Meetings Newsletter

You need to gather your national sales force in a hurry. How can you survive the stress of planning a major meeting at the last minute? Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, provides us with a few lifesaving strategies, but first advises to question the need for a face-to-face meeting. Is a face-to-face meeting the best way to meet your objectives? “You may be able to hold a Webinar or a teleconference," says Friedmann. “Technology is so much easier, less expensive, and it takes so much less time....read more.

Getting There: Fly into O'Hare International or Chicago Midway International airports. Once in Chicago, transportation is readily available–choose from taxicabs, limousines, and public transportation. Meeting Places: McCormick Place, the largest convention center in the United States, consists of four complexes, which total 2.7 million square feet of exhibition space and 700,000 square feet of meeting space. One of Chicago's enduring landmarks, Navy Pier also offers a unique setting for meetings and exhibitions. In the suburbs,...read more.

You drop your laptop on the way into the biggest sales meeting of the year. Or before you stand up to speak, the light on the stage burns out and the mike goes dead. Or as you are making a major point in your pep talk to the sales team, you trip and fall off the stage. Those are just a few meeting disasters that could occur, but you'll always have an out if you're prepared, says David W. Richardson, CSP, CEO of Richardson Resource Group, Inc., a company that helps salespeople put together competitive presentations....read more.

A thorough and well designed contract is essential for a successful meeting, says Tim Brown, a partner at Meeting Sites Resource, a global specialist in meeting site research and hotel contract negotiations. "The negotiation part is straightforward, but really critical," Brown says. "It's all about making sure everything you think is going to happen is going to happen and minimizing your risk. I call it 'plan and think before you ink.
...read more.