A perennial weathers multiple storms

T+D, July, 2003

Each participant interviewed for this special insert on conference and meeting centers was asked to share his or her thoughts about how the industry has fared over the past two years. One interviewee summed it up by saying: 'We've had a recession, a major terrorist attack, a war in Iraq, and SARS; we couldn't have created more business obstacles if we'd tried!"

Unquestionably for this industry--as well as for many others-it has been a difficult couple of years. As the economy stalled, conference and meeting budgets shrunk. And when the already challenged economy was further zapped with increased terrorist threats to the United States and then war, most businesses, like the stock market, were in free fall.

When the interviews began for this insert, the war in Iraq had just begun and most of the interviewees reported that their phones had pretty much stopped ringing. In addition, some of their clients' already scheduled meetings had been put on hold. As we go to press, with many

U.S. troops now returning home, these same industry representatives now report that although their phones may not be exactly ringing off the hook, they are at least ringing again.

If there is a silver lining behind every challenging situation, then perhaps the one here is that businesses are taking a harder look at the purpose of their meetings. While in the past, they may have held a meeting away from their offices once a year because they had always done so, now they are more closely examining the need for holding any off site meeting.

Some companies solved the economic strain by shortening the duration of their meetings--downsizing them from three days to two days, for example. And at some industry facilities the number of day-only meetings spiked, wrapped around a working lunch or dinner.

But holding a meeting off site can be a smart move for many reasons--when an important decision is required that involves input from various division managers; when an intensive employee-training program is needed; when team spirit could use some pumping up--the list goes on. Nothing--not even video or teleconferencing--will replace the need for meetings. Face-to-face contact delivers powerful benefits. How powerful? Researchers conducted a study for ASTD on "Profiting From Learning," which shows that the money a company invests in employee training comes back in the form of higher total shareholder return (TSR), which equals dividends plus changes in share prices. Researchers ranked 575 U.S. companies on their training expenditures and found that businesses in the top half had a TSR of 36.9 percent and those in the bottom half had a TSR of 19.8 percent.

Interestingly, many conference centers are reaping business benefits from executives who are now carefully weighing the need for an off-site meeting. As one conference center vice president put it, "When an executive decides, 'Yes, a serious off-site meeting is called for,' this same executive knows that serious business requires facilities with the infrastructure to support a productive meeting."

Topping the meeting place must-have list are 1) up-to-date technology; 2) comfort; 3) an appealing environment; and 4) service, service, service.

Technology Wins Points

State-of-the-art technology is a nonnegotiable for many meetings. Each year, it seems, the bar is raised a little higher on what kinds of technology executives expect to find at conference and meeting centers. For starters, there must be professional-grade, easy-to-use sound systems, videos, and, of course, high-speed Internet connections. If, for example, a meeting's purpose is to train salespeople in the latest Web-based applications, then T-1 access at every seat is a must. Technology is one area that conference and meeting centers are constantly improving.

Stan Soroka is senior vice president of Oakbrook Hotels. One of Oakbrook's properties is Pheasant Run Resort and Spa (www.Pheasantrun.com), which has been around for more than 40 years and specializes in the conference and meeting industry. The resort is located at Chicago's doorstep and is within easy reach of both O'Hare International and Midway Airports.

Pheasant Run can accommodate groups from 10 to 4,000 and can tailor a client's meeting environment for specific needs. The resort has 45 meeting rooms with more than 100,000 square feet of space, a training center, and four ballrooms.

In regard to technology, Soroka says, "Pheasant Run continually updates its property and over the past two years has dramatically modernized its training and meeting facilities. The soon-to-be unveiled amphitheater will accommodate 320 people, have state-of-the-art staging, full sound and audio, and power inlets for every chair. No detail has been overlooked, including pull-up desk tablets." Pheasant Run also has high-speed Internet access, fiber optics in all of its function rooms, and permanent boardrooms with overhead screens.

A property that prides itself on meeting any technology need its clients might have is Q Center in St. Charles, Illinois (www.Qcenter.com). one of the world's premier facilities for business meetings. With 32 years of experience, it is also one of the world's largest corporate conference centers.