As much as we would love for all of you to have all your retreats, conferences and events at Ridgecrest and Glorieta, we know that’s not possible. Many of you plan events in cities and towns all across the country. With that in mind, I will try to periodically post articles dealing with hotel trends around the country.
Today’s post is an article with comments on the current state of their hotel market from 10 different hotel professionals. Hope you find it helpful.
OK, the conference is over and you’ve survived. Now what?
For the novice meeting planner, the assumption could be that it’s time to move on to the next thing. However, as many veteran planners can attest, the end of the meeting means you still have some work to do. Work that will definitely help you in planning future meetings and/or retreats.
With that in mind, here are 5 things to do AFTER your meeting is over:
Hold a post-convention meeting with your team and the venue staff. The main question to keep in mind during this meeting is, “What can we do to make this meeting/retreat/convention run better next time?”
Collect and process event evaluations from participants while opinions are still fresh in everyone’s mind.
Solicit feedback from the meeting sponsor (whoever has ultimate responsibility for the event). Determine if meeting goals were met. Evaluate financial results. Discuss next steps.
Write a meeting report and provide to meeting sponsor and planning team. File the report, along with contracts, for future meetings.
Write thank you notes to planning team/staff, speakers, key venue staff and any other vendors.
What about you? What else do you do after your meeting is over that works well for you? Please share!
If you are a Christian meeting planner, denominational leader, church retreat planner, or anyone else responsible for planning events and retreats, then this event is definitely for you. Rejuvenate Marketplace is a great event specifically for faith-based meeting planners and this year it will be in Louisville, KY, Oct 18-21. (click here for more info)
A couple of months ago, Christine Born of Collinson Media wrote a guest post for us (read here) and talked about the benefits to meeting planners who attend. If that wasn’t enough to convince you, then maybe hearing some testimonies from other meeting planners will do the trick. Check out this video and hear what some of your peers have to say!
So, what do you think? Will we see you in Louisville this October? Sure hope so!
At Ridgecrest and Glorieta, we host a significant number of senior adult groups each year. In addition, we also plan and host several of our own senior adult events. As a result, we have an opportunity to interact with a great number of senior adults and senior adult ministry leaders.
The following post was written by Ron Pratt. Ron is our national event planner and has more experience working with churches and helping them with their ministry they he sometimes cares to admit. I recently asked Ron to write an article on the changing face of senior adult ministry. The following is the first part of what he sent me.
If your ministry is working with senior adults, then I want to thank you for what you do. The most exciting days of senior adult ministry are yet ahead and I’m looking forward to them. I am one! And, so is my 84 year old mother who is very involved with a great group of senior adults in her church. Their Senior Adult ministry has made a world of difference in her life, especially since the passing away of my father just over two years ago.
Where to begin? As you are probably aware, today’s senior adults bring incredible blessings and challenges to ministry. In a humorous way, I have always talked about senior adults in three different categories. There are the “go-go’s”, the “slow-go’s” and the “no-go’s”.
There are those senior adults who are incredibly active, yet they have no desire to sit in a rocking chair or get on a bus for a long trip. They are physically active and want to do ministry that they can get involved in physically, spiritually and even financially. They are the “go-go’s”.
Next are the “slow-go’s”. These are the senior adults who can’t wait to get on the bus, anywhere, anytime as long as they can play their card games, eat their home-made goodies and stop at some interesting points along the way. They love “going”, just as long as someone else is driving or coordinating the trip and they have rest stops along the way.
Finally, the “no-go’s” are those senior adults who are mostly (or totally) home-bound, yet want and need to stay connected to their friends and their church.
In future posts, Ron will share some strategies churches can use to reach each of these 3 groups. Please feel free to share your thoughts or comments with us here on the blog, or you can email Ron directly at ron.pratt@lifeway.com.
Now that summer’s almost over, it’s time to begin planning for upcoming fall trade shows. You know, those shows where you have to go and stand around in a 10′x10′ box and pray that someone will actually stop and talk to you! Yeah, those shows…
If that’s your mindset, then you’re setting your organization up for failure. Instead, think of these shows as opportunities to get face to face with potential customers. People today can learn almost everything they need to know about a facility from the Internet (provided it’s a good website), but the reason they attend a camp show or trade show is to SEE and MEET who they’ll be doing business with.
With that in mind, here are 5 tips for making the most of your next trade show:
When someone walks by your booth and pauses, ENGAGE! The pause is your invitation to engage them in conversation.
Small talk wastes both their time and yours. Once you engage, get right to the point of why you’re there. Sample – “Good morning! What interests you about Glorieta?”
Never sit down! When you sit down in your booth, you’re sending the message you don’t want to be bothered. Working a booth at a show can be exhausting. Wearing comfortable shoes is a must.
Don’t leave your table at the front of the booth. A table left out front creates a potential barrier between you and your visitors. Instead, move it off to the side and create an open space where visitors feel invited in.
FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP! This is absolutely critical. The whole reason you go to these shows is to connect with people who are in interested in your camp or conference center. Once you’ve connected to those who’ve shown interest, they become a qualified lead and should be followed up with promptly.
One last thing to remember. At a show, you have 6-8 seconds to capture someone’s attention and gain their interest as they walk by. Be very aware of this as you design your display. If you can’t draw them in, you might as well go spend your money somewhere else.
Now it’s your turn. What have you done that worked well for you at a trade show? When you attend a trade show, what makes you want to stop and talk to a vendor? Please share your thoughts with us.
Since our blog is now 6 months old (read post here), I thought it appropriate to list the 10 most read posts. So, just in case you might have missed one, here’s our Mid-Year Top 10 List for MinistryServingMinistry:
Hard to believe, but our MinistryServingMinistry blog is now 6 months old! Whether this is your first visit, or you’re a regular, we just want to take a minute to thank you for stopping by.
As we stated when we launched the blog back in January, our desire is to partner with those whose job it is to plan Christian events, meetings and retreats. Hopefully we’re providing articles and resources that are helping to make your job easier.
According to the stats, we must be doing something right because people are visiting the site. Here are some of the key stats:
3,317 visits
8,553 page views
2.58 page views/visit (this one is important to use because it says people are staying on the site and viewing more than one page)
48 email subscriptions (If you’d like to subscribe, click on the link and sign up.)
Thanks again to all of you. It’s been a fun first 6 months and I’m looking forward to the next 6 months. If you have any specific requests for future blog posts, or information you would find helpful, please let us know by commenting below or sending me an email at byron.hill@lifeway.com.
Years ago I was listening to a tape of Lewis Grizzard (a southern humorist for you younger folks) and he was talking about how many hotel banquet meals he had eaten over his career. Because so many of them were boneless chicken breasts, he wanted to know how Marriott grew chickens with boneless breasts and did they look funny trying to run around the chicken coop without those bones!
Goofy, I know, but the reality is many meeting planners miss the opportunity to make a positive impression on their attendees by paying attention to the food service during their event. If you’re spending money on food service, here are some tips to help you get the most bang for your bucks.
At any event offering food and beverage service, be sure to allow enough time for guests to eat leisurely and to network or socialize with colleagues and friends.
As a general rule allow 30-40 minutes for breakfast, 45-60 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes/course for dinner. For breaks, give yourself at least 15 minutes for up to 100 people, 30 minutes for up to 1,000 and 30-45 minutes for more than 1,000.
In spite of Grizzard’s joke about boneless chicken breast, there’s certainly nothing wrong with using a chicken breast as your main dinner offering. However, make sure the preparation and presentation are not plain jane. Ask your host facility if they have a special way of preparing a boneless chicken breast. Chances are it’ll be excellent. I know it is at Ridgecrest!
Consider offering a lunch buffet or deli bar for small group working sessions. You can offer more variety and the service is faster, giving the group more time to work.
Always plan to serve a variety of food during a reception. The food should be healthy, appetizing and visually well presented.
Most facilities allow one staff person for every two tables for a standard 3-4 course meal. You may want to consider requesting one server for the head table and/or VIP tables. Be sure to check with the facility to determine if there would be any additional labor charges for the additional servers.
When it comes to catering prices at most hotels and conference centers, sticker shock is not an uncommon reaction among Christian meeting planners. This is especially true for first time planners, or those who are looking to move an event from the church to an off-site location. The cost of an urn of coffee at the hotel down the street is just a tad more than what it costs to brew one in the church’s kitchen!
While there are legitimate reasons (cost of labor, meeting space, banquet equipment, food cost, etc.), one of the primary reasons behind the higher costs is that they can. Once you’ve selected a hotel or conference center for your event, price competition is out the window and you become a captive audience. (A way to avoid this is to include catering pricing in your RFP. This way you can factor catering costs into your overall selection process.)
Since very few, if any hotels/conference centers, will allow you to bring in food or beverages, your only real option in controlling your catering costs is to make good, cost-effective choices. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for things you can watch out for to help keep your catering costs down.
Depending on the size of your group, compare the costs and time savings for eating a meal in a private section of the dining room versus having a catered meal.
Focus on getting your guarantees as accurate as possible. Typically guarantees are due 48-72 hours prior to the beginning of the event. Be sure to get your guarantee dates in writing so there’s no confusion.
Specify the “overset” (the # of people beyond the guarantee # for which the facility will set tables and chairs. Usually varies from 0-5%, with 3% the industry average) in your contract. The higher your “overset” is, the more conservative you can be with your guarantee.
Typically you will be billed for the guaranteed number or the number actually served, whichever is greater.
Be sure to have a good understanding of the service charges and taxes that will be added to the price of the meal/catering. In most locations, these costs will add 25% or more to the cost of the meal. (Note – Due to our religious non-profit status, neither Ridgecrest of Glorieta add tax or service charges to the cost of our catering.)
Don’t compromise on quality due to budget constraints. Instead, consider reducing the number of catered functions for your event.
No doubt there are other things you can do to help control catering costs. Please feel free to share steps you have implemented to help keep your catering costs down.
In my 30 years in the hospitality industry, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that question. Truth be told, I’m sure I asked it myself when I was first getting started in my hotel management career.
As in any industry, hotels and conference centers sometimes have a language all their own. This can be pretty frustrating for folks trying to plan a meeting or retreat, especially for those who don’t do it very often. With that in mind, today’s post on meeting room setup will be the first of several dealing with hospitality terminology and operations
Hollow square and conference – Tables are set up in a large square, or rectangle. This setup is excellent for interactive discussions and extensive note-taking for groups of 25 or less. Most hotels and conference centers, including Ridgecrest and Glorieta, will have dedicated executive boardrooms for 10-16 people that are ideal for small group meetings.
U-shape, T-shape, E-shape – Just as it sounds, tables are set up in a configuration that is similar to the letter. These setups are good for groups of 40 or less where the primary interaction will be with a leader seated at the head of the setup. Seating is typically set on the outside, but seats could also be set on the inside to accommodate more people.
Classroom/Schoolroom – Tables are set in rows facing the presenter. This is the most popular setup for medium to large-size lectures. Having participants seated at tables gives them room to spread out and be able to easily take notes. Downside is that it requires a large space. Tables are typically 18″x72″ and will have 3 chairs per table. For large gatherings using a classroom setup, would definitely recommend utilizing staging for the presenter(s) so as to improve sight lines.
Theater – Chairs only, set in rows facing presenter. Ideal for large sessions, this setup maximizes the number of people that can fit in the space being used. It’s also a good setup to use before breaking out into discussion groups as the chairs can be easily moved.
Rounds – Room is set with round tables (5′ or 6′) and chairs. Generally used for meals and sessions involving small group discussion. Typically, 5′ tables will be set with 8 chairs and 6′ tables with 10 chairs.
This covers the primary room setup terms. Have we missed any? If so, please let us know and we’ll update the post.
Sign up to recieve new posts via email and you'll be automatically entered to win a 2 night stay at either Glorieta or Ridgecrest. Winners will be announced quarterly.
Request For Proposal
Interested in having your Christian meeting, event, or retreat at Ridgecrest or Glorieta?
