Courtesy of JK Design

Martha Marchesi is CEO and Jim Galligan is Director of Creative Strategy at JK Design, a full-service creative agency with a powerhouse roster that includes Johnson & Johnson, Philips, Priceline, Prudential, ADP, Tiffany & Co. and more. A veteran of Madison Avenue, Martha is a master brand storyteller, strategic and creative expert and accomplished thought leader. The firm’s mission is to measurably favorably impact clients’ brands, businesses and bottom lines. Connect with her at JKDesign.com. 

In modern society, building an inclusive employer brand should be considered mission critical for businesses large and small. The most successful companies are the ones that see challenges and opportunities from many different angles, and having a diverse employee population allows you to do just that.

An inclusive employer brand lets you engage, recruit and hire a wonderful spectrum of people who can bring their varied backgrounds to bear for your business. Simply put, building an inclusive employer brand brings a diverse set of experiences and perspectives to the table, which in turn allows your company to be smarter, more thoughtful, and ultimately more successful.

One way to keep your business stuck where it is today is to keep hiring the people who look like your current employees. Embracing diversity is an opportunity to embrace new perspectives that can help your business grow in new and meaningful ways.

When you build your employer brand, it’s your chance to take control of the narrative and have a real impact on how talent views your business. If your employer brand isn’t inclusive and doesn’t show underrepresented talent that you value them and are excited to work with them, then they’re going to choose another place to work and your business isn’t going to benefit from their perspective.

It’s really important when creating an employer brand that people can see themselves working in your organization. And by ‘see themselves,’ I mean literally see people who look like them, who share a similar background and bring similar skills and experiences to the job. Sharing the stories of diverse peoples — especially in their own words — in your employer brand, sends a strong signal to candidates: ‘We see you, we value you, and you’ll be able to be yourself here and thrive.’ If that part is missing, then you’re likely going to miss out on engaging with and hiring the variety of people your business needs to be truly successful.

You need to meet prospective employees where they are and make it easy for them to imagine being successful in your organization. One way to do this is by creating a toolkit that allows for localized activation, giving your recruiters and HR people the power to customize their outreach materials and recruitment collateral to match the moment.

This can be things like creating an easy-to-update Canva library for them to use, supplying social media templates that they can dial in for specific talent groups, and even customizing your employer brand messaging framework to resonate with different groups you’re trying to engage. Because, while it’s important to highlight an authentic variety of people and experiences in your employer brand, it’s critical that you build in the flexibility for your boots-on-the-ground recruiters to customize it to their needs, especially if you’re a multinational company engaging people from a number of cultures.

Can a company “fake it ‘til it makes it” when crafting its Employee Value Proposition (EVP)?

When a company works to create an EVP, it’s often a part of a larger set of initiatives focused on enhancing the employee experience. You might be working to boost total benefits, or to enhance work-life balance, or to improve in a number of other areas to increase employee satisfaction. No matter what area you are working to improve, here are a few insights that can foster a more effective EVP.

Balancing promise and progress: What to include (or not include) in your EVP usually can be evaluated by looking at two things — the timing of what you’re creating and the language you use when talking about initiatives that aren’t quite fully baked.

Consider your timing: If you’re close to launching a really great initiative that you know needs to be part of your EVP to attract the right people, you can include it … as long as it’s going to be implemented by the time your EVP starts gaining traction.

For instance, let’s say you’re creating a really excellent rewards program, something you know your people and future talent will value. It’s set to launch next quarter — the vendor is set, the program mapped out, the budget locked in, and you have a standout name, visual identity and messaging. The rocket is rumbling on the pad — this thing is definitely going to launch.

So, do you mention rewards in your EVP? Of course, because you’ve fully committed to delivering and it’s going to happen soon enough.

Use the right language: But what about other initiatives that aren’t quite this far along? How do you decide if you want to include these in your EVP? Well, that boils down to how you talk about it. If you still have work to do, but you know your organization has good intentions and ambitions, you can capture the spirit of your intentions in an EVP. The key is to use the right language to characterize your work-in-progress initiatives.

Fully-baked versus work-in-progress: You can look at your initiatives like chocolate chip cookies versus cookie dough. People find value in fully-baked cookies, but they also love cookie dough — although it is not yet baked, it still holds value in the hearts of those with a sweet tooth. Both can be very attractive, it’s just a matter of how you talk about them.

Let’s look at how we talk about a program that’s fully baked. A company that has a mature and robust leadership development offering might say that “we offer a comprehensive training and development process to keep you challenged, engaged, and growing as a leader and as a professional.” It’s very specific.

But what if you’re still at the cookie dough stage? Here we’d say you can include leadership development in your EVP if you use the right language and highlight your passion and your commitment, which are valuable to prospects in their own right.

So instead of saying, “We offer a comprehensive training and development program,” you might say, “We are committed to creating the leaders of tomorrow through an ever-growing foundation of training and support.”

It’s a little softer, but still meaningful, especially when it reflects your true commitment and beliefs as an organization. As long as you can support it with some tangible assets today and you’re confident more great stuff is coming, it really comes down to how you say it.

Striking the right balance: When it comes to balancing today’s realities with tomorrow’s ambitions, we say if improvements are imminent, you can be specific.

If they are not quite baked but reflect a true commitment of your organization, lean into your excitement for them and include them in your EVP using broader, but still motivating language.

In the end, you should always work to be authentic and honest about the value you’re providing. It matters, especially to young talent who respect transparency. They don’t need you to be perfect, they just need you to be honest. C&IT

DepositPhotos.com

In the last few years, hybrid meetings and events for corporations have become mainstream. Attendees from near and far have been enjoying the option of attending a gathering virtually, while experiencing all that these corporate events have to offer.

Kimberly Gora is the founder of KG Event Agency, a nationally renowned firm specializing in hospitality event planning and consulting. During her 25+ years of working with leading corporate brands, she has had the experience to see an evolution of how today’s corporate meetings are being orchestrated. And hybrid meetings is one avenue that is taking the industry by storm.

“Hybrid meetings are widespread today as they allow organizations the flexibility and inclusivity of all players involved,” said Gora. “They offer an efficient format to communicate a main objective to a large audience within an attentive timeframe. Allowing participants to gather in a physical location together, while others join remotely using video conferencing allows for a great mix of in-person and virtual participation, facilitating collaboration among distributed team members.”

As Gora pointed out, not only are hybrid meetings efficient for people’s time, but they are also largely cost efficient by saving in areas such as travel, lodging and venue accommodations. The company benefits from the structure by involving a variety of team members, including those who work from home or have more demanding schedules, while also promoting work-life balance for those associated.

Lenny Talarico, CSEP, CHE, is the chief experience officer for Lenny Talarico events, an event management and consulting firm. Talarico is also an industry speaker, former executive director of MGM Resorts Event Products, and long-time instructor at The International School of Hospitality.

According to Talarico, hybrid usage for meetings has existed for several years; however, the pandemic certainly increased awareness and necessitated broader utilization for obvious reasons. Now companies continue to see a need to include a hybrid option in their event and meeting planning process.

“Hybrid meetings bring both advantages and challenges to meeting and event planning. On the positive side, they enable broader audience engagement, allowing participation from individuals who may face barriers with in-person attendance,” Talarico said. “When well executed, they offer the benefit of flexibility to attendees with on-demand viewing and provide planners reach beyond sole real-time participation.”

Environmentally, hybrid meetings contribute to an organization’s sustainability goal by reducing the need for travel — saving on transit and lodging expenses.

“However, there are drawbacks. Customized platforms and the digital network infrastructure to support hybrid meetings can incur substantial costs,” Talarico explained.

Beyond convenience, a real concern is the loss of in-person human connection. How much and to what extent remote attendees want to engage meaningfully with the actual content of the event remains questionable.

According to Jamie Nance, executive coordinator at Acorn Growth Companies, hybrid meetings seems to be much more widespread today than ever before.

“I think everyone can agree with me that the year 2020 is directly to blame and/or praise for that,” Nance said.  For Nance and many of the events she coordinates for Acorn Growth Companies, the benefits of hybrid is simple: convenience, convenience, convenience.

“If you’re feeling ill but still need to join that Zoom call to listen in; if you’re traveling but need to be updated on moving pieces because you can’t be at the meeting in person; if you’re an introvert and don’t want to leave your cubicle for the meeting in the large and full conference room — the list goes on and on for the benefits of hybrid meetings. I don’t know many people that complain about the flexibility and convenience of them,” Nance said.

And while there are still challenges with hybrid meetings, Nance sees fewer of them. The challenges she’s seen are mostly attendees refusing (or trying to refuse) to have a meeting remotely. She’s seen people of all ages have trouble with their logins, cameras and microphones during meetings. Another challenge is the team presence and the camaraderie you get when you engage in an in-person meeting or event. For some, they need to be surrounded by their peers in person in order to share ideas and insights.

“We’ve heard it before, ‘technology is a blessing and a curse,’ and this sentiment also applies to hybrid meetings,” Gora said. “A distant reach to a wide audience could create the need for quite an intricate plan which also leaves opportunities for malfunctions or hiccups in technology.”

Engagement within the hybrid environment also becomes a challenge as motivating or encouraging those involved can be more difficult through a screen, while also not forgetting the balancing act of time zones and equipment.

Trends in Hybrid Events

We have come a long way with hybrid meetings since the early days of the pandemic. As Talarico explained, that really forced companies to pivot quickly and rethink their planning to either adopt existing platforms or to source and build new digital solutions suited to accommodate their specific needs.

“Successful hybrid meetings require a huge amount of effort to ensure the technology being used delivers an engaging platform with clear communication,” Talarico said. “A dedicated technical support team using the highest-quality audiovisual equipment and enough network bandwidth to execute is what is required for a successful hybrid experience.”

Often an uncontrollable aspect is the attendee’s own connectivity; however, as Talarico pointed out, nothing will turn off attendees faster than technical malfunctions from hybrid meeting producers themselves. Tech-savvy participants expect a seamless easy to use platform with access to content some level of remote participation. Also, producers must provide a go-to source via chat or call-in number for technical support should something go wrong during the event.

“As a live producer, I have been exposed on several events to the details of incorporating hybrid as an option,” Talarico said. Some of the easiest and best solutions he’s seen have come from sources such as Cvent, Webex Events, Hopin and Zoom.

“All of them have similarities and differences but can help create successful hybrid options,” Talarico said. “Personally, many of the platforms developed during the pandemic that included profuse amounts of “gamification” weren’t really my personal favorites or they came across as complicated to navigate and too ‘video-game-like’ for my personal taste.”

Security is also paramount within the hybrid meetings environment. With the increased reliance on virtual meeting and event tools, there is as a growing awareness of the importance of security and privacy in the hybrid meetings ecosystem. Companies are investing in secure platforms, end-to-end encryption and other measures to protect attendees’ sensitive information.

Techniques That Work

Hybrid meetings have evolved along with our world — better technology, improved connectivity and increased emphasis on inclusivity and engagement. Add in our current economics, Gora stresses that they allow companies versatility in travel costs for allowing all team members to participate versus only being able to send a limited number of attendees.

As the hybrid meeting environment has evolved from when it first became mainstream, corporate meeting planners have honed in on the key techniques that make hybrid meetings truly work:

Communicating clear guidelines for participation, including when and how remote attendees can engage or contribute throughout the event.

Making sure a facilitator manages the digital component of a hybrid event, managing discussions and ensuring all attendees, both remote and in-person have the opportunity to contribute, if permissible.

Establishing ground rules about muting microphones and using video to enhance remote attendee interaction and communication.

Creating breaks for both internal and remote attendees and gathering questions from remote attendees, as available. To help keep everyone engaged in the meeting or event, consider incorporating some interactive activities like icebreakers, polls or Q&A sessions for both remote and in-person attendees.

Collecting feedback from both remote and in-person attendees to learn what worked and what didn’t from both platforms.

Incorporating virtual reality and augmented reality to create immersive meeting experiences. You can also organize team-building exercises that work for both remote and in-person teams. This could include virtual escape rooms, online trivia or collaborative challenges.

Using gamification techniques to help make hybrid corporate gatherings more engaging and fun. You can use badges and points for levels of participating or achievements throughout the meeting.

In using this technology, corporate meeting planners need to obtain a solid understanding of audience needs in order to ensure inclusivity for the digital portion of a hybrid event. This may include visual or hearing disabilities, or language barriers. The best way to assess hybrid or digital audience needs is by conducting surveys. This can be included on the event website and in the registration confirmation communication.

“Clear communication is a must from the organization. Everyone will be joining with a different level of technological comfortability,” Gora said. “Ensure all team members feel supported before the meeting gets started. Be on time and have support available throughout in case any individual challenges arise.”

The organizer should also implement engagement opportunities for both attendees in person and attendees at home. The meeting space itself can also appeal to those attending in person ensuring it is a welcoming environment, structure is in place, and people know what’s on the agenda both at home and in person.

Equal Access

In this era of DEI, corporate event planners need to ask attendees whether they need reasonable accommodations during the sign-up process. They should also make sure the event offers closed-captioning and ASL interpreters, if needed, and that everyone has read and signed a code of conduct before attending a virtual gathering.

Meeting planners utilizing the digital/virtual event space as part of a hybrid program should consider the following:

Accessibility features including captioning and translation

Integrated chat and feedback functionality

A hand-raise function or the ability to queue questions and comments

Multiple recording capabilities, including audio only, as well as audio and video

On-demand content (pre, during and post-event)

Preparing content in multiple ways including diagrams, images and infographics

Short and legible content

Having speakers use direct, clear and concise language, as well as visual prompts

Using dyslexia-friendly text

Evaluating What’s to Come

Hybrid is here to stay. The convenience and cost-effectiveness now make it just another tool for meeting and event planners. As Talarico pointed out, technology continues to develop enhanced video conferencing tools along with VR and AI, which will play a role in future hybrid meeting experiences.

“Organizations will continue to balance the needs between in-person and virtual attendance,” Talarico said. “All of this continues to transform the way we collaborate.”

Of course, the beauty of a successful event is that everyone feels their time was valued. Corporate players often feel that they need to spend more time getting to know their teams. This allows the organization to greet everyone present, have breakout sessions online and in person that allow for group dialogues that not always have to revolve around a corporate conversation but around those present.

“The adoption of hybrid meetings is expected to endure as a standard practice, propelled by advancements in technology addressing challenges, and organizations increasingly embracing flexibility and collaboration,” concluded Gora. “As much as in-person events have made a full come back, technology is here to stay and progress the future of meetings.” C&IT

One of Dana Toland’s most memorable destinations was a four-and-a-half-day incentive meeting held in Cannes, France. DepositPhotos.com

There are many factors that determine a destination’s attractiveness. For meeting and event planners, it begins with the search. The focus is on finding the best show stopper, and how they present themselves as amazing year-round to groups is particularly appealing.

For some planners, the attraction starts with access — the destination’s proximity to airports and flights, and strong transportation services from trains, buses and taxi cabs. For many others, safety is on top of their agenda — opting for destinations that are considered to be safe over those that may seem even somewhat high-risk.

But in general, most planners agree on one thing: destination attractiveness is about a multiple-list of things: agreeable climates, activities, and plenty of accommodation options to cater to their organization’s and attendees’ needs and preferences.

“Destination plays a central role in all of the programs we plan,” said Maren Gurung, CMP, senior meeting and recognition planner at RBC Wealth Management, in Minneapolis, MN. “It helps create anticipation for our events each year, and we work to highlight the place where the meeting is located with food choices, cultural tie-ins with gifting, or entertainment and partnering with local vendors to make sure the event feels authentic.”

Because RBC Wealth Management’s corporate employees are based all across the U.S., it is important that the company’s destination rotates every year between the coasts and the Midwest. This helps keep the travel experience equal for everyone who is traveling to that event.

Not surprising, there are various destinations that potential attendees gravitate toward more than others. In the case of RBC, their corporate attendees are most excited to travel to first-tier cities that include easy flight options.

“Whether a destination is domestic or international, it needs to be attractive to draw attendees,” said Kelly Newlon, president and owner of CoachingEvents by Kelly, in Fort Worth, TX. From her experience, warm weather destinations and mountain destinations are some of attendees’ most favorite locales. She also always assesses what the weather will be like at the time of the event and that helps determine the location.

Newlon appreciates destinations with a strong CVB engagement, as they can provide references to other successful events that have come to the destination before. They can advise other planners on things like local restaurants, activities and iconic landmarks, enabling attendees to immerse in the local cuisine and culture, and experience new tastes and flavors.

“I also see what the safety in the area is like — based on a red, yellow or green scale,” Newlon said. “And I look at how walkable the areas around the resort or hotel may be.”

Being in the right city is imperative for a successful event. “[The city] sets the tone for the entire event.  It can be a factor in encouraging or discouraging attendance,” said Dana Toland, chief event planning strategist at IT Exchange Group, a marketing agency that offers brand development and marketing services to promote events in Weymouth, MA.

Toland also added that although destination attractiveness plays a central role in determining a destination, it can also have a significant impact on the budget. And that involves more than just room rates and flights, but also taxes, transportation, ancillary hotel fees and so much more. Planners have to weigh all the costs of the destination and understand what their event budget is up front. With today’s airlines higher costs impacting the meeting industry, some event planners have been choosing to host events in destinations that are closer to the majority of their attendees to help offset the costs. They have also chosen other methods of transportation like train and buses over flights.

“We don’t want to make travel difficult,” added Toland, who evaluates airlift with an eye to the number of inbound and outbound flights each day and the number of direct flights. For example, if there are only two fights from Boston to Kansas City and an attendee misses the second flight, he loses a day,” Toland said.

Variety in Colors

Destinations are like colors. They attract different people. Individuals are likely to respond to bigger, brighter and more saturated destinations, while there are others who are drawn to smaller, more subdued locations. Colors like destinations convey meaning — visually, verbally and even generationally.

A younger audience may want a vibrant music scene (think Austin and Nashville) or a predominantly male audience may want a locale with a Tournament Players Club (TPC) golf course or gaming.

“In terms of an incentive or sales meeting, the attendees seem less focused on the above (with the exception of airlift), and more focused on a resort destination that offers access to a variety of outdoor activities and cultural events,” Toland said. “Since these are mostly sales people, and most of the year they are competing against each other, it is important to bring them together a certain number of hours each day outside of meeting hours to bond as a team through various activities.”

In addition to the above, Toland notes that the actual hotel will play a significant role in the process. That’s why she works closely with the CVBs or DMOs to distribute the RFP to potential properties and venues to determine which properties are potential best matches.

“For warmer weather, usually a resort-type property that has plenty of outdoor space for them to hold private meetings outdoors and/or enjoy the nice weather is preferred by attendees,” Toland said. “For colder climates, they prefer an urban area in close range to night life and restaurants. I would say 80% of our meetings are in one-tier cities, and the remaining are in two-tier cities.”

Selecting Your Destination

When it comes to destination selections, there are certain mistakes that corporate meeting planners should try to avoid. Gurung advises fellow planners that no matter how exciting a place may seem, as planners, you always have to think about the logistics behind the event location.

“For example: what are the flight options in and out of that destination? Are there direct flights or will people have to connect? How far is it from the airport? Can weather impact the event in that destination (winter storms, hurricane seasons, etc.),” Gurung said.

Last year, RBC Wealth Management held an annual conference in Palm Springs, CA. Photo via Visit Greater Palm Springs

Last year, RBC Wealth Management held an annual conference in Palm Springs, CA. It was originally scheduled for the fall of 2020 but was rescheduled during the pandemic. When it came time to book flights for this program, many people had challenges getting to the location as flight options were more restricted.

“Our corporate headquarters are in Minnesota, and Delta cancelled the only direct flight so everyone had to connect,” Gurung said. “Some people opted to fly in and out of LAX, but that added about a three-hour drive (depending on traffic) to get to the conference site. That being said, we had a buy-out of the property, and once attendees got there, they enjoyed the ways in which we were able to customize the event, the unique location of off-site events, etc., so it was worth the hassle traveling.”

Newlon advises other corporate planners to consider hosting corporate gatherings at destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Florida during the hurricane season, particularly anytime between June 1 and November 1.

“You can get better deals, but the chance of weather happening during the event is also much higher,” she said.

Also be sure to check to see what other events are happening in the destination city or venue that you have chosen during the dates of your event. “You never know when there is a very ‘different’ event that is coming at the same time as your conference,” Newlon said.

Recently, Newlon held an event at Cancun at the Coral Beach Fiesta Americana. It was a destination that truly “wowed” attendees. “Of course, Cancun is beautiful, and the weather was perfect,” she said. “It was held in February, the service at the resort went above and beyond and the rate was right where we needed it to be. And partnering with a top-notch DMC is a must for the ‘wow’ effect!”

It should go without saying that not all chosen destinations are celebrated by attendees. For a different corporate event, Newlon held an event during spring break in Orlando, FL, and all the attendees were coming from Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“Flights were full and so attendees had connections — not just one but two — to get to Orlando in time for the opening session,” she explained. “Some just canceled their flights and did not attend the meeting due to eight to twelve hours of traveling into Orlando and back home. We will stay away from spring break destination at peak times for future events!”

One of Toland’s most memorable destinations that proved to be a great success was a four-and-a-half-day incentive meeting held in Cannes, France. With such a beautiful and picturesque destination, she was able to wine and dine people throughout the Riviera, including Monte Carlo, Èze, St. Paul de Vence and a Provence wine outing.

For the most part, Toland feels most meeting planners are well educated and make great destination choices. But, if she were to identify a weakness, it would be not doing enough research on the properties themselves.

“For me, one of the first things I like to inspect is the back-of-the house and hotel loading dock, and the pathway from the dock to the ballroom and meeting space. You would be surprised how often you will find that one narrow passageway that could prevent crates from being brought through to the ballroom and meeting space,” Toland said. “I am also surprised at how often (almost each time), I am told no one has ever asked to walk that route. If there is a narrowing, you need to make sure that alternate arrangements are made and included in the contract.”

For a stress-free event, planners must also check to see if there are other groups in-house over the same dates that your corporate meeting or event is being held.  “You don’t want to be a ‘small fish’ in a big pond, or worst yet, find out that a competing company is there,” Toland said. “Lastly, I like to ensure that the hotel does not reserve any meeting rooms or sleeping room suites during our dates to ensure that a potential exhibitor or sponsor are not attempting to hold meetings with our attendees outside of the show.”

Some destinations, just by the nature of their location, will be more appealing than others. Thinking outside of the box can go a long way in developing a brilliant meeting and keeping your attendees happy,  engaged and looking forward to attending your event. “The destination has to be a sensation,” Newlon said.

Toland agrees. “The U.S., and world for the matter, provide such a vast selection of destinations offerings that can appeal to any group and budget. The important thing is to clearly listen to your stakeholders to determine what they want and need, and then do the proper due diligence ahead of time to identify potential matches,” Toland said. “Also, the landscape for each city changes constantly. Whether it is new hotels and resorts, better infrastructure or a change in local laws, it is important for the planner to do their research to identify what would be the best fit for their company.”

As planners begin the destination selection process for their next meeting or event, looking for that destination attractiveness sometimes is nothing more than going back to their last destination experience. What worked, what didn’t and why will help them secure the perfect destination for their attendees. Knowing their organization’s history is the first step in finding the next best destination and can be useful in negotiating rates with the next one. C&IT

Michael E. Frisina, PhD, has authored more than 50 papers and published articles on leadership and organizational effectiveness. He is a contributing author to the Borden Institute’s highly acclaimed textbook series on military medicine. He is a visiting scholar at the Hastings Center in New York, a visiting fellow in medical humanities at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and a John C. Maxwell Top 100 Transformational Leader.

Vacations really matter. They reduce stress; help prevent burnout; and keep people healthier, happier, more motivated — and yes — more productive. Research on the positive health benefits and increased performance from regular paid time off (PTO) practices is indisputable. What this means for leaders is clear: Encouraging people to take their vacations isn’t only in their best interest, it’s in ours, too. It seems like a no-brainer. Yet a recent study from Pew Research Center shows that nearly half of employees don’t take the paid time off (PTO) that’s coming to them.

What’s a leader to do?

The answer is two-pronged: One, we must create a vacation-friendly culture, one that encourages (perhaps even insists on) employees taking regular time off. Two, we need to set them up for vacations that are truly rejuvenating.

Going on vacation can feel like a struggle. The two weeks leading up to it are stressful, as you work feverishly to get everything done. The two weeks after are just as bad as you try to catch back up.

When you do leave, it takes the first couple of days to decompress. Then, you have one or two good days before you start dreading going back. By the time you return, it feels like you haven’t had a vacation at all. No wonder people start to think, It’s just not worth it.

Not only should employers consider a mandatory time off policy, we need to learn how to send people out the door in what I call upper-brain mode.

Simply put, when we’re in our upper brain, we’re in a state of positivity, openness, engagement and creativity. By contrast, when we’re in our lower brain, we’re stressed, anxious and frustrated. It’s a bad feeling — one that follows us to our destination and ruins everyone’s good time (no one enjoys being on vacation with a family member who’s uptight and snappy).

Here are a few brain-science-backed tips for setting people up for a successful vacation:

Leaders, set the right example. Leaders who rarely (or never) take time off send a veiled message that subordinates shouldn’t do so either. It’s important to take your own vacations and speak positively about the benefits of getting away.

Consider making PTO a reportable metric. This is another good way to “walk the talk.” We can’t change what we don’t manage, and we can’t manage what we don’t know.

Making PTO a management metric like absenteeism and tardiness lets people know that management takes it seriously. I did this as a military commander. Failing to take PTO was viewed as bad leadership, not a badge of honor.

Talk up the employee’s vacation with positivity and enthusiasm. Ask questions about the person’s plans (if they seem open to sharing details) and express how excited you are that they’re taking the opportunity to unplug. This can help allay any guilty feelings on their part about taking time off, as well as hidden suspicion that you secretly resent their being gone.

By being positive about the vacation, you help the employee reframe it from “a source of stress” to “a reason for gratitude.” When people are in a state of gratitude, it gets the focus off the fear that they’re letting their teammates down or that something might go wrong.

Ask what they’re most worried about. Employees may harbor fears that they won’t get everything done, that a client or project will suffer in their absence, or that coworkers will be overburdened. This gives you a chance to find solutions together, and shifts them away from skeptical, confusing, fear-provoking “what if” thinking and into productive,  energized action.

Spell out pre-vacation priorities … An out-of-control to-do list plunges people into their lower brain and confuses activity with progress. Help them figure out the most important assigned projects and narrow down the list to a reasonable number for the time frame. Then prioritize from “most important” to “least important.”

Vagueness and open-endedness are anxiety-producing. Clarity is energizing. When the employee knows exactly what they’re supposed to do, you’ll get far better results and give them the satisfaction of leaving for their trip having done the most important projects.

… and declutter their to-do list. It’s never a good idea to overwork people with non-essential objectives and crisis management events, but right before vacation, it’s especially damaging. Once you’ve magnified what’s important (previous tip), remove what’s not. Act as a shield to keep low-value objectives out of their way.

The less distracting “noise” the employee must field, the more likely they are to be focused, engaged and productive. It greatly improves the odds that they’ll get done what they need to get done before they leave.

Emphasize what’s going well. I encourage starting and ending meetings with “wins” and positive feedback. It gets everyone into their upper brain right away, then sends them off feeling confident and excited for the next step. And the same principle applies to vacation.

Before the employee leaves, you might say, “Thank you for knocking those PowerPoint slides out of the park; you set us up to have a great presentation while you’re gone.” This kind of gives them permission to stop worrying and have fun. And since they feel good about themselves and their work, they won’t dread coming back.

Incidentally … if employees seem perpetually reluctant to take paid time off, or come back decidedly un-rejuvenated, it might signal a bigger problem with your company’s leadership style.

Today’s talent expects caring leader relationships and a healthy work/life balance. It’s not enough for leaders to say, “We want you to take your vacations.” They need to actually mean it. And that requires them to be the kind of leader who genuinely cares about keeping people in their upper brain—not just at vacation time, but always. C&IT

The HD SUPPLY CONNECT 2022 tradeshow was held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL. Courtesy of Meghann Swiney

When Cvent, an industry-leading meetings, events and hospitality technology provider, returned to compiling an annual list of top meeting destinations in the U.S., following a pandemic-induced three-year pause, there was no surprise which city was still the one. Orlando. Prior to the pause, this vibrant city was the top-ranked destination for five years in a row and by popular demand, it has retained its top position.

“We’re thrilled to be the number one city on this year’s Cvent Top Meeting Destinations list,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO, Visit Orlando. “With a state-of-the-art convention center, an abundance of hotel rooms, ease of accessibility, award-winning dining and world-class entertainment, Orlando offers everything meeting planners need to create memorable experiences for their attendees.”

Meeting planners agree.

“Orlando is built for hospitality,” said Meghann Swiney, director of events & customer training for industrial distributor HD Supply in Santee, CA. “There are incredible hotels, fun offsite venues and, of course, the theme parks.  There is a rich food culture, and most critically, a wealth of incredibly talented partners in conference planning, who are connected to the deep pool of local talent for entertainment and logistics support.”

The destination has not spent the pandemic era testing on its laurels. There are constant renovations and improvements. The Caribe Royale Orlando completed a $140 million renovation, including a new lobby with an expansive skylight and a new 50,000-sf grand ballroom. The property has 240,000 sf of total meeting space and offers 1,217 one-bedroom suites and 120 two-bedroom villas.  At the beginning of next year, the resort will open the multi-sensory, sports-themed Stadium Club. Caribe Royale’s high-tech, immersive sports entertainment bar will feature a selection of multi-venue private buy-out areas, covering an area of 9,000 sf over two floors.

The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando in Disney Springs, the newest Official Disney Partner Hotel, offers more than 17,000 sf of meeting space and shuttle service to all four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks.

Also new this year, the Brightline Orlando Station opened at Orlando International Airport (MCO), connecting domestic and international visitors traveling via high speed train between Miami and Orlando with stops in Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. Attendees will enjoy touchless ticketing, premium in-station lounges, complimentary WiFi and about 15 daily departures from South Florida daily.

Transportation access was one of the key reasons the Georgia-based software company BeyondTrust, a worldwide leader in intelligent identity and access security, chose Orlando for a company kickoff event this year that drew 1,250 attendees worldwide.

“We wanted to keep the event on the East Coast,” explained Kim Richard, BeyondTrust’s vice president of customer marketing, in Ponte Vedra, FL. “It was also important to pick a location that offered direct flights from a wide range of airports. Most of our employees are based in the U.S., but a large contingent travels in from Europe and Canada, so being easily accessible was paramount.”

The last time they hosted a company-wide meeting was in Atlanta during the winter and temperatures were freezing. So, Florida was a great option. “In Orlando, we had a great chance of the weather being temperate, all the while having options to offer exciting entertainment within proximity to theme parks and their amenities,” she said.

BeyondTrust chose the 1,011-room Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, due, in part, to its proximity to Disney Springs, an outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex.

“We did not have to share any space with any other groups, and the hotel was filled 100% with BeyondTrust employees,” said Richard. “Although not a strict requirement, we especially liked that we had the ability to brand just about everything in the hotel to cater to our group. The hotel even changed the lights at the top of the building to glow orange, which is our company color. Their flexibility and openness to all of our branding ideas was really above and beyond.”

Richard said a sales manager took the time to study the group’s resume and make the initial site visit memorable. During the event, the resort made sure that every need was met,  handling all the rooming changes and tweaks made by BeyondTrust’s employees.

The meeting space sprawls across 120,000 sf, ranging from unique outdoor venues to ballrooms, with the largest measuring up to 18,000 sf. “With everything being all in one tower, it was a breeze for attendees to get from their rooms to the conference center, which was just one level below the main lobby,” said Richard. “I was expecting a bottleneck at the elevators, but the hotel seemed to manage the full capacity without any major delays or hiccups.”

Another plus when it comes to meetings is the quality of the food and beverage, something at which Richard felt the hotel excelled. “The food at the Hilton was top-notch, especially considering how many people we were feeding,” she said.

BeyondTrust also hosted an off-site evening event at the House of Blues Orlando in Disney Springs. The group had exclusive access to the entire venue and were able to offer both a party atmosphere in the theater space, as well as more of a laid-back atmosphere in the restaurant. “It was nice to be able to offer two different environments for our very diverse employee base. Once the event wound down, our group had either a short trip back to the hotel or they could carry on and check out the other venues within Disney Springs,” she said.

One caveat Richard passed along to her planner peers was an unexpected restriction on branding at the hotel, due to its location on Walt Disney World property. She said that none of their branding could be visible from Disney Springs, and due to its proximity, this required them to move down some of the artwork that was being projected onto one of the outside building walls. While it didn’t cause any major upset, she encourages planners to ask questions about what those restrictions may be before finalizing any plans for branding and décor.

The Caribe Royale Orlando recently completed a $140 million renovation. Courtesy of Caribe Royale Orlando

For Brian Toy, vice president of experiential marketing for B2B software provider e2open in Orlando, the city offers an abundance of suitable hotel venues with the right balance of meeting space and sleeping rooms. They selected Universal Orlando Resort to host a 550-attendee client conference. “Orlando is easily accessible to most of our attendees and it offers a variety of attractions for those who choose to bring their families and make it a mini-vacation,” explained Toy, whose team also used the facilities at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. “A few members of our team have done events here and had a great experience and positive attendee feedback,” said Toy. “The nice thing about it is that it’s surrounded by sister properties. In the event you need to overflow anyone for hotel rooms, there are plenty of options within walking distance, and our housing coordinator helped us secure a few extra rooms at a couple of those hotels.”  The resort is within walking distance of Universal CityWalk and served by water taxis as well. The group enjoyed the close proximity to the Universal theme parks, where they hosted evening events.

The conference facility at Loews Royal Pacific Resort covers 132,000 sf of meeting and function space, including the new Oceana ballroom with about 36,000-sf to complement the existing about 42,000-sf Pacifica Ballroom. Just steps away is the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, with an additional 115,000 sf of meeting space.

The company hosted an awards dinner in one of the ballrooms and requested a plated menu that would allow attendees to choose from three entree options.

“They typically ask that groups of our size choose just one option for the whole group, with exceptions only for those with special dietary needs. However, once we explained what we wanted and gave examples of past offerings, they were willing to work with us and we came up with a menu that fit the needs of our group,” explained Toy.

Toy cautioned that planners should be aware of seasonal fluctuations in theme park demand. The company was there the week before the opening of Halloween Horror Nights and all the hotels in close proximity to Universal Orlando were either sold out or almost sold out. Planners should take that into account and make sure they contract all the rooms they may need well in advance, if they’re booking during that time of year.

The company took the entire group to Islands of Adventure for an exclusive private event one evening.  They hosted a golf tournament at the Arnold Palmer-designed Shingle Creek Golf Club, one of Orlando’s top courses.The 18-hole golf course is connected to Rosen Shingle Creek, another of the area’s top meeting resorts.

The AAA Four Diamond hotel sits on a 225-acre property that comprises the headwaters of the Florida Everglades. The hotel’s meeting space covers 524,000 sf and includes the 95,000-sf Gatlin Ballroom. Extensive restaurant choices include the new Emma’s Creekside Farm, along with the hotel’s 15 other dining options, offering farm-to-table freshness from the onsite gardens.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is an iconic resort located between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Attendees enjoy some of the same benefits as when staying at a Disney resort, such as early park admission and transportation. The Swan and Dolphin features 23 restaurants and lounges, multiple pools, three health clubs and the Mandara Spa. With a combined 2,267 rooms, the Marriott-managed property offers 333,000 sf of meeting space, including 110,500 sf of contiguous convention/exhibit space. The Swan Reserve, a 349-room standalone boutique hotel is across the road from the main complex featuring 15,000 sf of meeting space.

The Orlando Evermore Resort, which is set to open at the beginning of next year, is a 1,100-acre property that provides an array of stay experiences, ranging from single homes to villas, flats and hotel guest rooms — 10,000-bedrooms in all. The anchor hotel is Conrad Orlando, which will offer 40,000 sf of indoor meeting space, a full-service spa, multiple dining options and a signature rooftop experience, as well as an eight-acre swimming lagoon with white sand beaches at the heart of the facility.

HD Supply  selected Orlando for their HD Supply Connect Conference last fall. “Right from the start, the level of support that Visit Orlando and Experience Kissimmee offered during our research phase was critical,” said Swiney. “Their teams were eager to share their knowledge about the area, and they ensured we were leveraging all the resources they had to offer and were proactive in connecting us with the right people to help us host an incredible event.”

HD Supply’s conference chose the 1,718-room Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, a facility with more than 500,000 sf of meeting space including five ballrooms, with the largest measuring 48,505 sf. Located in Kissimmee, the Gaylord Palms is a 20-minute drive from the airport, and minutes away from the Disney theme parks.

“When we were looking for our host property, we came in with a laundry list of needs. We wanted a space that we could transform for the conference — onsite lodging for a large portion of our attendees, meeting room space, a ballroom that could accommodate all 4,000 attendees at once for our general session and keynote, and closing party entertainment on a main stage built to impress. We needed outlets and unique spaces to create VIP parties, large team gatherings, and creative spaces for activations during our evening and networking events, all while having special menus for each day. The Gaylord Palms supported all these requests and helped us find ways to push beyond what we thought was possible,” she said.

For Swiney, and other planners, Orlando is still their number one destination in the U.S., for many reasons. The hotels, with their ever-expanding meeting spaces, as well as outstanding dining, nightlife, world-famous amusement parks and other unforgettable amenities, are among the factors. This is not to mention Orlando’s workforce — one of the most courteous in the country.  And bonus — this magical city is one of the most affordable destinations in the U.S. This is a win-win situation for any planner.  C&IT

Meeting groups are critical to the health of many destinations. Pictured: Northwestern Mutual Annual Conference at the Fiserv Forum, 2022. Courtesy of VISIT Milwaukee

After months of heightened elevated growth, new travel forecasts show that it is expected to remain strong. This is great news for the travel industry, most especially for hotels as they are benefiting from the demand across different segments. At the same time, this surge is making it difficult for meeting and events planners to book rooms that leadership and attendees desire.

“We’re seeing a trend of people traveling more, and in return, have seen instances of hotels reducing their group ceilings to accommodate a higher leisure travel occupancy,” said Lynne Amori, global account director, Amex GBT Meetings & Events, which provides software and services to manage travel, expenses, and more, for meetings and events, in New York, NY. “If a group requests guest rooms only, the hotel may achieve higher revenue from leisure bookings with onsite F&B outlets and other ancillary spend.”

As a result, many of her clients have changed their venue or destination due to capacity. These decisions have also been accompanied by requests to identify locations that are equally as favorable as the initially preferred hotel or city.  In some cases, to avoid this need, Amori suggested groups try to be flexible with dates and day patterns to secure availability in the preferred hotel and city.

That strategy of shifting dates and patterns can work if the destination is truly the ideal for a particular meeting; however, Amori noted, the type of meeting is also a factor. For example, she said, “Annual events, board of directors events, pharmaceutical drug launches, etc., typically don’t offer much flexibility in date patterns due to executive calendars and/or government mandates.”

Hotel partners work tirelessly in collaborating with them, she said, to offer alternative dates, recommending other properties or creatively offering to split room blocks across multiple properties (within their brand) in close proximity.

Besides working closely with the hotel, planners may also want to reach out to the local CVBs. They can often offer recommendations and perhaps spotlight solutions that the planner never thought about. They also can let planners know about citywide events and other activities happening that might substantially impact venue capacities.

Offsite Options | Rising Costs

Finding a room or meeting space is not the only factor that planners face. If they want to have a meeting or get together in a local restaurant, they may have a problem as more people book up space. In addition, some restaurants are becoming more high in demand than others. Amori explained, “As more and more hotel restaurants are looking to bring in executive chefs, they’re quickly becoming destinations on their own. This can create challenges in securing a group reservation or buyout.”

In terms of price increases, the U.S. has not been the only country to be affected. There’s been an increase in pricing across the globe.  “With an increase in volume for meeting requests and a desire for leisure travel, there doesn’t seem to be a slowdown in demand, which may, in fact, be the driving force behind the higher rates,” she said.

Brianna Mark, CMP, senior manager events at Mozilla Corp., a company that coordinates and integrates the development of Internet-related applications in San Francisco, CA, said her groups are switching things up these days and changing where the company books rooms or even where the meeting is held.

“We’ve decided to use different hotels (or hotel brands within a city), switch to different neighborhoods, cancel entirely or push to another city. Sometimes we’ll even abandon a block of rooms and book through a third party (in our case, Navan) if the destination is final and we can find meeting space elsewhere, such as at an office or co-working space or other creative location,” Mark said.

Mark has not yet changed meeting dates, as they are usually booked a year or more before the event through a third-party. For a smaller meeting, she sometimes switches to not booking a block of rooms, but rather space out attendees in multiple hotels.

Unfortunately, she’s not seeing hotels being much help, except for some brands. Many seem to use a “take it or leave it” approach. So, she tries to go to a city with a really good DMO or CVB as they often come up with good solutions. They see the value of an event coming to their city,  she said. “For the smaller events, they basically just say ‘no’ and I move on,” she added.

For Mark, coming up with solutions has been more about leveraging her relationships than negotiating. “In a recent city, I could have booked all my rooms in two hotels but I chose three so we had a bit more breathing room at each. They all ended up being sold out over my event, so I know they had an influx of leisure travelers. Luckily, I snuck in before they could.”

There’s no question that increased demand is driving prices up, but it’s probably not the only culprit. How much prices rise may change according to the destination. Mark has seen the rates going higher, anywhere from 20-70% in locations like San Francisco, NYC and Toronto. Unfortunately, she is also seeing fewer concessions or incentives to book. But there is a solution. Second-tier cities.

Second-Tier Cities

Second-tier cities offer attractive alternatives for planners seeking to host smaller, face-to-face or hybrid meetings. Now, to be clear, for those planners who are new to meeting and events planning, the “tiers” that destination cities fall into — First, Second and Third  — are not to be confused with first, second and third place or good, better, best. Tiers are simply based on city size.

In light of that, Mark’s group is considering second-tier cities for the next large event in 2025, but nothing is booked yet. “We just had a conversation last week about which second-tier cities could even accommodate us, which isn’t a conversation we’ve had to have before,” she said.

Elizabeth McKenna, CMP, CED, senior shows & events manager, with Revlon, a cosmetics beauty and skincare company in Jacksonville, FL, has faced challenges booking room nights due to the surge in leisure travel. Her group has changed locations as one strategy. They’ve also changed dates. “We recently rescheduled all our Q4 events to Q1 next year due to the room shortage and overcrowding issues.”

Like Amori, McKenna said she’s also noticed leisure demand impacting more than room blocks. “Leisure travelers are impacting dining reservations and the availability of venues for group and team dinners, both within and outside hotels,” she said.

Unlike some other planners, she has noticed that hotels and CVBs have not been that helpful. “Given the high demand, hotel companies have not been very accommodating, and planners are finding it challenging to negotiate for additional rooms or favorable terms. And while CVBs have been helpful in suggesting alternative hotels, there haven’t been extensive suggestions beyond that in terms of addressing room shortages,” said Mckenna.

Destinations such as Orlando and Las Vegas, which are significant draws for both leisure and business attendees, can be more challenging than others for some groups. “We’ve faced room availability challenges in Las Vegas, necessitating the use of multiple hotels,” McKenna said. “Orlando, on the other hand, generally has more room availability but requires advanced bookings due to high demand during short-term events.”

Like other planers, the high demands and subsequent rising rates have led McKenna to explore other cities and even virtual alternatives. “We’ve opted to book more events in second-tier cities or surrounding areas of major markets due to pricing and room availability constraints in our preferred locations.”

Emilie Perkins, CMP, CMM, CAE, PMP, CED, senior director of client & conference services with Raybourn Group International, a full service Association Management Company in Indianapolis, IN, is in a similar place. She said they are seeing compression next year and into the following in most first- and second-tier cities.

Some of her groups prefer a warm-weather destination for their annual meetings in February, for example, but room shortages and prices out of sync with budgets have necessitated changes. “Given these constraints,” she said. “we’re trying to be more flexible in our day patterns and consider alternate months.”

That said, Las Vegas remains a good fit for Perkins’ groups. As many locations have limited space availability, having a place that has more properties available with bigger meeting spaces and more rooms certainly helps.

“The problem that we fall into is that the room-to-space ratio is not attractive for many properties,” explained Perkins. “Vegas is the exception. We have a group booked next year and are in the process of a contract the following year as well.”

When planners have challenges with room availability as they try to accurately predict room-block counts, they often turn to companies like Helms Briscoe to help them to research and contact venues for their events.

“Kudos to our industry planners who have toiled over getting the room block just right in order to avoid this problem,” said Nell Nicholas, director of global accounts for HelmsBriscoe in Cornwall, CT. The company streamlines the meeting planning process by managing the time-consuming task of researching, contacting and evaluating venues for meetings and events.

“I’m seeing planners spend countless hours getting the room block at an exact number by working with several of their departments to get to the right number for internal meetings. Conference planners have a tough job in this arena, relying on market research and current trends,” said Nicholas.

In her own site-selection work, Nicholas faces the same situation as her colleagues. “What used to be an ‘easy hold’ from a hotel while waiting for clients to make a decision has become less of an option. With demand so high, some hotels are not offering a hold without a contract.”

The best advice Nicholas is getting from CVB partners is to act quickly without hesitation to get the hotel the client wants. “This isn’t an easy task when having to marry this concept with budgets,” she explained. “There’s a procurement process and clients can’t always move as quickly as hotels require to secure the space. It’s a tough environment to be sure.”

Like others, she’s had to look at different hotels and/or different cities in this environment. And even then, she added, availability is still tough. “One client had to pivot to Las Vegas in order to get better availability and we still didn’t have the choice we thought we would,” she said.

Adding to the challenge, shoulder seasons might no longer offer the reduction in prices they used to. Nicholas gives the example of Miami in June, which she notes used to be shoulder season. Now, she’s seeing higher rates at this time than were previously typical, which doesn’t just impact rooms, but also budgets.

Equally concerning, Nicholas is seeing a change in what hotels offer in terms of meeting space.  “I’m seeing hotels offering smaller-than-normal square footage to planners for their meetings.  This is a big watch-out for us; we need to pay close attention to the square footage to be sure the size of the room is comfortable and can accommodate A/V for the program,” she said.

Leisure travel is also still impacting meetings that had to be rebooked because of the pandemic, especially in those destinations extremely popular with leisure travelers and business groups. “As an example,” Nicholas stated, “a client needed to implement a rebooking for next year for a program in Orlando. The only dates for the entire year that the hotel could even consider for the rebooking were in August. The remainder of the calendar year was fully booked. In order to use the rebooking credit, the client booked those dates, which was not an optimal time of year in such a warm climate and toggling with summer vacations.”

CVBs Perspective

In spite of the current challenges, planners aren’t blaming hotels for taking advantage of a high-demand market; after all, the pendulum will eventually swing back the other way. What they do wish, however, is that partners would help more in finding solutions. We asked two CVBs, one mid-size and one large, for their take on the situation.

First, leisure travel demand is definitely a reality. Both Milwaukee and Orlando have seen a significant increase in leisure travel. Visit Milwaukee saw a 15% increase last year and a year-over-year demand causing compression throughout its market. In Orlando, domestic leisure travel last year exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

But things may be moving in a positive direction for meetings as demand is evening out, according to Casandra Matej, president & CEO of Visit Orlando. “That demand was not sustainable, and we see leisure demand normalizing, she said. “Orlando’s leisure demand has been pacing behind last year since March. Earlier in the year, group was displacing leisure travel in some convention properties.”

With demand coming back down to normal, prices may be going down as well. The last few years, Matej said, they saw prices increasing due to leisure demand, but they are seeing this stabilize this year.

Short-Term & Seasonal Bookings

Short-term booking windows are the biggest problem planners are seeing in places like Orlando. While it is up to corporations to try to change that dynamic and book further out, Matej believes DMOs really are a strong partner for planners looking for solutions.

“To help planners navigate these shorter booking windows and find a hotel that fits their needs, we highly recommend they include Visit Orlando on their RFPs. Visit Orlando’s Destination Experience team can work closely with them to understand their group’s needs. And, since Orlando is home to more than 480 hotels with nearly 130,000 rooms, and more than 200 unique venues and attractions, we’re able to provide a variety of choices and alternative options that will fit those needs.”

In Milwaukee, short-term bookings are also the big problem. Yet, corporate bookings and high leisure demand aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

“Leisure demand is impacting hotel availability exclusively for groups who are looking to book last minute,” said Leslie Johnson, VP of sales and event experience, Visit Milwaukee. “These last-minute groups are running into the challenge of finding availability, and they’re also seeing an increase in the rates offered. For groups that typically book their venues much further out, the last-minute leisure demand on venues hasn’t affected their ability to secure those venues — as long as they are sourcing them in advance. Also, the variety of inventory in Milwaukee allows for meeting spaces and venues to plan leisure events around corporate bookings.”

The Season Shift

As Nicholas pointed out, destination high and low seasons are shifting and will probably continue to do so. And moving forward, that is something planners are going to have to work around in many destinations.

In Milwaukee, for example, the city has done more and more to draw winter business. “Seasonal destinations like our newly added Enchanted Christmas, our professional sports teams and Milwaukee Theater District are attractions that bring in visitors from across the country during the winter months,” Johnson said. “Also, our businesses are getting more creative in developing experiences to draw leisure visitors during these times. They’re creating hybrid indoor/outdoor spaces and finding ways to make outdoor experiences more comfortable.”

Whatever challenges planners have, Visit Milwaukee is confident it can be a good partner and find solutions. “A CVB can assist planners in finding an alternative location based on their needs. If the meeting/program is one that can’t be accommodated in an individual property due to limited availability, the CVB can assist in finding a similar hotel in close proximity that can accommodate the remaining portion of a room block.”

The bottom line is that meeting groups are critical to the health of many destinations, and partnerships are the solution for challenges faced by all facets of the meetings industry — planners, hotels and CVBs. Second- and third-tier cities may be uniquely suited to offer solutions to planners in this particular market, and planners have an opportunity to try something new to bring excitement to their meetings. They just need to be creative, open to change and outside-the-box thinkers.

As Perkins notes, switching things up can be a real positive. “We’ve made the conscious decision to look closer at smaller cities that were not considered previously. Second- and third-tier cities have so much to offer and were often neglected in the past because of preconceived notions. It’s been refreshing to widen our searches to include some of these hidden gems.” C&IT

Forbes Business Council, Newsweek Expert Forum and Rolling Stone Culture Council member Merilee Kern, MBA, is founder, executive editor and producer of “The Luxe List,” as well as host of both the “Savvy Living” lifestyle and travel and “Savvy Ventures” business TV shows. Connect with her at TheLuxeList.com, SavvyLiving.tv, at LuxeListReports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and on LinkedIn at MerileeKern. 

A 2023 Emotional Intelligence Market study citing “heavy growth” of $49.93 billion USD by 2027, exemplifies the extent to which mastering “EQ” versus IQ is taking brands to exciting new levels of success … and why not embracing EQ can result in extreme opportunity loss or, far worse, be an outright brand buster. This, as today’s highly discriminating and demanding marketplace is seemingly rife with substitutable solutions. Whether the B2B or B2C sector, more often than not, today’s consumers have alternate options — and they know it.

Although there is tremendous buzz advocating the power and efficacy of emotional intelligence in modern marketing and branding endeavors, there is little consistency and clarity on fundamental best practices and methodologies that can serve as a baseline catalyst. Fundamentals that, when further honed and refined, can result in highly sophisticated and emotive brand building that wholly resonates with the intended audiences and compels them into the desired action.

As importantly, that same clarity is needed on things to avoid — pitfalls that can impede progress as a brand seeks to engage and truly connect with the hearts and minds of their intended audience — not just their wallets. Doing so breeds the kind of loyalty that can sustain consumer relationships for a lifetime.

Below, Martha Marchesi, CEO of JK Design, a full-service creative agency with a powerhouse roster that includes Johnson & Johnson, Philips, Priceline, Prudential, ADP, Tiffany & Co. and more, provides insights on five telltale signs that a brand may lack emotional intelligence and how to ensure EQ is employed effectively in marketing strategies:

Lack of empathy in messaging: An emotionally intelligent brand demonstrates empathy by understanding and addressing the emotions, concerns and needs of its customers. A brand that lacks empathy may come across as cold, indifferent or out-of-touch in its messaging, which often creates a disconnect between the brand and its audience. This can not only lead to a weakened brand image, but also outright customer dissatisfaction. Egregious and extreme cases of brands being emotionally “tone dead” can cause a brand to be publicly “flamed” on social media and elsewhere.

One great way to exhibit empathy in brand messaging is by addressing common and specific customer pain points like that related to productivity, financial, processes and support. Another approach is to use storytelling that highlights relatable customer experiences like that related to cost savings, productivity, efficiencies and customer support.

These types of tactics can create a more deeply engrained bond with the audience. It’s also imperative to ensure that empathy is conveyed in an authentic, believable way that will resonate with the intended audience. One easy way to achieve this is for public communications from company executives, or that represent the brand as a whole, to display vulnerability, which fosters relatability and trust.

In the post-COVID marketplace, there has been a profound and pivotal cultural shift toward empathy and engagement that is requiring business leaders, and companies at large, enhance these kinds of EQ skillsets to meet new expectations. Another effective method to demonstrate empathy is to utilize genuine customer testimonials, stories and case studies that articulate those first-hand brand experiences.

One-size-fits-all communication: 

Emotionally, intelligent brands tailor their messaging to different customer segments. Brands that rely on generic, cookie-cutter and impersonal communication might not resonate with, or address, their audience’s specific needs. EQ enlightened brands consider more targeted messaging.As one example, if your brand serves both young professionals and retirees, then entirely separate, targeted messaging and visuals for each of those groups is in order. But, try to dig deeper and discern what else beyond demographics makes those in your customer base distinct such that you can use language and imagery that will resonate on a more individual level.

Of course, even before crafting audience-specific messaging, a brand must first wholly understand what makes each segment tick. What are their values? What inspires them to action? What notoriously upsets them? A fully formed profile of each customer category must be developed and continuously honed to ensure your brand’s messaging keeps pace with ever-evolving sensibilities and cultural shifts.

Overemphasis on features, not benefits: Emotionally intelligent brands understand that customers care more about the benefits of a product or service — the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) factor — then its nuts and bolts features. Brands that focus too heavily on product attributes and technical specifications should shift their focus to how those features will improve customers’ lives.

A great way to do this is by using clear and concise benefit statements like that related to a product’s usability, safety, environmental responsibility, affordability, durability and more. Or, that a service will save you time, make you more efficient and productive, enhance the quality of your work or make an experience more enjoyable. Cite as many user benefits as possible to make an unequivocal case as to why your solution is THE solution.

Disregard for customer feedback: Emotionally intelligent brands actively seek value and actually utilize customer feedback in sustained efforts to improve their products and services, and fine-tune future messaging. Brands that dismiss or outright ignore customer feedback may struggle to develop a loyal customer base. Endeavor to prioritize incorporating customer insights into brand strategy. Do this by conducting regular informal polls, more formal customer surveys, actively monitoring social media channels or even hosting focus groups.

Customer feedback, however positive or negative it may be, is a valuable and powerful market research. However, beyond collecting and cataloguing the data, EQ-driven brands take concerted action on each viable data point — to include sharing those insights with all applicable internal teams and other appropriate stakeholders to ensure the collective has an accurate “temperature” and cohesive understanding of the organization’s KPIs at any given time.

Inability to convey brand values: Emotionally intelligent brands embrace, and effectively communicate, their core values and beliefs. Their figuratively wear their brand values as a badge of honor, and let those ideals guide the way as the company’s marketing communications North Star. For example, brands can easily showcase their commitment to sustainability through overt green initiatives, which customers are made aware of through public communications and discourse. While the expression certainly need not be overtly impassioned or “over the top,” brands that fail to express their values or purpose in some identifiable way may need to reassess how they communicate their mission. A good first step in this direction is to clearly define and articulate your brand values internally. From there, systematically and concertedly integrate those values across all marketing channels with consistency, ensuring a cohesive and authentic message is conveyed to your audience at every possible touchpoint.

Emotional intelligence is key to any marketing strategy. It should be upheld as your brand’s North Star from which to craft your story, develop inspired positioning and brand architecture, empower your sales force, create engaging content, collaborate with your creative team, transform the typical e-commerce experience into a story-driven customer journey, measure your results and so much more.

By making impactful and authentic emotional connections with your audience and continuously fine tuning that approach, you can drive meaningful results — the kind that creates even unforeseen advantages and helps you not just achieve, but exceed, your goals. C&IT

We at Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine are proud to present the winners of our 39^th annual Awards of Excellence. We thank our subscribers — the meeting and incentive travel professionals — for judging which hotels, resorts and conference centers best served their needs by excelling in staff service, accommodations and meeting facilities, F&B, event setups and arrangements, ambience and accessibility. The subscribers also choose the convention and visitors bureaus that go above and beyond in service and support, promotional assistance, supplier, facility and venue information, coordination and liaison with local attractions and transportation, and comprehensive assistance with accommodations and site inspections.

While others may be content to rest on their laurels, these industry-leading winners prove what it means to be ‘best in class’ by continually reinventing themselves through renovations and rebrandings. Communicating and marketing effectively is all about making real connections through relationship building. When you make it personal, you make meetings and events an unqualified success — and then everyone is a winner. We salute all the winners of our Awards of Excellence on these pages and invite you to read the success stories of many of the winners featured in this annual section. C&IT

Toasted Life held a networking event in Oakland, CA for entrepreneurs and investors called The Ecosystem Series. Courtesy of Matt Tuffuor

Hybrid and Virtual meetings are not just a COVID-era fix. The demands for them are not showing any signs of diminishing. On the contrary, they are increasing in popularity, boosting events attendance numbers and creating a unified community.

While in-person events are taking place again all over the world, the hybrid and virtual events are expected to expand dramatically in the next five years. The key elements that stand out are flexibility and engagement. By offering in-person meetings and events coupled with a virtual component, planners are able to include a wider range of attendees to their meetings. Those who are unable to show up in person can still get the content remotely.

John Chen, CEO of Engaging Virtual Meetings, in Seattle, WA, who is an award winning designer, producer, speaker & MC for virtual and hybrid meetings, has seen demand for hybrid meetings increase 128% over the past year.

“In a hybrid meeting, you get the energy of the in-person event with the reach of a virtual event,” he said. “In addition, many attendees can now attend, maybe having reasons that would have that prevented them from attending in person. In many programs, we’re able to increase the attendees by 50 to 100% or more by running hybrid.”

Paulina Giusti, senior meeting and events manager for Cvent, in McLean, VA, the largest hospitality technology company in the world, realizes hybrid meetings are often touted as offering the “best of both worlds” — the special high-level engagement from in-person and the broad reach of virtual; and this opportunity is appealing to many organizations.

“Despite the rapid return to in-person events, the need to reach and engage a broader audience via virtual experiences remains,” she said. “It’s important to remember that prospective attendees might not have the time or ability to travel long distances to attend events. Not to mention, there can be hefty price tags associated with traveling for corporate meetings.”

This is where hybrid meetings come in. They can boost attendance numbers, encouraging those who might not have otherwise been able to attend due to cost or travel restrictions to tune in to a meeting.

Falon Veit Scott, CMM, MBA, is the CEO of EES Agency in Nashville, TN, which helps brands “tell their unique stories through events that blow away expectations.” She notes that while hybrid meetings are usually more expensive than a typical in-person meeting, it will result in lower travel costs. Because hybrid meetings also offer an improved ability to reach more attendees, they are a better option for a more consistent meeting cadence.

Keith Willard, an award-winning event planner, international speaker and president of his Keith Willard Events in Oakland Park, FL, regularly plans corporate meetings and has also seen more people go the hybrid route.

“Hybrid meetings are still taking place at a high rate,” he said. “One thing that the pandemic taught us about having meetings like this is that it’s a lot more cost effective and convenient for all the attendees. The idea of someone needing to catch a plane to meet with one group in the morning, to then catch another plane for a different meeting in the evening, has mostly gone by the wayside.”

Tina Husemoller, vice president of meetings & incentives for Fox World Travel,  a travel management company for Business Travel, Vacation Travel and Events in Oshkosh, WI, notes that while hybrid meetings are still popular, because so many companies have a remote workforce, they tend to want to bring people together for in-person team building, collaboration and face-to-face time with executive leadership when possible.

“Hosting a hybrid meeting allows for everyone to participate and takes travel out of the equation,” Husemoller said. “In addition to making the meeting accessible to everyone, hybrid meetings allow for some cost-savings to a company related to travel expenses.”

Fox World Travel is seeing many hybrid meetings taking place at company headquarters or convention centers. However, some companies are choosing to host in-person meetings at destinations because a large percentage of their workforce is remote. “They want to make it an experience for employees to attend the meeting in-person since they don’t have as many opportunities for face-to-face interactions with their team members,” she said.

No matter the location, the easiest way to make sure everything runs smoothly is to work with a travel management company that has the technology and know-how to make the virtual experience just as engaging as the in-person experience.

Hybrid meetings also tend to be more sustainable than in-person meetings. A recent Cvent report found that 31% of event planners surveyed reported that sustainability would predominately shape their event planning priorities this year and the next.

As a result, Giusti said, “Many planners find hybrid events to be an appealing option since they tend to produce less waste. By lowering the number of onsite attendees, which boils down to less energy used for travel and transportation, and less food waste, hybrid meetings have the potential to decrease an event’s overall carbon footprint.”

Hybrid meetings also tend to generate more content. Regardless of the event format, boosting attendee engagement is top of mind for planners. Hybrid events tend to offer a lot of optionality in this regard.

“Because hybrid events require live streaming capabilities, event planners can record sessions and make them available for viewing (or rewatching) after the event has wrapped,” Giusti said. “Making content available on-demand can help planners drive engagement well beyond the event dates and helps to give session content a longer lifespan. Another perk is you have more flexibility to repurpose your live event to fuel your post-event marketing campaigns, including in social media posts, webinars, blogs and gated content, such as case studies.”

Going Hybrid

Meetings technology speaker and consultant Corbin Ball, principal of Corbin Ball Co., which helps clients use technology to improve corporate meetings and trade shows, notes that because a planner is essentially running two meetings simultaneously, hybrid meetings come with their share of issues.

“It’s more expensive and more difficult to do because you’re planning for two different audiences,” he said. “However, the analytics for the virtual part of a hybrid meeting are superior to face-to-face in many ways, so for many groups, it makes sense to still hold, especially for the larger and more international companies.”

The number one challenge for any meeting planner is engagement, and that rings true for hybrid meetings as well. “Often the virtual attendee is treated as a second-class citizen, so the challenge for their planner is to design and plan the hybrid to engage both the in-person and the virtual audience,” Chen said.

Another challenge is how to run the meeting. For instance, less than 20% of all hybrid meetings use a virtual MC, which engages the audience as soon as they log on. They can create networking and education between sessions, and, more importantly, they can smooth over any technical issues that may happen on the virtual side.

Planners need to make sure the virtual experience matches the in-person experience. Husemoller notes this can be one of the biggest challenges with planning a hybrid meeting and a good reason to hire a travel management company to assist with hosting it.

For example, if everyone attending an in-person meeting is receiving a book at the end of the event, then all virtual attendees should also have that book mailed to them. This creates a unified sense of community and belonging between everyone who is a part of that meeting.

Veit Scott said an issue with planning corporate meetings in this way is that planners need to be well versed in both in-person and virtual events or one segment will suffer.

“Understanding how to manage a hybrid budget, being able to offer valuable content to two different types of audiences and maintaining engagement are a few challenges for planners,” she said. “We have learned that it is critical to educate clients on the additional coordination time, increased costs, dynamic insights on live and virtual attendee engagement, and the critical nature of presentations and messaging.”

Tech Requirements

Whenever tech is involved, Matt Tuffuor, co-founder of Toasted Life, a community-based experiential brand empowering connections for people of color in Oakland, CA, notes there are unexpected technical problems. Whether it is due to unstable internet connections, poor audio quality or software glitches, no meeting is entirely immune to such challenges. Hybrid events require the right technology solutions, onsite support and some creativity to really do them justice. It’s not as simple as setting up a camera, recording a session and posting the session online.

Willard agrees. “It was fine when you had a blurred-out background or low light when we first started learning, but now appearance online is just as important as appearance in person. Nothing is more irritating than a screen freezing or the speakers voice coming in and out.”

Planners bear the responsibility of developing contingency plans for when the unexpected occurs, according to Tuffuor. He suggests allowing time and support for technical rehearsals and equipment quality checks. “Depending on how high profile the hybrid meeting is, planners may need to hire technical experts to provide immediate support for a smooth event,” he said.

“The good news is that as hybrid events become more ubiquitous, hotels and venues are starting to upgrade their technology offerings to ensure virtual attendees can feel as involved as those at the venue,” Giusti added. “It’s exciting to see venues starting to think outside the box about how to engage hybrid event attendees. For example, Radisson Hotels offers ‘Meetings Broadcast Studios’ at select hotels, which give planners access to the latest meeting technology for both larger events and smaller, hybrid meetings.”

“The event planner should work with the venue to determine if they have enough internet bandwidth to support the virtual component and the proper technology in place, and that the travel management company they are partnering with already has this technology component and the knowledge to put it into practice,” Husemoller said. “They also must ensure that there is enough room for the in-person piece.”

Although a hybrid meeting can be done using one laptop, a savvy hybrid planner will use a device such as the Owl Pro, which has a microphone that can cover up to 18 feet, and a 360-degree camera. This allows every person who is participating to be seen by the virtual people.

Chen feels a perfect hybrid setting would include a high-speed computer, two monitors, two wireless headset microphones, two wireless handheld microphones, three cameras, a mixing board and a stream deck, which is an automation device.

“This allows for professional production at an affordable price,” he said. “Everything is in one box with rollers, and it can be set up in as little as 30 minutes in almost any venue.”

Best Venues

While pretty much any venue can work for a hybrid meeting, as long as it can accommodate the in-person attendees, a venue must have some technical components, such as high-speed internet to serve the virtual audience.

“The best hybrid venues have all the necessary components, which includes large screens, projectors, sound systems and multiple cameras,” Chen said. “It’s much easier for the planner if the venue takes care of the tech equipment, assuming that it is all tested. And, by the way, that assumption is not always true.”

For instance, there was one venue Chen worked with that had a video camera, and it was very far back in the room. There were more than 1,000 attendees and the room floor was not designed well, as any time someone walked by this camera, it would shake. “So, for the virtual audience, it would appear to look like an earthquake was happening all the time,” he said. “The virtual became unwatchable at that point.”

Hybrid meetings can take place in almost any venue; although indoor is best for production value. Most planners should want to control the production equipment and management to ensure proper messaging, graphics and overall quality, Veit Scott said.

Hybrid In Action

Learner Palooza, a top conference for innovation and disruption for learning and development, recently held its first-ever hybrid meeting with 150 attendees in-person and 150 virtual across the U.S., and UK. There were keynotes and then there were also three simultaneous breakout sessions, and every room had three cameras setup with a producer.

“This setup allowed for any virtual attendee to ask a question, and that virtual attendee could be on screen with the speaker,” Chen said. “Every room also had a mic runner to ensure that in-person people asked questions with a microphone so the virtual audience could hear them. Every room also had a virtual MC.”

Chen worked with the speakers ahead of time to prepare them for talking to both the live and virtual attendees.

“We asked them to do some key things, such as acknowledge the virtual audience as soon as they start, take their first question from the virtual audience, and make sure that they know that they have a virtual MC,” Chen said. “We coach them to ask, ‘Hey, what’s happening out on virtual?’

Attendees said this was the best hybrid event that they have ever attended and many of them said they were going to take the best practices to their next hybrid event.”

Willard arranged a recent hybrid meeting for Zoom — the actual company —  and 50% of the attendees were there to see the presenter in person and half the attendees were at several offices throughout the country.

“We had a screen mounted slightly to the right of the camera with a speaker mounted just below that,” he said. “That way, when someone asked a question from one of the remote location, the speaker automatically appeared to be answering directly to the person. The speaker allowed others in the room to hear the question so that the presenter didn’t have to repeat the question to those that were in the room.  It takes some work due to feedback issues between the microphone and speaker, but it can be adjusted to ensure a smooth event.”

He also had someone monitoring the remote rooms to ensure that if anyone dropped off, that they could be quickly added back into the room when they came back on.

Continuing to Evolve

There are still some misconceptions around what putting on a hybrid event actually entails, especially now as attendee expectations (whether in-person or virtual) are higher than ever.

With the right support and technology, hybrid events can be more engaging and effective than offering either just a virtual or just an in-person experience, Giusti said. “One thing we’ve noticed is that attendee registration behavior is changing. We’re seeing various patterns, but most notable is an individual’s rotation between in-person attendance one year, and then virtual attendance the next year. Additionally, we’re seeing team participation, one to two team members attend in-person while remaining team members tune in virtually. In short, attendees are finding value in both experiences.”

While hybrid meetings allow everyone to participate, the focus has shifted from accessibility to flexibility. “With greater flexibility, there is the opportunity to bring more people together despite roadblocks, such as available time for travel, budgets or geographic location,” Husemoller said. “This allows people to participate in events they otherwise might not be able to partake in. By thinking through how you include virtual attendees, so they feel fully a part of the meeting or event, you can host a hybrid meeting that is successful and enjoyable for everyone,” concluded Husemoller. “This is the key to hosting hybrid meetings, and once you can master that, you create accessibility for everyone, no matter their location or limitations.” C&IT

Planners should have a venue’s emergency contact information, including hospitals and fire and police departments. DepositPhotos.com

Tropical Storm Hilary made waves in Southern California last summer just hours after making a destructive path over Baja California peninsula in Mexico. This was an unexpected situation as tropical storms or hurricanes don’t typically maintain their strength in this region due to currents and cool ocean waters. Rarity aside, the storm brought Southern California to its proverbial knees and wreaked havoc on the multitude of corporate meetings and events planned for that weekend.

Unfortunately, many corporate meeting planners may not have even considered this pop-up situation: a tropical storm as part of their contingency planning. And attendees may not have envisioned having to deal with historical flooding when traveling to their corporate meeting destination. But planning for contingencies, no matter how rare, is vital for the safety and security of attendees and for the bottom line of the corporations hosting these events.

“Every event is different and some need just the basics and some more advanced contingency plans,” said Deborah Hinson, partner at The Hinson Group, LLC, a full-service marketing, design, new media and consulting agency in New Orleans, LA.

Weather Contingencies

Weather contingencies are focused on the destination’s location. Will attendees have a hard time getting to the destination and back? Are you planning an event in a location that could be impacted by weather events (snow, hurricanes, etc,)? Do you need a backup plan for outdoor events? Regardless of the situation, you must  anticipate the need for and provide shelter, food and water for your attendees.

“Weather, as a natural disaster, brings about other questions such as: How do you evacuate your attendees? What are the hotel capabilities?” Hinson said. “I live in New Orleans. We have frequent power outages. Do I want to identify a hotel that has back-up generator capabilities?”

When booking an event or program that is being hosted at an outdoor venue, consider blocking an indoor ballroom or expo space that could be used in the event of a weather emergency — especially if the event is being held during hurricane season. Also, event insurance should be considered in those instances where an alternative location is not an option.

Transportation Contingencies

Do you need a destination with an alternate airport? What is the bandwidth of your attendees to travel? How long is your event? Will the attendees spend more time getting to you than participating in the event? Do your guests expect non-stop flights? When people are traveling to the event from all points across the globe, it is essential to create a travel contingency plan. One of the biggest problems that planners don’t always anticipate is “travel curtailment” —  namely, when the transportation system goes down due to weather, technology, equipment disaster or other reasons. In the past year alone, a few airlines have had to shut down their entire systems, stranding passengers for days at a time, because of technical issues or staffing shortages. It is important to have a contingency plan in place for these types of unforeseen issues.

Planners should study the destination’s designated evacuation routes and learn how to use them. DepositPhotos.com

Medical Emergency Contingencies

Medical emergencies happen unexpectedly and planners must plan accordingly. This plan should be in place with the venue or property where the event is being held. The plan should list the closest hospital, on-call medics and ambulance providers, and be understood by all members of the event planning team. Corporate meeting planners may also want to consider hiring onsite event medics — personnel who are hired for the duration of the event and are readily accessible in case of a medical emergency.

Technology Failures

Event technology failures can ruin an otherwise successful event. Whether it’s a power outage, a broken microphone, software crash or network glitch, planners need to be ready to handle any technical situation to minimize the impact on their event objectives.

Another way to prepare for event technology failures is to monitor feedback from attendees, speakers, sponsors and partners. Gathering feedback from previous events through surveys, polls, chats, social media and analytics can help you identify any issues and improve your next event technology performance. Also, responding promptly and professionally to complaints or issues is crucial.

Vendor Contingencies

It’s not unheard of for issues to arise with the vendors themselves, as equipment fails or staff don’t show up. That’s why it’s important that corporate planners establish a “back up” list of vendors in case there is a problem with one of the vendors hired. Planners should also ensure that all parties involved, including vendors and subcontractors, have the proper and equitable insurance in place to mitigate any unforeseen risks.

Security Plans

It is important to establish procedures for moving high asset individuals and security for all. Planners should determine if their chosen venue has an onsite, 24-hour security team, with all security officers certified by the American Red Cross in CPR, basic first aid and the use of the HeartStream automated external defibrillator (AED). All hotel or resort staff should be trained in proper evacuation procedures, as well as versed on the nearest exits and safest routes in the event of fire, etc.

Planners should also consider hiring a team that is trained in crisis response, and has plans in place in case a crisis should occur. Additionally, for large-scale corporate events, they should consider having on-call doctors and dentists for any type of medical emergencies.

Budget

Unplanned contingencies can disrupt a corporate meeting planning budget. That’s why it is important to keep a percentage of your total budget in contingency for pop-up expenses, approximately 5 to 10%.

“Work to identify all issues that could arise,” Hinson said. “Talk to your stakeholders and get their input. Then, prioritize the contingencies that are identified and make a plan for the ones that you deem most important. Ensure there is a budget allocated to deal with these contingencies should they come to life.”

Lessons Learned

When you think of the worst-case scenario that happened at one of the meetings or events you handled, what comes to mind? If you’re lucky, nothing. But if you are like most planners, you probably have a story or two to tell about what went wrong and how you solve the crisis at hand.

Hinson planned an event in the Caribbean and her company agreed they would only consider resorts with a generator back-up power as they were meeting during peak hurricane season.

“Sure enough, a storm came — not a hurricane, but enough to knock out power,” Hinson said. “Because we thought ahead and were in a location with back-up power, our meeting was largely undisrupted.”

Bibi Goldstein, founder and CEO at Buying Time, a virtual assistance company located in Hermosa Beach, CA, said there are a lot of contingencies surrounding the health, safety and well-being of meeting attendees.

She said there are many things to consider, such as “a pandemic, a fire in the building the event is being held in, a hurricane, an earthquake or even airport closures.”

She added, “It’s often easy to look at budget and location when planning an event during hurricane season because venues will be more budget-friendly.”

And because it is hard to plan for every contingency that may arise a corporate meeting or event, Goldstein suggests corporate planners focus on the venue, including transportation to and from, and the food and beverage program, as well as elements such as the possibility of the speakers being unable to get to the event. She also said to check with the force majeure clause is in the contract.

She added, “I would also make sure that the venue has provided all emergency contact information for them and for all the local fire, police and hospitals. This is also going to be dependent on the size of the event. If it’s a 100-person event versus a 1,000-person event, the extent of the planning will be different.”

Planners should always have a back-up plan in place. Goldstein remembers how she once planned a small event where the food provided by the venue had been contaminated, so they couldn’t serve it. “We didn’t learn this until the night before day one,” Goldstein said. “Whenever we do an event, we try to have a list of local caterers, restaurants and coffee shops and so our team started making phone calls and were able to put together the breakfasts, lunches and breaks throughout the event that the attendees were expecting.”

Without having this type of contingency plan in place, the event would have been a disaster. “That’s actually the most common mistake I see: corporate planners not having a plan at all,” Goldstein said. “The outcome could be disastrous and dangerous in some cases without proper planning. In the event business, we all know that things will go wrong. Are you prepared to address it and will it be visible to the attendees?”

In light of the havoc that the pandemic unleashed on the meetings and events industry, Hinson believes that contract negotiations will continue to evolve to address contingency plans — especially as it relates to attendee’s ability to attend, impact from force majeure type issues and weather-related issues.

More and more corporate planners are relying on a SWOT analysis — a research tool that they use to determine what the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats might be for a particular event. The SWOT analysis can be a thorough tool to use to decipher all of the potential issues that could arise for that specific gathering. This can be helpful to a corporate planner who may be planning two consecutive events at their company, as an event being held in downtown Chicago, IL will have different potential issues that one being held in downtown Dubuque, IA.

The most well-planned events are going to have “pop-up” situations. Whatever situation arises, experts agree that not recognizing a crisis in its early stage is the most common mistake corporate meeting planners make. The most important approach for corporate meeting planners to take is first to stay calm, and carefully evaluate whatever the situation is in a clear, determined, quick and decisive manner. If done so, most attendees will never know there was a situation.

Steps To Take

It should come as no surprise that assessing a situation is the first step in effective contingency planning. Here are five steps planners should take to prepare for the unexpected:

Step 1: Have a plan for medical emergencies (first), shelter (second) and food and water (third). This will give you time to handle the other aspects of the crisis more efficiently.

Step 2: In most instances, facilities, hotels and other venues have emergency plans in place for evacuation, medical emergencies and weather. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these plans and share this information with members of the corporate planning team. While most hotels or resorts have people on staff who are trained in CPR, corporate planners may want to consider enrolling in a CPR class in order to respond immediately if faced with a life-threatening medical emergency at a corporate event.

Step 3: Embrace the unknown and remain flexible. As issues arise during a corporate meeting, inexperienced corporate planners may find themselves overwhelmed and lose focus on the task at hand. That’s why it is vital that corporate planners remain flexible and focused on resolving the issue, without being caught up in the problem. Be ready for anything. And keep attendees as calm as possible while remaining calm yourself.

Step 4: Remember, safety first. At the chosen venue, conduct multiple walk-throughs with trained personnel to spot any potential obstacles that could cause injuries to attendees. Look for tripping hazards, as well as fire hazards, such as candles having burned down to a point of becoming a hazard.

Step 5: Study evacuation plans. Ask for the facility manager or owner to send you their evacuation plans. Be sure both you and your corporate planning team study these plans thoroughly so that if you need to escort attendees out of a building, you know how to use the designated evacuation route, quickly and safely.

There’s no way to anticipate or prevent all mishaps and natural disasters from occurring, but meeting and event planners can minimize the impact with a little strategic planning. Rather than waiting for the unexpected, planners can put together a contingency plan to ensure that their business meetings and events go as planned, or as smoothly as possible.   C&IT