Fifteen Ways to Save Money on Your Next
Meeting or Conference
Hotel Costs
1. Schedule your meeting
for a downtime in the week or year.
2. Allow no one but
yourself to sign bills or authorize charges.
3. Negotiate conference
rate for guest rooms (don't pay "rack" rate).
4. Negotiate for
"comp" (complimentary) room rate for guest rooms used (going rate is
1/50/night).
5. Ask lots of questions.
Get any negotiated points in writing (hotel sales representatives change
often).
6. Guarantee the lowest
number you can for any meal, sometimes fewer than you expect.
7. Always order house
brands in liquor.
8. Order a minimum of hors
d'oeuvres for receptions and be ready to supplement with quickly prepared
additions if that is possible or allowable.
Speaker Costs
9. When appropriate, don't
offer to pay speakers an honorarium or travel costs until asked. Many
organizations will pay their staffs' costs as a promotional effort or
contribution. Give them a simple gift instead.
10. Offer speakers exposure
rather than money. Get them on TV; introduce them to community leaders or
possible clients.
11. Avoid panels; they
seldom work, and they multiply costs fast.
Meeting Costs
12. Split costs by having a
joint meeting with one or more sponsoring groups or departments.
13. Allow two months for
anything that needs to be printed, so you won't have to pay a premium to get it
done at the eleventh hour.
14. Take your own A-V
equipment with you if the site is nearby or if possible rather than renting it
(unless it does not cost extra and if you know how to run it).
15. Once registration is
over, send your extra staff "helpers" back to the office. You only
need them to get things started.
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Created January 1, 2009
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