Optimizing the Meeting Experience by Attendee Type

Providing an exceptional meeting experience for attendees is the #1 priority for Executive Assistants (EAs) and meeting planners, according to our State of In–Person Meeting Planning report. But these days, people can “attend” meetings differently. 

Some attendees have to travel internationally or from other parts of the country to get there, some may live locally and make shorter journeys, whereas others simply join virtually. Each instance, or attendee type, requires a different kind of management from the meeting planner—so how do we make sure every attendee is getting that VIP attendee experience no matter how they’re joining? 

Categorizing Attendees

Different attendees will have different needs, especially when travel is involved. Streamline your planning by focusing on attendee groups with similar needs so you can tackle them together. Consider categorizing attendees into groups as such:

• International attendees: anyone flying from outside the country to the meeting.
• Out-of-town attendees: anyone flying within the country to the meeting.
• Local attendees: those who don’t need flights to join the meeting.
• Virtual attendees: those joining remotely via tele-conferencing.

Each of these groups will have different timelines and needs that impact your planning process.

A Clear View of Attendees and How They Will Join

To optimize your meeting experience for individual attendees, you must first have a holistic view of who is invited, whether or not they can make it, and how they will be joining. 

To do this effectively, make sure you’re communicating the proposed meeting dates far in advance, and require that all attendees respond with their availability and engagement-level by a specified date. This can be one of the more challenging parts of meeting planning, but it’s necessary to continue the planning process, so don’t be afraid to push for responses. 

While you could collect and organize this information manually, meeting planning tools like TROOP can simplify this process by allowing you to invite attendees and receive their RSVPs through the platform. You can then filter through attendees by their RSVP status and view all attendee availability and engagement details in one holistic view. 

Once you know who’s coming to the meeting and how, it’s then time to manage their meeting experiences accordingly.

Travel Logistics for Different Attendee Types

Attendees will require varying levels of support and planning depending on where they’re located and where they’re going. Knowing this information early on will help you understand which attendees need your attention first. 

International attendees: People traveling internationally will likely need your support earlier in the process. You’ll want to understand needed travel requirements long before the meeting takes place, including whether attendees have up-to-date visas, passports, and other required documentation. It’s a good idea to identify these requirements as soon as possible since government-related items can often take the most lead time and can limit a participant’s ability to attend a meeting altogether. 

Out-of-town attendees: In addition to considering international travelers’ requirements, you’ll want to encourage early flight booking for out-of-town attendees. Flight costs are more affordable when booked well in advance. Gather flight details from those who have booked, and don’t hesitate to send reminders to those who haven’t.

Virtual attendees: People attending virtually won’t need travel support, of course, but you can still make their access to the meeting as seamless as possible by being on top of communication, online invitations, RSVPs, and more.

TROOP can help you quickly identify and recommend flights for international and domestic travelers. TROOP searches through flight data to find the best options based on travel time, budget, policy, and arrival time for all of your traveling attendees. Additionally, it gives you a visual dashboard of arrival and departure times to help organize the meeting agenda and ground transportation. 

Accommodation for Different Attendee Types

Where people stay during the meeting is a key component of providing a great experience for attendees. 

Out-of-town and international attendees: Likely all traveling meeting attendees will need to secure accommodations for the meeting. Additionally, depending on flight schedules, some travelers may need an extra hotel room before or after the meeting (known as “shoulder nights”). If you’re securing room blocks, confirm check-in and check-out dates with attendees.

Local attendees: When you’re booking hotels, remember that it’s not only out-of-town attendees who might require accommodations. Whether your meeting runs over several days or some local attendees live farther away from your meeting venue, accommodation may be necessary for anyone attending in person. Be sure to ask all in-person attendees if they want or need help with accommodation booking.

TROOP makes it easy to track accommodation requirements. You can easily search for available hotels, estimate hotel costs, and keep track of the number of rooms required for all in-person attendees. 

Accessibility for Different Attendee Types

Whether people attend a meeting in person or virtually, accessibility is vital for any meeting to run smoothly. 

In-person attendees: Factor in physical accessibility at the meeting venue and accommodations for those who might need support (for example, elevator access, wheelchair accessible facilities, or other requirements).

Virtual attendees: Choose and set up the meeting venue with the proper visual and audio equipment, ensuring people online can properly hear, see what’s being presented, and be heard and seen by those attending in person. 

Local attendees: For anyone who may arrive by vehicle, provide details on where to park. And for those using public transport, select a venue with a nearby stop. 

Use TROOP to identify any special needs or requests from attendees. Attendees can update their profiles with accessibility requirements, dietary needs, and any other requests. Having this information top of mind helps planners accommodate everyone.

Communication Is Key for All Attendee Types  

No matter if an attendee is traveling from far away or joining remotely from their home, they all need to be kept thoroughly informed about important meeting details. Don’t forget that certain attendees will need different information than others, such as flight info or travel documentation, directions and route info, online invitations, or links to join the session. 

With a tool like TROOP, the ability to filter between attendee types means you have clear visibility of which attendees need what support, making your life easier! 

In Summary

While they might be attending the same session, each attendee’s meeting experience will invariably be unique. As an EA or meeting planner, it’s up to you to tailor each experience so that it runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible—no matter how they’re joining the meeting. 

Managing meeting attendees just got easier! Grab your copy of The Art of Attendee Management today—a comprehensive guide on how to make every attendee feel like a VIP.