Q.What is the most important thing to consider when choosing a Meeting Planner?
A.Your relationship with this person should be your key determiner. Trust and respect are incredibly important values to consider. You will want a Planner who you like, trust and have a mutual respect for. You will not always see eye to eye and you want a Planner who will challenge your ideas but, still respect that fact that you are the client and respect your vision. Pick a planner that you trust to represent you, your company and your vision as you would yourself. If you have any reservations about your potential planner, don’t hire them. You are partners in creating a program that is a representation of you and your company.
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Q.We already have a contract in place so is it too late to bring a Meeting Planner on?
A.It is never too late to bring a Planner on! Even if you have your program fully planned, you can still ask a potential new Planner to work the program with you and provide you with feedback detailing their recommended adjustments for a smoother, more cost-effective program. If you like what they have to say, move forward. If you don’t get along, keep looking!
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Q.What do you see is the biggest value in hiring a professional Meeting Planner?
A.A professional Meeting Planner, dependent on their background will have inside experience on getting better value for your spend. They will know how to work with the hotel and other vendors to get more value adds for your group as well as, knowing where to focus your money for the most impact.
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Q.We only need help with a portion of our program planning. Can I hire a Planner who will only take on a piece while we manage the rest?
A.Yes! You can hire someone to take on as much or, as little of your program as you need. This is also a great way to decide if you like this person and they match well with you and your organization. If you like how they work and their ideas, you may want to give them more to take on for your next program.
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Q.How does your company set up their billing structure?
A.We pride ourselves on our flexibility. We can bill as a package or a la carte, based on our client’s needs and comfort level. I have found that billing hourly can cause clients to become anxious, not wanting to ask questions or send e-mails for fear of the ticking clock. In order to combat that anxiety, we will either provide a package price or an hourly rate with a cap (much like a deductible). This way they can budget for a maximum spend but, should their needs not require that much attention, they will come in under their budget.
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Q.We need help figuring out our budget. Can you help?
A.Budgeting is one of the hardest aspects to grasp when creating a program, especially for inexperienced Planners. Anyone who is new to organizing a program typically underestimates the cost of items such as AV, F&B and transportation. They do not take all potential expenses into consideration, such as additional expenses with hiring a Destination Management Company or having to pay rental for offsite events, etc. We have extensive experience in setting up budgets and cost forecasting. In fact, it is most likely that we will figure out how to shave in one category to help out in another.
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Q.Our program is too big for just one person to manage. Can your company handle this?
A.We certainly can!! We have a team of Meeting Planners and Travel Staff ready to jump in and assist. No matter how big or what your needs are, we can handle it!
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Q.Why should we hire EMPRISE Meetings International instead of another company?
A. Great question! Our hotel experience sets us above the rest of the planning community. We have insider knowledge that will help you to get the best deal possible while still ensuring a superior program. We believe that great relationships are the key to any success… both yours and ours.