My small event management firm was hired by a national event company (who shall remain nameless) to assist them with one of many events during a convention for an international association.
The gala that we were asked to coordinate and manage went off without a hitch. In fact, the planning committee for the association, as well as representatives from the national event company that attended the gala, praised our services.
However, I noticed that the representatives from the national event company were eating off the buffet and drinking beer during the event. Am I old school or do others find this behavior tacky and unprofessional? I would never dream of eating off a client’s buffet or drinking on the job.
Cheryl McShane
President
Professional Events and Consulting LLC
Milwaukee, WI
Youthful Indiscretions?
I happen to be one of those modestly matured planners (that originally came from the supplier side), with mostly gray hair. I would like to know, how does a matured individual communicate with the younger set of today, realizing those 20-, 30- and 40-somethings sometimes seem to assume that we with white hair (or those that have a few more years to our credit) are ready to be replaced by those in their age group?
In many cases, we have been there and done that, in all likelihood previous to the younger set joining the work force. I feel most of those matured planners probably have better ethical standards, having come from the “old school” where the old Golden Rule applied.
Therefore, I would like to know, where have all the ethics of the ’50s and ’60s gone? I’m talking again about the old Golden Rule of respecting others, treating others as you would want to be treated, not cheating (like taking unwarranted FAM trips), and double booking, and just realizing that we are all in this together for the common good of the industry, while hopefully supporting each other at the same time.
A few years back, as an association president, I was amazed at the loss of ethics, as well as etiquette, especially by the younger generations. I truly feel if this is not brought into check, it could very well be a major downfall to the hospitality industry.
Kenneth “Ken” Hennrich, CMM, CMP
Independent Meetings Professional
Portland, OR
Crisis Counseling
RE: Meeting planners not having a written contingency/emergency plan (Meetings West, 2007 Meetings Market Trends Survey, January 2007).
Each resort or hotel should have a crisis management plan that fully describes how they will handle all types of emergencies.
Make that a contractual requirement and check the credentials of the relevant security staff. How have they handled past emergencies, i.e., medical? Have they identified trauma centers, hospitals, local police contacts, etc.? Is there an evacuation plan?
Will the director of security brief your group? The primary responsibility for responsible security lies with the resort or hotel. If they are still not up to a reasonable standard after 9/11, you might want to consider going elsewhere. All it might take to screw up a program is one serious incident badly handled.
John Giacomini
Director of Special Programs
School of Law, George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
