MARKETING THE
INDUSTRY SEGMENTS
4.09 Describe meeting planning
in the travel industry.
Terms related to meetings
•Meeting: A gathering of
for a common purpose
people
•Breakouts: A term used to describe smallgroup meetings that are held as part of a
general convention
•Booth or Stand: The
display space rented
by a vendor at an
exhibition
•Clinic/Workshop: A small group session of
intense study or training that emphasizes an
exchange of ideas or demonstration of skills
•Conference: A large meeting convened to deal
with a specific problem or development
•Convention: A meeting
involving a general group
session followed by
committee meetings in
breakout rooms
•Corporate meeting: A meeting
held for the employees of a
company or for the stockholders
and/or board of directors
•Congress: An international
term used for meeting
•Exhibition: A display of goods and services
staged as part of a convention or conference
•Exposition: A gathering of people, activities,
products, and other components of interest
•Forum: A meeting involving discussion on a
specific issue, usually led by panelists and
involving audience participation
•Incentive travel: A motivational tool or reward
given to employees who achieve a specific goal
•Panel: A meeting in which at least two
speakers give their viewpoint on a
particular subject, followed by discussion
among the speakers and the audience
•Planning: Setting goals and implementing
strategies to achieve the goals of a meeting
•Symposium: A formal meeting
arranged to discuss a specific
issue
•Seminar: An informal meeting in
which participants hold discussion
under the supervision of a leader
•Teleconference: A meeting involving participants
in several locations simultaneously using
advanced communication technology to hear and
sometimes see each other
•Trade show/fair: A meeting that features
freestanding vendor displays and booths
Purposes of meetings or conventions
1. To inform sales staff about new and improved
products
2. To share scientific
discoveries
3. To train employees
4. To motivate employees
5. To evaluate current activities
6. To reward outstanding performance
Tasks involved in planning meetings
1. Pre-meeting activities
• To establish meeting objectives
• To organize strategies
• To plan meeting date and agenda
• To predict attendance
• To determine cost and set meeting budget
• To select meeting location and facility
• To negotiate for services
• To plan travel to and from site
Tasks involved in planning meetings
(cont.)
2. On-site activities
• To meet with suppliers and set up
facility
• To register attendees
• To conduct meetings
• To take down any displays that were used for the
meeting
3. Post-meeting activities
• To evaluate the meeting
• To provide recognition and appreciation
Meeting planner: A person who coordinates all
aspects of a meeting to ensure that the meeting
is productive and that the sponsor gets good
value for the money spent
•Association executives
•Corporate meeting planners
•Independent meeting planners
and consultants
Activities of meeting planners
A. Plan the agenda
B. Arrange lodging for attendees
C. Plan food
D. Make travel arrangements
E. Design the layout of exhibition space
F. Arrange security
G. Coordinate entertainment
H. Promote the event
I.
Provide for special needs of attendees
Locations for meetings
•Convention
center
•Convention
center and hotel
•Civic Center
Convention center: A large building, not
including hotel rooms, to hold large meetings,
conventions and trade shows
•M.C. Benton Convention
Center, Winston-Salem
•Orange County Convention
Center, Orlando
•The Charlotte Convention
Center
•McCormack Place, Chicago
•Greensboro Coliseum and
Exhibition Building
•Raleigh Convention &
Conference Center
•Jacob Javits Convention
Center, New York City
Convention center and hotel: Lodging and
meeting facility where the majority of the total
occupancy is generated by conferences
•Joseph S. Koury Convention
Center and Sheraton Four Seasons,
Greensboro
•Sheraton Hotel and Convention
Center, Atlantic Beach
•Grove Park Inn, Asheville
•Opryland Hotel and Convention
Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Civic Center: A facility similar to a convention
center where meetings, exhibitions, and trade
shows may take place
•Meetings are not
necessarily the
primary source of
income.
•Cultural and sporting
events are also held at
civic centers.
Marketing strategies used by meeting
planners
•Advertising in special meeting planners’ journals such
as Meetings and Conventions, Successful Meetings,
Meeting News
•Exhibiting at major trade shows/expositions
•Personal selling to individual planners such as local
convention and tourism bureaus, corporate leaders and
the industries they serve
•Creating publicity/public relations by making the best
possible use of all the industry services and available
facilities