Jan 16
Ashley ChalmersMember News, Tips for Meeting Planners advisory council, meeting experiences, meeting ideas, meeting planner feedback
Eight members of the ConventionPlanit.com Meeting Planner Advisory Council met recently at The Donovan House in Washington, DC to discuss current issues facing the meetings industry and how online search directories such as ConventionPlanit.com can help address them.
ConventionPlanit.com Staff and Advisory Council Members at the November Meeting
Some of the issues included:
- Demonstrating the Value of Meeting History – Providing a hotel with historical data from previous meetings is essential in negotiating room blocks, rates, and food and beverage costs. “Everybody complains about not having the history of hotel room pickups and meeting attendance, but nobody does anything about it,” one planner said. “Just once I want a hotel to come to me with this information – I always have to hunt it down myself.” Other planners shared similar experiences, and their common wish is for hotels to be more proactive about providing this information. As electronic information-sharing in common formats becomes more common, this should improve in the future.
- Unauthorized Third-Party Housing Companies Selling Non-Refundable Rooms – This is a lightning-rod issue for many planners, who often see their room blocks erode and subsequent attrition fees assessed as association members book rooms outside the block. These unauthorized companies often launch aggressive marketing campaigns to association members, making it sound like they are the official housing provider. Attendees that book the rooms find they are non-refundable and sometimes cannot reach the companies by phone. Meeting planners agreed that strong communications to prospective attendees warning them of these tactics is necessary, plus legal action against these companies if appropriate.
- “Resort Fees” – Resort fees that typically cover Internet access, spa use, and other amenities are increasingly common. The problem is that government employees cannot usually be reimbursed for these fees when they attend a meeting, and planners noted that the fees are often non-negotiable. Their wish is for hotels to better understand the effects of these fees and be more willing to negotiate them if needed.
- E-Blasted RFPs – Some companies e-blast RFPs out to numerous properties with little regard for qualifying them in advance. This wastes the time of hotel salespeople as they respond to RFPs that don’t match what their properties offer. It leads to complacency that can cause them to not respond to viable RFPs that could bring them business. ConventionPlanit.com pre-qualifies properties to ensure that only those that are a strong potential match receive the RFPs, dramatically increasing the success rate for hotel proposals.
- Hotel Proposals Lacking Necessary Information – When planners send out RFPs, they need all the information requested in order to do an apples-to-apples comparison of prospective properties. The planners agreed that hotels are not doing themselves any favors by not providing complete information – it forces them to follow up and spend extra time getting information that should have been provided in the first place. When RFPs are submitted through ConventionPlanit.com, incoming proposals are checked to make sure they are complete to save planners the hassle of chasing down information.
“This discussion was extremely valuable for both the planners and our staff,” said ConventionPlanit.com Principal and Co-Founder Katherine Markham, CHME. “We found that much of what we are already doing helps to address many of these concerns, and it helps spark ideas for new solutions we can launch in the future.”
We are always looking for fresh faces to contribute to our council! If you are an avid user of ConventionPlanit.com and would like information about joining the Meeting Planner Advisory Council, please contact Katherine Markham, CHME at katherinem@conventionplanit.com.
What improvements would you like to see on the site?
Jun 08
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners meeting experiences, meeting ideas, meeting planner feedback, prezi, technology, Tips for Meeting Planners
So, exactly what is a “Prezi?” 
We first heard about it after a member of the ConventionPlanit.com Meeting Professionals Advisory Council told us that it was one of the hot things for 2011.
It does have a cool name…and it’s free… so we thought we’d give you the lowdown.
But first, we want to clue you in on what a Prezi is NOT:
- It’s not what you call your boss or the head of your association who carries the title of “President.”
- It’s not a new device like an iPad or a Droid – although you can view a Prezi on a device like that.
- It’s not a phrase you utter in anger when something bad happens at your meeting.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s the deal: A Prezi allows you to “create astonishing presentations live and on the web,” according to www.prezi.com. The website also talked about “stunning” presentations, so it got our attention.
Basically, it frees up your creative mind when you’re building a presentation, because it allows more flexibility than traditional PowerPoint presentations, and even has zoom-in and zoom-out features to examine details or view the big picture.
There’s a creative presentation online called “How to create a great Prezi” that offers a quick look at the possibilities. So we encourage you to check it out.
We even created a quick Prezi on “How We Made the ConventionPlanit Flash Back to the Future Video.” You may like that one too. It was fun and took less than an hour to create. So try one yourself and see what you think.
Like anything else in life, a basic version of the Prezi software is free, and it costs money to upgrade the capabilities. But the upgrade cost is reasonable. We’re not even getting a commission for telling you all this.
Have you created or viewed a Prezi? What did you think?
May 17
Ashley ChalmersPlaces to Stay economy, guest-friendly hotel tips, hotels, meeting ideas, meeting planner feedback
Room rates are creeping back up – or are they?
Smith Travel Research data from January shows that urban hotels at 66% occupancy while suburban hotels are at 58%.
As a result, urban hotels are offering fewer discounts for rooms – but suburban property rates are still lower than 2009 levels…which is shifting the demand.
Are you booking more meetings in the suburbs to secure lower rates? Have you experienced higher rates in urban areas?
Mar 17
Ashley ChalmersContests, News meeting industry, meeting planner feedback, social media, technology
Want the inside scoop on how our music video came to be? You’re in the right place!
ConventionPlanit.com Co-Founder and Principal Katherine Markham, CHME is the mastermind behind the concept and idea of the video.
She was inspired when she learned about a talented singing group called Buffalo Stance, who are based in her hometown of New York City.
The totally awesome Buffalo Stance
The group is named after the “Buffalo Stance” song from the 1980s…and appropriately, the all female vocal group sings a lot of 80s music!
“We thought it would be fun to rewrite the lyrics to a popular song and sing it in the video,” Markham said. “We chose ‘Flashdance,’ which has a strong, dramatic style that really captured the excitement we wanted to convey.”
She then got to work writing the script for the video and lining up the production team.
Markham asked meetings industry veteran Roman Holton, who runs a video and filmmaking company called Ascension Media, to shoot and produce the video.
“When she called with the idea I said, ‘It may not be as easy as you think,’” Holton recalled. “But she persevered, so we got the crew together that would do the job for her.”
Some familiar faces from the meetings industry were sprinkled into the video. Can you spot them?
- Bob Gilbert, President & CEO of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), offered the association’s offices to shoot the video. Gilbert also appears in several scenes in the video.
- Windy Christner, CMP, Senior Director, Meetings & Expositions for the American Pharmacists Association, played the role of a “new age” fortuneteller
- Association Vision President Al Rickard, CAE, played the office receptionist
- Association professional Sallie Hyman appeared as an office visitor and as an office employee
“The whole video conveyed the idea of how much easier it is today for meeting planners than it was 25 years ago, thanks to technology such as ConventionPlanit.com,” Markham explained.
Have you been involved in a video production? What was your favorite part?
Don’t forget to check out the music video and submit your own predictions for what you think the future of meeting planning will be like.
The predictions will be put to the vote by your peers, and the grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to Cancun, courtesy of the JW Marriott Cancun and Continental Airlines!
Jan 05
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners meeting industry, meeting planner feedback, meeting trends, Tips for Meeting Planners
As the New Year greets us (and we’re glad it’s here!), now is the time to review what’s hot and what’s not for 2011 in the meetings industry.
Take a look at these insights from the ConventionPlanit.com Meeting Planner Advisory Council and the ConventionPlanit.com staff:
What’s Hot and What’s Not in your world? Comment on this post to add to the list!
| What’s Hot |
What’s Not |
| Creating a Prezi |
PowerPoint presentations |
| Conference phone apps |
Conference program books |
| Personal URL marketing |
Unpersonalized mass marketing |
| Doing meeting surveys with wufoo.com |
Collecting survey data in Word documents |
| Hotel rooftop vegetable gardens |
Imported produce |
| New underwear so you look good in the airport scanner |
Easy passage through airport security |
| Walkable cities |
Bussing attendees around town |
| Social media comments on meeting sites |
Hotel rating systems |
| Hybrid meetings with a virtual component |
In-person-only meetings |
| Water stations |
Water bottles |
| Edutainment |
Boring speakers behind a lectern |
| Custom meeting apps |
Reinventing the wheel |
| Smart phone audience response technology |
Counting raised hands |
| Teleworking and temporary staffing |
Bloated staffers and long commutes |
| Packing smart |
Baggage fees |
| Online search directories with complete transparency |
Search directories with hidden fees and mark-ups |
| The chocolate you will eat this year |
The chocolate you ate last year |
Nov 02
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners Event Industry Networking, meeting experiences, meeting planner feedback, meeting planner help
It’s a general consensus that networking is essential in the meetings industry…
…it’s the value-added aspect to a meeting that attracts attendees – and helps them build relationships outside the formal education sessions.
But networking is mainly for extroverts, right?
Not always.
Plenty of people are introverts (including lots of people in the meetings industry), and can network successfully – with the right strategies.
Vinay Kumar, a self-described introvert and first-generation immigrant from India, has written about the ways he has successfully leveraged networking to get ahead in the association community.
He runs Vinay Kumar Associates, a firm focused on helping small businesses & associations increase profits and productivity.
His mission is to help build healthy businesses and healthy relationships.
“Lacking the gift of the gab, I am poor at making small talk,” Kumar says.
“If you were to look up the words quiet, dull, and boring in Webster’s, you’ll probably find my picture right next to them. Furthermore, being on the quiet side, one of my biggest fears in taking a client out to lunch is what if we have total silence and I don’t know what to say. Yikes! Talk about sending chills up my spine!”
He offers these tips to fellow introverts:
1. Be clear on what’s comforting to you.
If you don’t like hanging out at the bar, then don’t take your clients there. Your discomfort will come through.
Also, I only ask individuals out to lunch with whom I am comfortable. If I do have to take someone out to lunch and I have a strong feeling it’ll be uncomfortable, I’ll ask a colleague to join me, someone whom I feel will get along well with the client.
2. Plan something unique and memorable.
When I discover someone likes Indian food, I’ll often take ‘em to some hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant that sells tasty Indian cooking, a place a non-Indian would probably never discover or go on their own.
3. Always be on the lookout for your client’s challenges – professional and personal.
Over 15 years ago, one of my clients had adopted a daughter from overseas who was having trouble learning English. Once I understood the challenge, I realized it’s very similar to what my daughter had faced. To help her learn, we had purchased a series of cassettes, which had helped her immensely. As my daughter didn’t need them anymore, I hand delivered them to my client, and they helped her daughter immensely, too.
Today, even after all these years, every time I run into this client, she makes it a point to update me on her daughter’s progress and thanks me for the tapes. She still remembers. I feel happy that I made a difference, and it’s been good business too.
4. Send hand written thank you cards by snail mail.
They are so rare these days, making them even more special. In today’s time where nearly everything seems to quickly become a commodity, standing out from the crowd becomes an increasing challenge. Sending out handwritten cards helps you stand apart and makes you memorable.
5. Send information that will be of interest to your clients.
By snail mail whenever possible and with a short handwritten note saying something like, “Hey Myron, thought this might be of interest to you – Vinay.”
It demonstrates to clients you’re thinking of them, which you are. By the way, this doesn’t have to be just business-oriented. It can be of a personal nature also.
The key is to be authentic and from the heart.
6. Send white papers and articles that you have written.
If you haven’t written any, I urge you to do so.
It’s one of our top-secret weapons to sales success, especially for us introverts. In the end, no matter how much you and the client like each other, the client has to find business value in the relationship.
Of course, many such relationships turn into lifelong friendships. First, however, is providing the business value. By sending out such materials that you have written, you are positioning yourself as the expert in the field, and that’s something we introverts do so well. So leverage it to the max.
“Look, my fellow introverts, we may not be the life of the party,” Kumar says. “We may not be the ones going to games screaming for our teams, and we may not be the ones who can easily ‘wow’ folks at a gathering.
But when people know you can help solve their problems, that they can count on you, that you’ll take the time to truly listen, they’ll be heard, and you take the time understand their challenges and then help them solve them, you’ll be well on your way to making your relationships strong, baseball tickets or not.
The key to success is to continually add value to other’s lives. As you do that, many will do the same for you. That’s the key to success and fulfillment.”
Are you an introvert? What are some of your personal networking strategies?
Apr 16
Ashley ChalmersNews advisory council, Hilton, hotels in washington dc, meeting planner feedback, meeting planning services
Seven years ago, ConventionPlanit.com was formed, with the hopes of making the lives of meeting planners easier. An Advisory Council of respected meeting planners from a variety of fields was formed to help make this possible.
Now, the Council is going strong, and their input is valued more than ever!
Yesterday, the Washington Hilton hosted a meeting and reception for our Advisory Council, in the brand new Heights Executive Meeting Center. (The hotel is undergoing a $140 million dollar renovation – more on this plus photos to come). The Council members came ready to work!
They were full of suggestions and ways to improve ConventionPlanit.com, and spoke candidly about some of the industry issues affecting them.
The Council provided group input during a tour of the website’s features, and offered insight on specific areas of the website in break out sessions.
Look for some improvements to pop up on ConventionPlanit.com in the near future, as we work to implement some of the Council’s fantastic ideas!
Some of the CP Staff & Advisory Council Members
Courtesy of Larry Glatt Photography
Aug 04
Ashley ChalmersContests, Tips for Meeting Planners attendee interaction, economy, meeting ideas, meeting planner feedback, Tips for Meeting Planners
A smart way to save on your meeting costs is by cutting back on the breaks.
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. Hope this tip helps you in your planning!
…this idea comes from Kathy Craig, Administrative Assistant with Ecumenical Stewardship Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, who just won our July Stellar Tip Contest.
If you have a meeting tip to share, enter the August contest to win a $100 prize!
Jun 26
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits, News, Tips meeting ideas, meeting industry, meeting planner feedback
Be sure to check out the ConventionPlanit.com Homepage…
…today we unveiled our new look!
The new homepage design and navigation will help planners to locate their favorite features faster.
The new design was made with the input of our Advisory Council of meeting professionals – to make sure it’s exactly what you want.
What do you think? Any thoughts or comments?
Apr 13
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits, Tips for Meeting Planners meeting planner feedback, overseas meetings, travel tips
For a meeting planner frequently dealing with international business, knowing current exchange rates is pretty common…but finding a good tool for exchange rates is a bit harder to come by.
Our favorite is http://www.x-rates.com/:
-It’s straightforward; no frills, just an easy to use table.
-Current exchange rates (updated daily)
Do you have a favorite planning tool or website? Check out some of our recommendations.
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