Association Meetings

10 Things to Consider when Selecting an Association Meeting Site: Money .. Money .. Money

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 travel 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?

10 Things to Consider when Selecting an Association Meeting Site: Timing is Everything .....

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

As they say, “timing is everything.”  This is also true when choosing a location for your Association Meeting. 

Pay close attention to the seasonal climate at your site locations. If your attendees love to ski, then a meeting in Utah held in February, would be incredible. Although, the risk of a snow storm shutting your meeting down, may change your mind!   If your attendees would prefer golf, maybe Mesa Arizona is a better choice in February.

How many people do you know that love to go to Chicago in January? When the temperature is 15 F and the wind chill a -35 F? Not me! However Chicago in May is beautiful. In January, Maui maybe close to the top of the list.

There is also the financial consideration for locations regarding “timing.” Selecting a site during off-season / off-peak will not only save your attendees money, but your Association. To select Maui in January may make the meeting unaffordable for your attendees, but what about Maui in July?

So which “time” is the best for your location?

10 Things to Consider when Selecting an Association Meeting Site: Look Into Your Past

Ten factors to take into consideration when selecting an association meeting location:

1) Your Program
2) Your Attendees
3) Look into your Past

When considering a location for your Association Meeting, your history may be the guideline to your future.

When you conduct your Association Meeting evaluations do you ask questions specifically related to the conference location; the hotel, the city, etc.? The feedback you gain from your attendees including exhibitors and speakers is valuable information when planning for future meetings.

If your attendees like the fact that your meeting was held at a hotel resort far from distractions, then why would you not want to plan another meeting in a similar location? If they hated the downtown hotel because of all of the hustle and bustle associated with big cities, would you go back?

Look at where your meeting has been in the past. Do you see attendance patterns that can be associated with the location? For example, if you are in a second tier city with average attendance yet your meeting held in a first tier city broke attendance records, you need to ask yourself why?

Do your attendees want you to “rotate” locations – east coast vs. west coast; North America vs. Europe? Where have you already been? Do your attendees want to go back?  Or do they want to go someplace new? Ask!

 

Things to Consider when Selecting an Association Meeting Site: Your Attendee

Ten factors to take into consideration when selecting an association meeting location:

1) Your Program
2) Your Attendees

When considering various locations for your Association Meeting is it very helpful to know who is coming! Are they seasoned travelers? International? First time attendees? What are the age demographics? Who is paying the bill? Why are they truly coming?

In your decision making process, consider how easy it is to reach your location. If you are expecting first time travelers, or those that don’t travel great distances often; choose a location for your Association Meeting that is easy to navigate by various transportation methods.

What are the demographics for your attendee? Are they younger family types who may want to bring spouses and children? If so, choose locations that provide activities for the accompanying persons. Will your Association Meeting also serve as the family vacation?

As always, there are the financial considerations. Who is actually paying for the attendee? Is the financial support coming from their professional organization or out of their personal pocket? How you answer that question may effect which location you can select. A first-tier city may not be an option if the majority of your participants are paying out of their own pocks and a second-tier city may need to be considered

Why is your attendee coming in the first place? While we all want to answer that question the same way, “because they want to attend the meeting.” We know that is not entirely the case. Participants may be required to attend because of professional obligation. Others choose to attend because they want professional development. If the choice is voluntary and if a selection is to be made; then your meeting location will be a deciding factor.

The more you know about your attendees the more successful you will be in finding the perfect location for your Association Meeting.

Things to Consider when Selecting an Association Meeting Site: Your Program

Ten factors to take into consideration when selecting an association meeting location:

1) Your Program

The type of conference program you plan to offer will help to determine which kind of site you should select.

 Will your program design include blocks of personal time for the attendees? If so, a downtown hotel may be the choice allowing your attendees to get out and enjoy the local surroundings at lunch or in the evening.

If on the other hand you are planning for a very tightly scheduled day with little or no personal time, then an airport hotel or meeting facility might work best. This also allows for you to keep travel time to a minimum

Conference centers are a great alternative if you have a very intensive program and wish to limit distractions. This may also be attractive for associations that are affiliated with colleges or universities as they often have conference facilities on-site.

If your program will also include a large exposition, you may want to consider a convention center location as space may be your primary consideration.

Choosing the proper location for your association meeting will be easy once you clearly understand the purpose of the meeting and the program to be delivered.

10 Things to Consider when Selecting an Association Meeting Site

Cleveland, Ohio
Photo by jkhewett

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) Appeal for Tourism
6) Budget
7) Climate
8) Transportation
9) Local Support
10) Available Facilities

Stay tuned to understand why ....