Mar 02
Ashley SpitzerTips for Meeting Planners meeting planner help, meeting planning services, RFP, rfp valet
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.
Dec 21
Damion RutherfordTips for Meeting Planners meeting experiences, meeting ideas, meeting industry, meeting planner help
Meeting professionals know that the best ideas often come from their peers, who are usually more than willing to share them with people who show an interest. In 2010, planners are talking about adding value to their meetings to attract attendees.
Maureen Thompson of ASBO International taps the knowledge of the hotel staff by hiring some of them to put in extra hours staffing the meeting registration desk instead of hiring temps to do this. “The person’s knowledge of the venue, location and even access to the ‘behind the scenes’ places of the hotel is invaluable,” she says.
For more great meeting ideas, check out the Stellar Tip Archive, and search through a variety of tips and advice submitted by other meeting professionals.
What are some ideas you will be implementing? Let us know, and share the information with your peers. It’s the most effective way to learn!
Sep 03
Damion RutherfordTips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows meeting ideas, meeting planner help, Trade Shows
Dr. Radde's book Seating Matters offers innovative setups for meeting rooms
Quick, what’s the best way to get the most seats in a meeting room?
Straight across, theater-style, right??
“Think again!,” says Dr. Paul O. Radde of The Thrival Institute, who has authored a new book, Seating Matters.
“The industry mindset is that straight rows maximize a room, but they don’t – they create dead space,” he says.
“Dead space is any excessive or wasted space in a room that could be excellent seating for participants, such as up front around the stage or down the center of the room. For example, the center aisle, the best seating space in the room, is not set for chairs.”
Radde recalls a meeting at a major hotel where he had arranged to have curved rows with all the seats facing the center of the stage. When he arrived for the event, however, he found that the hotel staff had lined up straight rows instead, believing that was the only way to fit 1,800 seats in the ballroom.
That evening, Radde worked with the staff to reset the room with curved rows and showed them how to fit not only the required minimum of 1,800 seats in the room, he easily had room for another 300 seats for a total of 2,100 – even with the fine tuning of widened aisles toward the back of the room to create adequate space for schmoozing.
Straight-row seating is problematic for Radde on several counts:
1.) It requires people seated facing the wall on the outside of front rows to turn in their seats and turn their heads up to 85 degrees to view the stage.
“Unless people are within the three seats closest to the aisle in the center of the room, they report discomfort within 15 minutes,” Radde says, “and this detracts energy and attention from their positive meeting experience.
2.) “You come all the way across country or the world to meet, network, and learn with your peers and colleagues,” Radde explains. “So you don’t want to be slotted into a straight row when with a little imagination you could be in a more interactive setting.”
Angled and curved row innovations allow people who cannot see each other in straight rows, to see and interact with each other across the entire room.
Seating Matters lays down five principles to troubleshoot and design state-of-the-art seating arrangements in any meeting room. These principles not only increase seating capacity but also reduce stress, promote networking, and enhance learning. More than 70 illustrations and photos give the reader accurate descriptions of innovative setups.
Replacing Rounds
Meal functions at rounds present yet another challenge addressed in Seating Matters. Round tables crowd the room, create huge dead space, and make it difficult for people to talk with colleagues seated directly across the table. They raise their voices to cover the distance, but soon give up and chat with the persons next to them. Then too, half the people at a full round are facing away from the speaker. Turning chairs around is a cumbersome option.
Radde suggests using rectangular tables with the short ends aimed at the stage, forming a room-wide “starburst” pattern. Participants sit on the long sides of the table with one person seated at the head of the table facing the stage. This creates a more intimate setting, allowing people to see and talk to each other and to see the stage without turning chairs around. Tables shaped like trapezoids can also be used to create this type of setting.
“Meetings are supposed to bring people together, but even before people arrive, the straight row seating arrangements have limited the potential interaction and dynamic of the meeting.” Radde declares.
“I hope planners and facilities will read my book and see how a little creativity and innovation with seating will vastly improve the meeting experience for their participants. Best of all, it costs nothing to do this, while creating more value for the meeting.”
The book Seating Matters is available at www.Thrival.com.
Jul 10
Ashley SpitzerContests, RFP, Tips for Meeting Planners meeting planner help, meeting planning services, RFP, rfp valet
For a meeting planner, researching and booking a meeting is more complicated than selecting the number of rooms and date availability. The planning process is involved, tedious, and often frustrating.
With the rise of hotel and venue directories geared specifically for meeting planners, the process, no doubt has the potential to become far easier…if you can choose a website to use, that is.
The choices can be overwhelming, and many search directories are even adding hidden fees into costs for the planners, or requiring hotels to pay fees for each RFP they receive.
For a planner looking for an honest and free website to research and plan their meetings, check out ConventionPlanit.com.
What sets it apart? The RFP Assistance Service. Planners submit meeting specs, and ConventionPlanit.com’s team of experts research properties that meet the criteria – and send out the RFP to properties approved by the planner.
The properties respond directly to the planner, and ConventionPlanit.com steps in only if the planner asks for help receiving responses. The decision-making process remains entirely in the planner’s hands…and the service is entirely free.
Now, planners can even receive a $50 American Express-branded Reward card for using the service!
To get started, email your meeting specs to info@conventionplanit.com.
Jun 04
Ashley SpitzerMember News, Places to Stay, RFP, Tips hotels, hotels in San Diego, Hyatt, meeting planner help, San Diego
The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is making meeting planners several offers that will be hard to refuse…
with a variety of ways to save on your total bill, meeting room, and even earn 100,000 rewards –
and some of these offers are valid until June 2010!
Check out these fabulous to save by viewing the Manchester Grand Hyatt’s deals.
Mar 11
Ashley SpitzerContests, Misc Tidbits, Places to Stay, RFP, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners meeting ideas, meeting planner help, meeting planning services, RFP, rfp valet, Tips for Meeting Planners
Did you know ConventionPlanit.com can help you craft the perfect RFP, for FREE?
We’ll even give you a $50 American Express Rewards Card — as a thank you!
Call 866-922-8988 or click here for free RFP assistance
Feb 26
Ashley SpitzerMisc Tidbits meeting education, meeting ideas, Meeting Negotiations, meeting planner help, Tips for Meeting Planners
Meeting professionals negotiate all the time – it’s an essential element of the job! The ability to negotiate successfully is crucial for survival in today’s changing business world.
Negotiation is fun if you know what you’re doing. So for all you busy planners, here are Ed Brodow’s Ten Tips for Successful Negotiating…
Ed Brodow is a keynote speaker and negotiation guru who has appeared on PBS, ABC News, Fox News, and Inside Edition. He is the author of Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals (Doubleday).
Feb 23
Ashley SpitzerMember News, Misc Tidbits, News, RFP, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows economy, hotels, meeting ideas, meeting industry, meeting planner help, meeting planning services, RFP
Have you checked out the Divine Deals section of ConventionPlanit.com lately?
It’s the best place to learn about special discounts and promotions from our members – full of ways for you to save big on your next meeting.
Get started saving! Access Divine Deals…
Feb 20
Ashley SpitzerMisc Tidbits, News, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows economy, meeting attendance, meeting industry, meeting planner help, meeting planning services
The electronic petition, Keep America Meeting, is now live at http://keepamericameeting.com
Sign the petition to “help send a message to our legislators nationwide that we need them to take the proactive step of publicly supporting the meetings and events industry in order to hasten the U.S. recovery.”
Feb 12
Ashley SpitzerMisc Tidbits, News, RFP, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows meeting education, meeting ideas, meeting planner help, overseas meetings, travel tips
If you’re planning an international meeting or traveling overseas…
…this list of global tips and resources will come in handy!
It covers everything from making international phone calls, to converting currencies, and even time zone maps…so you can avoid calling overseas in the middle of the night. More
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