CONFERENCES AND TRADE SHOW PET PEEVES - UNDERESTIMATING SPACE REQUIREMENTS

I received a conference registration packet for a large national conference, and after reading the breakout descriptions and speaker biographies, I knew I had to attend. The session topics were tailored for my current career path, and I knew I would be able to pick up a lot of great information that would benefit both me and my organization.  I got permission to go, registered for the sessions I planned to attend, and invested over $2,000 of my company's money (conference fees, airfaire, hotel stay, food, etc.) in order to participate in this valuable educational experience.

Here's what I found when I arrived at the first breakout session:

The room was packed - every seat was taken and people were sprawled on the floor and spilling out into the hallway - what you don't see in this picture are the dozens of others who were turned away and left to peruse the agenda to find another session to attend, or camp out in the hallway in front of their next breakout so they would be assured a seat!

Conference planners - it's important that the venue you select has the capacity to accommodate your attendees, and that you have a contingency plan if your attendance exceeds your original estimates.  Have stacks of overflow chairs in each room, offer a repeat of an especially popular topic, or locate the breakout in a space that has the ability to open an air wall to expand.  How have you dealt with this problem at your events?

 

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CONFERENCES AND TRADE SHOWS - MY BIGGEST PET PEEVES - THEATER SEATING

When a venue tells you that a room seats 1200 people utilizing theater seating, understand what you're getting.  Theater style seating provides maximum capacity since there are no tables involved. Chairs will be arranged in straight rows, although rows on on the far right and left of the room can be slightly turned toward the center.  However, there’s nothing more annoying to a conference attendee than to sit in chairs that are latched together without an inch to spare.  Add to that the rows are often tightly arranged with no leg room between rows to navigate.  When hundreds of people start showing up carrying tote bags, purses, coats, coffee cups, laptops and briefcases, it can make for an extremely uncomfortable situation. 

If you expect your attendees to take notes, refer to conference materials, or sit through a session lasting longer than one hour, do them a favor and set up your rooms classroom style or in rounds. Theater seating should only be used for sessions such as a welcome address or short keynote presentation.  If theater seating is the only possible solution, consider asking for a relaxed theater style, which provides for a few extra inches of space between chairs and between rows; in addition, ask for more aisles in the configuration to reduce the length of each row.

CONFERENCES AND TRADE SHOWS - MY BIGGEST PET PEEVES – THE STANDING RECEPTION

Almost every business conference I’ve ever attended kicks off their event with a welcome reception or ‘meet and greet’, and the one I attended last month was no different. Two thousand people from all over the country had arranged their schedules and flights in order to get settled in their hotel, change out of their travel clothes, make themselves presentable and make their way to the venue for this important networking opportunity.


When I arrived, I saw drink stations and food stations scattered throughout the large hall, and people milling about with nowhere to go. As I got closer, I realized that it was happening again. It was one of those events where you’re handed a drink in a plastic cup and a cocktail napkin. You progress to the food table, where you take a plastic plate, a napkin, and a fork, because the finger food isn’t finger food at all, it requires a utensil to eat it. So you have your conference tote bag, your purse, your drink, your food plate, your napkins and utensils, and….not a single solitary flat surface to set anything down! There are six or eight standing height café tables that the first arrivals have snagged, leaving several hundred people out of luck – no way to shake hands, read name badges, make introductions, or interact comfortably. All I can think of as I make my way out of the hall thirty minutes later is how much money was spent on hundreds of avocado boats filled with shrimp salad without furthering a single goal of the conference.

Not every organization gets this wrong; the trick is to provide the attendees either 1) someplace to sit, 2) something to look at or 3) something to talk about. Have it in the exhibitor hall, where you can at least wander through and preview the vendors you’ll want to chat with later. Or, schedule the event at a museum or aquarium, with food and drink stations scattered throughout (and plenty of trash cans!), making a natural progression through the exhibits. And if you decide to provide background music, make sure it’s not so loud that you can’t hold a conversation – an acoustic group or single musician is usually more than sufficient to provide a pleasant atmosphere.

Establish goals for your conference, and then create events that will accomplish those goals!

ROOKIE MISTAKES WHEN TRAVELING BY PLANE

I recently returned from a business trip to San Antonio. I was with two business associates, and after four days in San Antonio, we were ready to head back to Ohio with lots of energy and new ideas to share. We hadn’t checked in with the airline before we left the hotel – we had allowed plenty of time to check in at the airport before our flight (or so we thought).

What we didn’t realize was that in Dallas, where we were catching our connecting flight, a storm had come through the day before, causing major hail damage to dozens of planes. This was causing serious delays nationwide as the planes were taken out of service for inspection and repair.

To make a long story short, all of this resulted in us spending the night in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, having missed our connecting flight home and hoping for better luck the next day. We had all decided to travel light, and had put things in our checked luggage that we normally would have had in our carry-ons. None of us were rookies when it came to business travel, but we all made some rookie mistakes on this trip!

Here are the lessons learned that I will not forget on my next business trip:

1) I will always have my boarding pass printed out prior to arriving at the airport.

2) I will always check for delays at my departure city, arrival city, and connecting cities.

3) I will always pack my phone charger in my carry-on (and my car keys in case my checked luggage doesn’t make it back on the same plane as I do!)

4) I will always have the airline’s rebooking number programmed into my phone.

5) I will always have a jacket or sweater in my carry-on as well as a set of earplugs (because I now know how cold and how noisy an airport can get at night.)

6) I will always have a travel toothbrush and other necessary toiletries to get me through an overnight without my checked luggage.

7) I will always try to pack so I won’t have to check my luggage.

8) I will always try to keep my sense of humor - it’s the only way to fly!



EVENT PLANNING BASICS - RESPECT THE VENUE!

True story from an event coordinator at a popular venue: A corporation was holding an all-day retreat in a gorgeous renovated barn located on the property. Their coordinator made an appearance every half hour throughout the morning to make sure the group's needs were being met. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but quickly turned sour when, in between her walk-throughs, some fast-thinking person yanked a rented tablecloth off a table and nailed it to the gorgeous knotty pine paneling of the meeting space and used it as a projection screen! The group never requested an AV screen either during the planning process nor at any time during setup. Needless to say, their deposit was not returned so the rental company could be reimbursed for the ruined tablecloth, and the walls could be repaired.


The moral of this story? Think through what your needs will be regarding equipment, decorations and display areas and make them known to the venue prior to the event. NEVER use a stapler, staple-gun, tacks, glue gun, duct tape, nails or anything of a permanent nature. Floral wire or residue-free tape will usually be okay, but you should always ask first.

Smart Business Travel

Road warriors unite!  To everyone who travels for business - what is the best tip you can give your fellow travelers, whether its plane, train, or automobile?