On Budget
As meeting planners I know the word “budget” can cause a bit of teeth gnawing and jaw grinding. You can create the best, most awesome, outrageously amazing meeting, but if it does not come in on or under budget, those powers that be will not be very happy.
The next time you are in budget mode, keep these thoughts in mind.
Ask, then ask again: Hotels have many hidden fees, so make sure you get all the facts up front. Asking, “Are there any additional charges we have not talked about?” – then asking the same question a few more times in the process is a good idea. You have an entire organization looking to you to be the expert and in the know, do NOT be shy about getting all the charges up front and in writing!
Plan for Attrition: Attrition can create a lot of angst. By building a line item into your budget that accounts for 10 percent over and above your room fees, you give yourself some wiggle room.
Make a Few Phone Calls: You are so busy, but what if you made just a few phone calls to make sure that in-house services offer the best pricing. Check out local audio-visual companies, for example, or any other services that you could enlist outside the hotel. You may be surprised and that extra phone time could save some real dollars.
Pay for What You Get: Pay for items based on consumption. Let’s face it, if you pay for xx bottles of water, but only drink a portion of them, are you going to ship the extras back to the office?
Just In Case Line Item: It is not a bad idea to build in some line items for the “just in case this happens we will be charged this.” Pay attention to these items in the contracts you sign, and then build them in so that you are ready and not blindsided.
Keep Track: By keeping records of what your group consumes you will be better prepared for each additional year. Get a bit granular, for example, how much regular or decaf coffee does your group drink, how many cartons of yogurt do they eat, how much beer or wine is consumed? Ask the hotel to help you gather this information at the end of the event. It will definitely help you to be much more in line with your budget for years to come!
Connect with a Value Add Partner (who knows her stuff!): As a site selection manager, I have read hundreds of contracts; I bring great value to YOU and will help you to stay on budget (without adding to your bottom line). Give me a call, 636-797-3405, or email me today!
Must Have Technologies for Meeting Planners (and the next must have step to take)
There are many technologies that will make your meeting planning life so much easier. If you are not up on these technologies, then here is a soft nudge to get you moving in the right direction. Don’t get left behind!
Smartphones: If you are not packing a smartphone in your tote, then what are you waiting for? Smartphones have moved into the must-have arena. If you are still running around looking for house phones in the meeting room and waiting for the concierge to give you the name of the closest florist – yikes! A smartphone can turn the things you need right now into a close at hand reality. The next step: Get your hotel contact and meeting team to download the Voxer app to their phones. Now you can do quick messaging back and forth, while running around creating meeting magic!
Virtual Events: Okay, sure, lots of reports on budgets are coming back on line so meetings can happen. But the recession gave us some great lessons in streamlining. Webinars and on-line events can be a fantastic time and money saver for all involved. Get your feet wet in the virtual world today and put on your own online show. The next step: check out Join.me, it’s free (pro accounts with additional features are available), you can invite up to 250 people, they can even attend via their tablet or smartphone with the mobile app!
Social Media: Of the too-many-to-list here talents that a meeting planner must have, ranking close to the top are amazing communications skills and the ability to connect people with people, products, concepts and more. Social Media could not be a better fit! It’s easy to communicate your message in short, interesting, relevant bites and nothing connects further or wider than social media! The next step: create a Facebook Group and a Twitter Hashtag for your next Event!
Ipad or Tablet: There was a time where the meeting planner was pretty easy to spot; just look for the person carting a wheel barrel’s worth of paper around with them. Now those reams of paper can be digitally translated into a tablet. The next step: Get awesome apps to streamline everything. Here is a great place to start.
Cloud Service: Having an Ipad or Tablet naturally leads us to “the cloud,” as we cannot store our documents and such on a tablet, but we can store it and access it from a cloud storage service. Top picks are Dropbox, Apple’s iCloud, and Google Apps. The next step: Becoming comfortable with using your tablet like you would a laptop, and for this you will need a slick keyboard like the iType from ION.
I am extending my Happy New Year Contest! Make sure to comment for an entry. How many of these technologies do you regularly use? Which do you like or not like? If I am missing something vital, then please tell us. Let’s hear from you!
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