Wives. Husbands. Significant others. Partners. Life partners. BFFs. Traveling companions. You name it, and well, planners keep renaming it. Truth be told, auxiliary programs have been offered to convention-goers for many, many years now, but my how things have changed! 

The word ‘contract’ is enough to send some planners heading backstage, under the registration table or anywhere they can find to run and hide. It’s an ominous word but one that can’t be ignored in the world of meeting planning. In fact, contracts - their terms, implications, addendums and challenges – can truly be the bane of existence for many planners, mostly since none of us are lawyers. But many times, we have to think like one, and therein lies the challenges. Well written contracts are legally binding, which is the scary part for many planners. Since literally almost every major component of our meetings and events require some negotiations to be put into binding, written terminology, there’s really no way for planners to avoid them.