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Plan Your Meetings Blog

MPI, PCMA, HSMAI … PYM?

Posted by Kristi Casey Sanders on September 17, 2009 at 6:53 pm

I was going through the news links posted in one of my LinkedIn groups and saw an article about Meeting Planning 101. So, I clicked the link out of curiosity, and was excited to see Michele Hill, one of my PYMConnect friends, quoted. I was even more excited to read what she said.

Greg Poulos suggests, “A great place to meet others in the industry are professional associations,” of which Michele Hill of Moab recommends HSMAI, MPI, PYM, PCMA, ISES, ADME, IAEE, EIBTM, ICCA, BizBash, ITME, and ITCMA.

Aw … our very own PYM in the midst of the whole alphabet soup of meeting organizations. It warms the cockles. Thanks Michelle!

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Going green at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Posted by Kristi Casey Sanders on September 15, 2009 at 5:28 pm

We geared up for a very special sustainability-themed PYM LIVE Atlanta at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on Sept. 16.  @Kevin_Johnston presented about contract issues planners need to consider when trying to put together a green meeting — clauses, tips and other advice.


Find more photos like this on Plan Your Meetings

Here’s a copy of Kevin’s presentation (click on the image to download):

We captured the buzz on Twitter, for those of you who couldn’t be with us in tweets. Start from the bottom and read up to get the correct chronology.

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Addressing misperceptions about meeting

Posted by Kristi Casey Sanders on September 4, 2009 at 1:20 pm

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.

::

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.

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Road trip!

Posted by Kristi Casey Sanders on August 26, 2009 at 11:13 am

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

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    PYMLive: The biggest challenge Charlotte mtg planners are facing are: budgets, perception, negotiations, finding new biz and turn@time #pymnc
    5 days ago from HootSuite · Reply · View Tweet

Wednesday, Aug. 26

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    PYMLive: Packing up facts and stats and hitting the road for #pymnc – our first LIVE Event in Charlotte. If you come, say hi after my session 8/27

    4 days ago from HootSuite · Reply · View Tweet
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    PYMLive: Wise wrds frm Crackr Barrel on pricing: Good food is not cheap. Cheap food is not good. We serve good food at reasonable prices. #pymnc
    4 days ago from mobile web · Reply · View Tweet
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    PYMLive: Order dinner & get $5 movie tix @ Charlotte’s McCormick&Schmicks. They donate 2 Amer Heart Assoc 4 evry bluebry shortcake #pymnc
    4 days ago from txt · Reply · View Tweet

Thursday, Aug. 27

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    PYMLive: Omni charlotte has several employees who’ve been here more than 30 years. Says a lot for the company. #pymnc
    3 days ago from txt · Reply · View Tweet
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    PYMLive: “as a general manager, I’m only as good as the people around me. I’m surrounded by amzing people.” Ed Burke, Omni Charlotte #pymnc
    3 days ago from txt · Reply · View Tweet
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    PYMLive: Ocean Lodge in St Simons Ga is a full service corp retreat with 16 suites. Onestop shopping to create special experiences #pymnc
    3 days ago from txt · Reply · View Tweet

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Crossing business and wellness

Posted by Kristi Casey Sanders on August 25, 2009 at 9:05 am

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:

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Social networking – Is it working for you?

Posted by Kristi Casey Sanders on August 12, 2009 at 4:20 pm

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

::
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.

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Tackling industry challenges and solutions in Denver

Posted by Kristi Casey Sanders on August 6, 2009 at 7:00 am

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:

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LisaKraus: On our way to Denver for PYM LIVE! It’s gonna be great! #pymden

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

Kstar_smallgrn_normal 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

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

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

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PYMLive: Touchdown in Denver! Can’t wait to see Warwick Hotel and set up for #pymden
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PYMLive: @lisakraus The bag gods were smiling it’s here! Lets grab Claud and hot-foot it to the hotel #pymden
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PYMLive: My room at the Warwick is gorgeous! Cant wait to see tradeshow floor! #pymden
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PYMLive: Wow! Inclement weather, but I’m impressed a planner drove from Boulder to be with us at #pymden
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DaVinciDeb: At Plan Your Meetings event in Denver. Great event for event planners. #pymden
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PYMLive: What a crazy day, with Twitter getting hacked and traveling day-of, last minute additions & adjustments, I love event planning! #pymden

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DaVinciDeb: Great exhibits at the #pymden event at the Warwick Hotel in Denver. Looking forward to hearing from keynote speaker.
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PYMLive: Settling in to the educational session. What a difference natural light has on your mood. Warwick renovations look great. #pymden
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PYMLive: No matter who your audience is, they’ll always avoid sitting in the front row.
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DaVinciDeb: Kristi Casey Sanders talking about the problems event planners are experiencing in this economy #pymden
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PYMLive: Oxford Econ survey of biz travlrs shows nearly 40% of their prospective custmrs converted by face 2 face mtg vs. 16% w/o #pymden
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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
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PYMLive: If you’re trying to prove yr worth at work, you need to understand how your boss measures success & what the corp goal is #pymden
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PYMLive: Virtual can’t cmpletely replace face 2 face mtg. 81% of sr execs send emails during; 75% hv side convos #pymden
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sarahshah: @PYMLive thank you for the shoutout! …. cool meeting stats. face-2-face still way impt in my multi-media biz too. Why is that? #pymden
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PYMLive: Cutting marketing dollars to save money is like turning off the open sign to save on energy bill #pymden
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DaVinciDeb: What budget item do you have the most trouble controlling as an event planner. 44.4% said food and beverage. #pymden
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RogLewis: RT @DaVinciDeb What budget item do you have the most trouble controlling as an event planner. 44.4% said food and beverage. #eventprofs

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DaVinciDeb: Use PYMConnect – like facebook for meeting planners. Great way to connect. #pymden
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DaVinciDeb: Ways to have successful meetings in down economy. As an event planner shop around,piggyback,downsize and use free tech. #pymden
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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
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DaVinciDeb: Just won a free gift certificate for a stay at the Warwick at the #pymden.

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DaVinciDeb: PYM LIVE Denver was great! Warwick Denver Hotel was perfect. Thanks to everyone! #pymden @pymlive @pymconnect @davincideb (via @LisaKraus)
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LisaKraus: PYM LIVE Denver was great! Warwick Denver Hotel was perfect in every way. Thanks to everyone! #pymden @pymlive @pymconnect @davincideb
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MichaelMcCurry: RT @RogLewis: RT @DaVinciDeb wht budget item do U have the most trouble controlling as an event planner. 44.4% said food & beverage. #ev …
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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
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@RogLewis @GreenA_V I’ll get the stats from @interactiveguy, but biggest a/v challenge was customer svc from in-house providers #pymden
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PYMConnect: Congrats to @pymlive and @lisakraus on a great event!
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PYMLive: RT @PYMConnect: Congrats to @pymlive and @lisakraus on a great event! (Thanks @PYMConnect! It was great fun.)
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