Meeting Planning: Site Selection, A Leg Up

When selecting a site for a convention, it can be hard to know where to begin. There is a long list of requirements and an even longer list of possible venues.

But by taking what you already know about the planning process, breaking it down in analytical steps, and using available resources, you can ultimately select and contact your optimal choice.

There are a few things only you will know about your meeting. For example, do you need to move your meeting around to satisfy everyone? If so, you’ll need to zero in on those areas that have not been used recently.

Much of the other information you’ll need, like travel times, room rates and function
space availabilities, even cultural indexes, are available online.

That's where an online meeting facilities resource website comes in handy. It helps you develop a consistent and efficient means to choose locations by using a criteria-based analysis of destinations.

Five criteria are taken into account: flight times, number of hotel rooms available, whether or not the site has a convention center, off-site event opportunities, and the average price for room rates. Each request produces a list of the closest matches, ranked according to their fit with the meetings’ needs and preferences.

After all the results are in, they can be automatically tallied and summarized.

Optimizer helps planners go beyond technology and to put you in touch with trusted providers in the desired areas. Once the destination is selected, the planner can generate a request for a proposal with a few clicks.

Partnering with a CVB from the time you know your destination, can save time and money. They may also offer the only means to further narrow down a list, because of their knowledge of:

- Room and function space availabilities that may change with the season
- Tools to drive attendance
- Special considerations: the EPA for example factors in environmental achievement along with price and past performance when selecting meeting places.