HCL 3003 – Events, Meetings and Conferences

Agenda
• Vocational Learning Outcomes
• Accepted Practices Exchange APEX
• Ethics and MEEC Industry Professional
Etiquettes
• Tasks Performed by Event Professionals
• Individuals & Businesses Involved in the
Execution of a Meeting or Event
• Careers in MEEC industry
 Vocational Learning Outcomes

By the end of today’s session you will be able to:

• Identify possible stakeholders, determining the value and potential

impacts of those stakeholders
• Identify ways to strengthen and manage stakeholder relationships
• Identify career options and pathways for individuals in MEEC
 Formed in 1949, the council provides a forum for
member organizations to advance the industry.
It represents a broad cross section of the
industry with more than 30 meetings and events
related associations as members, representing
Throughout this course, you will hear/read about more than 103,500 individuals, with more than
the Events Industry Council (formerly the 19,000 firms and properties involved in the
Convention Industry Council) and it’s meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry.
Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX). The council facilitates this by enabling the
exchange of information among members
through the development of programs to
promote professionalism within the industry and
by educating the public on the industry’s
profound economic impact.
MBECS – LET’S REVIEW

Meeting and Business Event Competency Standards

(MBECS) were developed through a process of
consultation and validation with an expert group of
industry stakeholders

Key phases of that development are:

The Canadian Tourism Human
Resource Council (CTHRC)
1993
whose mandate it is to improve the
quality of the tourism workforce,
introduced some of the first events-
related national occupational standards
in 1993 and has routinely updated them
to keep pace with market needs and to
help ensure that the industry remains
globally competitive.
The Canadian Tourism Human
Resource Council (CTHRC)
2009
In 2009, the CTHRC set its first
international competency standards with
expert practitioners from more than 20
countries.
The Event Management International
Competency Standards were the first set
of competency standards to achieve
industry validation on a global scale.
2007
In 2007, MPI recognized the need for a
comprehensive international body of
knowledge and skills that could guide the
professional development of meeting
and business event professionals.
The competency standards had to apply
to the diversity of the industry—the many
types of business and meeting events,
dynamic career paths and varied levels of
expertise.
MPI decided to collaborate with the
CTHRC to build on the existing Event
Management International Competency
Standards to establish global standards
specific to meetings and business events.

The resulting Meeting and Business

Event Competency Standards (MBECS)
represents a comprehensive summary of
the knowledge and skills that should be
possessed by experienced meeting and
business event experts.
 MEETINGS AND BUSINESS EVENTS
COMPETENCY STANDARDS (MBECS)

1. STRATEGIC PLANNING
2. PROJECT MANAGEMENT
3. RISK MANAGEMENT
4. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
5. ADMINISTRATION
6. HUMAN RESOURCES
7. STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
8. MEETING OR EVENT DESIGN
9. SITE MANAGEMENT
10. MARKETING
11. PROFESSIONALISM
12. COMMUNICATION

MPI: https://www.mpi.org/docs/default-source/Research-and-Reports/MBECS-Guide-APP-2-Standards.pdf
 The Professional A widely recognized authority on convention and
meeting management, published PCMA’s Principles
Convention of Professional and Ethical Conduct in 2002.
Management
Open and trusting relationships with your venues,
Association (PCMA) facilities, vendors, and service providers will be
priceless over time.

Although practicing ethical behavior may not be a

matter of law,
violation of fair and equitable business practices can
be considered illegal.

There is a very long list of ethical issues, but a few of

the easiest to violate, due to inexperience.
 Activities to Avoid
• Refrain from accepting or encouraging gifts or accepting promises of gifts from
venues or service providers. This is particularly an issue prior to making decisions
on sites, venues, vendors, and other service providers.

• Refrain from using travel points earned from airlines and hotels during business
trips for personal travel.

• Refrain from conducting site inspections or accepting invitations to familiarization

(FAM) trips sponsored to any location unless your group will seriously consider
booking business there.

• Refrain from any activity that would discredit you or your organization.
 Always Practice
• Full disclosure of any rebates, commissions, or incentives accepted for any
reason.

• Notice to attendees that a rebate from registration fees will be used to

offset an expense; a legitimate example would be a shuttle service expense.

• Fair and equitable negotiations in good times and bad.

• Confidentiality during the bidding process.

• Prompt and professional notification when site and vendor selections have
been decided.

• Identify and address unethical behavior in others that could result in

damages to your event, organization, or group. Ethics is not limited to your
own personal behavior.
 What is MEEC
Industry Professional Etiquette?
Why Is It Important?
 MEEC Industry Professional
Etiquettes

1. Be prepared, considerate, realistic, and factual in all verbal and written communications.
2. Be cognizant of the value of everyone’s time, and be timely with all.

3. Meet your deadlines and keep your promises.

4. Treat venues, facilities, vendors, and service providers as partners rather than subordinates.
Everyone has a vested interest in your success.

5. Understand the need for your event partners to make a reasonable profit.

6. Maintain a calm and courteous demeanor under pressure.

7. Work diligently toward agreement and solutions that will be mutually beneficial.
 MEEC Industry Professional
Etiquettes contd..
8. Don’t criticize. Seek resolutions.

9. Make every effort to engage in respectful communications with everyone and in every
circumstance.

10. Resort to confrontation only when there is absolutely no other alternative to fixing an
immediate problem.

11. Approach working relationships as long term rather than one-time-only, as it is likely you
will work with the same service provider companies in other locations, or you will rely on their
referrals if they do not provide service where your event will be located.

12. Share the glory. When your event is successful, praise your partners and the staff who
helped produce it.
Use your own or the examples of the MEEC Industry
Professional Etiquettes provided
to discuss why and how it matters ?

Discuss with your peers

Individuals and Businesses Involved in the
Execution of a Single Meeting or Event
As in many industries, we depend on those we know to help us
learn and grow, and to provide accurate information.

Meeting/Event

Meeting
Facility
Sponsor

3rd Party who

Destination
provide services
 Meeting
Sponsor

• Association or corporation sponsor

• Meeting planner

• Executive director or chief executive officer

• Staff specialists in departments that include marketing, governance and government affairs,
education/professional development/training, membership, information technology,
and accreditation

• Others who staff call centers, copy materials, process registrations, manage human resources, control
purchasing, and more

• Board of directors

• Committees

• Sponsors
 Facility

• Owners

• Executive staff, including but not limited to: the general manager, revenue manager, resident
or hotel manager, directors of sales, marketing, convention services, catering, housekeeping,
engineering, maintenance, purchasing, human resources, food and beverage, front office
operations, social responsibility, and security

• The thousands of other full- and part-time, year-round, and seasonal staff: groundskeepers,
animal handlers, housekeepers, food servers (for banquets, room service, and the outlets),
maintenance, security, and engineering
 Destination

• DMO/CVB (president, directors of sales, marketing, • Doctors, medical personnel, and emergency workers
convention services, membership,
registration, social responsibility, and all support staff) • Pharmacies

• Restaurants • Florists

• Attractions • Destination management companies

• Off-site venues • Audiovisual suppliers

• Theaters (movie and legitimate) • General services contractors

• Copy and printing companies • Specialty services contractors

• Transportation (buses, airport shuttles, taxicabs, and • Dry cleaners and tailors
limousines)
• City, county, and state employees
• Airport concessions
• IT division and telecommunications department
 3rd Party who
provide services

• Talent (entertainers, disc jockeys, bands, and

magicians) • Americans with Disabilities Act equipment

• Education (speakers, trainers, and facilitators) • Carpentry

• Sound and lighting • National sales (hotels and conference centers)

• Transportation (air, rail, car, boat, and travel agencies) • Third-party or independent meeting planners

• Printing

• Shipping

• Promotional products

• Off-property food and beverage

• Translators for those who speak American Sign

Language and other languages
 What Do Meeting or
Event Professionals Do?

The jobs of an event professional are strategic vs. before, most meeting planners
were concerned only with logistics (room sets, coffee and refreshment breaks, meals,
and audiovisual setup)

Planners are charged with supporting the work toward an organization’s bottom line.

Whether planners work in an organization or operate an external planning company,

the job of a planner is ideal for those who
• love to multitask,
• who have broad interests,
• who enjoy problem solving, and
• who care passionately about building community through meetings.
 Tasks Performed by Event Professionals
(but not limited to)

When planning, and during a meeting or event,

a planner may do any or all of the following, and
more.
 • Define meeting/event goals and objectives and develop session content and
design.

• Develop a request for proposal (RFP) based on the meeting/event objectives,

audience profile, budget, and program.

• Send the RFP to national sales offices of hotel and conference center companies, to
DMOs, and to external meeting-planning companies.

• Prepare and manage a budget and expenditures, which can range from a few
hundred dollars into the hundreds of millions.
 • Negotiate contracts with a facility or multiple facilities, transportation providers,
decorators, speakers, entertainers, and all the vendors and venues that will support a
meeting/event.

• Market the meeting/event electronically and in print, and track results.

• Invite and manage the needs (travel, lodging, registration, room setup, and
audiovisual) for all speakers, trainers, and facilitators involved in delivery of
information and knowledge for the meeting/event.

• Invite, manage contracts and manage the needs of entertainers.

• Design food and beverage events, and negotiate contracts for these events. To do
so, an event professional must know the audience (age of participants, gender,
abilities, allergies, geographic location, and more), the timing for the programs, the
budget, and the prices, including labor costs and taxes.

• Prepare a crisis management plan in conjunction with other staff, facilities,

vendors, and emergency personnel.

• Register participants, or manage a registration company, ensuring data are

accurately entered and processed securely.
 • Manage the multitude of changes that happen from the first
conceptualization of a meeting or event to the execution and follow-up.

• Monitor industry and business publications for changes in

management companies or hotel ownership, as well as for hotel
foreclosures, facility and other strikes, and other issues.

• Calm others’ nerves and remain calm.

 Tasks Performed by Event Professionals

A Vancouver event planner gives an inside glimpse

into organizing a festival.

What are some tasks that are performed by the event planner
in this video?
Where does her joy come from?

Event Planner (Episode 11) WorkBC's Career Trek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzto0mEJ_o&t=262s
 WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL JOB?

Conceptualize your personal ideal job.

What could your career pathway look like in the MEEC?

Event Planner:
• Plans special events like the Olympics, the Super Bowl in Exhibition Managers:
football, the Final Four in basketball, festivals, and gala • Organizes and manages trade
celebrations. shows.
Wedding Planner:
• A wedding planner is a type of event planner who assists
parties in selecting the site, décor, photographer, and other
needed vendors, and is often there on the day of the event
to ensure smooth operations

Meeting Planner: Hotel or Conference Center Sales:

• Organizes meetings and other gatherings for • The majority of sales and conventions, or catering
companies, corporations, and associations. Service positions in hotels and conference centers deal
• These gatherings can include a small, board of with groups, and MEEC covers most of these groups.
directors meeting, a stockholders’ meeting, new
product introductions and training, educational
seminars, and regional or national conventions.
• Corporate Meeting/Event Planners fall into this
category.
Restaurant Sales:
• While most people think of restaurants attracting walk-
in clientele, many rely heavily on the MEEC industry for
business.
• Food and beverage (F&B) venues employ significant
numbers of people on their group sales staff. In New
Orleans, Arnaud’s and Emeril’s, for example, have
group or convention sales teams.
Entertainment/Sporting Venue Sales and Services:
• Although these places primarily attract individual patrons, most
also devote much time and effort to selling, providing space for,
and producing events for groups.
• These off-site venues are often good alternatives for
experiential learning. (e.g.: Woodbine Entertainment)
Destination Management:
• Destination Management Companies (DMCs) function as the
local experts for companies and associations, organizing
gatherings and events, arranging and supervising
transportation, and securing entertainers.
• People employed for DMCs usually work in either sales or
production.
 Hotels:
• are one of the primary locations where MEEC
events are held, using ballrooms, meeting rooms,
break-out rooms, and so on, for their gatherings
along with sleeping rooms and F&B for their
attendees.
• The hotel departments that deal with the MEEC
industry are sales, catering, and convention
Convention Centers: services
Exposition Services Contractors:
• These venues include dedicated facilities,
• if you like to build things or have thought about
such as McCormick Place in Chicago, the being an engineer or architect
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in • design the booths, backdrops, staging, and so
New York, the Congress Center Messe in on for exhibitions, meetings, and conventions.
Frankfurt, Germany, and the Canton Fair • E.g.: decorations and backdrops for your school
in Guangzhou, China—the world’s prom may have been done by an ESC.
biggest convention center. • career paths exist in sales and production and,
• E.g.: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, increasingly, in design of sustainable/green
Toronto Congress Centre. products and services.
Multipurpose Venues:
• With these venues, careers are found in either
sales or operations.
(e.g.: Scotiabank Arena)

Destination Marketing Organizations

(Convention and Visitor Bureaus):
• DMOs serve to represent a wide range of MEEC
companies and to market the destination to
business and leisure travelers.
• DMOs have many departments and careers,
including convention sales, tourism sales,
housing bureaus, convention services,
marketing, research, and member services.
 WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL JOB?
How and where in the MEEC industry you could be employed
doing what you dream of?
1. Event Planner
2. Wedding Planner
3. Meeting Planner
4. Exhibition Managers
5. Hotel or Conference Center Sales
6. Restaurant Sales
7. Entertainment/Sporting Venue Sales and Services
8. Destination Management: Destination Management Companies (DMCs)
9. Hotels
10. Convention Centers
11. Multipurpose Venues
12. Exposition Services Contractors
13. Destination Marketing Organizations (Convention and Visitor Bureaus) : DMOs
 Which Career Is Right for You?
The following are some of the career planning questions you might ask yourself to determine
if this may be the right profession for you:

 Do you like to plan parties, work events, or just your day, down to the last detail, ensuring
everything is locked in?

 Do you have, and regularly update, a date book or Outlook calendar that includes everything you
need to do for weeks or even months into the future?

 Has any of the activities or skills outlined in this chapter struck a chord, and made you say, “this
sounds like me” or “I have that ability or strength” and I want to be part of that?

 Do you ask good questions, rarely taking anything as a given? Do you think about contingencies
or what if “x” happened? How would I adjust?

If you answered “yes” to some of these questions, you may just have the aptitude to be a
good meeting professional.