Meeting Planners Tip Sheet: Steps To Successful Site Selection

Here’s the fourth in a series of five quick tip sheets for meeting and event professionals regarding food and beverage, site selections and handling professional speakers. It’s also a great resource sheet for those who must handle meeting logistics for their organization’s meetings and need some insight.


While a journey is a road, not a destination, most meetings are about the destination not the road. Choosing the right destination is critical to a meetings’ success.

Effective event and meeting professionals focus on two key factors in the site selection process:
·   Foretelling an organization’s meeting and/or event requirements
·   Evaluating a potential site’s ability to meet those requirements

The needs of an event must be identified first and then aligned with sites that can properly accommodate them. Here are several steps to a successful site selection.

1.   Identify the meeting objectives

What is the purpose of the meeting or event? Is it to deliver education? To discuss business? To provide an exhibition of products and services? To network? Most meetings serve several purposes.

2.   Gather historical data.

Collect past records of this meeting including attendance, amount of meeting and exhibit space used, financials, food and beverage requirements, room block pick-up and schedules. A review and comparison of the past three years of history serves best. If it is a first-time meeting, assemble historical data from similar meetings you conduct. Customer surveys may serve you better than historical data.

3.   Establish the physical requirements

The meeting format and objectives will dictate most of the physical requirements.

4.   Date of meeting

What are the preferred dates for the meeting? Are those dates flexible? What is the preferred day pattern? What ethnic, federal, religious and state holidays should be avoided? What other conferences or meeting dates should be avoided? Are there any seasonal or peak times that should be avoided?

5.   Attendance

What is anticipated attendance? What internal or external factors could impact attendance?

6.   Sleeping Rooms

What is the total number of sleeping rooms needed? What is the typical arrival and departure pattern? What is the number of sleeping rooms for the peak night? Do you need double beds or any special accommodations like suites? How will reservations be made with the hotel(s)? What has been the average room rate? Are room rates commissioned to a group or third party? Are rebates or housing fees included in the rate?

7.   Meeting space

What is the total square footage of meeting space needed for your event? How many meeting rooms are required on a daily basis? How many are needed simultaneously on a daily basis? Are additional meeting rooms needed for breakout groups? How are the rooms traditionally set up? What are the AV requirements? Do you need a minimum ceiling height to accommodate AV? Do you need time for set-up or tear down? Does the meeting space need Internet access or Wi-Fi? Do the rooms need to be in close proximity to each other?

a.    Food and beverage events

·      How many food and beverage events are held? What types: breaks, breakfasts, lunch, dinner, receptions? What is the estimated attendance at each? What price range do you have for each food and beverage event?

b.    Exhibits

·      Will the meeting have a tradeshow? What is the square footage required for the exhibit hall? Do you need column free space? How close are the loading docks? What utilities do your exhibitors require? Are the facility’s workers union employees? How much time do you need for set-up or tear down?

c.    Registration and Offices

·      What is the square footage needed for registration? Is the designated area in a high-traffic space or away from the general public? Do you need nearby office space? Are adequate utilities available? What additional services such as local entertainment option, restaurant reservations, tours, etc., are needed in the registration area? Do you need this space early for set-up?

d.   Special needs

·      What special needs does the meeting have such as people with disabilities? Are there any potential language barriers? Does the facility have ample space for loading and unloading buses? 

8.  Select a destination city and facility type

Many organizations establish a rotational pattern for future meeting sites, moving from one region to another. Consider travel convenience and cost for the maximum number of potential attendees. Then investigate major airline availability, total number of seats, etc. Once a general area is identified, determine the type of facility: airport hotel, conference center, convention center, downtown, resort or suburban?

a.   Prepare a meeting request for proposal (RFP)

·      There are numerous options to release RFPs to CVBs, hotel chains and multiple sites. Hotels are most aggressive when they know that they are one of a handful of hotels being considered.

b.   Review and evaluate sites

·      Site inspections are invaluable to judge the appropriateness and condition of the property. For larger programs, CVB’s and hotels may be willing to pick up your air after confirmation. Online features allow for virtual site inspections as well.

c.     Select site

·      Site Selection Success

Each of these steps plays a key role in selecting a meeting site. How well the meetings needs are aligned with the facility will determine the success of the meeting.

Meeting Planners Tip Sheet: Site Selection – “What Your Attendees Want”

Here’s the third in a series of five quick tip sheets for meeting and event professionals regarding food and beverage, site selections and handling professional speakers. It’s also a great resource sheet for those who must handle meeting logistics for their organization’s meetings and need some insight.

Location, Location, Location.  Three of the most important words in a meeting and event professional’s repertoire.

The selection of a city and venue is a very critical factor in the success of any meeting or event. Choose the wrong city and your potential attendees may not register. Choose the wrong venue location (airport, downtown, resort or suburb) and your attendees will complain that it doesn’t meet their needs and you will never hear the end of it. Also choosing the wrong venue can give you major challenges with logistics, service and possibly perceptions.

Through the eyes of your Attendee’s

Ultimately, the meeting or event you’re planning is for and about the attendee. Choosing a location that delivers a lot of value to them is crucial.

Usually,  meeting and event professionals choose a city and venue that meets the logistical needs and delivers a great deal. However, If you don’t focus on what the attendees want and need first, you are likely to choose a site that can derail the meeting before it’s ever started.

Five Things that Drive Attendee’s

 

1.  Attractiveness of Location

Is it a city that your attendees want to visit? How attractive is that city to your regular attendees? Would it attract a new audience or larger group of your regular customers?

2.  Affordability

How affordable is it to travel to your location? What is the proposed hotel rate? Many business employees have a budget to attend one conference a year. And the amount they can spend is typically decided before you announce your fees and hotel rates. Keeping the cost as economical as possible without decreasing any value is important.

3.   Accessibility

How accessible is your venue and city? If most of your attendees fly to your event, is it a major airlines hub? What are the total number of daily seats into the airport? Is it easy and affordable to travel to that destination? What is the commute time and cost from the airport to the hotel? If the majority of your attendees drive to the event, is your site within a two- or three-hour radius of a large density of your customers? Is there ample and affordable parking once they get there?

 

4.  Entertainment Options

Is the venue near a major entertainment district? Is it within walking distance of restaurants, retail and nightlife? Is golf nearby?

5.   Networking Friendly

Does the meeting facility or hotel offer welcoming areas that help stimulate networking? Are there seating areas or outlets that are good for meet-ups or collaboration? Is there WiFi in those public areas?

Meeting Success Dependent Upon These Drivers

If the conference is in a city that is not attractive, affordable, easily accessible, near entertainment and stimulates networking, the potential registrant will look for a different option at another event.

Remember, a potential attendee’s interest in visiting an area can contribute to significant increase in attendance and revenue.

What are some questions meeting and event professionals should ask when considering attendee’s interests and expectations for site selection?

Tips for a Green Meeting or Event

Have you ever thought about what environmental impact your meetings or special events might have? Hundreds of invitations, plastic cups, utensils, plates, napkins, and food go in the trash during just one event.  The impact from just one event, especially large gatherings, can be pretty significant.

What if you could do it better? What if you could make it greener? Global warming aside, it just makes sense to reduce waste. It’s good for the world, and it can be good for your business. Now, that doesn’t mean if you hire us, you have to go green, but if you choose to do so, you’re in good hands.

For specific suggestions on how to make your meeting or event green, call us at (678) 937-6647.

Here are some tips both guests and the Earth will enjoy:

General

• Establish a green team to brainstorm ideas and practices to green your events.
• Establish detailed environmental policies and a strategy to implement them.
• Document and track successes, problems and failures of green event initiatives.
• Consistently communicate the policies in internal publications, event print material, and even at the podium.
• Work with or encourage your event venue to donate leftover food, floral and greenery.
• Ask your vendors about their green policies, and support those who share your green objectives.

Food Service

• Provide local, organic and vegetarian food and beverage options.
• Provide water in pitchers or bulk coolers.

Exhibitors

• Ask exhibitors and contractors to reduce their waste – use less packaging (provide a storage area for re-usable packaging) – and to follow the recycling program. Ensure information is provided to them in their exhibitor pack and conduct an exhibitor briefing to provide further information.
• Create a ‘green’ booth for exhibitors – ask your supplier to design a more environmentally-friendly option.
• Promote the use of custom stands that can be reused at other events.

Print & Promotion

• Promote your environmental initiatives as a marketing tool. Use this as an opportunity to explain your initiatives and educate your delegates.
• Reduce printed material by using electronic communication wherever possible – eg, websites, email, electronic presentations, broadcasts, podcasts, online video, USBs, SMS etc.
• If printing is unavoidable, use recycled paper. Aim for at least 50% post consumer waste recycled paper and print double sided with vegetable inks.
• Ensure printed material is produced in a reasonable size and quantity and include a request to recycle after use.
• Consider SMS to provide confirmations, seating and registration details.
• Ensure your event communication includes a green message reminding people to think before printing.
• Submit proposals and quotes electronically and limit handouts in meetings.
• If you need to print information as well, using recycled paper and an environmentally-friendly printing process can help reduce the environmental impact of your event.
• Look at environmentally-friendly options for delegate satchels – instead of plastic bags offer hemp or calico bags or something that can be used again.
• Avoid printing programs, delegate handbooks or collateral – provide this information online, via email, CD or even on a memory stick. If you need to print, make sure you use recycled paper and that the printing process is also environmentally-friendly.
• Collect and reuse name badges if possible.