Ok, I know, I have not posted a new blog in quite some time, but business calls!  I find long plane flights  allow me more time to share with you.

While thinking about what to post this week I thought of one of the most important characteristics that you need in order to make sure there is clarity between you and the venue for your next event or function. Do you know how to speak hotel lingo?  You should be able to speak “the venues language” because whether you know it or not, it is truly a dead giveaway and becomes very apparent that you are a novice and not a professional planner.  Trust me THE VENUE KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE!!!

Do you know:  How many cups in a gallon of coffee? The term CASH IPO, Incidentals, or 3 per 8 foot means?  Many of you might, most do not….

I have spent 9 of my 24 years of my planning career working for the hotel business…deliberately!! Let me tell you how tough that departure was after being a snot-nosed corporate planner in the beginning of my career to no longer being the client. RUDE AWAKINING! I realized quickly how crappy of a planner I was (and I had 5 years of planning under my belt!) I was such a “know it all”…I thought! I had no idea how to talk the talk…

Once you learn the proper terms and phrases you quickly and clearly get what you need. I remember how embarrassed I was when I realized I was using layman’s terms in planning prior to the hotel business. Not to mention I am SURE they took great advantage of me.  Being in the hotel business made me a better negotiator, more educated about the operations side of a venue, which ultimately made me a better planner and facilitator.

I get a big kick out of people you claim they are “meeting planners” but cannot “talk the talk”.  I have an inner giggle, but always feel compelled to educate them on the proper terminology.  What can I say? I want to make sure that they don’t get taken advantage of.

Educating yourself is very wise going into your event. Let’s face it, hotels and conference centers are in it to make money too.  If you don’t know how to speak their language, you will spend more money and more time on your event then you should.

Until my next planning point!

Heather

To get more information on Heather’s Products, Coaching Program or Event Management Services please feel to email her office at support@kruegermeetings.com or call the office at 630-816-1269.

Keep in mind that location is really everything when planning your next event or seminar and should be thought out thoroughly and not randomly.  Do you go west for the ambiance; do you go central because it is closer to home? Do you head to the east coast cause of the attraction or south because of the warmth?

The answer?  All the above! Dependent on: 1. The time of year 2: What days of the week is the actual event? 3. Who is giving deals?  4. The proper assessment of your database or mailing list.  There are so many different attractive cities for the promoter and the potential attendee, but you need to know where the best place is at the right time of year or even with the days of the week.

Many secondary cities are great for the “deal’s” primarily because they are not major convention cities.  South and West are great during the cold months for the obvious reasons (but it’s gonna cost ya!), and the Midwest is usually a winner spring/fall because of weather and it is centrally located for everyone to get to.  But if you want the deals in major cities do you know what time of year or days of the week that you would approach the potential venue for the best negotiable rates and concessions?  This information is imperative to know when planning your next event for it will keep you from spending unnecessary money and won’t keep you from getting the best deals and concessions!

Hint: It is called a cusp!

Until my next Planning Point!

Heather!

**To find out more about this planning point or would like to schedule a consultation with Heather, please call 630-816-1269  or email support@kruegermeetings.com.**

When planning your next event, especially if you have food and beverage functions, it is highly imperative that you get a good grip on your numbers for those types of special events.

Let’s take a real scenario… I am planning what I believe is a 250 person dinner to the tune of a couple billion dollars a head for the meal. Pretty much a week out from our arrival, the client informs me that they are a bit “unaware” of their actual numbers for this dinner. Ummmm OK. I said, “So how many people are you anticipating now?” “About 400,” she said.

Gulp!

Immediately, two problems come to mind. Since the contract was originally negotiated for 250 people, the venue has placed us in a room to accommodate us as such. So we need to find out: (1) Will the room accommodate more; (2) If not, do they have another room that will?

Another thing that comes to my mind is we need to make sure the hotel can accommodate food-wise for our increase in attendees. The hotel, just as a side note, shops and preps these types of functions 5-7 days in advance.

Keep in mind because they prepare the food a week or so in advance, there is no telling if the additional people that we are now accommodating will actually get the same food (read: deep fried chicken fingers and some butter noodles – ick).

Or, if we give an over count and the people do not show, the client has now paid for food that no one is eating. That can be a big ouch to their wallets.

Long story short – the client ended up spending $4800 extra because they had 40+ open seats!!

Bottom line? If you do not stay on top of your numbers or there is not an option for the attendee to tell us “yes they are coming” within the registration process, you could be liable for hundreds (or thousands) of more dollars spent. Either way it causes embarrassment to the client, the planner, and the attendee.

….and that is my planning point of the week!

Until next time!

Heather!

**To find out more about this planning point or would like to schedule a consultation with Heather, please call 630-816-1269  or email support@kruegermeetings.com.**