Five Deadly Sins of Meeting Planning

Meeting planners juggle many different tasks and hundreds of details. How can you avoid mistakes and maximize attendance at your event? This article details the top five mistakes that meeting planners make and the solutions for making sure they don't happen to you!

Not learning from the past. When you manage an event or project, often you are so relieved at the end that you pack away materials, approve bills and take a big sigh of relief until next year. But, it’s critical to have a debriefing meeting or “post mortem.” Interview the stakeholders for the event, including customers, vendors, and employees at all levels. Ask them “What went well?” “What didn’t go well?” What can we improve?” Armed with this feedback, the next event or project can be improved upon, and you can make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice.

Not thinking “outside of the box.” It’s easy to become myopic about events or projects that are recurring. If it worked once, it will work again, right? Wrong! You need to constantly monitor your target audiences and the industries you serve. Is the industry growing, consolidating or shrinking? What are the new trends that affect our audience or customers? You may find that you can change how you charge for an event, add new technologies or change your message to attract more attendees.

Not matching your prices with the current economy. When the economy changes, individuals and businesses reevaluate their spending and budgets. In a downturn, attendance at trade shows and corporate events are some of the first things that get cut. To make sure your event remains attractive and fits current budgets, you can adapt with alternative venues, un-bundle registration options such as golf outings and hotel rooms, reduce the event length, and add additional incentives and discounts.

Not planning far enough in advance. Time goes by quickly when you’re juggling multiple projects or events. It’s easy to get sidetracked and lose sight of time. In order to run a successful event, you have to plan far enough in advance, including inviting speakers, ordering supplies and materials, ordering services from your vendors, securing the venue and more. Find out from your preferred vendors what their suggested lead time is. Put a timeline together so that everyone knows what has to be done and when.

Not sharing the plan with your suppliers. Are you getting the best price and the best service from your suppliers? Are your suppliers members of your team, providing suggestions for improvement and new solutions? To make suppliers your partners, get them involved early in your planning process. Share as far in advance as possible what you need as well as what kind of budget or resource constraints you might have. If you’re able to use one supplier for most or all of your events, you might be able to negotiate a contract with a better price or rate for their product or service.

Mistakes will happen, schedules will change, shipments get lost and speakers will cancel. By avoiding the five deadly mistakes mentioned above, you can be on your way to more successful events and less stress in your job.

This article is provided courtesy of ComputerRentals.com. Founded in 1980 in Los Angeles, California, CRE-Computer & AV Solutions is a nationwide leader of computer and laptop rentals, audiovisual rentals, plasma rentals and more for corporate and special events with services throughout the U.S. and Canada.

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