1. Meetings, Conventions, and Expositions
Introduction to Hospitality, 6e
and
Introduction to Hospitality Management, 4e
John R. Walker
Meetings, Conventions, and Expositions
Chapter 12

2. Development of the Industry
People have gathered to attend meetings, conventions, and expositions since the ancient times
Mainly for social, sporting, political, or religious purposes

3. Development of the Industry
Associations go back many centuries to the Middle Ages and before
The guilds in Europe were created during the Middle Ages to secure proper wages and maintain work standards
Associations began in the United States at the beginning of the eighteenth century, when Rhode Island candle makers organized themselves

4. Development of the Industry
Meetings, incentive travel, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) represent a segment of the tourism industry that has grown in recent years
MICE tourists spend about twice the amount of money that other tourists spend

5. Size and Scope of the Industry
According to the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) there are about 90,908 trade and professional associations.
Associations spend billions holding thousands of Ameetings and conventions that attract millions of attendees

6. Size and Scope of the Industry
Associations are the main independent political force for industries such as hospitality, offering the following benefits:
Governmental/political voice
Marketing avenues
Education
Member services
Networking

7. Key Players in the Industry
The major players in the convention industry are convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), meeting planners and their clients, the convention centers, specialized services, and exhibitions
CVB’s are major participants in the meetings, conventions, and expositions market.
The IACVB describes a CVB as a not-for-profit umbrella organization that represents an urban area and that tries to solicit business or pleasure-seeking visitors.

8. Key Players in the Industry
Enhance the image of tourism in the local/city area
Market the area and encourage people to visit and stay longer
Encourages associations and others to hold meetings, conventions, and trade shows in the area it represents
Assists associations and others with preparations and lends support
Encourages tourists to partake of the historic, cultural, and recreational opportunities the city or area has to offer

9. Key Players in the Industry
Primary outcome of the bureau is to generate and increase revenues of a city
A number of bureaus have offices or representatives in many cities or a sales team to make follow-up visits to the leads generated in trade shows
The sales manager will invite the meeting, convention, or exposition organizer to make a familiarization (FAM) trip for a site inspection

10. Key Players in the Industry Convention Center Utilization Figure 12-1

11. Destination Management Companies
Service organizations within the visitor industry that offers a host of programs and services to meet clients’ needs
Initially, a destination management sales manager concentrates on selling the destination to meeting planners and performance improvement companies (incentive houses)

12. Destination Management Companies
DMCs work closely with hotels; sometimes a DMC books rooms, and another time a hotel might request the DMC’s expertise on organizing theme parties.
A DMC does everything, including airport greetings, transportation to the hotel, VIP check-in, arranging theme parties, sponsoring programs, organizing competitive sports events, and so on, depending on budget.

13. Meeting Planners
May be independent contractors who contract out their services to both associations and corporations as the need arises or they may be full-time employees of corporations or associations
According to the International Convention Management Association (ICMA), about 212,000 full- and part-time meeting planners work in the United States.

14. Service Contractors
The individual responsible for providing all of the services needed to run the facilities for a trade show
Hired by the exposition show manager or association meeting planner
The service contractor is a part of the facilities management team, and, to use the facility, the sponsor must use its service contractor.

15. Types of Meetings
Clinic: Workshop-type educational experience in which attendees learn by doing
Forum: An assembly for the discussion of common concerns
Seminar: A lecture and a dialogue that allow participants to share experiences in a particular field
Symposium: An event at which a particular subject is discussed by experts and opinions are gathered
Workshop: A small group led by a facilitator or trainer

16. Types of Meetings The purpose of a meeting is to affect behavior
Meetings are set up according to the wishes of the client. The three main types of meeting setups are:
Theatre style:
Large audience that does not need notes
Classroom setup:
Meeting setup is instructional
Workshop style
Boardroom setup:
Small numbers of people
Meeting takes place around one block rectangular table

17. Association Meetings
Every year there are thousands of association meetings that spend millions of dollars sponsoring many types of meetings, including regional, special interest, education, and board meetings
Things at the top of the list of places for an association meeting planner to choose from include the destination’s availability of hotel and facilities, ease of transportation, distance from attendees, transportation costs, and food and beverage

18. Conventions and Expositions
Conventions are larger meetings with some form of exposition or trade show included
The majority are held in large hotels over a 3-5 day period
A number of associations have one or more conventions per year. These conventions raise a large part of the association’s budget

19. Conventions and Expositions
Expositions are events that bring together sellers of products and services at a location where they can show their products and services to a group of attendees at a convention or trade show
Exhibitors are an essential component of the industry because they pay to exhibit their products to the attendees.

20. Types of Associations
An association is an organized body that exhibits some variety of volunteer leadership structure, which may employ an activity or purpose that the leadership shares in common.
The association is generally organized to promote and enhance that common interest, activity, or purpose

21. Types of Associations
The Middle Ages found associations in the form of guilds, which were created to ensure proper wages were received and to maintain work standards.
Many of today's associations have their roots in ancient times:
Trade association
Professional association
Medical and scientific association
Religious organizations
Government organizations

22. Types of Meetings Annual meetings
Board, committee, seminars and workshops, professional and technical meetings
Corporate meetings, conventions, and expositions
Social, military, educational, religious, and fraternal groups (SMERF)
Incentive meetings

23. Meeting Planning
Meeting planning includes not only the planning but also the successful holding of the meeting and the post-meeting evaluations
Before a meeting planner can start planning a meeting, a needs analysis is done to determine the purpose and desired outcome of a meeting

24. Meeting Planning Needs analysis Budget Request for proposal
Site inspection
Selection
Negotiation
Contracts
Pre-meeting activities
Plan agenda
Set budget
Negotiate contracts
On-site activities
Post meetings

25. Contracts
The contract is a legal document that binds two or more parties
Essential elements:
Offer
Consideration
Acceptance

26. Conference Event Order
A conference event order has all the information necessary for all department employees to be able to refer to for details of:
the setup (times and layout)
the conference itself (arrival, meal times)
what food and beverages are to be served
and the cost of items so that the billing can be done.

27. Venues for Meetings, Conventions, and Expos
City Centers
Convention Centers
Conference Centers
Hotels and Resorts
Cruise Ships
Colleges and Universities

28. Sustainable Meetings, Conventions, and Expositions
The meetings industry is becoming more responsible in its environmental stewardship, and it makes economic sense to do so.
Companies that choose to do so are reporting higher gross margins, higher return on sales, higher return on assets, and a stronger cash flow within its own organization
Convention centers are going green by reducing the heat, light, and power consumption

29. Trends More people are going abroad to attend meetings
Some international shows do not travel very well (i.e., agricultural machinery); thus, organizations such as Bleinheim & Reed Exposition Group airlift components and create shows in other countries
Competitiveness has increased among all destinations Convention centers will expand and new centers will come online
The industry needs to be more sophisticated—the need for fiber optics is present everywhere
Compared to a few years ago, large conventions are not as well attended and regional conventions have more attendees

30. The End