Planners must be actively involved in staying ahead of the ever-changing process — shaping contracts and reading every clause, every line.

Planners face a host of legal issues as they plan and execute meetings. Here’s what industry legal experts say planners should understand.

There are many instances of short-term partnerships with suppliers that qualify as a success. A firm running an incentive trip, for example, may partner with a DMC at the destination, receive great service and never work with that supplier again — only because the firm never happened to repeat that destination. But the most salient examples of successful relationships with suppliers are those where the client receives great service over many meetings, i.e., the long-term partnership.

Planners wage a never-ending battle against Murphy’s Law, which says that what can go wrong probably will. That’s why it’s rare that events proceed completely flawless from beginning to end. Events typically can survive minor slip-ups, some of which attendees may not even notice. But big blunders can ruin an event or make attendees so […]

The state of the world has impacted meetings, travel and hospitality.

In any given year, the dynamics of contract negotiation are driven by the proverbial pendulum that swings back and forth between a seller’s market and a buyer’s market.

Get your best deal in concessions, attrition, cancellation, force majeure, fees and more.

What can planners do during a contract negotiation to meet their needs and their budget? Be flexible and pay careful attention to the issues that matter most.

Small meetings — those requiring approximately 10–100 guest rooms on peak night — are the bread and butter for many in-house planners in the insurance and financial industries.

Experts advise planners to send detailed electronic RFPs to a targeted list of properties for greater success.