Ten Tips to Increase RFP Response Time

Aug 17

Ashley SpitzerRFP, Tips for Meeting Planners meeting planning services, RFP, rfp valet 1 Comment

Frustrated by slow response time to your meeting RFPs? Wish you didn’t have to keep calling to find out whether a property is going to respond?

It’s not that hotels don’t want your business – they do! They want to make sure they respond quickly to potential buyers, but they are often inundated with incomplete RFPs that need to be qualified, or RFPs get buried in their systems.

Meeting professionals can help themselves by following these 10 tips to increase RFP response time:

1. Do some homework and narrow your search to a short list of qualified properties.

2. Include a reasonable range of preferred dates and be clear about which dates are the first, second, or third choices.

3. Provide complete information about the number of rooms, number of attendees, overall meeting requirements, etc.

4. Send a verified room block history so the property can see a strong track record for the meeting.

5. Create a deadline for the response and a realistic time frame for the decision.

6. RFPs are taken more seriously if you avoid looking as if you’re fishing around for rates.

7. Provide rate thresholds for rooms and information on how the rooms will be fulfilled and paid.

8. Indicate how the decision will be made, including the steps properties can anticipate in the process.

9. Call the hotel sales department to ask about the status. Properties interested in landing business should have procedures in place to respond quickly to phone requests, especially if a planner is following up on a previous communication.

10. Consider using an online search directory to distribute the RFP and ensure that properties respond. ConventionPlanit.com offers an RFP Valet® service and guarantees that properties will respond within 24 hours to say whether they will send a proposal and when the proposal can be expected.

ConventionPlanit.com Principals and Co-Founders Katherine Markham, CHME, and David Markham also authored a column on this issue entitled “RFP Response Malfunction” that appears on MeetingsNet at http://meetingsnet.com/technology/hotels-respond-request-0810/. The column also appears in the August 2010 issue of Association Meetings, to be available onsite at the ASAE Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California, August 21-24, 2010.

ConventionPlanit.com will also be available at the ASAE Annual Meeting in Booth #941 to provide more information and answer questions about the RFP Valet® service and other RFP distribution options.

Stretch Your Budget by Saving on Airfare

Aug 03

Ashley SpitzerTips for Meeting Planners air travel, economy, meeting ideas No Comments

While some airlines have dropped out of the meetings business, others haven’t. Those that remain – including American, Delta, and Continental – each have special offers.

Become familiar with these group programs, which can save a significant portion of your budget:

American Airlines
Groups of 10 or more traveling to the same destination can take advantage of special discounts. If travel dates are confirmed, the airline can guarantee a fare up to 11 months in advance, block the space, assign seats, and delay ticketing requirements. American also guarantees competitive fares from different geographic originations to one destination.

American Airlines destinations include more than 250 cities in 40 countries where American, American Eagle® and AmericanConnection® fly across the country and around the globe. The airline is also a member of the oneworld® Global Alliance and can arrange group travel discounts to more than 700 destinations in the oneworld network.

Groups can also receive reduced rates for Avis® car rentals. Click here for more information.

Delta Air Lines
Through its Delta Meeting Network®, this airline offers discounts off published fares and competitive Zone Fares for groups of 10 or more on all Delta, KLM/AirFrance and Alitalia “Delta coded flights”, Delta Connection Carriers and “Delta coded” code-share partners AT/OK/UH. Discount rates can be used three days before/after a meeting for events in the United States and Canada and up to seven days before/after a meeting in all other countries.

Discounts can be based on single events or multi-meeting agreements. Delta also awards one free ticket for every 40 tickets purchased. Zone Fares offer flexible rules and make it simple to manage airline costs.

With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 369 destinations in 67 countries on six continents. Click here for more information.

Continental Airlines

Continental’s GroupWorks program offers special benefits for groups of 10 or more passengers traveling together. GroupWorks provides a flat rate for the group, priority check-in, priority boarding, and priority baggage service.

Continental’s MeetingWorks program offers special discounts to attendees of conferences, meetings, or events with 20 or more passengers traveling from multiple origins to one destination. MeetingWorks provides percentage discounts off airfares and credits redeemable for travel certificates, upgrades, and more.

Continental Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,600 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 132 domestic and 137 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which overall offers more than 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries through its 28 member airlines. With more than 40,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year.

Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For nine consecutive years, FORTUNE magazine has ranked Continental as the top U.S. airline on its “World’s Most Admired Companies” airline industry list. For more information, click here.

IMEX Posts Show Seminars & Webcasts Online

Jul 22

Ashley SpitzerTips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows advisory council, imex, meeting ideas, overseas meetings No Comments

If you were unable to travel to Frankfurt in May for IMEX, it’s not too late to beef up your industry knowledge!

Show organizers have made 53 presentations available for free download on the IMEX website, including all of the German language seminars (organized by the German Convention Bureau).

Several presentations are available via webcast, including:

Meet Healthy for Attendees

Jul 15

Ashley SpitzerTips for Meeting Planners attendee interaction, meeting ideas No Comments

There is a lot of talk in the industry about green meetings that are good for the environment. But how about healthy meetings that are good for your attendees?

Many meeting professionals are paying more attention to this area. They recognize that a little exercise is not only healthy for attendees, but also keeps them awake by oxygenating the brain as well as muscles.

Planners shared their best ideas for healthy meetings in the Stellar Tips section of ConventionPlanit.com.

Scott Ludwigsen with Phoenix Marketing International suggests scheduling a walk around the hotel/conference center into meeting breaks. “For those attendees that actually take the walk, reward them by handing out tickets at the far end of the building,” he says.

“Prior to the next health break, draw a ticket for a prize and you will see the number of walkers increase dramatically during each subsequent break. Net effect: people come back from their breaks ready to listen, look, and learn!”

Another exercise incentive suggested by Al Rickard of Association Vision is to have a quick scavenger hunt during breaks that forces people to walk around a certain area.

“Put attendees in teams of three or four so they can meet new people in the process,” he explains. “Give away some small prizes for completing it. Then set up a table with prizes displayed for those who complete the hunt and a big sign that says “Free Prizes.” Prizes can be small gift certificates for local shops, local trinkets, hotel certificates for a free massage at the spa, or a free breakfast.

Alicia Dahill with Oliver Wyman offers this idea for squeezing exercise into meetings: “Hire the hotel’s fitness trainer to come in for the first five minutes of your morning and afternoon break to provide attendees quick stretches and movement with the focus on things attendees can do in their own office. This will help attendees feel more energized and awake during the meeting, and they will appreciate your efforts to incorporate fitness into the meeting.”

Use your imagination to go beyond walking and stretching. For example, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & The Center for Association Leadership placed stationary bikes in the main gathering area during its Annual Meeting in San Diego two years ago. Rickard also suggests making large exercise balls available.

Meeting attendees, presenters, exhibitors, meeting staff, and others also spend a lot of time standing or walking, especially at large meetings with trade shows.

Eleanor with Symantec Corporation recommends having acupressure foot masseuses on hand.

“Even 10-minute sessions can relieve feet tired of walking long distances to get to and from different meeting rooms, not to mention presenters who stand for hours doing their sessions,” she says. “Foot massages are also good to boost energy.”

There are also other novel approaches to staying healthier by relieving both the physical and mental stress of meetings. Sybil L. Simons with Group Travel Advisors recommends a program called “jokesercise.”

She explains, “’High-Powered Howard,’ a comedian and personal trainer, offers half an hour of exercise punctuated with comedy. Attendees will love it! My groups do.”

Of course, providing healthy alternatives to meeting attendees extends beyond what they can do with their bodies to what they can put in their bodies.

“Keep your attendees hydrated and energized by providing a variety of unique soft drinks such as pomegranate-flavored soda, green apple iced tea, peach iced tea… something different in addition to water and coffee to add an unexpected gourmet twist to your meeting refreshments,” recommends Sharon Naylor with Sharon Naylor Wedding Books.

Kathleen Zwart with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida offers a tip with a double benefit — better health and a cost savings. “For an all-day meeting with lunch and an afternoon break, I hold back the dessert from the luncheon and serve it during the afternoon break,” she says.

“Your attendees aren’t tempted with two sweets in a short timeframe and you save money by not ordering a separate item for the break. You can include something non-sweet also, like fruit, nuts, or popcorn.”

For more advice that can help you in all areas of meeting planning, visit the Stellar Tips section of ConventionPlanit.com.

Creative PR Ideas for Conventions & Tradeshows

Jun 28

Ashley SpitzerTips for Meeting Planners ASAE & the Center, meeting experiences, meeting ideas, Trade Shows No Comments

Need some creative ideas for public relations at your next convention or tradeshow? The ASAE Greater Washington Network recently held a PR Idea Swap at ASAE headquarters in Washington, DC, with content and planning provided by the ASAE Communication Section Council.

One of the table discussions during the event focused on convention and tradeshow public relations. Here are some of the ideas that participants offered:

• An association of builders held a live building competition on its tradeshow floor as a way to generate interest from the media. Held over several days and complete with awards for the best design, the building competition was a draw to the show floor and allowed the association to highlight the art of the profession.

• A special exhibit sponsored by the host association can generate interest in a tradeshow. For example, the association of builders arranged to borrow a well-known exhibit that had appeared in the National Building Museum for display in its exhibit hall.

• Special displays can help attract media attention. For example, SNAXPO, the tradeshow of the Snack Food Association, featured a display of the newest and most innovative snack foods, which is always a popular draw for members of the media. The display helps reporters by showcasing the latest trends in the snack food industry.

• Another creative way to generate publicity around a convention is to utilize a captivating theme for the convention as it relates to the organization. For example, an association of funeral homes built its convention theme one year around “Survivor.”

• A national association of museums generates PR by partnering with local museums in the cities in which it holds its annual convention. The local museums often have already developed relationships with the local media, and the national convention gives the local museums a chance to hook in reporters to a broader conversation about museums, while drawing positive attention to their own museums.

• Create something unusual and attention-getting on the exhibit floor – The American Industrial Hygiene Association built a “mock meth lab” in its tradeshow to demonstrate the health and safety hazards associated with meth labs and the role of industrial hygienists in dealing with these dangers after the labs are shut down. It attracted lots of media attention. On another occasion AIHA got CNN to feature a “mold dog” from one of its exhibitors, since industrial hygienists diagnose mold problems. The dog actually searched out mold in a television studio live on CNN.

What are some of your own creative PR ideas?

What Makes a Successful Webinar?

Mar 11

Ashley SpitzerTips meeting attendance, meeting education, social media, technology, webinar No Comments

I’ve participated in a number of webinars lately, and wanted to share some tips that I’ve accumulated from both my positive and negative experiences. Hope you find them helpful – and feel free to share your own thoughts!

-Establish a Twitter hash tag prior to webinar and include hash tag with dial/login instructions. While attendees may converse via the virtual meeting chat platform, if your audience is accustomed to Twitter, this is most likely where they will opt to connect. Be sure to have an organizer monitor comments for feedback, questions and technical assistance.

-Strong preparation should not be overlooked. By the time attendees sign into the platform, technical glitches are worked out and introductions are made, the time for information sharing is short but vital. Practice your speech to ensure you have enough time to present the information. Thorough presentation slides can assist with this.

-Traditional face-to-face presentation best practices still apply. You’re not off the hook just because attendees cannot see your face. Content must be engaging and informative just as much, if not more so than if in person.

-Since presentation slides are the sole visual for the webinar, these must present the information in a clear, concise manner. Remember, presentation slides can be posted as a resource after the event. Attendees will appreciate thorough and entertaining slides that are consistent with the flow of the presentation.

-Familiarize yourself with the webinar software. Utilize the attendee mute button while the presenter is speaking. There’s nothing worse than an attendee placing a call on hold and disrupting the presentation with hold music, or hearing typing or phones ringing in the background!

-Leave adequate time for questions. Whether you choose to answer questions along the way or at the end of a presentation, it’s vital for a successful webinar to include the audience’s comments and questions.

What do you think should be added to this list? Share your own experiences and ideas!

Receive RFP Responses in 24 Hours

Mar 02

Ashley SpitzerTips for Meeting Planners meeting planner help, meeting planning services, RFP, rfp valet No Comments

Researching properties and distributing an RFP is considered easy compared to the most daunting task at hand for a meeting planner – receiving timely responses (or responses, period, for that matter).

As a meeting planner, following up with multiple properties, wondering if your RFP was received, and actually receiving a quote can be an exhausting (and time consuming) game of cat and mouse. But that’s just how the system works, right? A hotel will respond on their schedule, not yours.

All hope is not lost! There is a fast, reliable, way to distribute your meeting requirements through ConventionPlanit.com and receive a guaranteed response within 24 hours!

It’s simple; here’s how:

1. Conduct property research and send RFPs through www.conventionplanit.com as usual (I recommend the fast “add to cart” feature; attach your specs and send to several properties at once).

2. Relax! The hard work is done.

3. Within 24 hours, you’ll rest assured that each property received your proposal, and you’ll know when to expect a response. (The CP RFP Team will send you a detailed summary).

And, best of all, since ConventionPlanit.com is commission-free, meeting planners use these services for free! Visit www.conventionplanit.com to get started, or email ashley@conventionplanit.com for more information.

Creative Meeting Ideas

Feb 19

Ashley SpitzerTips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows attendee interaction, meeting attendance, meeting ideas No Comments

Redefining value has become more important than ever before. What worked last year or the year before may be out the window, especially with a rapidly changing economic landscape and competitors scrambling for market position.

Here are some creative marketing ideas to help build meeting attendance:

Go Viral – Forget the swine flu! We’re talking about viral exposure in the social media. Come up with unusual – even outrageous – ideas for your meeting that will start tongues wagging and tweeters tweeting. Get your executive director to volunteer to sing a song onstage at the Opening General Session if the meeting attendance sets a record (be sure to post a video of him/her singing a few lyrics on YouTube as a sneak preview). Then have your Board members, convention planning committee members, and other leaders start tweeting about this and posting links to the YouTube video and your meeting website.

Talent Search – Everyone has talent, right? (OK, maybe some people are more talented than others.) Have a “Talent and Great Ideas Show” at your next meeting. Use your e-newsletter, online convention promotions, and the social media to recruit members to participate. Each person needs to demonstrate their talent for a minute or so (do a card trick, play a musical instrument, sing, dance, juggle, do an impersonation, etc.) and then deliver one industry-related great idea that attendees can take home and use in their business. Record a couple short videos with willing members to show how it works and post these on YouTube as examples. The show will add fun and value to your next meeting, and create powerful social media marketing leading up to the meeting to promote attendance.

Jeopardy – Think of an important topic in your industry and imagine how that might play out in a Jeopardy-style game. (Remember, answers must be phrased in the form of a question!) Creativity is the bottom line, of course – think about how the game can be built into into a PowerPoint presentation, for example.

What are you waiting for? Step out of your comfort zone, toss ideas around with colleagues, and think about the wow factor!

Save Time and Money on Food and Beverage

Feb 09

Ashley SpitzerContests, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows economy, environmental-friendly, food and beverage, meeting ideas No Comments

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to save time and money, meeting planners have a lot of suggestions to cut food and beverage costs.

Each of the planners mentioned below shared their advice in the “Stellar Tips” section of ConventionPlanit.com.

Food and beverage charges are always a major cost center. Customizing menus can allow for greater variety, fresher ingredients, and cut costs.

“When working with a limited budget for a full day of meals, I provide my total dollar amount to the chef or catering manager and request that they customize menus for me, keeping in mind any specific requirements I have for each event,” says Kathleen Zwart of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.

“This allows them to use seasonal or local specials, piggyback onto other events being held that day, take advantage of specials offered by their food suppliers, and offer smaller, healthier portions. I stay within my budget, my attendees are offered healthier options, and the chef is able to use some creativity instead of the same old banquet menus. It’s a win-win for all.”

Even simple changes in how food is presented at meal functions can save money.

“If you’re having a reception, pass/butler the more expensive items,” says Debbie DeJacques of GMA Washington.

“You’ll be able to make them last longer and save money. Don’t set plates on the display table – use only napkins (this will ensure your attendees get to sample all the offerings but won’t walk away from the display station with a mound of food) and stick with beer and wine at the bar.”

Laura Johnson of Market*Access International recommends asking the caterer to slice bagels, croissants and muffins in half. Attendees will take smaller portions – leaving more food to go around and wasting less while stretching your breakfast budget.

Stacey Petersen with MHA Ventures, Inc., eliminates canned soda:

“I have found that canned soda costs a lot of money to provide at our conventions. To save on money, and save on the waste of half cans of soda being thrown away and people taking two or three cans ‘for the road,’ two years ago I moved to using a self-service soda fountain station. These stations are conveniently placed near break areas, and are serve-yourself.

All the venue has to worry about is ice, 6-ounce disposable cups, and replacing the canisters once a day (instead of counting and recounting soda cans). It’s a win-win situation – it’s saved me on my budget, members are happy, the hotel staff is happy to not have to count cans anymore, and the waste is significantly decreased!”

Claire Modarelli of Moffitt Cancer Center, replaces bottles of water with water coolers and pitchers. It saved her $1,000 last year!

Stray from a traditional break time – offer variety and cut costs with a voucher program.

“We worked with a hotel to provide vouchers for breaks instead of serving an expensive break time. Each participant was given vouchers to go to the snack shop located in the hotel lobby.

Each voucher was worth $3. For each item the participant chose, they turned in a voucher. The vouchers were then counted and charged to the master account. This wound up costing considerably less than paying for breaks,” shares Kathy Craig of the Ecumenical Stewardship Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Closely monitoring a beverage manager can also pay off, as Stacy Wald of Orthopaedic Associates explains,

“When I do my banquet event orders I let the manager know at that time that I would like to be with the beverage manager when they tally the bars and empties. Liquor is counted by tenths of a bottle and then billed accordingly.

If I disagree with a count and the measurement is changed it could be the equivalent to 10-12 drinks. It also keeps the beverage manager on his toes! I have saved hundreds of dollars just by checking the bars before the totals are finalized.”

What is your cost saving tip? Share your ideas by commenting on this post!

Send a Friend, Take a Trip

Feb 01

Ashley SpitzerContests, Tips for Meeting Planners meeting planning services, Peppermill Reno, refer a meeting professional, Reno Tahoe No Comments

Just announced moments ago…

…the new Refer a Meeting Professional Contest, sponsored by The Peppermill Reno Casino Resort Spa!

If you’re a frequent user of ConventionPlanit.com, you know what great meeting resources are offered. Why not share the tip and help your meeting planner friends and colleagues save some valuable time?

Just for referring fellow meeting professionals to the website, you’re entered to win a trip for two to the all new Peppermill Reno Caisno Resort Spa!

Prize Package Includes:

-Two nights in the all-new Tuscan Tower suite, complete with European soaking tub
-Round trip air for two valued at $500 each on Southwest Airlines
-Limo transportation to and from Reno-Tahoe airport
-Couples massage for two…or spoil just yourself with a massage and a facial
-Dinner at Bimini Steakhouse valued at $150

Contest runs until May – but you can enter today!