MARKETING THE INDUSTRY SEGMENTS

4.09 Describe meeting planning in the travel industry.

Terms related to meetings

•Meeting: A gathering of people for a common purpose

•Breakouts: A term used to describe small-group meetings that are held as part of a general convention

•Booth or Stand: The display space rented by a vendor at an exhibition

•Clinic/Workshop: A small group session of intense study or training that emphasizes an exchange of ideas or demonstration of skills

•Conference: A large meeting convened to deal with a specific problem or development

•Convention: A meeting involving a general group session followed by committee meetings in breakout rooms

•Corporate meeting: A meeting held for the employees of a company or for the stockholders and/or board of directors

•Congress: An international term used for meeting

•Exhibition: A display of goods and services staged as part of a convention or conference

•Exposition: A gathering of people, activities, products, and other components of interest

•Forum: A meeting involving discussion on a specific issue, usually led by panelists and involving audience participation

•Incentive travel: A motivational tool or reward given to employees who achieve a specific goal

•Panel: A meeting in which at least two speakers give their viewpoint on a particular subject, followed by discussion among the speakers and the audience

•Planning: Setting goals and implementing strategies to achieve the goals of a meeting

•Symposium: A formal meeting arranged to discuss a specific issue

•Seminar: An informal meeting in which participants hold discussion under the supervision of a leader

•Teleconference: A meeting involving participants in several locations simultaneously using advanced communication technology to hear and sometimes see each other

•Trade show/fair: A meeting that features freestanding vendor displays and booths

Purposes of meetings or conventions

1.To inform sales staff about new and improved products

2.To share scientific discoveries

3.To train employees

4.To motivate employees

5.To evaluate current activities

6.To reward outstanding performance

Tasks involved in planning meetings

1.Pre-meeting activities

• To establish meeting objectives

• To organize strategies

• To plan meeting date and agenda

• To predict attendance

• To determine cost and set meeting budget

• To select meeting location and facility

• To negotiate for services

• To plan travel to and from site

Tasks involved in planning meetings

2. On-site activities

• To meet with suppliers and set up facility

• To register attendees

• To conduct meetings

• To take down any displays that were used for the meeting

(cont.)

3. Post-meeting activities

• To evaluate the meeting

• To provide recognition and appreciation

Meeting planner: A person who coordinates all aspects of a meeting to ensure that the meeting is productive and that the sponsor gets good value for the money spent

•Association executives

•Corporate meeting planners

•Independent meeting planners and consultants

Activities of meeting planners

A. Plan the agenda

B. Arrange lodging for attendees

C. Plan food

D. Make travel arrangements

E. Design the layout of exhibition space

F. Arrange security

G. Coordinate entertainment

H. Promote the event

I. Provide for special needs of attendees

Locations for meetings

•Convention center

•Convention center and hotel

•Civic Center

Convention center: A large building, not including hotel rooms, to hold large meetings, conventions and trade shows

•M.C. Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem

•The Charlotte Convention Center

•Greensboro Coliseum and Exhibition Building

•Raleigh Convention & Conference Center

•Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

•McCormack Place, Chicago

•Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York City

Convention center and hotel: Lodging and meeting facility where the majority of the total occupancy is generated by conferences

•Joseph S. Koury Convention Center and Sheraton Four Seasons, Greensboro

•Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center, Atlantic Beach

•Grove Park Inn, Asheville

•Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Civic Center: A facility similar to a convention center where meetings, exhibitions, and trade shows may take place

•Meetings are not necessarily the primary source of income.

•Cultural and sporting events are also held at civic centers.

Marketing strategies used by meeting planners

•Advertising in special meeting planners’ journals such as Meetings and Conventions, Successful Meetings, Meeting News

•Exhibiting at major trade shows/expositions

•Personal selling to individual planners such as local convention and tourism bureaus, corporate leaders and the industries they serve

•Creating publicity/public relations by making the best possible use of all the industry services and available facilities