Plan Your Meetings

Judging from the PYM planners I know, meeting and event planners are all about education. If you have a list of things that you’ve always wanted to learn, The School of Everything is for you. It’s a site where you can create a free profile listing what you want to learn and find teachers who live nearby. Conversely, if you have skills you want to pass on, such as contract negotiations or event planning, you can offer your services and set the wage you want.

Here’s a video from the site’s founder, explaining the concept:

If you have a Facebook profile, you’re familiar with the concept of Twitter, an application that tells all your friends what you’re doing right now (or at least what you were doing when you typed it in). What makes Twitter more fun is that updates are sent and received via cell phone.

Once you’re logged in, you can find people from your e-mail address book or invite groups of people to participate. Which brings me to some applications I think meeting planners will find useful:

1. You can create a really fun, interactive way for attendees to talk with each other throughout your events. (Although, it also gives them a way to overthrow boring presenters. See this entry about how an audience of Tweeters took over a poorly organized keynote presentation.)
2. It allows you to instantly communicate with your entire staff or group of attendees on-site without having to buy into any kind of software or service provider.
3. It allows you to send questions, seek help and communicate with everyone you’re connected to, instantly.
4. It can be used for scavenger hunts and team-building games, giving them a novel twist while bypassing the need for investing in GPS or other hand-held devices.
5. You can “follow” a thread of interest, magazines, other meeting planners and news channels. Do a search for what interests you, and choose to follow them. It’s pretty cool. And, at a 140-word limit, the updates take no time to read.

Are you tweeting? Let me know. My Twitter name is KristiCasey. I’ve also started tweeting for PYM. So, if you want the latest news on the meetings industry, follow PYMLive.

How do you plan a traditional banquet without it appearing stuffy? How much liquor do you buy if you have to supply it for a 500-person event? How do you spruce up barbecue? How do you deal with a client who insists on serving mashed potatoes in a martini glass? And how do you tell a venue you hate their preferred caterer? These are some of the questions discussed and debated by F&B professionals at the recent “Taste of Atlanta: East Meets West” PYM LIVE Event in Atlanta.

The panel included Cathy Desroches, president/founder of Chef Eric Catering & Events; Chef Jeffrey McGar, executive chef, Atlanta Events Center at Opera; Todd Rushing, partner, Concentrics Restaurants; Claire R. Gould, owner, Rx for Catering; and Shelly Pedersen, CPCE, owner and president, Beyond Cuisine. Here are some of their tips, trends and advice.

On presentation:

• People are leaning towards comfort foods, so give them what they want, but with a twist: barbecue crawfish instead of pork, or create a barbecue sushi. At a chef’s station, offer a retro dish like lobster thermador.
• When planning an event that will attract multiple generations, you need to satisfy those who want something traditional as well as those who want something funky, so keep the entrée something staid, but get creative with the desserts, starters and place settings. Also, a mix of highboys and traditional rounds will satisfy the needs of those who want to sit and those who want to mingle.
• If you’re looking at doing a signature drink, consider creating a vodka infusion, adding fresh fruit, briny olives or herbs to bottles of the neutral liquor. It will taste better than a mass-produced flavored vodka, and the marinating bottles are an attractive addition to a bar back.
• Strategically placed plants, food stations and lounge-style seating arrangements can cozy up a cavernous space.

On dealing with dietary restrictions:

• Be sure you ask about allergies, not just about group preferences, because some allergies can be life threatening.
• If you have a vegan in the group, call and ask for their preferences. Don’t just assume they’ll eat tofu.
• Make sure banquet staff is informed about the ingredients in the meal. If someone is allergic to peanuts and the server knows that there’s no peanut oil in the dressing, they can diffuse a potentially stressful situation.

On going green:

• Local and organic food costs more, but experts agree: It’s worth it and it tastes better. And the fact that you took the extra step is meaningful to guests and clients.
• A fun way to introduce guests to the local/organic experience is to set up tasting stations where they can see what a conventional gashouse tomato looks and tastes like compared to an organic tomato, or sample conventional and organic cheeses or fruits.
• Serve locally made wine, beer or spirits, when available.
• Reduce or eliminate packaging by using china, flatware and linens instead of disposables.
• Recycle and donate excess food or compost, if possible.
• Seeing what an impact going green can make inspires others to change their buying habits and behavior.
• Ask for seasonal menus; don’t settle for one-size-fits-all menus. It’s better to serve produce that’s in-season than to fly in food grown somewhere else.

On budgeting:

• If you know you have a bunch of drinkers, go with the package bar. If you know 20-25 percent of your attendees won’t drink, go with consumption-only.
• Going with butler service/passed drinks gives you better control over consumption. Having a drink or water passed when guests arrive also relieves pressure on the bartenders to serve everyone at once.
• One way to cut costs is to open the bar for a 45-minute pre-dinner reception, and close it for the hour dinner is underway.
• If you have to provide the alcohol for an event, ask for expert advice from a local package store.
• Avoid domestic wines if you’re concerned about your budget. Instead, look at using wines from South America, Spain, Italy and parts of France. A sommelier can help you be creative in your offerings.
• Keep a history of your group’s consumption. Ask the banquet captain and bartenders to keep tabs on what comes back untouched and what gets consumed. If you know your group is full of red wine drinkers who hate salmon, it will save you time and money developing your menus for the next event.
• There seems to be some hesitation on the planner’s part to divulge budget information. Caterers won’t try to spend every last dime you have budgeted, but they do need to know what you are willing and able to spend, so be honest.

On interactive F&B ideas:

• Guests can prepare recipes with the chef and then go in for dinner to enjoy what they’ve made together.
• Attendees can learn about the history of a classic cocktail and how to put a new twist on it.
• Wine and beer seminars can be arranged to show how different drinks bring out different flavors in the prepared meal.

On best practices:

• If you have a client who always insists on having something that the rest of the group doesn’t like, there are a few different ways to handle him or her:
  • Assure the client that you will have what they want there just for them, but in order to take care of the other attendees’ needs, other menu items will be present.
  • Use the group’s history of consumption to back your assertion that although the client likes this item, it is not popular with the group.
  • Arrange a tasting for the client so they can experience some of the out-of-the-box ideas you and the caterer have for the event.
• If alcohol is going to be poured at an event, make sure everyone involved has the necessary licenses, training and insurance. If anything happens (and it could) everyone is going to be held liable. Make sure bartenders know what the approved pour amount is and empower them to say no when someone asks for a double or has had too much to drink.
• If you are planning an out-of-town function, make sure to set up tastings on your initial site visit and bring a camera to document meal presentation, because you may not have the opportunity to go back before the event.
• If you love a venue, but have had problems in the past with their preferred caterer, sit down with your sales person (or if the caterer runs the facility, the owner) and discuss the past issues you’ve had with the service, so that corrections can be made.
• Don’t say you’re expecting 110 people when you know you’re going to have 150 or 160. If the caterer has prepared for 110 people and you create a 30 percent gap in what they have in terms of staff, plates and food, you are going to make them look bad and destroy their faith in your working relationship.

Ever wonder who is behind the scenes, helping you create flawless events? This occasional series introduces you to the frontline employees who help make your meetings and events extraordinary.

Name: Nicole Howell
Occupation: Banquet Server
Location: Peabody Hotel, Little Rock, Ark.

“One of the first events at the Peabody [that I worked] as a banquet server was the Miss Wheel Chair America Pageant. This event quite literally touched my heart and soul. Not only were these women some of the most giving and beautiful people I ever have met in my life, they [also] inspired me to be a better person. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Once I worked with them, I knew that I would be with the Peabody for a while. I have never had any group of people touch me like that before. I can honestly say it was a privilege and honor to serve them, and I anticipate their return next year.

“This was not the only experience at the Peabody that has touched, elevated or inspired me — there have been several. For instance, there was another convention I worked [that] I believe was here to raise awareness for cancer. There [was a] woman who spoke of losing her entire family to cancer. She was not speaking to me, but I found it very inspiring and invigorating.

“I find that my job is very unique. I meet and serve the most diverse people. For instance, I have served huge celebrities who actually are normal, sweet people just like you and me; I also have served people who have dedicated their entire lives to serving and helping others. Both I find to be touching and unforgettable experiences. I take each story with me forever, all different and meaningful in my eyes.

“I guess what I am trying to say is that I have served [in] many places in my life, but none like this before. Maybe that is why I found it so mind-boggling when you asked me to speak about my experiences here. I don’t really look at where I’m at as a job; I look at it as a life experience and a privilege, something irreplaceable in my heart that I will carry with me always, and I know I will never have the opportunity to experience again. I am so glad I was curious [enough] to venture outside the restaurant business into the hotel business. This is an experience that I would not want to pass up!”

— As told to Kristi Casey Sanders

Traveling to Florida this week has been a challenge, with Tropical Storm Fay — possibly one of the slowest-moving storms in recent history — causing flight cancellations, flooding streets, and closing down airports and bridges.

The MPI Southeast Educational Conference dealt with worries about the storm by being proactive — sending frequent, daily e-mails to registered attendees, exhibitors and speakers, letting them know the show would go on.

Many of the MPI members in attendance at the opening night reception Thursday said, without such encouragement, they may have called off their trips, especially those coming from the Orlando/Tampa area. Flying in from Atlanta to make a speaking engagement at the conference, I was surprised that we didn’t experience turbulence on our flight. But getting to Ponte Vedra and host hotel Sawgrass Marriott was challenging: Several bridges to the coast had closed by the time my car arrived at the airport, but Executive Transportation & Tours was able to get me to my destination safely.

Last night, the Sawgrass management delivered notes to each attendee, letting them know where to find news about Fay’s progress and what the hotel’s safety plans were. In all, the conference planners, transportation company and host hotel did an excellent job making sure attendees felt taken care of.

Unfortunately, this blog is being written from the Jacksonville Airport’s Chili’s, where I’m cooling my heels waiting to see if the 7:30 p.m. flight to Atlanta will be canceled or not. (My 2:30 p.m. flight was.) Again, excellent customer service from AirTran has headed off what could be a very unpleasant experience. The silver lining, if I do get stuck, is that it’s a nice airport with free WiFi and an attached hotel. When I got snowed into Dallas last March, we were given vouchers, shrugs and not much sympathy. The difference is night and day.

I thought this was worth writing about because as meeting planners, the unexpected, the inconvenient and the unpredictable always lurk around the corner from your best-laid plans. When people are taken care of, however, what is remembered are the people who have been helpful, proactive and creative in finding solutions that work.

–By Kristi Casey Sanders

Last week, an article on Yahoo News sparked a firestorm among the Meetings Community listserv (MeCo). The article, “Great Careers with Long Vacations,” describes the job of a convention and tourism planner as “an extended tour in paradise” with “off hours and long weekends” near luxurious accommodations in resorts and spas, where compensation time may be used for “swimming and tanning.” The only downside, the author pointed out, is that it would sometimes be a “juggling act.”

The response from real hotel managers and convention planners on MeCo was intense. Planners chimed in with tales of uncomfortably cold site visits in Minnesota during the winter, being told they had to flush several hundred toilets in a new hotel to ensure water pressure would be sufficient for the 400 guests arriving in less than six hours, and working months without a break or being able to go home to be with family members.

Several MeCo members wrote letters of complaint to the author, Gabby Hyman. “I have been with Hilton Hotels for 10 years, working with meeting planners of every kind,” wrote Timothy Arnold, director of sales, Worldwide Accounts – Hilton Hotels. “While the vast majority love their job, I have yet to meet one that would consider their profession glamorous in any way. … When I have been on-site with these planners, they are up at 5:00 a.m., down in the meeting room three levels underground and rarely go to bed before midnight. They never leave the hotel, and attend to everybody’s needs before their own. … I have had to remind [some planners] to eat lunch. … I have yet to find one planner who takes even half their vacation.”

Why do you think people consider meeting and event planning glamorous? What have been some of your least luxurious on-the-job moments? Let us know by commenting below.

Consumer advocate and talk show radio host Clark Howard relishes helping listeners save money and avoid scams. It’s addictively entertaining.

A few days ago, a wedding planner called in with a warning for other industry veterans. She had been hired to plan a destination wedding for a couple who paid her deposit with a cashier’s check, and asked her to wire a portion of the funds to a band in Jamaica as a deposit for the big day. As is common in the industry, the planner paid some other deposits for the couple before realizing the cashier’s check they originally gave her was forged. When the check bounced, the bank held the planner liable for the full amount, plus fees, and she was out the money she had reserved “vendors” with for the fake couple – in all, about $7,000. Unfortunately, because the fake check was a cashier’s check, the planner was told that there was little to nothing she could do to get her money back.

So take note independent planners: Think twice before accepting a cashier’s check as payment, especially if the client is overseas.