Meeting News - February 2, 2009 - (Page 40)

Live from the Forum @ MeetingNews.com TOPIC: What Makes the Perfect Attendee? I am on a list for those who work in the arts. A question was asked (about “the perfect patron”), and a discussion was started that I thought would lend well to our discussions here. I wonder how often, if ever, meeting participants are ever really considered. Joan Eisenstodt, Owner, Eisenstodt Associates, Washington, DC Do you have a burning question to ask your peers? Log on to the MeetingNews Forum to get answers fast. meetingnews.com/forum I just ﬁnished teaching a CMP Boot Camp, where we discussed adult learners. If we look at the literature, which talks about the diversity in learning styles, how physical environments affect meetings, etc, I feel we cannot expect, nor do we want, the “perfect meeting attendee.”What makes learning fun for me is to see the differences in how people take in information and how they navigate a program. If we had “Stepford attendees,” would there be passionate discussions about topics? People attend a meeting for different reasons: People who want to be chair of the board may not even care what is on the agenda, as they are too busy shaking hands and collecting votes; people who are there to network may be loud and boisterous in the hallways and at the registration desk because they are reconnecting, etc; those who are there to learn may not want disturbances, etc. Next, there is the whole question of how to meet varied needs and expectations of attendees. If people come to the registration desk in a foul mood because their plane was delayed, were walked to another hotel the night before, or Starbucks didn’t have their favorite coffee, or their badges are wrong because their assistants forgot to include “Ph.D.” on the registration, I feel it is an opportunity to welcome them to the meeting, see if there is anything we can do, and get them in the right frame of mind to help meet their expectations. Perfect meeting attendee, no, but an attendee nonetheless. Finally, if we had perfect attendees, we would not learn in our jobs and we would not have awesome stories to share (which brings us together as meetings professionals). There are too many factors (sociological, psychological, physical, etc) that inﬂuence attendee behavior. We cannot control the Quirky Professor or the Negative Nelly, but we can anticipate their behavior and be prepared. Everett T. Shupe II, CMP, Learning Events Manager Goodwill Industries International, Rockville, MD Great response, Everett! I wrote an article a couple of years ago that is along the lines of the perfect attendee. It speaks more to recommendations for ﬁrst-time attendees or for people that have a difﬁcult time getting approval to attend. Here’s the link: www.velvetchainsaw.com/articles/conference_ attendance_ROI.pdf. David Lutz, Managing Director, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, Aurora, OH depends on two things: (1) How big the show is and how much they want to spend on legal fees to vary their boilerplate contract, and (2) how much empty/unsold booth space they’re sitting on that they want to unload. I have had good luck negotiating as long as what I’m asking for are “soft costs” (i.e., where having one more person in a conference session doesn’t add to the cost of the session) versus “hard costs” (things such as meals or services the show manager is being billed actual dollars for). Candy Adams, CTSM, CME, CEM, CMP, CMM, a.k.a. “The Booth Mom,” Trade Show Consulting, Deﬁance, OH I can’t speak for all shows, just my own. To me, there is a big difference between asking for additional conference badges or having a “move list” for space that gets canceled after booth assignment, versus asking for a height variance that gives one exhibitor an unfair advantage over other exhibitors (pun intended). In our case, we work very hard to leave exhibitors the freedom to be creative. However, once the contract is made, we expect our exhibitors to abide by the contract terms and the show rules. Candy’s approach sounds like asking for non-emergency waiver of trafﬁc rules—you won’t get them at our shows. Tony Maiorino, Senior Director, Expositions and Meetings Scherago International, Jersey City, NJ TOPIC: Negotiating Booth Space am looking for some input regarding negotiating an exhibit-space contract for a trade show. I would like to add an addendum regarding cancellation, noise, space, etc. I know hotels will work with their contracts, but are trade show organizers able and open to negotiate terms? Dominic Breloski II, Corporate Trade Show and Event Planner Mana Products Inc., Long Island City, NY I Even in this economy, I’m still not seeing a lot of negotiation power by exhibitors in regard to basic space-contract costs. Some things I have recently negotiated are upgraded ﬂoor location through “wait-listing” after initial contract signing, reduced-price sponsorships, and free or reduced-cost advertorial space in show dailies or show management-owned publications. I’m sort of famous (or should I say infamous?) for asking show managers for things such as exhibit height variances, waiver of fees such as catering cleanup fees or show-mandated general liability insurance when my client already carries sufficient insurance, and early move-ins without penalties to accommodate more straight-time labor to install our exhibit. Truthfully, how much you’ll be able to negotiate with show management MEETING NEWS (ISSN 0145-630X, USPS No.356-010, February 2 2009, Vol. 33, No. 2 is published semi-monthly except for January, June, August, November and December, which is monthly, by Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595, tel. 646-654-5000. Subscriptions are offered free of charge to individuals actively engaged in planning meetings or conventions in the U.S. and Canada. The cost of a subscription to non-qualiﬁed subscribers is $79 in the U.S. and $95 in Canada (Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40031729). 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Box 1189, Skokie, IL 60076-8189. 40 MeetingNews February 2, 2009 www.meetingnews.com http://groups.google.com/group/MiForum http://www.meetingnews.com/forum http://www.velvetchainsaw.com/articles/conference_attendance_ROI.pdf http://www.velvetchainsaw.com/articles/conference_attendance_ROI.pdf http://www.meetingnews.com

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