Top tips for meeting planners from Cvent

So you’ve been tasked with planning your organisation’s next big meeting, conference, or convention and your boss has asked you to ‘shake things up a little’ and consider unfamiliar destinations and hotels. Basically, you need to start the planning process from scratch if you’re going to succeed in delivering something that is fresh and unique. Here are some top tips to help you along the way courtesy of event management platform Cvent.

Destination first: First and foremost, you need to decide on the destination where you want your meeting or event to be hosted. This is a critical first step because the destination you choose can impact how people perceive your event.

Keep things simple: Choosing a hotel to send your request for proposal to doesn’t have to be complicated if you follow a series of filters on the Cvent Supplier Network. Do you want a luxury hotel or an economy? Do you want a hotel close to an airport or city centre? Do you need a boutique hotel because you’re looking for something unique, or does a normal hotel suffice?

It’s all in the request for proposal (RFP): Whether you write your own or rely on an eRFP technology like Cvent’s, this step is extremely important because while you’re paying a hotel to host your meeting or event, it’s still a two-way street – hotels have to select you as much as you select them.

Compare proposals: Cvent strongly recommends that you use a digital eRFP tool to compare proposals, as it will ensure that not only will hotels send proposals formatted for ease of understanding, but they also provide ways to help you compare them side-by-side.

See it for yourself: Depending on the size of your meeting or event and which destination you’ve chosen, you should spend time on a site visit. Walking through a hotel in person will help point out pros and cons you can’t determine from a website or phone call.

Negotiate: For most planners, negotiating with a hotel is the hardest part of the sourcing process. Hoteliers negotiate for a living so they come to the table prepared, which means you’ll have to do your homework too. Set aside some time to get your case together before picking up the phone.

To find out more about Cvent’s services, visit cvent.com/rfp/hotels