With IMEX America underway at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas from October 7-9 (with educational day Smart Monday, powered by MPI October 6), four Meetings Today reporters–Tyler Davidson, Rob Carey, Taylor Smith, and Jeff Heilman–are on the ground covering the educational sessions, exhibit-hall happenings, social events, and other elements of North America’s biggest meetings-industry show.
Each day, the team delivers useful insights based on what they’re seeing and hearing around the show.
Here’s a sampling of what our editors took away from the October 6 educational day known as Smart Monday, powered by MPI:
Rob Carey, Content Manager, News & Features
- “When I planned meetings, I went on some site visits where I wondered whether the property team even knew I was coming that day.” So said Ciara Feely, veteran sales consultant and trainer, in her session titled “Art of the Unforgettable Site Visit.” Her point: Hotel salespeople must prepare every department on property for a planner’s visit. But for that to happen, planners must provide details in advance about their event’s objectives and the critical elements they need to see and experience while on property. In short: Be proactive and persistent to get the site visit you need.
- In the Smart Monday prefunction area, Meeting Professionals International used a fun activation to introduce more planners to the organization, and to keep current members connected. After providing a business card, planners could step up to MPI’s “Mystery Envelope” board and choose an envelope containing a prize: A Yeti tumbler or other swag item, or a discount on a new or renewed MPI membership, or a certificate to attend an online educational program for free.
- “I know of a few planners who were fired recently because they did not understand the audiovisual component of their events well enough, and the final bill for AV was tens of thousands of dollars higher than what was expected.” So said Scott Frankel, president of Animatic Media LLC, in his session titled “Avoid Hidden AV Costs: A Practical Guide for Planners.” Some of his best advice for planners: Know exactly what equipment you need when you send proposals to in-house or outside AV firms; ask for separate rates for AV, electric, internet, rigging, and other elements; investigate hotels’ “AV service standards” provisions, which include fees that many planners do not account for; negotiate everything before you sign the contract–nothing is off the table.
- One exhibitor used the allure of AI to generate a crowd at its stand in the prefunction area. Planners lined up to have a headshot taken, which was then transformed into an image of a superhero action figure of their choosing.
- To provide a few moments of relaxation for attendees while creating something that enhances the atmosphere at hospitals around the world, the nonprofit organization Foundation for Hospital Art set up several tables in the prefunction area featuring paint-by-numbers sketches for attendees to complete.
