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ASAE Springtime Interviews: Planners Discuss State of Partnering

Spotlight Feature: How Can Venues Best Partner with Planners?

By Timothy Herrick

Editorial Director

Partnering is used so often the term has become a cliché. This doesn’t mean it isn’t true, and in fact, for meeting planners, the caliber of the partnering that takes place between them and the venue can often mean the difference between success and failure. At ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership's Springtime 2010, a random selection of attendees were asked, in the current economic climate of cost-cutting austerity and increased scrutiny on the successful outcome of a meeting or event, how can a venue be the best partner they can be. The answers may be diverse, illuminating various details of meeting planner that can often be overlooked, but the consensus seems to be: now more than ever, partnering is essential.

Tanisha Forte, Director of Operations, the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show

In this business, the meeting planners and the venues partner together. We need to look at the entire event. There are many things we can do together to cut costs of many items, especially Food & Beverage. The venue has to understand what your goals are and be honest about what they can provide to meet those goals within your budget. It comes to the basics of communication, and working together.

Jennifer J. McVeigh, CMP, Conference Program Manager, National Association for the Education of Young Children

I handle the education programs of our meetings. The most important thing we look for is the quality of the space, what kind of atmosphere it can create and what kind of technology they have available. Many venues have been very good about incorporating these features without extra charges, like wireless internet. They need to be upfront with what they provide and what they have available. We need to communicate this to our speakers and presenters so they create programs that can be accommodated.

Linda S. Gibson, Director, Finance & Administration, Forest Resources Association, Inc

The most flexible cost is the meeting space. We’re bringing the venue a lot of business in terms of the rooms and the food & beverage. Those costs can be negotiated. The meeting space should be free, part of the entire package. The venues who are able to do this, who see that their real revenue are from the overall business, those are the ones that we partner with.

Jennifer L. Lucio, President & CEO, 305 Communications and Events

Venues can streamline the billing by offering one bill. For many events and meetings, you have to deal with a lot of different vendors, but it is all through the venue. Venues can work with the planner by offering a single bill that includes all of those vendor costs, instead of having a whole pile of different bills from each vendor. That will make the budgeting process easier for the meeting planner. A lot of venues are doing this, but more should, especially those who have preferred vendors.

Cindy Joy-Rodgers, Meeting/Sales Representative, National Newspaper Association

We look for venues that can help with the marketing of the venue. We’re looking for true partners. We do not want them to under-cut us as an association. With room rates for example, some hotels will offer prices closer to the even that are lower than that we can offer our members. We are competing with them for the event. Venues have to be upfront and ask the meeting planner all the questions, so there are no surprises. You want the venue to make you feel that you are all in this together.

Jeremy Figoten, Vice President of Meetings & Expositions, National Apartment Association

It’s all about relationship building, and if you have the relationship a venue will partner with you. Venues are beginning to think outside the box, which is what you want. There is a lot of pressure on planners and budgets are getting cut. Partnering means the venue will come up with ways for a successful event at lower costs. It’s all about the relationship.

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