Karrington Warfield
Administrative Assistant.
Careerbuilder.
Atlanta
Do you find that your booking window (the time between booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking recently? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities No, the booking window has not increased for our meetings.
Yes, sometimes I am finding it harder to book space when our group is staying in the metro area however, I don’t normally have a problem when booking outside of Atlanta.
Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding?
Yes, the duration of our meetings has expanded. I believe the expansion is happening because we have a much larger team now and the groups are very diverse. Although the objective and goal of the meeting is for everyone each team usually leaves with a different perspective and what might work for one department may not work for the others.
Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding?
The attendance has expanded because of the expansion of our group.
Did you have a smaller or larger budget to work with last year? If so, how much do you estimate it was decreased or increased?
I had a smaller budget last year. I would estimate that my budget has increased by an additional $25K.
Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2012?
I expect my budget to increase in 2012.
Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2012?
I expect attendance to increase in 2012.
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 had an opportunity to plan a virtual or video conference. I don’t expect to see many virtual meetings in the future within our organization.
Are you exploring the possibility, or have you already held, a “hybrid” meeting (meetings that combine live events with an Internet/digital component? If so, what are your observations?
I have not thought about the possibility of hosting a hybrid meeting.
Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?
I have started to incorporate more activities into our agendas, especially when we have a full day of training or meetings. I’ve done team-building activities, dinner off-site, spa appointments, golf, etc.
Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?
I don’t plan to offer a corporate social responsibility.
Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?
Our organization has not moved into doing a green meeting; however, this is something that I would like to incorporate into our meetings in 2012.
Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more, or less, strictly recently?
I would say that it depends on the venue or facility that you’re working with however, this year I find that hotels have been a lot more agile. The hotels/venues are more apt to negotiate the attrition percentages with the planner.
Do you find that you had much more leverage on room rates during the last year?
Yes, I have observed how much more leverage we’ve had in negotiating room rates this year. I have been able to negotiate from $179 to $149, including taxes.
Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?
No, I don’t personally use social networking websites for business purposes; however, our organization does use them.
Have you planned more meetings closer to your organization’s headquarters (“drive-to” meetings) recently?
Yes, as we didn’t always have the budget to travel outside of the metro area.
Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago?
Yes, I am more optimistic about the meetings industry. I feel as though planners are now being a lot more conscious about the budget and smarter about how they are spending their organization’s money.
How do you think 2012 will shape up for the meetings industry? Where do you see costs (hotel, restaurant, venue prices, etc.) going? Do you think your budget and/or attendance will increase or decrease?
I think 2012 looks very promising for the meetings industry. I can’t say where I see costs going, however. I think it depends on how much revenue is being generated within the venues and facilities. I think our organization’s budget will definitely increase.
