Plan Your Meetings

By guest blogger Traci Gregory, CEM

What if the companies who canceled meetings due to public perception had reviewed their goals and objectives and made that part of the meeting execution, instead of canceling? Would meetings be suffering from the same perception problem that exists now?

Recently, I was discussing the now-infamous AIG incentive debacle and how it could have been avoided or minimized if they communicated the purpose, value and goals of the meeting, and how those goals were to be achieved at the event.

It is unfortunate that the news media has driven public perception to such negative depths, thus creating a situation that has damaged the conference/meeting planning industry. However, the scrutiny has created an opportunity for meeting professionals to articulate and demonstrate the value of this channel of communication to both the private and public sector.

Case in point: Texas Roadhouse President and CEO G.J. Hart made a point to host his appreciation event for his employees and kept his purpose and goals clear. When a CNBC reporter questioned him about how could he spend so much money on entertaining his employees, he replied:

“We’re going to have a good time, but we’re also going to be serious about what we’re all about … our people and our culture. Our people are the biggest asset we’ve got. … We have a philosophy in our company that if we take care of our people, they will take care of our guests.”

Hart was clear and focused about why he was hosting the appreciation event and how it benefited his company. It is a lesson to us all to stay focused and not be swayed by perception or fear of receiving negative press.

Years ago, I worked for a hospitality company where sales staff were encouraged to learn the client’s goals for meeting so we could best assist our client in achieving those goals. That awareness promoted efficiency in providing services and enhanced our clients’ programs. It also allowed the hospitality company to truthfully market its facility as a place where meeting goals were successfully achieved.

When I left that company to become a meeting planner, I took those principles with me. Each conference activity I organized had to contribute to the goal of the conference and enhance the attendee’s experience. Those principles gave me a baseline by which to measure the success of the meeting and the planning process. It also allowed me the ability to communicate the meeting’s goals during any point of the planning process to the program’s stakeholders or anyone else who needed to know. It was part of being prepared. But, more importantly, it gave me the tools I needed to prove how beneficial meetings were to the company’s efforts to engage customers and employees.

The AIG episode has inspired all of us to take a closer look at how we plan meetings. Across the board, people are questioning the cost and value of conferences and meetings. Perhaps if AIG and the facility it chose for its event had taken the opportunity to articulate their goals and how the location supported them in achieving those goals at the outset, it could have put to rest the perception that the meeting was a frivolous expenditure of taxpayer money.

Conferences, meetings, incentive programs and special events are the strongest way to engage your customers and employees with your brand, its mission and values, and achieve organizational goals. Going forward, we as planners should maintain the focus on a meeting’s purpose, thereby shifting the “is this meeting necessary?” argument from one based on optics to one rooted in fact.

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Traci Gregory, CEM, resides in southern California and has been in the meeting industry for 15 years. She planned her first international conference at age 16 on behalf of her church youth conference. That conference hosted over 2,500 attendees in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Traci went on to learn both hotel and facility service prior to becoming a full time meeting planner. Currently, she is promoting live captioning for meetings and events to elevate and enhance the conference experience for all attendees.

When we do PYM LIVE Events close to home, we typically drive out to the venue. As I type this, we’re packing up and getting set for our first-ever PYM LIVE Charlotte event in North Carolina. It also marks the final Industry Challenges and Solutions presentation I’m giving for PYM this year. I’ve already led roundtable discussions with planners in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas and Denver — all of whom faced very different challenges. After Charlotte’s session, I’ll publish a whitepaper on the subject and start work on our 2010 PYM annual issue: The Big Book of Answers. If you have a burning question or something you’ve always wanted to know the answer to, send those questions to me and I’ll get our experts to work on answering them for you.

In case you couldn’t join us in North Carolina, here’s what’s happened at the 2009 PYM LIVE Charlotte, told by those who Twittered there.

Tuesday, Aug. 25

About a year ago, I was interviewing education expert Joan Eisenstodt about how natural light and environments have a positive impact on adults — it makes it easier to learn, relaxes them, improves mood and helps them focus on the task at hand. Last spring I had the opportunity to visit a unique meeting facility designed with that in mind.

The Crossings is roughly 25 miles outside of downtown Austin, Texas, but it feels miles away from big city life. It’s a hotel/meeting venue/wellness spa set in the middle of a wilderness preserve. As you wander the grounds, you come across works of art and serene areas to sit and gathering your thoughts. There is a conference center, a wellness center, a dining hall, a spacious patio and housing in buildings reminiscent of beach houses. And guests are never more than a door or window away from nature. Take a look:

I’ve been thinking of The Crossings lately because it’s a very relaxing place, which makes it a great setting for developing corporate strategies and team-building during these turbulent times. The property is undergoing a renovation, and will re-open in December 2009. The spa re-opens in October. I can’t wait to see what kind of improvements co-founders Ken and Joyce Beck are making. In their own words, here’s the philosophy behind The Crossings:

By guest blogger, Kevin R. Johnston, CMP

Recently, I enjoyed a face to face interview (OMG-F2F?*) with a person referred to me by a LinkedIn contact: A late-20s event producer with impressive experience, a great network and the desire to expand her freelance business. Coffee, fresh air and the chance to experience a person’s personality and ability to communicate one-on-one was very refreshing.

You see, it’s my “baby boomer” traits that drive my need to see and interact in person. I’ve never hired talent or support staff without meeting or at least picking up the phone to get a sense of how someone will project our company’s image.  After the normal pleasantries, the subject turned to the media by which we connected.

“I’ve never gotten any business off LinkedIn,” said my coffee mate, implying that I may be the one to break that streak. Instead, her comment got me wondering about the usefulness of LinkedIn. In all my years on it, I had not even had a conversation with anyone with a need that my company could address. I felt so used! I started to wonder, “Am I just another pretty profile?”

“Do you Twitter?” she asked. “I really don’t think that most people would care to know who I am calling on or what events I am engaged in,” I replied. I mean, really, I’m not a celebrity, and my business, or even my personal “tweets” seem unappealing … even to me.

“FaceBook?” was her next question. Then, it all became very clear to me. Everything had become blurred. Was there a better way to virtually network than just POST or update?

Where is it best for hospitality/meeting industry professionals to conduct social networking? Or is social networking in this industry an oxymoron? I mean really, the hospitality industry is a HUGE social network, isn’t it? Let’s look at how our industry does business: cocktail parties, luncheons, golf outings, FAM and site trips and live events.

I’ve spoken for years to planners and hoteliers extolling the virtues of the relationship aspect of doing business. Social networking sites should support that. But, when I see status updates on LinkedIn about having dinner with relatives,  looking for new movies for the summer, and seeing posts asking “What’s your favorite song,” I understand why I’m not getting the business value of participation. Seldom few of my contacts seem focused on it while on-line.

IMHO** — much like eBay, we need to better police ourselves and be more responsive and responsible while “tweeting, posting and updating” while in a business social networking environment. For example, frequently someone will have a specific need and will ask for referrals, posting something like, “I’m looking for a one legged harmonica player.” At which time I’ll reply privately, “I’m a one legged harmonica player … how can I help?” I have never, EVER gotten a reply.

OK, I’m not a one-legged harmonica player, but you get the point. We need to be more confident in the fact that we don’t have to hide behind our keyboard. It is OK to ask for a phone number, or offer one privately. We can initiate a call and chat one-on-one and it will lead to expanded business, more job opportunities and a better understanding of how to best utilize these vast networks we build. This writer believes that if we can’t begin to measure the business value of the time we invest on a site like LinkedIn, it will soon become passé, and we’ll all move on to something else.

As I opened this article, I referenced a face-to-face meeting that was productive and satisfying. LinkedIn played its part as the conduit following the personal introduction. The F2F meeting is not dead. For when you say it is, so is our industry. Let’s focus on thriving and growing our business relationships while using these tools for what they’ve been set up to do … foster business connections and business growth.

As of this writing I have 448 contacts and 3,677,400 in my network. Will you be my next coffee mate? ;-)

*Oh my god. Face to face?
**In my humble opinion

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Kevin R. Johnston, CMP, is a hospitality industry veteran and the CEO of the Advantage Event Group in Atlanta, Ga. His work with clients focuses on increasing meeting profitability and productivity. Kevin can be contacted at kjohnston@AdvantageEventGroup.com.

Lisa, Claudia and I are off to Denver for the first-ever Colorado-based PYM LIVE, Aug. 6. While there, I’ll be helping meeting planners find solutions to their biggest challenges, Lisa will be talking about all the cool new things PYM has coming down the pike and thanking our lovely sponsors, & Claudia will be fabulous, as always, making sure that everyone’s happy and everything’s  running according to schedule. The Extreme Group is going to be using cell-phone operated ARS systems and we’ll be sending live reports from the Warwick Denver Hotel via Twitter. I’m excited!

In case you couldn’t be with us, here’s what the twitterstream was:

DaVinciDeb: RT @LisaKraus: Denver meeting planners: Join us PYM LIVE http://bit.ly/wTFR (expand) @davincideb @pymconnect @pymlive

PYMLive: RT @DaVinciDeb @LisaKraus: Denver meeting planners: Join us PYM LIVE http://bit.ly/wTFR (expand) @pymconnect @pymlive #pymden

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DaVinciDeb: Attending PYM Live this evening. This is a great event for event planners and is being held in Denver http://bit.ly/XZphH

PYMLive: Prepping for #pymden, found this story about how meeting abroad may save American planners $$ http://ow.ly/jdBB #eventprofs

keepmeeting: RT @PYMLive: Prepping for #pymden, found this story about how meeting abroad may save American planners $$ http://ow.ly/jdBB #eventprofs

PYMLive: Some companies don’t care @ ROI. They canceled meetings but are still making #s. Planners have to show true value & meaning of mtg #pymden

sjknutson: RT @PYMLive: Some companies don’t care @ ROI. They canceled meetings but are still making #s. Planners have to show true value & meaning

PYMLive: @lisakraus The bag gods were smiling it’s here! Lets grab Claud and hot-foot it to the hotel #pymden

DaVinciDeb: At Plan Your Meetings event in Denver. Great event for event planners. #pymden

PYMLive: What a crazy day, with Twitter getting hacked and traveling day-of, last minute additions & adjustments, I love event planning! #pymden

PYMLive: If you don’t know what the biz objctves 4 meeting are, or clients don’t know what the goal is, maybe tht mtg shldnt b held #pymden

PYMLive: Virtual can’t cmpletely replace face 2 face mtg. 81% of sr execs send emails during; 75% hv side convos #pymden

PYMLive: Cutting marketing dollars to save money is like turning off the open sign to save on energy bill #pymden

DaVinciDeb: What budget item do you have the most trouble controlling as an event planner. 44.4% said food and beverage. #pymden

RogLewis: RT @DaVinciDeb What budget item do you have the most trouble controlling as an event planner. 44.4% said food and beverage. #eventprofs

DaVinciDeb: Use PYMConnect – like facebook for meeting planners. Great way to connect. #pymden

DaVinciDeb: Ways to have successful meetings in down economy. As an event planner shop around,piggyback,downsize and use free tech. #pymden

Carolynso: I’m helping to teach Second Life to educators next wk. SL is another platform for free mtgs! @DaVinciDeb Re: successful mtgs in down economy

DaVinciDeb: Just won a free gift certificate for a stay at the Warwick at the #pymden.

RogLewis: @GreenA_V Wish I knew the answer for tech in general! I’m not at that talk, so don’t know. @DaVinciDeb , any other stats? #pymden

@RogLewis @GreenA_V I’ll get the stats from @interactiveguy, but biggest a/v challenge was customer svc from in-house providers #pymden

PYMLive: RT @PYMConnect: Congrats to @pymlive and @lisakraus on a great event! (Thanks @PYMConnect! It was great fun.)

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Promotional items are an amazingly cost-effective way to promote your business. As meeting professionals, we know that as much as we sometimes make fun of SWAG, we can’t live without it. But take a look at this mousepad … I don’t think this piece of promotional merchandise is having the kind of effect the reproductive specialists intended it to. Click on the image below to see it in its full glory.

Yes, attendees, it’s OK to walk out of an educational session. In fact, I would venture to say that you owe it to yourself, the speaker and the event organizer to forego all deadly sessions in favor of ones with content and presentation styles that engage you.

I know, I know, “it’s not polite.” But look at it this way: If you sit there bored out of your mind,  you’re not only wasting valuable time, you’re actually robbing yourself of the chance to join a more rewarding experience that’s happening just down the hallway. Also, letting the speaker and the event organizer know that the content is not engaging is going to help everyone improve what’s being offered. (And if you wait until the post-event survey, it may be too late.)

So, in honor of everyone who really wants to learn, here are my top 10 warning signs that you should close your notebook, put on your walking shoes and start looking for a more “educational” session:

1. The speaker is unprepared. If you’re at the 15-minute mark and the speaker still hasn’t made a point or addressed what you’re going to be learning, give up all hope and head for the door. The first thing they should tell you is why they’re here, why you should care and what’s in it for you.
2. They’re not sharing anything new. If they’re only stating the obvious, you’ll probably be better off looking up the topic on the Internet or reading a book about it. Life’s too short to sit through an entire 60- or 90-minute session that has maybe one thing you can use.
3. They are an “expert” rather than a speaker. The world is full of experts. But public speaking requires very specific skills, primarily: the ability to tell a story and be comfortable in front of an audience. Speakers also need to be good writers and editors of their work, so they can present even the most complex materials in an interesting and clear way. They also need to have a certain amount of flexibility so they feel comfortable veering from the script to answer questions or can adjust topics to fit the needs of their audience. If they can’t, they should be put on a panel, not given an hour of your precious time to waste.
4. They’re there to sell, not show and tell. Whether it’s a sponsor who’s promoting their business because they paid for a spot or a speaker who only has one solution to the problem they’re speaking on (buy their stuff), being shilled to in an educational session is a drag.
5. They leave nothing to the imagination. If your speaker tries to cram as much text as possible into each slide, you’re doomed. That’s the mark of someone who is just going to read aloud to you, and you’ll spend the whole session either trying to keep up with them or waiting for them to move on to the next slide instead of actually listening to them.
6. They can’t walk the talk. I once went to a session on how to green your meeting. The speaker’s handout was 20 double-spaced pages in extra-large font, printed only on one side. That told me everything I needed to know about what she could possibly teach me about planning more eco-friendly meetings. I went and took a nice nap, instead.
7. They freak out when challenged. I don’t care who you are, you can’t know everything. And that’s OK. Most great speakers welcome a challenging question, because it can lead to great discussions and a-ha moments. They also can admit to being uncertain if they don’t know the answer to a question, and can use that as an opportunity to start a new discussion or learn something from the audience. If your speaker can’t, that’s not a good sign. Either they’re too unprepared to welcome dialogue, or they’re afraid they’re going to lose control of the room.
8. It’s all about them, not you. Some speakers have a stock presentation that they do over and over again, regardless of who’s in the audience. Some speakers tell a lot of personal stories, but forget to explain why that’s relevant to you or your industry. Either approach is indicative of a lazy speaker who doesn’t particularly care what you take away from them. If they truly cared, they’d have taken the time to research your industry and customize the information so you’d know how to apply it.
9. They apologize and make excuses. The minute a speaker starts to point out or apologize for mistakes, everything’s going to go downhill. If they had just gone on with the show, chances are you wouldn’t have noticed that they messed up. Now it’s all anyone in the room can think about (including them).
10. They demand your attention, they don’t earn it. Any actor can tell you that it’s  impossible to have every single audience member’s uninterrupted attention all the time. But, if you stay honest and connected to your material, you will have their full respect and attention, eventually. Unfortunately, some speakers don’t understand that, and they’ll lash out at the audience rather than try to create a more interactive and meaningful experience. This can become especially awkward if the speaker tries to browbeat the audience into submission or misunderstands how the audience is using technology to enhance the learning experience. The person typing away on their cell phone was probably taking notes or Twittering something nice until the speaker started being such a jerk.