Logistical Planning

From room assignments and floor plans to speaker requirements and audio visual sets, it is all in the details and this is where it counts.

Site Selection and Negotiation

Meeting Strategies Worldwide has significant resources for researching and locating meeting and housing sites and worldwide based on your organization's needs. Our experience working in a variety of locations also provides us with a resource of vendors in those cities.

• Research potential conference sites and send out Request for Proposals.
• Manage feedback and send client an executive summary with recommendations.
• Coordinate and manage on-site inspections with clients.
• Negotiate contracts and environmentally responsible practices clauses.
• Address union issues.
• Attend pre-con and post-con meetings.

Vendor Selection and Negotiation

Negotiating contracts can be a daunting component of conference planning. Meeting Strategies Worldwide advocates ensuring your best interests are represented in the conference contracts. We understand the prevalent industry standards and counsel you, not as legal advisors, but as your champion to ascertain what serves you.

Vendors include: general service, decorators, caterers, convention centers, hotels, transportation companies, and audio visual companies.

• Create and send out Request for Proposals to potential vendors.
• Manage feedback and send client an executive summary with recommendations.
• Negotiate contracts and environmentally responsible practices clauses.

Food and Beverage

The attendee's experience is paramount in the selection of food and beverage. The demographics of the audience should play a large role in the decision making process. We understand the needs of international attendees, religious preferences, and environmentally sound choices. Menu design and selection, budget parameters, and general flow of the conference all play into the final selections. Our formulas for guaranteeing actual numbers for meal functions have been developed over the history of the company and ensure that--while everyone is fed--the waste is kept to a minimum. If any food is leftover, it is always donated to a local food bank.

Housing

With the advent of the Internet, attendees are increasingly booking accommodations online. We at Meeting Strategies Worldwide are up to date on the latest industry trends and use our resources to provide the best package for our clients. Our services include housing negotiation, attrition management, room block formulas, tracking mechanisms and final analysis reports.

• Manage housing blocks.
• Track group history.

Room Layout

• Coordinate room layout and setup, including AV, staging, and lighting.

Staging Guide

Our detailed "staging guide" provides necessary information to convention centers, hotels, audiovisual suppliers, catering, exhibit decorators, and all those who have a role. It serves as both a pre-planning tool and a handy onsite resource for clear communication of conference requirements. It is distributed to all stakeholders as reference during the event.

Other

• Design signage to meet instructional and directional requirements.
• Ensure signs are re-useable wherever possible for cost-savings.
• Special events development and coordination.
• Develop guest/spouse programs.