Always Share in the Local Experience

Part of making the most out of any trip is to make every effort to experience the local culture, no matter how small a taste you get to enjoy. Recently while on a small program in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico I spotted a food stand where two local men where furiously working prepping some kind of unusual food.

Having never seen this food before, I stepped up and asked if I could touch this strange and exotic looking green 'thing'. I found myself holding a green spongy tear-shaped plant up to my nose. It had a slightly tangy aroma and was nothing like any food I had ever seen. One of the men smiled and said, "It is a delicious young cactus. You should try it." Of course not one to be shy, I accepted the challenge.

The next morning much to my colleagues' consternation, I was excitedly chopping onions, slicing limes, dipping the cactus in milk & flour and sautéing the mixture in a little bit of butter, salt & brown sugar. Well, when I served everyone's breakfast up with fresh local eggs and this truly Mexican side dish of sautéed cactus, we had a delicious travel moment that no one will forget.



So remember, reward yourself on every trip with a little bit of local adventure!

Booking Inside the Block, Part 2

Earlier this week I blogged about the challenges meeting planners face managing housing in a buyer's market. Consider including a statement (such as the sample below) in your conference marketing materials to encourage attendees to participate in your room block. Market preemptively: early and often.

SAMPLE STATEMENT

Why book at the Conference Hotel?

Our organization has booked a block of rooms at the [hotel name] as a courtesy to our valued attendees. We work hard to make sure that the conference rate is competitive, and monitor the hotel’s other rates to make sure that our attendees are receiving the best deal.

Your stay helps our organization meet our obligation to the hotel, allowing us to keep registration rates low. Without your hotel stay, our organization may be assessed a financial penalty. This would jeopardize our ability to provide quality educational opportunities in the future. Please help us as we work to continue the many benefits of this conference.

Just a few benefits of booking at the headquarters [or official] conference hotel(s) include:

• You will be supporting the conference and helping us keep registration costs low.
• You’ll have the quickest access to all the conference has to offer, just a short elevator ride away.
• You can attend early-morning breaks and sessions without having to fuss with a taxi or get up early enough to walk.
• You will be in the center of all the action, able to meet other colleagues in the conference space, lobby, and restaurants.
• You can be assured that your sleeping room will be clean, and the hotel will offer all the customary business services.

Thank you for your continued support of our conference. We look forward to serving you for years to come.

Booking Inside the Block, Part 1

A recent survey of 2010 Meeting Trends by Meetings Media paints a bleak picture of the U.S. hotel industry in 2009. In a webinar reporting the results of the survey, industry analysts reported that:

• Overall hotel room supply increased by 3.2%, while demand decreased by 6.6%. This is a gap of nearly 10 percent between supply and demand, which results in lower prices.
• Occupancy decreased 9.5%
• Overall hotel rates fell by 9.0%, and hotel room revenue plummeted by 15.0%

These rates are aggregated for the U.S. hotel industry; some sectors of the market – particularly luxury and upper upscale – have been hit harder than lower-end products. So it’s no surprise that hotels are trying to win back customers by charging lower rates.

All of this turmoil means that there are excellent bargains out there for meeting planners who are booking future meetings. But one of the biggest challenges for 2010 will be minimizing attrition as attendees snatch up less expensive rooms on the internet. One of the questions that meeting managers dread is this: “I found a cheaper room on the internet. Why shouldn’t I book that one instead of the more expensive conference rate?”

In a time when bargains abound, its important to be forthright with attendees and let them know that booking outside the block hurts your organization. You work hard to provide a valuable educational and networking experience for them, and if they want to continue to benefit from the conference they need to hold up their end of the bargain.

Check back later this week for a sample statement you can include in your conference materials to encourage delegates to book within the block.

What is a "Carbon Footprint" Anyways?

Your carbon footprint measures the impact your activities have on the environment, determined by the amount of greenhouse gases produced through burning fossil fuels, electricity, heating and transportation. The average U.S. household has a carbon footprint of 16,008 pounds per year.

Your carbon footprint is made up of two parts: primary and secondary footprints. Your primary footprint is a measure of direct emissions from burning fossil fuels. This includes your home gas, oil, and coal use, home electricity, private transportation, public transport, flights, and food and drink. Your secondary footprint includes your share of public services, financial services, recreation and leisure, house buildings and furnishings, car manufacture and delivery, and clothes and personal effects.

Several factors affect your footprint: the number of people in your household, what kind of heat you use in your home, miles driven per year and fuel efficiency of your automobile, number and duration of flights, your average monthly electric, gas, and fuel bill, and recycling habits.

Calculate your carbon footprint here: http://whatsmycarbonfootprint.com/calculate.htm

Styrofoam Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

450 years. 164,250 days, 3,942,000 hours. This is the time it takes for just one foam core sign to decompose in a landfill. That is an average of 6 human lifetimes per sign, which was most likely only used once, to biodegrade. It is time to make a change. More and more green options are becoming available to meeting planners in all different aspects. Sometimes when we think “green” our minds automatically land on “big picture” efforts, but every green change being made helps. While, yes, foam core signs are a quick and easy solution, we have found that Madison Avenue, Inc. has created a green AND cost effective option for eco-friendly event signs.

EcoSMARTsigns have one major pro for a step in the green direction, they are recyclable! EcoSMARTsigns are manufactured from 100% recovered fibers as well as an average of 35% post consumer waste. When the meeting is over, you can just place them out with all of your other paper recycling, unlike foam core signs. And if there are no recycling services available at your venue Madison Avenue, Inc will recycle them for you!

Looking for other small(but BIG!) changes to make around your meeting? There are a lot of “green meeting” resources you can check out to get other helpful tips and ideas.

Here are a few:

Reducing Paper Waste: http://www.conservatree.org/paper/Choose/SRpurchasing.shtml

Tips for Planners: http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/HostsAndPlanners/10EasyTips.htm

PCMA Going Green: http://www.pcma.org/Resources/Meeting_Management_Resources/Green_Meetings.htm

Green Meeting Trends: http://meetingsnet.com/green_meetings/