Maximize Your Meetings: Creating a VIP Attendee Experience with Ease

When we asked EAs and planners what their top priorities in meeting planning were, we were a little surprised to learn that providing a great experience for attendees was number one, outranking coming in on budget and reducing travel time for attendees.

On the other hand, it makes sense that a great meeting experience is a planner’s top priority. Regardless of any meeting’s specific objectives, the ulterior goal of In-person meetings is to bring people together so that they can collaborate, solve problems, strengthen relationships, and achieve their goals. Providing a great experience for attendees helps ensure that they’ve made a good investment of their time, as well as the company’s resources.

It’s no wonder, then, that in our State of In-Person Meeting Planning 2024 report, EAs and meeting planners also said that communicating and coordinating with attendees is the most time-consuming element of the process.

Regular and consistent communication is the best way to create an optimal experience for the people traveling for offsites, board meetings, QBRs, and other small meetings. From the initial planning stages to post-meeting feedback, effective attendee management is crucial.

Here’s a few tips for how to ensure a great experience for your meeting attendees.

Understanding Attendee Management

Attendee management is a critical element of meeting planning. Attendee management involves coordinating the logistics that ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for those attending your meetings. This includes travel arrangements, accommodations, communication, and support during the meeting. A well-managed attendee experience can significantly enhance the overall success of your event.

Pre-Meeting Survey: Understanding Attendee Needs

One of the first steps in creating a great meeting experience is understanding your attendees' needs and preferences. Get the team involved in the planning process with a pre-planning survey. This can help with everything from finding the right destination, booking travel, meals, and agenda details. Poll attendees on what activities they’d like to do, dietary restrictions, airline preferences, loyalty program numbers, and give them the space to share any ideas they may have.

Here’s how to effectively use a pre-meeting survey:

1. Personalization: Tailor questions to gather specific information that will help you customize the travel experience for each attendee.
2. Preferences: Ask about preferred dates, airlines, loyalty programs, seating arrangements, accommodation types, and swag sizing.
3. Accessibility: Inquire about any special needs or accommodations to ensure all attendees are comfortable and catered to.
4. Dietary restrictions: Many people have unique dietary restrictions which are crucial to planning for catering, activities, and restaurants.
5. Open-ended feedback: It’s always good to leave space for attendees to share their feedback if they have something that doesn’t fit your other survey questions.

While it might be a challenge to get everyone to complete the survey, the effort pays off by making the planning process smoother and making attendees feel involved. Plus, you can save the results to streamline future surveys.

Travel Logistics: Finding the Right Venues and Transportation

How attendees get to the meeting and the meeting venue plays an important role in a meeting’s success. Ensuring the right venue will maximize attendee engagement and satisfaction.

Some planners are tasked with booking all travel arrangements for meeting attendees. Other times, planners recommend flights and hotels for attendees to book themselves. Here are some tips for both scenarios:

1. Planes, trains and automobiles: Depending on the location, you’ll have to identify which mode of transportation attendees will need. In a pre-meeting survey, you can ask for preferences including type of travel and airline preference. For those traveling via similar modes, try to coordinate arrival and departure times to make getting to and from the meeting more efficient.
2. Travel time: Total travel time can add up, especially when layovers are involved. Ensure each traveler has reasonable options to choose from that are in-policy. The less travel time required, the more alert and present attendees can be when in-session and with the team.
3. Remember the objective of the meeting when choosing a hotel: The accommodation could look very different if it’s for a board meeting versus a team retreat or celebration. Usually in-person meetings aim to balance business with team bonding. There are many unique venues that can accommodate the two purposes.
4. Practicalities of choosing accommodations: First, look to your travel and meeting policy for guidance on the type of lodging you should pick. Next, consider the accessibility of your stay options. Does it have the right amenities like a gym or restaurant? Is it walking distance to your meeting space, meals, and other activities? Is it in a safe neighborhood? Find a venue that is easy to get to, safe, and simple to move between locations as needed.

Timely Communications: Keeping Attendees Informed

Clear and timely communication is essential for a seamless travel experience. Keeping attendees informed at every stage of their journey helps reduce stress and ensures they are well-prepared. Here’s how to manage communications effectively:

1. Meeting brief: Provide a detailed itinerary well in advance, including flight details or booking guidelines, accommodation information, transportation arrangements, and meeting schedules.
2. Reminders: Send timely reminders about important dates, such as booking deadlines, travel times, and meeting start times.
3. Updates: Keep attendees updated on any changes to their itinerary or the meeting schedule. Use multiple channels (email, Slack, SMS) to ensure they receive the information.
4. Travel tips: Share useful travel tips, such as weather forecasts, local customs, and packing suggestions to help attendees prepare.

Promptly responding to any inquiries or concerns from attendees will help build trust and create a positive experience. Also, tailor the communications to the audience. The level of detail should differ when speaking to a well-traveled CEO versus a new corporate traveler.

Providing Support: Assistance During Travel

Even with the best planning, travel issues can arise. Meeting planners should stay proactive and anticipate potential challenges or issues that may arise during travel. By being prepared, providing support, and having contingency plans in place, meeting planners can quickly address any issues and minimize disruptions for attendees.

If possible, offer a 24/7 contact person who can assist with any travel-related issues, such as flight delays, cancellations, or lost luggage. Ensure all attendees have adequate travel insurance to cover unforeseen circumstances. Lastly, provide attendees with contact information for local services, such as hotel contacts, transportation, medical facilities, and embassy contacts if traveling internationally.

Collecting Feedback: Post-Meeting Insights

Collecting feedback from attendees after the meeting is crucial for continuous improvement. It helps you understand what worked well and what could be improved for future meetings. Here’s how to effectively collect and use feedback:

1. Post-meeting survey: Send a survey immediately after the meeting to capture fresh insights. Ask about their travel experience, accommodation, meeting content, and overall satisfaction.
2. Host a post-mortem: Once survey results are collected, share the results, your budget reconciliation, and key takeaways with the leadership team and key stakeholders. These learnings will be crucial for planning your next meeting.
3. Express gratitude: Thank attendees for their participation and feedback. Let them know how their input will be used to improve future meetings.

While you may be a pro at in-person meeting planning, there are always chances to improve upon your craft. Post-mortems are a great way to continue upleveling your planning skills.

Leveraging Technology: TROOP

Leveraging technology can streamline the attendee management process and enhance the overall experience. TROOP, for example, offers a comprehensive platform that simplifies in-person meeting planning, communication, and management. Here’s how TROOP can help:

1. Plan. Research and compare options for your meetup in minutes, to determine the right destination, flights, and accommodations based on dozens of datapoints.
2. Manage. Invite attendees, create agendas, estimate budgets, and never miss a task on your checklist.
3. Optimize. Save hours of research time and juggling between different spreadsheets or tools, using one consolidated platform.

Conclusion

Creating a great attendee travel experience for in-person meetings is essential for ensuring the success of your event. By understanding attendee needs, maintaining clear communication, providing support during travel, finding the right venues, and collecting feedback, executive assistants can effectively manage all aspects of attendee management.

For a more comprehensive guide on how to plan in-person meetings, check out our “Mastering Meetups: How to Plan In-Person Meetings Effectively” guide. From picking the ideal destination, managing travel logistics, estimating budgets to post-mortems, and everything in between, we’ve got you covered.

Leveraging technology like TROOP can further streamline the process, making it easier to provide a great experience for attendees. Remember, a well-managed travel experience not only reflects positively on the organization but also contributes to the overall success of you.