Convention planners, facility managers and destination representatives say many in the meetings industry could significantly improve their disaster and emergency plans. Effective preparedness and planning often starts with identifying the threats and preparing for worst-case scenarios. While organizations can’t prepare for everything, experts say they can try to prepare for what could happen and use those plans as a model for how to respond in other crises. Most importantly, those plans should be designed with flexibility and continuously tested and improved.

Plan for People

One of the major challenges in dealing with a disaster or emergency during a meeting or convention is often the large number of people. John Copenhaver, founder and CEO of the Contingency Management Group, was head of FEMA for the Southeastern United States between 1997 and 2001, where he dealt with emergency management preparations for conventions. Copenhaver says plans can vary dramatically depending on the size of the meeting, what kinds of attendees will be there and where it is located. By their nature, large meetings can require more complex emergency plans and considerations because of the number of people involved.

“You’re typically going to have a lot of people in a small area and you have to be aware of all potential problems. That could be everything from an active shooter to a power outage or natural weather event,” he says.

When responding during an emergency or after one has already happened, most plans are designed to maintain order and prevent panic. Copenhaver says the keys to protecting people and property are effective communication and instructions. Meeting planners need to have multiple lines of communication open to reach attendees and deliver updated information on how to respond. He recommends using any and all means of communication including social media, text messaging, direct phone calls and announcements at facilities.

“You should figure out your response in different situations. The worst thing you can have is something happen at a convention for which you have no script or rehearsed response to,” says Copenhaver.

It’s not a far-fetched scenario that conventioneers could be asked to shelter in place during a weather event. While that might only be a few hours in most cases, it can extend much longer. Although conventioneers had been cleared from the facility before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005, more than 30,000 residents sought refuge at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Convention center President and General Manager Bob Johnson spoke at the International Disaster Conference and Expo in New Orleans in January, where he made the point that facility managers and meeting planners should be lock step in how these facilities would be used in a disaster. That could range from hosting conventioneers for an extended crisis to serving as a shelter for the local population. In any case, Johnson said meeting planners have to be aware of security and disaster plans for the facilities.

“We have to protect not just people but property as well. During a disaster we could have hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exhibitory and we have to secure it,” Johnson says.

Plan for What Could Happen

Emergencies aren’t always full-blown catastrophic natural disasters; small-scale disturbances can still cause the evacuation of thousands of guests from a facility. Facility managers usually have solid evacuation plans, but meeting planners should be prepared and have plans for dealing with such disturbances, too. Last October, hundreds of people had to be evacuated from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., during the Greater Washington National College Fair when a small group of students got into a fight. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the Los Angeles Convention Center during the 2011Anime Expo due to a report of a suspicious package.

“Sometimes it’s the little things you have to plan for. There are so many things that could call for an evacuation,” says Joan Eisenstodt, meeting planner, trainer and founder of Eisenstodt Associates.

Eisenstodt says disaster planning often starts when selecting a destination. While hurricane season runs in the late summer along the Gulf Coast, tornado season is usually during the spring in the central part of the country. She said while all emergency and disaster plans should have some basic elements, they should also be tailored to meet the specific threats of each location.

“You have to look at the likelihood of what could happen and plan more extensively for that. You need to prepare for how you are going to handle it if [something] happens before or during a meeting,” she says.

Sometimes an emergency plan needs to have provisions for helping conventioneers react to the situation. While most people instinctually understand the need to hunker down or run for cover during a hurricane or tornado, it can be the opposite during an earthquake. During an earthquake, it’s essential to use a doorway for shelter or drop to the ground and take cover when inside. But when outside, it’s usually best to move to a clear opening and away from buildings, streetlights and utility wires.

Carol Martinez, vice president of communications for the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, said L.A.’s main natural threat is earthquakes. While they represent a serious threat, they are also fairly uncommon. More of a concern to conventions would be stormy weather or manmade disasters. Last July, for example, the 405 Freeway in L.A. was shut down for construction and was expected to create one of the world’s largest traffic jams (some called it “Carmageddon”). It had the potential to become a manmade disaster.

“There really wasn’t a crisis, but we made sure we kept people informed,” says Martinez. “We have a lot of cooperation from the public sector here in L.A., so we all work to help [meeting planners] prepare for problems.”

Learn from Experience

Mary Ghikas is no stranger to dealing with disaster. Ghikas, the assistant executive director for the American Library Association, is part of the planning team for the association’s annual conference, which was the first conference to take place in Toronto after the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the first show back to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Over the years, Ghikas has developed a set of rules and best practices to help prepare and plan for the worst.

First, Ghikas says meeting planners have to assume that something is going to happen. From adverse public policy decisions to hotel strikes or natural disasters, she anticipates that something, on some level, will affect every ALA conference. Next, she says the organization carefully goes over its insurance coverage and contracts, checking deductibles, cancellation policies and what needs to be documented and proven in the event of a disaster.

It’s also important to understand the risk tolerance of the organization and the board in postponing, relocating or canceling a convention, she says. When a disaster happens beforehand or if a hurricane is bearing down on a location days before a conference, it can be a risky call to cancel a convention for 20,000 people. Making the wrong decision could have disastrous consequences and cause a massive public relations blow to the organization. Ghikas says there needs to be a clear line of communication and scenarios to help create a decision-making model in a time of crisis.

“You do have to think about how it will position you with members,” she says. “How much reassurance do you have to build for them? Will they feel you are willfully putting them at risk for something they see as a business venture?”

It’s not just meeting planners and organizations but also city officials and emergency personnel who don’t take canceling a convention lightly. When some disasters strike, the ultimate decision on cancellations may come at the hands of authorities. Copenhaver said when he was with FEMA in 2008, a severe wildfire outbreak struck northeastern Florida. His department had to make the tough call to evacuate parts of a county that were heavily dependent on tourism and meetings.

“The No. 1 factor has to be the safety of the people, and that is the primary guiding factor that you have to use,” he says.

Knowing who to call in an emergency is also critical, says Ghikas. From insurance agents and legal counsel to the convention and visitors bureau in the affiliate city, one has to keep the information flowing. The same model for communication can work when a disaster strikes during a convention or when something happens immediately before one. Ghikas says you need to build your response structure, examine your metrics, list people and then just breathe.

“Just keep pushing out the information. Whatever you do, don’t remain silent because members will interpret silence as if you are hiding something,” she advises.

Test and Improve Plans

Sometimes, the best way to test and improve disaster preparedness plans is to actually go through a disaster (though it’s never the preferred route). During the Tennessee floods of 2010, the Cumberland River pushed more than 10 feet of water into some parts of Nashville. Major venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House and the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center took on water, suffered major damage and were shut down for months. Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville CVB, says Opryland was able to evacuate all the guests from the 3,000-room hotel and shelter them at a local high school. The CVB helped visiting meetings get their members out of town or cancel conferences. This included the Healthcare Financial Management Association, which had to relocate its 5,000-attendee conference to Las Vegas.

“I am not sure we had a good enough plan beforehand. We did have a good enough staff that we responded instantly. I think our flexibility got us through it,” says Spyridon.

Spyridon says the CVB and the city’s other tourism venues were not prepared to go without power. The CVB office never took on water, but it still lost phone service and power for three days—at a time when it needed it the most. Spyridon says his staff “went into makeshift mode” to get the job done, but the CVB has since set up satellite locations that can be used in the event of a disaster.

“We have all that now,” he says. “You can be prepared, but you just can’t know everything to prepare for until you go through something like this.

Donna Karl, CMP, vice president of client relations for the New Orleans CVB, says the organization revised and rebuilt its entire emergency plan after Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, the city worked with FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security to create and put in place a specific plan for visitors, which includes convention attendees. It covers everything from communications to sheltering and evacuations. Karl said the plan has been updated every year and was tested during Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

“Gustav didn’t do any damage, but it gave us the opportunity to fully test the plan and tweak it even further,” said Karl. “One new addition is that every Monday, the CVB sends out a request to all of the hotels in the area to find out how many guests will be in their hotels during the next two weeks. That list is then shared with 40 different individuals in government agencies so they can know how many people are in each part of the city at any given time,” she adds.

Karl estimates that only 20 percent of organizations she deals with actually have their own emergency and disaster plans. The New Orleans CVB shares the city’s disaster plan with visiting organizations and encourages meeting planners to use it as a framework and customize it for their own use. Karl also helps organizations understand and plan around hurricanes because a lot can change between the time a hurricane develops in the Atlantic Ocean and the time it makes landfall. In some cases, that can be as long as two weeks. The CVB monitors the cone of probability and keeps meeting planners and guests continuously updated. While the city might be identified as the primary target, that could all change within a week.

“A lot of people and planners may have never dealt with hurricanes. We educate them so they’re not panicking 10 days out. A lot can change in that time,” says Karl.

Sue Gourley is vice president of conventions for the National Association of Realtors. NAR’s annual conference attracts more than 20,000 delegates and has recently been held in San Diego, Orlando and Las Vegas. In 2006, it was the first major convention to be held in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Gourley says NAR has a solid emergency plan and puts together a booklet for each conference that has critical contact numbers, maps of emergency exits and basic first aid and response information. All key staff members carry these booklets so they know how to respond and who to call in the event of an emergency. Gourley also taps into a destination’s emergency plans to rely on that expertise in dealing with local issues.

“We have meetings with security, police and emergency officials in the city as well as the hotels. We do a pre-conference so that everyone knows where they are, what to do and who to contact in the event of an emergency,” Gourley says.

There isn’t much meeting planners can do to prevent natural disasters or emergencies, but they can control how they respond and react to them. In a time of crisis, careful planning, preparation and contingencies can make the difference between success and failure.

Equally thrilling was the economic boost to Denver and its hotels, restaurants, retailers and attractions—an estimated $21.9 million—that the annual Colorado Crossroads event and its 45,000 attendees brought to town in late February. “It’s not your typical convention, but it’s the most significant annual tournament held in Denver,” says Litherland.

Significant indeed, given the list of Denver’s numerous sports tournaments, from wrestling and lacrosse to youth soccer and inline hockey. “Ten years ago people might have looked down their nose on these types of tournaments, but not anymore,” says Buddy Wheeler, sports marketing coordinator for the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve been actively pursuing these kinds of events for years,” says Wheeler, who coordinates everything from road races to cheerleading in his Atlantic Coast city. “It’s good money and a win-win for everyone.”

Start Smart—and Early

Planners who organize these tournaments for thousands of amateur athletes, their coaches, families, friends and fans, admit it can be daunting—the setup alone for Crossroads’ 90 composite-floor volleyball courts took two full days. Even the first step—selecting a tournament site—isn’t always easy. Finding a city with good access, a workable convention center and an affordable, sizable room block is difficult enough, but that process becomes even more complicated for amateur sports tournament planners who have a list of additional requirements specific to their sports and athletes.
“A big part of this for us is strategic planning,” says Jeff Scully, executive director of the Maine Games and a board member of the National Congress of State Games, which is responsible for arranging the biennial State Games of America. The 2011 national tournament, which included everything from archery and badminton to skateboarding and power lifting, was held last August in San Diego, drawing some 9,100 athletes from more than 40 states. Even in a city known for its convenient downtown airport, bounty of group-friendly venues and a healthy chunk of hotel rooms, the NCSG still faced challenges.

It helped considerably that San Diego, like a growing number of destinations, offers the services of a dedicated sports commission. “Unlike your typical convention, with sports you need a lot of venues of multiple types and you need them all to be available,” says Steve Schell, vice president of sales for the San Diego Sports Commission. “Everyone has baseball and soccer fields, but they’re not just sitting around empty waiting for a big event to come to town. It’s important to line them up early on.” CVBs and sports commissions can save planners time and energy, Schell says, by knowing not just their local venue inventory but which ones can be rented and when. “We added bowling to the 2011 games, which turned out to be very popular,” says Scully. “But we couldn’t have done so if there weren’t a lot of bowling alleys right in San Diego,” he adds, a fact that Schell’s group was aware of in advance.

Finding a bevy of bowling alleys is certainly challenging, but Scully says other less obvious issues face his planning team. “The biggest [challenge] was anticipating three years out what the economy would be like for us and the athletes,” says Scully, citing travel costs (for athletes and their families), access (flying vs. drive-in) and marketing (to draw both fans and participants) as major factors. “We had to overcome those obstacles in that economy in order to have a truly national event,” he says.

Getting in and around Town

When planning the USA Volleyball Boys and Girls Junior National Championships, cities with public transit and plenty of double-room hotels have an edge, says Barbara Eisenbeis, manager of events for the Colorado Springs-based group. “We don’t have a set rotation because it’s difficult for cities to fit us in, due to the time we’re in town and the sheer size of our group,” she says. That means 816 teams of 12 players each, plus their entourage and fans, arriving somewhere in late July for an annual 10-day tournament. “We require 30,000 room nights and up to 350,000 square feet of unobstructed space, and we really appreciate cities that have well-run public transportation,” says Eisenbeis, who counts Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis and Dallas among tournament sites that score points for their user-friendly rail systems. “It’s not the end-all, but it’s super helpful.”

Denver met almost all of the requirements for the recent Crossroads volleyball tournament, but it still came with a few potential stumbling blocks. For example, while the convention center covered the tournament’s general space needs, the exhibit floor still required extra configurations for fan seating, sponsor displays and product demonstrations. Registration was another potential issue. Each team’s players needed to be strictly verified before the roster information and eventual game scores could be entered into the national database. “It’s a complicated process but imperative for both the fans and the teams so that they can get their proper ranking,” says Kay Rogness, executive director of the Front Range Volleyball Club, which runs the qualifying tournament each year.

Another concern is housing, specifically affordable properties, close to the main event facility, that can accommodate up to four youths per guest room. Proximity to family-friendly restaurants is also a plus. “We had over 50,000 people in Denver for two weekends, and since we don’t have meals inside the convention center, having restaurants amenable to groups nearby was a real bonus,” says Rogness. And for the Crossroads Volleyball event specifically, parking options and crowd control are always scrutinized. “We open our doors at 7 a.m. and it looks like Black Friday at Wal-Mart, with 10,000 people waiting to get inside,” she says. Rogness hired regular Denver police to help direct auto and foot traffic throughout the tournament’s busiest times. On peak tournament days, traffic was extremely heavy but smooth, she adds, as drive-in attendees filled up and emptied out the center’s main parking facility at least three times.

Quirks of the Game

Even after settling on a location and ironing out logistical details, a tournament planner still has to sort through the finer points of what works for their participants and what might need adjusting.

In a typical conference setting, low ceilings, harsh lights and excessive air conditioning might garner some attendee grumbling and a pointed barb or two on Twitter or post-meeting evaluations. At cheerleading (think: human pyramids), badminton (watch the birdie) and table tennis tournaments, though, they could spell disaster. “There are no venues specifically built for table tennis,” says Dave Del Vecchio, national organization director for USA Table Tennis. Even the best convention centers are built for space, not air flow, hence the need for lots of windows and strong, ongoing ventilation. “The ball is really small and light and we’ve had issues where the A/C will cause the ball to get caught in the air flow,” he says.Being able to see the ball, especially from a player’s standpoint, can also prove problematic. “It’s a huge factor in the sport,” says Del Vecchio. “Most convention centers don’t have the kind of lighting designed for sporting events. You can add it, but that adds considerable expense as well.”

Sunlight’s also a no-no, so windows need to be covered. College gymnasiums? “Their seating and lights are designed for basketball, where the ball is much bigger,” he says. The ideal venue? “A well-lit cave,” quips Del Vecchio.

The third time was finally the charm for the Cedar Rapids Area CVB in Iowa bidding on the annual National Horseshoe Pitchers Association World Horseshoe Tournament. “It’s two weeks long and for us the timing—between mid-July and mid-August—was really good,” says the CVB’s director of sports tourism Mary Lee Malmberg, who had first looked into booking the horseshoe pitchers 23 years earlier just after joining the bureau. “They needed an air-conditioned facility where they could build a minimum of 50 horseshoe courts, but we didn’t have the facilities back then,” she says.

For the 2010 tournament, though, Cedar Rapids came to the table well-prepped with ample venues (notably a spiffy new ice rink at Kingston Stadium) and an enthusiastic base of local volunteers. But right before Cedar Rapids was set to bid on the 2010 NHPA in 2008, the city had its worst flood in 500 years. “Everyone had seen us under water just a month earlier, although none of the facilities were impacted, so we knew we had to address this,” says Malmberg, who mixed humor (she arrived for her presentation in a snorkel and fins) with an appeal to the NHPA’s community-service side. “We offered the organization an opportunity to come here and help our local community rebound by stimulating our economy in a time of need,” she says.

Cedar Rapids had two other things the horseshoe group craves: local volunteers and prime soil. “You need really good dirt for the pits and we have plenty of blue clay. It’s the best,” she says. After receiving all the bids, the NHPA awarded Cedar Rapids the event on the first ballot.

To read more about what it takes to plan a tournament, check out A Closer Look with Barbara Eisenbeis.

Why did you start PrimeTime?

I was involved with coaching and traveling to tournaments with my youngest son when he was playing high school basketball. We went to a lot of bad tournaments where the event was not on a level that it should have been. I felt there was a business opportunity to [produce events with] sound business principles such as being customer-service driven, using systems and processes to be efficient and effective, and giving value for price. It was a bit of a quantum leap to go from practicing law to being an event provider, but with the support of family and our great staff, it was the right decision, and I have never regretted it.

How have you seen the market change in the last 12 years?

There has been a proliferation of providers. When we first started, it was a $5 billion industry that was almost exclusively executed by weekend fundraisers or booster clubs, or a mom-and-pop event that happened once a year. Beyond that, there were a couple national governing bodies with a much different business model than ours. But now, there are a lot of people trying to do what we do. I would guess for every one event that happened back then, there are probably 100 now.

How has your business evolved?

Twelve years ago, we didn’t have a website. Three or four years into it, we had online registration, which was a big differentiator for us then. Now there’s an expectation that everyone has that. Currently, there’s the impact of social media, which we work on daily.

What role does social media play in your events?

Social media is one of the top three priorities on my project list. We’re on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and we try to integrate them with our website. We have a number of social media initiatives we’re working on now to make events more interactive and immediate, whether it is posting the scores, stats or videos. Video has a big role in where we’re trying to go, whether it is produced by us, or providing a platform where teams can post videos. For the last two years, we’ve had live streaming of 150 games during our national basketball championships. I see a day when most, if not all, of the events will be live-streamed.

What is the participant age range in your events?

Basketball is grades 3 to 12, and football is grades 6 to 10. Soccer is a little different in that it’s ages 8 to 10 years old. And softball is for adults.

What impact do you see your business making in kids’ lives?

I believe that competitive athletics is a great place to learn about hard work, dedication and putting team before self. And that’s important because, for example, if I go to hire someone, I’m not as concerned with where they went to school and what their GPA was. I want to know if they’re prepared to work hard, if they’re committed, if they can make sacrifices and if they are willing to put team before self. There was a time when those lessons might have been learned at home, school or in a faith-based setting, but that’s not always the case today. I believe if you play a minute of college or high school sports, you’re going to have a competitive advantage and build a skill set that will help you be a more productive adult.

As CEO, what is your day-to-day role?

With 10 full-time employees, we’re an organization in which everyone does what needs to be done and takes on a lot of different responsibilities. Most of my time is focused on three areas: strategy—including products and processes—marketing decision-making and making my team more effective. A lot of my job is making sure my staff has the resources, opportunities and challenges to stay engaged and get done what we’re trying to accomplish.

How does a small staff manage more than 150 events on 48 weekends a year in up to 20 states?

I’ve got a great team, and I’d put them up against anybody. But obviously, 10 people cannot manage 150 events by themselves. We’ve invested in custom entry-management and scheduling systems that create efficiencies for us internally. Those help us market the events, drive the participation, capture the entries, schedule the games and get everything ready for the events. We also have a big pool of seasonal and part-time contract workers. We employ coaches, officials and young people in a variety of roles depending upon the market and the event. That pool of people can fluctuate between 40 and 50 in the slow season, or approach 200 when we get busy. The challenge within is to identify people that share our organizational values, and then get them the training they need to execute the event and be able to create the experience we’re committed to providing.

How do you provide consistency in so many events and regions?

I have committed to the turnkey operation because it allows me to offer consistency in delivery. I want my tournaments in Austin, Texas, Bentonville, Ark., and Chicago to look alike. It’s not a franchise, but it’s kind of a franchise model. We have our systems, and we find people locally to help us execute them. If I’m doing a new event in Louisville, Ky., I’ll send one of my best on-site managers from our home base in Dallas to do that event for the first two or three times. I want that person to demonstrate our brand and how it’s different, but I also want them to find the person in Louisville who they can develop and train and who will manage that event going forward.

What distinguishes your events in a crowded market?

One of the fundamental values we bring is a strong on-site presence and people who can have an impact, make a decision and effect change. It’s real simple, too. All of our site directors wear a red shirt. They follow our mantra: Ask, listen, solve. If you have a problem or a question at one of our events, you know to go to the person in the red shirt. One of my favorite anecdotes is from a couple years ago. We got a call from someone saying they were at one of our events, and it was the worst ever. The officials were bad, and they couldn’t find a red shirt anywhere. They got passed to our director of basketball, and told him the same story, ending with, “And we traveled all the way to Denton for this.” To which Chris [Hoover] responded, “We don’t have a tournament in Denton.” And why that was important was that we had created an expectation that someone in a red shirt would take care of problems—not just for our tournament, but for all tournaments.

What is your role on-site during events?

In the early years, I was the site manager at every event, but with the business growing so much, I’m not on-site as much as I used to be. I still get to events at least a couple times a month, but it’s more of a walk-through or meet-and-greet to express my appreciation to the teams, staff and participants. I don’t actually manage the events. Where that does change, however, is at our national championships. During championships, I actually [have an] office on-site at one of the multi-court facilities so I can interact with as many teams and on-site workers as I can. During the course of the event, I try to get to as many sites as I can to make sure we’re providing the experience we want to create.

How is your next national basketball championship going to be different?

The national basketball championship is our signature event. Twelve years ago, we had the first one in Kansas City, Mo., with 46 teams. Last year, we had 684 teams, which is the biggest event we’ve done to date. It’s the largest youth basketball championship in the country. This year, we’ve booked enough space to have 800 teams. How it’s changing is the NCAA-certified component is much bigger than it used to be. We had almost 60 college coaches last year observing the older players in their divisions, and I expect those numbers to double this year.

What does the Play Hard, Live Well Youth Sports Expo add to the national championship?

We added the expo a year ago as a separate event, although it’s connected to the national championship in that it’s at the same time. We had more than 50 vendors with products of interest to young athletes and their parents. We had [Basketball Hall of Fame member and Olympian] Nancy Lieberman and [former NBA player and coach] John Lucas as speakers. We had the Dallas Mavericks drum line. It’s an event I planned for more than five years, and it exceeded my expectations. It was a full day of interactive fun and activities, and the young people absolutely loved it. This year, we’ve added to it, and I think it’s going to be a great event.

Do you ever have time to just be a fan?

I got into this because I love basketball, but I watch less than I did before. But that being said, I really do enjoy it. This has been fun for me to do, and it provides competition. I can no longer compete on the basketball floor, but I love competing with other providers and companies.

We’ve talked basketball a lot, but you also manage football, soccer and softball events. What’s next?

PrimeTime Sports was originally about basketball, but each of those sports is a key component. The first sport we added was seven-on-seven football. We have about 15 football events a year, and we have our tournament of champions each year in College Station, Texas, which is the largest seven-on-seven football tournament in the country. We

added soccer next, which has such strong demographics. We have 217 leagues and about 25 soccer tournaments a year. The adult softball is new, and we do it as an outsourced event for the city of Farmer’s Branch, Texas. And we always are looking for other sports. I’d love to do volleyball and lacrosse. But we have to look at each sport and its different challenges. The cultures, logistics and expectations are all different. Before we go into a new market, we have to learn it and evaluate it and figure out if it is a place for us to be.

In what other ways is your business growing?

We can operate and execute events with the best of them, but tournaments are not going to be enough to reach the level of growth and impact on the sports world I want us to have. So while at the core we’re still an operating company, we’re also becoming a marketing platform in print, Web and social media. For sponsors, advertisers and anyone looking to market their sports-related products and services to young athletes and their parents, we offer everything from on-site execution with product giveaways and signage to being part of our newsletters to taking part in our Expo.

With your third-party event management, do you do stand-alone events or incorporate them into your own events?

Both. It’s on a case-by-case basis. We’ve done some PrimeTime Sports-managed events with our logo, some charitable events that we provided operational or marketing support for, some facility management and some consulting. We’ve executed parts of third-party events in some cases and done turnkey events for others. I think that’s going to be a growth area because we have developed a back room—the trained people and technology—and we can share that with people so they don’t have to go make a hefty investment in it to pull off the experience they want.

What have you learned from managing other people’s events?

It affirms the same basic principles we’ve applied, but when we apply our systems and processes to someone else’s events, it provides a fresh outlook. Sometimes we get into the routine with our own events because we’re so used to doing them, and sharing with others affirms why our systems are of value.

What inspires you to do your job?

I love to compete, I love my job and I’ve got 10 outstanding staff members on my team. I want them to grow, be fulfilled in their job and believe they’re working with the best game in town.

How do you inspire your team?

We talk every day about what we do and why we do it. We have our organizational values: CHAMPS, which is Customer-service driven, Have ability and integrity, be Active listeners, Make a difference, be Problem-solvers and Serve each other. We literally talk about those values every day. We also spend a lot of time talking as a team about decision-making and steps for success.

Where do you see PrimeTime Sports in 10 years?

I couldn’t have foreseen where we’re at today 10 years ago. If I gave a 10-year projection, it’s probably going to happen in two-and-a-half years. That being said, I want PrimeTime Sports to be a national organization. We are a very strong regional organization and one of the best sports event providers you can find. There is not a true national youth sports provider, other than possibly AAU (Amateur Athletics Union, a nonprofit), but that’s such a totally different model than anything else. For our model, that national presence doesn’t exist. I want that to be us. And I also want to do not only competition, but also a lot more training and camps, which is something we’ve done a couple times recently.

What’s your No. 1 goal for this year?

I want more than 750 teams at the national basketball championships. But my ultimate goal is I want a 1,000-team tournament.  I don’t think that’s ever been done before. We won’t do it this year, but that is something we’re going to get done.

Step 1: Start with the end in mind

When planning a live meeting, the first objective is to determine your goals. The same is true for a hybrid meeting that incorporates virtual elements into the live platform. Ask yourself what you want the end goal to be. Are you looking to expand your audience to members who could not otherwise attend? Are you offering continuing education units (CEUs), the virtual platform helping to increase the ability to gain this education after the conference concludes? Rosaelena Ledesma-Bernaducci, CMP, congress manager with McVeigh Associates Ltd., stresses the need to align objectives for all facets of the meeting. “It’s important to meet your objectives with the audience that’s virtually present as well as with the live audience,” she says.

Step 2: Decide what goes virtual

Choose the conference elements you want available to a virtual audience. Are you streaming the entire conference, general sessions and educational workshops? Perhaps it’s the well-known keynote speaker who has star power to attract an expanded audience. Just as the on-site audience will pay a fee to see a giant in the industry who may be retired and rarely speaks, so too will the virtual audience pay to have this opportunity.

Andy Straub, president of Blueyed Productions, which produces and integrates distance-learning programs, says it’s important to determine what you can bring to audience members that they wouldn’t otherwise see on their own. Straub’s company produced an event at United Artists movie theaters for Wine Spectator magazine. The theaters were set up with satellite feeds and the audience was taken into vineyards to get the first look at the year’s special wines ahead of the competition. The audience sampled the wines in the theater and asked questions of the vintners in real-time. “The ability to get thousands of people into a wine cellar at the same time was extraordinary,” Straub says.

Another example is within the medical industry, which was perhaps the first industry to broadcast a presentation. Referred to as a “live case,” cameras go into an operating room and a surgical technique or medical device is demonstrated in real-time. A practitioner may never have had the opportunity to see this technique in use before. The value of this never-before-seen presentation attracts an audience both on-site and virtually.

If CEUs can be obtained through the breakout sessions, it’s important to make this education available to the virtual audience. Keep in mind that the more sessions streaming simultaneously, the higher the costs will be. Each room requires its own set of cameras and streaming equipment, plus operating staff. However, fees charged to the virtual audience can offset this cost. If the CEUs are mandatory for their jobs or to maintain a certification, the cost can be justified and attendees are willing to make the investment.

Step 3: Adapt the Agenda

If you’ve determined your virtual audience will view the presentations from varying time zones, try to adapt your agenda to the best times for your participants. Eileen Roehl, CMP, managing partner of the Murfee Group, a medical and corporate meetings management company, has coordinated live case transmissions to 35 locations across the world. “We’ve done transmissions at 7 a.m. Eastern time to accommodate the European audience and at 4 p.m. Eastern time to accommodate the Asian market,” Roehl says. She also suggests placing the streamed presentation before a long break in the agenda. “This way, if there are any issues [with the technology], you have some cushion in the agenda timing.”

Step 4: Define the content

Once you’ve determined which sessions will be streamed, define the content of those presentations. This helps determine the rate of data transfer or bandwidth needed. Do you have one speaker showing a PowerPoint presentation or a panel of speakers with no visual elements? A static image such as a slide with no video does not require a strong signal to transmit. If you are transmitting high-definition medical images, however, the signal will need to be a greater capacity. The more motion or video the presentation contains, the stronger the signal needs to be, which requires a more expensive technology.

Step 5: Guide your speakers

It’s important to let speakers know from the very beginning that they will be presenting to both a live and virtual audience. Give them as much information about the virtual audience as you can, such as the number of people who are viewing online and what cities, states or countries they are viewing from. Kevin Novak, vice president of integrated web strategy and technology for the American Institute of Architects, suggests building the virtual experience as close to the physical experience as possible. “Make sure the virtual attendee has the same opportunity as the on-site attendee,” Novak says. This means speakers should be prepared to take questions from the virtual audience as well, whether the questions are coming from social media sites or a live chat platform. Speakers should acknowledge the virtual audience at the beginning of their presentations and thank them for attending.

It’s also important to make sure speaker contracts include a clause allowing you to distribute their presentations online. If you decide to stream their presentations after the contract is signed, request an addendum granting this permission. Most speakers will likely comply as it gives them a wider audience and greater exposure.

Step 6: Determine your Virtual Audience

If this is your first time entering the virtual community, it may be difficult to determine who would most likely attend the presentation virtually versus in-person. First, decide if you are reaching a local, regional, national or international audience. Perhaps your membership includes an international contingency that has stopped attending live meetings due to travel costs and budget cuts. This group would be a prime target for the virtual presentation. Novak looked at areas of the country where he didn’t have a strong in-person attendance at the annual convention and geared the virtual marketing towards those locations. “We found our on-site attendance was coming from a 300-mile radius of the convention center,” Novak said. “We weren’t hitting the majority of our membership [with the on-site meeting].”

Step 7: Understand the technology

Knowing your technology needs can be a daunting exercise. While most planners have a general knowledge of audiovisual equipment and online processes, most do not have the specific technical skills to set up the virtual presentation. Consult with your internal IT person and hire a vendor who has a history of successfully streaming presentations, both domestically and abroad.

If your presenter is off-site, you have a choice of three ways to stream the presentation: via Internet, fiber or satellite. “The decision comes down to cost versus image quality,” Roehl says. “The Internet is the cheapest solution, but it doesn’t give the best quality.” Staub says you can boost the speed of the Internet by using Polycom intelligence. Similar to a Polycom conference phone, the unit has video capabilities. One unit is placed at the off-site presentation venue and the other unit is placed at the hotel or conference center where the live audience presides.  The two units “talk to each other” to find the fastest way to move the signal.

Fiber is the wired version of Internet access—think of a T1 line—and is ordered through the venue’s telephone company as a circuit. However, the venue must have fiber available that is not already in use called “dark fiber.” “A lot of venues don’t have the fiber because they offer Internet as an option,” Roehl says.

Fiber can be cost-effective if you are transmitting in a local area, such as in the operating room example where the hospital is in the same city as the meeting venue, referred to as a “local loop.” Costs increase when the signal needs to be transmitted out of state, such as New York City to San Francisco. The local loop in New York City needs to be sent to a long-distance provider (incurring long distance charges of approximately $500) and then sent to the local loop in San Francisco. The fiber circuit must be activated, which can incur a fee upwards of $2,000. A one month’s usage fee of $2,000 is charged whether you use the circuit for one minute or three days. The activation and monthly usage fee are charged on both ends, so your cost is now $8,000—$4,000 in New York City and $4,000 in San Francisco—plus the long-distance charges.

Satellite offers the same high-definition, limitless bandwidth as fiber, but it can be a bit more cost-effective if the venue has a satellite dish. If this is not available, satellite trucks can be rented. An uplink truck at the off-site venue incurs a $3,000 fee and a downlink truck at the meeting venue incurs another $3,000. Satellite space is rented for approximately $600 and similar to a meeting planner’s site visit at a hotel, both venues need to be “scouted” to make sure the signal works. This incurs a charge of $500 for each scout. Total satellite cost is $7,600 as opposed to the fiber option of $8,500.

Whichever method you choose, make sure it is available on both ends—at the meeting venue and the off-site presentation venue. “You can’t have one site fiber and the other satellite, or one transmission standard-definition and one with high-definition,” Roehl says. “It needs to be apples to apples.”

In addition to the technology, the on-site venue must be adapted to enable the best viewing for the online audience. “Lighting is the main complaint of online viewers,” says Erica St. Angel, vice president of Sonic Foundry, which provides a hybrid event platform and webcasting through its Mediasite technology. Make sure presenters are adequately lit to transmit to video and the online audience. Perform a test and tape the speaker at rehearsals or tape one of your staff members and see how the picture transmits online. St. Angel says it’s best to put the speaker on a riser so the camera can shoot over the heads of the audience. She suggests using two cameras, one to film the speaker and one to pan the on-site attendees. “This helps to draw in the online viewers and makes them feel as if they are a part of the audience,” St. Angel says. Testing the noise level in the room is also important. If there is a lot of background noise, not only will the on-site audience have difficulty hearing the presentation, but the online community’s ability to hear will be further diminished.

Step 8: Have a backup plan

Every good planner knows that you shouldn’t plan an outdoor function without having backup space indoors. The same is true for a virtual event. If the technology goes down and you lose the signal, you need a backup plan. If a presenter is off-site, as in the example of a live case at a hospital, a taped case can be aired in the downtime or the agenda can be shifted to the next live presentation. “We have taped cases on-site and ready to play if needed, and the session moderators are prepped on the taped cases,” Roehl says. “We also have the next session’s live speakers present, so if there is a problem, we can proceed with the live speakers and do the transmission later.”

If the signal to the online community goes down, the ability to air an alternative presentation is not possible. Simply wait until the signal is back and notify the online audience that any part of the presentation that was missed will be available online after the conference.

Step 9: Ramp up Staffing

Just as a live event has staff members assigned to each meeting function, from audiovisual to food and beverage monitoring, so should the virtual component have a dedicated staff member. St. Angel calls this a “virtual concierge” and advises that this person should have no other job but monitoring the online presentation and perhaps the social media responses. That way, if the transmission signal or audio is lost, the virtual concierge can immediately call tech support to get the problem fixed. This person can also give updates to the online audience if there is a delay in the agenda. If a speaker is 15 minutes late in starting a presentation, for example, the online audience might think the technology is down. The concierge can send messages to the audience via chat or social media sites and get in front of the camera to inform the audience of the delay.

Step 10: Determine virtual fees

If you charge a fee for your conference, determine how the online presentations will be priced compared to in-person attendance. Novak says AIA did not charge a fee for virtual attendance for the 2009 convention. More than 17,000 online viewers attended sessions over three days (22,500 people on-site). In 2010, they charged the virtual audience a fee of $165 for 36 sessions viewed real-time and also available on demand post-event. The online viewership went down to 3,000 people. “Market the virtual component separately so it doesn’t get lost in the on-site fee package,” Novak says.  

In 2011, AIA taped the sessions, but did not stream them to an online audience. Instead they made the presentations available post-conference and on demand, charging $29 per CEU credit.
Don’t forget to communicate the link to access the presentations over and over again. St. Angel says the virtual attendee should receive the link when registering for the conference, then a reminder at least a month before the meeting and again a week prior. The link should take attendees to the organization’s website or event website for added promotion of the brand.

Step 11: Follow up

Just as you would survey your on-site audience for feedback on the meeting’s success, so should you survey the online audience. Generally the same questions can be asked of both audiences. It would be helpful to add questions to the virtual audience’s survey asking them how easy the site was to access, if they had any problems with the signal, etc. Be sure to ask them if they plan to attend the conference next year, on-site or online. It’s also beneficial to track how many times the presentations were accessed post-event.

SMG-managed facilities such as the Colorado Convention Center in Denver have instituted a green meetings program, giving planners a place to begin when organizing events.

“I think everyone all over the world is confused about which standard should take precedence over the other and how to incorporate all of them if you don’t want to take favorites,” says Jamie Nack, owner of Three Squares Inc., an environmental consulting firm that produces green meetings. “Hopefully the APEX standard will help create some consistency and help clear up some of the confusion.” In the meantime, a number of industry experts share their advice about how to weed through the options and make sound choices to help you plan green meetings.

It’s Up to You
Before planners become immersed in the different standards and certifications, they need to start by looking at their own organizations, says Nancy Zavada, principal of MeetGreen, a sustainability consulting firm. Examining your environmental mission, setting a sustainability policy and creating a green checklist is the best place to begin your green journey, she advises.

“Different organizations have different things that are important to them, so ask what’s really vital to your organization,” says Zavada. “Every organization or event should have a list of things that are very vital to them that they won’t waver from, so when you talk to the venue or do an RFP, these are your requirements.”

If coming up with your own checklist intimidates you, do some research and look for existing standards or guidelines to use as a template, advises Brittin Witzenburg, sustainability coordinator of the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

“Use some standards or references that already exist. There’s no point in totally reinventing the wheel,” says Witzenburg. “APEX isn’t the only standard or checklist, so in many ways, a lot of it is upon the planners to educate themselves on what’s out there and what they feel or their organizations feel is most important.”

Start small by picking four or five green practices that matter most to you and stick with them, even if a venue or hotel has its own environmental policies in place that differ from yours. A good provider will be willing to work with you and do whatever they can to help you achieve your goals, says Lindsay Arell, sustainable program director at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

“If a hotel or venue is saying, ‘This is what we’re doing,’ it’s great that they’re making the effort and educating clients, but if there’s something missing from those practices that you’d like to have or have experienced in other venues, you need to ask for that,” says Arell. “Communicate and collaborate.”

It’s Up to The Venue
When you have environmental priorities in place, you can begin to seek out green providers. How do you know if a venue, hotel or vendor is really green and not just “greenwashing,” or pretending to be green to benefit their bottom lines? This is where third-party environmental certification programs can serve as helpful guideposts. It’s essential to do your homework, be discerning and ask a lot of strategic questions, but certification programs can help guide you toward the right green partnerships, says Nack.

In Portland, a light-rail train stops in front of the Oregon Convention Center, a LEED-certified meeting facility.

“You can look for certifications as a way to cue you in to the point that at least the management on the hotel or venue side has recognized that this is important to them,” says Nack. “It’s a good indicator that there’s some buy-in from management there, but you might want to dig a little bit deeper to find out if the practices are in line with the certification or with what you’re looking for in terms of a venue partner.”

When choosing a green venue, it doesn’t hurt to look for facilities that have pulled out the big guns: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, this internationally recognized benchmark has been earned by approximately 20 convention centers and more than 100 hotels in the U.S., according to the USGBC.

Although LEED certification shouldn’t be a planner’s sole criteria for selecting a venue, it does demonstrate that a property or facility has made a serious investment and commitment to sustainability, says Matt Pizzuti, director of marketing for the Oregon Convention Center.

“It’s easy to say you’re green, but any facility that has a commitment to greening—a true dollars-on-the-table commitment—is going to be LEED certified,” says Pizzuti. “That is a benchmark that we see as a baseline for the venue side.”

Besides LEED, you can also look for SMG-managed convention facilities participating in SMG Green IMPACT, SMG Worldwide’s new corporate-wide greening program designed to help SMG-managed facilities initiate or further their greening practices in the areas of waste, energy, water and air quality. Modeled after the APEX/ASTM standard and designed to complement LEED, the voluntary program was launched late last year with the intent to create consistency and uniformity across SMG’s 225 facilities in North America, including 68 convention centers, according to Arell, sustainability director and brainchild of SMG Green IMPACT.

“One of the areas of focus will be making sure all facilities are measuring the same thing and have the same best practices in place, so if an SMG facility says it has recycling, there’s a consistent way it will approach and track it,” says Arell. “So when planners go into an SMG facility and recognize the SMG Green IMPACT program, they will have an understanding of how comprehensive that sustainability program really is.”

It’s Up to the Hotel
Although choosing hotels that are LEED-certified is a great way to reduce the environmental impact of your meeting, LEED can be cost-prohibitive. “For hotels, it’s a different ballgame because LEED is a big investment, so if you’re a chain and you have 600 hotels, making them LEED certified is a daunting proposition,” says Pizzuti. “So I can understand why they’ve gone to a Green Seal certification, which is also a third-party, vetted program for hotels, but it’s a far less costly program than LEED.”

Besides Green Seal, keep an eye out for third-party environmental certification through Green Key Global, Green Globe and Energy Star, as well as ISO 14001 certification, an internationally recognized standard for quality and environmental management. Many larger hotel brands have also developed their own internal greening and energy conservation programs, including Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Omni Hotels and Resorts, and Gaylord Hotels and Convention Centers.

“It’s important to realize not every hotel is going to adopt the same certification program or strive to meet consistent standards because there are so many options out there,” says Wendy Scott, national account manager of Experient, which provides green site selection services for events. “However, as time goes on, certain programs such as LEED and Green Seal have emerged as leaders and you become able to discern different certifications faster. Internal programs implemented within different hotel brands also offer some very solid private standards, which should also be taken into high consideration.”

But whether a venue or hotel has its own progressive programs, LEED or any other third-party certification, what matters most is that the provider is willing to work with planners to help achieve sustainable objectives. “It’s a collaborative effort between a venue and a supplier and meeting planner,” says Witzenburg. “Here at the OCC, [sustainable practices are] just part of what we do in our standard operating procedures, so we don’t necessarily have an explicit checklist of sorts. There are clients that come in who maybe have their own ideas, but in many cases the things that they come in with aren’t necessarily going above and beyond anything that just comes naturally for us. [Planning a green meeting] works best when everyone is working on the same page together and customizing what needs to happen.”

It’s Up to the Destination
Another way to make the green provider selection process easier is by choosing destinations in states with green tourism and lodging programs. Virginia Green, for example, is a comprehensive statewide program run through a partnership among the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Tourism Corporation, and Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.

Designed to reduce the environmental impact of the tourism industry and raise environmental awareness, the six-year-old program now has more than 1,100 participants in its suppliers network, including convention and conference centers, restaurants, hotels, suppliers and certified Virginia Green events.

Tom Griffin, Virginia Green consultant, says in order to be involved in the free program, which includes a listing in its online database and meetings guide, participants must follow a set of core requirements and be able to prove they are making strides in recycling and energy and water conservation. For example, to be a Virginia Green-certified convention or conference center, a venue must follow set guidelines for recycling, minimizing disposable food service products, water efficiency, energy conservation and have the ability to support green meetings and events.

Virginia has a state-wide program that identifies hotels, venues and attractions, including the Hampton Roads Convention Center, that meet certain sustainability requirements.

“Picking a destination in a state with a green program makes it easier for the planner doing a green event and saves them a lot of work,” says Griffin. “With Virginia, all you have to do is look for the green logo. Plus, you can certify your event as Virginia Green certified, which can be listed in our green events calendar.”

State green lodging programs are another resource for finding hotels that have made a commitment to conserving energy and resources. And although the number keeps growing, there are a myriad of states with green lodging programs, including California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, many of which offer certification programs. Although some critics may raise eyebrows at lodging programs that allow hotels to self-certify and audit their environmental performance to obtain and maintain certification, any environmental program is a good step in the right direction, says Scott.

“[These programs] play an important role in our work and often serve as a benchmark for our site selection process,” says Scott. “When we remember that very few programs even existed five years ago, the presence of statewide programs is a sign of the great interest and valuable outcomes programs such as these have for the economy and society.”

Until all the players and stakeholders in the green meetings industry are able to come together, follow more uniform standards and generate greater consistency across its many segments, it will be up to you to do your homework as you compare and contrast the various green programs and certifications permeating the industry. Although the APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards may make the navigation process a whole lot easier, until that time, make sure to arm yourself with information, ask a lot of questions and most importantly, stick to your guns about what matters to you and your organization. Whether you choose to only do business with the greenest of green or work to educate less informed providers and push them in a greener direction, remember that it is the meeting planner who has the most power to keep moving this industry forward in a more environmentally friendly and hopefully more consistent direction.

Problems Solved

Many people still believe green meetings are more complicated and more expensive than standard events. On average, choosing greener options actually saves you money and helps you find extra dollars in your budget to pay for things that do cost a little more, such as organic food. Here are solutions to some of the most common green complaints:

Problem: Not every venue offers recycling.
Solution: If your venue doesn’t have a recycling infrastructure in place, try offering recycling sponsorships, which can be very popular with companies looking to brand themselves as green. Such sponsorships can support installing a temporary waste diversion system, including bringing in recycling receptacles and contracting a waste hauler to pick up recycling and compost after the event.

Problem: Attendees complain when water bottles are replaced with water dispensers.
Solution: Stopping bottled water is the easiest low-hanging fruit when it comes to saving money and going green. (Bottled water can cost more than $5 per bottle at many conference and convention centers.) Educate attendees on the amount of money and resources saved by going without plastic. Encourage them to carry reusable water bottles at the event and focus on opportunities where bulk water pitchers or dispensers make the most sense, such as at education or work sessions.

Problem: Eco-friendly promotional items are more expensive.
Solution: With increased demand and competition, prices are coming down. Make a point of checking in with vendors every six months to see if pricing has changed. Otherwise, consider eliminating traditional promotional items altogether. Do your attendees really need or want another pen?

Problem: It’s hard to find a venue that can properly dispose of or compost biodegradable name badge holders.
Solution: If the facility doesn’t have a composting program, find an option for reusing badges, either internally or by donation. You can often get two or three uses out of badges, so for easy collection, make sure to supply a basket or bin with clear signage where attendees can drop their badges after the event.

Problem: Speakers and attendees still expect printed handouts.
Solution: If printing is absolutely necessary, find ways to reduce. Offer a printed conference at-a-glance versus an entire conference program; prioritize important documents and use two-sided printing and post-consumer recycled paper whenever possible. Continue to provide electronic copies of programs, sessions and PowerPoints conveniently (and early) to promote your efforts.

Problem: The return rate on session evaluations is much greater via paper slips versus the event’s mobile app.
Solution: Send out evaluations via email to registered attendees immediately following the event and incentivize them with a prize. If that’s not an option, use half sheets of paper or combine sessions on one page. Use post-consumer recycled paper and recycle evaluations after they’re analyzed.

Problem: Excess promo materials cost money to ship back to the office and then have to be distributed and/or donated.
Solution: Take time to estimate your needed quantities as accurately as possible to avoid excess materials. Plan ahead with available local donor options or ask the venue if they already work with organizations or have suggestions. Consider materials that can be reused for the next event.

Problem: Some convention centers charge a fee to donate unused convention food to local shelters.
Solution: Depending on their health code policies, some venues cannot donate unused food. For those who can, there shouldn’t be a charge. Most food recovery organizations are willing to pick up donations when planned ahead of time and can often provide collection volunteers when needed. Discuss this with the convention services manager.

Problem: Organic food is more expensive.
Solution: Look at your overall food and beverage budget to see what costs more and what costs less, then get creative. For example, if you cut the size of meat portions down, you will have extra money for organic produce.

The Hotel Built
with Meeting Planners in Mind

The Hilton Orlando, which opened in 2009 in the I-Drive district, is a modern, intelligently designed hotel that discreetly separates leisure guests from meeting guests. It has a central lobby, but meeting guests have their own wing (with 175,000 square feet of meeting space), which means suit-clad event attendees don’t brush elbows with guests decked out in swimsuits and flip-flops. The other big bonus about this hotel: short hallways. Because of its clever design, you don’t have to go through a maze to find your room when you exit the elevator. One hallway. Straight shot. Thank you, Hilton.

The Airport with Art Galleries

A 26-foot tall space robot with waving propeller arms greets visitors to Mineta San Jose International Airport’s futuristic terminal. A seven-story mural depicting the hands of 53 Silicon Valley residents covers a facade of the airport’s garage. There’s more art inside and out, befitting the airport’s status as a gateway to the art meets technology community. Other airports where design takes flight: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Denver International, Sacramento International, Philadelphia International and Miami International.

The Place to Throw Your Next Party

Discovery World Milwaukee attracts kids and adults alike wanting to learn more about science, but it is also one of the city’s coolest venues for live concerts. Discovery World’s outdoor Rotary Amphitheater sits right on Lake Michigan, an impressive backdrop for a musical act at an opening or closing reception.

The Speaker Influencing Tomorrow’s Meetings

Dr. Jane McGonigal made a big impact at the 2011 SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. Attendees voted her the speaker whose presentation made the biggest impact on the digital community. McGonigal is a video game designer (as well as author of “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World).” She argues that play is essential to human growth and well-being; it stimulates the mind and the senses. McGonigal is both a speaker to consider for your events and one who can lead you in a new programming direction (think: gaming).

The event you’ll never top

Take your next intimate VIP event to new heights—say, about 150 feet high. Have Dinner in the Sky (organized by the company of the same name) at a table hoisted by a crane high into the air over land or water. Up to 22 people can be seated at the table, and they’re served by a chef, waiter and an entertainer. The only problem? There’s no restroom in the sky, so take it easy on the drinks.

The Performance Venue with the Acoustics You Long for

Caesars Palace Colosseum, built to resemble the Colosseum in Rome, isn’t making our list for its aesthetic design. It’s making it because of its sound. The impressive megastar performance venue’s acoustics and existing decor reduce the amount of needed AV infrastructure. You haven’t heard a concert or keynote like you’ll hear at Caesars Colosseum.

What’s Out and What’s In

For the rest of the rest of the wonderful, whisical, sometimes strange, sometimes quirky, always cool world of meetings, check out the January issue of Connect magazine.

In the same way Cirque du Soleil changed the delivery of a circus, meeting planners need to change the way content is delivered at events, says Scott Klososky.

Sometimes change happens so fast we don’t recognize it. We don’t think twice about instinctively touching icons on our smartphones until we find ourselves trying to do the same on our laptops. We adapt quickly to changes in our workspace: How often do you use the scroll bar anymore?

The whole concept of meetings—whether conferences, conventions, events or other forms of face-to-face gatherings—has changed. The scope is larger, even if the attendee list or timeline is shorter. Tim Sanders, a “people-centric” business expert, says, “The only reason to have an event is to change the world.” Think about it. Hasn’t that idea crept into our subconscious and the language of meetings, much like the slide into touch-screen technology?

We’ve shifted from talking about logistics to meetings architecture. We are now confident that meetings make a difference, to local and global economies, to workers and to the environment.

We promise innovation. We seek out “influencers” or “cultural architects” rather than “speakers.” We give back to local communities and incorporate global charitable actions. We talk about engagement through social media, immersive learning, creative experiences and authenticity. We push for “convergence conferences.”

Still, the heavy lifting, the difficult aspect of change, smacks most of us in the face every time we begin the planning steps that lead to the next meeting: the will to make a conscious effort to implement change and then follow through on its execution. Plans and resources (education, equipment, training, testing, time, etc.) are necessary for deployment, but the first step before anything happens is acceptance—acceptance that we need to push or prepare for change.

Inside and outside the industry, there are creative pioneers who urge us to embrace social media, look for inspiration from the culture at large, think about content delivery as performance art and get more visual with presentation. Scott Klososky asks us to think about how Cirque du Soleil would deliver a business talk; to think about how they changed the delivery of a circus. “We need the same change in the experience of content delivery at events,” the futurist and social media blogger says. Jeff Hurt wants us to start planning for screens and stop planning for platforms. “It’s time for you to adopt this 21st century technology and prepare for screening,” he preaches. “We are fast becoming people of the screen.” If you don’t grasp what he means, read his blog.

Our industry also has its rebels. Joan Eisenstodt, a well-respected educator and consultant, has long challenged meeting planners and facility managers to consider the different learning styles, needs and safety of attendees when designing and setting up spaces. She contends that most meetings are boring and is not shy about calling out colleagues to join her efforts to shake up the status quo. Then, there’s Keith Johnston who aggressively delivers sharp criticism and insightful ideas at plannerwire.net.

Finally, most industry thought leaders point to TED and other social exchange conferences as evidence that people are the greatest event resource, not the over-the-top ballroom, the top chef menu, the big name speaker or the most popular seminar presenters. We need to embrace our attendees as active participants—turning our meetings over to them and tapping into their ideas, enthusiasm, experience, networking contacts, problem-solving skills, money and muscle.

The following pioneers open up about what changes they think are essential now. We invite you to think about how you can use these ideas, discuss them with your organizations and share them with us in the comment section below.

Ashely Muntan, Storyteller	Keith Johnston, Critic
Joan Eisenstodt, Critic and Pioneer	Jeff Hurt, Social Animal

“The Great Shift” is the first article in our Rethinking Meetings series. In future issues, we’ll explore change as it affects the design of convention and conference centers, hotels, seating and setups, production and programs, food and beverage, travel and every other aspect of what we do in connection with events. In the January 2012 issue, we challenge several well-known industry thought leaders, rebels and pioneers to answer one question: “What one thing would you change about meetings?” We invite you to think about how you can use concepts presented in this series, discuss them with your teams and organizations, and share your insights with us.

Logistics to Strategy: Meetings and events take on new importance
By Dianne B. Devitt

Meetings, no matter at what level, have a major influence on government, business and organizations. The hospitality, meetings and travel industries are multi-billion dollar industries that only recently, yet rapidly, have realized their clout as major contributors to the U.S. economy and matured beyond the umbrella of tourism or visitor business. Alongside that change, the expectations for strategic meeting and event professionals have grown.

Challenged with educating future generations, meeting membership organizations are reevaluating and upgrading course content and certification requirements. Universities, corporations and government entities are developing educational material on the intrinsic value of meetings and events in business. There are now advocates for the concept that business students at institutes of higher learning should be required to take an elective, special course or a minor in event management.

Where does the discipline of meetings and events belong in the contemporary academic curriculum and why? A little more than two decades ago, virtually any courses of study relevant to people in our industry were offered in the newly formed hospitality or tourism departments (the latter of which owed their name, their focus and their existence to the word “tourism’s” supposed ability to pull revenue into a given city)—or within some part of facilities management instruction. For many in the academic world, this is how courses of study on meeting and events are still understood: as footnotes to subjects like facilities management, as elements of other business-driven course offerings such as sports marketing or tourism, or perhaps as community college material in narrowly defined areas such as social and wedding planning.

In recent years, meetings and events have emerged as powerful tools for strategic messaging; public relations, marketing and advertising play a more important role. Clearly, well-planned, well-executed, well-branded events are having an impact on the bottom-line, forcing academic institutions to reassess their course offerings. Considering the glacial speed at which any kind of change tends to unfold within long-established academic silos, the shift that has taken place during the past decade has been remarkably fast, and  is accelerating. There has been a real reassessment of the business case for meetings and events as an academic discipline in its own right. What follows are some of the most interesting voices and insights from the emerging academic discussion on how, where and why to teach people to become meetings and events professionals.

Dianne Budion Devitt, CMP, is an adjunct professor at New York University Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, where she imparts her knowledge of and experience in destination management, outsourcing, planning, design and production to the next generation of event managers. She is the author of “What Color is Your Event? The Art of Bringing People Together” and president/owner of D3Dimensions, which provides consulting, keynotes and wellness programs. 

Women will change the dynamics

A visionary, a pioneer and an advocate on behalf of the events industry, Dr. Joe Goldblatt, FRSA, is blunt about what he sees as a leadership imbalance in the meetings industry and how demographics will force changes.

“Men still make most of today’s decisions regarding business strategy, but moving forward, this male-dominated world will continue to change with the demographics of the workplace. Up to now, this strategic world has focused on quantitative data, and on returns that are measured in morale, productivity, retention and longevity. The future focus will not be strictly financial, but will also encompass social and education investments with human capital, a trend that places more and more strategic emphasis on meetings and events.

“Today, meeting planners are over 70 percent female and are typically supervised by a male. They are typically not business majors. Now, something like 50 percent of colleges have females majoring in business; the figure is about 60 percent in graduate schools. These women are learning the language of business, and they will contribute to the change in dynamics regarding events and meetings. There inevitably will be a change in attitude in the years ahead, as more and more women take their place as decision makers and stakeholders in the corporate environment.

“Meetings and events are powerful vehicles used to promote places and products, increase loyalty, build brand awareness, attract customers, tourists and new customers, inspire and motivate, communicate new ideas, celebrate historic occasions, recognize and reward performance, and most of all, to bring people together for a common cause. If these are just some of the reasons for meetings—and they are—then why are they not recognized within the business curriculum?”

Joe Goldblatt is a professor and executive director of the International Centre for the Study of Planned Events, School of Business, Enterprise and Management, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scottland.

We are in the communication industry.

Well known as one of the leading figures of the meetings industry in Australia, Elizabeth Rich has more than 30 years experience in business events, as an association manager, conference organizer, trainer and writer through her own company Agenda Pty Ltd. Formerly the chief executive of the Business Events Industry Council of Australia (BECA), a peak advocacy body representing the meetings, incentives and exhibition industry, Rich has in-depth knowledge of the development of the meetings industry in Australia and is a keen observer of the global market. In 1998, BECA produced “A National Business Events Strategy for Australia 2020,” a breakthrough document whose findings remain relevant to meetings and events professionals the world over. The paper was focused on business events, which BECA defined as: “any public or private activity consisting of a minimum of 15 persons with a common interest or vocation, held in a specific venue or venues, and hosted by an organization (or organizations). This may include (but is not limited to): conferences, conventions, symposia, congresses, incentive group events, marketing events, special celebrations, seminars, courses, public or trade shows, product launches, exhibitions, company annual general meetings, corporate retreats, study tours or training programs.” The document contains the following critical passage: “The [Australian] government recognizes and supports … [a] Meetings and Events industry accreditation program… to deliver business events, meetings or conferences.”

“Terminology is a critical part of our industry,” Rich notes. “If we are to move forward academically in a global effort, we must define our efforts, and that means emphasizing not just events, but planned events. Regardless of the location of the college or university, tourism is, of course, related to meetings and events; it is a product of the gathering. Most often delegates bring guests, but business events and planned events of any nature just do not fit under the traditional academic discipline of tourism. The industry must reach a point of clarity here in order to move forward in any institute of higher learning. We need to take ourselves more seriously. At our heart, we are there to communicate something from a business point of view. We are in the communication industry.”

Elizabeth Rich is managing director of Agenda Pty Ltd., a faculty member of International College of Management Sydney, and member of the Industry Advisory Board for the School of Tourism and Hospitality, Southern Cross University, Australia.

Projections point to strong growth despite setbacks.

No discussion about the place of meetings and events in education curriculum in the U.S. would be complete without giving Patti Shock a voice. Shock helped build a meetings and events concentration at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and also serves as a consultant for The International School of Hospitality, helping develop online certificate programs. In recent years, the severe economic climate forced a cutback in the Harrah College program. Still, Shock remains optimistic about the relative strength of meeting planning as a growth career. “Meetings and events planning has been named one of the best contemporary careers by U.S. News and World Report, and the projections are for strong growth over the decade,” she says. “But the reality we had to face was that academic resources are sometimes scarce.”

Patti Shock, CPCE, is a professor at Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

It goes beyond ordering large amounts of cheese Danish.

What’s in a name? In this case, everything. Amanda Cecil’s department goes by the unusual name “Physical Education and Tourism Management,” a leftover categorization from the days when its emphasis on sports management came under the rubric of physical education.

“Since 2000,” she says, “the department has grown to 13 faculty supporting 350 undergraduate students. Now we are seeing business students taking events management as a minor, and events management students taking a minor in business. This trend demonstrates the correlation of the two disciplines. It is helping us to segment instruction into event strategy and design, as distinct from event planning and logistics.

“We need to remember that many professionals in the meetings and events industry, based on their respective specialty, came from theater, education and all forms of design. Ours is an interesting discipline combining in-depth knowledge of organizational behavior, psychology, project management, revenue management, logistical engineering, architectural design and much more—and yet the expectations on the planner are often completely out of touch with this profile, with many clients imagining that we simply order large amounts of cheese Danish for a living.

Amanda Cecil is assistant professor for the Department of Physical Education and Tourism Management, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.

We are waiting for academia to catch up.

One often-cited reason for resistance to acceptance of meetings and events as an academic discipline in its own right is the supposed lack of hard numbers supporting the proposition that events can deliver a measurable return on investment. Tim Brown’s visionary company offers evidence to the contrary.

“There have always been internal machinations and politics within colleges and universities, with certain groups coveting certain courses in curricula, especially those that are profitable. But there comes a point where we need to recognize that there is an injustice to the future business person and communication specialist who has not been given an understanding of the scope and strategy behind a well-designed, planned event.

“We are finally beginning to see some movement in this area, with broader acceptance of the Strategic Meeting Management Program. This is a disciplined approach to managing enterprise-wide meeting and event activities, processes, suppliers and data in order to achieve measurable business objectives that align with an organization’s strategic goals.

“SMMP was launched by Global Business Travel Association in 2004, but it did not pick up real momentum until the 2008 global recession. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, the big focus for meeting planners was wrapped around meeting execution and overall meeting and event logistics efficiencies. Now, there is recognition that meetings are big investments, and that those investments need to be evaluated with SMMP. This shift from logistics to strategic thinking is fueled by both the unstable economy and the accelerating impact of SMMP. This has clearly increased senior management’s awareness of meetings and events and the need for improved meeting productivity, meeting quality, cost savings, contract risk reduction/cost containment and ROI. In a very real sense, we are still waiting for the world of academia to catch up with SMMP.”

Tim Brown is CEO and founder of Meeting Sites Resource in Irvine, Calif.

Educating clients on value of meetings is key.

An industry veteran, Janet Sperstad helped develop the first associate degree program in meeting and event management in the U.S., located at Madison Area Technical College. Her conception of continuing education in our industry deserves the last word.

“Although many executives understand the value and appreciate the outcomes of meetings, educating executives on the strategic value of meetings and events remains the most critical responsibility of the corporate event planner today. The best way to fulfill this responsibility is with hard data. Years ago, as a planner for a leading hair products company, I produced a conference featuring a sponsored session that introduced new hair colors. I worked with the sales team to track data for three months following the event, and I was able to report back to the sales and marketing management team with hard numbers showing who purchased the product following the event and who didn’t. This enabled the sales team to target new customers—and it also demonstrated a clear ROI on the event. With the numbers to justify the decision, the company was able to go back and increase the sponsorship value for the next year’s events. This is the kind of internal corporate education that will eventually reposition meetings and events in the curriculums of our colleges, universities and business schools. I believe it is our responsibility to keep the momentum going by educating our own clients about the value we actually deliver.”

Janet Sperstad, CMP, is program director for Meeting and Event Management Degree, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wisc.

Mills, CMP, is the director of the council on ADA sessions. Part of her job is overseeing the planning of the annual session and world marketplace exhibition, which took place this year Oct. 10-13 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Before joining the ADA, Mills was with another dental organization, headquartered in the same building in Chicago. When the position with the ADA opened up in 2009, she made the move.

Since she started with the organization, the annual session has changed, and this year added a virtual component to the event. Called ADA365, the virtual extension of the annual session, produced by bXb Online, streamed a few sessions live for non-attending members. The opening general session, which included a presentation by former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, was accessible to all online participants, who could also attend six education sessions with live dental patient procedures, as well as two discussion forums (virtual attendees could interact with speakers and ask questions in real time using email and other tools).

Mills talked with us about going live, the ROI and the importance of education.

What components are involved in the annual session?
It’s three and half days of continuing education and a three-day trade show. And this year we did add the virtual element.

Why did you decide to add the virtual extension to the event?
We’ve had a small one the last two years. When we were in Hawaii [in 2009], we knew a lot of students couldn’t come and we have six live operatory courses during the event. It’s a dentist who does a live patient procedure. It’s captured on camera and projected to the audience, and in 2009, we streamed it live and had a good turnout. A large percentage of schools participated over the three-day period. The next year, we expanded it to all membership, and people could email in questions live. The dentist would stop, take a break and answer the questions. So this was kind of the next step. We feel with this virtual component, we can offer this as a benefit to all our members. It entices them to want to come next year.

What was the response?
We thought if we could get 1,000 people that would be really successful, and we had 3,600 come through the environment. We tracked the time they spent there: 62 percent spent an hour or less within the environment, 38 percent spent one to 10 hours, and 500 people spent 10 hours or more. We know some of those 500 people will be coming to San Francisco [for the 2012 annual session]. That is one of the goals and we’ll be able to track it.

This year’s event was in Las Vegas. Next year, you’re headed to San Francisco. How do you choose host cities for the session?
Just logistically—we need to fit. We need enough hotel rooms and convention center space. We want to make sure there’s enough hotel meeting space that our affiliates can meet with us. We also like to make sure it’s a good partnership with our state organization because we rely on local volunteers.

So, you’re often looking at tier-one cities?
Yes, but we’ve been to San Antonio, Kansas City and other second-tier cities. When we ask our members, one of the No. 1 reasons they don’t come is because of location. But we don’t know if it’s because of the city or it’s because we’re not in a convenient location for them.

What else do you ask on conference evaluation forms?
Pretty typical information: What brings them, what did they find valuable, did they feel they got a return on investment.

Besides finding enough space, do you run into any special challenges planning this event?
I [started with the ADA] in 2009 and that’s when the economy had a downturn. We were in Hawaii, and attendance was lower, but [there were] also a lot fewer exhibitors. We found our biggest numbers down on the exhibit side. In 2010, we were in Orlando. We found that attendance in Orlando was down purely because it was a hard-hit economic state. We were in Orlando in 2004, and between that and last year’s meeting, there was a 10 or 12 percent slide on people who attended the meeting.

Why do you think people want to attend the national event?
A lot of people say location and destination; if it’s in a convenient place for them, they’ll come. Also, our education. With so many dental organizations, there are many dental speakers, but we are trying to get more diversity in speakers. And on our exhibit hall floor, we have traditional workshops where attendees can use equipment and practice procedures, but we also have an area called the LOC, which stands for Learn, Optimize, Connect. They’re pods of learning experiences. Some are lecture; some are hands-on experiences with equipment. For example, this year, we had a laser pavilion where attendees could sign up and go through a course and do hands-on testing with laser tools. So if a dentist is in the market for a laser, he’s able to test a number of them… It’s not all commercial for one company. We try to get multiple companies that do or sell the same thing. We don’t focus on the products. We focus on the education.

A CLOSER LOOK | Catherine Mills, CMP

Path to planning: Like many of us, I figured out what meeting planning was about four and a half years out of college. I got my degree in psychology but never really wanted to do anything professionally with it. I had quit my job working in the disability benefits department for Walgreens Corporation, not knowing exactly what I wanted to do but knowing what it would be made of. I wanted to plan stuff, travel and work for a smaller company. Two months later through a friend of a friend, I landed my first job at a small association management company.

Childhood career aspirations: Part of me still wishes I was smarter and good at science. I would have been a doctor or nurse—that was my childhood dream. But as I’ve gotten older, a foreign correspondent would be way cool!

Favorite destination or venue: Boston is a great historical city with so much for attendees to do and a very easy downtown to get around. Seattle, in the middle of all that water and hills and nature, is just a beautiful city. I really like how Seattle has chosen to run the convention center. They realize that their center is perfect for meetings that have outgrown a meeting in a hotel and need to transition. A lot of their operations are run closer to a hotel’s than a typical center, making the transition easier on those groups who meet in a center for the first time. As far as cities we are going to, San Francisco has always been a favorite. I am really looking forward to our annual that will be there in 2012.

Advice for fellow planners: Get involved with our industry. Join PCMA, MPI, ISES. Get to know other planners and get a mentor and be a mentor. I have found that I have grown and learned the most by being involved and networking.

| In Her Words |
When I’m planning events, I can’t live without chocolate and Diet Pepsi.
I communicate with my phone—texting, emailing, calling.
I most miss my family.
I am most inspired by my teammates.
I learn the most from my boss.
My favorite music is a lot of different music, but I’m a total U2 groupie.
One of my favorite authors is Elizabeth George.
My favorite movies are “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Schindler’s List,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “French Kiss” and John Hughes movies. And don’t tell, but I’m kind of a sci-fi geek.
My favorite quote is “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point,” by C. S. Lewis.

From the Caribbean and Latin America to Europe and Asia, international destinations continue to be a growing consideration for meeting managers whose organizations have a global reach. According to the International Congress and Convention Association, the U.S. is the No. 1 country generating international meetings. And worldwide, there were 826 more international events in 2010 than the previous year. The ICCA attributes part of the increase to scientific and technological developments that require companies to discuss these complex changes face-to-face. While budgets remain tighter than ever, many international cities are pushing incentives to encourage planners to bring their meetings abroad.

When considering hotel and meeting venues in international destinations, it is important to craft a request for proposal that includes as much attendee demographic and historical information as possible, even if the meeting was not held in that country previously. It is also important to provide an estimated per person budget, keeping in mind that most international properties include breakfast with the room rate. Many countries also package the meeting requirements into a separate rate often referred to as the daily delegate rate (DDR). This rate would include the meeting space, coffee breaks, lunches in the restaurant, writing materials and basic audiovisual such as a projector and screen. If you are looking for a private lunch not in the hotel restaurant, this might incur a surcharge on top of the DDR. The hotel also will require international groups to pre-pay the cost of the meeting space in full. Transportation and tour companies require 90 to 100 percent pre-payment. Many international properties will charge a fee for payment by credit card. Inquire what the supplier’s policy is and request that the fees be waived.

Sanphet Prasat Palace, Thailand

Contract concessions typical in the United States, such as complimentary meeting space and a 24-hour hold on that space, are not the norm and should not be assumed. “In terms of Asia, the priorities and objectives of the hotels can be very different than in North America,” says Joan Orentlicher, CMP, assistant vice president, meetings, conference and travel for LOMA and LIMRA, both worldwide organizations in the insurance and financial services industry. “Hefty fees for meeting space are always a part of the contract, but you may get many inclusions.” She says that because Asians take great pride in the appearance of the meeting, these inclusions might be chair covers, high-end tablecloths and floral centerpieces. VIP waiting rooms and built-in translation booths are also standard inclusions. Orentlicher says it’s also difficult to negotiate a 24-hour hold on meeting space in Asian countries where local social events take high priority and are often associated with the country’s royalty or government officials.

It’s then important to allow more time for the contract negotiation process when dealing with foreign countries. Ping He, CMP, director, global sourcing and partner relations for Experient Inc., suggests building in more time to account for time zone and language differences as well as forming a relationship with the sales person. “Sales people are not as incentivized to close the deal as they are in the U.S.,” he says.

When writing the RFP and negotiating the contract, be careful not to use words that would be understood by American suppliers, but unclear to service providers abroad. For example, requesting a “light lunch” might have a different meaning in Latin America and even more so in Asia. It is better to provide the number of courses required and use basic descriptors such as a meat, poultry or fish entree, starch, vegetable and dessert. “Use simple English in your communication with non-English speaking countries,” he says. “We know what ‘How many rooms have been picked up?’ means in the states, but a manager of a small Italian hotel will not understand. Say instead, ‘How many rooms have been used or actualized?’ and you will get a quicker response.”

Understanding the culture and business protocol is very important when planning international meetings. “There are many international protocol books available and the local hotel staff is usually more than willing to help navigate through the differences,” Orentlicher says. “Never assume anything is the same as you experience in North America.”

Paulette Hopkins, president of the Hopkins Alliance, suggests contacting the destination’s tourist board and working with a local destination management company to help navigate cultural disparities. “Research the country’s holidays and bank holidays,” Hopkins says. “Unlike America, other countries honor their holidays and most businesses are closed.” She points to an example where the word “weekend” does not always mean a Saturday and Sunday for Muslim countries. “For most Muslim countries, ‘weekend’ means Friday and Saturday as Friday is a Muslim holy day,” she says.

While planning your budget, be aware that hotel room rates, meals and services will include a value-added tax or VAT, which could be as much as 15 to 20 percent. Because visitors or non-residents of the country do not technically owe the tax, groups can request a refund to reclaim all or part of the charges. It is important to request that the VAT amount be separated so you can keep track of the charges and file for a refund. “I recommend working with a VAT reclaim services company,” she says. “It can be a complex process and take up to a year to reclaim.”

Click on the image to read "Border Crossing" for information about Canadian meetings

Airport entry fees and visa requirements are also budget considerations. Argentina, for example, charges a $140 entry fee, which is valid for up to 10 years and multiple visits. A passport is required to enter and leave most foreign countries and if your attendees include young adults, it is important to verify that they have this essential travel document. The U.S. State Department strongly advises American citizens to register their travel abroad with the Department of State. Registration makes it possible to contact the traveler in the event of a family emergency back in the U.S. or to alert of a crisis in the visiting country. Note that U.S. medical insurance is generally not accepted outside the country, but short-term policies can be purchased for travel abroad.

When considering a hotel, venue or mode of transportation for your group, remember that the Americans with Disabilities Act is a North American requirement. Historic hotels, which are often smaller in European destinations, may not contain elevators or be accessible to attendees with special needs. International shipping requirements also vary from country to country. To avoid delay of your shipment in customs, it is best to use a broker based in that country who is familiar with the guidelines and has influence to move your materials if necessary.

“Running international meetings requires a different skill set,” Orentlicher says. “But once you dive in, you will become a global specialist in no time.”

TIPS | Read additional information about passports, mobile phones, fees and more here.