125 Tips for Meeting Planners

The all-out, no-holds-barred, straightforward, fundamental, carefully chosen, feverishly compiled, complete list of useful meeting planning advice.

SITE SELECTION AND NEGOTIATIONS

Venues, CVBs, Room Blocks

1. Reach out and don’t be afraid to go after the city you want, but keep your cards close and do your shopping first. Don’t declare your top choices right away.
-Stephen Hahn, Marriott International

2. Don’t base site selection entirely on price. You’ll always find people who are prepared to underprice their services just to get business. But how good and reliable are they? Next time you’re tempted to make a buying decision based entirely on price, think again.
-Susan Friedmann, “Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies”

3. Always stop in and check out the public restrooms in the hotel or facility.
-Stephanie Hudson, Providence Events

4. Before contracting a hotel or convention center, ask if it utilizes a union labor force and specifically which departments are in the unions.
-Monica Compton, Pinnacle Productions Inc.

5. If a destination or property is new to you, go beyond the site visit tour and really experience a property, putting yourself in your attendees’ shoes. If possible, visit on your own and spend some time in the lobby.
-Cynthia Rich, independent planner

6. Anything can look beautiful on the Internet, but it’s only by visiting you realize that the after-golf luncheon you’re planning will be held in a tent in the parking lot and not an actual clubhouse. If you can’t make an inspection trip before the meeting, ask a local member for recommendations.
-Mike Sorem, National Technical Investigators Association

7. Rehearse your opening words before negotiations. Your opening words set the tone for the discussions that follow. Make certain that you know exactly what it is you want to say. Craft the words so that your message is clear and concise. Then spend time rehearsing your lines.
-Susan Friedmann, “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies”

8. Renegotiate contracts. You can’t do it with every one, but … this is a good time to buy, and negotiating is more viable now than it has been in the past.
-Lisa DeGolyer, Construction Owners Association of America

COMMUNICATION

Phone Calls, Silence, Introductions

9. Follow-up is a time-related concept. If you have a conversation with someone, take some immediate action within 24 hours (e.g., repeat the person’s name, make notes on the back of his or her business card to trigger what you discussed, especially key points the other person made). Then, within that same time frame, send an e-mail or personal note.
-Bob Littell, NetWeaving

10. Build relationships. Attend outings with your colleagues. Have a call date when people know you are available to talk.
-Sharon Seay, CMP, National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association

11. It seems obvious to do a site visit for an event, but sometimes there isn’t adequate funding—especially for new events—to travel and see the facility beforehand. This can cause major issues. To lessen those problems, communicate all your needs to the host location and facility beforehand, especially if you don’t see the site in advance.
-Will Engle, American Volleyball Coaches Association

12. Exercise Silence. The old saying “silence is golden” is particularly true around the negotiating table. Negotiating mavens know that when discussing a deal, the first to speak loses. In fact, the more you talk, the more information you’re supplying your opponents. Your silence will also help create the perception that you are a thoughtful and methodical decision-maker.
-Susan Friedmann, “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies”

13. If you are having a difficult time catching an unfamiliar name at an event, ask the person to spell it. Foreign names can be especially difficult to pick up, and people will appreciate you taking the time to spell and say their name correctly.
-Dallas Teague Snider, author and speaker

GOING GREEN

Recycling, Teamwork, Goals

14. Have processes in place to make sure everyone understands their goals. Document everything you’ve done, the good and the bad. The most effective learning tools are the barriers and obstacles you’ve overcome.
-Kimberly Lewis, U.S. Green Building Council

15. Going green is not just one step. It’s a journey, and it’s important to set up a green team to come up with what your organization’s goals are, and to assess your progress, your failures and your successes.
-Tracey Messina, Convene Green Alliance

16. Many green practices can be cost-saving or cost-neutral for both the supplier and the planner, including using china service rather than disposable dishware at meals, requesting that hotels change linens every other day and moving registration online to drastically reduce the cost of postage and paper.
-Amy Spatrisano, Meeting Strategies Worldwide

17. Make sure extra food is being donated and promote that fact to raise awareness among attendees and your organization.
-Joan Eisenstodt, hospitality consultant and educator

18. Encourage and award attendees for going green. Hand out “I was caught green-handed” buttons or offer contests for practices like carpooling and recycling, allowing the winners to go first in the food lines.
-Nancy Wilson and Cathy Kretz, CMPs, from their green meetings webinar

19. Guests and hosts learned from each other about the growing importance of going green, even in areas that were previously unknown to the vendor. Anticipate environmental needs, cultural differences and basic hardware that may be needed when you least expect it.
-Terrell D. Rich, Partners in Flight

MEETING FUNDAMENTALS

Budgets, RFPs, Programs

20. Always show up early for meetings and/or site visits unannounced. In that time, walk around, interact with staff members and ask questions so you are confident they will be able to help your guests should they have questions.
-Terry Tycholis, Can-Am Police-Fire Games

21. Keep in mind the things attendees hate: waiting in line, jam-packed schedules, PowerPoint, being talked at by speakers, bad food, misspelled name badges, bad signage, poor e-mail marketing, websites with no contact info and having to pay for Wi-Fi.
-Keith Johnston, PlannerWire

22. Consider when schools are in session or on a break when scheduling your event.
-Marge Carlisle, Little People of America

23. When attending events, it’s fine to collect 10 or more business cards, but narrow them down to three or four of the most important connections you’ve made.
-Bob Littell, NetWeaving

24. Have a separate room block for exhibitors. If you have space in your regular room blocks and can move them to the closer hotel, there will be no attrition.
-Janet Graff, CMP, Mednax Inc.

25. A comprehensive Request for Proposal should provide an overall evaluation of your meeting. Think of it like a resume, which offers job experience, references, history and more.
-Donn Oswald, Greater Phoenix CVB

26. Early planning is key. Be sure to be specific on your needs and expectations. Leave no detail uncovered or assumed. Everyone will be happier in the end if you follow these three simple rules.
-Amy Beadle, Springfield (Ill.) CVB

27. Whenever you need to make a change to some existing system, program, schedule or event, have a pool of people, or a “consequence team,” that can help you evaluate potential decisions and repercussions. This team could be other planners, friends, staff or outsiders, but a combination of all would be a great mixture. Sometimes when we bounce ideas off other planners, they only offer us one perspective, but an outsider may offer a totally new perspective that we hadn’t considered.
-Dean Jones, Connect and Rejuvenate Marketplace

28. When branding an event, make it simple. Whittle your message down to the essentials; remove everything else.
-Bruce Turkel, author and branding expert

29. Storytelling is another way to think about how to frame your meeting. Know your message. Then, develop the story with a plot, a beginning, middle and end. Communicate the story using multiple messages: Theme the scene, reinforce it with music to create the right moods and immerse your attendees every step of the way.
-Lenn Millbower, Offbeat Training

30. Stay organized. Ninety percent of my work is done before the group hits the door. The curriculum, recipes, food cooked—my ducks are in a row so that I can relax and enjoy the group.
-Tami Cecil, chef and team-building facilitator, Woodhaven Farm

31. Date your ideas, but don’t marry them. Don’t be afraid to take risks, actually do what you say you’re going to do and think outside the box.
-Billy Kirsch, Kidbilly Music

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Action Stations, Wish Lists, Wow Factors

32. Dessert is a good place to go for the wow factor. Face it, attendees can not like the salad, find the meal just OK, but if you wow them with the dessert, they’ll remember the whole meal as being fantastic.
-Steve Enselein, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

33. Move away from lengthy meals to more action stations, where attendees can mingle and sample.
-Giorgi Di Lemis, Gaylord Hotels

34. Always use a trained bartender. This is not the place to cut corners.
-Bonnie Wallsh, Bonnie Wallsh Associates

35. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what goes toward your food and beverage minimum. While coffee breaks, receptions and meals should all be included, try to include such things as hospitality suites and F&B functions from sponsor organizations (who wouldn’t be there if not for your function).
-John Foster, hospitality attorney

36. Every destination or venue has its own specialty, sometimes synonymous with the season, the local growers, manufacturers and producers, or a chef who is noted for a contribution to the cuisine. When it’s a plentiful local product, hotel chefs and caterers will be happy to match your theme, or you can begin with their specialty menu items and create your theme accordingly. It also will be cost effective to use readily available ingredients.
-Liz Mitchell, Beaufort (S.C.) Regional Chamber of Commerce

37. Fresh and locally produced ingredients, intense rich flavors, and, thankfully, the demise of supersizing is where America’s chefs are trending.
-Robert Zappatelli, Benchmark Hospitality

38. Any meeting planner who wants to get the biggest bang for the buck should always talk to the chef. And don’t let any salesperson say you can’t talk to the chef.
-Janet Pickover, Site Inspections Plus

SECURITY

Privacy, Protection, Legal Issues

39. In the event of a hotel strike or other event disruption, look into your options for transportation. If attendees staying at the original hotel need to be shifted to another facility for the event, you need to plan how attendees will get there as safely and efficiently as possible. You can’t assume the original hotel will take care of these details for you.
-Philip Farina, Farina and Associates Ltd.

40. A force majeure provision should be included in every contract. It is also important to include a catchall provision such as the following: “or any other cause beyond the parties’ control.”
-Barbara Dunn, hospitality attorney

41. Make sure all exits are clearly visible, and all aisles, walkways and exits are clear of obstructions. Make sure all drapery and scenic material have been fireproofed.
-Scott Reagles, Initial Production Group

42. Tell attendees about emergency plans during housekeeping sessions.
-Joan Eisenstodt, hospitality consultant and educator

43. Partner with law enforcement agencies in the early planning stages for a better understanding of any overall threats, including recent crime information, as well as potential threats directed toward either the event or the facility.
-Bonnie Wallsh, Bonnie Wallsh Associates

44. Make sure the hotel and meeting center has a good paper shredder and find out what security measures are practical.
-Joan Eisenstodt, hospitality consultant and educator

TECHNOLOGY

Texting, Tweeting, Widgets

45. Mass text messages or text blasts are a great way to keep your group informed during an event.
-Natalie Konowal, Sigma Chi Fraternity

46. Engaging an audience ensures continuous attentiveness during longer presentations. During a 60-minute presentation, getting audience feedback after each 20-minute span of time can ensure that attendees’ brains remain in the “active” rather than “passive” mode so they retain more information.
-Ray Hansen, IML audience response systems

47. If you have decided that you are going to implement an event community, you need to teach people how to use it. You need to have a session and allow people to ask questions and really be patient, speak in plain English and not text terms. Do a one-hour Twitter 101 session to really give people an overview; it helps them not only for the event but it teaches people a new skill.
-Jessica Levin, Seven Degrees Communications

48. Go beyond Facebook and Twitter and utilize platforms like LinkedIn and Second Life to promote your event and get attendees involved.
-Martin Hess, American Club Association

49. Provide a website widget of the Twitter hashtag that users can post on blogs, personal pages and websites. This can be done using Twitter Fall, TwitterFountain, TweetGrid or Widgetbox.
-Jeff Hurt, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting

50. I could have my intern Twitter great things about us all week long, but when someone else Twitters about us who’s a trusted source, that is what’s most significant. Developing solid relationships with influential people in your niche audience who use social media is an incredible use of your time and energy. Those people, when they talk about you, they are going to drive attention and traffic in your direction.
-Matt Markins, Randall House

51. Use online registration. After the event, you will have a long list of the most active members of your organization, along with their mailing addresses, home addresses, e-mail addresses and other contact information. Use this list as a membership database and build on it between events.
-Sarah McNeely, Attendee Management Inc.

52. Ask the hotel or conference center for power cords left in lost and found. Keep them at the registration desk in case attendees need to recharge their electronic devices. They’ll thank you profusely.
-Cate Smith, Education Law Association

IN THE INDUSTRY

Questions, Karma, Travel

53. I’m a strong believer in karma. If there’s anything you can do to help the planner before or after you at a hotel or facility, then do it. Work with other planners to make their jobs easier. It always comes back to you one way or another.
-Jeff Johnston, American Contract Bridge League

54. Association memberships are expensive. Not only is there a yearly membership fee, but there are luncheons and other monthly events that cost money to attend. Instead of joining every association that may fit your need, focus on one that could bring you the most benefit, and once you choose that one association, get involved.
-Christine Doyle, Meeting Planning For You

55. Travelers should always plan for a trip to last a couple days longer than they anticipate. That means bringing extra money or credit cards that you can put a room on. When you are prepared, you aren’t as stressed by an unexpected situation.
-Thelma Goodwin, Ushers Association

56. No question is a dumb question.
-Sandra Schutrop, Hilton Hotels

57. Don’t brush off anyone. You never know when that destination or service will turn out to be the exact fit you’ve been looking for.
-Dean Jones, Connect and Rejuvenate Marketplace

58. When you are introduced to someone, try to use the person’s name three times during your initial exchange. For example: “Hi, John. So, John, which division do you work for in for Biotech? How long have you been with the company? Well, John, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again sometime.” Using someone’s name during the exchange should provide ample opportunities to connect something to that person you could recall at a later date.
-Dallas Teague Snider, author and speaker

59. When you’re trying to get attendees to a meeting during the summertime, they want to make a vacation out of it, so choose destinations that can provide that to increase attendee numbers.
-Teri Dingler, Alabama Society of Otolaryngology

60. Content is king. Everyone wants to know what is going on. They want educational content that helps them sort through the volumes of information in their field. Where are the frontiers?
-Judy Randall, Randall Travel Marketing Inc.

TRADE SHOWS

Swag, Sponsors, Show floor

61. When it comes to sponsorship, if you don’t have the time to invest in it or don’t have the skill set to organize it, outsource it.
-Louise M. Felsher, CMP, meeting and event consultant

62. This positive environment is composed of many small details. Putting down carpet, for example, creates a more comfortable environment. As a result, they may stay on the show floor two or three hours longer, making them more likely to spend more.
-Susan Friedmann, “Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies”

63. With promotional products, buyers sometimes forget that shipping to the company address and then resending the shipment out to the destination wastes dollars. Do some research into fulfillment options at the event site and compare costs.
-Marty Bear, Professional Marketing Services Inc.

64. Ask your suppliers and your attendees what will make your show successful for them. Listen to them. Make sure the right people are coming.
-Chris Price, Graphic Arts Show Company

65. Strategic audience acquisition has become a focal point. It’s not enough just to fill the exposition hall with a large number of attendees; the presence of decision-makers is key. The recruiting process has to be tight and specific.
-David Ecton, Syscom Technologies

66. The hanging banner is dead. It’s no longer just about how many people saw it. Rather, it’s about which people saw it and how long they viewed or interacted with it. Interactive and experiential sponsorships get attendees involved with brands, products and marketing messages.
-Charles W. Allen, The C.W. Allen Group

67. Give out trinkets (pens, magnets, paperweights, etc.) with the date of next year’s event on it.
-Susan Perry, The Perry Group

SPEAKERS

References, Storytelling, Timing

68. Tell a speaker the goals of your program and what you want to achieve. My story is my story. I have my core speech, but I’m always happy to adapt it to meet the needs of the group.
-Joan Brock, speaker

69. Talk with your speaker of choice about the timing of their presentation. Comedy is useless before 10 a.m. so don’t even bother earlier than that.
-Anita Renfroe, speaker

70. Request that speakers send you a list of six people you can call for a personal phone reference. When they give you the list, be sure to call the last three on the list. This will ensure that you are getting a true assessment, since most people will list the best references first.
-Dallas Teague Snider, author and speaker

71. Tell all the speakers one month before, one hour before and just before they speak how much time they have. Let them know that they will receive a sign (timer) to know when time is up. With prestigious speakers, this detail is sometimes avoided. Don’t avoid the discussion; they will understand.
-Pegine Echevarria, author and speaker

VOLUNTEERS

Excitement, Training, Empowerment

72. There are people who have volunteered for me before, and if there are ones I like, I’ll ask them again.
-Pat Ahaesy, P&V Enterprises

73. If possible, give a volunteer task that they’re interested in.
-Jo Anglea Maniaci, Special Events Planning

74. Try to get people within your organization to volunteer. If they have a reason to come and get something out of it, they will be more likely to be excited about volunteering.
-Stephanie Hudson, Providence Events

75. If you’re using volunteers for the first time, try to find people within your market segment. For us it’s volleyball coaches, but just find people who know your organization. Once you have those types of folks, don’t be afraid to ask for their help and their opinions. They’re on the pulse of what these folks are doing on a daily basis.
-Will Engle, American Volleyball Coaches Association

76. Use current volunteers to recruit volunteers. When someone sees that someone else in their industry is willing to donate their time to the event, it makes it easy for them to do it as well.
-Denise McGinn, Association Guidance

INSPIRATION

Ideas, Advice, Experience

77. Lots can go wrong that you as the meeting planner are the only one that knows about it. I have a new index to decide how bad something is: Did anybody die? If no one died, whatever it is, I can deal with.
-Garland Preddy, U.S. Marshals Service

78. Continually check everything and be ready for the surprises—they will occur.  Then manage them.
-John E. Saunders III, National Forum for Black Public Administrators

79. Constantly reinvent or challenge yourself to do new things. Play outside your sandbox. Explore things outside your realm of business only to discover how inside your business it is.
-Fabian De Rozario, National Association of Asian American Professionals

80. Don’t be afraid to outsource some services if it’s more cost-efficient for your [organization] and less of a headache for you.
-Rick Dungey, National Christmas Tree Association

81. Color is an important component that can tie the meeting together, bringing in all elements from invitations to flowers, food, linens, gifts and props. Colors can also help maximize budget. For example, you can use bowls of lemons instead of floral arrangements and pineapple-yogurt parfaits for a healthy, colorful dessert that also serves as table decoration.
-Diane Budion-Devitt, hospitality professor at New York University

82. Stop focusing on what you do and start focusing on what your clients want. Unbundle what you have and deliver it in a different way.
-Bruce Turkel, author and branding expert

83. Fly by the seat of your pants. It’s just good old experience—what’s worked, what hasn’t.
-Dan Meyer, Sword Swallowers Association International

Don’t miss these expert tips:

Jason Ryan Dorsey’s seven tips on working with Gen Y.

James Spellos’ seven tips on meetings technology.

Nine tips from veteran planner Bonnie Wallsh.

Hospitality attorney Barbara Dunn’s five tips on legal and contract issues.

Eight tips from corporate planner Monica Compton.

Six tips from audiovisual specialist Scott Reagals.