Ten factors to take into consideration when selecting an association meeting location:
1) Your Program
2) Your Attendees
3) Look into your Past
4) Timing is Everything
5) Money .. Money .. Money
Budget considerations are always a factor when choosing the best location for your Association Meeting. Not only yours but theirs!
Planners are very good at looking at their own budget and
financial constraints when selecting a meeting site, but do you think about
your attendees as well? Consider for
example the cost to travel to the location. Not just the airfare to the location, but the cost of travel from the
airport to your final destination. What
options are available to your attendees? If you are asking them to tra
vel to a remote location, how much will
this add to their overall budget?
Again, Planners are very sensitive to selecting the best room rates for their meeting attendees, but are you also looking at the cost of everything else at the hotel? Consider the other expenses such as meals, parking, local entertainment, hotel taxes and fees. If your attendees are paying a great room rate, but $5 for a bottle of water; they may think twice about attending your function in subsequent years.
What about your exhibitors? What additional costs are you asking them to incur to attend the meeting? Shipping materials can be rather expensive, especially in today’s economy. Will your meeting site nickel and dime them to death?
How budget friendly are your meeting sites?
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