UNIT 10 CONVENTION MANAGEMENT - III
Structure
10.0 Objectives
10.1 Introduction
10.2 On-site Management
10.3 Administration
10.4 On-site Registration
10.5 Providing Services at the Meeting
10.6 Spot Management
10.7 Other Miscellaneous Services
10.8 Let Us Sum Up
10.9 Clues to Answers
10.0 OBJECTIVES
In this Unit we are going to understand the:
• aspects of operations management for conventions,
• important issues of visitor management in convention business,
• latest concepts used world-wide in convention management, and
• importance of futuristic ideas in convention management.
10.1 INTRODUCTION
In the preceding units we have tried to explain the basics of convention management, the selling of
conventions, the selection of location, the destination choice, designing, selling and promotional
aspects of conventions have all been dealt with. In this Unit we are going to understand the
intricacies involved in the operations for convention management. In layman’s language
operations means on site management and that is exactly what we are going to dwell upon in this
Unit. We will also be discussing about the visitor management part in convention management
which is the key to any conventions success.
10.2 ON-SITE MANAGEMENT
It is an inescapable fact that all previous planning and efforts will go for a nought if the convention
does not have a smooth sailing as per the schedule. It is the task of a meeting planner to ensure that
all goes well during the days of the convention. Even the minutest details have to be taken care of
to ensure that nothing goes wrong on the final day(s). This part is as critical component of
convention management if not handled properly and carefully industry may face tough time.
Convention management begins and ends with on site management. On-site management services
include registration design, tour desk, food and beverage functions and liaison with vendors and
suppliers etc. International standards suggest that presence of at least one professional meeting
planner on-site for 100 attendees in addition to the support staff providing services should be
ensured for any convention.
On-site management also involves overseeing every aspect of the meeting or convention from the
moment that registration tables open until the last guest departs. Obviously, for larger meetings
lasting several days, one person cannot attend to every activity. Therefore, the planner and sponsor
need to have a good working relationship with the site staff and suppliers to ensure that things
happen when they are supposed to.
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The planner should arrive a few days before the event to meet with the hotel staff, suppliers,
personnel, and other key individuals. It is here that pre-convention meeting plays a very important
role. It decides what will be happening during the run of the event. It is recommended that in
meeting each department that has unique responsibilities for the meeting, such as Front desk,
Accounting, Security, Electrician, and Bell staff should be included. In addition, the hotel sales
manager, the convention services manager, and the general manager should also attend this
important session.
During the meeting, communication between the different parties is a crucial issue. It is here that
the role of a planner becomes critical because without him or her convention will not be able to run
smoothly. The planner should conduct personnel check-ins to make sure that all employees are at
their assigned areas, pick up messages regularly from the staff office, and maintain other regular
communications with suppliers and personnel through such devices as mobile phones, pagers,
beepers, and walkie-talkies.
The planner also must monitor on-site attendance, because it is useful to know how many people
attend each of different function. Attendance figures should be noted on a printed form for this
purpose. After the convention, the planner and sponsor can study the attendance results to decide
how best to plan for next year’s meeting. For instance, if a certain meeting’s attendees include
many golfers, the afternoon sessions many draw low attendance as most people tee off on the
greens or for example a particular session did not evoke the kind of response that was expected
why was it so. When arranging the next year’s convention, the planner may decide to reduce the
number of afternoon sessions or even eliminate them completely.
10.3 ADMINISTRATION
Administration also is a critical factor in the running of a convention. Ideally a meeting planner
should maintain office location and support staff for all of the administrative services that are
required for meeting or conference. A planner should be the primary contact and should be
available throughout the planning, development, and execution process. Meeting / conference team
should be met as frequently as possible to report on the status of the event, and to identify and
discuss and changes or new requests that might have arisen between meetings. A strict vigilance
on the smooth running of the event/convention has to be ensured by the administration. Small
hiccups that might arise due to certain unforeseen circumstances have to be also kept in check by
the administrative staff. In a country like ours where power breakdowns are a common
phenomenon the administrative staff should be well equipped to handle with ease power backups
and supplies. Similarly, it is often seen that the stationary stock dries out putting the organisers to
much embarrassment. All these aspects are to be seen to by the administration department as they
are of immense importance to the smooth functioning of the event/convention. Administration
should also be in close contact with the security department as they are the people responsible for
the overall co-ordination.
10.4 ON-SITE REGISTRATION
On site registration is a common practice nowadays so far as the convention industry is concerned.
There are multiple advantages of on site registration. One it keeps gatecrashers and unwanted
people at bay. It keeps a record of attendees present as opposed to attendees intended. It is also a
means of providing entrance to those serious delegates who might have missed out on the
opportunity to register before. Most of the convention organisers follow this practice as of now
which also ensures a smooth flow of attendees. On site registration is also an opportunity to give
the attendees badges, name placards etc that they might carry on their person or tag along.
For the period of the event an On-Site Registration staff should definitely be present which should,
• Set up registration desk and area,
• Collect registration fee, convention fee dues etc,
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• Order and manage business office equipment (phones, faxes, computers etc.),
• Print name tags, and
• Distribute items of attendees (bags, books, agenda, pens, pencils etc.).
10.5 PROVIDING SERVICES AT MEETINGS
Services at the meetings or conventions are of the usual kinds that a businessman might need in
terms of office equipment, fax machines, laptop power supplies etc. However, there are special
kinds of services that are also required by the delegates when the convention is going on. Food and
beverage is of prime importance here. The convention center should be able to offer a broad range
of service to the attendees. If some of these services are not already in place, then the planner and
sponsor must make them available. General information about the types of services offered should
be included in an early mailing to the attendees. Attendees should also have the opportunity to
make any special needs known to the meeting planner well in advance of the event which should
be specifically asked for in the registration forms sent out at the outset.
A sample of attendee services include:
1) Honouring credit cards
2) Cashing cheques
3) Valet cleaning/ laundry
4) Room service [in case of overnight stays in the convention centres]
5) Barber shop/ beauty salon
6) Interpreters (specify type, hourly rates, and advance notice required)
7) Child care
8) Special diets (specify advance notice required)
9) Medical emergency assistance
10) Spouse and children programs
11) Recreational facilities
12) Overseas and domestic call making facility
13) Transfer to and from the airport/railway station facility
14) Adequate car parking in secure areas in case of delegates coming by their own conveyance
10.6 SPOT MANAGEMENT
On the spot management is perhaps more than managing specifities that may arise at the time the
convention is on. It is about managing all those aspects, which have the possibility of arising when
the convention is on. It is also about planning for the convention on the spot i.e. taking care of all
the requirements that may crop up during the convention. Individual conventions require different
details depending on the choice and need of the client or the topic of convention or the demands of
the delegates. This requires tailor made arrangements and customisation to suit the needs of the
customer.
Some of the details of convention customisation are given below;
• Planning the optimum layout for the meeting room,
• Arranging for any required audio visual equipment,
• Designing interesting yet cost effective menus
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• Creating all signage
• Managing registration,
• Communicating with speakers and exhibitors regarding their needs
• Providing the hotel with just the right convention resume that specifies every aspect of your
meeting,
• On site staffing and management,
• Food and beverage management,
• Local transportation,
• Meet and greet services,
• VIP Services,
• Spouse Programs,
• Theme parties,
• Activities,
• Premiums and Gifts,
• Freight Coordination,
• Vendor Payments,
• Staging, sound and lighting,
• Management and organization of Program flow,
• Pre checking of all function rooms.
Meeting space should be designed in rooms so that nothing detracts from the exchange of
information. Rooms should also include capabilities for audio-visual equipment, ranging from
high-tech interactive learning to low -tech audio-visual - equipment like flip charts and bulletin
boards. Special lighting should also be devised to use a mixture of incandescent and fluorescent
lighting that can be controlled from within the room. If it is a multiple convention centre then it
should be so organised that there is no disturbance or interference from one convention or meeting
taking place to another. It is usually seen that the rooms holding conventions simultaneously are so
thinly separated that there is a lot of noise that filters in disturbing both parties. Further it is
sometimes observed that there is incorrect or incoherent signage for simultaneous conventions
leading to a lot of disorganised delegate traffic on the spot. All these factors have to be given due
consideration while organising meetings and/or conventions.
Once the physical space has been determined, the focus turns to room set-up. There are many
ways to arrange a room. The set-up is decided based on the agenda or activities to take place in
the room. One of the most common meeting formats involves a single speaker or panel addressing
a group of individuals. In this case, interaction among the audience is minimal, and therefore the
seating arrangements should allow maximum viewing if the speaker. This can be accomplished in
a number of ways. Auditorium or theatre style is one of the most functional seating arrangements
used for this forum, especially when the meeting involved large groups of participants.
Auditorium or theatre style seating involves placing chairs in rows, either straight or in
approximately 2/1/2/ feet from the back of one chair to the front of the chair behind it. More space
is desirable between rows, but often times this is not practical. Although this format is excellent for
the dissemination of information from speaker to audience, it does not allow for easy interaction
between participants or for note taking. In auditorium or theatre -style seating, it is important to
insure that the speaker or panel is easily visible to all participants. This may mean that the speaker
or panel needs a stage, dais, or rostrum.
Another common format for speaker or panel presentations is schoolroom or classroom seating.
Classroom seating involves rows of rectangular tables (usually 18 inches wide), with participants
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seated on one side facing the speaker or panel. The classroom arrangement is conducive to
participants taking notes, reading materials, or working on projects. This format can take several
shapes, which include closed classroom, with no centre aisle, open classroom, which has rows with
aisles to provide easy access to seats, and V-shaped, which provides opportunity for participants to
partially face one another.
When interaction among participants is an important function of the meeting, different seating
styles will be used to fac ilitate this interaction. The size and shape of the room as well as the
number of participants usually dictate the style. Some of the most common formats are U-Shaped,
hollow square, hollow circle, and semi circle.
All of these shapes usually involve the use of 18 -inch or 30 inch wide tables, with participants
seated on one side of the table and with the tables facing each other. The boardroom style utilises
a single column of two 30-inch tables placed side by side to provide a width of 60 inches. Thus is
such a popular format that many host properties have permanent boardrooms. [Source:
International Convention Management Association, ICMA]
Another common space requirements for meetings, conventions, and expositions of exhibit space.
The exhibit space is usually a very large room that houses exhibits for the meeting, convention, or
exposition. A properly outfitted exhibit hall among other things includes loading docks that are
easily accessible to the exhibit space, adequate structural support that includes high ceilings
reinforced walls, and floors and access to all major utilities (gas, water, and electricity), as well as
adequate storage and security. The host property in conjunction with the meeting planner needs to
carefully review the requirements of the exhibitors to ascertain whether or not the physical
facilities are adequate. In the event that the group does not require an exhibit hall, this space may
be equipped with moveable walls enabling it to be converted to smaller breakout rooms.
The tone of the entire meeting is influenced by the comfort of the participants. Therefore, it is
very important that the host facility pay special attention to the design of their meeting space. The
design should include:
1) Temperature and lighting controls for each room;
2) Sound proof walls;
3) Barrier free (no pillars, columns, or other structural components that will obstruct the set-up);
4) Comfortable tables and chairs;
5) Colour schemes that enhance;
6) Flexibility to respond to a variety of audio and visual needs including slide projectors,
overhead projectors, video project, and sound systems;
7) Accessibility for the physically disadvantaged;
8) Flexibility, so as to accommodate platforms ;
9) Drinking water and stationery within easy reach of the delegates;
10) Enough space for movement that may allow the participants to push back their chairs and go to
the wash room if required.
10.7 OTHER MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES
Once they have determined the room requirements and the set-up, the meeting planner in
conjunction with the convention service manager should decide which services should be provided
during the meeting. Minimum service requirements should be include ice water for both the
speakers and attendees. The water for the speaker should be easily accessible, either on the podium
or in the lectern as said before. A general rule of thumb regarding ice water for participants is one
pitcher for every ten people. In the case of classroom seating, glasses may be placed at each chair
or at a central table in the case of auditorium - or theatre-style seating. This water should be
refilled and glasses replenished in between each session or at each break.
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Proper signage and directions should also be taken care of and also of the cleanliness of the
convention centre. In our country, special attention should be given to small pests, mosquitoes or
bugs of any kind and also to quality of water especially if the meeting involves foreign delegates
as they are very particular about these aspects.
Other services may include:
1) Pads of paper and pencils
2) Mints or hard candy
3) Light snacks
4) Coffee, tea, and sodas
5) Ash trays if smoking is to be permitted
6) Easy access to the host property staff for help of any sort
7) Name and designation tags for delegates for reference
8) Adequate Parking space for delegates driv ing through
9) Valet parking if it is possible
10) A slightly wide choice of food and beverage as there might be compulsive vegetarians or non-
vegetarians in the group.
Check Your Progress
1) What does On-Site-Management involve?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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2) What is the significance of On-Site-Registration?
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10.8 LET US SUM UP
Operational management lies in the core of the success or failure of any convention. It is what will
decide as to whether clients are going to come back again or not to a particular destination/
convention centre chosen as the venue for a particular meeting. In today’s business scenario
convention management and importantly its operations management has become a big issue
requiring the services of specialised categories of people. What our country really needs is the
proper management of services once a contract is obtained. There should be no negligence in
providing the best of services and seeing to it that all functions of the event run as smoothly as
possible. This would perhaps require the training and development of a specialised class of
convention planners -a category that is present in the West. For proper operations, thus, proper
induction of human resource becomes very important. Only then can conventions be big business
in our country.
10.9 CLUES TO ANSWERS
Check Your Progress
1) See Sec.10.2 for your answers.
2) Read Sec.10.4 and answer.
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