Conference Organizers

Workshop
Planning Your Event
Elsie Cabrera, CMP
Manager, Sales & Conference Activities
IEEE Meeting & Conference Management
(MCM)

Workshop Agenda
How to develop a conference timeline
Creating request for proposals (RFP)
hotel/venue
audio visual supplier
destination management company (DMC)
Negotiating how to get the best deal
Food and beverage planning
Hotel room block management
Summary

Nov 2, 2016

How to Develop a
Conference Time

Nov 2, 2016

How to Develop a Conference Timeline

Begin by considering all tasks and dates required in
planning your event
IEEE and OU requirements
Sponsorship requirements
Budgeting requirements
Building your technical program
Abstract Submission
Paper Submission
Peer Review Process
Notifications
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Nov 2, 2016

How to Develop a Conference Timeline

Visa process
Registration
Searching for a Payment Card Industry (PCI) vendor
Early Registration Deadline
Onsite Registration Activities
Review Contractual Obligations and incorporate into
timeline
Deposit due dates
Contract room block review dates
Cancellation dates

Nov 2, 2016

How to Develop a Conference Timeline

Exhibit management
Exhibit Decorator
Floor Plan
Prospectus (selling document)
Payment Due Date
Booth Assignment (date)

Other functions
Social functions
Tours & Transportation
Assign tasks to committee members
Managing your conference timeline is crucial

Nov 2, 2016

Sample Timeline

Nov 2, 2016

Sample Timeline cont.

Nov 2, 2016

Creating Request for

Proposals (RFP)

Nov 2, 2016

Request For Proposal (RFP)

What is it?
The RFP is a request for a quote for service
identifies the goals and objectives
provides a profile of the group
provides historical data
When writing an RFP, think about it as the first step to
negotiating a contract
Consider what you need vs. what you want
needs are non-negotiable
wants can become the basis for negotiations

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Hotel RFP
A hotel needs as much information as possible so they know what
is important to the event
Dont assume a hotel will have space available later
be sure to include all space requirements at the start
Be specific about the number and type of guest rooms required
number of rooms needed at varying rates
government vs. standard;
upgrades for VIPs
Dont be overly optimistic about the block; you will pay if you fall
below the allowed shortfall
Event history, if available, is invaluable to the negotiation process
establishes the value of the event to the hotel
reduces risk to the hotel by demonstrating solid history

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Nov 2, 2016

Hotel RFP
What It Should Include
Group profile (who/what the event is about)
Preferred event dates (pattern and any flexibility)
Number of attendees (if possible, include attendee profile)
Meeting space requirements (i.e. setup of each room, # of people,
accessibility)
Preliminary schedule of events
Estimated food/beverage functions
Room block pattern (days/number of rooms per night)
Concessions (i.e suites required, parking passes, etc.)
Specify if you plan to use your own a/v supplier
Conference history (past locations, actualized room pick up,
food/beverage spend)
Date when proposals are due
Decision date

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Nov 2, 2016

Sample Hotel RFP

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Nov 2, 2016

Sample Hotel RFP

Audio Visual (A/V) RFP

A/V is critical to the event
Cost should always be considered, but should not be the
most important criteria
Clearly communicate as much detail as possible about
your technical needs
The needs of the event will determine what vendor to
use

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Nov 2, 2016

Audio Visual (A/V) RFP

What It Should Include
Event name
Dates, time, location
Preliminary schedule of events
Rooms assignments and setups
A/V requirements per room (i.e. projectors, screen, podium,
microphones)
Concessions (what you would like)
Date when proposals are due
Decision date

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Nov 2, 2016

Sample Audio Visual RFP

DATE

BEGIN

END

EVENT

LOCATION

Hilton

ROOM

SET-UP

# of Pax

A/V & Telecom Needs

U-Shape for 15 with 10

Beaumont &
chairs in rear of room
Belair
for observers

25

1-Screen with dress kit

1-Projector with appropriate VGA cable
1-AV Cart
1-Powerstrip to the Projection Cart
1-Power Strip for each 6' table in the U

Wed, 17Sep-2008

8:00

12:00

Region 4
Executive
Committee
Meeting

Wed, 17Sep-2008

8:00

17:00

MGA Student
Activities
Committee

Hilton

Beauport

U-Shape for 25 with 10

chairs in rear of room
for observers

35

17:00

Region 4
Long Range
Strategic
Planning

Hilton

Beaumont &
Belair

Exsiting Set-Up

25

Existing Set-Up

17:00

Region 2
Committee
Meeting

301 A/B

U-Shape for 40 with 20

chairs in rear of room
for observers

60

1-Screen with dress kit

1-Projector with appropriate VGA cable
1-AV Cart
1-Powerstrip to the Projection Cart
1-Power Strip for each 6' table in the U

17:00

Region 4
Committee
Meeting

302 A/B

U-Shape for 40 with 20

chairs in rear of room
for observers

60

1-Screen with dress kit

1-Projector with appropriate VGA cable
1-AV Cart
1-Powerstrip to the Projection Cart
1-Power Strip for each 6' table in the U

17:00

Region 7 (IEEE
Canada)
Committee
Meeting

303 A/B

U-Shape for 40 with 20

chairs in rear of room
for observers

60

1-Screen with dress kit

1-Projector with appropriate VGA cable
1-AV Cart
1-Powerstrip to the Projection Cart
1-Power Strip for each 6' table in the U

Wed, 17Sep-2008

Thu, 18Sep-2008

Thu, 18Sep-2008

Thu, 18Sep-2008

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13:00

8:00

8:00

8:00

Nov 2, 2016

Congress
Center

Congress
Center

Congress
Center

Destination Management Company (DMC)

or Professional Conference Organizer (PCO)
RFP
They save time, research, and money
DMCs/PCOs offer a wide range of services including
tours
transportation
convention staffing
Extra services (i.e. entertainment, dcor)
Use a local DMC/PCO
obtain recommendations from the hotel, convention
center, or the citys visitor bureau

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Nov 2, 2016

Destination Management Company (DMC)

What It Should Include
Detailed information will allow the DMC/PCO to develop a program and
pricing specific for your event. Details should include:
Group profile
Event services desired
Offsite event shuttles (buses, mini vans)
Tour program (which days, time frame, cost)
Offsite event location selection and planning (gala dinner, reception)
Airport transfers
Budget
Anticipated attendance
Conference dates and location (venue name)
Specify if you intend to have an exclusive tour program
Date when proposals are due
Decision date

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Nov 2, 2016

Sample DMC/PCO RFP

Negotiating
How to Get the Best Deal

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Nov 2, 2016

Negotiating
How to Get the Best Deal
Negotiating is the process leading up to the point of
contracting
Many items are negotiable most of the time
The ability to negotiate depends on your knowledge of the
meeting (history; size, scope; profile; revenue generated for
the facility)
Recognize that are vendors/suppliers are in the business to
make money, you should understand how each vendor makes
its money (sleeping rooms, f&B, a/v, ancillary)

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Nov 2, 2016

Negotiating
How to Get the Best Deal
Negotiate items that are important to your group first
You can ask for more, but everything has a price
Never say yes to the first offer
suppliers rarely put their best offer first and will usually come
down in price

Vendor consolidation leads to better pricing

Utilize vendors who have an established relationship with
the conference and/or IEEE or have been recommended
discounts offered for repeat business
Get all that you have negotiated in writing

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Nov 2, 2016

Negotiating
Tools
IEEE has standard templates in place to help get you
started
Hotel contract templates
Meeting Management company template
You will need to negotiate pricing, concessions, function
space, and other details specific to your conference
Using the established templates creates more efficient
and timely execution of the contract
Templates are located
http://www.ieee.org/web/conferences/organizers/contracts
.html

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Nov 2, 2016

Food and Beverage Planning

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Nov 2, 2016

Food and Beverage Planning (F&B)

Understand the conference history for attendance at
meal functions
do the majority of delegates attend the functions?
what type of meals are ordered? (i.e. buffet, plated,
or boxed)
are the meals additional purchase items or included in
the registration fee?
Hotel/venue considerations
understand how the venue counts delegates at meal
functions (i.e. by plates used or by seats)
does the venue prepare for 5% more than
guaranteed?

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Nov 2, 2016

Food & Beverage Planning (F&B)

Menu Selection Tips
Consider the location and setup of the meal
function space
Select the menu prior and compare to the
conference budget
remember to include tax and service charges
If the standard hotel menus cost are prohibitive,
inquire to customize a menu to fit your budget
Try to offer local cuisine as part of the conference
meals if possible
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Nov 2, 2016

Food & Beverage Planning (F&B)

Menu Selection Tips
If you have parallel events with meal functions, utilize
the same menu
For smaller events, consider hosting joint meal functions
to eliminate additional service charges
Inquire about menus ordered by other groups in-house
at the time of your event
bulk ordering creates better discount
reduces labor for the venue
Review your advance registration activity to determine
guarantees

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Nov 2, 2016

Communicating Your Details to the Venue

Prepare and send detailed event specifications that include
Day and date of the function
time the room should be setup and how (i.e. theater, schoolroom, ushape)
food and beverage selections and counts
room assignments as well as published start and end times
a/v and electrical requirements
The venue will translate the information into a format known as a banquet
event order (BEO) for review and signature
Ensure the BEOs correlate with your specifications
communicate any discrepancies immediately
once signed, these become the contract with the venue

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Conduct a pre-conference meeting with the hotel to review all the

beos once onsite to be sure the needs are interpreted and captured
correctly

Nov 2, 2016

Meeting Specifications

Room Block Management

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Nov 2, 2016

Room Block Management

Keep an Eye on the Contract
Many hotels require conferences to pick up at least 80% of the
contracted room block
Monitor the room pickup regularly and assess if reductions/increases
in block are required
increases may not be available or may be at higher rates
before increasing, confirm that it is necessary
reductions may incur penalties
If fall below the contracted room block
attrition charges may apply
concessions may be reduced or eliminated
meeting space allocation may change due to the size of
the group and space charges may apply
All changes to the contract should be agreed in writing by both
parties (hotel and conference chair) by creating a contract addendum

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Nov 2, 2016

Room Block Management

Tips for Success
Understand the conference pickup pattern
How far in advance do delegates normally make their
reservations?
Monitor and compare the pickup to the previous years
to determine if you are on target
Confirm the following have made their reservations
VIPs (ie. award winners, plenary speaker)
Authors/speakers
Committee
Compare hotel rooming list to conference registration
list(s)

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Nov 2, 2016

Summary
There are many components to planning a successful
event
The timeline is key to staying on track to meet
deliverables
Always keep an eye on the contract terms
Dont be afraid to ask for help from an expert; there
are many resources available
Event management professionals
Convention visitors bureau
Destination management company
Audio visual suppliers

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Nov 2, 2016

Questions?

Resources and Tools

Conference Organizers website
www.ieee.org/web/conferences/organizers/index.html
Attend Panel of Conference Organizers and visit the website for review of
presentations
www.ieee.org/web/conferences/organizers/poco/index.html
Utilize a professional management company
www.ieee.org/go/mcm
Convention Industry Councils Accepted Practices Exchange (provides industry best
practices and standard templates)
https://www.conventionindustry.org/apex/accepted.htm

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Nov 2, 2016

Contact

Email

Phone

Elsie Cabrera, CMP

Mgr. Sales & Conference
Activities

e.cabrera@ieee.org

+1 732 981 3428

Website: www.ieee.org/go/mcm
Email: mcminfo@ieee.org
IEEE Meeting & Conference Management (MCM)
445 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, NJ, 08854
U.S.A.

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Nov 2, 2016

THANK YOU

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Nov 2, 2016