If a corporate meeting planner’s lucky enough the transportation logistics will revolve around one or two days before the meeting and one or two days after the meeting. But many times their department is handling individual flight request as well as individual ground transportation. From here they will develop a travel manifest. But ask any seasoned corporate meeting planner if that’s the end of it and you’re likely to get a loud chuckle from the planner. Because there are often many changes to flights (and hence ground transportation as well) due to last-minute changes, weather etc. I’ve worked with transportation manifests where you could barely read because of all the writing (changes) by the time the meeting was finished.

Hotel and Meeting Logistics – on top of getting all of the delegates to the meeting’s location, the corporate meeting planner also has to make sure that the hotel is booked, meeting rooms are blocked, food and beverage arrangements have been made and all of the appropriate speakers and/or presenters have been booked. You’re starting to get the idea why meeting planner checklist are so important to their jobs.

If you think a corporate meeting planner has a tough job then you are correct. But if you ask a corporate meeting planner if they like their job, all lot will tell you that they love the fact that they have so many components that are so different when organizing a meeting. A corporate meeting planner needs to be good at logistics. As a matter of fact organizational skills are probably at the top of the list of characteristics required for corporate meeting planner.

 

 

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Conference Planning Software – Is it for YOU?

February 25, 2012 By Comments
colorful cubes

Photo courtesy of elprosumidor

Are you part of the meeting and conference planning world? And are you looking for ways to save both time and money while increasing your productivity? All at the same time? So many of us in the conference and event planning world have found that using conference and event planning software solutions can enhance and improve the planning approach and progression.

Currently, there are a number of dependable conference planning software solutions available to help automate the process and provide for the planner a greater vision and understanding. In addition, the various solutions available can provide a better handle on the countless elements and details that are part of any conference and meeting planning experience.

Conference Planning Software – Help is Here!

Conference planning really doesn’t have to be that problematic. Depending on the conference, event or meeting being planned, whether it is big or small, it can become staggering, uncontrollable and overpowering. But do not fear! There is help out there. The type of conference planning software you ultimately choose has everything to do with what you are planning and organizing, and what tasks you are using the conference planning software for.

Conference Planning Software – What About Trust Event Solutions?

Is your work multifaceted, complicated and time consuming? Let’s face it, most planners are troubled by a lot of the same issues. Is all the organizing, administering and executing successful conferences and events increasing your workload and hours? Does it involve various suppliers and providers and you are looking to reduce costs and staff time, streamline communications, increase revenue and more? Then Trust Event Solutions may be the answer for you.

Their web-based event management solutions provide the software solution that will bring your registration and planning to a level of effectiveness that is second to none. The easy to use software permits the user to manage each and every part of planning your event or conference, no matter how big or small.

Conference Planning Software – And What About RegOnline?

If you are one of us planners looking for a way to not only save time but money too and are in search of a great solution for your registration requirements, then look no further. RegOnline has the software answer for businesses and individuals alike. An event management online software solution that is as adaptable and accommodating as it is affordable. If you are looking for the perfect solution for all your registration and payment management needs without having to purchase or install software, then you’re in luck, RegOnline is here to help.

In addition, RegOnline’s effective and adaptable online reservations modules include hotel room block and reservation management, protected credit card processing, attendee management, automated wait-list handling, name badges, post event surveys and flexible reports. It really is a comprehensive solution for all your registration wants and needs!

So if you are looking to create a balanced and complete working experience, check out the various conference planning software solutions available for meeting and conference planners. You will then be one step closer to enhancing your work world.

 

 

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Event Planners Association – The Three W’s…

February 22, 2012 By Comments

Event Planners Association – WHAT’s it All About?

Word on the street is things are starting to look up in our industry. I have even heard the word “booming” being rallied about. Booming! Those “in the know” say that there has been a definite increase in business and in meeting and event planning organizations. Of course not all planners are required to be members, but an increase in organizations and members is without a doubt, a good sign.

pair of dice on a ledge

Photo courtesy of topher76

Industry organizations are around for a lot of reasons; they help us to stay on track and cutting edge, they help us stay up on the latest trends and enhance our industry knowledge and resources. Industry associations not only help to develop and improve our skills and expertise, they assist us in staying on top of all that’s new and exciting. They also support our industry by providing a platform to network, build new relationships and help us get our face and name out there. It positively provides the opportunity for recognition and, as we all know, in event and meeting planning, the name of the game is business, business and business.

Event Planners Association – WHO Are They?

The Event Planners Association (EPA) is a nation-wide industry organization for the event and amusement professional. The association welcomes event and wedding planners, meeting planners, industry suppliers including florists, amusement rental and inflatable game companies, entertainers and DJ’s, caterers, venues and so much more.

Founded in 2004 to satisfy the clear need and demand for an association that would aid its members in the event planning world with a one stop shopping experience. And it grew by utilizing its membership to provide a professional, valuable, and a useful place where members of all kind can go and find the absolute best in industry services combined with amazing customer service know-how in a most economical way possible.

Event Planners Association – WHY Join?

Event and meeting planning is an essential, collaborative and self-motivating industry that provides an opportunity to really make a difference in a much loved field. In addition to a heck of a lot of hard work, having a connection and bond to other industry professionals (along with the opportunity to connect with the wisdom, expertise and know how) aids members to increase knowledge and awareness, problem solve and build experiences. As a member of EPA, you are never on your own. The association provides a strong foundation of support, encouragement and inspiration.

The EPA has become a full service organization offering assistance to the event and meeting planning world and providing a significant platform for success.

Industry associations can be a great find for meeting and event planners and suppliers alike. The support, knowledge and encouragement you get is second to none. The right association for each individual may vary and will depend on several things including the field and area of expertise and skill. So do some leg work and research and you’re sure to find the right association for you!

 

 

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Finding a Good Meeting Planner Template on Microsoft Office

February 16, 2012 By Comments

Finding a good event planner template to assist you with your meeting or event can, in itself, take a little bit of time to find the right one for you. We’ve talked a lot about meeting and event planning templates here in the past. Many planners that I speak with tell me that often they develop their own templates based on their previous experiences. Basically, you want to look at in event planning checklist or template as an overview of what’s needs to get done and when.

Meeting and Event Planning Templates Helps You Keep Organized

When a lot of people think of making or utilizing a meeting planner template they often get a bit stressed out as they think the task of creating the templates will be quite the undertaking. Well I guess it depends on exactly what the templates going to be used for as to whether or not it needs to be complicated. Most do not need to be that extravagant. Microsoft Office has free event planning templates  that will provide you with a basic outline that you can customize. But what I also like about the Microsoft Office event planning templates site is that it tells you how many people downloaded the document as well as how they rated it. Depending on your own personality type, sometimes it helps you if you know that other people in your industry have found the meeting planner template helpful for them.

Additional meeting planner templates from Microsoft Office includes:

  • monthly and weekly planning calendars
  • the scheduler
  • meeting management
  • monthly planning guide
  • project planning calendar
  • and many, many more

A Meeting Planner Template to Fit Your Needs

Meeting planner templates are as unique as the individuals that use them. For me, personally, I usually download one of the free meeting planner templates offered by Microsoft Office and then tailor it to my specific needs. It gets very easy to customize your own template once you have done a few meetings or events. If you’re new to the industry you’ll soon find your work groove and then you’ll tailor any templates towards your style.

 

 

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