by Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP

“It’s so much more than swimming!”

“It was the easiest event to plan and the most popular one we’ve ever hosted!”

These are just a few of the positive comments made by both planners and participants regarding their recently hosted events at waterparks all over the Midwest. Interested in garnering this kind of enthusiastic response from your own group? Here are a few tips to help you plan a successful event that will please all your attendees, even if some don’t know how to swim!

By Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP

Dealing with out-of-control attendees.

“So, have you heard the one about the planner who lost control of her group?” 
“No, what happened?” 
“Apparently she did a really good job of making sure that the final banquet event was, well, lots of fun for the attendees, and things kind of got out of control. I think maybe she’s looking for a new job now!”

While the above might be a slight exaggeration from a manufactured scenario, it’s certainly not out of the realm of reality in today’s world where stress levels are manifesting themselves in all different kinds of situations, both in public and private places. In this era of planners being challenged to always come up with more excitement, more interactive opportunities for attendees, and generally assure that the next event is better than the last, the above situation could easily become a reality when attendees become too disruptive and upset the fine balance between having some fun and really enjoying themselves at the expense of others. 

by Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP
Like it or not, there comes a time in the career of almost every planner when you have to deal with the noisy neighbor issues stemming from a group placed in the meeting space next to yours. No matter the size of your own group - big, small or in-between - it happens, and whether your group is the recipient or the instigator of noise, the problem can present challenges. In a perfect world, all air walls dividing ballrooms would be strong enough to cancel out noise factors, but we all know that’s not realistic. The actual truth is that even newer hotels sometimes cut expenses by utilizing shabby partitions leaving sales managers scratching their heads when it comes to client complaints about noise factors. What can be done? Here are a few tips compiled by polling some experienced planners, many who have learned ‘the hard way’.

by Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP
How to incorporate celebrities into sporting events.

Let’s face it - having an athlete or celebrity at your event adds a touch of sizzle that can go a long way in making your function remembered. All ideas start out sounding fabulous, but there are plenty of things to consider when discussing the pros and cons of reaching out to the ‘sports gods’ or even Hollywood for some participation in your one-of-a-kind event. Here are just a few thoughts to ponder on this topic:

by Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP
When and when not to use it.

They say there’s a time and place for everything, and as meeting planners, we need to know when to say “YES-let’s do it!” or “no-not this time” to the question that will inevitably come up at some point in our careers regarding the need (or not) to include a teambuilding activity at this year’s annual conference. 

by Terry Matthews-Lombardo, CMP

Okay - you met all the challenges your boss could spin at you last year in efficiently and creatively planning every last event thrown at you faster than the speed of sound and with less budget than you thought humanly possible. So, how could you grow even more as a planner this year? Well, what if the boss wants a golf tournament tossed into the event mix this time, and “oh, by the way, there’s no money in the budget… but, you can still put one together, right, oh-mighty-and marvelous-planner-of-mine?”  Never mind that you’ve never even stepped foot on a golf course, let alone gone to a driving range to swing a club! (Gulp. Deep breath.) Time to do some research and perform another meeting planning miracle, so here are some quick tips for establishing the basics needed for successful tournament implementation: