Booking basics – what you need to know to plan your event

As Director of Sales and Marketing at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, Colo., Jennifer Robinson helps to plan numerous business events every year. Each event unique in its own way. Robinson said it’s important for businesses to have a good grasp on who will attend the event, and the type of services required for the event.

“You need to know who your attendees are,” Robinson said. “The questions to ask are ‘What are you trying to accomplish? What is your budget and how you can get there?’”

Across the nation, millions of conferences and business meetings are hosted each year, ranging from annual events to one-time business luncheons. Planning an event can be a daunting task, but event planners say with a budget and a goal in mind, businesses and organizations can host organized, well-structured events.

For most, Robinson said there are three areas that are most important when planning an event – value, service, and productive but memorable content. For the businesses Robinson works with, most have a specific budget and some idea of the type of event they’d like to host.

“Value is important,” Robinson said. “They want to make sure they’re getting the best value for the event.”

Before planning an event, Robinson recommends planners to have a well-thought out list of requirements for the event, as well as a budget.

“Be able to state what your priorities are,” Robinson said. “And determine what then you’re going to do on-site and what you’re going to do off-site.”

Working with a local visitor’s center can help determine area attractions and events conference attendees may be interested in and Robinson said her staff can help to plan off-site activities for clients as well. In the past, Robinson has helped to coordinate off-site team-building exercises, outdoor recreational activities and other additional events that help to make the event unique and more memorable for attendees.

“We do all the heavy lifting here,” Robinson said. “If somebody is a novice we help them through it. It’s like getting a professional meeting planner when working with us.”

For the Hotel Boulderado, many of those who use the facility are looking for a location relatively close to the Denver International Airport. And the combination of Boulder’s amenities surrounded by the recreational opportunities in the area is a huge draw to Hotel Boulderado, Robinson said.

For the Holiday Inn in Cheyenne, Wyo., conference center users are typically looking for a little bit different type of atmosphere and amenities. Located in Wyoming’s capital, the conference center is frequently used for government events as well as energy-related business meetings because of the state’s focus on energy development and production.

“We’re one of only two full service hotels in Cheyenne,” said Paul Korte, director of sales and marketing at the Holiday Inn. “We’ve done everything from civic groups to corporate businesses.”

Meeting the needs of the groups using the facility is extremely important, Korte said. From providing the latest in technology needs to a free shuttle to various places in town, Korte said a conference center should be able to handle a large group’s unique needs.

Finding a facility that offers quality service tops Korte’s list of things for people to investigate when choosing a facility to host an event.

“Good service doesn’t cost anything,” Korte said. “It’s important for us to give good service, good food and be affordable.”

In choosing a property to host an event from a short lunch meeting to a multi-day conference, Korte said it’s vital for businesses to trust that they can accomplish their goals in a comfortable atmosphere.

“They need to focus on their goal, what they’re going to try to achieve and how the hotel conference center can help them achieve that goal,” Korte said.

Looking for the right facility needs to start months in advance and in some cases even years, said Sandy Swanson, director of global accounts for Conference Direct based in Loveland, Colo.

“The last year or two there’s a lot of short-term business,” Swanson said. “There’s a lot of nervousness in the economy still.”

However, Swanson said she has noticed the availability of conference centers to be more difficult to secure within just a couple of months of an event. So she’s starting to encourage business to start planning events about six months to a year in advance.

“I’m letting them [clients] know they should start booking six months to a year out,” Swanson said. “Rates are starting to go up; hotels are starting to fill up quicker.”

Planning events on a national scale, Swanson said the most important elements for a business to keep in mind when planning an event is budget and location.

“It makes a difference as to what their budgets are,” Swanson said. “Everybody has different needs.”

For Robinson, ensuring that business customers can focus on their conference or meeting is important to providing a quality experience to attendees. The ultimate goal for the Hotel Boulderado, Robinson said, is to accommodate their customers and provide a unique conference experience.

“You’ve got to provide an event that allows attendees to concentrate, relax and get the information they need,” Robinson said. “Our job is to make their job easier.”

Freelance writer Kim Phagan-Hansel lives and works in Gillette, Wyoming.

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