Essential Tips for the Volunteer

or Occasional Meeting Planner

How to Look Like a PRO

Add June webinar banner when complete

Bri Mouton

CMP, CPCE

National Sales

Manager

San Diego Tourism

Authority

Our Guest Today

On-line industry

approved resources

How CVB/DMOs serve you as consultants

Our Webinar Roadmap

What to know before

you send your RFP

The 5 W’s

Understanding

Internal Expectations

WHERE will we

consider holding the

meeting?

WHY are we having

this meeting?

WHEN can we hold

the meeting?

WHAT type of event

are we trying to

execute?

WHO will attend?

Just a few other things

to consider…

Stop Reinventing the Wheel

RFP: Inspection Checklist

Contact Info (host, third party, key person)

Event Profile Market segment

Total Attendance

Organization Overview

Event Overview

Event Goals

Attendee Demographic

Accessibility/Special Needs

Hot Buttons-what’s important

RFP Information RFP Decision Date

RFP Decision Process

RFP Special Requirements

RFP Submission Instructions

RFP Preferred Method of Communication

Location of person signing contract

Room Block Desired Dates

1st choice, 2nd choice, & 3rd choice

Dates to Avoid

Locations Under Consideration

Locations (recent & upcoming)

Room Block (day by day, room type, suites, staff)

Desired Room Rate Range

Rate Net or Commissionable

Rate-each pay own or master

Room Rate History

Concessions-prioritize

Headquarter Hotel (citywide)

Housing Method (citywide)

Event History (venue, city, start/end date, attd, room nights, F&B spend and day-by-day room pickup)

Event Space Requirements (day, function type, setup, #attd, start & end time, 24 hour hold)

Source: Complied considering EIC APEX RFP Workbook http://www.eventscouncil.org/

Keep Your Eye on Your Budget

Don’t go the site inspection alone

Anticipate Red Flags

Resources

DMAI’s empowerMINT blog

http://blog.empowermint.com/

Events Industry Council (EIC)

http://www.eventscouncil.org/

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) http://www.mpiweb.org/Home

American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) http://www.asaecenter.org/

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) http://www2.pcma.org/

We are the best FIRST point of

contact to help planners FIND the

right fit for ANY SIZE meeting.

CVB Promise and Value

To Planners

• Local expertise

• Extensive in-market relationships

• Comprehensive view of the destination

• Free to you!

Call Your CVB First

• Educate you about the hotels

• Help you understand the desirability and fit of your meeting for the different types of hotels

• Discuss the seasonality and pattern preferences of the hotels, especially if lower rates are a priority or preferred date availability is an issue

• Help you tweak your RFP to be destination-specific

• Distribute your RFP to the hotels you want to consider, and follow up with them to be sure they are responding in a timely and complete manner

• Lobby on your behalf

• Set up your site inspections and coordinate your visit to the destination

• Intercept hotel questions and collect responses so you’re not inundated with emails or phone calls

www.empowerMINT.com

• Review at-a-glance destination

profiles

• Get destination news

• Find your Destination Expert

• Search and compare

• Submit a Quick Request or RFP

to multiple destinations

Keep in Touch

Email contactus@empowermint.com

Podcast Meeting Planning Madness

blog.empowermint.com/podcast

Blog blog.empowermint.com

Web

www.empowermint.com

LinkedIn DMAI’s Network for CVBs

and Meeting Professionals