In Your Own Backyard

If you don’t have the budget to jet your sales reps down to Rio for a sales meeting, be creative about your local options. Harold Powell, Jr., director of sales and marketing for Lansdowne Resort (www.lansdowneresort.com) in Lansdowne, VA, says the key is to blend in a good dose of entertaining activities during the meeting. “By having attendees participate in a variety of fun activities outside the meeting,” explains Powell, “people not only respond but focus more energy on the meeting itself, which leads to increased productivity.”

One way to pull off a superb local meeting is to ensure that the facility offers a mix of stellar facilities, as well as amenities and activities. At Lansdowne, the recreation options include golf and a full-service spa; team-building activities range from cooking classes to wine tastings. At a recent team-building session, a company gave each attendee a different musical instrument. Each member had to play a particular rhythm during the meeting. Powell says the tactic worked well because it got everyone involved and each attendee was essentially on an even playing field, unlike a golf tournament. “Each attendee was made comfortable by the fact that they were no better or worse with their instrument than their co-workers,” says Powell.

To make a local meeting engaging, Powell advises meeting planners take these steps.