Barter for Meetings (Corporate Meetings and Incentives Magazine)

By Bob Andelman

Jan 1, 2009

Corporate Meetings & Incentives Magazine

The economy has forced meeting managers to get creative and look for deals in new places. One of those places is barter exchanges — companies that specialize in bringing together manufacturers and service providers in mostly cashless exchanges of product overstock and inventory. That includes hotel rooms, says Tom McDowell, executive director of the National Association of Trade Exchanges in Mentor, Ohio. “A lot of hotels and resorts are already organized for barter, and those that aren't are usually open to barter opportunities.”

For example, Les Grafman, publisher and owner of New Parent magazine in White Plains, N.Y., used trade credits for magazine ads to take his entire staff to an industry trade show rather than just 40 percent of the staff, which is what he could have afforded otherwise. Grafman is a regular client of NTA Trade, a barter exchange company based in Niles, Ill.

“Everything went great,” he says. “There were probably 30 room nights involved. We used cash for taxes plus some miscellaneous meals and drinks. But 95 percent of it was on trade.”

How It Works

The essence of barter exchange is this: If your company makes widgets and finds inventory is higher than expected, you might commit $25,000 worth of those widgets to a barter exchange for credit. Meanwhile, across town or across the country, a conference hotel knows that February weekends are its quietest time. It makes 100 rooms and a banquet hall — valued at $25,000 — available to the barter exchange for every weekend in February.

Sales reps at the barter exchange then look for a match. The hotel and the widget manufacturer don't trade directly. The widget manufacturer might apply its $25,000 in barter credit toward a February weekend at the hotel; the hotel might use its value in advertising, office supplies, equipment for its operations, and so forth.

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The South-Central States (Corporate Meetings & Incentives)

By Bob Andelman
Corporate Meetings & Incentives Magazine
May 1, 2008 12:00 PM

There may be a hotel seller's market nationwide, but meetings are still being courted in the South-Central states, where billions of dollars are being spent on new hotels, venues, convention centers, and mass transit.

It's not just happening in St. Louis; Kansas City, Mo.; and Little Rock, Ark. Traditional secondary cities such as Wichita, Kan.; Hot Springs, Ark.; and Branson, Mo., are all ramping up hospitality projects.

In Oklahoma, for example, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau are conducting a study to address the future needs of the meetings market, including convention space. The past 18 months have seen the downtown capacity of hotel rooms more than double, to about 2,000 total rooms. During the next 12 months, the entire city's hotel inventory is expected to grow from 14,000 to more than 17,000.

In Branson, the convention center that opened last year has prompted nearby venues to create more space for meetings, which is a shift from a leisure-travel focus.

In Arkansas, the Hot Springs Convention Center in January was spruced up with new carpeting throughout the 360,000-square-foot facility and new furniture in the public areas. In Fort Smith, a 12,000-square-foot Downtown Events Center opened its doors April 1 with an audiovisual system, a full kitchen, and Internet/computer connections.

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“Meeting Effectiveness 101" (Corporate Meetings & Incentives Magazine Story)

“Meeting Effectiveness 101: Twenty years ago, Intel designed a training course for new hires around Andy Grove’s theories on effective meetings. Today, the program is stronger than ever”
By Bob Andelman
Corporate Meetings & Incentives
December 2006

Many of the Greatest concepts that flowed from Intel Corp. over the past quarter century can be traced, in some way, back to the mind of Andrew S. Grove. Who would have guessed that the inspiration for effective meetings was among them?

But there it is, right in the pages of the legendary retired chairman's 1986 book, High Output Management. Grove began Chapter 4, “Meetings — The Medium of Managerial Work,” with the opening volley:

Meetings have a bad name. One school of management thought considers them the curse of the manager's existence. But there is another way to regard meetings … a meeting is nothing less than the medium through which managerial work is performed. That means we should not be fighting their very existence, but rather use the time spent in them as efficiently as possible.

When Grove's book was first published, Tracy Koon was one of the people tasked with applying his ideas about efficient meetings to an internal training course at the company's Intel University.

“We do sit in a lot of meetings,” says Koon, who recently retired from her position as Intel's director of corporate communications, laughing. “A lot of meetings.” Grove's philosophy became hers as well: “Meetings are inevitable,” she says. “Let's look at them as a way to get real work done and real decisions made.

“Intel had had a course about meetings before,” Koon adds, “but it was of the ‘why we have meetings’ variety. I took it when I first got here, and I thought, ‘This is interesting, but it doesn't help me do anything.’ It didn't do much to tell you how to make your meetings more effective.”

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“Managing Meeting Pros, Part 2” (Coporate Meetings & Incentives Magazine Story)

“Managing Meeting Pros, Part 2”
By Bob Andelman
Corporate Meetings & Incentives
October 2006

How can meeting department managers keep their independent, world-traveling, Type A planners challenged and motivated? Last issue, five readers shared their secrets to maintaining everyone's sanity in a pressure-cooker environment. This month, we explore how they find the best talent, as well as how they evaluate and compensate their staffs.

Are Planners A Tough crew to manage?

You bet. For starters, they need to be offered different incentives than their co-workers. Let's face it. When you're working weekends and nights, what you crave most is time off and a little stress relief.

In the end, what planners are looking for is recognition for a job with demands that exceed the boundaries of most office positions, the opportunity to call some of the shots, and the chance for training and growth within their companies.

On our panel:

*

JULIE JOHNSON, CMP, CMM, DIRECTOR, EVENTS AND INCENTIVES, LENNOX INTERNATIONAL WORLDWIDE HEATING & COOLING, Richardson, Texas — Her staff of four manages 150 meetings a year;
*

PAMELA WYNNE, CMP, CMM, MANAGER OF CORPORATE MEETING PLANNING, EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, Princeton, N.J. — Wynne oversees strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, cost analysis, billing and reconciliation, and tracking of expenses for about 800 meetings per year with six full-time planners;
*

MICHELLE BERRIOS, CMP, SENIOR MEETING PLANNER, KAISER PERMANENTE NATIONAL CORPORATE MEETING SERVICES, Oakland, Calif. — The majority of her company's 600 — 800 meetings each year are handled by the National Corporate Meeting Services staff of six. (Michelle left her position as this article was going to press.);
*

DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI, CMP, MANAGER, SALES OPERATIONS, ESPRIT PHARMA INC., East Brunswick, N.J. — Although she recently moved to Esprit and now is the sole planner, in her previous positions with Odyssey Pharmaceuticals and Watson Pharmaceuticals, she ran 15 to 25 meetings per year, ranging from five-person meetings to semi-annual meetings for 300 people, usually handled by herself, an additional full-time planner, and two or three ad hoc planners.

CMI: How do you know when a person is not going to be right for the job?

PAMELA WYNNE: During the interview process, I focus on certain key skills: negotiating, the ability to multitask, organizational skills, risk management, and customer service. I ask questions based on specific work experiences and their ability to problem-solve. I look for people who show the greatest skill in analyzing a problem, looking at solutions, and not being afraid to take risks.

Once a person is hired, it becomes apparent that maybe he or she is good with certain meetings or clients over others. If you can make shifts to have people doing the jobs they are best suited for, the entire team will excel.

DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI: You can tell by the person's demeanor in the office as well: One person who didn't work out used to slam her fists on the desk and get totally frustrated when things weren't going her way. That was very childish behavior.

CMI: What are some signs of trouble to watch out for with meeting planners?

JULIE JOHNSON: Whininess. Lack of attention to detail. Procrastination.

RICCIARDELLI: Two important things, I think: their ethics (how they handle amenities and offers); and when logistics are not coordinated well (i.e., when someone's flight is changed and the planner never notifies the ground transportation company, things like that).

WYNNE: If they get sidetracked when dealing with clients who are asking for more or are difficult to handle, it's a sign of trouble. It's also up to the manager to make sure planners stay on track and to help with any issues that might cause them to lose focus.

CMI: Tell us about your annual review process for meeting planners.

JOHNSON: Our company has a specific process I must follow. Salary planning is done in the fall. We set an increase date then for the following year. Planners are evaluated on the quality of their programs, customer and peer reviews, and input from VPs with whom they work closely. And, primarily: Did they stay within budgetary constraints and still deliver quality programs?

RICCIARDELLI: Part of the review is also subliminal: how their personality traits match with the job. Is my contract negotiator assertive enough to get the best deal for the company? Is the meet-and-greet employee enough of a people person?

WYNNE: We evaluate the person's financial contribution to the company through cost savings and cost avoidance, improvements to processes, and customer service ratings. Objectives are reviewed quarterly, and then we conduct an annual performance review.

MICHELLE BERRIOS: We ask each employee to propose goals for the year, which are then approved by our director. At the end of the year, the director will review the personal goals and client feedback with each person on the team.

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“Managing Meeting Pros, Part 1” (Corporate Meetings & Incentives Magazine Story)

“Managing Meeting Pros, Part 1”
By Bob Andelman
Corporate Meetings & Incentives
September 2006

Are Meeting Professionals a tough crew to manage? You bet.

Because they are on the road so much, there can be communication and comp-time issues. They are expected to work all kinds of crazy hours — so how can a manager possibly compensate them for that? Then there is the pressure-cooker environment, and Type A personalities, and occasional sleep deprivation.

We decided to approach five experienced meeting department managers to explore how they manage it all and keep their staffs — and themselves — sane.

On our panel:

*

JULIE JOHNSON, CMP, CMM, DIRECTOR, EVENTS & INCENTIVES, LENNOX INTERNATIONAL WORLDWIDE HEATING & COOLING, Richardson, Texas — Her staff of four manages 150 meetings a year.
*

PAMELA WYNNE, CMP, CMM, MANAGER OF CORPORATE MEETING PLANNING, EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, Princeton, N.J. — Wynne oversees strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, cost analysis, billing and reconciliation, and tracking of expenses for about 800 meetings per year with six full-time planners.
*

MICHELLE BERRIOS, CMP, SENIOR MEETING PLANNER, KAISER PERMANENTE, Oakland, Calif. — The majority of her company's 600 to 800 meetings each year are handled by a staff of six in the national corporate meeting department.
*

PEG WOLSCHON, CMP, CTP (CERTIFIED TOUR PROFESSIONAL), MANAGER OF MEETING SERVICES, TENET HEALTHCARE CORP., Dallas — Wolschon runs a fairly new department with about 115 meetings on the books for 2006, a number that is likely to reach 200 by year's end. (Peg left her position as this article went to press.)
*

DEBBIE RICCIARDELLI, CMP, MANAGER, SALES OPERATIONS, ESPRIT PHARMA INC., East Brunswick, N.J. — Although she recently moved to Esprit and now is the sole planner, in her previous positions with Odyssey Pharmaceuticals and Watson Pharmaceuticals, she ran 15 to 25 meetings per year, ranging from five-person meetings to semi-annual meetings for 300 people, usually handled by herself, an additional full-time planner, and two or three ad hoc planners.

CMI: What's different about managing a meeting planning department versus other departments you have managed?

WYNNE: I find it to be a lot harder than managing a department where people are at their desks all day. Usually someone is out, and we have to fill them in later, either via e-mail or by calling them. I try to take into consideration the different learning and communication styles of my staff, but it is much harder to do that with a staff that is multitasking.

RICCIARDELLI: It's not easy to “grade” a meeting planner's performance. Other jobs can be measured more objectively, with facts and figures.

With meetings, unless you are at the planned function, you often have to depend on the feedback of the attendees to determine how well things were executed. If a meeting did not go as well as I would have liked, we will have more than enough people comment on it. If the meeting goes well — as 99.9 percent of them do — the way I get feedback is to ask everyone with whom I cross paths about it.

JOHNSON: I used to be a regional director of sales for a hotel corporation and had even more staff than I do now, but I don't see much difference. Everyone in every job is under some pressure to excel and to attain his or her objectives. Managers must put themselves in their employees' shoes and recognize the pressures that are inherent.

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By Bob Andelman: Corporate Meetings & Incentives (Cover Story)

Turning Meetings Upside Down

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

By Bob Andelman

If Elliott Masie were king of the forest, the woods would be blanketed with Wi-Fi, every encounter between predator and prey would be televised, and the results of every campfire chat would be shared instantly via blog or IM.

And a caffeinated beverage would accompany every meal. (He didn't say that, but he does come across like a revved-up guy who thrives on Starbucks and Diet Coke. If his energy could be tapped, it would probably light up a small New England town for a week.)

An internationally recognized futurist, analyst, and researcher on learning, technology, business, and workplace productivity, Masie runs The Masie Center, a Saratoga Springs, N.Y., think tank focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce. He also leads the Learning Consortium, a coalition of more than 200 Fortune 500 companies including Target, American Express, The Home Depot, and Wal-Mart.

From the moment you meet him you know that Masie is an idea guy — an agent provocateur with sometimes controversial approaches to a variety of topics, from training to meetings and more. When he spoke at Meeting Professionals International's January conference in New Orleans, he electrified the room with his out-of-the-box ideas and impassioned opposition to the industry's status quo.

We tried to contain Masie — a moving target if there ever was one — long enough to extract his ideas on what has gone wrong with corporate meetings and how they can be revived. The good news: There is hope for the future. The bad news: We won't move forward without radical re-thinking. That forest he lives in is full of innovative technologies hiding in the bushes, just waiting to overtake one-way seminars, roundtables, and other traditional meeting formats.

It's an eat-or-be-eaten world out there, and Elliott Masie hopes that you're hungry.

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