2016 Meetings Today Trends Survey Planner Interviews

Following are the interview subjects for the 2016 Meetings Today Trends Survey:

Julie B. Walker, CMP, Choice Meetings, Mechanicsburg, PA

David J Sampson, Senior Meeting Planner, CTC, CMP, CMM, American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia

Julie-Michelle Davis, ACIG Insurance Company, Richardson, Texas

Laura Cox, CMP, Meeting Planner, College Board, Duluth, Ga.

Tess Vismale, CMP, DES, Chief Event Executioner (iSocialExecution) & Tech Evangelist (Dahlia+), iSocialExecution & Dahlia+, Atlanta

Teri Wiltshire, Special Projects Coordinator, The Master Pools Guild, Richmond, Va.

Ted Bradpiece, President, ACC, Explorer Travel Services, Canyon Country, Calif.

Elizabeth Campbell Boyd, Director, DMC International, Northern California

Bunny Benson, Creative Teaching Press, Cypress, Calif.

Lisa Dyson, CMP, TESOL International Association, Alexandria, Va.

Michelle DeClerck, CMP, President, Conference Event Management, West Des Moines, Iowa

Sher Sutherland, Owner, Executive Events & Management, Chico, Calif.

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Julie B. Walker, CMP, Choice Meetings, Mechanicsburg, Penn.

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

Because I’m an independent planner, I have different answers to these questions. For my association clients, their lead times have not changed. Their meetings are usually more predictable and stay on an annual schedule.

For my pharmaceutical clients, that’s where I see the shorter lead times. They request short lead-time sales and leadership meetings, depending on the needs of the organization at the time (i.e. impending product launch, changes in regulations that impact their industry, etc.).

For my corporate clients, I just went through an experience where I had 3 ½ weeks to source and plan a sales meeting. It was the first time they’ve ever held a full sales meeting–and they decided to do so because they had a strong year and money in the budget that needed to be spent by year’s end.

Fortunately, I have great relationships with different suppliers throughout the U.S., so I’m usually able to secure several options for space and rooms on a short notice. I’ll often utilize the help of CVBs if I’m having trouble finding availability. CVBs are a tremendous resource since they often know of new properties that might not be on my radar screen.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

Again, I’ve seen the length of meetings shift both ways over the years. One association that I work with scaled back their annual meeting by a full day after receiving feedback from their members. Now, those same members seem to be asking for more content…so they will likely restore their conference to the original length and add the extra time back in to the agenda. (What they don’t realize is that they didn’t contract for the sleeping rooms or meeting space to accommodate the lengthened agenda, so I’ll be working on trying to get an addendum in place that meets their needs.)

On the flip side, I have clients who continually strive to condense their meetings so as to limit the “away from office” impact that their meetings have on productivity. I feel like they rush through the content and forego any networking or teambuilding when they’re together, which isn’t the most productive way to meet.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

I’ve seen consistent growth in numbers for association meetings. People are willing to invest in continuing education and networking again.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

I anticipate continued growth in meeting attendance for 2016. Travel fees are rising, so that is a drawback. That might have more of an impact in 2017 and beyond.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

My pharma client is sensitive to the “resort” label and has to avoid meeting at these types of properties. It’s not so much a perception problem–more of a regulatory issue for them. My other clients are not impacted, swayed or affected by “resort” properties.

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?

People just are not as engaged when they participate digitally. Plus, there’s too many potential mishaps with technology. Face-to-face rules the day–there’s just no substitution.

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?

I’m focusing on trying to persuade my clients to build in more networking/socializing into their agendas, and LESS on cramming sessions into the schedule. They’re starting to recognize that more work/results can come out of non-session times when people have the opportunity to just interact with one another.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

We’re definitely trying to incorporate more social time, more interactive activities, etc. Any activity relating to food and beverage is always a huge hit. “Invent Your Own Cocktail” has been a big hit with meeting attendees. I also see an increased interest in incorporating CSR/volunteer projects into the agenda. People are refocusing on helping others.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

I am not particularly interested–nor are my clients–in focusing energies on sustainable meetings. I put the onus on the hotels to lead by example and be as environmentally responsible as possible. This is not an area of interest to me.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

I’m definitely paying even closer attention to F&B attrition numbers and challenging the hotels to justify their minimums. As planners, we owe it to our clients to really be on top of this issue. Ensuring from the get-go that we’re working with realistic numbers is essential. In my 20-plus years of planning, I’ve only had one attrition issue–it was a learning experience and I’ve never returned to that property because I felt they didn’t work with me and my client in advance to try to limit the attrition penalty.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

I think hotels have come a LONG way with Wi-Fi and making it more affordable for meetings. It seems more properties are including it with their meeting rooms (for my smaller meetings where the bandwidth need isn’t as great). This has been a huge cost-saving line item for many of my meetings. I consider it huge progress!

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

Oh, it’s definitely a seller’s market. We’re already seeing higher room rates, higher meeting room rental rates, fewer complimentary meeting spaces, decreased availability and less negotiating on the concessions that my clients typically ask for. Properties are definitely being more selective about the RFPs they’ll go after…and I see them declining opportunities to hold out for more attractive (i.e. financially beneficial) pieces of business. Educating my clients and trying to get them to understand this hasn’t been easy.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

I’m definitely seeing less flexibility on room rate negotiations, but I always try! Hotels are pretty clear–they’ll book another piece of business if they don’t book your business (in a polite kind of way). I had a program where I needed to get to a certain price point on the room rate. I was able to work with the hotel and come to an agreeable room rate by actually increasing the meeting room rental rate. The net result was the same – we just had to juggle the numbers a bit.

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

Not really. I don’t need to, at this juncture.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

I am so energized by the state of the meetings industry right now. It is exciting to see the resurgence of our industry and the changes that are taking place. Corporations are loosening their wallets; attendees are returning to meetings; the whole concept of meetings and how we offer content is changing; we’re incorporating teambuilding activities; we’re adding volunteer projects and giving back…overall, we’re making meetings so much more fun and beneficial for everyone involved. We’re supporting a huge segment of the nation’s economy–providing jobs for so many people who support the industry. We are kind of a big deal!! (I just wish the rest of the country understood what we do and the impact we have on the economy!)

How do you think 2016 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? Why?

Nowhere but up…

What other trends are you seeing in the meetings world, such as changing attendee demographics (i.e., Millennials), or any other trends that are impacting your programs?

People want to interact, they don’t want to sit in a room and suffer “death by PowerPoint” any more. They’re challenging us to think creatively and deliver better meetings.

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David J Sampson, Senior Meeting Planner, CTC, CMP, CMM, American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

Since the economy has started back up it has been a little harder to get the dates I need for my meetings. Likewise, the rates are less negotiable than in the past few years.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

Shrinking by a little. The Board is getting more done before they arrive at the meeting so they don’t need as much time away.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding?

Attendance is staying the same just fewer days.

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?

The overall budget has increased because we have added another layer of meetings that were not there before. In general the budget has been keeping with the inflation rate.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

Increase slightly.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

Stay the same.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

In the past this was not an issue. However, lately there has been some concern about image and I have been instructed to look for properties that don’t indicate luxury.

Are you exploring the possibility, or have you already held, a “hybrid” meeting (meetings that combine live events with an Internet/digital component)?

We have not had a hybrid meeting yet. We either have a virtual meeting or a real meeting.

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?

This has always been the case with our meetings since the early 2000s. Now we have very little entertainment, just meetings and a nice dinner.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

Meetings only.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

No. I have tried to propose that to the powers but it hasn’t gained any traction.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

We are running green meetings at our facility but away meetings are the way they always were.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

Yes they are being enforced except with the properties we use a lot near our offices.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

Strong internet service is a must with our meetings because the physicians come armed with laptops, tablets and phone all needing Internet service. At most hotels Internet charges are negotiable even though they don’t offer it up easily.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

It has been a buyer’s market for the past eight years but that is starting to change. I would not say we have reached a seller’s market yet because there is still a lot of capacity out there.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

Most properties know that the market is coming back so they are trying to raise the numbers as much as they feel we can afford. If you are willing to walk away the negotiations get better.

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

The company uses Facebook a little but not much.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago?

I feel the economy is definitely coming back and that means the meeting industry is coming back.

How do you think 2016 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?

Costs are going to go up without a doubt as I have already seen that happening with F&B on my programs. Room rates are still lagging but I do expect they will be climbing as the economy really starts to heat up.

What other trends are you seeing in the meetings world, such as changing attendee demographics (i.e., Millennials), or any other trends that are impacting your programs?

Strong push to have more virtual meetings and less face-to-face meetings. The costs involved can be quite large when you add all the piece up for an away meeting.

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Julie-Michelle Davis, ACIG Insurance Company, Richardson, Texas

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

I feel the booking window is shrinking. Ideally, I would book 18 months out, but often, hotels don’t want to commit to my group in hopes of landing a larger fish. (We peak at approximately 150 rooms for my events and don’t use the most ideal booking pattern.) For my events, I have found it’s easier to utilize a shorter window in which we are more appealing and hotels are more inclined to work with us.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

The duration of our meetings is slightly expanding. Our day-and-a-half events are turning into two-day events as we tack on additional programs for attendees to take advantage of. These additional programs are not a part of the event, per se, but they prevent attendees from attending a separate event at a separate date/time. It’s more efficient for attendees and better on our budget as well.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

Our attendance is currently expanding. We write insurance policies for commercial contractors. During the recession, they took a hard hit and cut back on sending attendees due to the cost of travel and lodging with limited contracts being awarded to them. In addition, we have gone away from having two similar programs each year to only hosting it once a year. Some of our member companies would rotate attendees between the two events, now they attend the same event.

Did you have a smaller or larger budget to work with than last year? If so, how much do you estimate it was decreased or increased?

My budget increased a bit this year. I increased my F&B budget by almost 10 percent and rooms by about 4 percent. I recently came from the hotel industry, so my knowledge of pricing has benefitted my budget. During the recession, many companies avoided menu price increases to remain competitive. Now that the economy is rebounding, menu costs are dramatically increasing to make up for stagnant pricing and higher-end offerings. Hotel rooms are increasing a bit as well, but many markets are seeing additional properties open, so room rates aren’t jumping as much due to a higher supply.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

I do expect my budget to increase slightly in 2016. I’m expecting a 3 percent increase across the boards (F&B, rooms, A/V, etc.). My 2015 increase was higher as it was the trend being seen in hotels, but I think the inflation will remain relatively stable for the next few years.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

We still anticipate attendance to increase in 2016. Our member companies are family owned, and we’re at a place where the torch is being passed to the next generation. This will give us some overlap at our C-level events as they are learning the ropes. For our manager/director-level events we do expect higher attendance as contractors are getting more business and will need more personnel to oversee safety and litigation.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

There are some perception problems occasionally that come up. I manage the manager/director-level meetings (another lady manages the C-level events), so there are times we have to justify sending managers/directors to properties that are “too nice.” We recently signed a contract with JW Marriott and had documentation showing they were less expensive than Westin, Omni and Marriott. We do have a bit of trouble if we are booking my events in resort destinations as there’s known to be some ghost attendees. We won’t book in Las Vegas for that reason, but San Diego is a popular destination of ours (even in beach-front properties).

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?

We are currently not looking to hybrid meetings. We’re still working on getting attendees to utilize meeting apps! We no longer print meeting materials; we upload everything to the meeting app and event website to ensure the most current information is available. The manager/director attendees feel comfortable with this change, but most of the C-levels are more reticent (some still have flip phones).

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?

We are scheduling more meeting sessions each day as breakouts. We represent numerous industries and different levels of safety personnel, so different offerings allow them to find something that will best benefit each individual. (Many companies will “divide and conquer” by sending different people to each session to allow everyone to relay information regarding what was being taught.) We don’t do too much in regards to bells and whistles, so the additional sessions don’t affect us much in pricing (occasionally it will increase an F&B minimum, but those are typically much lower than what gets spent as it is). We are still looking to ways to get attendees mingling. They gravitate to people they know at receptions. We’ve found roundtable discussions work well, but they need to be early in the events so they have a chance to meet people early on.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

We aren’t adding or subtracting anything from the past few years. A decade ago, there was lower attendance, so off-site events would happen at some point during events (such as going to a speedway or ballgame). It’s a bit more cumbersome and costly to arrange something with almost 200 attendees. We will be exploring the option of adding something in the future, but it may be a couple of years down the line.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

We do not offer a CSR component to meetings. We do not charge attendees to attend meetings (other than their airfare and hotel); the money comes from insurance premiums. The member companies we write policies for own our company, so events go through a lot of scrutiny. To add CSR would likely be criticized as not having an educational component and being a waste of time/money. For 99 percent of our speakers, we will make a donation in their name to Kids’ Chance of America instead of paying a speaker fee.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

We haven’t moved toward sustainable (green) meetings per se, but we are going paperless for everything. While, technically, this is a green practice, we do it more for practicality and budget. Uploading documents is quicker than printing, and we don’t have to worry about last-minute changes. Attendees enjoy not having to carry around bulky binders and papers, and they love being able to print what they’d like to keep.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

We rarely have problems with attrition as we tend to exceed room blocks by a couple of rooms. We did get hit with about $20,000 in attrition because one hotel’s attrition clause stated attrition was on a day-by-day basis and not cumulative. I’m not sure what happened in the end as I wasn’t running the meeting, but I know we weren’t being worked with. (Some people booked at other hotels for their entire length of stay because a couple nights weren’t available at the host hotel and they [understandably so] didn’t want to change hotels.)

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

Internet is my personal hell with hotels. Every hotel is overpriced (and they know it), but they enjoy the “take it or leave it” mentality. Because we have gone paperless at meetings, any savings on printing is completely negated (and more), and any issue with Internet is magnified by 200 attendees simultaneously having issues. My tip for fellow planners when it comes to Wi-Fi is you MUST negotiate prior to signing on the dotted line for the hotel! Our fall hotel put a quote for me to sign in the contract to give me an excellent rate. After you book with a hotel, you’re at their mercy. You need to be careful that using an outside Internet vendor doesn’t nullify an A/V discount. (Some properties require on-site A/V to be the sole provider in order to honor a discount.) I also recommend checking bandwidth during site visits. Apps such as Speedtest and Net Analyzer are good starts. I would push for the hotel to guarantee a certain speed so that if everyone logging on drops the speed to a crawl you have leverage.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

It is 100 percent a seller’s market. The meetings industry is rebounding and hotels are bound and determined to make up dollars from the recession. I’ve had hotels refuse to bid on my business because we were using too many meeting rooms. (We easily would have paid higher F&B minimums.) I had an outside venue refuse to waive a $14,000 room rental fee. (I asked to have it added as F&B minimum instead of having us pay for four walls--no dice.). A hotel will always work with a great piece of business, but the small fish are currently being squeezed out of the pond. Having worked in hotels and convention centers, it’s not uncommon for a ballroom to sit empty because sales was holding out for a better piece of business to come along. Hotels are looking for quality over quantity. Instead of having 10 groups in-house to coordinate, they’d much rather take that one big group that will use the same amount of space. Sales departments are retaining “possession” of meeting space longer than they have in the past, so smaller groups are having a harder time getting in.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

My leverage on room rates has been minimal at best. I got lucky on my last contract. There was an oversight on the hotel’s end, so the dates they were to contract for us could not be done due a large group that was holding the space and asking to contract. As a result, our rate was dropped $30 per night and we were given extra concessions if we would change our booking pattern. Because we were booking in a smaller city (Indianapolis), I had a bit more control going in as we were a big fish in the pond. One of the sales managers asked what rates I was being quoted and when I informed her she was the highest and one of three above $200 per night, she said to not quote her on the rate yet. Her DOS and GM told her they did not want to be over $200 if three other properties were below, so they lowered their rate. Not all properties will be willing to negotiate. The closer it gets to an event, the fewer options a planner has, which means the hotel is holding the cards (and rooms). It’s always good to have an honest discussion with the sales team to let them know what influences other places have. There are times they have no control over things, but there are plenty of times they’re willing to work for you. A response to an RFP will never be written in stone!

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

I am using LinkedIn quite a bit for business purposes. At times, it’s to take profile pictures for resumes to show speakers. Other times, I use it to find area contacts or national sales managers. It can get frustrating to get random requests to connect with sales managers in cities I know we’ll never visit, but it’s worth the frustration. You never know who will change from a location you won’t use to a more ideal vendor. I do take extra steps to ensure my “connections” are ones I’ve worked with at some point or am willing to open a dialogue with. I’m very protective of my reputation as a professional, and do not want to be associated with anyone questionable.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

I’m very optimistic about the future of the meetings industry. I feel the Millennials are helping to blaze new trails in the industry so there are a lot of changes on the horizon. I feel we’re at the tail end of sitting in a room all day and having a speaker convey his thoughts. The industry is becoming more interactive with meeting apps, gamification and real-time polls. The Internet has made it much easier to be visible and companies are fighting to be more visible. Ten years ago, hashtags didn’t exist. Now when you go to large events, there are walls that have tweets and Instagrams from attendees being put on the wall if they have the event’s hashtag. Millennials are more hands-on; they want an experience, not a training. Planners will be working double-time to bring excitement to a younger generation with waning attention spans.

How do you think 2016 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? Why?

I think 2016 will finish with higher budgets and attendance. In a perfect world, saving money on printing/shipping binders would decrease costs, but Wi-Fi is a huge line item that will likely increase an event overall. I feel the venue prices will go up a bit then taper off for a few years starting in 2017. The past few years were rough, but the storm has been weathered and properties are ready to begin renovations and upgrades. I’m interested to see what happens with food and beverage. Every venue is preaching local, sustainable. This could allow local economies to put money back into their operations, which could eventually lower costs, but one bad year can ruin it all. With so many self-declared foodies in the world, there will always be something “new” in the industry.

What other trends are you seeing in the meetings world, such as changing attendee demographics (i.e., Millennials), or any other trends that are impacting your programs?

MILLENNIALS MILLENNIALS MILLENNIALS!!! The Baby Boomers are at the tail end of their careers and are quickly being replaced by a group raised with computers, TV and video games. We currently have a huge age gap in our attendee demographics, and it’s obvious in everything they do. Millennials will download our event app and figure out how to use it within minutes. We had a Baby Boomer at an event have to e-mail his IT department to get an Apple login to download the app as he had never downloaded an app before.

The Baby Boomers are content sitting all day and being spoken to. The Millennials want to be interactive and constantly need to refocus if sitting all day. As Millennials begin to overtake existing workers, there will need to be more interaction within events. Social walls are just the start of attendees participating as marketers. I have been to quite a few recent events with “forced/controlled networking” (for lack of a better term). At those events, you sit in groups and questions are presented for discussion. The discussions are reviewed with all groups in the room, and actual presentations/PowerPoints are interwoven within the Q&A sessions. This allows us to focus on the presentation for 5-10 minutes before becoming interactive and continuing the pattern for hours.

As a late Generation X/early Millennial myself, I find it harder to maintain long attention spans and I’m constantly checking media and social media. The mix of interactions and presentations have been great at learning from others (not just a speaker) and helping me network without feeling the need to blurt out an elevator spiel countless times.

Cvent Connect was a large conference held in Vegas in June. They offered surprises and interactions throughout the entire event. From showgirls posing for pictures during breaks, to a Social Wall with non-stop tweets and pictures, to “speed-networking” with vendors, to interactive sessions, to gamification (win prizes for taking selfies and messaging people), and so much more. Older generations enjoyed the change of pace and being able to learn in the presentations. Millennials enjoyed feeling like they had more control over what they did at the conference. It was a great balance that was struck, and a hard line to toe. There were thousands of social media shares throughout the conference, so it became extremely visible. More companies are going to want this visibility, and hopefully will understand the costs that will be a part of it. (After all, we’re planners, not magicians.)

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Laura Cox, CMP, Meeting Planner, College Board, Duluth, Ga.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

I plan professional development workshops, and the duration of our workshops remains the same year to year. What changes are the number of locations and how many sessions will run.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

Attendance has been down overall, and we have had to cancel sessions—or even entire workshops—due to insufficient enrollment. Our attendees are primarily high school teachers from public schools, and I believe cost has played a big role in the decreased attendance we’ve observed nationwide. All of the planners on our team keep a close eye on the registration numbers for our assigned regions. If pre-registration doesn’t meet our target threshold, we look at what can be canceled while also trying to meet the needs of our constituents.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

The College Board is a not-for-profit organization, and we’re cognizant that we must be responsible stewards of our revenue. I serve on a team with four other meeting planners, and we strive to keep costs reasonable for our attendees.

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?

We don’t incorporate entertainment or social functions into our professional development programs.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

I’d like to see CSR incorporated into more College Board workshops. Where I can, I donate excess catering to shelters for children or the homeless. Even though the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996 protects donors and recipients from liability of donations made in good faith, it’s been my experience that many organizations won’t accept donations of perishable food. So finding locations to accept donations from my programs has proven to be challenging, but it’s worth it to me to continue trying. I’ve been able to donate catering from programs in Georgia, North Carolina and California, and look forward to doing more!

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

Because equity and access is a guiding principle of the College Board and because many of the teachers who attend our workshops come from low-income school districts, the College Board works with this in mind to keep our programs open to as many attendees as possible. For example, moving to a completely paperless system isn’t feasible for us.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

Wi-Fi is very important to our attendees, but because the College Board is a not-for-profit organization, our team doesn’t pay extra fees just to provide Wi-Fi to attendees. We furnish Internet access to our workshop presenters. Also, many of our programs are held in high schools, colleges or universities that limit the amount of access for outside groups.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

I feel this is a seller’s market. Most of our attendees are local, so we generally do room blocks only for our presenters. Our room blocks are small (often less than 20 rooms), and I’ve noticed more difficulty receiving responses from hotels to our RFPs. I’ve done site selection for the College Board’s professional development programs nationwide, and this isn’t isolated to any particular area of the country.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

Hotels have been less willing to negotiate room rates and more willing to provide free or discounted parking or guestroom Wi-Fi.

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

The College Board maintains official social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube and Instagram. We engage with and offer content to both students and educators, so we have to be where our constituents are.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

I feel great about the meetings industry! I love what I do and am always looking for the opportunity to learn more.

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Tess Vismale, CMP, DES, Chief Event Executioner (iSocialExecution) & Tech Evangelist (Dahlia+), iSocialExecution & Dahlia+, Atlanta

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

Yes, shrinking. Yes, it is because client starts late and doesn’t have flexible dates.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

Expanding because my client is the industry leader and more of their customers want to hear from them.

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? Both smaller and larger.

In 2016 they will go up.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

Increase.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

Increase.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

No we do not.

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?

For some clients, yes.

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?

No, less.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

More active, and including energy breaks.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

Yes, we do CSR.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

Some are and some are not.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

No, I did not have that experience.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

It is imperative. Most proprieties and AV companies do not service us properly. There is never enough bandwidth or access points. 

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share? Seller’s market.

The market has turned around, long-term contracts are up and we can’t get the same pricing or concessions as we had in 2008.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

Yes, less. They say that they have other business on the table. 

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

Not for me but for clients. Twitter is king for business and brand ambassadors.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

More optimistic because budgets are bigger and people are booking.

How do you think 2016 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? Why?

I think that 2016 is the complete turnaround year where the entire industry must adjust to the new rate, people booking and planners competing for space and rate. I expect an increase in budget.

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Teri Wiltshire, Special Projects Coordinator, The Master Pools Guild, Richmond, Va.

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

We are planning up to 24 months in advance, which is not being driven by facilities as much as by our members wanting the information to schedule in advance.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

Expanding. We are offering additional education on the front end of our meetings that requires participants in those courses to arrive two to three days prior to the start of the core meeting schedule.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

Expanding as we see a gradual shift/increase in our “next generation” of business owners/managers attending.

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?

No change.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

No change.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

Increase.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

No.

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?

No.

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?

No, we are adding days to accommodate additional sessions.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

No change.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

In 2015 we worked with The Water Project on a successful project in sub-Saharan Africa.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

We do this now. Paperless registration, meeting materials distributed on flash drives.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

No change.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

This is huge for us. Pricing can be a hurdle and then, often what you are given for “free” is not the “best” a hotel might have to offer in the terms of bandwidth. We are finding this discussion is important to have early in the planning process and if we approach a hotel and share what we were given prior, often they will offer to match the pricing. It is also a good idea to keep an eye on usage so you know what you need and rely on your numbers when having the discussion vs. what the hotel suggests you might need. Have the AV Manager’s cell number on hand 24/7.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

No change.

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

We use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, often finding that previous attendees who skip one of our meetings like to see and comment on meeting posts.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

More optimistic as I see our members asking further and further in advance for meeting schedules and information.

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Bunny Benson, Creative Teaching Press, Cypress, Calif.

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

It’s about the same. No, I have not had any difficulty booking rooms or meeting space. I have a great network of properties.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding?

Shrinking, due to a decrease in sales. We have decided not to hold a sales meeting next year.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding?

Shrinking. The sales representatives are not producing enough revenue to justify an invitation to a sales meeting.

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?

Smaller. A $60,000 decrease. Not holding a national sales meeting.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

Decrease.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

Decrease.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

Not expecting any problems in 2016 since we just cancelled our national sales meeting. One smaller meeting in January at a luxury resort is already planned.

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?

We have done webinars for training. I don’t think they are as effective as face-to-face training due to the face that the attendee is most likely multi-tasking.

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?

No, not scheduling more meeting sessions per day. We have actually cut the sessions down to one full day from three.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

About the same. Again, we are cutting the entire national sales meeting.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

No, and don’t ever plan to do so.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

If necessary. We are all fairly concerned and will do whatever is needed to implement a “green” meeting.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

I have never had a problem with attrition. I guess I am fortunate. Read your contract and don’t sign unless you are prepared to adhere to it.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

It’s VERY IMPORTANT. Some hotels are being more flexible. I always put this in the contract. Again, make certain the connection in the meeting room as well as sleeping rooms are included in your contract. I have rarely had a problem requesting this. Just make certain the connection is not in the “common area” of the hotel, which is worthless.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

Buyer’s market. There are numerous properties from which to choose. If you are a savvy meeting planner and know your properties, you can pretty much get whatever you are asking for. I have noticed, however, that room rates are more difficult to negotiate down. F&B is negotiable.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

It is more difficult to negotiate room rates than for F&B.

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

Facebook (widely used by nearly everyone) and Twitter.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

About the same. Meetings are still valuable for most successful businesses.

How do you think 2016 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?

Decrease. Room rates will continue to rise and budgets will decrease because of budget issues.

What other trends are you seeing in the meetings world, such as changing attendee demographics (i.e., Millennials), or any other trends that are impacting your programs?

I find it more difficult to arrange flights from certain less-populated areas. All in all, though, I am fairly certain the meetings I do have planned in 2016 will be very successful as I am working with a familiar property in the local area.

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Lisa Dyson, CMP, TESOL International Association, Alexandria, Va.

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

My booking window is increasing–especially for the smaller meetings--as it is getting increasingly difficult to find rooms/meeting space over our preferred dates.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

At this point, neither, as we had already shrunk the duration of our meetings.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

Neither–it’s pretty flat.

Did you have a smaller or larger budget to work with last year?

The budget was increased but only because of the cities being more expensive. There weren’t additional monies added for other items.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

We’re already in FY16 and it increased only for the increase in expenses for the city, not new items.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

It should increase of 2015 as 2015 was a down attendance year for us.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

No perception problems from a luxury standpoint as we don’t book those types of properties but we are in Baltimore in 2016 and we have a few people worried about the “safety” of the city, but thus far, it’s not a widespread concern.

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?

We are already doing hybrid elements with our meetings and are looking at expanding it.

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?

Not more since our programs were already session heavy and light on social

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

No change here.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

We do offer a CSR component. We partner with First Book to do a book drive for students in need in each city we go to with our annual convention.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

To the extent that we can, we have implemented green practices. I expect us to continue to move forward with sustainable efforts.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

Attrition is definitely being enforced more strictly now. We did have an attrition situation with one hotel for this year’s convention and it was very difficult negotiating any compromise in the attrition penalties.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

Wi-Fi is very important to our programs. I do find that hotels might be a little more flexible if you’re doing a buyout of the Wi-Fi but less so if it’s only a small program.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

Definitely a seller’s market as there is limited availability and they are busy enough where they are turning some business away.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

The leverage seems to be about the same as it relates to rates. You can still negotiate but you may not get as much of a reduction as you may have in previous years.

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

I use Facebook and LinkedIn for business purposes. LinkedIn because it’s geared for business connections and Facebook because of the sheer volume of users and it’s easy to keep up with.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

More optimistic because I hear of more associations launching new meetings now than I was hearing for a long time.

How do you think 2016 will shape up for the meetings industry?

I think the upward attendance trend across the industry will continue unless the current unrest in the world escalates further – then people may start scaling back on travel again. Pricing will definitely continue to go up. Hoping for an attendance increase as 2016 is our 50^th anniversary year.

What other trends are you seeing in the meetings world, such as changing attendee demographics (i.e., Millennials), or any other trends that are impacting your programs?

Changing demographics have us re-thinking and redesigning conference content. As a global organization, we’re increasing our conference presence out of North America as well.

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Michelle DeClerck, CMP, President, Conference Event Management, West Des Moines, Iowa

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

The booking window has diminished and one reason may be attributed to the reluctance of clients to fully commit to their event as quickly as is needed in this seller’s market. This short notice, coupled with a lack of space availability, has proved challenging due to the increase in business and the pending shortage due to supply and demand dynamics.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

Most of our events have remained the same, with the destination determining the length of event more than any other factor. International and longer route destinations have once again garnered longer stays for attendees.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

We’ve seen an incremental increase in event attendance, with more pre and post stays than in prior years.

Did you have a smaller or larger budget to work than with last year? If so, how much do you estimate it was decreased or increased?

Clients’ budgets have remained relatively the same, although we’ve been better educating our clients and they are reacting to the increased hotel and travel rates by working toward increasing their budgets.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

We find that our clients are well traveled and educated, and run programs based on integrity, and are not relatively affected by perception problems. When our clients aren’t choosing luxury properties, it’s typically due to the rates outpacing their budgets.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

Within this seller’s market, properties have not been as generous in offering the same kind of concessions or reduced group rates. Hotels continually share with us that the reality is that if they don’t accept our business, they’ll have another piece of business come along tomorrow that will be equal to or greater than this business. It’s our job to continually educate our clients on the importance of making decisions quicker if they have a specific preference for their event or they’ll be limiting their options and negotiation power.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

We are considerably busier with referrals and prospects reaching out to us, driving more business than ever and providing a high level of optimism for events into 2018. There is no mistaking the importance of face-to-face meetings.

How do you think 2016 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? Why?

Being an election year in 2016, there is a lot that could change, but for the time being, I see costs continuing to increase at properties. Attendance of the events could vary–if budgets do not increase I see less people attending, but if budgets increase attendance could increase.

Liz Whitney, Sr. Manager, Education & Meetings (WLP), International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), Des Plaines, Ill.

Do you find that your booking window (the time between starting the process of researching and booking a meeting and the actual event) is increasing or shrinking? Are you finding it harder to book rooms/meeting space in a short timeframe at hotels and other meeting facilities?

My booking time is definitely increasing–booking further out. It is becoming more difficult to find a venue that meets our requirements and shorten lead times create challenges. Many of our “go-to” hotels are already committed to other groups and there are more city-wide events that impact our ability to find an appropriate venue for our meeting.

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

The duration of our meetings are staying the same right now. Over the past two years we took a hard look at what meetings we typically schedule, the lengths of the meetings, and made changes–one meeting was shortened and one combined with another program, which lengthened the meeting. We try to be very sensitive about our members (and their companies) time commitments.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

The meetings that were declining (four years ago) are now steady over the past two years. However, they have not gone back to previous levels. The decline is with the meeting that is between 2.5 and 3.5 days. The meetings that are 1.5 days in length are expanding. The length (time commitment) of the meeting definitely makes a difference.

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?

2015 budget was increased from 2014 by approximately 6 percent.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

The overall 2016 education budget will stay about the same (just a slight increase).

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

Increase by 2 percent.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

No, we choose the appropriate venue for the targeted audience.

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 hosted hybrid meetings. I am interested in providing this to our members. I believe this is at least five years down the line.

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?

Often we struggle with wanting to add as many sessions as possible to benefit our members and to meet their expectations. It comes at the expense of “down” time during the day.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

We have added more networking activities across the board to all meetings at the request of our members. We are also often adding an activity to encourage members to interact on different levels.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

We have not added this yet. It came up this year but we could not find a time slot for it. I believe we will add CSR in a few years–not sooner.

Are sustainable (green) meetings something your organization has moved toward? If not, do you expect to implement more-sustainable meetings in the future?

We implement sustainable options as often as possible when it does not impact the meeting’s purpose. We have slowly offering only electronic materials at no extra cost, using an app at the annual convention which reduces the need for paper calendars, reduce offering bottled water as part of F&B, and reducing F&B options to reduce waste.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

I am finding that attrition clauses and deadlines are being enforced more aggressively. Venues do not automatically extend the deadline date when asked. I have been very fortunate that the venues I work with have been very understanding and willing to work with me to extend the deadline and prevent penalties. I encourage people to be proactive and keep an eye on room blocks and not be afraid to communicate with the event manager ahead of time–before a crisis appears. Also, I track registrations year-to-year to help me determine if room reservations are matching event registrations expected patterns. Also, an e-mail will be sent to our registrants if their name is not on the hotel rooming list. Communicating regularly with registrants and hotel event manager is very important.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

Free Internet access is very important to our groups both in the guest rooms and in the meeting space. The bandwidth is important but has not been as much as an issue if there is some type of free Internet access (even if it is slow). I find that hotels are becoming more flexible in pricing and offering complimentary Wi-Fi. I always include, as part of the RFP process, to ask for complimentary Wi-Fi in meeting spaces. If it cannot be complimentary, I ask for a greatly reduced price. I follow up on this requirement when I begin the contract negotiation process to make sure I get what we need. If I get a lot of push-back or no discount, I will reassess going forward with a contract. I have decided against a venue because of Wi-Fi issues. I believe that venues will have to provide complimentary meeting room Wi-Fi with good bandwidth or they will begin losing business.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

It is not a buyer’s market anymore. There is much more competition for meeting space during prime times. As planners we need to recognize this and try to be more flexible with date patterns. I feel venues should not raise rates above cost-of-living rates just to make up for low revenues from the previous years. Nor should they drastically reduce concessions they have offered. I understand the supply and demand argument but venues built up a lot of loyalty during the hard times. By raising rates and reducing concessions more than 3 percent or 4 percent can destroy relationships. The other caution is that the bundling packages offered by venues for multiple bookings are often deceiving and very restrictive.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

Yes, I do see less leverage. I am told that this is what the market is for the area. Sometimes I am able to get a slight reduction but not often. Interestingly, though, I have often found other options at a lower rate with higher-end hotels in the same area. Reminds me not to always accept the answer without some digging.

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

Yes, I use Twitter and LinkedIn. Our association also uses these as well as website and Facebook. We use different social media to broaden the outreach. We talk about other social media options but our particular membership does not really go to other sites.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

I have never been unoptimistic. Face-to-face meetings will continue to be important for businesses. Building business relationships demand some type of in-person meetings. The economy was down longer than I anticipated but this did not dampen my belief that it would come back again. It has been and always will be cyclical. We just have to learn how to adapt.

How do you think 2016 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? Why?

It is my opinion that the meeting industry will continue to get stronger in spite of rising costs. There is a pent-up demand because many companies cut back over the past 10 years. Attendance increases (to get back to the highest levels) will not rebound as quickly because companies are not willing to send as many people to the meetings. Some of the reasons are that the staffing levels are still low and it is hard to send people to meetings. Because the staffing is so thin and workloads are increasing there is more work for people to do which makes it more difficult to send someone to an off-site meeting.

Sher Sutherland, Owner, Executive Events & Management, Chico, Calif.

(Third party planner for Calif County Information Services Directors Association (CCISDA), Municipal Information Systems Association of Calif (MISAC), Calif Community College Chief Information Systems Officers Association of Calif (CCISOA))

Is the duration of your meetings either shrinking or expanding? Why?

Expanding. My clients are offering educational/professional credential programs that necessitates the need for at least an additional day at a conference.

Is the attendance at your meetings shrinking or expanding? Why?

Expanding. Program material is becoming more valuable; association members are realizing the value of collaboration/networking with peers.

Did you have a smaller or larger budget to work with last year?

The per-person budget is up slightly due to F&B increases.

Do you expect your budget to increase or decrease in 2016?

Increase.

Do you expect your attendance to increase or decrease in 2016?

Increase.

Are perception problems (meeting at luxurious properties, resort destinations, etc.) a great concern for your organization? Do you expect any perception problems in 2016?

My clients are government-based associations. They cannot meet out-of-state. The type of property they meet at is not an issue, as long as the room rate is within their allowable per diem.

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?

No. That works against the peer-to-peer/networking model that our associations promote. We do post presentations after the fact, but don’t offer an option for members to attend virtually.

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?

Yes to more sessions per day, but not at the expense of social events.

Are you incorporating more, or less, activities into your agenda? If so, what types of activities are being added or cut?

Same.

Have you offered, or do you think you will offer, a CSR (corporate social responsibility) component to your meetings?

No. Our situation, being all-government associations, is somewhat unique. When, essentially, the public is funding your attendance, you don’t what to post pictures attendees with a martini glass in-hand. We do not make social media posting through the conference mobile app or any other avenue appealing or available to attendees. While we realize that we don’t have any control over anyone’s Facebook page or Instagram, we don’t promote it. Too much room for misinterpretation by taxpayers.

Are you finding that attrition clauses are being enforced more or less strictly recently? Can you share any comments/observations about this?

We tend to negotiate multiple year contracts which include generous attrition clauses, but because we go in cautiously, we’ve never had to exercise any attrition clauses.

How important is Internet bandwidth to your programs (i.e., Wi-Fi), and do you think hotels are being more or less flexible with their Internet bandwidth pricing? Any tips to share with your fellow planners to get free or discounted Wi-Fi for your meetings?

Super important. We have “no paper” at the conference, depend solely on our mobile app, many of our attendees (because they are all IT movers and shakers in their own counties, cities, community colleges) MUST stay connected, it’s a REALLY big deal. Flexibility is property-dependent. Example: Disneyland Hotel is eight times higher than recent contracts we’ve negotiated with at the Hyatt Monterey.

Do you feel this is a buyer’s or seller’s market? Any observations on this to share?

From what I’ve been reading, it’s about to turn into a seller’s market—San Francisco now has the highest room rate in the world, surpassing Dubai. Makes it hard to get properties to consider government rates for your associations. Hyatt has been our mainstay, honoring a company-wide government rate, but that’s changing.

Do you find that you had less leverage on room rates during the last year? What are hotels and facilities telling you when you negotiate?

We never have a lot of leverage—we usually get a government rate for our association attendees and negotiate a higher rate for our exhibitors/sponsors (which usually are half our attendees).

Are you using social networking websites for business purposes? If so, which ones and why?

I think many of our vendors find the conference thru LinkedIn, but generally we don’t use social networking for the reasons I stated above. Attendees’ salaries are paid by taxpayers.

Are you more optimistic, or less, about the meetings industry and the economy than a year ago? Why?

Feeling that my clients need to prepare themselves for higher F/B costs and higher room rates.

How do you think 2016 will shape up for the meetings industry?

I think that it will be bigger than ever. More and more people (across the board—Millennials, Gen-X, Boomers, etc.) are recognizing the value of connecting face-to-face with peers and/or take advantage of the training/experience that is offered to them.

Where do you see costs (hotel, restaurant, venue prices, etc.) going?

Up.

Do you think your budget and/or attendance will increase or decrease? Why?

Budget will increase; we’ll need to charge more for everything to keep up.

What other trends are you seeing in the meetings world, such as changing attendee demographics (i.e., Millennials), or any other trends that are impacting your programs?

Our attendee population is a good mix of younger professionals, and our top-professionals are moving toward retirement age. This has caused our associations to implement training programs to prepare millennial/Gen-X professionals to “take over.”