Mistakes to Avoid
By Susan Freidman
With the thousands of details meeting planners need to handle, there are bound to be mistakes made, and maybe even heads that roll. To make certain that yours isn’t one of them, here are ten common meeting blunders to avoid:
1. Fail to plan. This sounds obvious to a meeting planner, but failing to plan leaves you open for disaster. There are far too many pieces of the puzzle that need to be put together for you to just wing it, or pay lip service to a plan. Vow to be as thorough and meticulous as possible. Check and recheck details. Discuss the meeting with people not involved in the business to get outsider opinions, ideas and thoughts. Cover all your bases and you never be too thorough.
2. Neglect contingencies. Unfortunately, the chances are pretty high that something you planned won’t necessarily go as arranged. So what’s your backup? If you don’t have one, all your original plans could be destroyed in an instant and you’ll be scrambling to put a second strategy into operation. The best idea is to have a Plan B ready “in the wings” just in case.
3. Don’t check references. Gut feelings only go so far. Yes, it will take extra time to check references, but it’s well worth it. Why take the chance of spoiling your important event with a supplier that let’s you down at the last minute, has second-rate equipment or poor quality service.
4. Fail to check dates. Before finalizing any dates for your meetings, check that they don’t overlap with any religious holidays, or public, state or federal holidays. You may even consider avoiding major sporting events.
5. Skip the site visit. Often when you’re organizing an event at a destination many miles from home, there’s either not enough time or money in the budget to make a site visit. Why rely on someone else’s judgment?Make a point of seeing and determining for yourself whether everything is the way you need it. It also allows you to meet and build a rapport with the staff you’ll be working very closely with throughout the entire meeting or event.
6. Leave specifics out of the contract. Subjective phrasing in contracts, verbal agreements and vague references are open to interpretation. Make sure that your contract contains undisputable details. Avoid “to be negotiated” or “to be determined” at a later date.
7. Leave details to the last minute. The more time you have, the better the chances of making fewer mistakes. Being rushed and panicked can lead to forgetting essential and sometimes obvious things. Use checklists religiously and handle details in early planning stages. Leaving basics to the last minute will undoubtedly cost more money (i.e., rush charges), in addition to adding unnecessary stress to your life.
8. Fail to market your event. In order to get people to attend your event, you need to let them know about it in plenty of time. It’s all about marketing and communication. The longer you wait to inform attendees, the stronger the chances are that they’ll have made alternative plans for your meeting dates. Communicate your message in plenty of time, and give them a reason to come.
9. Base decisions entirely on price. With tight budgets and a boss breathing down your neck challenging you to do more with less, there’s a strong temptation to make vendor decisions solely based on price. It’s easy to find people who are willing to under price their services just to get business, but how good and reliable are they? Think about the compromises you are willing to make to meet budget.
10. Over-delegate. So you think you can afford to step back and let a professional meeting planner handle everything? Just because you hire or assign someone to assist you doesn’t mean you are out of the picture. You are the steward, which makes you responsible for directing all operations. Let others do the running around on your behalf, but always have a visible presence in the background making sure that everything runs smoothly. In the final analysis, the buck stops with you.
