Meeting and event planning this year has been a challenge, due to the low or nearly non-existent budgets. With many corporations in saving mode, it comes as no great surprise that the event planning industry too has cut down heavily on unnecessary expenditure. The days of extravagant meals and rich cuisine have been replaced by a much more economical plate full of health-conscious food that causes less heart burn- both physically and fiscally.

Event planners are no longer focused on the status of a banquet rich with off season fruits or vegetables flown in from exotic countries. The new idea is to simply get it right, and get it right on the lowest cost. However, don’t get it wrong – cost cutting does not have to equate to low grade or below average. In fact the new concept of serving food at meetings and events never looked so healthy before. A platter full of assorted meals that are beautifully presented is what you are looking for. The food menu in most events these days might be missing some of the excessively rich dishes that were offered in previous years, however it tastes just as good.

Thanks to the smart work of some intelligent event caterers, a whole new look has been introduced to food items in corporate events. Eating smart and spending smart seems to be the new motto of the event planning industry in the midst of an economic crisis. A good example of one of these innovative event meals is a beautiful set of small sized glasses neatly arranged in a row with small servings of dessert in them. This is definitely not “just” cost cutting, it is indeed “stylish” cost cutting that rather pleases the eye. This concept of serving healthy and economical food is also good for the environment as food does not go waste. A few years back, event meals used to be so lavish and extravagant that half of the food would go wasted.

Fortunately, these days most corporate groups are realizing the value of food, encouraging event meals that are high on nutrition and low on costs. The modern consumer has also turned health conscious and avoids eating too many meals in conferences and other kinds of corporate events. Healthy meals offered in small quantities seem to be gaining popular ground in the event planning industry.

These are all things to consider when planning your upcoming holiday events.

Without a doubt the word “green” has taken on new meaning over the last 20 years, and everyone is concerned about it. There is even a lot of talk about environmentally friendly green meetings, and at some point you as a meeting planner are going to come face to face with some very specific client concerns about this issue. Here are some things to think about when planning a green business meeting or event.

Green Hotels

Hotels are becoming more energy conscious, and many new hotel buildings are LEEDS certified. From solar panels and recycled/recyclable materials to geothermal and wind power, hotels are looking for ways to become more energy–and cost–efficient. In fact, many of them will help meeting planners find ways to make your meeting or event more environmentally responsible.  Some hotels even have cost-effective organic food offerings, as well as a no-phone book policy.

Green Incentive Destinations

If you and/or your clients are concerned about the environmental impact of incentive travel, think about keeping your events closer to home. Of course, your participants may like to do special non-event activities, but every area has something special about it to appeal to almost everyone. If you can’t find an appropriate venue locally, think about finding travel options that are environmentally friendly and use mass transit when possible.

Of course, there are other things you can do that would warrant a blog all by themselves. Going paperless is one idea, and there are many ways to approach this idea. Recycling on a major scale for large events is a critical part of green meetings. Avoid products that use plastic, shun disposables, and take advantage of local products. You can probably find many other smaller ways yourself that will add up and give your meeting the green stamp of approval.

Source:  TheMeetingPlannersGuide.com

In light of the government crackdown on meetings and incentive travel for the bailout companies, the reputation of professional planning for these events has taken a swift dive down the drain. When people ask you what you do for a living, you don’t have to mumble it so they can’t hear you then point and say, “Oh, look! A bluejay!” You can tell them what you do loud and proud with a seven-second sales pitch.

What is a Seven-Second Sales Pitch?

It’s something no sales professional or motivational trainer has heard of because it was just conceived. That’s how long it takes to say, “I save companies lots of money and stay within government guidelines by planning efficient meetings and events for them.” That–depending on how fast you talk–is a seven-second sales pitch.

You can apply this idea especially to the incentives planning business. You can say some version of the following depending on who you are talking to: Read the rest of this entry »

When a large group books an event in a city, it does not go unnoticed. Events bring in a great deal of cash to a host community, and sometimes visitors help the community in some way as well. For instance, some of them offer left over things like packaged lunches to homeless shelters, and unused packages of plastic utensils to hospitals. Others are careful to recycle and make as small a footprint as possible–and some are amazingly small.

Communities notices these things, and every one of them makes a company more visible. How your group is noticed is critical to your success as a meeting planner, especially these days when meetings and events may be viewed as a frivolous waste of cash. Here are some ways you can help your clients continue their meetings but remain as a positive force. Read the rest of this entry »