honey, i’m [sending a bunch of stuff] home!

It’s the last Thursday in May, and to end my series of onsite nuggets, I’m writing about packing up your meetings for the return trip.

When you’re shipping items back to the office, do you take the time to organize your shipment as well as you do when you’re sending it to show site?  You should!  It will make it that much easier for you to return your supplies to their proper storage areas, as well as speed up the process of closing the meeting once you’re back home.

Here are some quick and easy things you can do to ensure your return shipment doesn’t cause you headaches!

1. Toss damaged items onsite.  Don’t pay to ship damaged or sub-par pieces (pens without caps, broken pencils, dried out highlighters, crumpled copier paper) back to the office, when you’ll only end up throwing them away as you unpack.
2. Pack like items together.  If some items will be returned to your marketing department, pack all of their stuff together.  Same with office supplies, registration supplies, education materials, etc.
3. Use small boxes in good condition.  Larger boxes get heavy and tend to be placed on the bottom of all shipments (often damaging contents).  Smaller boxes are easier to move, require fewer packing peanuts (yay, environment!), and don’t get damaged as often.  They have the added benefit of helping you limit the number of different types of items you pack in one box.
4. Remove old shipping labels.  Use scissors to peel off any old labels (don’t just cross them out with your Sharpie), as automated routing machines may pick up on the wrong bar code and misdirect your whole shipment!
5. Create a shipping manifest.  Note the contents of each box on a shipping manifest, and then number each box to track what’s where.  This becomes so much easier when you pack like items together.

Finally, be sure you make a copy of all of the tracking numbers for your return shipment, in case anything does go missing (or in case you’re bored at the airport and want to see where your highlighters are).

i’m seein’ stars

When you go on vacation, do you check the hotel website to see whether or not they have a pool?  Or, find out if they received three diamonds or four stars?

If so, you know how important those things are when making a hotel selection.  Do your attendees a favor, and include some detail on the properties available in your housing block so they can make informed choices and be happy with their selections.

Research the offerings that each hotel has, including pool, gym, spa and Internet access.  You can also list the AAA or Mobil rating for the hotels.  The easiest way to compile this information is using each hotel’s website and the AAA and Mobil sites.

It doesn’t take long, and your attendees will greatly appreciate it.

hey, thanks

Gratitude can be expressed in many ways.  In the moment, most folks tend to whip off a quick “thanks” as they toodle on their merry way.

Chicago print shop, Greer Chicago, has come up with a delightful idea to take that “thanks” and make it a little more meaningful.  They’ve designed thank you cards, called “Civilettes“, that you don’t add anything to – no personal note necessary.

They are meant to be handed (in the moment) to the gentleman who lets you have the cab you were both vying for, the coworker who stayed late one night to help you finish that presentation binder, or the stranger who went out of her way to hold the door for you when you were tugging the stroller behind you.  They don’t come with envelopes, so they’re easy to grab and give.

I think they’re a beautiful way to express simple gratitude.  And, they’re recyclable, in the absolute best sense – they have “please reuse” printed on the back, so that the recipient might pass it along to the stranger who helps them carry a heavy package into the post office.

I mention them here on my blog because I also think they’re a fantastic addition to the gratuity that you leave for housekeeping, bellman and concierge, as well as certain gratuities you may give, in person, to those who service your meetings.

fly the pricey skies

American Airlines announced today that they’re going to institute a $15 fee for the FIRST bag checked on any flight.  Other airlines have incorporated second bag fees, but American is the first major US airline to charge for all checked bags.

The fee goes into effect beginning with flights departing on June 15.  Passengers already holding tickets for travel on or after June 15 are except from the new fee.

I bring this up for two reasons.  

First, this fee will have a major impact on what my fellow travelers will attempt to carry-on, creating a potentially contentious situation when not everyone’s carry-ons fit onto the plane – who pays?

Second, if your organization has an exclusive agreement with American Airlines as your carrier, you may need to do some damage control with your attendees.

What thoughts or concerns do you have with this announcement?

one size does not fit all

Lara McCullough, author of the ready 2 spark blog, had some insightful thoughts to share after reading my “magic words” post.  I especially connected with her point about not falling into the “one size fits all” trap.  We deal with this when planning meetings and events all the time.  Her points on marketing are very good and quite valid to our field.

magic words

Are there magic words in marketing?  Perhaps.  Abracadabra!  No?  Fine, then.  Moving on.

There are scores of articles on the web dedicated to trying to convince us that there are 12 or 13 (or 100) magic words that will instantly make your message more desirable than it would be without these words.

I initially got excited about a message I read on MeCo, listing the “twelve most influential words” in marketing.  However, as I read through the messages, I found that the people posting on the thread took it in a direction that was surprisingly predictable.  The twelve words have been used in countless spam messages and have become “red flags” to anyone with an email account.

Then I stumbled upon this blog post by Gary Bencivenga.  He presents a compelling argument to eschew the magic word theory and make a compelling argument.  We need to give our target audience a reason to believe what we’re telling them, and using so-called “magic words” aren’t the answer.

Even Gary’s post doesn’t spell out the real point.  Which is??  Plan better meetings.  Offer better content.  Research what your target audence really wants, and give it to them.  If you’re offering what people are looking for, you don’t have to dress up your message with magic words.  You can simply explain the real benefits of attending or exhibiting at your meeting.  That’s the real magic.  Abracadabra!

feed me

Meetings and conventions aren’t ALL about attendees and exhibitors, from a planner’s point of view.  We also have to consider the staff that work our events.

Recently, someone asked the MiForum group how they could explain to their staff that being required to eat dinner in their hotel room for 9 straight days is actually a good thing.  It set off a firestorm of activity.  And something interesting happened…  EVERYONE who replied to the question agreed – being required to eat dinner in your hotel room for 9 straight days is not a good thing.

Here are my suggestions for staff meals – intended to keep energy and morale up over longer meetings.

1. Feed staff a hearty breakfast on show site.  Include a protein of some kind (I tend to include both eggs and a breakfast meat like ham or sausage) as well as fruit.  Don’t forget about any staff working the registration desk – you may need to send some bagels and fruit to the reg desk, if you’re not serving breakfast early enough to allow them to eat before registration opens.
2. Keep snacks handy throughout the day in the staff office.  Granola/protein/energy bars are great.  Whole fruit is another hit.  Some groups bring candy, gum, chips and crackers, too.  If the venue has vending machines, this isn’t always necessary, but it’s a nice touch.
3. Serve a satisfying lunch.  Whether you allow staff to eat at an attendee function, bring the same meal into the staff office, or serve an entirely separate meal to staff, be sure to serve them something that will fill them up, but not slow them down.  Chicken breast and turkey both have tryptophan, which is a natural amino acid that makes people sleepy.  Try to avoid these meats during staff lunches.
4. Give staff the night off.  Whenever possible, allow staff to take their evening meal wherever they wish.  Of course, receptions, VIP dinners and evening sessions can often prevent staff from having personal time in the evenings.  But, if they have the night off, then give them the night off, and allow them to go to a nearby restaurant.  A per diem sets limitations, and keeps costs in line.  And, many staff will choose to take their meal in their room.  But most will want to get out and see a bit of the city they’re in.

So, feed staff while they’re on the clock.  When they’re off the clock, let them get out and enjoy themselves – they’ve worked hard for you!

do you like me?

This is the question on every exhibit manager’s mind when they are deciding whether or not to exhibit at your event.  Or, more specifically, they’re asking: Are your attendees interested in my products?  How many of them are interested?

And if the answers are “yes” and “enough of them”, then an educated exhibitor will typically decide to invest in your event, according to Lee Knight, editor-in-chief for EXHIBITOR Magazine, in his March 2008 column regarding the Audience Interest Factor or AIF.

Exhibit Surveys, Inc. has been researching expos since the 1970s, and its founder, Richard Swanby, is the originator of the AIF metric.  Exhibit Surveys has developed some fantastic trend reports that have been made available to anyone smart enough to visit their website.  You can even select your industry (i.e. Medical/Pharmaceutical) from their drop down menu to see these same reports, customized for that industry.

Yes, yes…  All of this is very interesting.  But what does a planner do with this information?  The International Association of Expositions and Events (IAEE) directed planners to Mr. Knight’s column because event organizers should be providing this information to potential exhibitors.

Survey your attendees and find out what products they’re interested in.  Offer this information to potential exhibitors so they can make informed decisions about whether to participate in your event and how much money to invest in it.

Educate your exhibitors about AIF and how it affects their ROI, and you’ll CYA when it comes time to sell them next year’s event.

what color is your freight?

I’m always looking for different ways to “go green” with our meetings.  Something I hadn’t considered until reading this article by Hunter Slaton of Meetings & Conventions Magazine is that even the method of delivering shipments to your event has an environmental impact.

Luckily, there are a couple of freight companies offering carbon-offset options.  I’ll certainly be looking into this option for our annual meeting this year – one of the freight companies featured in the article is based right here in my hometown!

Carbon-offsetting isn’t the final answer on making freight carriage eco-friendly, of course, but it’s a good step in the right direction.  As planners begin to push for more options, electric or hybrid trucks may begin to carry our freight to our green meetings.

chill out!

I find that tempers tend to flare onsite much easier than they do at the office.  Some folks don’t handle “onsite” as well as others.  I don’t typically lose my cool, but I have help.  I’ve done research on ways to manage anger, and how to diffuse tense situations (in some cases, taking tips from hostage negotiators!).

One of the most concise sources of advice on the topic has to be Sharon Melnick.  She has a 3-step process for managing anger (in any situation).  Her blog post effectively captures a lot of what I’ve learned over the years.

The three steps she recommends are:

1.  Change the commentary – If your brain has a negative running commentary about someone or something, you are in a mindset of having no control over your situation.  Shift the commentary slightly, and use “I” statements to reflect how you feel and what you think about the situation.  The important thing is to focus on what you can do about the situation you’re in.  Empowerment has a way of making anyone happy.

2.  Cool down – Take just a moment to combat the heat you may not realize is building up in you (whether literally or figuratively).  You can do this with breathing exercises or mental imaging.  Most sources recommend taking a deep breath or going to your “happy place” in your mind.

3.  Find the good – Adjust your point of view.  If it’s a person that’s made you mad, try to figure out what good reason they have for acting in the way that’s disturbed you.  We’ve all done things that have made someone else angry, and usually we haven’t acted with the intention of making them angry.  This step has the effect of helping us practice empathy.

The step that I find most helpful onsite is Step 2.  Whenever a disgruntled person approaches me redfaced and using their outdoor voice, I always take a deep breath, smile, and imagine them in a clown suit.  Works like a charm!