Ms. McCullough

Meetings & Conventions

Cost Saving Strategies for Meeting Planners

By Lynn McCullough, Executive Director, ACOM

The financial well-being of a business is not very different. With this in mind, it is important for meeting planners to be aware of the many ways they can plan for and conduct highly effective, memorable meetings, while simultaneously taking their organization's budgetary parameters into consideration.

Now is the ideal time-especially as we embark on a new year-to start a clean slate comprised of cost-savings strategies and planning decisions that ensure both financial benefits for your client's organization while also generating a successful meeting for their audience.

So, if you or your client need to plan big with a budget that's small, let the following tips from ACOM-the Association for Convention Operations Management-serve as a helpful guide to achieve both objectives:

Think Outside the Lunch Box

"People's first thought seems to be to discount the existing menu; but, we should try to move away from this old practice and instead, work with the chef to create an alternative meal within the client's budget," suggests Kelly Miller Bishop, CMP, director of catering for the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. "This can turn into a fun and creative meal and theme or event by thinking outside the box in how to meet the client's budget."

Another option Bishop suggests is to offer your client on a shoestring budget the same meal that is already being prepared by the kitchen for another group-for the same time slot as you are serving your meal. "This could help lower the cost for the client's meal," says Bishop.

"Offering a special themed break as dessert, instead of offering a full lunch, is another way for your clients to cut back on lunch expenses and still insure that their delegates visit the exhibit area," adds Marie Lou Coupal, CMP, director of convention services & catering at the Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. "This insures delegates have free time to make calls, grab a sandwich and return for a special treat while visiting exhibits. It is fun for the attendees and for the client; and it results in significant cost reductions, as much as 30% in some cases." Past themes Coupal has used include Chocomania, which involves morsels of everything chocolate such as chocolate-dipped banana bread, chocolate fondue, hot chocolate and miniature chocolate pastries. A local favorite is the Maple Sugar Shack, which includes maple yogurt, warm apple fritters with maple sugar, maple chocolates and maple candies.

"Another great idea is to re-plate the pastries served during breakfast and use them for the mid-morning break," advises Michelle Yeager, CMP, senior convention services manager of the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. "Along these same lines, you can ask your catering director to hold the dessert from the lunch break and serve it again during the afternoon break."

Other ways to conserve catering costs include the always reliable cash bar, having one-hour receptions instead of the typical two-hours, as well as eliminating bottled water during breaks. Instead, serve tap water or even iced tea or lemonade in elegant pitchers, which actually serves to enhance the look of the room. And I am sure you are familiar with those folks who will take a few extra bottles of water for themselves, perhaps to bring back to their hotel room; using water pitchers, however, ensures that your clients are not footing the bill for these additional beverages and focuses solely on what is served during their meeting.

Hors d'Oeuvres Anyone?

When serving hors d'oeuvres, Yeager suggests that your shoestring budget clients opt for tray passed food. "If people see only a few hors d'ouevres on a tray, they typically take only one or two, to leave some for others to enjoy; however, if there is a cornucopia of food on the buffet table, where people can easily help themselves, attendees are likely to consume in excess and ultimately add to your client's food and beverage cost.

My suggestion, if you do opt for the buffet table, is to encourage your clients to order larger pieced items. They are typically the same price, but usually people will take only one. For example, if you serve full-size egg rolls, people will usually take one. However, if you serve meatballs, at the same price, people will take two or three because they are smaller.

Additionally, for open bars, suggest that your client's receptions include beer, wine and soft drinks only, instead of providing hard liquor.

Share and Share Alike

Another area where you can conserve costs is with audio/visual equipment. "Look to share audio visual sets between groups using your venue," advises Bishop. "The clients can entertain the idea and will appreciate the additional labor cost savings."

Space Not Want Not

Ask clients to carefully review the meeting space they are holding and to release unneeded space early in order to give the hotel an opportunity to resell it. Create specific incentives for clients for the release of contracted space if the hotel team can resell it.

For example, you can give your client an upgrade on one of their meals, or even add in a meal such as a breakfast or break. Another idea would be to offer upgrades in guest rooms or services to the group such as turndown service each night, or specialty amenities. This will, in turn, create a win-win situation for both your hotel and client.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

More often than not, centerpieces can be a challenge for event planners trying to conserve costs. Rather than getting floral centerpieces, suggest they go to a local chain or craft store to see the variety of available options. For example, at a recent fall event, with the assistance of the hotel's CSM, a group purchased glass bowls with pillar candles, at a nominal cost. For the finishing touches, they added some colorful light-reflecting confetti and silk leaves on the tablecloth around the bowl. Inexpensive colored up-lighting around the walls of the room completed the d'ecor. This low-cost solution ended up saving significant dollars; but to the attendees, it looked like a million.

A simple yet not-too-common centerpiece is a bowl of fruits and vegetables, which make terrific centerpiece options for those on a shoestring budget. "We had great success at a recent banquet in our ballroom, which is carpeted with bold yellow, orange, green and red colors," explains Devon Sloan, CMP, director of events for the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort in Tucson, Arizona. "We used different size containers, such as bowls and jars, and filled them with lemons, oranges, limes and peppers. We had one type of fruit or vegetable per table. The containers weren't expensive, the colors were striking and the fruit was a surprise change from florals, but just as festive for this celebration event. The client loved it and so did the attendees."

Sloan also recommends using votive candle holders the same color as the major color featured in your clients overlay linens, and using about six or seven votives in the center of the table. "It's not very expensive and provides a very warm atmosphere," says Sloan. "And candles can make a room seem intimate, even if the dinner is for hundreds of people!" she adds.

Let Them Entertain You

Entertainment can be another big expense for your clients. A good suggestion to them would be to contact a local community school or music school, or perhaps your local college's dance troupe, and ask them to perform at your venue. The cost is often significantly less than professional performers and if you're really lucky, they will volunteer solely for the experience of performing live in front of an audience.

Together Everyone Achieves More

"Getting the entire team involved, regardless of budget, is the key to any successful event," says Deborah Fisher, convention services manager at the Doubletree Hotel Anaheim / Orange County. For example, Fisher began talking to her hotel chef and pastry chef long before a Marriage Retreat event. "I really expanded upon the goals of the retreat-how hard the client was working on such a tight budget to pull everything together. I emphasized that the event was over Valentine's Day weekend so romance was definitely on the agenda! To my surprise, the Culinary Team delivered personalized reduced price menus which included items such as a mixed greens salad 'romantico' and a heart shaped dome cheese cake, accented with a heart drawn on the plate in strawberry coulis."

Continuing with this theme, Fisher's banquet team then came up with a heart-shaped napkin fold and even helped the group scatter flower petals around the candlelit room. "Although the menu price was discounted, the clients were very pleased and never felt like they received a discounted event. Besides, after hearing the group resume, the entire hotel was rooting for the retreat's success!"

Results You Can Bank On

Despite the number of resources available in this industry, many meeting professionals still feel they cannot put an effective meeting together unless they spend a lot of money. Now is your chance to debunk that myth and make your clients feel at ease. Take these tips into consideration; put them into action. Doing so will guarantee positive results for both you and your clients. And that's something you can bank on.

Lynn McCullough was formerly Executive Director of the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM). Ms. McCullough was involved with the direction and management of the association, as well as membership recruitment and retention. She provided substantial direction on strategy and tactical issues, with responsibilities that included Board of Director relations, strategic development, and event planning and management including promotion, set-up and follow-up. Ms. McCullough earned her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Ms. McCullough can be contacted at 609-799-3712 or lmccullough@cmasolutions.com Extended Bio...

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