Meeting planning, fast and easy
By Jennifer Coste
It’s Friday afternoon, and you are just about to head home after a long week. Then you receive one more task from your boss before you go..."Can you set up an offsite meeting for next Thursday?"
While this may sound like hours of additional work, it’s easier than you may think. By answering a simple list of questions, you will have this task crossed off your list in no time and finally be able to enjoy your weekend.Who are your attendees? When choosing your location, it is helpful to know who will be attending the meeting. Is this meeting for one specific department, the executives, middle management or an all staff meeting? The facility you choose for your staff meeting may not be suitable for your Board of Directors’ retreat. In addition, are the participants based in your immediate area or will they be traveling in from a distance? If out of town guests are attending, you will need to consider a facility with overnight accommodations.
What is the purpose of the meeting? Contributing factors to selecting a meeting location are identifying the type of meeting and the goals that are to be accomplished. Are you planning a new hire orientation, a sales training, a strategic planning session, or a senior management retreat? Does the meeting involve networking? How will you encourage open conversation? If networking and socializing are important elements to your event, then choosing a location for its meeting space as well as its recreational activities — whether they are within the facility or whether they are close by – will be vital to the success of the program.
Where does the meeting need to be held? An offsite location may present a greater benefit to the overall achievement as opposed to the 3rd floor conference room in your building. This will eliminate the unavoidable work interruptions and bring you to a distraction-free environment. Additionally, if your attendees are traveling from multiple locations, it may be best to find a meeting facility that is about equidistant from all of them.
How accessible is the facility? If guests are coming in from outside — and won’t all be arriving together or at the same time – how close is the facility to major highways? If the meeting involves an overnight stay, how late is the front desk open to accept latecomers?
How many days will your meeting run? After reviewing the program content, you will have a better idea of the time required to present the material. Will this be a one day offsite, or a week-long Six Sigma training? Again, overnight accommodations will need to be considered if your meeting will last more than one day. If time is of the essence, perhaps a working lunch can keep the flow of the meeting continuous and help you stay on schedule.
What does your meeting room have to offer? Your meeting room environment can ultimately affect the delivery of your content. How will you capture your audience? Do you prefer a meeting room with or without windows? Are the meeting rooms equipped with ergonomic chairs? What are the audiovisual needs of the presenter? Will the meeting require use of flip charts or whiteboards for brainstorming sessions? If you know your needs ahead of time, then selecting a facility will be effortless.
After identifying these needs, you are on the path to a successful meeting. Your next step would be to call a conference center that meets your top requirements. There you will be presented with a custom meeting package that suits your every meeting need, including numerous catering options. An expert meeting planner will assist you in converting this last minute meeting request into a job well done.
Jennifer Coste is sales coordinator for the Conference Center at Marlborough, managed by ARAMARK Harrison Lodging. The Conference Center at Marlborough offers an executive environment with 54 meeting rooms, including an auditorium for up to 170, and 223 guest rooms. For more information about the center, please contact Jennifer directly at coste-jennifer@aramark.com
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