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Event marketing strategies for tough economic times (UPDATED)

February 11, 2019 by Kent Emeson 8 Comments

Event marketing strategies for tough economic times (UPDATED)

It’s no secret that the economy affects the events industry. When event budgets are  slashed, event attendance drops, attendees are less willing or able to travel, and those attendees who do show up feel the effects of the economy. Even in good economic conditions, exhibitors are being forced to scrutinize every detail to prove the […]

Filed Under: Event marketing and PR, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best marketing roi, best practices, Corporate Event, economy, event marketing, Events Marketing, kent emeson, marketing, Marketing Campaign, Marketing Performance Measurement, marketing strategies, Marketing Tips, Pre Event, social media, social media marketing

Prove your worth and the value of your meetings and events

February 4, 2018 by Kristi Casey Sanders 9 Comments

Prove your worth and the value of your meetings and events

  Sometimes just doing a good job isn’t good enough. If there’s one lesson meeting planners have learned in recent years, it’s that putting together a meeting or an event can have a positive or negative impact on the client’s organization, its employees and the surrounding community. By staying focused on designing the meeting to […]

Filed Under: Metrics and measurements, Proving your worth Tagged With: advocacy, best practices, Business Economics, Data Gathering, Evaluation, event planner, Gathering Data, Incentive Program, marketing, meeting metrics, post-event, prove roi, prove your worth, sales

Soft targets: 8 steps to protect participants

June 6, 2017 by Anne Thornley-Brown, MBA Leave a Comment

Soft targets: 8 steps to protect participants

With soft targets becoming increasingly vulnerable to attacks it is extremely important for event planners to heighten their vigilance.

Filed Under: Risk management Tagged With: best practices, contingency, event management, Event Safety, event security, risk management

If you want to succeed, do the big tasks first

November 24, 2014 by Jeff Davidson, MBA, CMC Leave a Comment

When you handle the day’s biggest challenge as early as you can, the long-term odds of success are in your favor.

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, jeff davidson, meeting planners, meetings and events, organize your day, tackling the big challenge, work-life balance

The best RFPs, according to hotel salespeople

February 17, 2014 by Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP Leave a Comment

Five steps toward better RFPs, and the advice comes straight from hotel salespeople.

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts Tagged With: best practices, meetings and events, planning basics, request for proposals, rfp

No shows? Please say it ain’t so

September 13, 2013 by Mary Crogan Leave a Comment

There are lots of reasons people cancel at the last minute. Aside from a work or family emergency, most can be thwarted in advance.

Filed Under: Event marketing and PR Tagged With: best practices, email, meetings and event, meetings and events, overbooking meetings, social media marketing

Moving the needle

September 3, 2013 by Gregg J. Leave a Comment

Are you in touch with your tachometer? Is it moving forward and causing chill bumps along the way? That’s a good question for all meeting professionals.

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, email, innovation, meeting planning 101, meetings and events, workdays

Discussing hybrid meetings and events in Raleigh

June 25, 2013 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

At Plan Your Meetings we strongly believe that “hybrid” is the new “green” in the meetings industry — everyone wants to do it, but not everyone knows what it is. That’s why the Greater Raleigh CVB asked PYM to power the education at its June 25 Client Appreciation Event.

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, education for meeting planners, hybrid events, hybrid meetings, north carolina, pym live, raleigh

The view from the ballroom chair, Part 3: The expo

May 14, 2013 by Amanda Taylor Brooks Leave a Comment

Everyone knows the model is outdated but that fixing it is complicated.

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Meeting and event design Tagged With: advice for meeting planners, best practices, conferences, Events, meetings, the expo, the view from the ballroom chair

5 tips for building, growing your professional connections

April 24, 2013 by Stacey Ruth 2 Comments

No alliance can succeed if there is not equality and mutual benefit at its foundation.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best practices, conduct business communication, mbecs, meeting planning 101, meeting planning advice, meeting the standard, meetings and events

Attention restaurant catering managers, please listen up!

February 12, 2013 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

The bottom line: Restaurants, if you sell group business have a staff trained to handle the request. Most importantly, have a catering manager who will get back to the customer on a timely basis.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: best practices, caterers, catering, f&b, food and beverage, group dining, group travel

Doing your holiday party the right way

December 4, 2012 by Erica Prewett Leave a Comment

Most companies that host holiday parties don’t capitalize on the opportunity. Here’s how.

Filed Under: Meeting and event design Tagged With: best practices, holiday parties, meeting 101

9 best practices for executive retreats and corporate incentive travel

November 19, 2012 by Anne Thornley-Brown, MBA 2 Comments

Whether you’re an event planner organizing an incentive trip or a team-building facilitator planning an executive retreat, what you do will determine each event’s success.

Filed Under: Team-building Tagged With: best practices, corporate incentive travel, executive retreats, logistics, meeting planning 101

Every planner deserves a massage, manicure or dance break

October 3, 2012 by Erica Prewett Leave a Comment

Managing production schedules. Selecting the menu. Planning meetings. Flight schedules. Walk-throughs on both sides of the city on the same day. Oh, and family responsibilities. It can be a lot on one person’s plate. But we’re not just one person. We’re meeting planners. And that kind of makes us superheroes. We can do it all. […]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, manage stress, mbecs, meeting planning, planning 101

Multiyear contracts: Do your homework, plan ahead

September 4, 2012 by Idan Keren, CMM Leave a Comment

If the circumstances are right, the idea of a multiyear contract should be embraced.

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts Tagged With: best practices, contracts, meeting planning 101, multiyear contracts

Planning for the unplanned: Limit your liability

August 13, 2012 by Qualena Odom-Royes, CSEP, CMP 5 Comments

To quote columnist Harvey Mackay, “When you fail to plan – you plan to fail.”

Filed Under: Risk management Tagged With: best practices, Crisis Management, liability, limiting your liability, meeting planning 101, risk

What works and what doesn’t — through the eyes of an attendee

August 7, 2012 by Kathy Janich Leave a Comment

When was the last time you thought about a meeting or event from the attendee’s point of view? What you see might surprise you.

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, first-time attendees, food & beverage, meeting and event design

Onions, orchids and mint, oh my!

June 13, 2012 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Garnishes make Claire Gould a touch crabby (who knew?). Find out why …

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, food & beverage, garnishes, meeting planning

The three habits of successful social meeting planners (VIDEO)

November 22, 2011 by Jeff Molander Leave a Comment

There is a simple, step-by-step way to make social media put butts in seats. Whether you work for yourself, for a bureau or a not-for-profit association you can grow attendance with tools like Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, YouTube, LinkedIn and blogs. Whether you’re trying to get association members or corporate executives to attend virtual or live […]

Filed Under: Social media Tagged With: best practices, event marketing, grow attendance, social media

Stop selling and start engaging on social media

November 11, 2011 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Whether you’re in charge of marketing an event, handling social media for your association or monitoring brand awareness, here are some essential best practices you need to understand if you want to engage your audience and turn them into evangelists for your event, company or association. Thank you @GammetGuy, @TheTimHayden, @PaulaBerg, @Banff_Squirrel, @JohnGroh, @BVMatson, @RobertPatterson, […]

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Event marketing and PR, Social media Tagged With: best practices, build online communities, social media, somet

Everything I know about social media I learned at #SoMeT (VIDEO)

November 11, 2011 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

I don’t remember how I first heard about #SoMeT, the Social Media Tourism Symposium, but the whole concept intrigued me. Founder Dave Serino (@GammetGuy) set out to prove the value of social media by creating a 100 percent user-generated conference. Because he works with a lot of convention and visitors bureaus and destination marketing organizations […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, event, marketing, social media, social media tourism symposium, somet

Tips for planning an executive retreat on a tight budget

September 20, 2011 by David Ecton 2 Comments

Most people would argue that best seat on a Boeing 757 is not 19-C, and that any seat in first class would be better. But what do those seats offer that seat 19-C does not? Free drinks? If I am flying out at 10 a.m., do I really need a cocktail? More leg room, you […]

Filed Under: Meeting and event design, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, budget tips, corporate meetings and events, executive retreats, how to plan, incentives, plan, retreats

Tips on tipping

September 13, 2011 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

As I was working a wedding last weekend, the Director of Catering at the “wedding in a box” venue (Mike) and I got into an interesting conversation about tipping. To give you some background, this venue is pretty exclusive, so you need to have a healthy budget ($400 pp+) to hold your wedding at Mike’s facility. What surprised — […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, banquet staff, best practices, caterers, gratuities, how much should I tip, meeting planning advice, special facility rental, tipping, venues

How to make your event website work harder for you

September 12, 2011 by Stacey Ruth Leave a Comment

Event websites that allow for online registration are often considered a part of event marketing. They certainly can be, but it isn’t an automatic function of these sites, which are offered by Cvent, RegOnline, ConstantContact, SignUp4, 123 SignUp and many, many more. Here are the top considerations that will transform your event website from a […]

Filed Under: Event marketing and PR, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, event marketing, event website, how to, testimonials, what to include on an event website

Partnering for successful contract negotiations

June 16, 2011 by Paula Rigling, CAE, CMP 2 Comments

How often have you walked away from a contract negotiation feeling positive, happy with the deal you struck and like you got the very best deal for your money? Is negotiating hotel contracts one of your least favorite parts of your job? I think very few meeting planners feel comfortable with this aspect, and I […]

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, contract negotiationtips, ethics, how to negotiate a hotel contract, how to plan a meeting, planning corporate meetings and events, rfps

Team building

May 5, 2011 by Dominic Phillips Leave a Comment

Effective teamwork is the most crucial element in a successful and productive company, and what better way to enhance that corporate teamwork then through off-premise engaging activity-based team building? With each new team-building experience, companies are able to boost their employee productivity through increasing the company morale. The key to this however, is planning an […]

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Meeting and event design Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, best team building, corporate meetings and events, corporate team building, dominic phillips, how to build strong teams, team-building ideas

Setting sail for a meeting at sea

February 15, 2011 by Jenny Reed Leave a Comment

Deciding on the location for a meeting can be a daunting task. From local sites to resorts to international locations, the choices are endless. However, planning a meeting at sea can be one of the easier options.

Filed Under: Vendor and site selection Tagged With: best practices, corporate meeting, corporate meeting and events, meeting on a cruise ship, meetings at sea, planning meeting, unusual meeting venues

Partnering with the venue to maximize meeting goals

February 3, 2011 by Linda Elland, CHME Leave a Comment

Recently, I read an article that discussed negotiating with hotels, and there was a very strong bias to the meeting planner. I am a planner, but it angered me that both sides were not presented. I believe we all want to achieve the best deal and that the real goal is to come away with […]

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, contract negotiations, contracting with hotels, crafting the perfect rfp, hotels, maximize meeting goals, partnering, rfps, strategic event design, win-win negotiations

Shipping: Everything that needs to be addressed

January 10, 2011 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Shipping is one of those areas that isn’t a problem until the items you shipped don’t arrive. Then, the scrambling begins. In this best practices article, I’d like to cover the three areas of shipping, general information, shipping domestically and overseas.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, domestic, fedex, international, overseas, shipping, ups

The scoop on getting certified

December 14, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

A couple of years ago I was asked, “How much is an industry designation — such as CMP, CMM, CSEP — worth?” My answer is just as complicated now as it was then. Over the years, as I have traded business cards and swapped e-mails at industry events, I’ve never ceased to be amazed by […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, cmp, getting certified, industry certifications, mpi, value of cmp

Planning for failure is the only way to succeed

December 1, 2010 by Paula Rigling, CAE, CMP 1 Comment

If the worst thing that has ever happened at one of your meetings is running out of coffee or having a piece of audiovisual equipment fail, then you should consider yourself very lucky — and long overdue for a more serious complication to occur. Every day, meeting planners grapple with a variety of crisis or […]

Filed Under: Risk management Tagged With: best practices, creating a crisis management plan, Crisis Management, handling emergencies, handling media, planning 101

Food and beverage: The good, the bad and the ugly, Part I

November 29, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

The first area planners tend to trim money from is their food and beverage budget. But how do you save money without sacrificing the experience for your attendees, avoid getting hit by hidden banquet fees and best work with the director of food and beverage and catering manager to create exceptional events? In this PYM […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, bad menus, best practices, buffet tips, catering, claire gould, culinary negotiation, custom menus, fandb, food and beverage, food safety, get what you pay for, good menus, Hans Ritten, kosher 101, menu planning, one ocean resort, pym knowledge series, sample timeline, save money with catering, service charges

Sustainability 101

November 17, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

We are all aware of how much emphasis has been put on being more eco-friendly. As a kid, I heard about ecology. Now, I hear about “greener meetings,” and sustainable practices are much more at the forefront of our industry. You may want to do your part, but not know how to even begin to […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably Tagged With: best practices, green meetings, how to plan, Meeting Sustainably, sustainability

A crash course on sponsorships

November 1, 2010 by Claire R. Gould 3 Comments

A sponsor is a supporter of an event and/or activity. Sponsorships come in many shapes and sizes, all with a different dollar value. The sponsorships you may be most familiar with are for golf tournaments, annual conventions or festivals. On the surface, companies buy a sponsorship package to support an organization. But the business reason […]

Filed Under: Event marketing and PR Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, claire gould, create sponsorship packages, event sponsorships, how to, selling sponsorships

If Facebook is your storefront to the world, how are you merchandizing?

October 19, 2010 by David Nour - Author, "Relationship Economics" Leave a Comment

It’s difficult to ignore the fact that there are 500 million users on Facebook. They all may not be relevant to you, your company, events, social media goals or objectives, but the sheer size of this community makes a viable case for having an effective presence there. If we use a mall analogy, as a […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog, Social media Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, david nour, event marketing, facebook, relationship economics, social networking, strategies

Meeting technology 102: Tools that save money

October 11, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

In “Meeting technology 101,” I discussed some technologies that save meeting planners time. Now I’d like to look at some of the tools that can save you money…

Filed Under: Social media Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, budget, green meetings, meeting technology, money savers, social networking, time savers, tips

Proposals, agreements and assumptions

October 7, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

As you know, contracts and agreements take many different forms. There are your typical multi-page hotel contracts, and there are banquet event orders and letters of agreement. Some are short and sweet; many are filled with “fine print.” All of which, when agreed upon, bind each party to certain stipulations. Some are written to favor […]

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, agreements, best practices, contract negotiations, hotel contracts, how to, kevin johnston, proposals, relationships

8 myths about multigenerational meetings

October 6, 2010 by Jeff Hurt

8 myths about multigenerational meetings

Don’t get taken in by the myths about multigenerational meetings. These tips will help you plan business events with ease.

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Meeting and event design Tagged With: audience engagement, baby boomers, best practices, Business Event, conference content, Conference Information, Conference Planning, continuing education, gen x, gen y, Generation, Generation X, Generation Z, generations in the workplace, jeff hurt, Learning Content, Learning Style Theories, millennials, multigenerational meetings, Plan Business Event

Raising the bar with event marketing

September 14, 2010 by Claire R. Gould 1 Comment

As the event industry continues to evolve, one thing is clear: Not only are planners expected to give their clients more for their money, they are required to prove return on investment for each event they participate. It is important that planners have a clear understanding of what event marketing is and how to maximized their […]

Filed Under: Event marketing and PR Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, branding, Case Study, conferences, event marketing, Events, marketing strategy, strategy

Meeting technology 101: Tools that save time

September 2, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders 10 Comments

Meeting technology 101: Tools that save time

Here’s a handy guide to three of the biggest technology timesavers out there: templates, online registration/attendee management systems and mobile applications.

Filed Under: Project management, Tech tools Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, meeting planning templates, meeting technology

How to manage the (dreaded) AV RFP process

August 19, 2010 by Midori Connolly 3 Comments

When it comes to the audiovisual for their meetings, most planners tell me it’s the worst part of their job. On a recent posting to the MiForum Google group, there was a long and extended conversation about how difficult it was for a planner in trying to navigate the bidding process for her AV needs. […]

Filed Under: Event technology, PYM Blog, Social media Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, audiovisual, av, best practices, how to, meeting technology, midori connolly, rfps

Meeting room layouts designed to engage attendees

August 4, 2010 by Paula Rigling, CAE, CMP Leave a Comment

One of the mistakes meeting planners frequently make is not paying enough attention to the layout and design of their meeting rooms. Too often planners are more concerned with accommodating the most people possible in a space instead of designing an environment that is conducive to meeting the goals and objectives of the event. For […]

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Meeting and event design, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, audience engagement, best practices, event design, meetings, planning, room sets, set ups

Simple ways to streamline event décor and make a positive impression

July 23, 2010 by Erica Prewett Leave a Comment

For many meeting planners, the program is all about what happens from the time the attendees enter the convention center for breakfast or first session until the last session or dinner. With so much focus on functionality, event décor can often fall by the wayside. To prevent that from happening, simplify the process with these […]

Filed Under: Meeting and event design, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practice, best practices, cohesive, decorations, design, event decor, plan meeting, streamline, theme

Contract tips and traps

June 30, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Get off to a great start with your next event with these helpful tips from industry experts on how to minimize risk, save money and avoid contracting pitfalls. In this PYM Knowledge Series video, PYM’s panel of expert planners and suppliers look at contract negotiations from both sides of the table and share their list […]

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, advice for contracts, best practices, contract cancelations, contract negotiations, contract traps, contracts, cvbs, fundamentals in the contract, letters of agreement, planning meetings, suppliers

Ground transportation: Getting from point A to B

June 3, 2010 by Claire R. Gould 2 Comments

Ground transportation is a very tricky part of the event planning industry because if done right no one really thinks to thank you. How hard is it to order a car/bus and driver? Here is the answer: harder than you think. If ground transportation isn’t done correctly — for example, a shuttle bus hits a […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, Events, ground transportation, group transportation, how to, meeting logistics, meetings, plan meetings, Transportation

Better planning through technology

May 28, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

If you don’t know the difference between a 3,000 lumen and a 5,000 lumen projector, you’re not alone. Many meeting professionals find event technology daunting and difficult to keep up with. In this PYM Knowledge Series video, a panel of experts, moderated by Jeff Hurt of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, discuss and demystify several areas of […]

Filed Under: Social media, Uncategorized Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, audiovisual, augmented reality, av, best practices, chance carpenter, event production, Event Technology, expanding events, how to, jeff hurt, knowledge series, meeting strategies, meeting technology, plan events, plan meetings, presentations, social media, technology, tips

Finding the best speakers and entertainment for your corporate program

May 25, 2010 by Erica Prewett 4 Comments

Finding the best speakers and entertainment for your corporate program

One of my mentors, Jack Gilmore, CEO of Strategic Events, reminds me to ask this question when planning any event. “so what?” That’s an easy question after you have a brilliant idea or solution, but coming up with the right answer to that question is the key to really successful events. As meeting planners, we […]

Filed Under: Education, content and speaker management, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, audience, best practices, budgets, entertainment, fees, plan meetings, speakers

Working with off-site venues, caterers and restaurant buyouts

May 5, 2010 by Claire R. Gould 3 Comments

Typically, in my Monthly Morsel advice columns, I talk about hotel catering. But for this Best Practices column, I want to go over what you need to think about when booking off-premise venues or restaurants for meal functions. Pre-planning exercise Before we begin, I want you to close your eyes and visualize what the event […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, beverage, catering, claire gould, fandb, food, venues

Contract negotiation best practices, Part II

April 21, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

In the first part of this series, we discussed four key points necessary to forming a successful agreement: Open communication and full disclosure (on both sides); providing dates for the event as well as any pre/post needs; understanding the going market rate for all types of rooms; and securing a specific, detailed agenda of all […]

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, contract clauses, contract negotiations, how to, kevin johnston

Where has the relationship gone? How meeting planners and suppliers can best work together

April 19, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

This is a relationship-based business. But with hotels struggling to keep their doors open and planners wrestling with tighter booking windows and even tighter budgets, it’s sometimes hard to remember that the relationship between planners and suppliers isn’t supposed to be adversarial. In this Knowledge Series video, we take a look at ways to strengthen […]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, budget, building relationships, business, company trust, creative ideas, ethics, event techology, FAM trips, individual building trust, industry, knowledge series, meeting industry suppliers, meeting planning, npi speakers, personal touches, trade shoes

Team-building tips and ice breakers

March 23, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

After all the layoffs, cutbacks and economic challenges companies weathered last year, team building is more important than ever. But how do you align your company’s objectives with activities that will build strong teams, raise morale and motivate sales to generate revenue? Tune in to this 37-minute educational video on “Team-building tips & ice breakers” […]

Filed Under: Engagement strategies Tagged With: best practices, cocktail talks, cvbs, how to, ice breakers, kenny zail, knowledge series, team-building ideas, teambu, texas hold 'em, tips

How to conduct site inspections

March 19, 2010 by Paula Rigling, CAE, CMP 3 Comments

You’ve developed an RFP for your meeting, distributed it, received proposals from interested properties, created a spreadsheet for comparing properties and have narrowed down the list of all the potentials to the properties that look the best on paper. Your next step should be a site inspection of your top properties in order to determine […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, how to, paula rigling, plan meetings, site inspections

How to save time and money with CVBs

March 9, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

What exactly can convention and visitors’ bureaus do for meeting planners? How can they save you time and money? And what is their future role in the events industry? Join our panel of experts as they talk about the old-school and new-school benefits of tapping into this free planning resource. This 40-minute video is part […]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: best practices, budget tips, convention and visitors bureaus, cvbs, free webinar, future of cvbs, how to, hybrid cvb events, hybrid events, large city cvb, meetings and events, plan meetings, pym knowledge series, save money cvb services, small town cvb

The importance of building relationships with your hotel sales contacts

March 5, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP 2 Comments

The importance of building relationships with your hotel sales contacts

In the face of continued low occupancy and less overall meeting activity, many of the national hotel chains are moving away from the personal relationship-building sales experience upon which their loyal customer base was built. Now, sales teams that may as well be located on what seem to be opposite sides of the country contend for my, and your, hotel business.

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts, PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, building relationships, business etiquette, contract negotiations, face to face, hotel sales, importance of meetings

Negotiating your best deal starts with a strong RFP

March 5, 2010 by Paula Rigling, CAE, CMP Leave a Comment

In these economic times when every dollar an organization spends is being scrutinized, meeting expenses are under the microscope just like every other expenditure. What’s the single most important thing you can do to ensure you negotiate the best possible deal for your meeting? What one tool will save you time, energy and frustration in […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, how to plan a meeting, meeting, planning advice, request for proposal, rfps

Eight meeting planning steps that will save you money

February 22, 2010 by Joyce J. Ginsburg 1 Comment

Here are a few simple steps that can positively impact your bottom line.

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, budget tips, cost containment, cost effective, meeting planning, plan meeting

Essential planning tips: From blueprints to budgets

February 18, 2010 by Joyce J. Ginsburg 1 Comment

Planning a basic meeting is not as cut-and-dried as everyone wants to make it, because every meeting has its own personality. Before you can plan one, you need to know three things: The purpose of the meeting. What you want to accomplish. How much you have to spend – a.k.a., the budget. Once you know […]

Filed Under: Project management, PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, joyce j. ginsburg, meeting blueprint, meeting budgets, planning 101

The danger of planning meetings by template

February 8, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

Many years ago I had a boss who was the “King of Clichés.” His office was filled with motivational or thought-provoking sayings, like “You can’t expect what you don’t inspect.” I’d often sit and wonder, “Why? What was the point?” As I got older and had more experience, I realized it was not the saying, […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, Contract Negotiation, contract template, kevin johnston, meeting planning templates, planning meetings

How to include green requirements in RFPs

February 8, 2010 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

By now, most of you have seen the “Top 10 best green practices for meeting planners.” We know plastic bottles are bad, compostable or recyclable disposables are good, china is better, and to never, ever use styrofoam. However, after finally wrapping our heads around what we need to produce a sustainable meeting, we are now […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, green, green rfps, lindsay smith, meeting sustainability, Meeting Sustainably, rfp questions, sustainability

Introduction to strategic meetings management (SMM)

February 4, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders 2 Comments

Introduction to strategic meetings management (SMM)

Does your company have a strategic meetings management (SMM) program in place? If not, it may be missing an important opportunity to cut costs and control meeting spend. SMM programs define a company’s standard operating procedure for planning meetings and events. Some companies require every meeting request be registered with the strategic meetings management department. […]

Filed Under: Financial management, Metrics and measurements, Proving ROI Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, corporate meetings, meeting planning, metrics, plan meeting, planning meetings, procurement, smm, smmp, strategic meetings management, Strategic Meetings Management Program, Supply Chain Management

Introducing the PYM Knowledge Series

February 3, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Every month we’ll be posting a new educational video where we speak with your peers about questions and challenges you may be having and talk about the solutions. Last month, we discussed Social networking for meeting planners: On Feb. 12, we’ll be filming our episode about working with CVBs. So if you have any questions […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: best practices, employment, meeting planners, pym knowledge series, social media, social networking

AV Girl: Get to know your production team

January 22, 2010 by Midori Connolly 1 Comment

Happy, happy new year everyone! As your friendly AVGirl, I hope you’re enjoying the columns and that I am fulfilling your needs of learning about the AV industry in a non-intimidating and informative manner. Let’s wrap up our discussion on who those people are in your AV neighborhood. In October we covered who should be […]

Filed Under: Audiovisual, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, audiovisual, av, best practices, meeting technology, midori connolly, technical

Get yourself “in shape” for the new meeting year

January 8, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

So here it is, 2010, and all I see and hear about is getting into shape. And, I thought that I spent all last year doing that. But knowing that sometimes we (collectively) tend to not finish what we start, here are my resolutions and recommendations for the coming meeting year: Take the time to […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, education, ethics, meeting planning, new years resolutions

Making the case for meetings

January 8, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders 1 Comment

Making the case for meetings

Although the perception of meetings is not as big a concern as it was a few years ago, the intense scrutiny the industry experienced in 2008-09 will continue to influence how meetings and events are designed going forward. Budgets will remain tight, there still will be fewer perks for attendees, and planners will continue to downscale […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog, State of the industry Tagged With: best practices, defending meetings, make the case for meeting, plan meetings, ROI, strategic meetings management

When you start your site inspection from the back seat of a limo …

December 8, 2009 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

Recently I was participating in a Buyer Education Program in a not to be named city. The program was designed to get large group buyers together to experience the venues, service and options. All were seasoned planners or intermediaries. Following the closing of the program, several of us extended to see some of the area […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, etiquette, kevin johnston, meeting planner, Meeting Planning Etiquette Matters, planning 101, Site Selection, site tours

How to find great rates, deals and bargains

December 8, 2009 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Individual travelers have an advantage over meeting planners when it comes to finding great package deals on hotels, airfare and activities. Leisure travelers have any number of e-mail alerts they can sign up for with individual properties, airlines and convention and visitor bureaus (CVB). But meeting and event planners also have options. Here’s a look […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: bargains, best practices, budget tips, budgets, hotel room resale, meco, plan meeting

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