Plan Your Meetings

The days when you could rent a room, some a/v equipment and arrange a coffee break are over. The attention spans of your attendees, as they get younger, are getting shorter, and everyone expects something special.

To this end, hotels have been going all out to create customized meeting programs. Want to focus attendees? Give them colored rocks to play with. Want to keep them from falling asleep? Infuse the room with citrus aromas or give them chocolate-covered espresso beans. Want to relax them? Add a yoga break or the sound of trickling water and wind pipes.

Sure, it’s great to see a boardroom transformed into a more attractive and welcoming space, but how much do all these new sights, sounds and tastes really affect the way people do business? And is it worth the extra cost?