Affordable Meetings National - September 10-11, 2008 - (Page 6)

Wednesday, September 10 Registration Opens: 7:30 am Seminars: 8:30 am – 10:00 am Meeting Planning Fundamentals Vicky A. Betzig, CMP President Meetings Industry Consulting Brookfield, Wisconsin This interactive, fast-paced seminar will provide you with the basics required to effectively plan and produce a meeting. Discussion will focus on the strategic aspects of the meeting – including establishing goals and objectives, incorporating adult learning principles into program content development, and speaker selection. A brief overview of site and facility selection; marketing the meeting; developing your meeting budget, and facility contract components and language also will be included. The session will cover the logistical aspects of planning the meeting, including housing, registration, working with the facility’s staff. It also will provide meeting specifications that incorporate comprehensive information on meeting room set-ups, audiovisual equipment, and food and beverage events that support your meeting’s objectives and provide the atmosphere for optimal adult learning. To close, a brief overview on measuring and demonstrating the meeting’s return on investment (ROI) will be discussed. Meeting Planners and Hoteliers: Creating a Masterpiece Means Sharing Your Paints and Brushes Gary Hernbroth President Training for Winners Danville, California Creating successful meetings and events is like creating a masterpiece on canvas – it means the perfect pairing of paint and brushes. Planners and hoteliers who build effective working relationship with each other can almost guarantee win-win outcomes for themselves and for those who attend the meetings and events that this synergy helps to create. This interactive session focuses on what hoteliers need to have from you, the planner, during both the selling/negotiating stage and the performance/operations stage of a meeting or event. In the former, hoteliers want to know how you make your decisions, the most effective way to reach you, the best way of showing you their venues, products, and services, and what they can do for you that will make you select them from a crowded field. They want to know what you’re willing to negotiate and what may be the sticking points at the bargaining table. During the latter, the emphasis is on working together to fulfill each others’ promises and what each needs from the other. The discussion also will cover the possibility of staff turnover in sales and convention services as well as what you can expect if the hotel is re-flagged or new owners take over. 180 Ways to Transform Your Meeting Sue Tinnish Principal SEAL Inc. Arlington Heights, Illinois Are you looking for some creative ways to liven up and improve your meetings? If you want to add something new to your list of “tried and true” ideas, then this session is for you. We will “walk the talk” during this seminar and involve you in the experience of a “transformed” meeting. You will receive tips on speaker introductions, ideas for presenters, technology tips, icebreakers, networking ideas, using color and sound, as well as new twists on the familiar. After participating in this session and experiencing some of the creative ideas and techniques discussed, you will be able to enhance your meetings by creating a plan to implement great new ideas into your events. In other words, this is an opportunity to transform your meetings and shine. Stay out of Court: Ten Contract Tips to Avoid Litigation John S. Foster, Esq., CHME Attorney and Counselor at Law Foster, Jensen & Gulley, LLC Atlanta, Georgia Understanding hotel contract fundamentals is critical to both planners and suppliers. This session is for novices, and pros who need a refresher course on the basics. It covers legal tips every meeting professional must understand to avoid expensive lawsuits and survive in today’s business climate. The session focuses on contract formation and revision issues, how to sign contracts correctly, the importance of option deadlines and the mail box rule, understanding indemnification language, understanding the elements of attrition and cancellation clauses and the concept of damages versus penalties, and knowing what’s enforceable. This 6 Your e-badge will arrive via email prior to the show.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Affordable Meetings National - September 10-11, 2008

Affordable Meetings National Resources Invaluable Information Schedule of Events Wednesday, September 10th Thursday, September 11th Exhibitor List About HSMAI Housing and Travel

Affordable Meetings National - September 10-11, 2008

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