By Jennifer Stalsberg, Meetings Director, and Amy Zignego, Meetings Manager
From start to finish, the meetings management process needs to be handled with extreme care and attention to detail for the meeting to come off without a hitch. It should provide the best meeting experience for every attendee as well as deliver the most efficient and economical result for the association. The planning process must have a strong foundation that starts with having a set of best practices in place.
The RFP Process
It begins with the request for proposal (RFP) process. Association Acumen has an RFP template that is individualized for each client association. RFPs should be sent to no less than three vendors for every service (hotel, audio-visual, temporary onsite staff, photographer, etc.) An exception to the rule can occur when there are existing partnerships in place, then it’s a good idea to bid out the service every two to three years to assure the association is receiving the best service and fee. A city’s convention and visitor’s bureau or even the hotel can be an excellent resource for suggested reputable vendors.
Site and Vendor Selection
- Make sure vendors are quoting on the same scope so it’s apples to apples.
- Ask vendors to break out costs line by line to avoid hidden fees.
- Use a simple scoring rubric (price, service, experience, added value) to guide decisions
Negotiating the Contract
Standard: The following clauses must be part of any contract
- Force Majeure (Acts of God) – an unforeseeable and unavoidable event, such as a natural disaster, war, or epidemic, that prevents a party from fulfilling its contractual obligations.
- Cancellation – should spell out what happens if either the hotel or the association cancels the event
- Attrition – what happens if the association does not fill the room block or meet the food and beverage (F & B) minimum
- Reciprocal (mutual) Indemnification – both parties will hold each other harmless of claims of loss, or damages, except for gross negligence
- Pro-tip – it’s better not to have an indemnification clause rather than one that is one-sided
Concessions
Basic concessions every contract should attempt to have:
- Waived meeting room/exhibit space rental with an F&B minimum
- Complimentary or 50% off from negotiated room rate for all staff
- Complimentary Wi-Fi in staff office and registration area (and meeting space if possible)
- Free storage of group’s equipment and/or supplies (at least three days prior/post meeting)
- Percentage off from the stated F&B rates (or customized menu to fit association budget)
Nice to have:
- Fees waived for outside AV vendor
- No bartender fees for evening receptions
- No fees for easels, not to exceed hotel’s inventory
- Basic refreshments in staff office
- Complimentary room nights for staff site visit
- 1 complimentary unit per every 40 paid, occupied rooms
- Complimentary round trip airport transfers for speakers and/or staff
- Complimentary suite for association president
- Room upgrades at negotiated rate for association board or other leadership
- Complimentary meeting room rental and negotiated conference room rate for planning (board) meeting prior to the conference
- 10% rebate on total conference spend
Cost-Cutting Tips
- Food & Beverage
- Give the lowest possible guarantee and increase later if needed (you can usually raise numbers, but you can’t lower them).
- Limit Variety: Fewer entrée choices = less waste and lower costs
- Use drink tickets instead of open bar
- Always ask the venue what flexibility they have—chefs and catering managers are used to adjusting menus and can often suggest creative swaps that save money without cutting quality.
Bottom Line:
You want to come to a mutually beneficial contract for both parties and be a good partner.
Operations Manual
At least two to three operations meetings should be scheduled prior to the conference that would include a review of the following:
- Detailed ops schedule (with staff assignments)
- Begin with key deadlines (event date, registration cutoffs, F&B deadlines)
- Include every task, from vendor deliveries to AV setup, and volunteer assignments
- Share with all partners far in advance – no surprises. Send regular check-ins highlighting any changes
- Staff flight information
- List of all VIPs and vendors with contact information
- Hotel floor plans
- Ship out tracking of materials sent
- Emergency plan
- Room counts
- Keep a copy of the operations schedule and note what worked and what didn’t for future planning
Post-Meeting Conference Debrief
- The meetings manager will send a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) template to all association staff and then schedule a meeting to discuss results.
- The meetings manager will go through a consolidated SWOT document at the dedicated staff meeting to review everyone’s comments and suggest improvements for the following year.
- A post-meeting report will be created that includes registration information, demographics, registration rates, hotel pick-up, concessions summary and savings, food and beverage report, session counts and ratings and the staff SWOT analysis.
- Celebrate achievements, big and small
- Highlight challenges, bottlenecks, or unexpected issues
- Ask: “What would we do differently next time?”
- Don’t forget about it! Keep as a living document to remember lessons learned.
Acumen is proud that its reliance on sound best practices allows us to provide innovative and budget-conscious solutions. We deliver sound logistics in a timely manner to ensure a seamless event for all attendees.