Mutual transparency needs to start from the first conversation you have together.  Keep it simple and I don’t think this is asking much but be honest.  If you cannot offer a service, tell them, if you need upgrades or must have items, tell them.  Not being honest makes it difficult for everyone to do their job properly and work hand in hand making this industry successful.

Meeting planners, please (I’m begging on my knees) I have written about this in the past on RFPs but put everything in there that you want, need and dream about, the more the better.  A little tip I have is that I would separate my concessions list into two categories: Must Have and Would Like.  This tells the venue or hotel what you must have for this meeting, i.e. upgrades for VIPs, discounts on various items, commissions, or rates, it can be anything.

Your venue contact is not a mind reader and can only see what you have provided.  The response and offer is always based on that valued piece of business you provided in the RFP.  A difficult situation is when the piece of business is awarded based on the response and the planner comes back asking for more stating these additional requests are required and we must have them.   In the end nine times out of ten the two come to an agreement and make it work but it would have saved time and a lot of back and forth if everyone was just honest and transparent up front.

Hoteliers, which includes myself, you know what the hot buttons are for meeting planners so be upfront and address those right away.  It allows the planner to get the items they are focused on out of the way so they do what they do best and that is plan meetings in our hotels.  Be honest on the pricing of your AV, Food and Beverage, everything.  The biggest focus for the planner is not only a meeting taking place without a problem but staying within budget and proving the ROI.

Don’t sit on the opposite side of the table, sit on the same side and make it a win-win.  Pick up the phone right away when you get an RFP and give a call to the planner and thank them.  Inform them you received their RFP, looked it over, and wanted to find out what the top 3 most important things on it are.  They should be honest with you because you are being upfront and honest with them.  Mutual transparency is such a beautiful thing when done by everyone.

Take a moment. Sit back. Now think.  Think about how your interactions take place with a planner or a hotelier.  Is it good?  Great?  Could they be better?  How do you think we can take this industry to the next level by working together to provide a more mutual transparent process of planning meetings?

Photo by LungCookie

If there’s one thing I’ve discovered from the events I’ve covered, hundreds of press releases I’ve received and thousands of #eventprofs tweets I’ve scoured, it’s that meetings are cool. There’s nothing like the connections made over coffee, the revelations discovered in a general session or the camaraderie realized when groups come together.

There’s been an explosion of creativity recently. Convention and visitors bureaus are developing attention-grabbing marketing campaigns. New smartphone apps amaze me with their functionality. Planners are using technology at events we were barely dreaming about a couple years ago. In this year’s first issues of Collaborate, Connect and Rejuvenate magazines, our editors have chosen some of our favorite innovations and ideas. During the process, some trends emerged:

1. Perception is reality. Attendees want to know and are drawn to authentic organizations and events. As social responsibility becomes more the norm than a trend, an event’s programming, sustainability and partnerships are under more scrutiny due to instant online feedback.

2. It’s personal. People are more likely to attend an event as a result of a friend’s recommendation than a sharp marketing campaign. The most successful events, convention centers and brands are the ones that create a personal connection with their followers through pictures, stories and conversation.

3. Creativity is king. Big budget or small, organizations on both sides of meetings and events have to think outside the lines to draw attention, whether by rethinking education and programming, using new technology or developing creative ways to engage attendees.

All of our magazines thrive on feedback we get from planners, those of you in the trenches. I’ll pass along the cool things we hear about on the media side of the meetings industry as a contributor to this blog, and I look forward to hearing from you.

What’s the coolest trend you see in meetings and events right now?

I’ll give you an example on what I usually hear when I ask a planner this question. “I know our value; we have 200 room nights, spend about $50,000 in food and beverage and $20,000 in audio visual. The overall value would in the range of $__,____ (fill in the blank).” The planner would only use these three touchpoints which represent a value but there is always more value somewhere in your meeting that needs to be dug up and calculated.

A true value is one in which a planner can inform a venue or CVB that their meeting/event has on average (hypothetically) a $500,000 economic impact to your venue or city or $1,000 per person economic impact to your venue or city. You’re looking to prove and show the venues and cities that your meeting matters and you have a great piece of business for them creating the perfect win/win scenario.

There are several items which would help you find your true value. The simple ones consist of the total number of room nights utilized, taking out your complimentary room nights received and/or given to you. The total amount spent on food and beverage and audio visual utilized in the meeting facility. Some other factors which are important to know are the total room incidentals (i.e. room service, in room movies, spa charges, fitness center charges, internet usage fees, etc…) used per person on average. This can be figured out by your staff or the hotel for you. It is a time consuming process by looking at each attendee’s folio and getting the amounts but it adds up to the total value.

Other items to consider are if your group has any free time on the town. Will they utilize local restaurants or bars, go shopping? To find out this figure include it in a post event survey. If your attendees did utilize any city outlets ask them their average amount they spent. It would be easiest to ask a range number such as $5-$10, $10-$15, $15-$20 and so on. Also don’t forget if your event may use any local third party vendors for any services? This is a value to the local economy which helps in the total figure you’re trying to generate.

These are just a few examples of what you would want to know for the true value of the meeting. Many items in your meetings have value so make sure to include them all. Maybe some of the items listed above won’t apply to your group because you provide everything and only stay in the hotel. Also for a smaller and simpler event it will be easier it is to find out this number. A city wide event could take some sleeve rolling up hard work and time to get this number but it is a great tool to have when prospecting venues.

Your events final true value number will be an estimated total or estimated per person amount. Now go, prospect venues and use this number to negotiate your business and a venue will look twice before they send their response because they will know the true value of your meeting.
__________________________

Adam Schomaker is “The Go To Guy” for event professionals for the Amway Hotel Collection in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is based out of the JW Marriott Grand Rapids and has worked for several large hotel chains including Holiday Inn and Hilton. He has several years of event planning experience and you can connect with him on Twitter @AdamSchomaker or via email at adam.schomaker@jwgr.com
 

Since 2003, Liz has produced fundraisers, conferences, networking events, meetings, and special occasions designed specifically according to the tastes, concerns, and desires of her clients. Liz King deals in details: she learns all about her client and the nature of the event they’d like to have, and then tightly manages every logistical detail to make the event run smoothly. As an industry professional, Liz has always had an eye for the exciting trend changes in the event planning business. She maintains a constant presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media networks to promote events and collaborate with other event professionals.
Liz King Events Website
Email: liz@lizkingevents.com
Liz King Events on Facebook
Liz King Events on Twitter

Joshua Gaynor – Social Media Startup

Spend a few minutes with Josh and you will learn about websites and new technology developments you never heard of. Then, go home and look it all up and you will be AMAZED! Josh knows the top news in tech and social media because of his genuine interests – he reads more articles and tries more technologies than most of us could dream of! Who better then to help you set up your social media accounts and direct you to resources to help you master them for your business!?

Josh Gaynor on Twitter
Josh Gaynor on LinkedIn

Patrick Smith – Social Media Startup

Idea man. Relationship builder. Meeting people & making things happen. Promoting social good via social media. Love NYC nightlife, good liquor and Chinese food. Patrick will be available in the lounge to help those of you who are interested in social media, but don’t know how to get started! He’ll walk you through setup of a Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook account and give you some tips for makingrelationships happen using social networking!

Patrick Smith on Twitter
Patrick Smith on LinkedIn

Malla Haridat – Branding Your Business Using Social Media

Malla Haridat, the Founder and Chief Executive, is a nationally recognized expert in the specialized field of entrepreneurship education and has trained over 1,000 students. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States working in partnership with companies developing creative solutions for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. A dynamic thinker, strategist, and speaker, Malla, now works with awide variety of organizations applying her creative talents to the challenges of business transformation. Malla has made significant advances in marketing her business through the use of social media and will be at BizBash to help you apply similar principles to yours!

Malla Haridat Website
Malla Haridat on Twitter

Lindsey Rosenthal – Branding Your Business Using Social Media

Lindsey is an experienced fundraising event specialist with proven success for nonprofit organizations and associations in strategy and special event development.She is the founder and principal of Events For Good, which incorporates events into long-term fundraising strategy, aligns corporate social responsibility with a company’s goals, and creates unique and customized event experiences. Lindsey is also one of the founders and organizers of EventCamp East Coast, a peer conference for people who are directly involved in the planning of corporate and association meetings and conferences focusing on experimentation and innovation in the event industry. Got questions about using social media to promote your brand? Find Lindsey in the lounge and ask away! She’s full of great tips and lots of ideas to get you started!

Lindsey Rosenthal Website
Lindsey Rosenthal on Twitter
Lindsey Rosenthal on LinkedIn
Lindsey Rosenthal on Facebook

Cameron Toth – Integrating Social Media into Your Events

Cameron is an event professional and works with youth in Harlem as part of the College and Career Preparatory Institute. Cameron has used social media to promote CCPI and his personal brand and will be on hand at the social media lounge to talk about how to do the same for your events! Spend some time with Cameron to get tips that you can implement at your next event. 

Cameron Toth Website
Cameron Toth on Twitter

Alex Yepes – Integrating Social Media into Your Events

Event professional and Managing Director of the Small Business Development Center run through Columbia University and New York State, Alex has made huge strides in event management and the integration of social media in events. Check him out in the lounge and write down all his tips and ideas. It will make all the difference in your next social media integrated event!

Alex Yepes on Twitter

Christina Coster – Roaming Tweeter

Christina Coster is an award winning special event and conference planner born, raised, and based in New York City. She is the founder of EventCamp(@Eventcamp) and blogs on EventCoup.com. Christina is a social media enthusiast, loves all things tech (although the feeling is not always mutual), and is an avid Mets fan. You can connect with her on Twitter at @Mizcity, on LinkedIn, or find her on the nearest Volleyball court. You’ll find Christina in all the sessions and all over the expo floor tweeting about all the activities of the day!

Christina Coster on Twitter

Leslie Richin – Roaming Tweeter

Founder, Low Maintenance PR. freelance journalist, publicist, social media strategistand event planner. Leslie specializes in organizing and publicizing special events related to fashion, art, film, music, social media, new business/product launch, charity & fundraising. Leslie will be working with Christina to capture the event via Twitter and Facebook.

Leslie Richin Website
Leslie Richin on Twitter

Andres & Kim Valenzuela – Event Photographers

Andres Valenzuela Photography specializes in wedding and children’s documentary photography. We’re a husband and wife team based out of the NY metro area. We love relationship building with our couples and families as we believe it is the best way to capture who they are in the most natural and candid way possible. Catch Andres and Kim roaming the event and capturing photos of all the fun!
Andres Valenzuela Photography Website
Email: andres@andresvalenzuela.com
Andres Valenzuela on Facebook
Andres Valenzuela on Twitter

Mat Swajkos and Erin Leigh – TwitPicBooth

Mat Szwajkos specializes in celebrity portrait and fashion photography. He received his BFA from Pratt Institute in 2001. In 2005 Mat began his freelance career and started building lasting relationships with actors, musicians and fashion designers.
His clients include: InStyle, The Discovery Network, Ford Motors, Red Bull, Mr. Youth, Steven Alan, Muscle and Fitness, The Daily, MTV, TV Land, AOL, Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Victoria’s Secret, Tribeca Film Festival, Robert Verdi, Atlantic Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Yamaha and The Food Network.

Raised in Seattle, Erin studied fine art photography at RIT. Her first internship with the Associated Press in Jerusalem cemented her love for photojournalism and storytelling. As a NY-based freelance photographer, she spends her free time between assignments traveling, studying trapeze and spending time with her awesome photographer husband.
Erin Wigger Photography Website

Ed Wagaba – TwitVids

If you’re looking for someone engaging and fun, Ed is the man! Ed has worked with several organizations on the administrative, operational and social networking components of their company and is trying out his new interest – video – at the BizBash Expo! Ed will be roaming around the event to capture all the fun times and all your takeaways on video! We’ll post videos to our YouTube channel so you can relive the event until next year!
Ed Wagaba on Twitter

Visit the TwitPic Booth!

The TwitPic Photobooth is so much more than a regular ol’ photobooth. It’s a get-the-party-started factory as well as a brand marketing machine! Guests are photographed and the pictures are transmitted directly to Twitter and other social media sites using the event hashtag and the guests’ Twitter handles. The pictures go viral as the event is happening. This allows the event to be tracked across Twitter, Facebook and other social sites. Instead of just the one impression from a normal photobooth, these images continue to have a shelf life well beyond the event as profile pics or posted on Facebook walls.
For more info, watch a quick video.

Win Prizes!

$500 Grosh Backdrops Rental!

For over 75 years, Grosh Backdrops has been supplying event planners with top quality backdrops and drapery from an unmatched selection. With the largest scenic rental inventory in the special events industry, Grosh Backdrops and Drapery is sure to have the perfect backdrop to compliment your next event!

Grosh Backdrops Website
Grosh Backdrops Twitter
Lindsay Fultz Twitter
Grosh Backdrops on YouTube
Grosh Backdrops on Facebook

One Ticket to EventCamp!

One of the most innovative forums for event planners to learn and test new concepts, EventCamp is the place to be! Win one ticket (excluding airfare and accommodations) to EventCamp Chicago and visit their booth (314) at the Expo for more details!
EventCamp Website

Gift Cards for Charity!

Win one of several gift cards through Charity Choice – a perfect way to add an element of good into any event! Test it out and give to the charity of your choice! Stay tuned to Twitter to see how you can win at the event.
Charity Choice Website 

Starbucks Gift Cards!

Who doesn’t love Starbucks? You’ll have the chance to win a gift card to one of their stores throughout the day so stay tuned!!

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh!  

Good customer service and company culture are two of the main components of a successful business and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, is one of the leading authorities on these subjects. Win a copy of his book at the event and take the time to implement his concepts for business success!

Today, my suggestion is BizBash – The best online resource and magazine for event professionals. As many of you know, their NY Expo is coming up this week and has provided me with the opportunity to meet and interact with David Adler, CEO of BizBash, and Marissa Rubin – one of the amazing expo event coordinators. I know they have put a ton of work into the upcoming expo and wanted to highlight all they are doing for the NY Event Community! If you haven’t already registered, there is still time! BizBash New York Expo Registration. You can also find me in the Social Media Lounge at this week’s expo!

Connect with BizBash:

Website

Twitter

David Adler on Twitter

Marissa Rubin on Twitter

Today, my suggestion is Lara McCullough – the founder of the #Eventprofs group on Twitter, an amazing blogger and a huge resource for event professionals and social media fans alike. Lara has worked with a small group of event professionals to launch the Blog Awards and has contributed to the industry in many ways. I know many of you are probably already following her, but I had to put this out there to catch any of you who may have missed!

Connect with Lara:

Website

Twitter

Why You Need an Online Presence
If you are a student that is connected across all three channels that is great as you will already be creating some differentiation for yourself. You will have an edge on your class mates.

A number of recruitment consultants use LinkedIn to find candidates and in the many LinkedIn Groups you can find job opportunities. Many employers use Face book and Linked In as background sources for information on people – so my advice is to be aware of what you are posting on the sites (same advice applies to Twitter). Twitter has a huge amount of information on all sorts of subjects which can only benefit your knowledge level. So my advice is simply this – get connected across all three channels as a minimum. If you have created and are writing your own blog then that is great as well. Now you are really motoring.

Are You LinkedIn?
If you use the LinkedIn facility to put your academic qualifications/professional standing on line then that can only be useful for you. Additionally it will force you to structure your thoughts in what you want to say so the exercise will help you prepare your CV. If you already have a CV then you can use much of that information for LinkedIn.

Many event and business professionals have put their profiles on Linked In and are using the site to find out about their potential business partners/competitors and generally keep up to date with what’s going on.

LinkedIn Groups
There are some LinkedIn Groups that are open to everyone (clearly you need to have a Linked In profile first) so you could join them and keep up to date with the latest topics being discussed. Some Groups will be better than others so you will just need to find which are going to work most effectively for you.

You can adjust the settings so that you only receive Group messages on a daily or weekly basis which helps you decide when you want to see the messages that come from the groups.

Tweet Tweet
Twitter is another great way of connecting with people and finding out what the latest thoughts/issues are. This is not to be missed. People on Twitter post such a wealth of useful information you would be missing out not to be involved. Yes there are some people that post trivia but the choice is always yours as to who you follow and how you want to use this.

When I first started I just created an account and then observed how it all worked. I found this approach really worked for me. My advice to you would be to keep an eye on a group called #eventprofs – You really will not be disappointed. This is one engaged on line community that is creating the curve and is full of friendly and supportive people. The amount of useful information you will pick up will be significant (I promise). Not sure how to get started then just have a look at the following guides –

Getting Started with Twitter for your Business

http://www.planetplanit.co.uk/eventiq-articles.asp?
category=Websites+Social+Networking+and+Technology&serialnumber=144

http://www.planetplanit.co.uk/eventiq-articles.asp?
category=Websites+Social+Networking+and+Technology&serialnumber=145

Yes I know that these articles have a business focus but they cover all the key points that you need to get going. So now you know how to set up an account but what about the etiquette? I have highlighted a video which explains what I think is a really good approach and will help you. For the Etiquette of Twitter you can check out this great video.

Summary 
As with all our previous posts this virtual activity will require some time investment from you but again the long term benefits will be worth it. Whilst you can be networking and connecting face to face there is also great importance of having a virtual presence. When you have the virtual presence be sure to include the contact
information within your business cards/e mails/letterhead or else you are missing an opportunity.

Top Tips

• Set some time aside on a regular basis for your virtual (professional) activity
• Dust off or create your CV – This will be a big help for the LinkedIn profile
• Have a look at any LinkedIn Groups that may benefit you and join them
• Read the Planet Planit Twitter Guides and then take a leap and create your own account
• Have a look at the #eventprofs community on Twitter and join the conversation when you feel ready
• Remember to only post information that you are happy to put into the public view
• Follow @planetplanitbiz and keep up to date

_______________________________

About Paul Cook
Paul Cook, Managing Director of Planet Planit, is passionate about the events and production industries. He is keen to raise the importance and awareness of effective planning across the industry. Paul already runs a successful business providing insurance for special events Clarity Event Insurance and is recognised as a leading figure in the events industry. Paul is International Development & Student Programme Director for Meeting Professionals International UK and Ireland Chapter, (MPI) the leading professional development and networking body for the events industry, having already served a term as President during 2007/08. He is also currently serving on the Chapter Advisory Council of MPI’s global body.

In 2008 he was voted Number 15 in the Power 50 of people making their mark in the events industry by Haymarket’s industry leading publication – Conference and Incentive Travel.Paul frequently guest lectures at Universities and Trade Shows. He has also written for a number of trade journals and his opinions are frequently published by online magazines

Today, my suggestion is Lewis Howes. I met Lewis in-person yesterday at the Perfect Business Summit and attended his session on advanced social media marketing. I learned a lot and want to share his knowledge with my fellow event professionals. Lewis wrote the book on LinkedIn and is also involved with sportsnetworker.com. Want a LinkedIn tip that Lewis shared? After you post a status update on LinkedIn, click the “Share Again” button and you can also send that update to up to 50 groups that you are a part of. This is an easy way to share very important information with a lot of people. Of course, be careful that you don’t over-use this tip!! 

Read more about how to do this.

In the meantime, Connect with Lewis:

Website

Twitter

1. The event hashtag has been established by an attendee.
The event communication needs to be managed by the staff. The planners need to decide how they want their members to communicate (realizing that Twitter is not the only option) and make this very public information. If attendees are left to create their own channels, this is not a good sign! That being said, there is some value to jumping in on a conversation already created as an event planner and helping to encourage conversation. The double bad sign? When an attendee has created a way for folks to communicate and no one from the planning staff has even noticed!

2. The event Twitter stream is filled with self promotion.
If you are going to list “Follow Us on Twitter” as a part of your marketing, you should ensure that there is good content for your attendees on that list. Link to speakers, sponsors, and planners. Share related articles. Do something to connect the attendees. Do something more than just marketing the event over and over. Give people a way to connect!

3. Attendee lists are impossible to find as are Twitter handles of the speakers, sponsors and promoters.
While some events keep this information private, there are ways to integrate attendee-specific information on your event website. The savvy conference attendee is doing their homework before the event – trying to connect with other people who will be there in advance. By not listing contact information, or at least a list of names, you are making their job much more difficult.

Today, my suggestion is Christina Coster. Christina was one of the first NY Event professionals that I met on Twitter and has been a great resource ever since! I truly value her friendship and professionalism. You’ll see Christina with me in the Twitter Lounge at the BizBash NY Expo on October 28, 2010 so stop by and say hi!

In the meantime, Connect with Christina:

Twitter