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PLANNING TOOLS

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PULLING OFF A GREAT MEETING

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Tools & Guides

Be prepared to pull off a great meeting. These tools will help you think through costs, space needs and other sometimes demanding details. You can download the PDFs covering timelines and expense checklists to help you stay on track.

Planning Timeline (PDF)
Space Calculator
Budget Calculator
Expense Checklist (PDF)
Priority Club Meeting Rewards & RFP FAQs

From the Experts

We’ve compiled some informative articles and ideas from industry experts to help you create memorable, successful meetings. Take a look.

Stop Meaningless Team-Building
Wall Street Journal columnist Jared Sandberg began the New Year by suggesting that corporations resolve to “lose the goofy teambuilding exercises” (“Can Spending a Day Stuck to a Velcro Wall Help Build a Team?” 1/1/07). I could not agree more. Click here.

Survey Says Planners are Workaholics
Perhaps representing the perfect microcosm of the American workforce, meeting planners are working hard at their jobs and find it difficult to take extended periods of time off. Click here.

Building Media Hype for Special Events
If your meeting or special event warrants publicity and media attention (for example, if it features a celebrity, an expert in the field, or a government official), you should consider doing both pre-event and post-event publicity and media contact. First off, realize that not every event that you schedule is necessarily as compelling (and therefore coverable) to the media as it is to your supervisors or your client. Competition for space in a publication’s “news hole” or a 22- minute news broadcast is keen, and the president of your financial services firm talking about retirement planning is unlikely to be as appealing (and “coverable”) to a local news outlet with limited staff as the opening of a new shopping mall down the road. Click here.

Tips from the Pros

5 W’S of Meeting Planning
Remember the 5 W’s of meeting planning when embarking a new meeting plan: Why are we meeting; What do we want to accomplish; Who’s coming; Where are we going; When will we meet? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you get off to a good start.

One Week Out
One week before your meeting, confirm your meeting schedule, number of attendees, room set-up, AV needs, meal and reception schedules and sleeping room count.

Familiarize Yourself with the Hotel
Become familiar with the hotel’s facilities and the capabilities of its staff. And choose a hotel partner you can trust to guide your decisions accordingly. If possible, inspect the hotel before you book. Be sure to inspect the guest rooms and function halls. See if you can meet key staff while you’re there, including the sales manager or Meeting Director.

Consider Spouses and Children
Be clear whether spouses and children are welcome at your meeting or event. If they are invited to join in the trip, be sure to have activities for them and extra rooms lined up.

Attractive Meeting Literature
Don’t underestimate the importance of attractive meeting literature. Clearly organized, well-designed folders, programs, binders, directional signs and ID badges reinforce the importance of the meeting.

Keeping Attendees’ Attention
Consider themes for meeting breaks. A morning break, for instance, could be a health break, with healthy snacks and a stretching session led by a professional. Meetings should not go longer than 2 hours without a break, or attendees will get restless.

Choosing Your Location
Consider a few key points when choosing your location: geography, accessibility for attendees, budget, facilities and nearby attractions. You want attendees to enjoy themselves at your meeting, and travel with relative ease.

Establishing a Master Account
You’re going to have to set up a business account with your chosen venue, which means providing credit information. Once an account is established, a master account is set up for all charges designated by you, such as meeting room rentals, food, recreational activities for guests and gratuities.

Preparation for Arrival
Determine the arrival time for most of your guests so the hotel may properly staff the front desk. Advise attendees of the hotel’s check-in policy so they know what time to arrive, and remind them which credit cards are accepted by the hotel.

Discover Speaker Preferences
If you’re inviting speakers to your meeting, ask them if they have a preference for room set-up. Some may prefer theatre seating; some may like roundtable. It depends on what they have to say and how they like to say it.