International Association of Conference Centers

USA Copper Skillet Winner

2012-01-07T06:52:00.001-06:00

Four chefs from IACC-member conference centers competed for the title of USA Chef of the Year at the Summit Executive Center in Chicago. The competitors were Charles Chambers, Executive Sous Chef at Hamilton Park Hotel & Conference Center; Matt Pinner, Executive Chef at The Chattanoogan; Seth Weiss, Executive Chef at The Conference Center Niagara Falls; and Jeffrey Witte, Executive Chef at Airlie Conference Center.

(Left to right -- Jeffrey Witte, Matt Pinner, Charles Chambers, Seth Weiss)

And the 2012 USA Copper Skillet winner is....

Chef Charles Chambers

2011-11-29T15:07:00.001-06:00

Hybrid Meeting Strategies and The Conference Center:

SIGN UP TODAY for Samuel J. Smith’s December 8 Webinar

It isn’t too late to sign up for IACC’s Bright Ideas webinar on hybrid meetings, one of the hottest new trends in meetings and events.

By attending this special IACC webinar, you’ll learn how to add a virtual element to the unparalleled face-to-face experience your conference center already offers.

If you sign up by December 5, you’ll receive an exclusive list of five top best practices in hybrid meeting design, prepared with the assistance of our webinar presenter, Samuel J. Smith.

http://events.iacconline.org/BIwebinars/

Study Reveals Insights About Face-to-Face Versus Online Events

2011-07-20T12:05:00.000-05:00

(Published in Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine)

On July 18, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), UBM Studios (a UBM company), and the Virtual Edge Institute (VEI) released a joint report, “Business Motivations and Social Behaviors for In-Person and Online Events.” The report, which surveyed 479 marketing and event professionals, sought to understand how digital technologies can be best used within the framework of a work environment, answered questions regarding in-person and online events including why individuals attend, what business goals are achieved and how participants engage within these environments. Key findings include:

• People are social creatures in-person and online. More than 80 percent of respondents are comfortable/extremely comfortable connecting and networking with strangers regardless of the setting — either physical or virtual.

• People share information via social media. 41 percent of online delegates and 51 percent of physical delegates respectively have tweeted and texted to share event information to their entire network.

• People will pay for virtual events. 25 percent of respondents will pay the same fee as an in-person event, and 74 percent will pay less at an in-person event.

• People are multitaskers. Compared to their online counterparts, in-person participants are nearly as likely to be checking email (81 percent versus 83 percent) or leave a meeting/session for some reason (65 percent versus 68 percent).

• People want accessible content. Respondents seek access to content online or via mobile before, during and after the event.

The full report is available at: http://bit.ly/pmksCr.

5 Lessons From the TED Conference

2011-05-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

There is a great article in CORPORATE MEETINGS AND INCENTIVES well worth reading.

5 Lessons From the TED Conference

Definitely thought provoking.

11 Take-Aways from IACC 2011

2011-03-30T07:19:00.000-05:00

The 30th annual conference for the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) was held at The National Conference Center this past week. Each year, a chosen conference center hosts the annual IACC conference, we were honored to host the 2011 IACC conference. Here are 11 take-aways from the 2011 IACC Conference:

•Social media makes a large breakthrough – at the IACC conference before, during & after. The twitter hashtag #IACC2011 made its debut in February and gained momentum in the days leading up to the conference. During the first session which featured a web-casted Thought Leaders Panel discussion, tweeps could direct their questions to panelists by tweeting to @IACCthought. Throughout the conference, attendees and non-attendees tweeted about sessions using the hashtag #IACC2011 or tweeting discussion questions to @IACCconfcenters.

•Apps are used to engage attendees – aside from engaging attendees through social media such as LinkedIn questions and Twitter walls and hashtags. IACC members on-site could play SCVNGR, a Google app with challenges. IACC developed their own SCVNGR game where attendees could interact and meet others with challenges, points, and rewards on their smart-phone.

•ARAMARK Executive Chefs know how to impress! – On the opening night, 7 Executive Chefs came together to create the IACC Road Trip: A Taste of ARAMARK. The National Tour showcased items specific to regions around the United States including West Coast, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, New England, Deep South, Bayou, and Chesapeake Bay. Pictured above is Executive Chef Rannae Hamlet’s Smoked Canadian Salmon and Idaho Trout with Smoke Bacon Foam, Fresh Dill, over Quail Egg.

•5 Stages of Meetings – From the Thought Leaders Panel discussion,the panelists discussed 5 Stages of Meetings. Attract, Entering, Engaging, Exiting, and Extending all which make up the 5 key concepts conference centers should know in creating compelling meeting experiences for clients.

•IACC Copper Skillet Judges awards U.K. Executive Chef - In an intense competition, IACC Executive Chefs from around the world competed for the title of “2011 Chef of The Year.” With 15 minutes to review their ingredients, 5 minutes to brainstorm, and 30 minutes to cook, the 7 Executive Chefs raced to create the best dish and become the 2011 IACC Chef of the Year. Executive Chef Jamian Lewish of the Devenport House in the U.K. was awarded this year’s title.

•A Universal Conference Center Goal - as best stated by Joan Einsenstodt, a 30 year veteran of the meetings industry, a portion of meeting planners and event professionals aren’t aware of the benefits a conference center; they may mistake a conference center as a hotel with meeting space. However it shall be every conference center and meeting planner’s goal in 2011 and beyond to explain the conference center value and the 32 universal criteria of IACC.

•Join the #eventprofs community on Twitter – coupled with Joan Eisenstodt’s statement about educating on conference centers, joining the #eventprofs on Twitter is another strong suggestion from Joan. As discussed during the “Joan Eisenstodt Show” with Camille Paluscio from VW and Bill Reed from Experient at the IACC conference,by joining in the #eventprofs conversation, you’ll increase the ROI of your conference center. ROI is not only defined as reducing costs – “It’s the value delivered. If that means understanding the product better such as a conference center, then that’s also the ROI [with using social media].”

•Technology and Room Set-Up Play Key Roles – Design of a room can be the biggest factor in the success of a meeting. Meeting projectors should be set in the left corner of a room, with the speaker presenting in the middle and the entrance/exit at the back of the room. Distraction-free meetings that are appealing to the eye and the mind.

•Apps will make a breakthrough – Apps in the hospitality industry are becoming increasingly popular. As hotels develop their own apps as a channel of customer service, those who seek real-time information on their smart phones are early adapters of this technology trend. Conference centers should be next to pick up on the trend with property information, shuttles times, meeting agenda, and more.

•Food is where the mind is – Andrea Sullivan of BrainStrength discusses her compelling research on how food affects the mind by enhancing mood, performance, and learning. Attendees created their own meeting menus for successful learning and discovered what works best for meetings and what should be avoided. For instance, honey helps memory and garlic and ginger create clarity. Andrea recommends using all three!

•Award Wrap-Up – The following awards were given during Thursday night’s evening reception. The Pyramid Award Winner was Melissa Fromento, Group Publisher of MeetingsNet, Award of Excellence was given to Robert Sanders of Hospitality Resource Group, Conference Center Industry Award 2011 awarded to Leah Bernick from George Washington University, Doris Sklar Award to EJ Lee, and last, congratulations to Joan Eisenstodt of Eisenstodt Associates who received the Mel Hosansky Award – the highest honor in IACC.

What was your favorite session from IACC 2011? If you didn’t attend this year, we hope to see you in 2012!

Article and photos reposted with permission from the National Conference Center's blog post "11 Take-Aways from IACC 2011."

Harvard Study Shows Face-To-Face Meeting Value, Rising Virtual Interest

2011-03-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

by Jay Boehmer in Successful Meetings magazine.

"A Harvard Business Review study of 2,300 business leaders in the United States, Europe and Asia released last month confirmed that face-to-face meetings remain essential to doing business and are preferred by executives over remote alternatives for many business interactions. Despite those sentiments, however, a couple of recent studies show companies increasingly making use of remote conferencing technologies and other communications tools."

http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Event-Planning/Technology-Solutions/Articles/Harvard-Study-Shows-Face-To-Face-Meeting-Value,-Rising-Virtual-Interest/

What do you think?

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM

2011-03-01T16:03:00.000-06:00

by Timothy Schneider, Publisher, Association News

Los Angeles, CA
– February 2011 – The good news revealed by Meeting
Professionals International’s annual FutureWatch study for 2011 includes the findings that the number of meetings, meeting attendance and overall spending on meetings will all increase in the coming year. According to the study of 459 MPI members, the overall number of meetings planned in 2011 will increase by 8 percent and the average amount spent on those meetings will increase a healthy 5 percent. The study, which surveys both meeting planners and industry suppliers, also revealed that the role of business meetings will continue to face tough scrutiny. READ THE ARTICLE

Being There

2011-03-01T15:57:00.000-06:00

by Susan Adams, Forbes

Companies are spending billions on sophisticated teleconferencing systems, but
it still pays to meet in the flesh.

Sitting in a top-of-the-line $600,000 Polycom teleconferencing room feels a
little like watching the movie Toy Story. The guy you're talking to looks
impressive as he walks, life-size, across the room, projected in high definition
on the giant screens that cover the wall across from your conference table. The
vase of red flowers on the table appears so lifelike it almost seems to levitate
off the screen. But then you realize this isn't real life. It's a virtual
approximation. READ THE ARTICLE

How NCC and IACC are Incorporating CSR into the 2011 Annual Conference

2011-02-28T08:48:00.000-06:00

“Rev It Up” at this year’s annual IACC conference. After the meetings industry experienced a hard hit with the economy, conference centers will get ready to “Rev it Up” for expected business growth in 2011. To emphasize the theme of the annual conference, The National Conference Center has purchased an Linhai Electric 500 scooter, valued at $1765. Eco-friendly on the environment and theme appropriate, this electric scooter will be raffled off on the March 25th. This year IACC has adopted the Habitat for Humanity chapter in Loudoun County as the CSR project. March 23-25th attendees at the IACC annual conference can purchase raffle tickets to enter into the scooter drawing and all the proceeds will benefit the Loudoun Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity is based on Christian principles and provides adequate housing for its citizens in need. Every dollar the chapter receives enables them to help eliminate poverty housing within the county. The National Conference Center will ship the scooter to the lucky raffle winner. Play to win at the 2011 IACC Conference and help poverty-stricken citizens.

BrainStrength at a 2011 IACC Session You Won't Want to Miss

2011-02-17T19:52:00.001-06:00

If you’re a meeting or event planner and have an interest in food and meetings, this is an event you won’t want to miss! In our previous post, “Food for Thought: A Conference Center’s Corporate Social Responsibility” we discussed the responsibilities of providing brain enriched foods to meeting attendees. Customized menu options have always been a high ranking priority in the meetings industry. However, more than ever as venues offer sustainable options and farm-to-table dishes, the appeal of “brain food” has become increasingly popular.

The word is out for this year’s IACC Annual Conference. All meeting planners and event professionals are invited to a “Meeting & Eating” session, where Andrea Sullivan a well-known organizational psychologist who studies the brain will discuss menu choices for enhancing mood, learning and performance in meetings. Through her company BrainStrength Systems, Andrea Sullivan works with corporations and organizations alike to assist in menus for training and learning designs.

What will the session include?

• Admittance to the Brain Food Keynote Speech with Andrea Sullivan as she explains basic brain chemistry, how food create certain emotional states, timing of food offerings, foods that improve learning, memory, performance and enhance your mood as well as a wrap-up special activity.

• You’ll have full access to the Industry Roundtable where experts in the industry will discuss the hot topics in Food for Thought.

• Tickets also include lunch with specially prepared entrees for your own brain and seats at the 2011 Copper Skillet Competition, where Executive Chefs from conference centers around the world will compete for the international title.

• "Taste of IACC" event where you can treat yourself to dishes suggested by the competing chefs of the IACC Copper Skillet Competition

• Gifts included in a special raffle and send-off goodies

• Earn (3) Continuing Education Credits by attending

The event will be Thursday, March 24, 2011 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia (40 minutes from Washington D.C. and 10 minutes from Dulles International Airport). Interested in tickets? Register today as tickets are limited and going fast!

Learning Delivery 2011: Classroom Is Still King

2011-02-02T12:03:00.000-06:00

Interesting article in Chief Learning Officer magazine by Mike Prokopeak — mikep@clomedia.com

Despite the continued growth of e-learning and newer technology-driven delivery methods, classroom learning remains resilient and dominant, especially for developing soft skills. But the other methods are gaining in influence. Read about it as part of our special coverage on learning delivery this month. To view the entire article, go to http://clomedia.com/articles/view/4078

What do you think?

Food for Thought: A Conference Center’s Corporate Social Responsibility

2011-01-28T09:38:00.000-06:00

Most conference attendees and meeting goers may not recognize healthy food options as part of a company’s corporate social responsibility. Hospitality leaders such as The National Conference Center participate in “Food for Thought,” a program in which meal and snack options are given a hard consideration before serving. Similar to starting your day with a balanced breakfast, certain foods are believed to help your brain absorb the most information – making the most productive meeting possible.

Source

What are Food for Thought items?

• Fruits, vegetables, and snacks that are known for increasing blood flow, cognitive memory, and alertness – also known as a healthy afternoon boost and a meeting planner’s dream.

How is Food for Thought done?

• By sourcing the best products from local vendors, conference centers can ensure they’re receiving foods with the most nutritional value.

• Once you receive the product, it’s about how you treat the product, if you’re taking care of it, and how you’re storing it.

• If the item requires further preparation, cooking for shorter periods of time allows the vegetable or fruit to maintain the most nutrients possible.

What results do guests see?

• Prior to the program, guests felt afternoon fatigue and sleepy during their meetings. Now with food for thought, guests maintain a mid to high energy level based on the lunch meals and break station snack options.

To learn more about food for thought, The National Conference Center’s Executive Chef Craig Mason shares food for thought tips, recipes, and more on the Conference Center Blog.

Written By:
Sarah Vining
Marketing Assistant
The National Conference Center

I’m Being Audited – so now what?!?!

2011-01-24T10:02:00.000-06:00

IACC by-laws state that all active member facilities are to be reviewed and audited at least once every four years to determine their level of compliance with the Universal Criteria. IACC Audits are not just a one-sided test-results process provided by the auditors. Ok… so I’m being audited, now what?!

The first questions to many managers new to the audit process are a) what exactly is the audit? B) how does this work? It is quite simple:

Compliance Audits are evaluations that IACC requires to ensure continuous conformity for members.
Locations are to be divided into four evaluation groups and one group will be evaluated per year. IACC notifies members in January with an intro letter which will include all pre-audit paperwork.
The audit provider will make contact with each member to collect location information as well as explain to you the audit process and what will be expected of you and your staff during the audit.
Each audit will take approximately 3-4 hours. A “home base” work area will need to be provided for each auditor.
Each auditor is trained to accommodate the property as much as possible, and work around groups as needed. So putting off the audit for a “less busy” time is not needed.
Each auditor has a list of questions they need to complete as well as do facility testing.
Auditor recap and that is it!

Sounds simple! Ok, so what exactly is expected of you?! In order to ensure that everyone is on board with the understanding that this is a partnership, many things will need to come into play in order to have a successful and smooth audit. Below is a summary of what is to be expected of each manager:

Setting aside a 3-4 hour window to be of assistance to the auditor while they are onsite. This includes making sure their “home base” area is adequate, pre-audit questions are answered and your availability is not an issue when it comes time to site inspections and tests.
All pre-audit paperwork that has been supplied to you prior is filled out in its entirety and ready to be given to the auditor upon request at the start of the audit.
Each manager is required to participate in light and sound measurements as well as taking of pictures in three dedicated conference rooms.
The auditor will need some time to prior to and following the debriefing to complete the on-line portion of the survey. It is requested that you stay within the facility and be available for additional questions should they arise.
Final recap: (almost done!) You will meet with the audit at the end of the process to discuss any unanswered questions, any question marked as NO and to receive any final location manager comments.
The results will be available to the property however, the auditor is not permitted to discuss “passed” or “failed” audits with you.

The intent of this blog is ensure that members are prepared for their audits with the realization that the process is a partnership to ensure full member compliance across all conference centers. Congratulations! You just successfully completed your IACC Audit!

IACC Audits

IACC by-laws state the all active member facilities are to be reviewed and audited at least once every four years to determine their level of compliance with the Universal Criteria. BARE Associates International has been designated as the provider of audit services for IACC to ensure continuous compliance for members. In order for members to be better informed about the reasons and expectations for the audits, BARE has assembled a pre-audit power point for member review. The intent of this document is to ensure that members are prepared for their audits with the realization that the process is a partnership to ensure full member compliance across all conference centers. This document will be sent along with the confirmation of the scheduled audits to help members re-fresh their memory of the process and ensure swift completion.

2011 USA COPPER SKILLET COMPETITION

2011-01-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

...and the winner is...Jason Weaver, Executive Chef, La Torretta Resort & Conference Center. Check out the blog entry of a Columbus, Ohio native

http://katedjupe.posterous.com/setting-the-scene

Congratualtions Chef Jason!

11 Food Trends for 2011

2011-01-07T10:52:00.007-06:00

Looking for some new ideas to freshen up your food and beverage offerings? Read through the following trends that can help you make a lasting impact on your conference center guests.

1. Local Meats, Eggs, and Seafood-- More and more consumers want to know where their meats, eggs, and seafood choices come from, and they even want the opportunity to visit those farms. Local food benefits the community, the diners, and also the business. Make it part of your property's CSR strategy and contract with local farmers to get the freshest products available.

2. Half Portions -- Offering half-portions of salads, sandwiches, and entrees can be a great win-win for both diners and businesses. Some pros of this strategy include diners eating more reasonably-sized meals (can help lead to healthier weights) and less food goes to waste. A creative marketing blitz showcasing smaller portions could lead to great business.

3. Mini Desserts -- I personally have received many requests for mini desserts and cookies at various events and receptions. It seems that guests would rather have a little sample of multiple types of desserts rather than a bigger portion of one type of sweet.

4. Great Grains -- Break out of the basmati and brown rice mindsets and provide more varied grains as side items. Quinoa, Asian noodles (such as soba or rice noodles), and farro are all interesting and healthy items that can catch diners' eyes.

5. Food Truck and "Street Food" Appetizers -- By this, I mean more casual and ethnic-themed appetizer options. What do you see offerred on the streets of NYC? Falafel, kabobs, tacos, Korean barbecue. Food truck popularity has also risen magnanimously in the past year. Use the energy behind that trend and try to incorporate classic food truck or street food appetizers into your menus.

6. Superfoods -- Acai, blueberries, and goji berries have all been labeled "superfoods" or "superfruits" in the past. Diners like seeing them because they offer an immediate association with health, vitality, and vitamins.

7. Local, Artisinal Cheeses -- Check out your local farmers market to see what specialties small farms have. You may discover some fabulous goat cheeses (even a goat gouda!), and can then sell a locally-sourced cheese plate as an appetizer.

8. Creative Vegetarian/Vegan Entrees -- Grilled portabello mushrooms get boring after awhile. Try to surprise and elate vegetarians (or those that just wish to eat less meat) by offering unique vegetarian and/or vegan entree options. There are many amazing cookbooks available that may be useful to chefs with limited experience in these realms, such as Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan.

9. Nutiritous Options for Children -- Startling research about childhood obesity and Mrs. Obama's campaign to combat the disease will continue to affect food and beverage operations nationwide in 2011. Make sure to stay on top of this trend by offering whole grains, fruits and vegetables as side items for children's meals. Also, think about offering special salad entrees for children.

10. Beer and Food Pairings -- If you already offer wine-and-food pairing dinners a few times a year, think about supplementing with beer-and-food pairings. The market for craft beers has exploded in the past couple years, so you have a good chance of finding a local brand of beers to provide alongside locally sourced dishes. There's even an iPhone app to help you Find Craft Beer!

11. Gluten-Free Options -- Providing a gluten-free menu or a list of meal choices that are conscious of food allergies will impress and relieve guests that worry about what to eat when they go to conferences. Celiac disease affects more than 3 million Americans (1 out of 133 people), meaning you will probably have guests with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivities stay at your property. Even Subway is testing two gluten-free products at some restaurants.

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center

New Year, New Trends

2011-01-03T16:25:00.000-06:00

Here is a list of trends that will carryover into the meetings industry for the new year as listed by PRWeb. This list came out in September, but I think all of these categories will definitely be significant in 2011. After each category title, I included a brief explanation but refer to the original article for more insight.

Source

1. Customizable Mobile Apps - Mobile apps will continue to grow in importance to the meetings world in that they make the lives of event organizers and attendees easier. Some apps serve as a mobile checkpoint for attendees needing to learn the newest updates on their meetings. Other apps encourage participation during meetings by involving audiences in presentations.

2. Hybrid Meetings - The mixing of virtual and live meetings will continue to grow this year as this trend tends to lead to cost savings. The best way to adapt to this trend? Learn how face-to-face meetings can be enhanced through digital means and how it benefits your customers.

3. Comprehensive "Green" Meetings - This means that multiple or all aspects of the meeting planning and execution are eco-conscious. This includes everything from the type of travel to and from airports to the type of notepads used in the conference room.

4. Social Media Interaction - Interaction of meeting participants will grow through social media outlets (such as through Twitter streams during conferences or Facebook pages created for special events). Social media will also help planners, clients, and customers communicate faster and more effectively.

5. Corporate Social Responsibility - This is the "Grandaddy" of the above trends. How do you use your company's resources to better your community, the environment, and the lives of your stakeholders (including your employees, customers, and clients)? More teambuilding projects with a CSR focus may be seen in 2011, such as having a volunteer outing during one day of a conference.

6. Luxury Meetings Return - Do you agree or disagree with this trend? I think the industry will see an increase on spending in 2011, but am not certain that resort-type destinations will see much benefit of that. I do believe that more money will be spent on certain "luxuries" that have been absent at many meetings during the past couple of years (such as VIP amenities).

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center

CSR - Holiday Style!

2010-12-24T12:06:00.000-06:00

Happy Christmas Eve to those of you celebrating in the States and merry Christmas to those that are a few hours ahead of us around the world!

It's been a while since that last corporate social responsibility post, but now is the perfect time for a quick update. One way that my property participated in CSR recently was by "adopting" two families in need for the holidays and hosting a drive for gifts and money. The families were different -- one was a single dad with a young daughter and the other a young family with three children all under 10 years old.

Source

A few photos were hung in the employee break room along with a sign advertising what these families needed and wanted the most for the holidays. Clothing and diapers were among the more popular items, but books and a bike also made the list. Announcements were made at our monthly property-wide meeting in which employees who organized the drive spoke about the good that could come from donating. (Note -- it was not management that organized this drive, but housekeeping staff! Talk about engagement as a bonus to CSR!).

Adopting families in need is a pretty common CSR practice that many companies participate in during the holidays, but it is still a good one to share. One way to find families in need is by contacting local organizations, such as the Salvation Army, YMCA or United Way. Local homeless shelters may also provide contact information with individuals that need a little extra help.

Here's to hoping that the holiday spirit of generosity continues throughout the rest of the year and 2011! Happy holidays to you and your families!

Tips for Managing Older Employees

2010-12-07T23:12:00.001-06:00

As a Millennial entering into a workforce and property of employees that were mostly older than me (both in age and seniority at the property), I felt a lot of pressure. Pressure to perform. Pressure to fit in. Pressure to prove that there was a reason I was there. One of the biggest pressures I faced (and still do) was managing employees older than myself. It's not the easiest task to take on, yet it's not impossible. Age does tend to bring wisdom, and many companies still value seniority and longevity over expertise or compatibility for future goals. There are pros and cons to both sides of that argument, but that's for another post.

Since more individuals are continuing to work well into their 50s and 60s, the trend of young employees (again, both in terms of age and years of service) is not going to go away. Many Baby Boomers still work now, and some that retired may enter back into the workforce if they haven't already (thank you, recession!).

Source

I think that I've grown since taking on my current role and have learned how to relate, communicate, and listen to employees from all different age groups (Millenials, X'ers, Boomers). I still learn how to be better at this every day, but can think of two things that have helped me the most in being successful with this challenge. Hopefully other individuals that are new to managing older employees will find them useful as well.

1. Listen -- It is the best thing you can do for your employees and yourself (both professionally and personally). Listen to their experiences. Listen to their individual needs. Listen to their complaints and concerns. Listen to them talk about their kids or grandkids. Don't interrupt -- just listen and think about what they have told you. Each time employees reveal something to you about themselves, it is an opportunity for you to learn from them, understand what truly motivates them and how to inspire their best work.

2. Do not be anyone other than yourself -- I've found that the longer an employee has worked for a company or property, the more skeptical they are of new blood. I may be wrong, but it has been my experience that older employees will test you to see if you do know what you're doing and if you do it well. So when you start managing more senior staff members, do not try to be something you're not. They will see through you. Chances are, they've seen a manager before you pretend to be someone he/she was not in order to win over employees. Senior employees can and will spot a phony in two seconds.

If you don't like the way a food is presented or a napkin is folded on a table, say it. Have a reason for your preference and stand behind it. If you can show that you are true to your ideas and explain why you feel a certain way, the more your employees will respect you and learn to follow you.

For other ideas, read this OpenForum post -- it features 10 tips for managing older employees. I agree with most of them. If you have tips of your own, please share! These are good for people of all ages to hear and read about.

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center

CR and Sustainability at Sundial Group’s UK Meeting Venues

2010-12-06T07:53:00.001-06:00

Over here in the UK, corporate responsibility and social awareness among meeting venues continues to be a major talking point. As with all such topics, some ‘discuss’ in more depth than others while others just get on with it. The line between genuine concern for the environment or simply paying lip service to today’s latest trend is blurry. Our economy is, by nature, demand-led, therefore suppliers must respond to customers’ requirements or face an uncertain future. In the middle of the noughties, therefore, businesses up and down the country were clamouring to show us how warm and fluffy they all were. What happens when customers’ requirements change though?

This may seem controversial, and I may be wrong, but anecdotally the perception I have is that venues’ green credentials have not, over the last year, been as important to buyers as they once were. Sad as that may be, the economic climate, rather than the earth’s climate, has been the one whose change has preoccupied budget holders the most of late. Large tender documents, although still asking for extensive evidence of environmental policies and programmes, have given greater emphasis to price since the credit crunch. Beforehand, “green” was the new gold standard. In a recession, it seems, not so much.

Like many other businesses, we decided to document the things we do at our venues to be better citizens, so a few of us got together to produce not only a range of formal policies in line with our values, but also our detailed environmental action plans and we have published these on our website for over three years now, updating them periodically so that they remain current. In total, we identified 75 actions that we either do already, or aim to implement. Some were quick and easy to identify and implement – it didn’t take us long to implement a policy of switching off printers and computer monitors when not in use, and after a few months we had, by and large, replaced all our light bulbs with energy-efficient equivalents. We contacted local councils to ensure we were recycling all that we could and we reviewed the timer settings on exterior lighting and all thermostats so that we were reducing the amount of energy we were using. Some of the venue-based initiatives that we identified were things we were doing already – like making sure our fridges and freezers are defrosted regularly and waiting until a washing machine was full to run it.

Other items took a bit longer – for example we decided that we should network our photocopiers as scanners so that the amount of paper being passed our office was shifted onto the email server instead. However previously-agreed contracts meant we had to wait until early last year to be able to replace the equipment. Likewise our shift to ‘green’ electricity suppliers required existing contracts to expire. Some of our agreed actions have not yet been achievable for us – the investment that would be required to install new boilers, for example, has (if you’ll excuse the pun) been put onto the back burner.

At the corporate/policy level, we had always incentivised car-sharing amongst employees for business travel, but we decided to try and find a way to encourage our customers to join in, so we launched our Green Meeting Package, an optional, zero-additional-cost (we wanted to push against the profiteering we had seen on environmentally-friendly options) enhancement to a company’s Complete Meeting Package. Part of this includes an incentive to residential delegates to car-share or use public transport to get here; if they do so, they get a credit of £5 to spend in our bar.

The critical factor, however, to achieving success is employee engagement. To get this, we said that our CSR efforts should be spearheaded by our Managing Director but that our Green Teams should spread throughout the business and every department should be represented. Further to this, we integrated sustainability as a measure on our Balanced Scorecard, so that our performance and success in reducing our environmental impact will affect our employees directly through their evaluations and through the company-wide bonus scheme. This alignment of personal and corporate goals makes it all much more real for everyone at Sundial Venues, instead of it just being something that comes from head office but has little or no meaning on-site.

Written by:
James Bland
Marketing and Communications Manager

The Sundial Group
Highgate House

Green Ideas from the Emory Conference Center

2010-11-29T21:14:00.000-06:00

Emory Conference Center was recently named Atlanta's first LEED-certified conference center hotel. Recent articles about the center's success listed off a few green and CSR ideas that you may also be able to implement at your own property!

As listed in the article by Hotel News Resource:

Supplying kitchen oil to Emory University's shuttle bus service to reuse as biodiesel
Using single stream recycling processes, "where paper fibers are comingled, allowing an increase in the amount of materials recycled."
Sending partially or unused soap samples (from guest rooms) to Haiti as part of a hygiene-focused group called Clean the World
Giving partially used shampoo and conditioner samples to a local church

Do any readers have new or additional ideas to add to this list?

Marketing Committee Update

2010-11-28T19:30:00.001-06:00

The Marketing Committee held a conference call on November 16th and discussed many topics including Customer Round Tables, webinars, and two upcoming editorials in Successful Meetings. Read on to see what's going on in IACC!

Customer Round Tables
- opportunities to host the events awarded to 25 conference centers
- not all will likely happen, but it will provide a very large sample of customers
- first one was 11/17 in Arizona, then Stamford on December 8
- they will continue through February 5, 2011
- information and results will be presented at the annual conference

Webinar
- to be posted on the IACC website for all to access
- purpose: selling the conference center concept
- working with Master Connections
- Length of the webinar: 90 minutes, but could be as long as we want
- targeted to beginning sales managers: selling on the benefits of IACC standards and the CMP
- material used would be from work done with HRG last year

Value difference between hotels & conference centers
- research being done
- spread sheet to be created to plainly show comparisons as well as intangible differences
- may work with Dana Communications to create
- will also want to post it on the website
- side topic: how to sell conference center concept to a potential client on a phone call – will need to follow the guidelines of being shopped

Successful Meetings – two upcoming editorial topics:
- How to manage your budget
- Corporate social responsibility – green isn’t gone

Annual Conference Updates
- working with MPI and STMP to coordinate a “bring your client” event on one day of the conference– feature is Copper Skillet event at lunch. Trade show booths in the afternoon. Hoping for 100 customers. Info going out soon.
- CSR component: raffling a scooter and making donations to Habitat for Humanity

Corporate Social Responsibility....A New Emerging Trend Series

2010-11-10T08:43:00.003-06:00

Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR. You’ve heard the acronym before, but do you really understand what it encompasses? This was a hot topic at the most recent IACC-Americas Board of Directors meeting as it may be the next large trend meeting planners and conference centers will face.

Before you start questioning what CSR is, whether it is worth your time, and how you may handle new requirements set by clients, take a step back. Chances are you are already doing many things that fall underneath the large umbrella of CSR.

According to a CSR Trends 2010 report created by Craib Design & Communications and Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, Corporate Social Responsibility is, “A company’s commitment to operating in a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable manner, while recognizing the interests of its stakeholders.”

An easier way to think of it is as the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit.

Source

If you implemented reuse/recycling programs at your conference center or requested them in RFPs, you participated in CSR. If you spent a day volunteering at a local community center with your co-workers, you participated in CSR. The challenge coming to the industry is how to expand these practices at conference centers in order to benefit stakeholders, and how to show potential customers that you provide exceptional CSR opportunities they can work into their meeting schedule.

While we have not measured how strong this trend is for our industry, Corporate Social Responsibility does seem to be gaining traction as a global business standard even in these tough economic times. The Craib study found that “addressing issues the once took a back seat to financial results… has become critical to a company’s credibility, transparency and endurance.” Of the 423 companies surveyed, 81% provide information on CSR on their website. 28% of companies utilize social media outlets such as Facebook or Twitter to relay their CSR message, and 28% maintain company blogs. This shows that communicating activities about CSR is just as important as being socially responsible.

Due to the complex nature of this topic, the Emerging Trends Committee will spend a month discussing CSR. Committee members will give personal examples of what CSR systems are in action in their workplace, give ideas of how to incorporate new practices in your conference center, and discuss what steps IACC is taking to promote CSR throughout its membership. We will also consider ways to communicate these opportunities to clients and the world. What can we do to improve that triple bottom line? Stay tuned…

For more information on the Craib study: CSR Trends 2010, visit: http://admin.csrwire.com/system/report_pdfs/1189/original/CSR_TRENDS_2010.pdf

Written by:
Kasey Snyder and Meghan Bollenback

Social Media -- Go It Alone or Hire a Specialist?

2010-11-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

A hot topic at the latest board meeting involved the pros and cons of hiring a specialist to manage all social media aspects for your conference center versus assigning the duties to a member of your already-established management team. It was a great discussion and valid points were made for both arguments.

To me, the greater benefit and ROI would come from hiring a specialist to handle social media. Managing Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn or StumbleUpon can be very time intensive. It requires a person that is willing to dig in and play around with the applications.

Source

I understand that many conference centers or businesses are hesitant to outsource their social media to another company or hire a full-time employee due to budgetary constraints. However, here is a short list of options to make it work:

Use your interns - Younger employees are most likely active in social media already and would have few problems creating new accounts and monitoring the activity. The downside is that interns typically work for 10 to 12 weeks during the summer or winter, so you must have a strategic plan when that time comes and delegate these responsibilities to someone else.

Hire a part-time specialist - This person could work from home or come into the office a few days each week to make sure he/she is accomplishing the goals determined by the management team. Many marketers, independent contractors, and PR-specialists have the skill sets needed to manage social media outlets, so look online at Monster or LinkedIn for individuals looking to pick up some extra work. You would save money (such as in benefit costs) as this person would not be full-time.
Re-distribute tasks within your marketing team - Think wisely before simply adding "Social Media" to the list of one of your marketing staff's daily tasks. Adding to that person's workload will add stress unless you relieve him/her of other job duties. It will also produce ineffective results in your social media strategy in that not enough time will be spent managing the accounts. If hiring a new individual is absolutely out of the question, re-evaluate how your marketing team operates and creatively design a way to make it work. One more thing to note -- make sure the person is interested in social media and willing to get his/her hands dirty.

Lastly, save time and money by focusing on one or two social media outlets. Facebook and Twitter may be the most obvious options, but Tumblr is a great resource as well you may not be familiar with. It's a simple way to blog and share information about your property on a daily basis and may fit your property well.

In all, take your time in researching your options, form a strategy, and then move forward on hiring or assigning the job of monitoring social media to the right person.

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center

How to Make Videos That Sell

2010-10-29T09:24:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the promotional video for IACC-America's next Annual Conference? If not, you've been missing out. Catch up now!

The video does an excellent job of showcasing the property (the National Conference Center) and the theme of the conference -- Rev It Up! It incorporates humor, good supporting music, and an entertaining lead actor. These components are elements that can help any business video you make a success.

Videos are a modern tactic that many companies use to promote their products and services. Making them go "viral" (meaning that viewers pass them along to friends and contacts -- basically "word of mouth" marketing on the Internet) is sometimes difficult, but it doesn't have to be. The key is to identify just who you want the video to go viral with, and then make a goal plan on how to do so.

If you have thought about making a video for your property or to market special deals you are promoting, now is the time to test it out! This Open Forum article goes into greater detail on ways you can try out this trend, and also save money while doing so. Making just one video could help you reach sales goals or spread your marketing message to a wider audience.

The Annual Conference will be held March 23 - 25, 2011 at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, VA (just outside of Washington D.C.). Registration opens on Monday, November 1st, so make sure you Rev It Up! and register early!

Carbon-Neutral Meetings...are they prevalent in the U.S.?

2010-10-19T14:00:00.002-05:00

While talking to a family friend this morning, I learned about an organization at the University of Florida called Neutral Gator. "Neutral Gator is an initiative of Earth Givers, a non-profit focused on reducing carbon emissions through energy conservation and carbon sequestration projects. Neutral Gator is dedicated to eliminating Gainesville’s contribution to global climate change by supporting the University of Florida in reaching carbon neutrality by 2025 and by reducing the carbon emitted by the local community."

Neutral Gator specifically works with UF's athletics department. Through carbon-reduction projects that focus on the local Gainesville community (such as planting trees), the group successfully developed the first carbon-neutral athletic organization in the country and first carbon-neutral football season. Talk about amazing! Just consider how much air and land travel is required to get all the necessary players, coaches, support staff, media, and equipment to each game.

All of this new information led me to think about carbon-neutral meetings. That was a big buzz-phrase when Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth came out in 2006. To me, it seems as if this movement has fizzled a bit in the meeting industry in the United States. Maybe I'm wrong (and please leave comments if you are seeing RFPs for carbon-neutral meetings), but I can list the number of carbon-conscious groups I've served in the past year on one hand.

Source

That being said, I think the force behind this movement is going to make a comeback very soon in the U.S. The world's first carbon-neutral conference/convention center just opened in Ireland. Everything from the concrete foundations to the insulation of the Convention Centre Dublin was designed to be sustainable, carbon-neutral, and minimize overall energy consumption. Also, the facility provides guidance to groups wishing to offset their carbon emmissions (caused by travel to the CCD) through the purchase of carbon credits.

What's your opinion on carbon-neutral meetings? Are organizations wishing to offset their carbon emmissions, or are they more focused on other green initiatives, such as recycling programs, at conference centers? If you work at a conference center property, do you offer guidance on how to offset carbon footprints to groups? I'm interested to hear what the trends are like around the country.

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Hotel & Conference Center

Follow Up to Exciting New Meeting Apps!

2010-10-15T06:16:00.000-05:00

As a follow up to the last post, the creaters of MeetingApps.com wrote a more-detailed description of what their web portal offers! If you are a meeting planner, you must check out their website as you will find tools to make your job much easier. Read on to learn more about this exciting technology...

Source

MeetingApps.com is the World’s First Portal for Meeting Apps. This site enables planners and tourism industry professionals to quickly locate iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry apps related to the meetings and events industry. The apps on MeetingApps.com are categorized by useful headers such as: Air Travel, Conferences, Convention & Visitors Bureaus, Green Tools, Hotel Search, Meeting Management, Food & Wine, Venues and much more. There is no fee to use the site and the apps are listed at no charge. This portal was built for the purpose of making it easier for meeting and event professionals to quickly find the apps needed to plan and operate meetings, events and travel programs.

Our directory currently lists BlackBerry and iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch meeting apps. Android apps are in development and will be listed before the end of year. New meeting apps will be continuously added to MeetingApps.com, keeping planners up to date with the latest developments. Planners will be able to not only easily search for meeting apps, but will also be able to rate apps and read reviews and articles on app technology on our site.

In addition, global planners and hospitality partners can now sign up for App Alert to receive the best free apps related to the meetings and events industry. There are thousands of free apps currently available, but only a few that will be selected based on their functionality and relevance to meetings and events. Our goal is to save planners and hospitality partners research time and make their lives a little bit easier. At no cost, anyone interested in finding out about the latest meeting and travel apps can join at: http://www.meetingapps.com/app_alert.html

For anyone developing a new app for their venue, hotel or convention center, please check out existing apps at: http://www.meetingapps.com/venues/.

Exciting new Meeting Apps!

2010-10-06T12:29:00.000-05:00

MeetingApps.com is a relatively new web portal where users (ideally, meeting planners) can learn about various applications that are specific to the meeting insdustry and how they can make their jobs easier and more efficient. In addition to being available for purchase on this site, MeetingApps.com also lets users review the apps which can lead to improvements from web developers.

Read on to learn about some of the newest meeting apps and how they can benefit you! These apps are currently only available for Blackberry and iPhone users, but Droid models are in the works.

2010-10-01T11:34:00.001-05:00

Here are some great tips for developing a social media program as authentic and unique as your property: http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=18303

HVS Issues Revised Forecasts for the US Lodging Industry

2010-09-29T14:17:00.002-05:00

http://www.hvs.com/article/4841/hvs-issues-revised-forecasts-for-the-us-lodging-industry/?rt=1

Super Sustainable Seafood (now say that 5 times fast!)

2010-09-29T09:45:00.002-05:00

Sustainability -- you know the word, but can you define it in reference to our fishy friends?

This is a "green" detail that I am seeing more and more requests for made by meeting planners and groups. Not only are people wanting to green their meetings by reducing paper and plastic waste, they also wish to eat food that was obtained through measures that did not harm the ocean environment (I'm sure we all agree that there has been enough of that this summer with the oil spill).

A recent article on CNN.com's food blog website, Eatocracy, defined what "sustainable" actually means and went into greater detail on sustainable seafood efforts within the United States. "In a nutshell (or clamshell, in this case), in the context of seafood, 'sustainable' means harvesting and consuming at a rate that will not deplete fish and other marine life faster than their populations can replenish - and there are plenty of factors that weigh into this...[such as] overfishing, climate changes, physical damage to the environment..."

Two key organizations that educate fishers, buyers, and consumers on how to make sustainable choices for seafood are the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Seafood Choices Alliances.

Source

To keep your property in line with the desires of clients, encourage your chefs to download the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch application to receive notifications and e-mails about what seafood is a good, sustainable buy for the current time of year.

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food and Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Hotel & Conference Center

A Few More Excel Basics...

2010-09-26T15:19:00.000-05:00

Written by James Bland
Group Marketing Manager
The Sundial Group, Highgate House

Having looked at manipulating text-based information in the last Excel post; names, addresses and suchlike; this time I want to quickly introduce a few numbers into the mix…

Bringing Order to Chaos

So your booking/sales/CRM system will export orders/sales/enquiries in a big list with dates attached, but you’re currently ploughing through that manually to obtain monthly totals.

You’ll get more than the data below, of course, but for the sake of this example let’s say your columns go as such…

• A: Customer Name

• B: Value of Order

• C: Date of Order

So long as the dates are properly formatted and Excel recognises them as such, using the formula =MONTH(D1) with return, numerically, the month of the year in which the date in Cell C1 falls. Repeat down the column to begin your categorisation. When complete, use the expression =COUNTIF(D1:D100,1) to count the number of orders placed in January, month 1. Change the number in the second part of the expression to view for February, March etc.

Your “COUNTIF” function though doesn’t have to just work with numbers. You could count all of the people named “James Bland” in your customer list by simply changing the column it looks at from D to A, and then changing the number 1 to “James Bland” (include the speech marks – that’s quite important when ever you want to look at text within a formula instead of numbers)

Show me the money…!

Having obtained in column E the numbers corresponding to the months in column D, you can then acquire your monthly order totals. Use the expression =SUMIF(E1:E100,”=1”,B1:B100) to do this. In the first segment you are telling the formula to look in column E, where your monthly classification numbers reside. In the second segment, you are telling it only to find orders where the month is January (=1) – increasing this number will interrogate your other months. In the third segment, you tell it to take the order values from Column B.

Your “SUMIF” function can again count the value of orders that “James Bland” has placed. Again, change the column initially interrogated from E to A, and then change “=1” to = “James Bland” (again, remember to include the speech marks). Your column B data will have to be numerical though – Excel cannot add letters to numbers!

A Little Pointer

It’s a bit manual this one, but let’s say you’re the sort of person who likes writing telephone numbers without spaces. Or maybe you need them like that to upload them into a SMS transmission system. When you type a string of numbers into Excel, it quite rightly thinks it’s a number, so it suppresses leading zeros – hence the telephone number 01604731850 becomes 1,604,731,850.

The difficulty with Excel is that when you begin to overtype a cell, the previous contents disappear instantly, meaning you have to remember the number that was there initially. One way is to repeat it back to yourself so it stays in your immediate memory, but eventually your co-workers will get annoyed, or think you strange, or both.

A quick way to sort this out is to go into the cell and just type an apostrophe in front of the number, ‘01604731850. The apostrophe tells Excel that whatever follows is to be treated as text. This does mean, however, that you now cannot add two telephone numbers together, but why on earth would you want to…?

Quality Committee Update: Members React to Quality Audits

2010-09-21T15:14:00.007-05:00

When they’ve undergone Quality Assurance Audits this year, member conference centers have raised a few questions. Most commonly they wonder, “Why aren’t the Quality Assurance Checklist and Pre-Audit paperwork identical to the documents that the BARE auditor uses?” During my property’s recent audit, I puzzled over some of these differences, too. Though the variances were not so striking that I couldn’t answer the questions, I thought it might be a good topic for the Quality Committee to consider. And, in August the subject appeared on our agenda. The committee determined that we’d like to close the gap between the two sets of questions and began considering ways we might accomplish that aim.

Let me offer a couple examples of the sort of questions we’re talking about because we understand that members might not immediately see their relevance to our Universal Criteria.

(1) “How many meeting suites does the facility have?” The Criteria don’t make any direct reference to meeting suites (or guest suites that can easily be converted to meeting space). However, when you look at criteria numbers 5 and 33 you can see the validity. These criteria concern the separation of dedicated conference rooms from living and leisure areas. So, the Auditor asks about meeting suites in order to ensure that members do not typically allow meetings outside of the conference center.

(2) “How many portable sound systems does your property have?” This question directly correlates to criterion number 18. “Do all meeting rooms larger than 1,000 sq. ft. have built-in voice reinforcement sound systems?” If you answer “no” when this question comes up, the auditor must determine the extent to which that’s true for the whole facility because IACC may allow for less than 100% compliance as long as you have enough portable sound equipment to accommodate client needs.

In any case, IACC’s Audit only scores members according to their compliance with the Criteria. Any questions that don’t directly relate to membership criteria either supply facts to support determinations about compliance or provide data that refer to IACC’s Recommended Guidelines. And neither of these types of question count toward or against a member’s Audit score.

When the inspection occurred at my property, the auditor mentioned how pleased she was to see all of the pre-audit paperwork completed as BARE instructed. Shortly after the audit, we received our preliminary score and I feel confident that the audit went well overall.

Despite the positive outcome, most of us find audits and inspections daunting, regardless of what organization conducts the review, but IACC audits can be very instructive. When we become overly comfortable, even complacent, about our properties and their fitness as conference centers, we may miss things that customers don’t overlook. In the course of our daily routines, we don’t always recognize that a little extra touch could make all the difference for some customer. Audits provide fresh eyes. They keep us on our toes and give us the opportunity to correct potential issues. In particular, IACC Audits ensure our clients that they can expect the best possible meeting experience at a member conference center.

Next Quality Committee meeting: September 30.

Written by:
Michael Blackley
Banquet/Conference Center Manager
Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Executive Meeting Center

IACC to host 2011 Client Roundtables

2010-09-20T06:02:00.000-05:00

Based on the overwhelming success of the discussions held in 2010, IACC will be conducting a second set of International Customer Roundtables. These events will be held from November 2010 through January 2011. Small groups of current conference centers clients and non clients will be coordinated at varies IACC certified locations in the United States and Canada.

These intimate gatherings provide insight into the priorities and preferences of professionals in the meetings industry. Planners are offered questions related to their vendor selection process as well as the benefits and detriments of meeting venues. The roundtable discussions also allow the participants to review the differences in the experience at certified conference center versus a traditional hotel.

Focus groups are an easily implemented method for gathering research. They allow a diverse group of individuals who share a common interest to provide feedback on a range of topics. Often the group dynamic encourages participants to speak more freely, and triggers thoughts that they may not previously have considered voicing. Facilitators also have the advantage of observing non verbal cues, which cannot be gathered in surveys or phone interviews.

For more information on participating in an upcoming IACC International Customer Roundtable, please contact:

Kasey Snyder
Sales Manager for Destination Hotels
New York/New Jersey Area
Main 973.301.9716
175 Park Avenue
Florham Park, NJ 07932

Package Pricing vs. A la Carte Pricing

2010-09-16T08:29:00.000-05:00

Written by Neil Pompan, CMP, Chairman & CEO of Pompan Hospitality Global and IACC-Global President.

Package pricing continues to be mysterious and threatening to may meeting planners. Resistance to package pricing stems from a number of common misperceptions such as that packages contain many things that the planner does not need, or that because of the all inclusiveness of packages, the price must be greater than if the components are purchased separately. Many planners also resist using conference centers because they feel a loss of control over the experience. This last point is ironic because conference centers pride themselves on creating a meeting environment totally dedicated to supporting the outcomes of a meeting.

But of all the reasons planners have for not using conference center, the number one reason is price perception. The fact of the matter is that if a planner were to total all of the elements of a complete meeting package using the a la carte pricing of a traditional hotel and then compare it on a per person basis to a competitive conference center in the same market, the conference center will be less expensive 99% of the time. This calculation is quite east and a free tool exists for planners to use assist them in the analysis. This tool can be found at http://www.pompanhospitality.com/html/toolbox.html.

Most planners will argue that they do not need all the items in a complete meeting package. Perhaps they would not normally purchase three meals a day, or maybe they will bring their own LCD projector, etc. When a planner uses this tool, they can input only those things they would normally purchase at a hotel for their meeting. By inputting only those items, they can then compare the prices apples-to-apples and make an informed decision as to which venue. If the prices at the conference center are more per person then at the hotel under consideration then it is likely they are not including a great man of the all inclusive items.

In this situation one of two possible decisions can be made. First, the meeting under consideration may not be right for a conference center and should therefore be booked at a hotel. Second, the added value of a conference center may be worth a few extra dollars per person. The added value is all the elements that provide the best possible chance of successfully achieving the outcomes of the meeting. These elements include dedicated meeting space reserved on a 24 hour hold, ergonomic chairs and hard surfaced tables, tackable surfaces and meeting planner tool kits – all things that help promote a distraction free environment. Added value is also achieved thought the gift of time. At a conference center meeting planners do not have to spend time on menu selection and because they have a single point of contact, a single phone call or e-mail can handle all of their requests. This time can then be devoted to the important job of planning the content and taking care of the participants. Conference centers pride themselves on removing the drudgery of meeting planning and servicing the all inclusive product they promote and sell – a total meeting experience.

Pompan Hospitality Global, Inc. is a one-stop hospitality consulting firm that supports the business objectives of developers, owners, asset managers, independent and brand operators and meeting professionals around the world. Specializing in the Total Meeting Experience™, PHG, Inc. draws on the talents of a core group of hospitality and meetings industry leaders to serve the needs and demands of today’s global hospitality market. For additional information about Pompan Hospitality Global, visit the website at http://pompanhospitality.com or call 610 252 8511.

A Few Excel Basics...

2010-09-15T23:20:00.000-05:00

Written by James Bland
Group Marketing Manager
The Sundial Group, Highgate House

I’m always wary of sentences that start with “I’m no expert…but”, but then that’s because I rarely use them. However, I’m going to make an exception and share a few pointers on Excel that make my life as a marketing manager easier. When I was studying for my CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) qualifications, a few of my classmates, all experienced marketing professionals, recoiled in horror at the sight of a number, fled for coffee when shown a spreadsheet and I’m pretty sure one lady fainted when talked through a simple DCF analysis, so I’m fairly confident that a good number of marketers won’t know their way around Excel. None of the below is any big secret, and Googling most Excel questions will give you plenty of really well-constructed guides, but the ones I list below have helped me out of many a hole in the past!

So, I’m no expert, but…

We’re Better Together

Let’s say you have a mailing list where First Names and Last Names are stored in different columns (A and B) but you really want one column to have people’s full names in. The formula that you type into column C is…

=CONCATENATE(A1,” “,B1) – where A1 represents whatever is in that cell, likewise B1, and whatever is inbetween the speech marks is inserted inbetween. You could put any text or number you want in there, but I wanted a space so that’s what I typed.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Maybe though, you want to reverse that procedure, because cell A1 contains “Mr James Bland”, but what you want to do is address a letter “Dear James”. Slightly different process this one – first you have to make sure that the next three cells (B1, C1, D1) are empty, because otherwise you could overwrite something important. Then, highlight Cell A1 and go to “Data”, “Text to Columns”. For this example, you want to choose the “Delimited” option, and then choose “Space” as your delimiter. By doing this, you tell Excel that a space marks where the cell should be split. Then hit finish and the job is done. If you’re doing a big list, be careful with the number of specific words though. “Mr James Edward Bland” will spread into column E1, again potentially overwriting something important. For lists containing names like these, best make yourself plenty of empty columns and then go back over the list using CONCATENATE to re-attach the two bits of someone’s surname.

Don’t Lose Your Head

A word of caution here, Excel saves a Cell’s formula, not necessarily its text content. If you had CONCATENATE-d two bits of a name together and then wanted to delete the old individual columns, doing so will empty your combined column do, as Excel will be referencing empty cells. To get round this, save your file as type “*.csv” (comma separated variable), close the spreadsheet, and re-open the CSV file. The contents of the cell will be ‘banked’ and you can delete at will. A word of warning though, if you have made pretty patterns using bold type or coloured backgrounds, that information is not saved in a *.csv file, so it will have disappeared when you reopen the file.

Say What You Say…

And, of course, a personalised letter is so much more powerful than a generic one. But when I say “personalised”, please don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just putting my first name, or company name, into the middle of a sentence is going to cut it. People are generally savvy enough to see right through that gimmick. Thankfully, using Excel and Word to mail merge, you can customise whole paragraphs of text to fit what you need to say. There’s nothing particularly difficult about this either – all you need to do is put a longer string of text into your spreadsheet in a designated column for “Comments” or “Extras”, and then merge this field into your letter like it were a postcode. You can then add a line or two of customisation really quickly into Excel, and the mail merge process will guarantee it gets attached to the right letter! Pioneering schoolteachers have been using this technique for years when formulating school reports for classes of thirty kids or so. Much better than just noting “Could do better” each time.

Foursquare, Facebook Places, and the Future of Location-Based Social Media

2010-09-12T20:53:00.001-05:00

Just last week, Facebook launched a new application called Facebook Places and entered the world of geo-location social media. This type of social media has been growing in popularity in the past year, mostly due to another brand of this application called Foursquare. The main idea behind this social medium is that app users can "check-in" at businesses using their cell phones, PDAs, and othe rmobile devices and thereby show to friends and family where they are at any given moment.

As described in this Open Forum article, Foursquare "...is part social tool, part game...mobile applications enable users to connect and compete with friends by updating their location (pinpointed via satellite) in real time. Members earn points and unlock badges by 'checking in' at places ranging from restaurants, museums and nightclubs to florists, grocers and gas stations — otherwise known as your business."

Now you may be thinking, "This can't benefit me as I'm at a professional conference center and market to specific clientele. I don't get foot traffic like stores and restaurants do."

Not the case, in my opinion. To me, this is a win-win for both conference centers and meeting planners. Many meeting planners and site-specialists work remotely and are not on-site to greet participants when they arrive at their chosen conference center. Imagine how easy it would be for that planner to know all of her participants had arrived safely if she just requested that they all check-in using Facebook Places or Foursquare. On the other side of this, conference centers would receive free publicity on those sites once the meeting participants disclosed their location. This could incite more business (or at least website traffic for your center) as the participants' contacts on Facebook and Foursquare would see where they were checked in and grow curious about the location.

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Before jumping onto this new train of social media, it's necessary to do your homework. Facebook Places and Foursquare are not the only geo-location social media sites. Google is a top leader in this technology with Google Places, as is Twitter and Gowalla also feature similar applications. You need to do your research. Facebook's websites is a great place to start. There is a full page dedicated to Facebook Places that explains what this application is and how to use it in full detail. You can access it by going to the Help Center when you are logged into your account. You can also visit http://www.foursquare.com/ to see what their application model is like.

Lastly, another blog posted about this trend last week in an article entitled "What Your Business Should Know About Facebook Places," which you can read by clicking here.

Written by Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Hotel & Conference Center

The Importance of Meeting Planner Feedback in Today’s Economy

2010-09-02T09:08:00.000-05:00

By Joan King

Although booking events continues to be a vital source of revenue for hotels and resorts, meeting planners today have increased bargaining power. So getting those bookings is more challenging—yet it’s only half the battle: since today’s discounted rates increase the cost of customer acquisition, keeping the business is now more critical than ever. As planners lock in attractive rates, exceeding their expectations becomes paramount.
The one common denominator among venues that deliver consistently successful events is having the ability to take the pulse of their customer at any time. Acquiring knowledge about the meeting planner’s experience is an ongoing process that enables critical issues to be identified at any point in the event timeline. This capability enables you to see where revenue is at risk and take action; otherwise, when customers are dissatisfied, few complain and the rest go elsewhere.

Behind the scenes of any great conference event are the savvy venue personnel that plan and host the event, and know how to properly execute from start to finish. Typically that process begins by capturing feedback prior to the event and taking immediate action that will positively impact the client’s perceptions. In fact, much can be learned by getting online feedback before, during and after an event, so that when the next group arrives for the pre-convention meeting, everyone has already stepped up their game.

If an event host does their part and keeps customers happy, that increases the probability that they will book repeat business, in spite of price wars. One way for a hotel or resort to equip their venue for ensured success is finding an advanced online feedback system that streamlines communication, analytically correlates all aspects of service delivery and provides historical data capture for trending and strategic planning—all of which cumulatively enhance relationships with meeting planners.

Bottom-line: Look for a system that can help your organization compete in the meetings business, capture market share, effectively deliver impeccable service and execute service recovery quickly if something isn’t just right. The more advanced systems available today are sophisticated and customizable technologies that are already in production. In addition, having such a system in place enables you to have a repository of valuable competitive intelligence.

Conclusion

Today meeting planners are under pressure to spend dollars wisely and will only patronize hotels or resorts that truly pay attention to their needs and requirements. Today’s more advanced online survey approaches capture continuous feedback and produce actionable information in the form of “hot button” reports—useful information about how venues can improve the service experience, from first contact to event delivery—even in first-time-business situations.

Remember, if you take care of meeting planners, you will be protecting a vital revenue stream that you can’t afford to be without, recovering possible lost revenue and getting an unmatched ROI.

Joan King is Managing Director, Loyalty, for UniFocus. She can be reached at jking@unifocus.com or by phone at 972-512-5169.

Benchmark Hospitality International's Top Ten Beverage Trends for 2010

2010-09-01T14:44:00.003-05:00

Chief Sommelier Mary Watson One of Few Woman Wine Experts in US
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 2010 ... Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading US-based hospitality management company, has just released its Top Ten Beverage Trends for 2010. The beverage trends were released in response to requests following the distribution of the company’s popular annual dining trends this past June.
“This is an exciting time for the beverage industry, with lots of positive changes occurring,” said Mary Watson-DeLauder, chief sommelier for Benchmark Hospitality International. “Some of the changes are economically driven, some taste oriented, and still others created out of necessity in response to changing palates and a new generation of consumers.”

To see the trends:
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2010_3rd/Aug10_BeverageTrends.html

Are Concierges Obsolete?

2010-09-01T14:13:00.002-05:00

Now that travelers and conferees have instant access to mobile apps and mobile-compatible web sites packed with information normally dispensed by the capable concierge, is this position going the way of the dinasaur? Not so fast, says "Hotel Interactive:" http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=18023.

Didn't your mother teach you to share?

2010-08-25T13:46:00.004-05:00

One thing that I love most about the IACC website is the Resource Library Guide. There have been many times in recent months that I've refered to it for best-practice guidelines to help on projects at work. This has ranged from buffet set-ups, to wine tasting ideas, and to helping the Sales team at my property try and book more CMP business. It's an excellent resource for both operations and sales (definitely check it out and spread it around your property if you haven't done so!).

The basis of the Resource Library comes down to one central idea: sharing. This is something that we're all taught when we're young -- share your toys with your siblings, share the sandbox with other pre-schoolers, share the cookies that just came out of the oven and so on.

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I think hospitality is one industry that does an excellent job of sharing information, particularly best practices. Maybe it boils down to personalities that you often find in the industry -- friendly, welcoming, and always trying to satisfy others. That being said, I'm a firm believer in continuous improvement. If you take a look at the Resource Library, it hasn't been updated in quite some time, and I'm sure that you and other team members have generated some fabulous best practices in the past year.

So, I invite you to share new practices! What are some things that you've done at your property that you think could benefit others? No, I'm not asking you to share trade secrets about your company -- just new operation or sales ideas that have been implemented that made you as a property and management team perform better. Sharing ideas is one way to help progress the meeting industry's rebound that I reported on a week ago and also make IACC even more useful to you.
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On a separate but not entirely different note, I also just read a blog post that discussed how Millennials love to share. Whether is updating a status on Facebook, posting pictures of a recent vaction on Picasa, or Twittering what the plans are for the night, Millennials like to let others know what they are doing and learn how others are staying busy. This trait has carried into the workplace, and more than likely will not go away as they age. Read on here to learn more about this trend.

I found this particular comment from one of the blog's readers quite interesting:

"As a Gen Xer I have been slow in coming around to social media. I don't have a Facebook page and for years I have only read blogs. Recently I started my own blog to explore the potential of virtual collaboration. The experience has been liberating. I liked it so much I started a site at work to narrate what I do. The impact has been incredible. People who never would have considered using social media have created their own sites to facilitate collaboration."

So, let's follow suit of the Millennial generation and open up. Sharing ideas throughout the workplace leads to more innovation, happier customers, and hopefully more business. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Source

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Hotel & Conference Center

Intern Models are Coming to IACC!

2010-08-23T10:29:00.000-05:00

The Emerging Trends Committee is currently developing two internship models for IACC properties to utilize: a rotational internship model and a departmental internship model. In the former, the goal is for the intern to intensive management experience in various conference center departments (F&B, Sales & Marketing, Reservations, Accounting, Conference Services, and more) by spending anywhere from one to three weeks per department. The latter model is designed for properties that would rather have an intern focus on a specific area and then receive a broader knowledge base regarding other departments. The models will provide goal tasks that the intern should experience and also list ideas for internship projects, which many college students must complete in order to receive credit for their internship.

These models will not only help IACC properties make themselves more marketable to college hospitality and management students, but will also raise awareness of IACC within the univeristy system. A key concept in both of these models is to teach the interns what the IACC difference is and how it does make a difference in the effectiveness of groups' meetings.

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In case you are on the fence about whether an intern program at your property is a smart move, here's an article that lists 10 benefits of bringing on interns. And while most internships take place during the summer, there are many universities that give students the chance to take a full fall or spring semester off to intern. There are many options out there to make internships work at your property.

Keep checking back for more updates on the models! The next Emerging Trends call will take place on August 31st.

Meetings Industry Making a Comeback?

2010-08-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

There's a good chance that you've already seen this article, even though it was just published yesterday. However, reading it again will probably make you smile since the article suggests that the meetings industry is bouncing back and is on the rise. Though the article focuses mostly on major hotel companies like InterContinental and Marriott, the findings provide a positive outlook for conference centers and meeting planning professionals alike.

Are you seeing a similar rise in group business at your properties? Are you also seeing a rise in transient business?

2010 COPPER SKILLET COMPETITION VIDEO

2010-08-10T11:59:00.002-05:00

Here's a teaser for the full video that can be viewed on the VIDEOS page of the association website at http://events.iacconline.org/videos/.

For more information, please contact Jerry White at jwhite@iacconline.org

Quality Committee Update

2010-07-22T10:26:00.001-05:00

Outstanding service is a vital element of any successful operation. Everyone has experienced a conference where the facilities, surroundings and food were astonishing, but lack of service shattered the overall experience. The Quality Committee held their June meeting on July 1 and hopes to elevate the IACC experience for conferees by greater focus on service. Through the Universal Criteria, the committee already ensures that conference centers users can access facilities and other tools needed to enable the most productive meetings.

Now, we’re beginning the process of developing service recommendations that should assist members who operate high-quality meeting venues to provide their conferee guests with world-class service, too. The next meeting of the Quality Committee is scheduled for July 29.

Written by:
Michael Blackley

Banquet/Conference Center Manager
Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Executive Meeting Center

Green Initiatives from Wyndham

2010-07-09T09:11:00.003-05:00

Per a reader's request, here is a post of green initiatives taking place in the conference center industry. This post focused on Wyndham Worldwide and how they are not only bettering the planet, but also satisfying their clients and guests through their efforts. We welcome any feedback about other companies' efforts and will continue providing suggestions in the future.

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Wyndham Worldwide, was ranked among the top 100 greenest companies and it is part of every hotel's goal in the brand to come up with more green initiatives and implement all those that are mandated company-wide.

Right now, The Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel is Green Certified and we are working on a few strong initiatives including buying local food & beverage products in our "buy fresh" program. In addition, we have an internal "Green Committee" comprised of 10% of the employees. They are responsible for leading our team towards green standard maintenance and creatively incorporating new green ideas into our everyday operations.

Source

We find more demand now from meeting planners required to book their events exclusively at Certified Green Properties. In fact, green certification is one of the initial questions we, as sales managers, receive when responding to inquiries from planners.

Please feel free to read more about our Green Initiatives at Wyndham with the links below:

http://www.wyndhamgreen.com/documents/Wyndhampdf.pdf
http://www.deq.state.va.us/p2/lodging/va_crossings.html

Written by:
Kristen Parr
Sales Manager
Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center

JW Marriott, Morton's, and Cisco -- They're Embracing Virtual Meetings. Is Your Property?

2010-07-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

If you thought virtual meetings only took place in a boardroom, think again. I found an article this past week that highlights JW Marriott hotels and Morton's Steakhouses, and discusses how both chains are adapting to a decrease in business travel by embracing virtual meetings.

The technology that is discussed in this article is not the latest and greatest, yet the idea of implementing it into JW Marriott hotels and Morton's restaurants is new. Both companies are eager to find ways to help the business travelers they do receive at their properties have a more productive stay. They want their guests to be able to do more, even if they cannot meet face-to-face with their business partners.

While no prices are quoted for how much it cost to build these "GoThere" meeting suites at the JW Marriott properties, I'm sure it is substantial. These rooms are very high-tech and outfitted by Cisco, which has built a thousand of similar rooms at its own offices. Marriott's investment in these rooms shows that they feel virtual meetings will continue to increase at their properties, and they are among the first to give the public this opportunity.

What I would personally love to see is the new Cisco Suite at the JW Marriott Union Square. According to the article, the suite "recreates an intimate, face-to-face meeting that can link multiple locations. The room has six large leather chairs arrayed in a semi-circle facing three large screens. Each of those can link to another suite, and the people there appear life size." The other suites that the room can link to are all over the world at other JW Marriott properties.

Source

The article is called "Hotels, even restaurants, embrace virtual meetings as way to profit from business’ lower appetite for travel," and it was published in the San Francisco Business Times. I encourage you to read through it, see what these companies are bringing to the table in terms of technology competition, and think about where you want to see your conference center in two or three years from now. Yes, more and more research shows that meeting face-to-face is more beneficial and productive than virtual meetings, however, data also shows that most companies are still cutting back on business travel.

Leave feedback as to how your conference center is embracing (or not) virtual meetings, and whether or not you can see this type of technology at your property.

Also, happy (late) 4th of July!

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Hotel & Conference Center

Statements to Avoid In the Workplace

2010-07-01T09:14:00.001-05:00

May and June college graduations have come and gone and a new round of Millennials are looking to join the working world (or some may have already joined). Since the positions they acquire will most likely be their first "real jobs," it is imperative to show co-workers and bosses that you are serious, willing to work, and are a team player. There are many stereotypes about the Millennials, including that they are lazy and feel entitled to not work as hard as others. To combat those stigmas, here is a short list of phrases to avoid using in the workplace. They are part of a list of 18 statements to avoid in general conversation, recently released by Real Simple magazine.

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From Real Simple's "18 Common Phrases to Avoid in Conversation":

"Don’t say: “That’s not my job.”
Why: If your superior asks you to do something, it is your job.
Instead say: “I’m not sure that should be my priority right now.” Then have a conversation with your boss about your responsibilities.

Don’t say: “This might sound stupid, but…”
Why: Never undermine your ideas by prefacing your remarks with wishy-washy language.
Instead say: What’s on your mind. It reinforces your credibility to present your ideas with confidence.

Don’t say: “I don’t have time to talk to you.”
Why: It’s plain rude, in person or on the phone.
Instead say: “I’m just finishing something up right now. Can I come by when I’m done?” Graciously explain why you can’t talk now, and suggest catching up at an appointed time later. Let phone calls go to voice mail until you can give callers your undivided attention."

Do you have any other suggestions to add to the list?

Re-tweet this!

2010-06-21T08:52:00.001-05:00

ReTweet this! They may be on Facebook, but they’re not really looking for us…

Meeting venue customers, like just about everyone it seems, have infiltrated social networks fairly heavily, but most of them are not looking for their next venue there. At least not yet.

As part of my MA research project I surveyed nearly 600 meeting venue customers to gauge the extent to which online meeting booking has penetrated the meetings industry. One section of my questionnaire asked respondents of four different generational cohorts to consider their usage of social networks and I think the results should provide pause for thought for venue marketing teams planning and implementing social media strategies.

On average, I found that 69% of respondents operate one or more social networks. 29% of these ‘follow’, or ‘like’ organisations that they have bought from in their personal lives, but only 19% of these use these tools to follow suppliers of theirs from work.

My findings suggest very strongly that social networks are to be considered personal space, and that suppliers are not particularly welcome there. People just don’t seem to want to receive advertising in their personal time in this way. I’m not entirely surprised though, neither do I, if I’m honest.

Of the ‘big three’, Facebook was the most popular amongst the my respondents, with 56% saying they maintained accounts. LinkedIn is used by 36% with Twitter accounts held by 15% of the meeting venue customers surveyed. Other social networks were mentioned occasionally, but none achieved more than 1% penetration.

As might be expected, the highest level of engagement was seen within the youngest cohort, Generation Y, 91% of which operates one social network or more. Although usage of these websites declines as age increases, when it comes to liaising with workplace suppliers, actually, a larger proportion of the so-called ‘Veteran’ generation interact with their business suppliers using social media.

That one did seem unusual, I admit. But perhaps they have only joined these networks recently to see what all the fuss is about. They’re in the unusual position of having less experience of this than their younger colleagues do, so they’re signing up to everything they can to try and absorb as much as possible. Also, fewer of their friends are available to them, so they have more capacity available.

So what are the implications to those of us building a social media strategy? Well, I think they’re pretty clear and quite simple. Work out how your customers want to stay in touch, and make it easy for them (and you) to do so. Some will want emails, some like the telephone, and some like social media, but don’t put all your eggs in one basket and don’t try and force people down a road they don’t want to go down. By all means operate a social network, but don’t be surprised if four out of five people don’t want to join it and don’t dedicate your every waking moment to cultivating it. Take care with LinkedIn too – would you want to share a network of your customers with a network of your competitors, however well you may get on when you meet?

Written by:
James Bland
Group Marketing Manager
The Sundial Group
Highgate House

Creaton, Northants, England

What Goes into Your Recycle Bin?

2010-06-14T14:32:00.001-05:00

If your hotel and conference guests are offered a container for recycling their waste, do they know what to recycle? Do you?

Many recycling regulations vary by state, or even by county. Aluminum soda and food cans are readily accepted by recycling facilities practically everywhere, so recycle away! Newspapers, notebook or printer paper, and small cardboard can also be recycled everywhere. Be sure to communicate to your guests the best way to recycle these items, as they are bound to be used during conferences and meeting events.

Some areas define what types of plastic are recyclable by the small numbers printed on the bottom of the containers – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, with 1 and 2 being the most abundant. Plastic numbered with a 1 is the easiest and most common recycled plastic, as its plastic makes up beverage and medicine bottles and is re-purposed to make winter jackets, comforter fills, and life jackets. Number 2 plastic is usually a thicker material, found in laundry detergent containers and shampoo bottles, and can be recycled to make toys, plastic lumber, and rope. Plastic number 6 is easily made into Styrofoam, packing peanuts, and disposable cutlery.

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Other areas forego the number categorization entirely and create new regulations. In Forsyth County, North Carolina, for example, plastic with a “neck,” or any tapering at an end, is recyclable, and the numbers make no difference. Find out what types of plastic can be recycled in your area and mark it clearly on containers located within your establishment. Mostly everywhere, plastic bottle lids are not recyclable and must be discarded, as they are made of a different plastic, so make sure your bins make this clear.
Knowing what should be recycled and what to throw away will be especially helpful for guests visiting your location from out of town.

Written by:
Alison Shermeta-Gentry
Special Events Account Manager
Graylyn International Conference Center

Has Your Property Ever Been Affected by a Natural Disaster?

2010-06-07T19:55:00.000-05:00

The oil spill that started off the coast of Louisiana in May is affecting hotels and conference centers all around the Gulf Coast. The Knowland Group recently conducted a survey (of only 50 Gulf Coast hotels) and found that 42% were experiencing meeting cancellations. Most cancellations are for the next 6 months, so there may be ways for these properties to maintain their sales and revenue in other ways.

Source

This is a huge environmental disaster and unfortunately it is not something that can be cleaned up in a matter of months, or possibly even a few years. It made me wonder if any IACC properties are being affected by the spill, or if any properties have been affected by similar natural disturbances. Leave a comment about your experiences and any suggestions to help replace the cancelled meetings.

Do We Live In An Age of Distraction?

2010-05-31T10:44:00.000-05:00

On May 9th, President Obama gave the commencement address to graduating seniors at Hampton University. The main topic of his speech was the importance of using the technology we have available as a means to make ourselves and our world better, rather than just a form of entertainment. He called our current time an "Age of Distraction" in which cell phones, TVs, laptops, and iPods all demand portions of our time each day.

This topic is one that greatly affects the conference center and meeting industry. Faster, better technology is constantly demanded in RFPs, and it will only continue to grow. As industry professionals, how can we ensure that we provide the technology that is necessary to make meetings smooth, current, and efficient, but also effective? Is there such a thing as too much technology use in a meeting?

Read through this commentary, "Meetings in the Age of Distraction," and leave comments!

Also, Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all veterans and those currently serving our country!

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Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Hotel & Conference Center

Telephone Tips

2010-05-27T07:42:00.000-05:00

Seeing as the Emerging Trends Committee has a conference call scheduled for today, I thought this article was quite timely. The following tips provide some good guidelines for how to hold more effective calls that maximize input from the group and minimize lost time. Tip 5 caught my eye as there has been so much talk recently on how technology is changing the way we meet. These are good things to share with clients and co-workers alike.

Source

10 Rules for Effective Conference Calls
Written by David Lavenda

1. Keep statements short and ask for frequent feedback

When many people participate in a call, it is easy for minds to “wander.” Keep your statements short. Ask for feedback frequently. Ask direct questions. Don’t ask, “Are there any questions?” but rather, “Dan, what do you think about this phase of the project plan; are we under-budgeted?”

2. Don’t use slides if you can avoid it

Looking at slides laden with text is really, really boring. You can easily kill a discussion with slides. And worse, you can’t even control what people are looking at – most of them are skipping ahead to see how much pain they will have to endure. The smart ones will clock the amount of time spent on each slide, then extrapolate to calculate how long the torture will last.

3. If you must show slides, don’t send them ahead of time.

Don’t send slides ahead of time. You blow all your ammo before you get your partners on the phone. They will probably have gone through the deck before they get on the line – freeing them up to read email, news, or play Solitaire while you drone on and on.

Even if you don’t send slides ahead of time, try not to subject people to slides via WebEx or GoToMeeting either. Rather, use primary sources of data. For sales calls, show real product demos, for project meetings, show project graphs, high-level financial information, etc. If you must show slides, limit them to just a few and make sure that these rock. Slides aren’t a crutch for not being prepared. Rather, they are an aid.

If participants want the slides, send a set that summarizes the call, after the call. This will serve as a meeting protocol. Even if they don’t look at them right away, it represents a good summary for future reference.

4. Send out an agenda ahead of time and stick to it

Whether a sales call, status meeting, product feedback meeting, support call, etc. – make sure you have an agenda so everyone knows the purpose of the call, approximately how long it will last, and what they are expected to prepare before the call. This reduces anxiety for all. When people dial in to an audio call, they don’t have the visual cues that are present with a face to face meeting – the added clarity of the agenda makes the call go smoother.

5. Use video if possible

DARA

Frank, what do you think?

(No answer.)

DARA

Is Frank still on the line.

(More silence…)

FRANK

(Fumbling to unmute his phone)

Oh, sorry, did someone ask me something? I had the phone on mute.

Since you don’t have visual cues on audio calls, people mute their phones and tune out. Then they do really important things, like play video games, carry on parallel conversations, or just sleep. Providing visual cues through video keep participants engaged. Skype and other VOIP services offer video as a basic service – there is no reason not to take advantage of it.

6. Let the participants know if you are recording the call

Some companies record calls for a variety of reasons (to retain summaries, for training purposes, etc.) – if you are on the call with people from other companies, make sure you let them know you are recording the call…and make sure they are okay with this.

7. Start on time

MIKE

Is Bob on the line?

(No answer.)

MIKE

Bob?

(Very long silence.)

MIKE

Can someone call Bob on his mobile and see why he isn’t dialing in?

If you calculated the amount of time wasted waiting for people on conference call in your company, you would be amazed. 6 people waiting 10 minutes, is 1 hour of productivity in the toilet.

8. Make sure the moderator dials in early

KATIE

Hello? Anybody else there?

HEATHER

Anybody there?

TOM

Yoo hoo?

(All three wait on the phone, listening to the Scorpions’ ‘Still Loving You’ loop over and over, until the moderator joins.)

9. Don’t dial in from a mobile phone

Don’t dial in from a mobile phone or from a land line in a noisy place. If you must call from a mobile phone, make sure you are in a quiet spot, that you have good cell coverage, and that you have a full battery (or a recharger). There is nothing more annoying than background noise on a call. It’s hard enough to concentrate on a clear line, with many people on the line.
10. Set limits on call duration

This is even more important than setting time limits for face-to-face meetings, since the amount of energy lost in a call exceeds that of meetings. The lack of feedback is a huge energy zapper. Limit calls to reasonable lengths so folks know what to expect.

Do you have any additional tips to add to this list? Or, any funny stories from conference calls gone wrong?

Gen Y Stereotypes

2010-05-25T07:25:00.000-05:00

At the Annual Summit in March at Eaglewood Resort & Spa, I attended a workshop entitled "Get Wise With Gen Ys." It was a great class that centered around the three main generations currently represented in the workforce -- Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y (or Millennials).

The facilitator went through a series of Powerpoint slides that showcased the major social, technological, and cultural impacts that influenced each group. Later on, we discussed stereotypes that the generations are associated with. Stereotypes for Gen Y were that we are lazy, do not react fast enough to problems, and do not seem to show enough emotion or care in the workplace. Being a member of this generation and knowing my own work ethic, I disagreed. But, many of the Generation X'ers and Boomers alike continuously mentioned these descriptions, so obviously there must be some truth behind them.

This blog post, "Do We Get Gen 'Why?'",came out on May 20th in the Harvard Business Review and divulged other Generation Y stereotypes. Please read through and leave some comments as to whether you agree or disagree with the sterotypes presented. I know that many IACC properties now have Gen Ys working at their properties, and I am curious to hear about how they come across to other generations.

Tips for Mentoring Millennials

2010-05-12T22:04:00.002-05:00

According to an article in the most recently published Harvard Business Review, “in four years, millennials — the people born between 1977 and 1997 — will account for nearly half the employees in the world.”

Does this make you nervous? If so, you're not alone. This change of generations in the workforce will affect many common business practices, one being mentoring. Typically when one thinks of "mentoring," the thought of an older, wiser professional molding a young protege to be his or her successor comes to mind. The Business Review's article challenges organizations to break through that old stigma, and to focus on generating more creative ways of mentoring. The goal? Making Millennials feel valuable, letting them share their fresh outlooks on their workplace, and providing personal and career development.

Source

The following are the three different types of mentoring suggested in the article:

1. Reverse mentoring -- Let the young employee teach the old dog some new tricks. Millennials can offer new insight into workplace processes and provide input on how to make things better.

2. Group mentoring -- With a smaller amount of more experienced professionals available (due to the Baby Boomers retiring), this can provide Millennial employees with the mentoring experience they desire in the form of a peer group. One senior employee can host roundtable discussions or a forum for multiple mentees at once. To me, this sounds like a great idea since Millennials are very social and like to give and receive feedback from many individuals.

3. Anonymous mentoring -- This is new to me but sounds very interesting. Matching companies conduct behavioral tests to match Millennial employees with an anonymous mentor outside of their organization. One benefit of this according to the article it "ensures mentors have an agenda-free interest in the mentee’s professional development." On the flip side, the younger mentee may be more willing to open up and discuss problems and uncertainties they experience due to the anonymity.

Do you have any tips about how to mentor Millennials? Feel free to leave any ideas or comments!

Written by:
Meghan Bollenback
Food & Beverage Manager
R. David Thomas Executive Hotel & Conference Center

Generation-Based Catering

2010-05-10T21:14:00.000-05:00

Having worked with multi-generational meeting planners and attendees I have noticed there are distinctive trends in their conference needs;

The Generation “Y” conferees :

• F&B - Healthy protein rich foods are a first priority for this generation. Power bars, fresh fruit and crisp greens keep these conferees satisfied and their mild appetites assist in maintaining a healthy food cost for proprietors. I mean come on they are really still on liquid diets (i.e. red bull, mountain dew, smoothies, starbucks and of course MGD or a good glass of vino)

• Internet & Technology - Internet access is a must! Generation “Y” conferees must have uninterrupted lightening speed access to fulfill their connection needs.

• Conference Start times– When hosting a generation “Y” conference be sure to schedule some conference staff late to host what we call the “Night Owls”. This generation likes to work late until their “juices” get flowing after they’ve rushed back to the center after cocktail hour. They treat set up like college finals and burn the midnight oil to be prepared for the next day’s events.

• Recycling – Meeting planners are extremely concerned with recycling programs for their conference. They require recycling stations conveniently located to their meeting and often request pitchers of water versus bottled.

• New on the forefront-“Edutainment”- Some of my Generation “Y” colleagues are even requiring that “entertainment” learning tools are placed at the break stations and on the tables next to the pens and mints. One meeting requested that we have silly putty on each table so that the participants could expand their thoughts.

The Baby Boomer conferees:

• F&B – Delicious comfort foods with elaborate presentations are often a requirement for this generation. Unlike Generation “Y” this group would be more satisfied with a lunch buffet to include pasta, fried chicken and sweet treats for dessert.

• Internet & Technology – While internet access has recently become a standard demand generally Baby Boomers still only need it at their breaks as 40 percent of them are checking “blackberries”. The other 60 percent are looking for bathrooms and really using the time to person to person connect.

• Conference Start times - This group prefers to have early set up times (and they pay for them) so that any additions or set ups can be correct by 6pm at the latest so that all is right in the world when they set foot on the conference floor at 6am SHARP!!!

• Recycling-While many in this generation started the movement many are still lukewarm to the cause. We see fewer requests for sustainable options. They are good with recycling bins, but there is still cache in having “bottled water” (especially if it’s sparkling) at the meeting sets. This is not to say that they are not excited when the salesperson walks them thru our “green” efforts.

Written by:
Mike Blackley
Banquet/Conference Center Manager
Hilton Washington D.C./Rockville Executive Meeting Center

No Laptops Allowed...the Other Side of the Technology Debate

2010-05-05T07:08:00.002-05:00

any sessions of IACC's Annual Summit last month in Chicago concerned technology, social media, and their ever-growing role in the conference center and meetings industry. Many conference centers are recognizing that clients desire more technology in their meetings because it allows them to work faster, smarter, and also connect with more people that are not present at the meeting. However, there is a flip side to these benefits. Sometimes, people just want to disconnect and shut off their computers. Read on to learn about a California restaurant owner who refuses to let patrons use laptops while dining. Leave comments as to your thoughts...are you pro-laptops at casual restaurants and cafes, or would you rather disconnect?

From Hospitality Net, May 1, 2010:

San Francisco Bay Area café owner bans laptops. The owner of a North Oakland café is asking customers to leave their laptops at home and actually speak to each other, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

“When we opened this place we wanted to create a community. Instead it’s just been a room full of laptops,” said Sal Bednarz, who opened Actual Café in January. “I don’t have anything against technology, but it’s not the same as looking someone in the eye and pressing the flesh.”

Weekends only patrons (so far) who flip open their laptops will be asked to unplug, sign off and log out. They’ll be encouraged to sit at communal tables and chat. Customers, when pried away from their computer screens Friday afternoon, said they were thrilled at the idea. They said they’re tired of their laptops, iPods and cell phones, too. How is this bold initiative working out? Here are some random comments from customers:

“When I get away from the computer, it’s a relief."
“(A patron without a computer) I’m looking forward to meeting my fellow café denizens.”
Laptops cut people off. I think it forms a social divide. Technology’s great, but there’s a serious social impact.”
“Chatting is now starting to overcome the keystrokes (says the manager at nearby Nomad). It’s really changed the feeling of the place. It’s really nice.”

The owner of Nomad Café - - a neighborhood competitor that opened in 2003 - - became so disenchanted with laptops that he reduced the number of electrical outlets to one.

Perhaps the most compelling reason of all behind the Actual Café taking this step might be to discourage patrons from buying a two dollar cup of coffee and spending all day using a table that could be taken by a customer purchasing lunch, visiting with friends or otherwise spending money and then leaving.

Remember to leave comments about what you think!

7th Habit Suggestions From Industry Leaders

2010-05-03T05:25:00.000-05:00

Follow up from previous post...

I began a discussion at IACC’s LinkedIn Group (http://bit.ly/92iFpW) to see if any of my colleagues could think of a seventh habit. As it happens, they could…

Eric Whitson, who is Director of Sales & Marketing at The National Conference Center in Virginia (host of next year’s IACC Summit), suggested either “FOCUSED”, “PRODUCTIVE” or “COST EFFECTIVE”

Neil Pompan, President at Pompan Hospitality Global and former President of IACC Global suggested “INNOVATIVE”, which he defined as “the ability to always surprise and delight the customer by introducing new ways for them to be successful in meeting their objectives.”

Wendy Butler , Special Initiatives Coordinator at The Johnson Foundation liked “PRODUCTIVE” but threw “EFFECTIVE” into the mix as well.

Saira Banu Kianes, Travel Director & Founder of IMPN thought that “SERVICE ORIENTED” was worthy of mention.

Jeff Farina, who is a Development Professional and Hospitality Consultant added “PERSONALISED” as it “encompasses all of the above traits and is what we are all about in the conference centre industry.”

If you haven’t joined the IACC LinkedIn group then please do – you’ll not find a better network of industry experts anywhere in the world. If you’re a conference centre you can share ideas with like-minded colleagues. If you’re a customer/planner then you get to pick the brains of hundreds of suppliers outside of a pressured sales environment.

James Bland
Sundial Group (UK) Marketing Manager
2009 IACC Global Scholarship Winner

The Six Habits of Highly Effective Conference Centres

2010-05-03T05:18:00.001-05:00

(with apologies to Stephen R. Covey)

It was during a group session at last year’s IACC Global meeting in Denmark that this first came to me. The discussion was under the heading “What will our customers want in 2015?” and as our individual thoughts landed upon the large sheet of paper, I began to see six groups form in front of my eyes. The idea to mimic the world-famous “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” only came to me as I approached the microphone to present our group’s findings to the conference.

It is unfortunate that I was unable to think of a seventh habit, but perhaps with the benefit of hindsight, (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) it was sensible to stick with six to avoid being sued! Not that I’ll be making any money out of this you understand, unless you fancy sending me a cheque, in which case my contact details are pretty easy to find at http://bit.ly/bKUhsv.

So, in 2015…

1. We will be CONNECTED
2. We will be INSPIRATIONAL
3. We will be GREEN
4. We will be FLEXIBLE
5. We will be TALENTED
6. We will be SECURE

These are the headlines. But what does each of them mean?

CONNECTED

We will provide connectivity in our meeting rooms. We will forge strong relationships with our staff, customers, neighbourhoods, suppliers and, yes, competitors. We will keep abreast of developments in the industry by joining, and actively contributing to, associations and forums that influence us. We will network, not only online, but also in person.

INSPIRATIONAL

We will continue to provide inspirational places to meet, work and visit – by deploying the latest technology and innovative design. Furthermore, we will inspire a world-weary, sceptical market of the need to keep meetings and training happening. To do this, we need inspirational people throughout our business, and an inspirational network of suppliers.

GREEN

We will cut consumption and waste. We will recycle more. We will buy more local and seasonal food – trying wherever possible to do this without reducing the variety we offer to customers. To do this, we’ll need to keep our clever chefs.

FLEXIBLE

We will sell what people want to buy. Pretty simple, really, but worth remembering. If someone wants to run their meeting from 2-10 instead of 9-5, we’ll make sure that’s what we offer them. We will have flexible workforces, able to adapt to our quieter times. We will welcome our demanding customers. (Actually, I prefer them – they tell us what other people may be keeping to themselves.)

TALENTED

Again, it’s really not rocket science. Our staff need to be good at their jobs. This means we need to hire the right people. This is a question of attitude – there’s no point hiring someone with lists of qualifications if they are socially dysfunctional – this is hospitality after all. No, we need people with the right attitude to look after people, and an ability to learn. If they have these, we can train them.

SECURE

If you believe everything you read (and most people do), these are scary times. If the terrorists don’t get us, the pandemic influenza will. If you carry cash, you could be mugged, but if you rely on credit cards, you leave an electronic footprint. The threats are not just to individuals, but also to organisations – a perfectly innocent conversation in a bar could result in trade secrets leaking to competitors. We already provide a secure environment where people can work without having to look over their shoulders, but in the future our people will have to reassure, demonstrate and prove this to our customers. We will defeat the invasive paranoia that has contributed so significantly to the global economic turmoil.

Spotted the theme yet? People. Highly Effective Conference Centres will need Highly Effective People. Remember these six habits. Of course you’ve heard them before, but it doesn’t hurt to read them again.

James Bland
Sundial Group (UK) Marketing Manager
2009 IACC Global Scholarship Winner

Get Creative with Your F&B Budget

2010-04-27T09:16:00.001-05:00

I have noticed that corporations and associations alike have a renewed focus on the return on objectives that their meetings provide. This increased pressure for success comes at a time when budgets are low, which means creativity is a must. One area that always seems to be an easy target for cost cutting is food and beverage. However, poor food quality or selection can mean disaster for any meeting. The attendees need to feel well taken care of and comfortable in order to focus on the subject matter of the program.

I found an interesting article on the American Society of Association Executives website, called Creative Ways to Stretch Your Food and Beverage Budget, that speaks directly to this trend. Written by Mr. Jeff Waddle, the article offers useful tips on managing costs. His suggestions are as simple as being creative with centerpieces by making them edible, or replacing bottled water with pitchers.

The recommendation I like most is to work closely with the banquet team at your next function to customize the menu. Allow the vendor to understand your objectives for the event so that he can create a menu that enhances the purpose of the get together. For example, instead of hosting both a cocktail reception and a team building event, why not host a wine pairing contest? This will allow guests to sample delicious wines and hors devours, but also encourages team interaction.

Don’t let a diminished budget stand in the way of an awesome event. A bit of thinking outside the box will inspire creativity to design a memorable and productive event!

Kasey Snyder
Global Sales Manager

Dolce Basking Ridge

Green Meetings

2010-04-21T06:07:00.001-05:00

Though we are perpetually becoming more and more efficient with technology, many meetings big and small tend to rely heavily on disposable materials while communicating information and serving meeting attendees’ needs. We are led to our meeting room by paper signs, wear a name tag covered in plastic, drink from aluminum cans, and follow a presentation on a paper handout. As we continue to be conscious of the footprint each of us leaves on the earth, let’s consider some easy ways to make our meetings “greener” without compromising comfort and practicality.

Consider these tips:

• Offer online registration for attendees on your website

• Make handouts available online and allow internet access to attendees during the meeting

• Offer materials on a removable drive marked with your brand and encourage attendees to take the drives home with them

• If necessary to print, be sure to print double-sided pages

• Have recycling containers for aluminum, plastic, and especially paper available inside the meeting space

• Consider iced water carafes or pitchers on tables instead of bottled water at each place

• Avoid disposable coffee cups, and consider giving meeting attendees reusable coffee mugs marked with your brand at the beginning of a conference

• Offer local food for meals and even snacks, if possible

• Serve condiments in bulk rather than individually packaged

• Choose signage, displays, and decoration materials that can be reused

Alison Shermeta Gentry

Account Manager
Graylyn Estate & Conference Center

Is Malbec the new Merlot?

2010-04-12T07:21:00.000-05:00

Being in San Francisco and working in the industry as a food and beverage manager make it imperative to stay on top of the new trends in the industry. A new beverage trend that is especially prevalent in the media, and I have noticed myself in San Francisco, is a red wine from Argentina: the varietal Malbec. This is a relatively inexpensive wine bursting with fruit flavors with low tannins.

Recently, I have become a fan of Spanish tapas and you can be sure to find at least one Malbec on the wine list. Doing a quick Google search on the topic brought me to an article by the Wall Street Journal entitled Fine Wine on a Beer Budget. This particular article interviewed a wine shop owner in Chicago that had been in the business for three decades. He stated that in the current economic situation his average bottle price had dropped from $25 to about $15 in just a few years.

What is a wine that he recommends that is of great quality and “the new Merlot”? You guessed it, a Malbec. Retailing starting at just over $7 in his store it’s no wonder that this quality varietal has made itself a trendsetter in the industry. So has Merlot and its trendy popularity been replaced by this economical South American based red? Go out have a glass and decide for yourself.

Josh Porter
Mission Bay Conference Center
San Francisco, CA

Did You Miss the Thought Leaders Technology Panel?

2010-04-05T18:22:00.000-05:00

On March 24th at the Annual Summit, eight experts met to discuss conference technology at the Workspring Conference Center in Chicago, Illinois. The theme was “Incorporating Advancing Technology into the Meeting Experience," and focused on how to view technology (such as Twitter, blogs, and Skype) as a benefit to meetings, rather than a hindrance that may lead to less face-to-face meetings.

Source: http://www.agapevirtualassistants.com

The forum was streamed live online and was a huge success according to those that watched at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa. In case you missed it, here's a link that gives a full recap of what the industry experts said. Read the Report on IACC Thought Leaders Technology Panel so that you and your conference center can continue to stay on top of technology!

Annual Summit Re-Cap

2010-04-05T16:49:00.001-05:00

The IACC Annual Summit at Eaglewood Resort & Spa was a huge success! The summit's them of "Not Just Business As Usual" fit perfectly with the shortened conference time. Over 200 IACC professionals gathered to learn about the industry, share best practices, and of course, have a little fun. Over the course of the conference, participants attended a wide variety of workshops -- everything from a marketing and PR focused discussion called Pink Socks and Pocket Protectors to a sustainable food workshop called Catering to the Future. The State of the Conference Center Industry workshop was highly attended and focused on an economic report and analysis conducted by PKF Consulting.

Some of the highlights outside of the classrooms included the Copper Skillet Competion (IACC's version of Iron Chef) featuring extremely talented chefs from around the globe.

The Taste of Chicago dinner feast provided famous Windy City cuisine such as Giordano's pizza, Italian sausages, barbecue ribs, and a make your own risotto station. Also, the closing ceremonies featured an amazing and nail-biting performance by the Jesse White Tumbling Team.

In all, it was a fantastic event and provided me with an incredible opportunity to meet and learn about the industry from seasoned professionals in just a few short days. I look forward to next year's Annual Summit which will be at The National Conference Center in Washington, D.C! Start making your plans now...you won't regret it!

Top 4 Shareholder Meeting Trends

2010-03-14T20:38:00.004-05:00

This article, written just a few days ago, may be of use to many of you out there! Conference centers should see an increase in these types of meetings as the popularity of using resorts for meeting spaces has dwindled. If your conference center will play (or is playing) host to any corporate shareholder meetings, paying mind to these trends will help you stay ahead of the curve and encourage repeat business. Technology and the environment are the main drivers behind these four trends. How can your property help accommodate these needs?

Read on, and if you can add any more thought to this article, please leave a comment!

Top 4 Shareholder Meeting Trends for 2010

2010-03-12T14:36:00.000-06:00

I came across this article last week which discusses how businesses need to adjust to managing an aging workforce. I thought it would be interesting to pass along since a large focus of the Emerging Trends committee is the multi-generational workforce and the challenges that come with it.

Do you agree that many companies have “an antiquated model for dealing with aging, which assumes that people should get pay rises and promotions on the basis of age?” Is this the mindset of your conference center? Of the conference center/meetings industry in general?
For the younger professionals — what difficulties have you faced while managing individuals that are older and more experienced than yourself?
As businesses learn to manage an aging workforce, what must conference centers do to ensure that they accommodate the wide range of needs from different generational groups?

Complete Meeting Experience & Memories -- from former Trendy IACC blog

2010-03-12T14:33:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks have passed since I traveled down south for the January BOD meeting. Though it was a quick trip, it was extremely valuable and really made me feel a part of the IACC family. All the board members were extremely welcoming from the moment I arrived to lunch, the board orientation session, and then the BOD meeting. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to see everyone again in March in Chicago at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa for the 2010 IACC Americas Summit!

The couple days spent in Palm Beach were a huge learning experience for me in many different ways. I learned a lot of information about IACC, what’s expected of me as the new Board Associate for the Emerging Trends committee, and yearly goals for the committee and association. One of the highlights was staying at and touring a fellow IACC property — the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Palm Beach Gardens. From the welcome cookie I received at the front desk to playing Guitar Hero after dinner with other board members, I recognized how important it is for conference center professionals to create complete meeting experiences for their clients.

Creating a complete experience means creating memories in the minds of our clients. I will undoubtedly remember the material and discussions within the two-day board meeting, but those moments were enhanced through various other elements (such as food, entertainment options, etc.) that came during the “down time” outside of the meeting room. The memories I have are very positive and prove that IACC conference centers try to anticipate clients want and need from both the professional and leisure aspects of meetings.

Creating fond memories in your customers’ minds will not only lead to positive reviews of your property and staff, but may also generate repeat and new business as word spreads about your work. So I ask you — what new ideas can you implement at your property to enhance the meeting experience and make it more well-rounded? I am certain that every IACC conference center has room for improvement. Investing some time and creative thinking into this topic will pay off when your clients leave with positive and fulfilled memories of their meeting experience.

Palm Beach Bound -- from former TrendyIACC blog in Jan.

2010-03-12T14:31:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to say a quick hello and introduce myself! As the new board associate to the Emerging Trends Committee for IACC, I am enroute to Palm Beach to attend the winter Board of Directors meeting. I’m currently in the Charlotte airport watching a beautiful citrus colored sunrise on this lovely morning as I wait for my plane to be towed over from the hanger. I have Starbucks coffee and my laptop, so I’m good to go!

So, what is the purpose of this blog? My goal is for it to be used as an online thought center or think tank. I want to engage the members of the Emerging Trends committee to blog about anything and everything they feel may be useful to fellow IACC members. The focus of the blog will be on introducing new trends and studies involving the conference center industry, trends about younger generations, and also any ideas for how to make IACC an important part of these younger professionals’ lives. Then, IACC members from around the world can refer to this blog if they need any insight on how to better their services to both meeting planners and participants.

I am rather new to the conference center industry, yet understand just how valuable belonging to an association like IACC can be. Besides the networking opportunities, standards, and resources that are now at my fingertips, I now belong to an organization that I can support and try to bring some new ideas to. It’s an exciting opportunity and I am very grateful to have it.
Well, I’m about to board now! Thanks for reading and please check back for new posts. I’ll be posting about my time in Palm Beach and my experience at an IACC property — the Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center Palm Beach. See ya soon!

- MB

IACC in the Blogosphere!

2009-11-17T15:45:00.006-06:00

Blog posting from MeetGreen!

"The Code Word is Sustainability!

"If you are looking for a green meeting venue...look no further. The International Association of Conference Centers recently developed a Code of Sustainability for its members and the adoption rate has been outstanding." To read the entire post, go to http://blog.meetgreen.com/

2009-09-02T15:00:00.001-05:00

IACC Board member Lois Berg (Johnson Foundation’s Wingspread) sent us a copy of Forbes magazine’s article “Business Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face.” (Download at
http://www.iacconline.org/content/files/Business_Meetings_FaceToFace.pdf)

The upshot: “Business executives overwhelmingly agree that face-to-face meetings are not just preferable but necessary for building deeper, more profitable bonds with clients and business partners and maintaining productive relationships with co-workers.”

This reinforces the Hilton study, “Why Face-to-Face Meetings Matter” (Download at
http://www.iacconline.org/content/files/WhyFace-to-FaceBusinessMeetingsMatter.pdf)

Still, you’ve got to wonder: if all the studies confirm the value of face-to-face meetings, why do there seem to be fewer of them?

2010 Summit

2009-07-15T15:07:00.005-05:00

Reconsidered, restructured, refocused.

IACC North America’s annual gathering emerged from last week’s planning meeting as a more efficient and streamlined event. After 28 annual conferences, the chapter has swept the name and schedule out the door. In its place emerges the 2010 Summit, set for March 24-26 at Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Itasca, IL.

The Summit schedule trims a half day off the former format — it starts on a Wednesday and ends with lunch on Friday. It shapes up this way:

Wednesday — preconference workshops, a customer event during which IACC members can rub elbows with potential clients, Copper Skillet, opening-night party.

Thursday — General session with keynote, workshop blocks, President’s Reception, Annual Banquet.

Friday — Workshop block, industry-leaders panel, lunch, departure.

You can read the entire article in CenterLines (Download)

The committee is busy selecting workshops for each block. What would *you* like to see offered?

The Beginning

2009-07-15T12:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the IACC blog. Stay tuned for more content!