In Meeting Planners

Recently I was talking with some meeting planners about how confusing "hotel lingo" can be. I agree, the terms we all use in our work may not be recognizable in others.

Here are a few definitions you should know.

Request For Proposal (RFP):  An RFP is not a contract.  RFPs are considered an invitation for an offer to be made and potentially a contract issued.

Banquet Event Order (BEO): BEOs are the internal document generated to communicate to the hotel staff what the requirements of your meeting are.  BEOs will list your meeting set up, food and beverage, audiovisual and any other specifics about your meeting.

Cutoff Date:  The cutoff date is the date the hotel releases your room block back to the general inventory.

Indemnification:  To indemnify means to guarantee against any loss or damage that another might suffer.  These clauses in contracts are used to protect both parties against the negligent acts.

Force Majeure:  Irresistible Force - the purpose of a force majeure clause is to protect both parties in the event that a part of the contract cannot be performed due to unavoidable causes which are outside of either parties control.

Attrition:  Hotels set a value to your contract.  An amout of money they expect your business to generate.  "Attrition" occurs when a meeting is held but fails to reach expectations, either in number of rooms or the food and beverage revenue to the hotel.

When was the last time you dusted off those old files and gave them another look.  Many of the people you have prospected in the past for business need another call.  In this down economy, many of those old prospects that couldn't use you due to size, budgets, location, etc. just might need you now.

As many companies have reduced their labor forces, meetings that were once to big now are the perfect size.  Just as many companies that used to only take their meeting to resort locations have had their travel budgets cut and need to remain closer to home. So why not give them a call.

Remember that old 10% rule I still believe in - Make 30 calls, Get 3 bookings.  Once a prospect, always a prospect.

When working with volunteers, realize that part of your job is training — not telling people to do things, but training them to do the job. 

• Tell volunteers that they can come to you at any time for help and understanding. Let them know that you are available to them. Be willing to sit down individually and listen to their questions and problems.

• Be sure that volunteers have complete instructions. Don't let them start a job until they know exactly what their duties and limitations are. Where appropriate, develop checklists and job descriptions for key roles.

• Prepare a timeline with details on when every piece of the task should be completed. Then, follow through by monitoring progress.

• Let them know that they have accepted a responsibility, and that it is critical for them to complete that responsibility.

• Be intentional about making the work fun — laugh together and enjoy each other.

• Let them know that God has given them the talents to do this job.

• Set the parameters within which the volunteers must work.

• Maintain the nurturing, caring character of a good parent. If you don't, it's going to be very hard for volunteers to feel that they are a viable, and valuable, part of the team.

• Begin each day with a time for prayer.

 Volunteers are so important to many organizations and it all starts with the basics of good communication and teamwork.

Creating and sticking to your budget when planning meetings and events sometimes are two different things.  Here are seven commonly overlooked steps when planning and executing your meeting that can help you stick to the budget.

1.  Allow contingencies in the budget for the unexpected.  Don't cut it so close that you set yourself up for failure.

2.  Include tax and services charges in the budget.

3.  Include labor costs in the budget.

4.  Communicate clear policies to speakers and staff.  What will you pay for?  Set limits on meals, travel expenses, etc.

5.  Review your master account daily and limit the number of people authorized to add charges to the master account.

6.  Rely on your history not attendance when giving your meal guarantees.

7.  Know the value of your business, when you are negotiating your contracts make sure you are getting the best pricing based on the history of what you have spent in the past both on and off the master account.

Over the course of my lengthy hospitality career, I have attended and/or exhibited at more conferences than I can remember. Whether they were big or small, long or short, intense or relaxed, they all pretty much had one thing in common. A group of people, with common interests, coming together in one place to learn and to network.

Thinking back over all of the conferences I've attended got me thinking. Why were some better than others? Why did some seem to fly by, while others felt like I was on that proverbial slow boat to China? Certainly the quality of the speakers and program had something to do with it, but it's really more than that. I've learned the hard way that getting the most out of a conference is really more up to me than anything else. The more I put into the conference or trade show, the more I get out of it.

With that in mind, here are four things you can do to help you get the most out of the next conference you attend.

• Have an objective. Why are you attending the event? Is it to learn new methods? To get new business leads? To make a certain number of new contacts? To relax and work on your golf game? Whatever it may be, make sure your objective is clear in your head before you go. This will help you to focus on the real reason you're there. Otherwise it can be way too easy to get distracted by the busyness of the conference. Before you know it, it's over and you feel like you've just wasted a few days of your life.
• Intentionally and consistently talk to strangers. For some people this is very easy, for others it's pure torture, but it's critical if you want to get the most out of the conference. I find I usually learn as much, or more, from the individuals I meet as from the general sessions and breakouts.
• Arrive early, stay late and be outgoing at any and all networking opportunities. This one is especially important if you are an exhibitor at the conference. This is your opportunity to meet potential clients away from the "sales" atmosphere of a traditional trade show booth. People are usually more open and willing to talk when in a casual, social environment. When meeting new people, try to make it more than exchanging a business card. Take the time to qualify the potential value you each could bring to the other's network.
• Stay in touch. After returning from the conference, be sure to stay in contact with the people you met and want to add to your network. To develop a good network you must invest time in building the relationship. Whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, email or phone, take the time to get to know each other. Remember, the great thing about building a solid network is that you not only benefit from the knowledge and experience of that person, but also of those they are connected to.

What about you? What do you do to get the most from attending a conference or convention? 

For many meeting planners, budgeting for a meeting can be an overwhelming experience.  Your budget is an estimate of anticipated income and expenses for your meeting and provides financial control and accountability.  It is important to document how and why you arrived at all the figures.

1.  Do a Needs Assessment
Begin with a needs assessment by getting the necessary information from your client or boss.  Ascertain the meeting objectives, program, dates and days of the week including flexibility, the budget, decision maker, the preferred facility and any political implications such as union issues.

2.  Develop a Profile of the Attendees
Who will develop a list of prospective participants?  You will need to determine the level of the attendees, the percentage of males and females, age range, income level, geographic location, and special needs such as physical and dietary requirements.

3.  Review the Meeting History
Analyze the difference between projected and actual figures from the previous year's budget, differentiating between fixed and variable costs, and meals guaranteed vs. meals served.  Determine in what areas expenses could be slashed.

I would love to hear your thoughts on preparing your meeting budget.

One of the first marketing lessons I learned, early in my hotel career, was that it costs roughly five times more to get a new customer than to keep one you already have. While the ratio may have changed over the years, I think the basic premise remains true today. If you really want to grow your business, you must do everything you can to keep your guests coming back.

An effective way to keep your guests coming back is to provide them with a level of service that exceeds their expectations. In order to be successful doing this, you must have a good understanding of the level of service they expect and how well you’re doing in delivering that service.

The best way to gauge what your guests think of your service is to simply ask. In today’s wired, online world, your guests are already talking about you and your service. The key is to make sure they’re telling you as well. For that to happen, you need to ask them often, and in different ways. At Ridgecrest and Glorieta we take three steps to get a handle on what our guests think of our product and service.

In-room Surveys

In all of our adult guest rooms, we provide a simple, one-page guest survey. The questions are basic and designed to give us immediate, actionable feedback. By that I mean if there is a problem, we can hopefully find out about it and correct the problem while the guest is still on campus. If that’s not possible, we still have a chance to fix the problem before the next guest checks in.

This type of survey is considered to be unsolicited guest feedback. The survey is in the room and the guest chooses whether to complete it. As a result, the data collected is not always an accurate picture of the true level of service being provided. Typically this survey is only completed by guests who were either very satisfied or very unsatisfied.

Online Surveys

The most accurate measure of guest service is what is termed solicited feedback. This feedback comes from asking the guest to give it to you. The easiest way to do this today is online. We have designed a comprehensive online survey this is emailed weekly to every guest (for whom we have an email address) who stayed with us the prior week.

The results of these surveys are compiled on a monthly basis and give us a good picture of the overall level of guest satisfaction with our product and service. We look at both the current month’s results and the three month rolling average, then see how the scores compare with the same period the previous year. This allows us to reinforce the areas where we identify positive trends and to address those areas that reflect a negative trend.

Event Planner Evaluations

While the in-room and online surveys are targeting individual guests or attendees, our event planner evaluation targets the group leader. In most cases these are the people who made the decision to bring their group to Ridgecrest or Glorieta and, as a result, their feedback is critical to our future success. The questions on this evaluation are focused on the needs of the meeting planner and how well we met those needs. From these evaluations we are better able to make decisions that allow us to improve the way we serve our meeting planners and hopefully make their job easier.

By utilizing all three of these methods for gathering guest feedback, we are able to get a well-rounded picture of whether we’re meeting the service expectations of our guests. The good news is that when we do this well, the guests will come back. When more of our guests come back the following year, the pressure and costs associated with finding new customers is reduced and we’ll see our business grow.

I read a great article this week on what our ministries can learn from Disney.  Here are some points that I thought we're particularly interesting.  Walt Disney lived to bring joy to others-but he was also an incredibly driven, principled, precise and visionary leader.  Look at how his principles can impact  leaders, dreamers and ministers.

Work diligently. Bring out the best in others.

·        Do you have a go-the-extra-mile attitude?

·        Do you help people discover their gifts and use them?

·        Do you make the people around you better?

·        Who are you mentoring right now?

Maintain a commitment to excellence.

·        What qualifies as “excellent” in your ministry? What doesn’t?

·        Are you content with “good enough”?

·        Do people associate excellence with your ministry?

Create a place families can experience together.

·        Does your ministry provide experiences families can enjoy together?

·        How do you equip parents to explore faith with their children outside church walls?

·        How can you make your church a more welcoming environment for families with children?

Remember that ministry is all about the people.

·        Do first-time guests have a great experience?

·        Do people at your church feel loved and cared for?

·        Do you put people before rules?

Remember that it’s not just about brainpower.

·        Do you depend on God’s strength or your own?

·        Are you working where God gifted you?

·        Do you make yourself available to God?

Make people smile.

·        Do people enter your doors with a spirit of anticipation?

·        Do people smile and have fun?

·        Do people say your services or programs are boring?

Whether your a seasoned planner or new to the job having a  stress free planning experience is always a goal.  When you have a meeting coming up and you need to request a proposal from a venue, here are 10 items you should always include with your request to make it as easy as possible for you and the venue to meet all of your needs.

1.  The Name and Address of your Ministry/Organization.
          *Be sure to include your contact info and how you prefer to be contacted.

2.  The Title of your Meeting.

3.  The Dates of your Meeting.
         *Include if your dates are flexible or set?

4.  What is the objective of your Meeting?

5.  How many Guest Rooms does your Meeting Require?
         *Do you have history you can include from past meeting?
         *What are the demographics of your attendees?
         *Are there trends your aware of?

6.  What is the Daily Schedule of Meetings?
          *Do you have any specific requirements?

7.  Do you require Exhibit Space?

8.  What are your Food and Beverage Requirements?

9.  What is your budget for Rooms, Meeting Space, Food and Beverage, etc.?

10.  Any additional information about your Ministry or this Meeting.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about submitting an RFP and as always if you have any suggestions or something that has worked for you in the past, please share it with us in the comments.