In This Issue

Cocktail Reception Trends and Basics
Using Instant Audience Response
From the Field:  Royal Palms, Phoenix
Poll: Do you use ROI?
Around the Industry
Krisam & GEP News

Cocktail Reception Trends and Basics

Let’s say your event has two cocktail receptions.  Your budget is tight and the open bar has you worried.  Is there any way to help control your costs?  Or, the opposite is true.  Your have a group of VIPs to impress and your budget is designed to do just that.  What will make the reception worthy and memorable?  Beyond that, what’s current in wine, in mixed drinks?  Are there differences between men and women? Older and younger?  East and West?  How about some fresh ideas for cocktail hors d’oeuvres?  For some creative answers turn here to two experts in Food and Beverage from two sides of the continent.

Using Instant Audience Response

On "Who wants to be a millionaire", if a contestant was stumped on a question, he could ask for a poll of the audience to see what they thought the answer was. Regis Philbin would call for a vote and in seconds you could see that 93% of the audience thought choice “B” was the right one.  You can use this very same technology in your meetings to great benefit.

Attendees at recent GEP and Krisam Trade Shows in New York and Chicago knew who their fellow participants were even if they had never met them. They also knew whether their fellow guests had concerns similar to their own and followed practices in their jobs that were similar.  Thanks to an Audience Response System (ARS), frequent polls were taken during the sessions that helped profile the audience, their issues and priorities.  It allowed participants to see how their own job position and company measured up from the privacy of their own seat.  It also increased concentration since the attendees were a part of the discussion. Learn more about the technology and how your own experience matches up with the poll results.

 

From the Field: Royal Palms, Phoenix 

The feeling is more like home, albeit a grand one, than a hotel.  The meeting space is more intimate, private, and stately…yet homey too. 

The restaurant is top rated.  The spa magnificent.  The views restful.  For work, play or relaxation, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa offers the perfect atmosphere.

Question of the Month: Do you use ROI?

Times have changed in the business of meetings.  As Jill Cornish, publisher of Associated Trends, said in a recent interview, meetings aren’t about golf any more.  The meeting planner is expected to generate results and the attendee is expected to return home with something that can justify the expense of the trip.  Results can be measured by assessing ROI (return on investment) or ROO (return on objectives).  Has your company instituted such a program? Take our poll and let’s see how wide-spread the trend is.  

Last month's poll results: My top pick for a meeting location would be?

• Other  30%
• Anything California  15%
• Anything Florida  12%
• New Orleans  10%
• Montreal  7%
• New York City  7%
• Chicago  5%
• Dallas  5%
• Las Vegas  5%

Around the Industry

• Doctors make hotel calls. Founded in 2004, InRoomMD offers healthcare concierge services to travelers, administered whenever possible in the comfort and privacy of the traveler’s hotel/motel room. Service delivery is currently provided for Las Vegas NV and Charlotte, NC, with additional domestic U.S. travel destinations to be added in 2005 and beyond.  For more, visit their website.
• Car rentals.  Should you buy the options?  The Federal Trade Commission demystifies all those choices on a car rental agreement so you can understand which you really need and why
• PCMA CEO Survey Reveals Importance of Meetings. Meeting planning is second only to executive management as a key function of associations, according to the 2005 Association CEO Survey released by the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). Meeting planning ranked ahead of numerous other functions, including membership development, education, communications, publications, and legislative/regulatory affairs.  Other findings among associations surveyed:
  • Average number of meetings held was 15.9
  • Meetings and trade shows generate 40% of their association’s revenue
  • Skills that association CEOs consider most important in a senior meeting planner were meeting logistics/coordination, budgeting/financial management, contracting/negotiation, and leadership
  • Most important characteristics they sought in a meeting planner: Good organizational skills, negotiating ability, calmness under pressure, attention to detail, and competency in core areas of meeting planning
• Golf tournament planning help. If you are looking to add a golf tournament to your event roster, or want to improve the one you have, Corporate Meetings & Incentives has some detailed advice for you.  They’ve published the ultimate guide to golf event management.
• Cocktail museum now open. White wine gets darker as it ages, while red wine gets lighter.  This is just one bit of trivia to be found on the Museum of the American Cocktail website.  The physical museum is located, where else, but in fun-loving New Orleans.
• Better sleep away from home.  The Sleep Foundations has advice on its website on how to reduce not only the effects of jet lag but of “first night effect.”  Bringing your own “bankey” is one.  For more, visit their website.  

Krisam & GEP News
Updates on Krisam member properties & GEP partners. For more information on any of the partners below, contact your Krisam or GEP representative directly or email us today.

New Krisam Group Members:

• The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA
• Bahia Mar Resort & Yachting Club in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, CA
  

This year’s award honored the DMC for its coordination of a welcome reception for a major pharmaceutical company for client Maritz Travel based on a Monopoly game theme. The client’s goal was to encourage networking while still maintaining a casual, fun atmosphere that would appeal to the young demographic. Atlanta Arrangements’ winning idea was involving the 230 guests in a life-size version of the board game Monopoly. The evening included a networking game that AAI developed based around Monopoly, Monopoly theme décor, food, drinks, and music. The entire event, preplanning, execution and post program logistics and accounting, was facilitated by AAI.

The annual Allie Awards honor special events companies that are members of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) or the International Special Events Society (ISES).

Altanta Arrangement is a 37-year-old DMC that coordinates all elements involved in meeting planning and implementation, special event development, pre-registration and on-site registration, ground transportation, Atlanta area tours, and companion programs.

Charleston Grill chef clues guys into cooking
Bob Waggoner, executive chef of Charleston Grill, Charleston, SC,  launched a quarterly series in January titled  “Straight Eye for the Clueless Guy”, to provide culinary clues to "just guys" guys.

The first gentlemen-only session focused on how to plan and present a romantic meal. The result: dozens of men sat in rapt attention as Chef Bob walked them through everything from caramelizing onions to searing the perfect flounder (Presumably, dozens of beloveds subsequently enjoyed wonderful Valentine's Day dinners).

For $75 a session, guys can enjoy future programs like Gourmet Grilling for Fathers Day (the real art of backyard cookery) on June 18; Saturday Catch will celebrate the unofficial start of autumn with a special class on September 2nd; and Taming Game will help participants master the preparation of venison and other game on November 5.

Owned and operated by Orient-Express Hotels, Charleston Place offers, a host of five-star amenities and unique services, fine cuisine at the Mobil Four-Star Charleston Grill, a full service European style spa, and an exclusive collection of world-famous shops.

Upcoming Industry Events - 2005