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Hot News
| IAAC INTERVIEWS: EXCEEDING PLANNER EXPECTATIONS |
| Conference Center News |
Spotlight: What New Services Are Meeting Planners Responding to?
The thing I find the most positive meeting response to is the internet service in all the meeting rooms. We now have wireless internet throughout the facility. Attendees are of course, using their lap-tops and blackberries and all those gadgets during breaks, but presenters are now using internet-based video and audio and other things in their presentations. It’s not just the old power point presentations.
The hottest thing is Sustainable Business Practices, which of course means green and environmentally friendly. We just received a Green Seal Certification. As a venue, what was the most surprising is that making our practices more environmentally friendly resulted in a cost reduction for us, for our waste disposal, which we didn’t anticipate but of course, were glad to happen. We are starting to use the Green Seal Certification and our sustainable practices, as part of our marketing, but it’s not highlighted. But planners are definitely starting to respond. I think all venues should go this route, but you have to be committed to it. Environmental awareness is growing, and has always been strong in the Northwest, but if you aren’t committed to it, and are just doing things for show, the planners will know.
Have one person dedicated to the success of the meeting. We have now have one “point” person who is contact with the meeting planner, and that person can answer all questions and arrange all things, from menus to AV equipment. It was confusing for planners to have to deal with different people for these different aspects of the meeting, so now we have one point person that handles everything from the Meeting Planners perspective. That contact person has to be brought in early, well in advance of the actual meeting, and in fact, we bring them in soon after a contract is signed so they can begin addressing the various issues of the planner. It streamlines the entire process. Also, that person will basically be on-site during the meeting, so from start to finish, they are available to make sure the meeting is a success.
The idea of making the conference center and events family friendly has really caught on with planners. For us, this means having enough activities throughout the day for children and spouses of attendees, which may be easier for us than other venues because we are attached to a resort. When a meeting can accomplish the meeting, and also work as a sort of mini-vacation, appeals to Meeting Planners and attendees, especially since people are constantly traveling and being a way from their family. We’re catering to meetings that are family friendly, working with planners so have several activities available.
Meeting Planners are responding to variety of things and a conference center to remain competitive has to be different. This ranges for us from having off-site events with a restaurant to offering a better variety of food items during break out periods, such as healthy foods as well as “fun foods.” We’re also offering iPods in our fitness center, because these days you hardly see anyone in a gym without ear buds. The point really is to come up with things that will not only differentiate your conference center from the competition, but to listen to your clients and tailor their meeting to suit their needs. What is working best is working more closely with the meeting planner to make the meeting a success.
Being a chef, I look at most things from the food & beverage services angle. We are finding more variety in the choices we offer. Variety means adding different food cuisines to creating the more healthy food choices, such as no more trans fats. People are eating healthier, but a conference center has to be more than the rubber chicken cliché type food. Meeting Planners expect more and the food served has to exceed those expectations.
We’re 460 beautiful acres of a working ranch and what has been working is what always has been working for us, and we have a high-rate of return meetings. Planners come here for the experience, the fresh air, and we’re conveniently located. But, in addition to that, we’ve added wireless internet capability, even at our outdoor spaces and that has gotten amazing feedback. Attendees want to be as productive as they can be and they really now expect internet connectivity throughout a property. |
What new services are Meeting Planners responding to? The people who can best answer this question are attendees of the 
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