IACC Standards Reflect Best Practices

When you’re considering where to hold your off-site meeting, there’s one sure place to find comfort: the International Association of Conference Centers. Active members of the nonprofit IACC must comply with an exacting set of criteria. The so-called universal criteria which undergo periodic review ensure that the IACC standards reflect the industry’s current best practices.

Here are some examples of IACC’s rigorous requirements:

Single purpose conference space makes up at least 60 percent of total sales generated from conferences and at least 60 percent of the dedicated meeting space.

Every conference group is assigned its own designated conference planner skilled in providing meeting room setups, menu and special event planning, and audio-visual equipment and services.

An average group size is 75 people or fewer.

A package plan includes meeting and guest rooms, three meals, continuous refreshments, conference services and basic audio-visual equipment.

Meeting space is available to clients 24 hours for material storage.

On-site audio-visual equipment is included in the basic conference package – overhead projectors, flip charts, 35mm slide projectors, microphones and video playback equipment.

Technicians skilled in offering immediate response to service needs as well as equipment setup, operation and instruction are available.

Sixty percent of the dedicated conference rooms can be set up with ergonomically designed chairs, ideally that are built to swivel and tilt.

Continuous refreshment service offered outside meetings rooms.

Meeting-room tables have nonreflective, hard writing surfaces. Draped, skirted banquet tables are unacceptable. Tackable wall surfaces, in-room phone outlets, unobstructed interior views, controllable lighting and adequate electrical outlets must be in every conference room.

Guest rooms include adequate work lighting and sufficient workstations and are removed from meeting and leisure areas to permit the utmost privacy and comfort.

Dining facilities are accommodating to groups on flexible meeting schedules at least for breakfast and lunch.

For more information, write to the International Association of Conference Centers, 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63141, visit www.iacconline.org, email info@iacc.iacconline.com or call IACC at 314-993-8575.