Tina Rice
Director of travel and events
IAPMO ( The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials)
Ontario, Calif.
Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?
Our meetings are staying the same.
Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?
Our attendance over the past two years was 10 percent less than in previous years. Our membership is primarily government or city workers. They have been hit hard with the economy and have cut their budgets so less are able to attend our meetings.
Did you have a smaller budget to work with last year? If so, how much do you estimate it was decreased?
Same budget this year as last year; we cut our budget in 2009. Basically, we cut out the extras, for example afternoon snacks and giveaways, which saved us 25 percent. Only a handful noticed the changes.
Do you expect your budget to increase in 2011?
Stay the same.
Do you expect your attendance to increase in 2011?
Good question. We are hopeful that the economy will pick up in 2011, allowing the membership an opportunity to attend.
Are perception problems (meeting and luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.?) a great concern for your organization? Have they become less of a concern in the past few months, and do you expect them to be a problem in 2011?
Definitely. We have a challenge with perception, so much that we have been heavily marketing the education and business aspects of our conference. We absolutely could not hold a conference in a city that is perceived to be FUN or VACATION-like. We wouldn’t get any attendees. Especially with the tight budgets, we find that their employers are very careful as to who they are sending and for how long. I believe we have always had this challenge but even more so in the past two years.
Are there any destinations or facility types that are now considered “off-limits” due to perception problems or the current economic climate?
Sure, vacation-like destinations, resort type facilities and international destinations are all considered to be OFF LIMITS due to the perception of FUN instead of learning.
Have you planned, or do you expect to plan, virtual/videoconference meetings? Do you expect to see more virtual meetings in the future?
I have not planned any virtual meetings; not sure if it is in our future. However, we do have the equipment to host one. We have not discussed this yet.
Are you finding that you are scheduling more meeting sessions per day, and if so, is it at the expense of entertainment or events that are more social in nature?
Less meeting sessions at our annual conference due the perception issue.
Are you scheduling more educational components for your meetings? If so, why?
We have increased our education sessions. We are trying to get our attendees to feel like they are getting the best education at our conference. It also helps them sell it to their employer to be able to attend.
Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?
We have changed a few of our activities. We use to have a large banquet on the first night honoring our first-time attendees and committee members. We used to offer dancing, a full dinner, giveaways. Now it is a two-hour reception with a light meal and no giveaways or entertainment.
Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced less strictly? Can you share any comments/observations about this?
We have not had a problem with attrition. We always reserve more rooms than we have held on our block. We always hold a conservative room block.
Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?
Facebook, Twitter; our marketing department uses these websites for our membership to see what is going on with our organization along with other organizations.
Have you planned more meetings closer to your organization’s headquarters (“drive-to” meetings) recently? If so, why?
We have two facilities, both of which have meeting space. We have always held committee meetings on-site to save the cost of meeting room rental. No more recently than we have been doing for the past 10 years.
Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?
I am optimistic that this year will begin to pick up. We are budgeting for more attendees at our annual conference this year. We will have to wait and see.
