Discover Gold in Meetings

Face to Face Meetings Will Always Prove Their Value...Just Ask the Kenyan Delegation

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 by Paul Miller

Where are the Kenyans?

That was the question asked two weeks out from the start of the annual gathering of a geothermal energy convention taking place in Sacramento. There was a delegation from Kenya that was supposedly coming to the convention, had found rooms in an overflow hotel, and someone from the convention staff was trying to find out where they were staying, yet none could find them in the hotels surrounding the Sacramento Convention Center.

Alas, the next day, after a few phone calls by one of my Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau colleagues, the Kenyans' reservations were located.

So, today, as I walked over to the Sacramento Convention Center to check on the opening of the convention, there just outside the main doors, standing by the fountains, were the Kenyans. A few of them were chatting with other fellow convention participants and I overheard them talking about a specific type of equipment used in the production of geothermal energy.

And that's when I had one of those "wow" moments.

It struck me right there. These guys flew I-don't-know-how-many hours, went through the visa process, customs, etc. to attend this convention in Sacramento, to meet others from other parts of the world so they could talk and learn about geothermal power. They could have just gone online to research the companies, products, and technologies on display. They could have just read similar presentations in trade journals. They could have just emailed the industry experts with whom they hoped to make contact.

Instead, they left their homes, friends, and family. They left their jobs, where work will be waiting for them when they go back home. But, they knew the value of face-to-face interaction. They decided to invest the money and time to make that personal connection.

We have recently seen evidence that demonstrates the ROI of face-to-face meetings. Heck, I have sold and marketed that value my entire adult life. I KNOW meeting and talking and learning with/from others in person is necessary on many levels. I guess just seeing those individuals from half-way around the world, here in Sacramento for these few days of this convention, brought it to a deeper (no geothermal pun intended) level of understanding and appreciation.

Collaborate on Convention and Meeting Services and Turn Your Conference From Good to Great

Monday, August 9, 2010 by Paul Miller

It's a simple concept -- Contact, Connect, and Collaborate. By asking your CVB representative a simple question ('what other organizations of similar focus and background are considering meeting in Sacramento over over a certain time frame?'), you open the door to some new math with your conference numbers, quality, and attendee value.

Recently, two contacts (I'll call them "John" and "Jim") were in town for a site inspection. They work for an association and were considering Sacramento for a convention during Fall 2011. Like many conference organizers, their primary goals were to look at hotels, see a few Sacramento meeting facilities, visit some off-site event venues, and get a general feel of the activities available. They also took time to meet with a couple of "experts" in the area who are familiar with their association and are nationally recognized for being leaders in their fields. These individuals and their agencies would be key in contributing programming expertise to the conference.

Knowing the Game Plan
John and Jim looked to the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau to help coordinate their meetings, collect hotel proposals, and identify various activity options...and, if that was all there was during the site visit, I wouldn't be blogging about it now because that's a common stopping point; it's where most people's expectations and hopes end when working with a CVB.

However, that ISN'T where the conversation and opportunities ended. A CVB is in a unique position to offer a perspective that can only come from being the "home team." We not only know the playing field, but we know all the players because we're constantly scouting...in essence, we know the game plan, we know which organizations are planning future meetings in Sacramento, their space and accommodations needs, and, most importantly, when they're coming (or even thinking of coming) to the capital city.

Making the Connection
Jim and John are considering Fall 2011 for their conference. My CVB counterpart, Susan, who works with meeting professionals on the east coast was speaking to an agency interested in bringing a conference to Sacramento around the same time. Immediately, Susan and I realized that these two organizations, which have collaborated on projects in the past, didn't know they were independently considering Sacramento for their respective conferences around the same time.

Only a CVB would know such details and make the connection...because we have the only playbook. Well, you probably guess what happened when we gave them the news.

Light bulbs went off over John's and Jim's head. Text messages to their agency colleagues started flying (what did we do before cell phones?!).

It's now quite likely the association and the agency will collaborate and co-host their meetings over the same dates, sharing convention and meeting services.

By combining their respective efforts and areas of expertise, they expect this collaboration will draw their own respective target audiences, but also allow for expanded programming and networking that will attract a wider audience. This will bring more value to their conference attendees and point this conference in a new and more exciting direction.

In several ways for this conference, its organizers and its participants, the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts.

Convention and Meeting Planning Tips for "What If..."

Saturday, May 8, 2010 by Paul Miller

Working day in and day out with meeting professionals, a lot of issues come up that have to be dealt with...are there enough hotel rooms for my group; can the meeting rooms at Sacramento Convention Center fit 100 classroom style; is there an offsite venue that can host a reception but also is fun?

But we rarely discuss the unpleasant "what if?" Consider just the past month of "what ifs":

Legislation was signed in Arizona that caused visitors and groups to pull back from following through on plans for meetings and travel to the state...

http://nbcsportsmedia3.msnbc.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/spt-100505-los-suns1.hmedium.jpg

There's an oil spill (more like a volcano-like expulsion) that could impact the beaches and beauty of some of the Gulf Shores' most loved scenery and communities...

The well has been spewing at least 210,000 gallons per day since an April 20 explosion at a rig 50 miles off Louisiana - 11 people were killed.

Flooding of Nashville shut down one of the country's largest hotels for months and many of that great city's attractions for days.

http://imgsrv.kmox.com/image/DbGraphic/201005/1559513.jpg?1273045733

Just as our economy seems, ever so slightly, to maybe turning a slow corner, these hits to the travel and tourism industries in these communities were not what the doctor ordered. Colleagues and friends are working double-time now to mitigate the circumstances and provide great service to their meetings and conventions customers and tourists. Soon, those cities will overcome these challenges and shine in the end.

As they pick up the pieces, it caused me to wonder how many of the meetings professionals bringing meetings to those areas were prepared for unforeseen incidents and the impacts made upon the plans they had in place for months and years in advance? How well had the hotels, attractions, and CVBs in those destinations put into place emergency and back-up plans for what is now on their doorsteps?

All of us in the travel and meetings industry need to "be prepared" and know what to do when "what if..." happens to our organizations, to our cities, to our hotels, to the vendors and destinations we plan on using in the near future.

A client, friend, industry expert and fellow Packer Backer - Vicky Betzig, CMP - wrote a two-part article for PCMA's Convene magazine that offers some great food-for-thought:

A few takeaways from Part 2 of Betzig's article:

- identify and rank the liklihood of potential risks
- rank the severity and damage those risks could have upon the success of your event
- identify the players on your team and their respective roles
- communicate and update the plan based on changes in the environment
- communicate the plan with the facilities in which you are meeting
- have some awareness and understanding of their plan
- "got insurance?"

(Read Part 2 of full article)

(Read Part 1 of full article)

I allow my selfish thoughts to turn to me, the Sacramento CVB, and the the Sacramento hotel and hospitality community. There's an ostrich-like temptation to keep my head buried in the "nothing like that would ever happen in Sacramento" sand. So very tempting to turn away from the possibility of "what if....?". But that would be foolish.

This opportunity to ask those questions will not be wasted here.

Big Fish - Bigger Networks

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 by Paul Miller

We recently had a prospective convention customer (let's call her 'Ann') come see Sacramento for the first time. Among the impressions with which she walked away was how her convention would garner the city's and entire Downtown convention/visitor package's attention. From the Sacramento Convention Center to the Sacramento area hotels to the attractions and restaurants and other visitor services, Ann's organization and her delegates would be welcomed as the primary meetings and conventions group in the Downtown core.

So why would that matter to Ann? As all/most of us are, she and her organization are facing the question "how do I provide and demonstrate increasing value of participating in my meeting while we're facing tighter budgetary and resource constraints?". One strategic leg towards that goal is to take advantage of relationships and networks.

The meeting professionals who tap into existing relationships are taking the first step along those lines. Moreover, those who recognize that a city's CVB and city leadership (business, government, academic) are able and available to open doors to new and regional experts and markets expand their reach and opportunities exponentially. A city and meetings/hospitality community that are focused on you and your meeting - where you're not just another name on the reader board - offers you that chance to tap into those new networks and opens new doors.

There are the basics on every meeting professional's check-list:

- hotel/facilty options
- rates/prices
- air access
- things to do
- etc.

But by going one or two steps deeper, by considering the ability of a city/community to give you their full attention and support, giving you access to their resources of time, talent, and networks, you and your organization will stand in a stronger position to conduct a conference that will be remembered as unique, rewarding, and a testament to your mission and brand. If they remember that meeting in that light, they'll be more likely to come back for more.