"Tips For Meeting Planners"
How to get the Best out of your Presenters
Most presenters will give you their best most of the time regardless of circumstances and conditions. However, you can guarantee that they give you their very best "every time" by simply paying attention to the details in three important areas. These are:
1. "Star" treatment
2. Creature comforts
3. Technical requirements
Whether you have hired a mega celebrity to headline your conference or an industry speaker to do a breakout session for no fee, each is still your "guest" speaker and each should be accorded the same courtesy and attention as you would towards an honored guest in your home.
Here are some pointers to help your presenters give your group their very best. You'll also find a Presenter's Checklist in the checklist section.
1. Welcome Letter
Start the "star treatment" at the very outset. As soon as the contracts are signed, send “welcome-aboard” letters to all of the presenters who will be appearing at your conference. Thank them for accepting the assignment and don’t be afraid to be effusive about how excited you and your group are about the contribution they will be making to your meeting. Let them know that you look forward to making them as comfortable as possible and that you wish to assist in any way to assure the success of their programs. Try to personalize each letter as much as possible.
Some speaker bureaus are reluctant to relinquish presenters’ phone numbers and addresses. Although we at Eagles Talent Connection take seriously our responsibilities as liaisons between meeting planners and presenters, we encourage direct communication between them.
2. Stay in Touch
Follow up your initial welcome letter with continuing correspondence. Convey to your presenters that they are important to you. You’ll want to assure them that their sleeping room reservations have been made, that ground transportation has been arranged, who their contact person is upon arrival, and who has been assigned as their host while at the convention site. You’ll want to extend invitations to social functions, request photos and program descriptions for your program guides and ask for a written introduction for use by your MC. Finally, you’ll need to do a final check on the audio/visual requirements of the presenter to make sure you’ve got it straight.
When a presenter is booked through Power Performers, we make it our business to stay in constant touch with both you and the presenter until well after your conference is over.
3. Mailing List
Include your presenters on your meeting or convention mailing list. This way you'll be sure they receive all of the promotional materials that are sent out prior to the convention. Information about your organization such as annual reports, newsletters, brochures, and organizational magazines may prove helpful in assisting your speakers to tailor and personalize their presentation to your needs.
4. Pre-Program Questionnaire
Your Power Performers program consultant will ask, when it's appropriate, that a Pre-Program Questionnaire be filled out by the meeting planner or a knowledgeable member of your staff. These questionnaires are designed to give the presenter a feel for your audience and a clear understanding of your objectives. They also are extremely useful in helping speakers tailor their presentations to your specific audience.
5. Telephone Visit
At Power Performers, we encourage presenters and meeting planners to telephone one another at least two weeks before the engagement. Hearing each other’s voices is reassuring to both parties. During the phone visit, you can reiterate your excitement about the presenter appearing at your meeting. Take a few minutes to go over the questionnaire, answer any questions and let the presenter know what is expected. Also, reconfirm arrival time and airport pickup arrangements, and discuss audio/visual and technical requirements if you need to.
6. A/V and Technical Requirements
Hopefully, you checked on your presenter’s technical needs prior to signing the contract, to make sure they were feasible. Upon signing the contract, we recommend that you order both, verbally and in writing, the appropriate audio/visual and other technical equipment, and get a confirmation in writing. Also be sure to recheck and reconfirm your order no later than one week prior to the engagement and again the day before.
Once the A/V and the tech are set up in the meeting room, don’t assume it works. Personally test it no later than one hour and again ten minutes before the presentation. (Use the A/V and presenter’s checklist in the checklist section)
7. Presenter’s Sleeping Room
It is usually best to reserve the presenter’s sleeping room as soon as the contract is signed. The location of the room is important. Most presenters prefer their rooms to be located as close as possible to the meeting room insuring easy access for props, forgotten items, and attention to last minute details. If you can get them pre-registered, so much the better, allowing you to simply hand the presenter their room key upon arrival. Guarantee the room for possible late arrival and request that the hotel forward a written confirmation to both you and the presenter.
Should the presenter’s program be scheduled for late morning or afternoon, be sure to arrange for a “late checkout.” Most hotels are extremely accommodating. If you are paying for the presenter’s room and meals, be sure the hotel knows to automatically post those charges directly to your organization’s master account. This expedites checkout and avoids unnecessary paperwork and billing.
8. Gift Basket
Everybody loves a little something extra. Make your presenters feel special by having a small welcoming basket of fruit or a small platter of cheese with crackers waiting in each presenter’s room upon arrival. Any one of a dozen token gifts would do: a small box of chocolates, a locally printed T-shirt or even an ice bucket with spring water. Add a personalized handwritten welcoming note. Small thoughtful gestures create warm feelings.
9. Social Functions and Meals
Extend an invitation to all of your presenters to join you for social functions and meals. Be very specific about where and when these functions are taking place. Offer to personally meet them at a specific place and time. Or arrange to have someone on your staff act as an escort. Even celebrities and seemingly extroverted speakers and entertainers are sometimes uncomfortable walking into a social setting full of strangers. Although you'll want to do all you can to host and entertain your presenters, be sure to do it in such a way that they can easily and politely decline if they want to.
10. Invite The Partner
Should your presenter be accompanied by a spouse or traveling companion don’t forget to invite them both to your social functions.
11. Assign A Host
A presenter’s life on the road is not at all glamorous. It can be tough, tiring, and lonely. A little TLC is always very much appreciated and goes a long way to endearing a presenter to you and your organization. It will make your presenters feel special and cared for if there is someone waiting to greet them when they arrive at the hotel. Since you probably won't have the time, assign someone else to do it. The presenter's host will represent you as their personal escort and attendant during their entire stay.
Arrange to have your presenters pre-registered so they can be taken right up to their rooms without having to register. Have their convention packet and nametags ready to hand them. The host should be able to explain the meeting agenda, tell them about what's already happened and what's coming up, and invite them to the social functions. Names, room numbers, and beeper extensions of persons they can get in touch with if needed should be made available.
Your presenter’s host should be available to show your presenter around and introduce them to the leaders and other key people with whom they might be working. Have them check out the meeting room and test the A/V equipment. Give your host a copy of the Presenter’s Host Checklist (provided in the checklist section) to guide them in following through with their assignment.
12. Pre-check Everything
Don’t take anything for granted. Never assume that just because you ordered something, it’s automatically done. Always re-check and reconfirm everything. Personally check that the speaker’s reservation has been confirmed and that the hotel has a room waiting for your guest. Reconfirm all the little but important details such as airport pick-up and A/V requirements. That’s why the checklists in the checklist section are so useful. Use them, print and duplicate them, highlight items that are important to you.
