2

Site and Destination Selection

What are the considerations for selection of a facility and a destination? How will you set up a site selection critique? There is a logical progression to gathering information needed to implement a meeting: You gather information (1) about the program (meeting specifications), (2) about needed features at the site, and (3) about potential destinations with facilities with the needed features.

The meeting specifications (covered in Chapter 1) and information previously gathered will be forwarded to facilities and outside sources in the form of a request for proposal (RFP). Once you have completed your meeting specifications, the focus shifts to site selection. Your goal is to find a site that will be accepted as appropriate by the organizers and attendees alike.

Making Site Selection Checklists

Your next set of lists will be your site selection checklists, which will note all the important features you may require for your meeting. A carefully structured site selection checklist, noting good and bad hotel features, will provide a comprehensive assessment tool for comparison of various facilities.

In addition to physical appearance, available function rooms, food and beverage, and the ability to provide all amenities, there is the issue of management philosophy, which will impact on the service you and your group receive from a hotel. You may want to inquire about staff turnover, length of current ownership, and service policies. It would also be helpful to obtain a copy of a union contract (if the facility is a union hotel) and references from recent clients.

Selecting the Type of Meeting Site

The following list of potential meeting sites gives you an idea of the venues available to you. You should assess the options individually, based on the meeting format, the number of people expected to attend, an audience profile, and, most important, the meeting goals, objectives, and preferences (if known) of the attendees. Your question is simple: Where will the meeting needs be best served? Here are some meeting site options:

•Hotels (downtown hotel, suburban hotel, airport hotel, suite hotel)

•Resort facility

•Golf resort

•Gaming facility

•Cruise ship

•College or university facility

•Convention center

•Conference centers (executive conference center, corporate conference center, resort conference center, nonresidential conference center)

Hotel

If in a hotel, will a full-service hotel be best? Full-service hotels have appeal for groups preferring to keep the attendees on-site as everything is available under one roof. Mall hotels have a similar appeal. The services include a concierge, restaurants, various shops, a car rental desk, a health facility, and a business center. The high cost of running a full-service hotel has slowed construction of such facilities, but there are still large numbers of full-service hotels available for groups.

What is a limited-service hotel? Does this imply no service for the guest? No! Not at all. In fact, the term limited-service hotel is disputed as a misnomer. Generally, it is a facility where food and beverage service is limited (less than 10 percent of revenue is derived from the food and beverage service). For the planner, limited-service hotels do not provide large meeting rooms, large lobbies, on-site restaurants, room service, or bellmen to carry luggage. They do provide excellent lodging, however, for rate-sensitive attendees or those caught in an overflow situation.

Conference and meeting hotels (those with function space for the meetings) are geared to serve groups, and a dedicated convention services manager (CSM) will be assigned to work with the contact person (the planner). After the sale, the account is turned over to the CSM. The role of the CSM is to service the account, to adhere to the terms of the contract, and to make it happen. A good CSM is dedicated to your meeting.

Hotel facilities accommodate large and small groups, have one or more ballrooms, 24-hour staffing, and ample resources to make it work. Their prices vary considerably from city to city and region to region; season has a heavy impact on price. Value dates should be discussed. (Value dates are dates when the hotel traditionally has less than a full house and wants business. The room rates are lower during this period.)

Downtown Hotel

The distance from the airport (including traffic impact on drive time) needs to be considered when selecting a downtown hotel. If a number of participants are local, this may be the wise choice. In many instances, the city is the attraction, along with nearby shops, malls, restaurants, and extra activities. A downtown hotel with numerous amenities and conference facilities in a desirable city is a popular choice for meetings as spouses have numerous built-in activities at hand. Some hotels have a reputation for superior service. This reputation helps make them an attractive site.

Suburban Hotel

Suburban hotels may not be as attractive to fly-in groups. The transportation time from the airport to the facility and a residential atmosphere are more limiting. However, for local drive-in groups, these facilities are very popular.

Airport Hotel

Many busy executives elect to fly into a city and meet at the convenient airport hotel. You will find these facilities heavily booked Mondays through Fridays and very available on weekends for other types of meetings (including private parties, weddings, and social events).

Suite Hotel

Suite hotels have more comfortable living accommodations for longer meetings; they are, however, short on amenities such as room service, concierge, health facility, and business center.

Resort Facility

You have all been to resorts when you were a child that provided family getaways. Many corporate-style resorts are patterned after these resorts, and many have constructed conference meeting facilities to entice the corporate or meeting business to their property. Resort facilities may be a getaway nestled in the hills, an attractive summer destination on the water, or a winter ski resort in the mountains. They all provide opportunity for a meeting, fine dining, and built-in activities that are usually indicative of their region and season.

Golf Resorts

Some resorts are specifically for one sport, such as golf. If a group of executives or award winners will be participating in a golf tournament, a golf resort is the location of choice. Many such resorts are in the South, the Southwest, and California. Pebble Beach is one that comes to mind, even to those of us who are nongolfers. The benefits of a meeting at a golf resort are that the resort is completely set up to accommodate such a meeting, and staff is of great help to the organizers.

Gaming Facility

Las Vegas has become more and more popular as a meeting destination. Currently the city of Las Vegas is known for the mega-meetings of thousands, with the accompanying trade shows. The current home of the mega-meeting, Las Vegas is beginning to solicit and value the smaller meeting as well.

Cruise Ship

Cruise ships seem to be the most luxurious of prizes for award and incentive meetings. Built-in activities, extraordinary service, nonstop dining, and impeccable accommodations are the norm.

College or University Facility

College or university facilities can be very cost-effective; however, most universities will limit facility availability to time periods when they are not in session and the campus is empty.

Convention Center

Meeting size has a strong impact on site selection. Hotels have appeal as they offer a great deal of flexibility and can easily adjust to various meeting sizes. However, when a meeting outgrows a hotel facility due to size, the logical move is to a convention center. There are growing numbers of convention centers that house large conventions and trade shows. However, the number of cities nationwide that can house many thousands of attendees is still limited. These cities—such as Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, and New Orleans—are in great demand as they have enough rooms available to accommodate large meetings, which will be presented in the convention centers.

New and under-construction convention centers are equipped with leading-edge technology. Sophisticated multimedia communications systems and fiber-optic wiring are now installed in the new convention centers and provide technological benefits, such as Internet hookups and kiosks where attendees can access E-mail. Videoconference capabilities and distance learning provide the option to communicate from the show floor or meeting rooms with colleagues and business associates in other cities.

Convention centers, by their sheer size, are intimidating. But as mega-meetings demand the space, they are in short supply, as are the cities that can house meetings of this magnitude.

For the meeting that has outgrown a hotel but is not yet a mega-meeting, there are medium-size convention centers that welcome their business. These centers accommodate thousands of attendees and are geared to the meeting business that does not have overwhelming space requirements. Many such convention centers have a hotel on the property, and surrounding areas also provide hotel accommodations as well as entertainment complexes.

A previous problem with convention centers, which seems to be working itself out, was the food and beverage quality. Catering functions are much better (in terms of quality and service) and continue to improve steadily. Be conservative when developing food and beverage menus; keep it simple because you are dealing in volume. For a convention of 10,000, it is not unusual to serve 12,000 to 15,000 hamburgers or 50,000 cups of coffee; for a two-day program, no less than 20,000 entrees will be served. That puts it in perspective.

Leasing space from a convention center is similar to renting an apartment. Generally, you lease four bare walls and have to decorate and build the insides. Apartments have fixed walls; convention centers do not. The main issues with growth and the move from a hotel facility to a convention center are the additional cost for leasing and the different-style contracts.

Another hurdle is the lack of pricing standards. There are no standard policies from convention center to convention center, and the buyer must be cautious and diligent with a checklist before a contract is signed. Not only is pricing inconsistent, but there are those convention centers that will book a decade ahead and make commitments while other convention centers will not discuss pricing unless the time frame is a year or less.

The leap from hotel to convention center is one that requires research and an adjustment in thinking as well as long-range planning.

Conference Center

Conference centers are an excellent setting for intensive training seminars, board meetings, sales and marketing presentations, team-building sessions, research and development brainstorming activities, introduction to changes in corporate policies, advanced adult education programs, and new employee orientation.

The unique selling position of conference centers is that they provide a dedicated learning atmosphere. They are geared to productive meetings that accomplish the goals and objectives of the client.

Packaging and pricing are two of the major differences between conference centers and hotels. The complete meeting package (CMP) is a tangible asset for the planner as it can relieve the planner of some of the logistical problems, leaving more time to concentrate on the agenda, speakers, and goal setting.

In a conference center, the CMP includes (on a per-night basis) sleeping accommodations, meeting space (including prefunction areas used for registration or refreshments), full American plan food service (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), continuous food and beverage service for coffee breaks and intermissions, plus basic audiovisual equipment and, in many instances, complete use of the facility (including spa, pool, table tennis, tennis, and other light gaming activities).

Though high-tech equipment is readily available, there may be a charge for equipment beyond the basics. The basic equipment will generally include screen, projectors, pointers, and audio. If the meeting requires advanced technology (such as videoconferencing, teleconferencing, or multimedia presentations), it is wise to price-check the CMP. Some conference centers offer more in their basic package than others.

The International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) has approximately 300 members in 13 countries. Members are corporate or executive conference centers, universities and college centers, and firms providing products and services to centers. The IACC monitors legislative developments affecting conference centers and sets basic standards for conference centers. The following standards assure those of us planning meetings that certain basic professional requirements are met:

•The meeting rooms should be available to the group on a 24-hour basis.

•The design of the chairs and space allotted for seating should be comfortable for not less than six hours.

•Acoustics and lighting should be supportive of the learning needs.

•Hard walls (not dividers) should separate the rooms, and the walls should provide surfaces that permit use of flip-chart sheets and other learning aid devices.

•The sleeping accommodations should provide an arrangement for working on evening assignments (homework).

Types of Conference Centers

Conference centers may be executive, corporate, resort, or nonresidential. The executive conference center has anywhere from seventy-five to a few hundred guest rooms and a large number of conference rooms; it is usually in a remote location. Many of these centers were converted from existing estates. Corporate conference centers are the largest conference center facilities; they may have up to 400 rooms and a substantial amount of conference space for training programs. Some large companies own their own corporate conference centers. Resort conference centers have extensive recreational activities, as well as areas for creative banquet and entertainment activity. Nonresidential conference centers have no guestrooms or recreation and only provide limited dining.

Matching the Meeting to the Facility

Training sessions succeed best in an environment geared specifically to adult learning, with staffing and enhancements set to achieve these specific goals. Ideal sites are the corporate conference center and resort facility. Research and development meetings need the security of a think tank. In many instances, the conference center or secluded retreat serves the purpose best. The association annual meeting site is usually selected in response to the opinions of the members; location preference and current popularity of a site impact strongly on the destination decision. Hotels geared for conferences are extremely suitable. Additional considerations are the size of the association and whether there will be exhibits in addition to the educational sessions. The incentive meeting must be upscale and nothing less than spectacular; the goal is to provide a reward for extraordinary performance. For trade and new product introduction, sites with exhibit space will be required, and easy access into and out of the city as well as the facility becomes an issue.

Selecting a Destination

Once you have decided on the type of facility you need, you must choose a destination. The best place to begin is with a call to the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau in the city or cities noted as possible sites. Ask for a copy of their specific meeting planner guide. Many CVBs are on-line; check their Web site as well.

The local Convention and Visitors’ Bureau will provide you with the names of suppliers, such as hotels, travel agencies, restaurants, and ground operators (those who will transfer your meeting participants from the airport to the facility), but it will not make assessments as to performance or recommend one over another. It is important to stress that the CVB will research facility availability and even make the introductions; the CVB will not, however, negotiate on your behalf.

You will also want to research facilities in the compiled periodic resources and property directories (such as GAVEL and Official Meeting Facilities Guide). These publications provide access to convention centers, hotels, and resorts in the United States and around the world. They will give you information about the following:

•Administration—Names and telephone numbers of sales directors and convention services departments; the address and current general manager in a facility

•Rates—Group room rates and seasonal room rates

•Accommodations—Number of rooms and suites, spa, fitness center, restaurants, other accommodation attractions

•Meeting rooms—Number of meeting rooms, room sizes, room configurations, meeting room diagrams

•Location—Near an airport, downtown facility, or resort

•Local transportation—Taxi service availability, shuttle service, proximity to airports

•Area maps—Near malls or activities

•Recreation—On-property recreation available, such as golf or tennis

Additional Resources and Facility Guides

Some major hotel chains have a guide listing their own facilities. Call any Marriott Hotel sales office and request a copy of the MARRIOTT Meeting Planners Guide, the ITT Sheraton North American Division for a copy of its North American Meeting Facilities Guide, and the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts for its Meeting Facilities Guide.

Industry associations—such as Meeting Professionals International (MPI), American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)—are additional supplier/vendor sources.

Selecting a Facility

The cities or destinations have been tentatively identified; you must now check to see if they have available space that meets your requirements and your target dates. Your focus is on a facility in a city or destination that can meet your needs. You are now ready to send your request for proposal (RFP) to the Convention and Visitors’ Bureaus; you may also send an RFP to hotels you have identified and are interested in pursuing.

The CVB will check all facilities that match your RFP and advise you of space and date availability. At this time, the facilities selected to receive your RFP should also answer some questions. You will want to know what their forecast for occupancy is at the time of your meeting. Will the facility be in a sold-out mode, or will it be the low season, with only 45 percent or 50 percent occupancy forecast?

This is where the exchange between planner/organizer and the facility becomes so important. If each understands the other’s needs and goals, the process moves quickly, and there are fewer misunderstandings to deal with later.

When a facility in an acceptable city or destination is available, an offer will be made to you that (1) outlines all space you will rent, rooms to be held and sold to your group, rates for the rental of conference space, dates of arrival and departure—in short, it will include all items noted on your RFP—and (2) includes a tentative letter of agreement or a more formal contract for your approval and agreement.

You are now ready to either accept the terms or wait until you have made a site visit. If you are familiar with the property or if your company will accept the property without a site inspection, you are ready for the contract.

If you are to make a personal site inspection tour, you will now prepare your checklists. There are no set systems for checklists. The most important issue is to be certain all items are listed. Check the ones relevant to the particular meeting, venue, and needs.

The Site Visit

Before considering a site visit, there should be acceptance and agreement to the meeting specifications, the facility should rank high and qualify as a prime candidate, and the contract should be generally acceptable.

If the site inspection is conducted in one’s own city, there is more flexibility as travel and time are not issues. The decision to fly to another city or even out of the country for a site inspection generally indicates much preliminary site inspection has been conducted, and barring any totally unacceptable issues that might arise, this property will be the venue of choice.

The Office Site Inspection

Not all planners travel to destinations (whether domestic or international) for a site inspection tour. Unquestionably, the on-site visit has value: It provides the opportunity to assess the condition of a facility, its cleanliness, and the implementation of service policies; it also offers organizers a chance to develop relationships with the hotel sales and convention offices with whom they will work as the meeting develops.

However, the Internet is making some rapid changes (although the value of “armchair” or Internet site inspections remains to be seen and judged). For those who will conduct telephone, fax, and/or E-mail and Internet site visits, the checklist is even more important. It is critical to obtain very recent references as well as the assessments of previous clients, suppliers, and industry colleagues. (These must be colleagues with the same standards as you and those you represent.) The reputation of the facility must be impeccable. A site inspection videotape is also helpful. Here are the prerequisites for office site inspection:

•Prepare checklists.

•Do your homework—research property status.

•Check outcomes of other clients.

•Verify ownership. (Is the facility a brand-name facility but owned by a bank or other company? If so, when was the new ownership established?)

•Ask for disclosure regarding staff turnover rates. (Facilities with solid management generally have low turnover rates; turnover will have an impact on service.)

•Ask for a set of all printed menu offerings.

•Obtain scale drawings of the meeting areas, including registration area and/or foyer.

•Visit by video if possible.

•Collect data from suppliers.

•Determine current physical condition and turnover rates.

•Verify dates that the last renovations (upgrades of facility) took place.

•Ask about plans for the next renovation.

•Determine the policy for ongoing renovation.

•Verify the style of the facility, including grade of its clients/guests.

•Determine its reputation for service.

•Find out if they are recipients of a recent service award.

•Ask about the occupancy pattern.

•Check on plans to sell/merge.

The Site Inspection Tour

There are five basic rules for setting up the site visit:

1.Meet with a decision maker. This makes it possible to resolve potential deal-breaking issues.

2.Whenever possible, conduct the site inspection during the dates suggested by the facility. It is not wise to visit when the facility is in a sold-out period as your visit then becomes a direct cost for the facility.

3.Never extend the site inspection for personal reasons; leave the family home.

4.Decide if it is better to arrive unannounced as a regular guest, to assess the general response to guests, or as an expected VIP to determine their treatment of VIPs.

5.Prepare for a backup facility in the event negotiations break down. However, never use one facility as leverage against the other; all prices as quoted rates should be considered confidential.

To reiterate, requirements for a good site inspection are good timing, prudent use of host hospitality (two nights for a domestic visit), preparation of a comprehensive checklist, a substantial reference check and recommendations, and at least one backup facility as an option.

Air Travel

When considering a destination and site, it is important to bring the air travel portion of the meeting into the equation. If flights are difficult or untimely, the destination may not be suitable. The airports and available ground transportation are important factors. You should be especially cautious when considering a remote resort facility. Ask the following questions:

Flights

•What is the frequency of scheduled flights to the destination?

•Are there sufficient connections for the traveler?

•Is there an off-season, which will affect the number of scheduled flights?

•Will the attendees travel as a group or travel individually?

•Who will book the travel?

•What is the distance from airports?

•Is train service available to the facility?

•What are airfares?

•What is the potential for upgrades and amenities?

Airports

•Is it a modern airport?

•Is it lively and efficient?

•Is it easy to navigate?

•What is the distance from the carrier to the baggage area?

•Is signage sufficient?

•Is the airport staff helpful, friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable (for large or small airports)?

Ground Transportation/Airport Convenience

•Are drivers and representatives of special transports permitted at the gate or in the baggage area to give VIP transfer treatment when needed?

•Does the baggage area operate smoothly?

•Are car services and shuttles readily available and staffed to provide traveler information?

•How much time does it take to depart from the carrier and arrive at the transfer vehicle?

•What are the distance and the travel time from the airport to the property?

•Would the transfer be at rush hour or at an off-peak time?

•Are there alternative routes?

•Are safety factors considered?

Familiarization (Fam) Trips

A familiarization trip is different from a site inspection tour inasmuch as site visits are supported by a facility of choice when a planner is considering booking that facility. Fam trips are generally offered by suppliers (publications on behalf of a supplier or advertiser, hotels, airlines, destination management companies, tourist boards, and/or Convention and Visitors’ Bureaus, as well as any special venues such as cruise ships, museums, historical sites, and specialty restaurants). They ultimately translate into a real opportunity to thoroughly experience a destination for those who select meeting sites.

Fam trips are designed to showcase the destinations, the facilities, and the services. Strong supplier partnerships exist; the client is included in that partnership when a destination is booked. Once business is accomplished, the sellers have huge resources and provide their services to ensure a successful outcome.

During a fam trip, the planner will do the following:

•Test numerous facilities.

•Observe the climate of the destination.

•Assess the travel options (including transfer process).

•Sample the food and beverages.

•Experience the performance of destination management companies.

•Benefit from the creativity of the events planners as they suggest options for that location.

•Test and time the tours.

•Develop working relationships with critical and potential key partners for future meetings and events.

Planners and meeting organizers invited on fam trips are usually decision makers or those who make the recommendations to the decision makers in the areas of destination and lodging facility. In order to maximize the potential business for a destination or property, fam trip invitees are carefully screened and evaluated. In the interest of professionalism and ethics, one should only accept the invitation to be part of a fam trip if a booking in that destination is possible and if the attendee is either truly a decision maker or in the position of making a strong recommendation.

Site Inspection Costs

Flight arrangements and food and beverage are your responsibility. Generally it can be expected that the facility will host a lunch or dinner.

Airlines and group travel agencies will provide site inspection assistance. The airline of choice will either offer a discounted site inspection ticket or reimburse you for the ticket later if a booking results from the site inspection. This policy changes periodically; it is recommended that you check with the airline of choice for the current policy.

If possible, arrive the evening before a scheduled morning appointment. This provides an opportunity to visit the hotel on your own.

Checklist—Selection of Destination

Sufficient hotel selection

Budget to luxury hotels available

Nearby hotel available for overflow situation

Event sites

Tour options

Airport access

Flight availability to destination

Sufficient restaurants

Local shopping

Nearby attractions

Checklist—Hotel Services Available

Category of Facility

Downtown full-service hotel

Airport hotel

Resort hotel

Suite hotel

Suburban hotel

Conference center

Hotel/Facility Services

Parking

For fee

Free

Car/shuttle service

To and from airport—complimentary

To and from airport—for fee

Car rental desk

Concierge

Manager on Duty (MOD) at all times

Health club

Pool

Indoor

Outdoor

Ocean bathing

Complete ADA facilities

Golf

On premises

Nearby

Putting green

Tennis

On premises

Nearby

Restaurants

Convenient hours

Room service

Hours

Teleconferencing capabilities (audio and video)

Checklist—When on Your Own

Arrival at the Property

Courteous reception by the staff

Ease of registration/check-in

Manager on duty

Sufficient elevator banks

Signage—access to meeting rooms

Season Compatibility—Group in Hotel

Peak season (overly crowded or able to handle it)

Off-season (still attractive or lose charm)

Facility and Room Assessment

Lobby activity—is it lively?

Facility newness—is it modern?

Is it attractive, spotless, and well maintained?

How are the standard rooms (same as group will have)?

What is the location of the rooms—over garage, facing courtyard?

Are there amenities such as bathrobes, TV remote controls, local events information?

Does each room have adequate safety features on door?

Are the fire instructions clear?

Is there a sprinkler system?

Is there a room safe?

Service in the Restaurant

Variety of selections on menu and prices

Excellent

Good

Adequate

Hours restaurant is open

Service and adequate staffing

Quality of food

Prices of alcoholic beverages and wine

In restaurant

In lounge

In bar

Lounge/bar

Well-placed lounge/bar

Room Service

Menu

Service

Prices

Hours of service

Amenities

Turndown service

Radio for wake-up call

Fax machine in room

Other business equipment

Efficiency of operator wake-up call

Newspaper delivered to room in A.M.

Automatic TV checkout

Checklist—The Official Site Inspection Tour to Review With Sales

Public Space

Efficient and suitable, with normal activity

Concierge—placement, efficiency

Bell stand and storage—aid group arrivals and departures

System for staffing registration desk during peak periods

Private foyer or area for group preregistered check-in

Sleeping Rooms

Number of rooms

Number of suites

Hospitality-type suites

Presidential or penthouse suites

Number of floors

Quality and condition of rooms

Concierge or business floor

Rack rates of rooms

Room categories—breakdown in block

Function Space

Location-space configurations

Scale drawings of all space

Number of ballrooms

Number possible for other bookings at same time

Size of ballroom(s) (including ceiling height)

Options for breakout rooms

Number of air walls—soundproof or not

Lighting flexibility—dimmers in each ballroom section

Registration Area or Foyer

Space for exhibits (how many can be accommodated)

Location of freight elevators for exhibit and equipment movement

Location of kitchen

Available areas for food functions

Terrace/outdoor garden

Balcony

Alternate sites

Main corridors for access to kitchen and freight

Telephone banks, elevators, escalators, coatroom, and rest rooms

Availability of a dedicated room to house the show office

Parking and access to ballrooms

Access to package room

Food and Beverage

All menus (dated if possible)

Adequate room for food functions

Easy access to the kitchen

Types of service generally provided

General scheduled facility theme parties

Visiting the kitchen facilities

Meeting the chef

Plus/plus rates (how much gratuity/service and tax?)

Coffee per gallon (mugs or cups)

Bar prices

Audiovisual/Technical Items

Is there an on-site AV company?

What services do they provide?

Can you obtain a comprehensive price list?

Does AV have an office in-house?

Must you use the in-house company?

Is there a penalty if you bring your own company?

What technological advancements has the hotel made?

Audioconference?

Teleconference?

Videoconference?

ISDN lines?

Fiber optics?

Checklist—To Discuss While On-Site

All contract items

Sleeping rooms

Function space

Space in facility

Ballroom configurations

Assignment of dedicated convention services manager

Food and beverage prices

Union/labor contracts

Hotel policies

Services available

Occupancy reports

Plans for renovation

Meeting profile and specifications

Contract terms (review)

Traffic flow and signage requirements

AV requirements

Schedule of preconvention meeting

Transportation

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance

BMI compliance

Glossary

agendaAn outline of the subject or subjects to be discussed at a meeting.

associationAn organization of people with the same mission or agenda.

attendeeAnyone attending a meeting, conference, or convention.

breakout sessionsSmall groups.

certified meeting professional (CMP)A professional designation given by the CLC (Convention Liaison Council—Body of Meeting Associations).

complete meeting package (CMP)An all-inclusive per-person price at a conference center.

conciergeSpecial staff providing special services to facility guests.

concurrent sessionsSessions about different topics given at the same time.

conferenceA meeting to disseminate information.

conventionA meeting of members of an association.

convention centerA large building designed to house large meetings.

Convention and Visitors’ Bureau (CVB)An organization designed to promote a destination and provide services for meetings.

high seasonWhen a facility has highest occupancy and demand.

housing bureauA service under the aegis of the CVB to provide housing for large groups.

incentive meetingA meeting designed to award attendees for performance.

low seasonWhen the facility has low occupancy (off-season).

MODManager on duty in a hotel or facility.

overflowA situation arising from sold-out pattern in a hotel.

panelA group of speakers guided by a moderator for a presentation.

plenary sessionThe main session in a conference with full attendance.

sales meetingA meeting of sales and marketing personnel; may be for product introduction or assessment of sales.

seminarA lecture, including sharing information.

shoulder seasonModerately active season, between high season and low season.

site inspectionAn inspection of the facility prior to booking.

teleconferenceA meeting of people in two or more locations through a telecommunications system.

training sessionAn intensive learning experience with specific goals.

venueThe facility or meeting location.

workshopSimilar to a training session; usually hands-on to develop a skill.