Case Study: NEO Conference

Who: Janet Graff, CMP, planner for Mednax, Inc.

What: NEO – The Conference for Neonatology

Assignment: Plan an annual meeting including general sessions, breakouts, several receptions, sponsor lunches, a trade show with 50-55 exhibitors and a gala finale.

Special Challenges: In the first year, we had about 800 people; in the second year, there were almost 900 people. The room block for exhibitors was a continual challenge. While we appreciated the sponsors and exhibitors’ support, the frequent changes in personnel created difficulties in securing rooms and managing attrition.

Solutions: For the second year, we hired a third-party company to handle exhibitor management and the trade show. They handled customer service and changes in personnel. We also secured a special room block for exhibitors and announced that the rooms were on a first-come, first-serve basis. The exhibitors learned, after two years, that they needed to secure their rooms ahead of time rather than waiting until the last minute. They could change personnel but knew they were responsible for payment and cancellations.

Advice: Have a separate room block for exhibitors. Then, if you have space in your regular room block and can move the exhibitors to the closer hotel or the host hotel, they are very pleased and there is no attrition.