2. MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS AND
CONFERENCES
• As per the Oxford dictionary a meeting is an assembly or coming together of
people, a seminar is a specialist gathering, a workshop is a place or meeting for
concerted activity and a conference is a meeting for discussion.
• In a very remote sort of a way, all of them convey the same meaning – that of
people coming together for a purpose.
3. HISTORY OF MEETINGS
• For as long as there have been people there have been meetings.
• Archaeologists, in their investigations of ancient cultures have found primitive
ruins that functioned as common areas where people would gather to discuss
topics of common interest like war plans, political happenings, important
coronation issues, celebrations, etc.
• As time passed and the nomadic lifestyle became more settled each village or
city came to have its own gathering place.
• For example, in the ancient times in India the sabha and the samiti were the two
most important congregations.
4. PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY
• The size of the meeting industry has expanded to such an extent that at this point
it requires and encompasses a variety of players.
• To understand this segment of the hospitality industry, one must understand
these players and their roles.
• These various players are:
• Conference centers
• Corporate meeting planners
• Independent meeting planners
• Government meeting planners
5. PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY
• Conference Centres:
• “By definition and design, a conference centre is a specialized hospitality operation
dedicated to facilitating and supporting conferences (small to medium size meetings
averaging between 20 and 50 people).”
• The conference centre was created to meet the growing demand for specialized
meetings.
• While many hotels were fairly successful in meeting these needs, most fell short of
the demands of conference and meeting planners.
6. PLAYERS IN THE INDUSTRY
• Meeting Planners:
• Today we have professional convention planners and we can categorize them as:
• Corporate meeting planners
• Independent meeting planners
• Government meeting planners
7. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEETING
PLANNERS
• The duties of a meeting planner are as diversified as the meeting planners themselves.
• According to Conlin. J. (Successful Meetings, 1990) “while more than two thirds have clear cut
responsibility for the logical aspect of planning, a sizeable percentage shoulder more than half the
burden for strategic and tactical goals setting objectives: creating the agenda and budgeting”.
8. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEETING
PLANNERS
• The role of the meeting planner varies from meeting to meeting and organization to organization,
but in general meeting planners have the following responsibilities in the following areas:
• Pre–meeting activities:
• Plan meeting Agenda
• Establish Meeting objectives
• Attendance
• Set Meeting budget
• Select Meeting Site
• Select Meeting Facility
• Plan Travel To and From Site
• Arrange ground Transportation
• Organize Audio -visual Needs
9. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEETING
PLANNERS
• On Site Activities
• Pre Event Briefing
• Execute plan
• Troubleshooting
• People Management
• Post Meeting
· Debriefing
· Evaluation
· Thank you
· Shopping
· Plan for the next year
• Related Activities
· Pre-conference tours planning
· Entertainment arrangements
· Shopping arrangements
· Post-conference tours planning
10. MEETING TECHNOLOGY
The subject of technology as it pertains to meetings encompasses many different
areas:
i) First there is the issue of technology as it is used to facilitate meetings. Hence things like
overhead projectors, three dimensional image projection, and equipment for computerized
meetings are needed.
ii) The second area that has seen the arrival of technology is for the planners themselves where
such things as desktop publishing, fax machines etc. have found their way.
iii) The third relates to attendee themselves with business centers becoming more and more
advanced.
11. TRADE SHOWS & EXHIBITION
• Trade shows and exhibitions are designed to bring together individuals associated with a
common business or activity for the purpose of reviewing, demonstrating, marketing and selling
materials and products related to their common interest.
• The primary purpose of a trade show is to provide an opportunity for the exchange of information
between companies and potential clients.
• Trade fairs are more and more being recognized as a major segment of a company’s marketing
mix. Trade shows present the state of the art for an industry to both, the exhibitors and the
attendees.
• Exhibitors not only sell or promote but they can also compare their products to that of their
competitors. Similarly, the attendees can closely examine the products to get the best deal. For
example, in US the annual meeting of the National Restaurant Association, besides the attendees
and delegates, attracts manufacturers and distributors of items that are of particular interest to the
former.
12. TRADE SHOWS & EXHIBITION
• According to D.G. Ruthford (Overview of the Conventions, Expositions and
Meetings Industry: A Major Hotel Market, 1994) “the 1800 exhibitors at the NRA
trade show accomplish major portions of their marketing objectives by
participation in the trade show, which in essence is a very carefully managed and
orchestrated artificial market place for buyers and sellers to interact”.
• This, in fact, demonstrates the relationship between a convention and trade
shows. Both, the manufacturers/distributors (vendors) and customers thus get a
unique opportunity.
13. TRADE SHOWS & EXHIBITION
• To interact, sell, buy or promote the products. H.N. Tongren and J.P. Thompson
(1981) identified three types of tradeshows on the basis of this purposes:
1) Industrial shows that are used by manufacturers to exhibit their products;
demonstrating new products; educating the buyers about their products; etc.
2) Trade shows where sellers contact all types of buyers who are members of the
trade.
3) Professional or Scientific Exhibitions which are usually adjunct to the meetings
of specialized organizations.
14. CREATING AND DESIGNING TRADE FAIRS
• Trade Show Manager
• Contractor
• Show Management Services
• Exhibitor Service
• Specialized Service Provided by Specialty Contractors
• Accounts Executive
• Exhibitors
15. CREATING AND DESIGNING TRADE FAIRS
• Ten Steps To Trade Fair Success:
• Secure management support.
• Set specific and realistic objectives.
• Do a market analysis and adequate research.
• Select a specific trade show that coincides with your market targets.
• Plan an adequate budget.
• Develop pre-show promotion.
• Create professional staff.
• Learn how to sell and effectively negotiate during the exhibition.
• Follow up trade show leads carefully and immediately.
• Evaluate and measure the performance and results of a trade show.
16. MEGA EVENTS
• According to Maurice, mega-events are modern and seen as progressive; they
can be national and international (this latter divided into multinational,
cosmopolitan, supernational, and global); and they have a capacity to reposition
cities and places.
• Roche identifies three levels of analysis of the mega-event: the ‘event core’ zone,
focusing upon the event as performance or drama; the ‘intermediate’ event zone,
looking at political and economic uses, functions, aims, and impacts of the event;
and the ‘event horizon’, past and present and pitched towards an understanding
of the implications of the event and what have also widely been discussed as
mega-event legacies.
17. END TO END TOURS
• Many companies are adopting end-to-end tour bookings, and many business
travelers prefer to have an end-to-end booking procedure to ensure the quality
and efficiency of their business trips.
• End-to-end, defined by Investopedia, a leading web-based resource for financial
content, is “a term used in many business arenas referring to the beginning and
end points of a method or service…that eliminates as many middle layers or
steps as possible” and “will optimize performance and efficiency in any process.”
• For business travelers, end-to-end booking becomes a solution that eliminates
steps, simplifying the booking process and ensuring a smooth trip.
• From a travel management perspective, end-to-end booking is beneficial and
efficient by integrating expense management, data control, and cost savings.
18. EXCURSION
• An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or
physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit a place, sometimes
for other (typically work-related) purposes.
• Public transportation companies issue reduced price excursion tickets to attract business
of this type. Often these tickets are restricted to off-peak days or times for the destination
concerned.
• Short excursions for education or for observations of natural phenomena are called field
trips. One-day educational field studies are often made by classes as extracurricular
exercises, e.g. to visit a natural or geographical feature.
• The term is also used for short military movements into foreign territory, without a formal
announcement of war.
19. OUTDOOR EVENTS
• Outdoor events celebrate or display some specific theme, involve a festival or tournament and
have a definite opening and closing time. Most events take place annually and require careful
planning and organization.
• Here are a few important factors you’ll need to consider if organizing an outdoor event:
• Make sure your event will work in an outdoor setting
• Ensure there’s a suitable venue (and get the proper permits)
• Pay attention to the weather – and have a backup plan
• Don’t forget your equipment
• Keep your guests comfortable
20. SEASONAL EVENTS
• A seasonal factor, event, or change occurs during one particular time
of the year.
• Seasonal events are annual occurrences activated depending on the
platform/device's date setting.
• While active, a seasonal event may offer new season-appropriate
items or character spawns.
22. WEDDING PLANNERS
• A wedding planner is a professional who assists with the design, planning and
management of a client's wedding.
• Weddings are significant events in people's lives and as such, couples are often
willing to spend considerable amount of money to ensure that their weddings are
well-organized.
• Wedding planners are often used by couples who work long hours and have little
spare time available for sourcing and managing wedding venues and wedding
suppliers.
• Professional wedding planners are based worldwide but the industry is the largest
in the USA, India, western Europe and China.
• Planners generally charge either a percentage of the total wedding cost, or a flat
fee.
