I would like to thank my friend Heather Mason, President of A Caspian Production, for the following post.
I met Heather at a public relations conference I produced. Imagine my feelings of intimidation and anxiety upon meeting her. I had spent seven months producing an event run entirely by students and she is a professional project manager who produces world-renowned events. However, after spending some time with her she put me at ease and gave me some great tips for the future. The importance of effective meetings was one thing she emphasized when making preparations for any event.
A few days after the event, she sent me an email with a linked article titled, “Unmanaged Meetings Offer Travel Sellers Opportunities: How to Profit”. The article focuses on how meetings can either be a great loss or significant gain for an organization. Five reasons for loss are as follows:
1. Smaller meetings are generally sourced by non-professional planners (perhaps a secretary, administrative assistant or marketing coordinator at the firm).
2. They are usually overlooked by upper management.
3. There is no reporting, feedback or tracking of these smaller meetings and their attendee costs, so there’s no accountability structure in place.
4. Because they are not sourced professionally, cost leveraging opportunities are missed (for example, the booking of multiple programs with one vendor, which often result in cost-savings, is not present).
5. The shorter lead times leave less chance for cost comparisons, and ensuing negotiations. Under the gun, planners are forced to just accept what hotels offer to them.
I have definitely seen how these points have been a detriment to meetings I have planned or attended. Thankfully, the author also provides advice for correction. Namely:
· Select the most cost-effective and appropriate location.
· Encourage the selected hotel to provide meeting planners with the negotiated transient travel rates.
· Provide meeting planners with negotiated ground transportation negotiated rates.
· Partner with a meeting logistics company that can provide discounted services to the planner who needs additional help.
For some organizations these ideas are not relevant, however, this should make us think about how effectively we are using our time, money and other resources when organizing meetings.
Thanks Heather!
