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Finally, a tool that takes the pain out of booking short-term meetings

November 14, 2011 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Get 150 corporate meeting planners in a room, ask them what their average booking window is, and they’ll tell you 36 days. And that may not change any time soon. A recent study conducted with planners who averaged a total of 15 annual off-site meetings found that last-minute meetings have become the norm, with 60 […]

Filed Under: Meeting industry news Tagged With: book, hotels, meeting, online, plan, rfp, search, venue, zentila

Six ways to make your awards show rock

October 6, 2011 by Keith Johnston 3 Comments

Let’s face it Sunshine, your awards banquet has seen better days. Basically, it sucks and everyone knows it. You have been pedaling the same boring food, the same crappy venue, the same suckity, suck-fest for years and quietly, even you would rather go grocery shopping than sit at that table up front, sipping that crap […]

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Meeting and event design, PYM Blog Tagged With: awards banquets, awards show, corporate meetings and events, how to, mtv, plan, recognition event, tips, trends, video music awards, vmas

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

Say ‘I do’ to these wedding planning tips

August 5, 2011 by Claire R. Gould 2 Comments

This month I want everyone to hold on to your bouquets because I am doing a … wedding!  The lucky couple are getting married in Los Angeles,Calif. They are having a  midday wedding/lunch and a party that evening at the groom’s second home, so this has turned into a destination wedding. So what I have learned from planning this event (other […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: best, catering advice, culinary, fandb, food, food and beverage, plan, reception, tips for planning a wedding, wedding, wedding menu, wedding planning tips

2009 PYM Town Hall Atlanta: Table Two Notes

February 10, 2009 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Questions discussed at this table were: What can you do to distinguish yourself and rise above the competition? and How can you get creative with small budgets without selling your services short?

Filed Under: State of the industry Tagged With: budget, creative, customer, market, meeting, plan, service, strategy

Warning: Shameless self-promotion

February 7, 2009 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

I am so excited. Mike McAllen just posted this podcast interview he did with me earlier this week. So if you’ve ever wondered about how Plan Your Meetings got started, why we do the things we do, what we have coming up and why Cirque du Soliel wouldn’t hire me, listen to this podcast and […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: casey, kristi, mcallen, meetings, meetingspodcast.com, mike, plan, podcast, sanders, your

Green meetings step No. 3: Establishing and tracking metrics

January 4, 2009 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

Congratulations, you have committed to planning your meetings and events in a more sustainable way! You have gained support from your executives and board members, and communicated your goals and expectations with vendors and attendees, implementing sustainable practices. What is next you may ask? Metrics! Metrics are the method of measuring an event’s impact on […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, Events, green, meeting, plan, tips

Simple steps to green your next meeting

June 29, 2008 by pym Leave a Comment

Want to reduce the carbon footprint of future meetings and events? Create an environmental policy statement you can share with suppliers, attendees and other participants. Consider:

Filed Under: Meeting industry news Tagged With: environmentally friendly, green meeting, plan

The new rules for hotel negotiations

July 27, 2007 by Kristi Casey Sanders 1 Comment

By Kristi Casey Sanders

“Demand in the hotel industry stopped growing in 2006, and as people in the industry are catching on, hotels are becoming more variable in negotiations than they were,” says Bjorn Hanson, a lodging and hospitality analyst for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Filed Under: Budgets and contracts Tagged With: decrease, demand, dynamic pricing, hotel negotiation, increase, meetings, occupancy, plan, room rates, rules, supply

Develop an event marketing strategy

July 27, 2007 by Jackie Thornton, M.S., CMP 3 Comments

The best-planned event will not be considered a success if attendance is low. Therefore, event marketing strategy is a key part of success. Unfortunately, there is no set formula that always works. Marketing strategies may include print ads, television ads, electronic brochures, Web sites, billboards, Internet ads, radio ads, public service announcements, direct mail, e-mail, formal invitations, electronic invitations, blogs and other new media. Before you determine your plan, here are some important questions to consider:

Filed Under: Event marketing and PR, PYM Blog Tagged With: Events, marketing strategy, metrics, plan, track, viral

Transform a sports dome into something special

February 9, 2007 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

How often do you think about using sports venues for off-site meal functions? Events Specialists took a simple banquet, and by placing it inside New Orleans’ Superdome, created a very special event.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: banquet, Events, facilities, football, louisiana, new orleans, plan, special, sports, theme, tips







About Us

Everything we do at Plan Your Meetings @ Meeting Professionals International is designed to educate, inspire and empower meeting planners, and connect them to the ideas and resources they need to plan better meetings and events. Read More…

Recent Posts

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PYM @ MPI seeks to empower the people who make meetings happen by providing best practices education, helping them forge strong business partnerships with suppliers and find mentors in the industry. We firmly believe that meeting and event planners are the movie producers of the corporate world. Meetings move us. Meetings mean business. When we meet, we can change the world.

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