Meeting Disasters & Dilemmas

Experienced planners know its part of the job to handle an unexpected problem or crazy circumstance from time to time. With thousands of details to attend to and hundreds of individual needs and issues surrounding those details it's only a matter of time before "stuff happens". Trading horror stories with associates is a cathartic experience that enables us to realize that we are not alone and that the "stuff" happens to everyone else too. What about you? Have experienced some of the "stuff"? It is my hope that these true stories will give you a laugh or two and maybe just the insight you need to avoid the "stuff" that gives planners and suppliers a reason to shake their heads.

 The Missing Speaker

Jo Sienkiewicz from Association Management Network, Inc. shared this story with me recently. During the third day of an international meeting with over 15,000 attendees the final speaker was having difficulty getting to the event. He finally appeared and was quickly whisked back stage so that the pre-arranged session/speaker monitor could lead him to the green room. Everyone was extremely busy and the session monitor could not be found. Quickly, Jo tried to escort the man to the green room, or so she thought, until she realized that he had no idea what a green room was for! He was obviously anxious from travel and language issues so Jo went straight to plan "B" and escorted him to a front row seat so he could be comfortable and ready to present. The stage was elaborate and magnificent with a set of sweeping stairs that included a handrail. As he approached the stage and started to climb the stairs Jo finally began to breath a sigh of relief when all of a sudden the speaker completely disappeared! The audience fell silent and looked on in amazement as several attendants leaped to the exact spot that he had been in. The magic of the moment became clear as the attendants discovered what had happened. The speaker had fallen through the stairs and was now beneath the stage! Quick action from the attendants and tremendous luck allowed the speaker to get up and after a moment he appeared to thunderous applause to finish the event. Jo's comments on the day: "It isn't over till it's over" and "That was the day I actually saw the straw that broke the camels back". She also mentioned that they wrote a job description for session/speaker monitors stressing the importance of the job. The moral: Temporary structures need to be as strong or stronger than permanent ones.

R.S.V.P. Réspondez s'il vous plait (English translation: Please Reply)

Beverly Yacovitch a corporate event planner shared this modern day etiquette dilemma with me the other day. Beverly has experienced a total lack of understanding and manners recently on the part of generation x'ers (25 - 32 year olds). Each of the last three events she has run has experienced multiple problems related to attendees not registering but still showing up for her events. She requests R.S.V.P's and clearly provides a systematic way to register for the event. These individuals just feel that it is alright to crash the event and that the all powerful meeting planner (in this case Beverly) will just take care of the dozen or so who feel it's beneath their dignity to send in the registration form or even to send a quick email. Of course we all realize the effect extra guests have on an event, never mind 10 -12 additional attendees showing up unexpectedly! Her supplier has to scramble and her budget takes a whack. The gatecrashers demand service and expect to be treated as if they were on a VIP list. Beverly endures the added stress while she wonders how to reach these manner needy ingrates. Don't worry Beverly - etiquette and manners have not disappeared. All it takes is a gentle reminder and a notice that anyone who fails to RSVP will be shown the door! Remember to help a fellow meeting professional by sharing the need to and courtesy of, responding to an R.S.V.P. Beverly and I are counting on you. Moral: Be extremely clear about the consequences of failing to register.

Please RSVP to me by email ChrisReagan@geteheadpro.com with your success stories, meeting dilemmas and any other meeting industry calamities we can all enjoy and learn from in the future.