Whether it’s an internal executive committee meeting at your office or an annual sales meeting for 1,000 people, there must be a plan in place to make it a positive, collaborative experience for all attendees. It must be a plan that will keep attendees engaged, motivated and provide an ROI for their time spent in the meeting.

Following is a transcription of the conversation between Staff Writer Sarah Kloepple and Johnson Controls Exhibit and Events Manager Becky Andrzejak featured in The Advantages of a Two-Story Exhibit Booth episode of the Meetings Today Podcast.

Call it a tale of two countries. In Canada, U.S.-based meeting planners and organizations can tap a variety of Canadian government programs and select companies to help them expedite the cross-border customs process for shipping materials to their north of the border events. In Mexico, though, the process is more convoluted, so tapping into the experience of planners who have been there and done that is advice well taken.

While planning a meeting, incentive, conference or convention is tough enough when you’re conducting it in your home country, bringing it across the border presents a whole host of additional problems when it comes to getting your materials through customs and safely at your event.

Meetings Today spoke with four top meeting planners to highlight some of their best tips on site selection.

Joan Eisenstodt interviews top meeting planners and suppliers for site inspection advice.

The preferences of Millennials are changing contract obligation risks for meetings and conventions.

A meetings industry veteran offers up her money-saving secrets

Argue over global warming all you want, but fail to plan for extreme weather at your group’s peril.