• From planner to coach and consultant
• Lessons learned

Dana L. Saal was born and raised in Illinois, where she still resides today. She is a past president and volunteer for the Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE), a member of PCMA Heartland Chapter, and volunteers with SPIN, the Senior Planner Industry Network, most recently as a member of the convention planning committee.

While contemplating a college degree, Saal wanted a career where she could “organize things.” Meeting planning wasn’t a common term in 1979 and thus her degree in Photojournalism and her Father’s involvement with the Illinois Press Association placed her in the right place at the right time to interview for the association’s newly created meeting planner position. “I couldn’t believe that such a job existed and couldn’t wait to start. I was googly-eyed by the time the interviewer said, ‘You’d do everything down to picking centerpieces for the tables,’” expressed Saal.

From 1986-2000 Saal worked full time in association planning and management and was an independent planner until 2016. 

• Casino resort convention center
• Diverse entertainment & dining

Great education sessions, group teambuilding, and entertainment galore, you can create all of these opportunities at many Midwest casino resorts, especially those with dedicated convention center spaces.

When it comes to events where you want to meet, stay, and play, casino resort conventions centers have it all. Recently, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, in Prior Lake, MN, opened the Mystic Lake Center. “As the newest event space and second largest hotel in the Twin Cities, Mystic Lake Center offers state-of-the-art technology in a visually stunning space,” said Holland Tudor, Sales Manager of Mystic Lake Center.

• Kosher and Halal food tips

As an event planner, you need to be understanding of your attendee’s dietary needs. As participants become more diverse, so will the catering menu for your events. While the terms kosher and halal are almost similar, they come from two different entities which have differences in their meaning and spirit.

Kosher
Kosher is a Hebrew word meaning ‘proper or fit.’ By Jewish law, kosher foods are divided into three categories: meat, dairy, and pareve (anything not considered meat or dairy). Kosher meat must come from an animal that chews its cud and has split hooves (cows, sheep, and goats are kosher).

• Using a haunted house venue for year-round events
• HellsGate Haunted House

T​here are multiple reasons to visit a haunted house: to experience the adrenaline rush of being completely terrified, to prove you’ve truly got nerves of steel, or maybe it is an opportunity to laugh at your friend or coworker as they jump in fright (remember, they may be laughing at you, too). Haunted houses are primarily visited in September and October with a few special events during the year. Have you ever considered using a haunted house during its off season to hold a meeting or event? Midwest Meetings spoke with Kyle LaFlamboy, Production Manager, Sales Agent for HellsGate Haunted House (HellsGate.com) in Lockport, IL, just outside of Chicago, to learn how to take advantage of such a unique venue.

• Event body art

​Are you looking for event entertainment which is fun, helps participants network, and has tons of photo opportunities, lasting long after your event? Laine Too provides interactive entertainment for guests of all ages and is always finding new ways to push the envelope. Some notable organizations they have supported include Live Nation and the House of Blues Chicago, Lollapalooza, Naperville RibFest, and the PAWS Animal Magnetism Gala just to name a few.
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The best inventions come from necessity, so when Melaine Rubin was searching for entertainment for her daughter’s bat mitzvah celebration, the seed for Laine Too was planted in her mind. Rubin purchased a new-to-the-market glitter tattoo kit and hired two high school girls to apply the tattoos to the guests during their party. After the event, other parents began asking about the ‘company’ she had hired for the glitter tattoos.

by Emily Giunta

• Tools and tips
• New technology

Aside from a microphone, what other tools do you incorporate into your meetings for presenters?

Regardless of the size of the meeting, it is important to make your presenters feel comfortable and give them the tools they need to be at the top of their game, giving the most effective presentation for your attendees. The tools you need will vary depending on the type of meeting, presentation, and size of conference room, as well as your presenter’s requirements.

by Shawna Suckow, CMP

• Navigating reduced planner commissions
• Tips for gains

The decision by Marriott (and subsequently Hilton and IHG) to reduce planner commissions was a huge disruptor in our industry. The commission model has been in place as long as I can remember, and now planners are scrambling to figure out how to deal with the fallout. This was a sudden and serious loss of income, leaving planners to figure out how to recoup their losses going forward.
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What can planners do? Here are a few ways to make up for your lost revenue and even come out ahead:

by Benjamin Strote

• Know what you want
• Separate your quotes
• Be clear about your budget

Are you ready for a cringe-worthy cheerleading chant?
"A-V, R-F-P. You need this stuff, now buy from me."

We can all agree that the thought of our tech team with pom-poms and fist-pumps sounds particularly painful. Unfortunately, that often pales in comparison to the feelings that well-up through the actual process of going out to bid for AV services.

by Tracey Smith, CMP, CMM

• New approach to education

Our annual conference, SPINCon, brings 200 or more of our members together to celebrate what we do and to learn new things. SPIN: Senior Planners Industry Network is well known for trying different tactics, whether it’s networking name badges, a virtual hosted buyer program before the conference, or what is now our annual Pajama Bingo after-party with totally goofy prizes.
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Like many associations, we’ve done the standard call for speakers, although we tend to stick with our own members in many cases. This method is okay, but the speakers are the ones telling us what we need in education, not the members. So, when an article appeared in another industry magazine this spring, we took note and changed how we curate our conference education.

by Christy Lamagna, CMP, CMM, CTSM

• Clarify your content
• Theme building
• Create goal driven experiences

​Once a venue is chosen, contract negotiated, and budget established, it’s time to select a theme and create content.

• Tips for waterpark fun

With the Midwest full of waterpark opportunities, both indoor and out, choosing the perfect location to make a splash for your next event shouldn’t be too hard. But, while you are thinking about it, look at ways to increase your participants’ experience overall.
​Arrive Early
When is the earliest your group can arrive? For a resort, are you able to provide complimentary waterpark passes to VIPs and ‘Early Bird’ registrations? This will give the added bonus of utilizing the waterpark prior to event activities. For outdoor waterparks, plan an early arrival so your group can get settled in and enjoy a little time before the afternoon crowds begin to arrive, this is a great time for group photos as well…less squinting.

• Water safety tips
• What to watch for

When hosting an event near a pool, river, or body of water, safety should be a key element in the planning phase. Not all water areas will have active lifeguards on duty, and it may benefit your group to employ professional water safety personnel or gather a group of diligent volunteers to act as ‘Water Safety Watchers.’

​Whether you are planning for your group alone or their families, Jason Arthur, Director of Acquatics from the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH shared some water safety tips:

• Synergy Table Games

Close your eyes. Pull up your memories of casinos. Hear the ring-a-linging as the slot machines spin, the crash of coins as a winner takes their payout, the hushed voices of bets at a nearby poker table.

This is the casino we all know and love, but as younger generations have turned away from some of the gaming status quo, new versions are coming forward to entice gamblers of all generations again.
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Synergy Table Games is one of these new gaming platforms giving guests the ability to play electronic table games, live games, or both at their own play station. 

• Casino entertainment venues
• Tips for booking your talent

Live entertainment adds a spark to your event atmosphere. Whether you book a three-piece orchestra for a cocktail reception or a full band for an evening of dancing, your entertainment choices will speak volumes to your participants. Midwest casinos are spectacular venues for live entertainment.

Casino lounges can be a more intimate location for events. With regularly scheduled live entertainment often featuring regional bands, singers, and performers, the casino lounge is the place for your attendees to enjoy the glamour of the casino with their favorite cocktails. Many casinos offer multiple lounge options letting you select the atmosphere (Vegas style, craft brewery, Motown, Hollywood glam, small-town bar, etc.) providing the most memorable experience for your attendees. Ask for VIP experiences with reserved space for your guests or a buyout option featuring that night’s band.

Designed for concerts and theatre productions, casino theaters host some of the biggest names in entertainment. In September alone, you can be entertained by Lady Antebellum, Jeff Dunham, Ed Sheeran, Deep Purple & Judas Priest, and more, in casinos across the Midwest. With theatre-style seating for as many as 1,500 and standing room or lower level seating areas, your attendees will be steps away from the entertainers. Utilize the stage for your keynote speech followed by the entertainment for an all-in one package with state-of-the-art sound systems and lighting.

by Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP

• Developing the evaluation process

Think of this as your best reference tool to revisit a meeting or program to see if it was considered successful by whatever methods you use to measure success. For some that is in monetary standards – how much money did we take in/spend – and for others success is measured in publicity, education, good will, or any number and combination of other factors. It is up to the individual planner/company to determine success or failure based on a compilation of pre-established criteria, and some or all of the following items and viewpoints should be considered during the post meeting evaluation process.