Policies and Procedures Manual

Meeting Logistics

The Meeting Office is responsible for all logistics of the meeting, providing comprehensive instructions to the hotel detailing all logistics of the meeting including but not limited to meeting rooms' setup, audiovisual needs, food and beverage requirements, function rooms' setup, staging if required, billing information, exhibit requirements if appropriate, and any additional special logistical requirements. It is important that all logistics requirements be processed through the Meeting Office to avoid confusion on the part of the hotel staff, to ensure that the meeting is managed properly on site, and that charges are not incorrectly posted to the master account.

The Meeting Office also arranges for registrations to be processed and badges prepared for all pre-registered attendees and speakers. Exhibitor registrations (where applicable) are also processed by the Meeting Office and appropriate credentials provided to exhibitors. Continuing Professional Education registrations are processed and a list of workshop attendees is provided to the presenter.

The Meeting Office provides on-site management of the meeting, resolving any problems that may arise in the course of the conference. Meeting staff distribute conference materials, process on-site registrations, post signage, and place sign-in and sign-out forms in each meeting room prior to the start of the session and retrieve forms following the conclusion of the session. The on-site Meeting Manager also assists meeting attendees by interfacing with the hotel as required.

Based on the program chair’s goals for type of event and food desired, the Meeting Office recommends menus that will provide the event desired at the most cost-effective price. With direction from the program chair, the Meeting Office estimates food and beverage requirements and recommends menus, coordinating with hotel catering staff to ensure the overall quality of the event.

Registration figures are closely monitored and appropriate food and beverage guarantee figures are provided to the hotel by the Meeting Office. Production of tickets for luncheons or other events will be handled by the Meeting Office and counts monitored for hotel food and beverage guarantees.

The on-site Meeting Manager continuously monitors food and beverage functions, ensuring that what was ordered is delivered, that quality is maintained, and that charges are correctly applied to the master account.