CHAPTER 15

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Post-Meeting Follow-Up

 

LEARNER OUTCOMES

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A. Develop detailed plans for organizing the return shipment and returning rented equipment.

B. Discuss the different data to be gathered from the hotel or meeting facility and the data’s importance to future planning.

C. Discuss the reconciliation process of invoices from all vendors.

D. Identify possible data sources and data-collection methods.

E. Define the different levels of evaluation.

 

Chapter Summary:

 

Closing the meeting is usually a very busy time, with everyone anxious to leave. The meeting staff is tired and wants to return home.

 

Plans and systems need to be in place to implement a move-out. The return and shipment of tradeshow items and other materials is established in advance. Many items that do not need to be shipped back can be donated. There are meetings that may have multi-year contracts with the Official Service Contractor (OSC). This vendor can ship and hold items until the following event or year.

 

For shipments leaving from a country different from that of the host organization, the meeting professional must be knowledgeable about customs’ rules and guidelines. The meeting professional may choose to engage in the services of a customs broker.

 

Rental equipment, such as, computers, office equipment, and furniture may have been used during the event, and will need to be picked up at a specific date & time. If a vendor is unable to have the rental items picked up at a specific time a designated staff member needs to be present.

 

The words “tip” and “gratuity are often used interchangeably, but there is a distinction. A “tip” is voluntary and selective of money is given at will for special or excellent service. The “gratuity” is a voluntary payment added to a bill to signify good service. Regardless of the level of service, the gratuity will be included on the invoice. An organization will usually have a tip policy in place. The meeting professional should put tips and gratuities into the budget well in advance. If there is a specific amount budgeted for tips, the following criteria helps to determine the amount of tip for each individual:

 

1. Number of food & beverage functions

2. Number of meeting rooms used

3. Complexity of room set-up

4. Number of room set-up changes

5. The amount of load time given for requested changes

6. Overall performance and attitude of facility staff

Alternatively, an organization may determine tip amounts based on the following calculations:

 

1. Set dollar amount per attendee

2. Set dollar amount per sleeping room

3. Percentage of total bill

4. Percentage of total meeting.

A post-convention meeting should be scheduled within two days to a week after the event with the appropriate representatives of the meeting. Other attendees of the meeting include key stakeholders, the conference service manager and department heads. The goal of this meeting is to capture the most current information and share expectations that have or have not been met.

 

The reconciliation of all invoices is a process that requires detailed and focused scrutiny. The meeting professional must maintain excellent notes during this time (a good way to minimize and correct errors in billing is to schedule a daily onsite review of all items charged to the master bill).

 

Notations of approval for charges need to be compared, and anything that was not met in the contract or charged above what was written in the contract should also be reconciled. All disputed charges should be communicated in writing to the facility or vendor. Any undisputed charger or bills must be paid within 30 days.

 

The Post Event Report (PER) is usually provided by the hotel. The meeting professional is encouraged to utilize the industry Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) post-event report format (share this reporting format with the facility well in advance for adoption purposes). As a part of the Post Event Report collecting vendor data provides information on services provided by the various contracted vendors. These vendors represent a large portion of the budget, and collecting data from each contracted vendor will give the meeting planner valuable information to evaluate the service. It can also be helpful in a compare and contrast for future negotiation, and identify areas that can altered to control or decrease costs.

 

The closing of the meeting involves thank you letter, attendance certicates, the reveiew of registration reports, and data collection with an eye on the future. The type of registration data collection that aids on futuristic decision making would include:

 

1. Category breakdown by registration type, e.g., member, non-member, one-day, exhibitor

2. Pacing of the receipt of registrations

3. Registration method counts, e.g., number registered online vs. fax, or mail-in

4. Breakdown by attendee geographic data, e.g., various states, countries

5. Onsite registration counts, i.e., breakdown by date of registration

6. Number of no-shows, ie., attendees who registered, but did not attend

7. Total revenue generated

8. Counts for various social events or meal functions

Evaluations are a systematic process which help determine the worth, value, or meaning of an activity or process. The goal is to determine to what level objectives have or have not been met. When developing a plan, three groups should be considered:

 

1. Attendees

2. Stakeholders

3. Exhibitors and/or Sponsors

The communication plan for evaluation efforts should be developed early in the process. This plan must include a strategy of how information gleaned from the evaluation process which measures effectiveness. Information produced from a successful evaluation can be extremely helpful with strategic planning.

 

To help determine what is being evaluated and how, consider the following:

 

1. Collection of data

2. Goal of evaluation

3. Determining types of data (quantitative or qualitative)

The following are methods of data collection:

 

1. Questionnaires and Surveys

2. After-Action Reviews

3. Interviews

4. Focus Group

5. Electronic Analysis

6. Web Trends Tracking

7. Badge Scanning

8. Mobile Apps

The following are sources of data:

 

1. Attendees

2. Suppliers

3. Other Stakeholders

4. Artifacts

The Phillips return on investment approach looks at evaluation from a business perspective and emphasizes the need to place a monetary value on the impact of training. The following are Phillips’ Return on Investment Levels:

 

1. Reaction and planned action

2. Learning

3. Application and implementation

4. Business impact

5. Return on investment