Meeting Planners Tell How They Get Most Out of Events

Don’t shy away from soliciting financial companies for their business, keep an eye open to arts, fashion and pop culture to keep events fresh, and don’t be afraid to pit vendors against each other for the best deals. This was some of the advice offered by panelists recounting their own recent meeting planning experiences at last week’s meeting in New York City, Best Events “Trends and Tips: What’s Up, What’s Now.”

Travel agents who are involved in planning meetings can learn from the experience of these panelists, who include Amy Kule, group vice president of special events for Macy’s; Molly McCooey, director of event marketing for J. Crew; and Sara Shenasky, promotion and event director for the Wall Street Journal. The panel was moderated by Jessica Heasley, executive editor of Best Events magazine. The panelists each were in charge of between 120 and 1,000+ events per year, though the events could be as small as, in the case of Kule, a small cooking demonstration or as large as the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here are some of the lessons they shared with the audience:
 
1. Slow Down and Look at What’s Right in Front of You. Sometimes it takes a recession to become more streamlined. McCooey said that the economic downturn in 2009 forced her to get the most reach she could from each event and become more strategic and proactive.

“The recession was good for us; it made us consider opportunities that were right under our noses that we might have been moving too fast to notice previously…[We learned to strike] a nice balance between ‘need to have’ versus ‘nice to have’ [when designing our programs]. ”  In that vein, Shenasky added that in the future, event planning will take the place of advertising for some companies and that those events will involve “more conscious consumption. It’ll be more about the quality of events and being green; you’ll see less ‘over the top’ events.”

2. Encourage Competition Between Vendors. Shenasky shared that she got the most out of her program budgets in 2009 by soliciting bids from more vendors. “We used to get just two, but now we’re giving new people a try. We found a lot more cost savings when we pit people against each other.” She said that she tests new vendors with small projects when there are less time constraints involved. She also said that certain green initiatives, like “digitally conscious” online event invitations, were helpful cost savers.

While McCooey agreed that getting multiple bids was important, she urged the audience not to turn their backs on long time partnerships with preferred vendors. “I work with whom I like to work with, relationships [may be] about price and they’re also about the people I trust. There’s always room for new [vendors]…but it’s 100% about trust,” she said.

Kule said that her company’s policy ruled out getting low bids from new vendors and then using those bids to get original vendors to come down on price.  She said she uses reverse auctions to get the lowest prices for premium items like tee-shirts, pencils and hats.

3. Hot Trends: Green, Shrinking Foods and Cooking. When asked about current trends, Shenasky said that her company was committed to being ‘greener’ and had set a global initiative to reduce their carbon footprint by 15%. One way was by substituting plants for flowers at events, “which can later be replanted.”

McCooey said that mini-foods, like mini lobster rolls, are still popular as they have been for years, and that it’s interesting finding “different things you can shrink and serve.”

Kule said that with the recession, nesting has proven to be an important trend, and the robust business in their Home Store indicated great opportunities with cooking events. She said that to that end, Macy’s has put together a Culinary Council, comprised of Wolfgang Puck and 14 other famous chefs, to share food trends.

4. Trust Your Teams. When asked what keeps them “on top”, all three panelists pointed to their internal (staff) and external (vendor) teams. Said McCooey, “It’s knowing the right people who make you look great; tried and true vendors can make you shine…It’s important to leave your ego out and make it look seamless.”

Kule commended her staff, calling them “a great brain trust, people you can rely on and then let them go.” She said that hiring new job market entrants was important because “the young ones show enthusiasm. They see what can be. You just have to ignore the [your own] reflex of ‘we’ve done that before’.  They get involved and have pride in what they do.”

Shenasky said hard work was important but “this should be fun; we’re not saving lives.” She said that it’s important to keep clients happy but you have to teach your team to enjoy what they do in order to keep enthusiasm high.
 
5. Don’t Count Out Financial Clients. One surprising moment of the evening was when Shenasky shared that rather than looking to keep a low profile during the economic downturn, financial clients had actually asked the Wall Street Journal to plan more events for them than ever before.  “[They were looking for] a strong presence, they wanted to be competitive,” she said.

6. Look Everywhere for Inspiration and Don’t be Afraid to Steal. All three panelists said that planners shouldn’t be afraid to steal ideas from the world around them. Kule points to a program that taxis in New York operated a few years back, where they solicited children’s art. Macy’s borrowed that idea for some in-store events. “You have to take inspiration from everywhere,” she said.
 
McCooey agreed that you have to be open to inspiration, and that networking with other planners can be another avenue for ideas. Shenasky added that she encourages her staff to go out and experience as many events as possible from the worlds of art, music and fashion to keep the Journal’s events fresh.