< PreviousOvercome Any Hurdles by Being Properly Prepared I magine this: On the eve of one of the largest events you have orchestrated in recent months, you receive a call from the caterer, who is in tears because their refrigera- tion system has failed, and the food they have prepared for tomorrow’s event is ruined. What do you do? With the right contingency plan in place, you should be able to quickly move to Plan B. Predicting the outcome of an event is like forecasting the weather: You think you know what’s going to happen — then it doesn’t. Unforeseen circumstances and non-evaluated risks are inherent components of the meetings and events indus- try. In fact, many of these inherent risks — if left unidentified, unchecked and unexplored — can make or break your ability to effectively handle crises when they occur. Common Problems Let’s face it: You can’t plan for everything. Jessica Con- nolly, director of global events at Hubilo Technologies Inc., says natural disasters, health scares — such as the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, political issues, employee shortages or keynote speakers not showing up, are just some of the crises that occur frequently within the meeting and events arena. “The health and safety of your attendees must always be the top priority. When you know your event may be impacted, make an educated decision on the next steps to take,” Connolly says. You must first understand what is happening — are there governmental rules and regulations in place? Monitor the situ- ation constantly and get your team in place by keeping them informed of what may come and what their tasks are to exe- cute. Create a risk assessment to include attendee impact, busi- ness impact and internal staff impact. Review this with your stakeholders to make a well-informed and educated decision. Sometimes, you need to make quick decisions during a crisis. Remain calm — if you lose your cool and make a rash decision, it may backfire on you. Connolly advises fellow meeting plan- ners to prepare for unexpected things to happen, things that are out of your control. Be agile and flexible, and work closely with your team to provide the best outcome for your attendees. Experts also agree that not recognizing a crisis in its early stages is the most common mistake meeting and event PLANNER TIPS // CrisisManagement 30 December 2022 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.complanners make. React quickly and decisively, and most times your attendees will never know there was a situation. Always put together an emergency/contingency plan. And remember, the best contingency plan is the one you don’t have to use. “Not all crises are so major. Things like a broken A/C can irritate attendees who are suddenly feeling hot and suffo- cated. Your keynote speaker could not show up,” Connolly says. “Dealing with these things are stressful, but have great communication with your venue staff. This is important when you are selecting the venue for the event.” Also ask the venue’s team how they deal with these types of crises. And for all of your event sessions, have a Plan B as part of your event pre-planning. The idea is to plan for a speaker not showing up, or a presentation or video not work- ing. “These things happen. Be ready for them so you manage through the stress a little easier,” Connolly says. Erin Mills, CEO and founder of Strat House and a more than 20-year veteran of event planning for companies such as Viacom, McDonald’s, Shopify and many others, stresses that health and safety have been first and foremost on the minds of everyone in the events world. “Since 2020, we have to continuously plan for and consider COVID protocols, vac- cination requirements, compliance with health regulations on local, regional, state and national levels, as well as our cli- ent policies and procedures — it’s a long list,” Mills says. But another emerging issue is how to smoothly return to in-person events after so long away. As Mills explains, there are so many dynamics at play in the return to in-person events. What is the level of risk planners take by going 100% in-person? What are the social anxiety levels of attendees after so long away? How has an attendee’s ability to participate responsibly in person changed since they last gathered? How depleting and exhausting will attendees find gathering physically to be when they are largely used to remote-work settings, and how do plan- ners ensure they aren’t contributing to that exhaustion? “Before COVID, there were a host of issues of course — weather, technical snafus, missing speakers — but the safest and most productive planners realize early in their careers that very little is in their control,” Mills says. “As before, a good rule of thumb or best practice is to prepare for everything you possibly Being Properly Prepared BY MAURA KELLER agement TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | December 2022 31can in advance. Once you arrive on-site, you will be met with surprise, opposition and challenge, and that’s the beauty. You don’t know exactly what will happen, and this can result in incredible magic for your clients and for those attending.” Adele Cehrs, CEO of the Convincing Company, has taught crisis communications and business at Princeton, Cornell, George Mason and Georgetown universities. Cehrs says the best event planners know that something always goes wrong. The most experienced and prepared planners in the industry have a well-mapped-out plan to deal with everything from speaker cancellations, COVID-19 outbreaks, mean tweets and social media posts to hotel issues, food-borne illnesses, assaults and even deaths. The trouble with most crisis plans Cehrs sees is they are often outdated and ill equipped to handle modern-day-event planner crises that are bound to occur. And while updated policies and procedures may help, they are just a guide, and should be used with careful consideration. “These policies are often written by the executive or legal team in a vacuum before the issue occurs at the event. Often- times, they don’t take into account how to message an issue or what to say to attendees,” Cehrs says. “They rarely think of how to handle the court of public opinion, which will largely fall on the shoulders of an already-overwhelmed event plan- ner. To avoid this fate, crisis templates, frameworks and strat- egies are available and should be tailored to their audiences in advance so they aren’t caught off guard. Be sure to ask to be part of these strategic planning discussions.” Steps to Take Let’s start with the basics: “look books” denoting who’s who, security boards detailing credential requirements, proper site plans with evacuation routes, escalation proce- dures, having a security detail and medical personnel on-site. “This may sound like Event Planning 101 — because it is. Risk management begins with fundamentals,” Connolly says. “But the fundamentals alone are not sufficient to protect you. You have to have the right team, with the right level of experience and an ‘appetite-for-risk’ mindset.” It should come as no surprise that assessment is the first step toward crisis resolution. You must consider all stake- holders involved in the event and the level of impact the cri- sis will have on them. Other steps to take include: • Have a plan for medical emergencies (first), shelter (second) and food and water (third). This will give you time to handle the other aspects of the crisis more efficiently. • In most instances, facilities, hotels and other ven- ues have emergency plans in place for evacuation, medical emergencies and weather. Knowing these plans in advance is more than a good idea — it’s your job as a planner. • Remain flexible, as some inexperienced event pro- ducers may get caught up with the problem and lose focus on the answer. Remember, be ready for anything. • Safety first. Search for any obstacles that can cause injury. Have emergency numbers always handy. Also, look for possible problems when on-site, such as candles having been moved or burning down to a point of being a fire hazard. • Familiarize yourself with evacua- tion plans of the facility. Long before the event is to be held, ask for the facility manager or owner to send you their evacu- ation plans. You and your team should thoroughly study the plans so that, in case of an emergency, you can escort the event attendees by using the desig- nated evacuation route, quickly and safely. There are so many potentially unwanted outcomes in the meetings and events business. Connolly says that being skilled enough to plan whatever you can in advance with all contingencies in place is important. “And though it may sound strange, I think a ‘healthy-distrust’ mindset will help you grapple with any crisis that may happen within the event you’re planning,” Connolly says. “Why? Because having the understanding that everyone you are working with is human, and therefore things will go wrong, folks will make mistakes, and that a lot of what will happen will likely be out of your control, will ensure that you are thinking more competitively and that you have a back-up plan for when things go awry.” Another way to prepare is to get to know your audience. Connolly says planners should ensure the event registration process captures important information, including dietary restrictions, accessibility needs and even pronoun prefer- ences, so you can provide for the safest experience possible, physically and psychologically. Other questions to consider are: Have you fully contem- plated the health and safety of your guests in such a way that you are minimizing the chances of an actual crisis once the event is underway? Have you thought through all issues around accessibility — and not just physical accessibility? Have you planned to accommodate attendees with neurodi- versity issues who may be sensorially challenged? Another important part of thwarting risk is ensuring you properly vet all event content in advance. Require your speakers Courtesy of Erin Mills Virtual and hybrid meetings come with their own set of possible problems. 32 December 2022 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comto do table reads, outlines and share their slides or other content in advance to ensure you are philosophically aligned. “Also, don’t fall into a ‘the-show-must-go-on mental trap. When met with adversity, it’s OK to pause, reassess and recon- sider plans entirely, versus plowing through, as was done for years,” Connolly says. “Lastly, don’t just have ‘a’ contingency plan. Often one is not enough. Expect multiple challenges and have multiple solutions at the ready. Having a Plan C and D may sound superfluous, and in the best-case scenario, you don’t need them, but you will have them there just in case.” Proper training is paramount to ensuring a meeting planner weathers any event or meeting crisis. How your on-the-ground staff deals with risk is often going to be the most important fac- tor in ensuring no problem with crisis-management scenarios. “Often risk is never realized because it is intercepted by skilled event teams who know how to troubleshoot in real time, and who have been thoroughly trained,” Connolly says. She advises planners to ask themselves: Does my team have adequate context about the event, the audience(s), the goals and objectives? Do they know enough about the pro- duction at large to effectively solve a problem that may arise? Have they been spun through an FAQ? Have they seen the marketing material or attendee communications? “Too often, producers keep details on a ‘need-to-know basis,’ which does little for the team assembled. Instead, treat them like a stakeholder and a guest all at once,” Connolly says. “This creates vested ambassadors for the experience you’re producing, and for your clients themselves by sharing and communicating properly with your team.” Cehrs adds that, although unfair, meeting planners are sometimes the last to know if there is a crisis going on because they are mired in logistics. Not knowing what’s happening makes it harder for meeting professionals to manage issues, and that can quickly spiral out of control. “Many times, the marketing and communications departments work in silos and don’t communicate issues to the meeting planner about things that could negatively impact the event,” Cehrs says. “Having a process in place for open and honest communica- tions between departments can make all the difference. This requires a pre-planned letter to coordinate with the depart- ment heads in advance of the meeting or event.” Crisis Management in the Virtual World As more events offer a hybrid option, the chances of crises emerging within the virtual world is growing. Most often for virtual events, the crises revolved around technical issues. Did your speakers lose their Wi-Fi? Did your technology fail? Connolly says if your speakers lose their Wi-Fi connec- tion, most may have a back-up solution of using cellular data to call in and participate. “Others may not, so have that back- up plan of a “holding” slide in your presentation, or a rock star host who can jump in and talk for a few minutes while you get organized,” Connolly says. “Most importantly, you want to partner with a tech provider that you trust, a sup- port team that will have your back and help you through any challenges during the live event.” During any virtual event, Connolly recommends plan- ners have skilled content moderators attending to the live chat and other real-time engagement mechanisms. Ensure they have pre-scripted talking points to steer conversations in the right direction, and a clear escalation protocol in place to deal with any unwelcome commentary. “For virtual events in particular, everyone’s inclination is to mitigate technical risk — to create redundancies for dropped internet, plans for botched livestreams, solves for the poor tech of at-home presenters, etc.,” Connolly says. “While this is all important, it’s an incredibly short-sighted definition of risk, boiling it down to just the technical aspects of a virtual event. Event producers need to be as concerned with people fails as they are technical fails.” That’s why Connolly stresses that planners need to under- stand that their job as producers is the psychological safety and well-being of attendees, serving them across many dimen- sions of diversity and providing access and inclusivity to all aspects of their events. The nature of virtual events, and the ability for participants to hide behind avatars and aliases, makes them inherently riskier than [live] events, relative to psychological safety. “To that end, I strongly encourage a clear code of conduct to be established and socialized in advance of — and again, during — a virtual event,” Connolly says. Indeed, Cehrs points out that people are becoming more comfortable and can sometimes make inappropriate com- ments or ask difficult questions that can be seen by all attend- ees if not property managed. “The ‘work-from-home’ lifestyle has made some people more isolated, and it can be triggering for attendees who ask questions and don’t get responses,” Cehrs says. “To account for this, make sure each question is accounted for, and if not answered in the virtual setting, follow-up after the event is concluded.” C&IT TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | December 2022 33 Often risk is never realized because it is intercepted by skilled event teams who know how to troubleshoot in real time, and who have been thoroughly trained. JESSICA CONNOLLY, Director of Global Events, Hubilo Technologies Inc.T here is no going back to 2019. Unfortunately, that is the reality the meetings industry must accept. In-person meetings came to a halt, meeting planners were forced to pivot to vir- tual events — and nothing has been the same. “We had an in-person meeting in Septem- ber, and our attendance was good, but not great. The glory days of pre-COVID-19 are not coming back quickly,” says Naomi Romanchok, CMP, events manager at AFOP, an orga- nization that represents farmworkers. “There are those who are still skittish about attending a conference. International is not coming back to where it was, especially as it has been proven it is possible to participate via Zoom and other platforms. Industries like gaming and tech that can easily meet remotely realized they don’t have to pack suitcases and get on airplanes.” Room blocks have changed since 2019 as well. “We can’t block as we did in 2019. Will they show, won’t they show, are they still in business? These are prevailing questions.” Budgets are not back, either. Romanchok says that could be felt at the recent IMEX America event in Las Vegas. “No one was handing out swag as they did in the past. Everyone is rethinking everything they are doing.” Travel has returned, and people are meeting face-to-face, but the option to attend events remotely is still being offered in the form of hybrid events. “Planners have learned they can reach a new audience and bring in new revenue with hybrid and virtual events. They have also leveled the playing field. Conferences can be elitist. They are expensive to get to, and it is not possible for everybody to get away from responsibilities,” says Lee Gimpel, founder and principal of Better Meetings. However, a sense of optimism prevails regarding in-per- son meetings and events. According to the American Express 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, two-thirds of its survey respondents are very optimistic, with two-thirds expecting the number of in-person events to return to pre- pandemic levels within one to two years. Also, pent-up demand made 2022 a big year for meetings and events — but questions remain. “Was this year’s bounce back real, or just based on an excessive desire to be together? Will that wear off, and the combination of expenses and lesser experiences make people think about necessity?” asks Marty Glynn, CEO of MAD Event Management LLC. “Is networking or content the real priority?” Another continued tendency is short booking windows, with lead times 25% shorter than in 2019. “We are experiencing many events coming up last minute,” says Angela DiPasquale, senior production coordinator at Eventique. “There seems to be fear about COVID picking up and other uncontrolled variables. Large-scale corporate gatherings are being booked with one- to three-week windows. Plus, these last-minute bookings are super aware of cancellation policies. They are reading their contracts more than ever, and want it spelled out what will happen if an event must cancel.” Remote Work and Other Trends Remote work has also affected the meetings and events industry. According to data company Ladders, 25% of all professional jobs will be remote by the end of the year, with remote opportunities increasing through the end of 2023. According to Ladders, this is the most significant societal change in the U.S. since the end of World War II. Now that SEISMIC SHIFT INDUSTRY INSIGHT // There is No Back-to-Normal Scenario as a New Normal Prevails BY KATHY MONTE 34 December 2022 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comteams are globally dispersed, meet- ings and events take on added importance. A ho-hum gath- ering in a drab conference room will no longer suffice. Other changes in the post-pandemic meet- ings industry include an emphasis on sustain- ability, as well as diver- sity, equity and inclu- sion (DE&I). According to the American Express 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, four in five respondents say their organization considers sus- tainability when planning meet- ings and events. Not to be overlooked, contracts are forever changed. Attorney Mark Roysner emphasizes the importance of not agreeing to unreasonable or unilateral contract terms that solely favor the hotel or otherwise contractually lock a meeting profes- sional in with penalties or unanticipated financial liability risks. “We just came through a pandemic, and are now deal- ing with political uncertainty throughout the country,” he says. “Which, in a number of cases, has rapidly affected orga- nizations’ policy-making and site-selection decisions, along with skyrocketing event production and promotional costs and unprecedented weather issues.” Contracts must also evolve according to the times we live. For instance, venue and other staffing shortages are a reality. “Are you putting in terms to get the service you need?” Roysner asks. “What should be reviewed, modified or included in organizers’ contracts to reduce exposure to liability and risks?” A successful contract is bilateral, Roysner says. He adds it is also imperative to thoroughly review all contracts with a fine-toothed comb. Make sure you have spelled out and consistently use terms such as event dates, show dates, peak room nights and even attendee. He recommends taking it one step further by defining these terms. Finally, he stressed the importance of writing your own contract, as it gives you a roadmap of the issues that are most important to you. Blending of Events and Community Another emerging trend is meetings and conferences as part of a broader marketing initiative. “In many cases, they are becoming part of a bigger strategy, and the event is being extended before and after it has happened, and it is stitched into a community platform,” Gimpel says. “It can also be a follow-up event a few weeks later to get everyone talking about what happened at the conference. This extends the value of the event, plus a community endures for the whole year. A two-day community event can be fuel in the fire of a 365-days-a-year community.” Pent-up demand resulted in meetings where seem- ingly everyone was thrilled just to be gathering. Net- working, building cama- raderie and spending time together face-to-face are what people crave today. “Attendees are less tolerant of utilitarian events that don’t offer any experience and, thus, no compelling argument to be at the event in-person,” Gimpel says. “Attendees are more likely to ask, ‘Is the experience significantly different if I show up in person versus simply watching it on a screen at home?’ If the answer is no, people are likelier to veto the time away, the travel, the expense and the general hassle. It’s harder to sell attendees on the necessity of flying to a city just to stay at a hotel by the airport, watch some pre- sentations, and then fly home.” Increased Costs a Reality Members Inc., an event management company, is see- ing three challenges in the post-pandemic events world: spikes in the price of ground transportation, hikes in the price of temp staffing and skyrocketing A/V costs. And these increased costs are not going away. Some think companies are trying to compensate for losses they experienced dur- ing the pandemic. Plus, many companies didn’t survive the pandemic, straining the supply chain and pushing prices up. The hotel industry has been slow to recover, says Gary Brown, president, and Karen Brown, chief experiential offi- cer at Members, Inc. They described an event held at a five- star hotel in Florida in September where housekeeping was spotty, restaurants were closed and the hotel had removed coffee makers from the rooms, which led to a line snak- ing out the door of the coffee shop in the lobby that didn’t open until 7 a.m. “Labor rates have gone up, and resources are scarce,” Gary Brown says. “Take A/V — there has been a 30% jump, and we are not seeing it go down.” Also, planners have noticed it is taking longer hours to navigate this new reality. “Costs across the board are up,” Karen Brown says. “We are the ducks paddling like crazy under the surface so these increases don’t impact our attend- ees’ registration fees. We are negotiating harder and more strategically like never before, and doing what we can to keep the production and levels the same to give our clients the experience they’ve come to expect from us without increas- ing their costs.” C&IT Marty Glynn, CEO of MAD Event Management LLC, wonders if this year’s bounce back is real, or will things cool off in the next year? C o u r t e s y o f M a r t y G l y n n TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | December 2022 35Family- Friendly Meetings Offer Extra Appeal M any organizations often choose to include attendees’ family members at meetings, whether or not they’re included in official functions. Incen- tives easily lend themselves to family- friendly gatherings, but even corporate meetings focused squarely on business can benefit by allow- ing attendees to bring family along, creating an easy way for employees to enjoy family vacation time before or after meetings. That can give employees an increased sense of work-life balance, and perhaps increase meeting atten- dance at the same time. Bucket-List Destinations In-person meetings of all kinds decreased over the past couple of years, but they’re coming back strong, includ- ing those that welcome families. “We see family incentives rebounding strongly,” says Amy Pfeiffer, director, convention sales & services, Disney Destinations. “Many companies have not been able to reward their incentive winners and employ- ees with travel experiences for two years, so they’re eager to restart these programs. The pandemic helped refocus people’s priorities on family, so we expect ‘bleisure travel’ to continue growing in the months ahead.” Walt Disney World Resort and its theme parks are uniquely poised to meet this demand with their proven track records in motivating top performers and their status as bucket-list destinations for families across the globe. “Regardless of the Disney destination they choose,” Pfeiffer says, “incentive planners know their programs will be flawlessly executed and unforgettable experiences for their attendees.” Ron Black, director of human resources for Southern Pipe & Supply Company Inc., last year brought multiple Time Together INDUSTRY INSIGHT // BY CHRISTINE LOOMIS 36 December 2022 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.comprograms to Walt Disney World Resort. A Champion’s Club event for top store managers and a President’s Club event for top salespeople were held at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, with 225 and 240 attendees, respectively. A Chairman’s Weekend event for top customers took place with 250 attendees at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Resort. Black says some invitees chose to put off travel a bit longer, but that overall attendance was up. “Those who did attend brought more family with them,” he says. Last year’s meetings were part of a rotation. The three main recognition programs noted are at Disney World every five years. In the interim years, they’re at other Southeast- ern U.S. resorts. “We allow and encourage invitees to bring immedi- ate family,” Black says. The company’s recognition events are “100% fun and family,” and everything from the welcome event to the closing event includes all attend- ees and families. Disney World is an obvious choice for a gathering, Black says. The company selects Disney World because of its family appeal and the excitement it creates within the employees. Black acknowledges that planning a family event is more complex than a couples’ retreat, which some of the incentive programs are. “Travel, menus, activities and entertainment are more complex. However, in our case, it helps that we are connected to the families.” Given that family is a core value of the company, these meetings are important. “We refer to our employees as ‘fam- ily members.’ Allowing family to attend is another extension of the Southern Pipe family and an important part of building stronger relationships across the company,” Black says. “For example, our family members from Georgia develop relation- ships with our families from Louisiana. We began this strat- egy with our main recognition events in 2006. Family is a key component of our culture.” Ideal for Groups With Families Great Wolf Lodges are also ideal for programs that include family. With 19 lodges from North Carolina and Georgia, to California and Washington, and multiple states in between, as well as Canada, they’re especially ideal for groups that book multiple events across multiple regions. Carrie Laparry, senior travel buyer, Maritz Global Events, assists with some 300 regional meetings throughout North America for one of her corporate clients. After canceling 2020 and 2021 meetings, the group was back to in-person meetings in the summer. Laparry cites collaboration, social interaction, creating relationships within a region, team building and quality family time among the positives of regional family-friendly meetings. As part of the events, the company contracts rooms specifically for attendees’ children, separating them into age groups so the kids can enjoy age-appropriate playtime and games. Other than the awards dinner, families are welcomed at all breakfasts and dinners. “They have afternoons to do as they wish,” Laparry says. “And sometimes the regional leader will arrange off-site activities as well.” As for Great Wolf Lodges, Laparry says, “GWL typically fits within our budget, and with the number of regions across the U.S. that we currently have, the lodges work well.” Not surprisingly, Great Wolf’s water parks are a major hit. “The water parks are a huge draw for our regions as they keep the kids happy, which in turn makes for happy parents.” © Disney Family-friendly meetings and events are known to boost employee satisfaction. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | December 2022 37Easy to Include Families The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a superb choice for upscale groups that include families with children as well as couples looking for quality time. The highly regarded historic resort is able to provide exactly what both groups want. “What sets The Broadmoor apart from other properties, aside from its elegance and history, are its many activities and amenities,” says M.H., meeting event manager for a global consulting firm. “A visitor could stay an entire week and still not have time to participate in everything the resort has to offer its guests. For families, there’s plenty to keep children occupied, yet it doesn’t feel like an exclusively fam- ily resort to couples who want to relax and unwind.” Including family at meetings, M.H. says, helps with pro- gram goals such as “reconnecting and making new connec- tions, fellowship and allowing loved ones to get a glimpse into the business.” The global firm hosted its recent Travel Award Program with approximately 150 guests in each of four waves at the Broadmoor this summer. M.H. says COVID-19 did not have a lasting effect on registration, pointing out that attendance, including family members, was the same as that of pre-pan- demic meetings. At this program, all meal functions included all family members and guests, and the company arranges meetings, meals and child care. “Having a domestic destination allows for our guests with children to travel with more ease,” M.H. says. “That, along with the natural beauty of Colorado and the service at the resort, makes choosing The Broadmoor a no-brainer.” In terms of meeting facilities and services, “The resort offers plenty of meeting space, FedEx offices and in-house A/V partners that make it easy for us to host our meeting,” M.H. says. “Family amenities include babysitting services, plenty of outdoor family-friendly activities and even indoor entertainment such as a bowling alley and movie theater.” When it comes to providing everything children and par- ents might need at a meeting, M.H. has this suggestion: “My biggest piece of advice for family-friendly meeting planning is to look at what is needed for a family from sunup to sundown,” she says. “This might include special meals due to dietary restrictions, additional bedding and cribs, as well as plenty of activities to keep children entertained. With children, simply hosting a group dinner with food and music is not enough.” Balance is the Key The meetings team at LinkedIn manages four to eight events each year, including three annual, regionally based incentive programs. In early spring, a group of 325 met at the Conrad Punta de Mita in Riviera Nyarit, Mexico. Location, airlift, ease of access, cost and quality of lodg- ing were all factors in the decision to meet at Conrad Punta de Mita, says Aline Whitman, CMP, senior manager, global events, at LinkedIn. Additionally, having the exclusivity of the resort was definitely a positive. The fact that family mem- bers would be attending didn’t affect the decision. Like other planners, Whitman has been faced with pandemic-related challenges over the past couple of years. “COVID definitely had an impact,” she says. “Unfortunately, we had to cancel our 2020 events. Then we had to postpone our 2021 events from fall 2021 to March 2022.” Whitman says including family members can definitely complicate the planning process, however. “One simple exam- ple: On the day we have our scheduled activities, we’re unable to include children in any of the activity options. This often means we need to shuffle times and appointments to ensure that one parent is able to be with the kid(s) while the other participates in his or her chosen activity, and vice versa.” Whitman adds that her team does try to provide helpful information to parents. “We work with the resort to gather all information about kids’ clubs or babysitting services avail- able. We then share that with our attendees, but they make their own arrangements.” In terms of advice to planners who may be considering a meeting with family in attendance, Whitman says find- ing balance is key. “We’ve found a good balance of being family-friendly so that those who choose to bring their chil- dren are able to do so, but those who do not [or do not have children] don’t feel they’re getting less than anyone else. It’s also important to clearly communicate all parameters in advance,” she says. “If details are shared in advance and there are no surprises [on either side], it helps make it a bet- ter experience for everyone.” A Different Spin Kalahari Resorts is another hospitality brand where families and meetings converge. “We’re experiencing a very healthy recovery in meetings and conventions,” says Kyra Popp, corporate director of sales, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions. “The chasm between work and life got closer during the pandemic. With a remote workforce, companies became more accepting and connected on a personal level. Our family-friendly resorts offer a natural transition back to in-person events.” She adds, “We’re definitely seeing corpo- rations and associations embrace and promote the amenities available for the entire family at Kalahari. With water park passes included in guest room rates, Kalahari offers a perfect Courtesy of Ron Black Southern Pipe & Supply Co. focuses on family for its meetings. 38 December 2022 | Corporate & Incentive Travel | TheMeetingMagazines.complatform for productive business, and at the same time, offers a perk that the attendee’s entire family can benefit from.” Ann Elizabeth Christensen, of Houston-based Ace Events, worked on the late winter Scots Mining Conference at Kalahari’s Round Rock, Texas property. She says she can- not say enough positive about the resort. “The entire team was invaluable to me as an event planner going to a new city and a new resort with a new conference.” The property, about 20 miles north of Austin, opened in November 2020, yet was unknown to Christensen and many attendees. But Christensen says some attendees have already booked vacation stays there as a result of the conference. Although a global meeting dedicated to bitcoin doesn’t seem like a natural for a family-friendly event, the goal was always to set this event apart from other industry conferences. “Including family was purposeful from the start,” Chris- tensen says. “That’s why it was set at Kalahari, an ideal venue and location that gave the conference a different spin than other bitcoin conferences. About 25% of the nearly 1,000 attendees brought children, but we heard from many attend- ees that next year they’ll definitely make the conference part of a family vacation.” Kalahari’s family amenities were a huge hit, especially, Christensen says, the 228,000-sf water park. While children weren’t allowed in any business sessions, the group used almost every aspect of the resort for both business and free time. “We used every available restaurant on the property for functions or sponsored dinners, and companies also used them to entertain clients and employees,” she says. “The resort’s 12-lane bowling alley was the site of a large sponsor party. There was a lot of camaraderie and networking outside of the traditional meeting space and day because of all the amenities, activities and ven- ues at the resort. All of this kept people on the campus so that networking was ongoing, even during family time.” The group booked the larger lower level of the resort’s conference center and used the 40,000-sf Kilimanjaro Ball- room and all breakout rooms. “Even though there was also a group upstairs, we were not impacted at all,” Christensen says. “We got amazing attention. The staff was always avail- able, pleasant and professional. Any issues were imme- diately resolved.” As a new conference, Christensen says they were unsure what to expect, so requirements for rooms and space changed frequently throughout the planning process. “Things were constantly evolving, but the resort staff just said they’d han- dle it and get it done — and they did.” Arguably, “the wow” moment of the event was the wrap- up party set in the new, 6,000-sf Barn off the conference center lawn. But it wasn’t just about the space, which Chris- tensen calls “amazing.” It was about how the resort once again went above and beyond. “We wanted to have a s’mores party on the lawn after the barbecue dinner in the Barn, with chairs set around a fire pit. Unfortunately, the resort didn’t have a fire pit and there were no rentals to be found,” she says. “It was starting to look impossible. Then the Kalahari staff simply went out and purchased four fire pits. That’s what can happen when a resort is family owned and the owners are involved. The purchase of the fire pits was immediately approved, and we were able to have the party we really wanted.” Christensen thinks the inclusion of family not only made the recent conference a hit, but will increase registration at future conferences. “There’s definitely a plan right now to have a conference next year and to set it at a Kalahari resort,” she says. Companies that include family at conferences and pro- grams say there are huge benefits to doing so, and there’s ample evidence to support them. Resorts across North America are on board, leveraging their business, family facilities and amenities to help planners make those con- ferences successful. C&IT Courtesy Photo Family-friendly meetings are an easy way to squeeze in a family vacation. TheMeetingMagazines.com | Corporate & Incentive Travel | December 2022 39 We think we’ve found a good balance of being family-friendly so that those who choose to bring their children are able to do so, but those who do not don’t feel they’re getting less ... ALINE WHITMAN, CMP, Senior Manager, Global Events, LinkedInNext >