Corporate Event Planning Tips | FindAConferenceVenue

Google Opens a Conference Centre – Dublin’s hottest new venue

On 2 October, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venues, Dublin Conference Facilities, Venue Reviews

Google opened a hot new venue in Dublin just a few weeks ago. The Foundry – A Conference Centre designed to inspire, communicate and help companies build their business community. They went for a “Posh Garage” look – exposed ceilings, funky design, splashes of colour. Who was the first conference client to experience it – Ikea!

“It is a digital, conference centre and networking place to bring together the best people, share best practice and help super charge the economy” as described by John Herlihy, Head of Google Ireland. There is a Google Hang out room (Hang out on Air), for companies to hang out with and talk to their customers. Lots of fun gadgets and even a shopping experience. At long last, a space to inspire thought and innovation as a conference centre. Can’t wait to see it for myself. A tour is in the works for my next visit to Dublin. I have 3 clients it will suit perfectly for 2014 and 2015 conference venue enquiries.

Auditorium style it can fit 360 conference delegates.

Google Venue, Dublin\'s newest Conference Venue

Create the Buzzz Factor at your Conference – how the venue can help..

On 16 September, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Conference Event Technology, Conference Planning

How to Determine if a Venue can Provide Good Event Wi-Fi for Your Next Event

Ensuring the Wi-Fi is strong enough at your Conference Venue to allow for streaming and multiple delegates online at the same time is the smartest way to Market your event. It is also the smartest way for the Hotel to market itself… let the magic of social media multiply the power of your marketing budget.

This is a great article by Corbin Ball, Technology Expert in the Meetings Industry.

In today’s world almost no event can be successful without the aid of Wi-Fi and other technology. And Wi-Fi networks at events and tradeshows are becoming more and more crowded as attendees use an ever greater number of Wi-Fi enabled devices including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Bottom line, Wi-Fi is no longer an optional perk you may or may not offer. It’s a must.

And as the number of wireless devices grows exponentially, so do the expectations of your attendees. Poor Wi-Fi can do more than create a bad user experience; it can cause attendees to leave in order to find a better connection, or even keep them from attending the event at all if they think their productivity will be limited. Bad WiFi can also ruin a key talk and ruin exhibitor interaction – along with your reputation.

Because every venue has its own unique characteristics, and every event has attendees with varying needs, there is no simple formula you can use to ensure a great event Wi-Fi experience.

Unfortunately, many event organizers do not have the technical background or skill set to truly determine whether or not a vendor has the ability and capacity to provide the needed Wi-Fi for any particular event. Which means hiring an expert during the event planning phase is easily worth the investment when that expert can help ensure a great user experience and smooth running talks and presentations.

Beyond knowing the needs of your attendees, creating a positive Wi-Fi experience begins with being able to ask the right questions. The following questions give you a non-tech heavy approach to trying to determine if a potential venue will be able to provide you with the proper Wi-Fi for your event’s needs. These questions are effective whether you’re interviewing a potential venue, a Wi-Fi company, or a Wi-Fi consultant.

Step 1:
Ask these 20 essential questions:

1. Have they done similar events?
2. How many people attended those events?
3. Were attendees using multiple devices?
4. How much dedicated bandwidth will be available to your group?
5. Will Wi-Fi be available 24/7?
6. Will there be a qualified technician on site, who you can easily reach, during the entire event?
7. Will Wi-Fi be available in hotel rooms and conference rooms or just conference rooms?
8. What is the capacity in each of the rooms?
9. What is the minimum signal in each room?
10. Will the network be actively managed during the event?
11. What is the backup plan in case things go wrong?
12. How will they deal with any outages?
13. Where are the access points?
14. Is the Wi-Fi coverage consistent in all areas or are there weak areas of connectivity?
15. Can you provide hard lines for each of the meeting rooms for speaker needs?
16. Can you separate Wi-Fi for rooms or for different groups?
17. Can we bring in a tech from an outside AV company as an additional resource?
18. Will we be allowed to have access to the site prior to our event?
19. What type of Wi-Fi security is in place?
20. Does the bandwidth provide the same uploading and downloading speed?

If you are satisfied with the answers to those questions and the information leads you to believe their system or expertise fits with your needs, then go to Step 2.

Step 2:
Ask for reports from previous similar events. They should be able to provide reports on previous events which include bandwidth, numbers of users, and any problems that were encountered. Make sure the reports are from events that are similar in scope and attendance to what your event will be.

Step 3:
Ask for references from similar events that they handled. Actually call the references to get their perspective and ask a few questions about how easy or difficult the staff is to deal with and if the venue fulfilled everything they said they would.

As an event coordinator or planner, keep in mind that Wi-Fi is something you can negotiate and you should do so up front which means it cannot be an afterthought.

The upside? Well planned and implemented Event Wi-Fi means that attendees can live stream and blog about your event, right then and there; Media can quickly and easily get their stories out; and product announcements can go viral in real time.

All of that adds up to a powerful buzz-factor which becomes the most positive type of marketing and hype for your event.

For more conference technology tips see our post – 3 Smart, Innovative Conference Hotel Experience Ideas.

Tagged: arranging conferences, conference and meeting place, Conference Centre Venues, conference hotel, conference organisers, conference technology. conference apps, conference venue ireland, corporate event planning tips, how to save money when planning a conference, market conferences, market your event, organise a conference on a shoe string budget, smart marketing tips. conference planning, tips on planning an event

How to Effectively Analyse your Conference – post event surveys…

On 1 July, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Conference Planning, Conference Survey Questions, Conference Venue Tips, Marketing Events

Top 10 Conference Survey Questions……..

This comprehensive list is taken from a post on LinkedIn, started by Wendy Sullivan – NABC Planner at American Contract Bridge League. She asked a question and got 66 comments back with some great suggestions from Conference and Event planners worldwide.

Here is the Top 10;

1. Create a pre-event survey to better understand the goals of your attendees, and then follow up with a post-event survey to see if they accomplished those goals.
2. What was the best part of the Conference?
3. Why was this event successful for you?
4. Is there anything we could have done better?
5. How was the Staff/Food/Location (rating 1-10)?
6. Would you refer us to a friend or colleague?

Ask all of the above with a why section so delegates can elaborate more and you can evaluate the information.

7. Did the technology used at the event enhance, take away from, or make your participation more enjoyable? If you didn’t use technology, ask for suggestions on what they would recommend.
8. Ask for the feedback once participants are back at work. By waiting a couple of days you receive much longer, insightful and interesting feedback. I put this down to attendees rushing off at the end of an event but having the time back at work to be more considered. Our ’scores’ remained consistent but the open questions elicited much more comprehensive answers.
9. Capture video testimonials post-event before people walk away from the event. Not only does it create excellent marketing material, but it captures the immediate “wow” factor.
10. Was the conference a good opportunity to Network?? (a recent report shows 80% of the reasons delegates go to conferences is to Network). Rating this question 1-10.

There are lots more suggestions so I will post them at another date.

If you liked this post, check out 27 Things to do before a Conference!

Tagged: arranging conferences, conference and meeting place, conference event management, Conference Hotels, conference organisers, Conference Survey Questions, conference surveys, conference technology. conference apps, corporate event planning tips, event management, event planning, hotels, post event survey, post event surveys, questions to ask in a survey, tips on planning an event

3 Smart, innovative conference hotel experience ideas

On 23 May, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Conference Event Technology, Conference Hotels, Conference Venue Tips, Hotel Sales Tips

3 great ideas that create a wonderful sense of arrival for any conference hotel to deliver….

I discovered a great article on luxury hotel innovations written by Coyle Hospitality that enhance the guest experience. These would really be fantastic for any conference goer and make a conference organiser’s life a lot easier too.

1 – This is my favourite one — ipads supplied for each guest. The Plaza Hotel in New York have enhanced their guests experience by offering each guest an iPad from which they can do just about everything they need while staying at the hotel, including control the temperature in their room, order room service, make restaurant reservations, communicate with the concierge, request wake-up calls, explore NYC destination guides, and even check airline schedules and print boarding passes. How great would it be then to pre-load the ipads with the conference agenda, list of delegates, apps to network with, articles on the conference speakers, the conference organisers contact information, things to do in the area and a feedback on the conference app.

2 – Good bye to the front desk(This one I just love too as it is my pet peeve checking in at hotels) — Arriving guests are met by roving hosts, who sit down with them, offer a free glass of wine or coffee, and complete the check in process on a tablet computer (or iPad). It is soooo welcoming and sets a relaxed tone for the stay.

This I would just love for a conference experience as networking would be made so much easier, conference delegates generally arrive around the same time so this would kick off networking straight away. I find the “Front desk” just places a barrier between the guest and the hotelier, the most welcoming guest houses don’t have them, why should hotels? The new Hyatt brand – Andaz has this “welcome” as standard and more and more luxury boutique hotels are moving towards this also.

3 – This is niche within a niche – introducing hypo-allergenic rooms. This has been introduced by Hyatt Each “Respire” room gets a one-time shock treatment to minimize irritants, hypo-allergenic mattress and pillow cases, a powerful air purifier that’s listed as a medical device by the FDA, and other treatments that eliminate allergens on carpets and upholstery. – The number of asthma sufferers is projected to hit 400 million by 2025, so this may no longer be niche, just necessary.

For expertise on Hotels and venues, feel free to call me. Ciara zero86-3611428

Tagged: andaz hyatt, arranging conferences, conference and meeting place, conference hotel, Conference Hotels, conference innovatino, conference organisers, conference technology, conference technology. conference apps, corporate event planning tips, hotel experience, hotels, hyatt hotels, networking tips, smart conference tips, tips on planning an event

Email is killing your conference business… how to book more conference and meetings business…

On 21 May, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Conference Venues, Hotel Sales Tips, Venue Reviews

Top tips for converting more conference and meetings business.

There is a dangerous trend that has crept into the hotel industry- that of not picking up the phone and speaking to a conference organiser, instead choosing to email on the proposal for a conference, meeting or event and perhaps following up in the next few days, some choosing to follow up by email- again!! others taking the smart customer service approach and calling. However, calling the client days after a meeting proposal has been received is too late.

It is a lazy sales approach that became the norm when hotels were too busy to talk to their clients. It’s my mission to eradicate it. My first lesson in the importance of speaking to the client first was made when I was sales coordinator for Crowne Plaza Hotel San Francisco, Sheila Fonseca my Sales Manager was away that week and I was stepping in for her. She got mystery shopped that week and I was the person replying to the enquiry for her. I couldn’t get the client on the phone, they didn’t answer my call for days, I got nervous and was just so anxious to get the proposal to the client, I decided to email it without first speaking to the client. (Actually, fax was the preferred method of delivery then!). Needless to say, she failed the mystery shop that month as I also made the mistake of leaving the rates proposed on their voicemail.

So here are my top tips for converting more meetings and conference business-

If the request is received by email or through a contact page on the website or through my lead generator site, pick up the phone and call the client first. It is amazing what valuable information you will learn by starting to build a relationship and asking the right questions.

Ask great, open ended questions- in my 7 years of working as a venue finder I have never once been asked ” what is the number one result needed from this conference, meeting or event?” This is a massively powerful question because it demonstrates you understand their needs. It also turns the conversation from a sales pitch to a partnership relationship when there is less focus on price.

Other great questions are-

1. What went well at your last event?
2. What would you change about the last conference you attended or organised?
3. How important is networking to the success of the conference?
4. What do you want the delegates walking away from the conference thinking and saying about your organisation?
5. What do you need to achieve by the set up of the room? Opportunity here to advise on best set up styles to suit the result they need from the event.
6. Where are your delegates attending from?
7. How important is access and parking?
8. What photography do you need of the venue to help you make a decision?
9. What more can I do to help you make a decision?

Above all, if there are any important issues you need to deal with, any clarifications to be made, call and discuss it first. Just yesterday I had a major Dublin conference hotel that I have referred 10 conferences to this year; tell me by email they will not pay me for referring business to them. The most disappointing element of this lack of foresight is that they chose to tell me this by email. That is what is most annoying and I won’t forget. If they chose to communicate with me like this, will they also choose to annoy my clients by email?

Never underestimate the power of building a personal relationship. We are all human and prefer the personal touch. It is the hospitality industry after all!

If you like this blog post, check out this blog post on how to win more conference business. and How to do a fantastic site inspection.
Or feel free to call me – Ciara (zero) 86 3611428.

Tagged: arranging events, conference business, Conference Hotels, conference venues dublin, corporate event planning tips, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin Conference Hotel, hotel marketing, hotel marketing tips, Hotel Sales Tips, how to book more meeting business

27 Things to do before a Conference…

On 7 May, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Uncategorized

Came across this great conference tips and advice from Chris Brogan…… It is lengthy, but worth the read…

This is also a great check list for conference organisers, ensure your conference is networking friendly.

1. This seems silly to start with, but check the schedule of the event. Mark off what you want to see. Get a sense of what you might ask for a pertinent question based on the session description, and/or decide what the business value of your interaction at any session might be.
2. Check in at Twitter Search for anyone talking about the event you’re attending. You can then determine if you want to follow them and start conversations ahead of the event. This works amazingly well for people who might be a bit shy.
3. Check via Google Blogsearch and Technorati for any references to the event. See whether any companies are announcing anything. Look for signs of business opportunity ahead of the experience, and if you find some, do more homework with search and research.
4. Visit Flickr and look for recent pictures of attendees or other people you hope to meet at the event. I keep a little document of all the faces I might want to meet, sometimes with a few facts about the person, in a document. (I don’t do this for every event, but when I do, it helps).
5. Visit the prospective attendees or business people’s blogs and Twitter streams for ideas of how things are going in their lives or in their businesses. Before running into someone, wouldn’t you want to know if they were in a car accident the day before, or maybe you’ll read that they just closed a B round of funding, and thus might have budget for a project with you. It’s free intelligence before a meeting.
6. Read up on any industry news around the event you’re attending, to understand what might be impacting the people you’re mingling with. My guess is you’ll know where this information is for the type of event where you’re going. If not, consider this similar to my point above about Google Blogsearch and Technorati, but also check Google News and maybe do some straight Google searches as well.
7. If you can, check a few of the people’s Twitter streams before you say hi at the conference. This way, you can have a few tidbits of someone’s personal news top of mind before connecting at the event.
8. Check out the exhibitors and sponsors for the event. Click through the site links and visit their web pages. What do you know about them? Are they a prospective vendor for you? A client? Do you see some business value in meeting any of them?
9. Check your LinkedIn for the city where you’ll be attending, and/or for any of the speakers’ or exhibitors’ names to see their professional profile.

Content Preparation – use the opportunity to raise your profile at a conference…

10. Consider putting up a few post-dated blog posts so that you don’t have to worry about writing on deadline at the event. Unsure what to write about? Here are 100 blog topics.
11. Write some of your best work in the days leading up to the conference, and have a great post launch on the day of the event. The likelihood of people checking out your blog during or just before an event is high. Heck, I just recommended that you do it.
12. Consider writing posts that might help you form conversations at the event. For instance, if you’re looking to work with restaurants, write a blog post about how you’d help restaurants improve sales. Thus, people who might investigate your blog ahead of time might also know what you’re thinking about and will engage you.
13. If you’re looking to connect at the event, some of your content should be outreach related, via services like Twitter or Facebook. Message the world using the event’s hash tag (if it has one), and/or the city/state (or province, etc) where the event is held. Thus, people using Twitter Search or poking around via Facebook might catch you in a search and engage you.
14. Consider making a video about something and posting it to your blog. Videos will give people an even better opportunity to observe you and see what you’re about. It might also help with the people recognition factor, as seeing you in motion might improve their chance of seeing you at an event.
15. If you’re thinking of liveblogging the event, prepare ahead of time (here’s a great article at Web Worker Daily about that).
16. If you’re going to take lots of photos or videos at the event, check your gear to make sure you’ve got everything (charger, media transfer tools, spare whatevers). This seems to muck up things often.
17. Sometimes an event has a blog. It might be neat to see if you can guest post on it. That might up your chance of meeting folks at the event.
18. Here’s one: blog about people you know who might be at the event that you hope to connect with. Write about what you might want to talk with them about. It can’t hurt. (Though, in saying this, I’m not sure you’d have to blog that you want to meet me to meet me. You can just come over and say hi.)

Make the networking work for you…

19. Order fresh business cards. They don’t even have to be corporate-approved. Here’s the thing: make the NAME part very large. Make your primary mode of requested contact come first. Make it VERY clear what you do for business. Make sure you add the kind of offering you’re putting out there for the event (or for the next several events, if that makes sense).
20. Scour your LinkedIn contacts for the city where you’ll be visiting and send some personal emails to people that you might want to meet in the target city. They don’t necessarily have to meet you at the conference, but you might be able to schedule coffee.
21. Send message via Twitter saying that you’ll be visiting ____ conference in ____ (city) and let people know you’re coming. See if you can strike up friendships ahead of time. Maybe mention some of the stuff you’re looking to do, business-wise.
22. Backup your laptop before you travel. You might not think about it, but there are many chances to destroy your data once you’re on the road. Make sure that’s not going to happen.
23. Consider any extra batteries or power supplies you might need to bring with you.
24. If you’ve got a business offer to promote at an event, practice and practice and practice how you’re going to talk about it. Be crisp. Make it easy to say. Be very clear about the ask. If you’re looking for people to review your demo, then make that the ask. If you’re looking for work, be clear that you’re available for a few extra projects. It seems that lots of folks beat around the bush or don’t exactly know how to have a beginning, middle, and end to a conversation.
25. Practice believing in yourself.
26. Remember that not meeting someone at an event isn’t always the end of the world. There are other chances, other times. Just the same, if it’s the kind of event where people have traveled to be there, take every opportunity to reach out. It’s harder to recreate an opportunity once everyone’s gone home.
27. And this should come first, but remember to give your family a bit of extra love before leaving for the event. Take them out to dinner, and/or give the little ones some extra fun. Make a game of showing where you’ll be via Google Maps, and switch to Satellite or Street View to show them the visuals instead of just the map. Give everyone a chance to connect while you’re on the trip via Skype video, so they can stay in touch. It makes it easier.

For some other insightful tips from Chris Brogan – visit his website and sign up for his magic.

If you liked these tips, you will love these… there is a little overlap.

Tagged: arranging conferences, conference advice, conference check list, conference networking, conference organisation advice, conference organisers, conference organization tips, conference planning tips, conference technology. conference apps, conference venue ireland, corporate event planning tips, smart tips on attending a conference, things to do before going to a conference

How to book more conference business and increase hotel revenue…

On 30 March, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Book more conference business, Hotel Sales Tips, Hotel Site Inspection

I am really admiring Norah Casey these days, and very much enjoying her style in “The Takeover”. Her number one tip for business this year is to offer new services and try something different. So that is what I have done –

I have launched a new service for hotels. It is called the Conference Experience – and it shows hotels how to attract conference business. I have even made up my own word for it “Conference-ising” Hotels. The service does not exist in the market at the moment.

Have you ever done a site inspection of a hotel and thought – that hotel is great for weddings but they obviously don’t do many conferences? So many hotels in Ireland concentrated on the wedding market for the last few years as it was easier business to get – I have done hundreds of site inspections or tours of hotels over the last few years and little or no effort was put into it on the part of the hotel sales staff, that is very frustrating. Hotels are speaking to the conference organiser the same way they would to a bride. That will never inspire confidence in the conference organiser….

I show hotels how to speak to the conference organiser, in their language and do a wow site inspection. There is a lot of interest in it and I am getting fantastic feedback – most hotels don’t realise that they are not talking in the language of their clients. I show them how – it comes from years of being shown a hotel in the wrong way. I also show hotels how to book conference and meeting business from the traffic already going through their lobby.

Great, simple tips that are easy to implement and start booking business from immediately. Here are some tips on how to do a fantastic site inspection that will convert into business.

Call me or email for more information. answers (at) findaconferencevenue dot com. Ask for Ciara.

Tagged: conference business, corporate event planning tips, Hotel Revenue Management, Hotel Sales, Hotel Sales Manager, Hotel Site Inspection, Hotel tours, how to book more conference business, how to build your business, how to do a site inspection, How to do a walk through of a hotel, Increase hotel sales, site inspection

How to Plan a conference – top tips on how to organise a great conference…

On 29 March, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Planning, Conference Venue Tips

Step by step guide to planning a conference, budget, venue and conference promotion tips...

12 months Before –
1. Set up a committee and delegate. Decide who is responsible for –
# Developing the conference programme;
# Inviting and managing keynote speakers and VIPs;
# Fundraising and dealing with sponsors;
# Financial accounting;
# Venue Selection, local arrangements;
# Conference website promotion.

Answer the following questions as the answers will dictate the right venue, speakers and format –
• • What is the conference aiming to achieve? What as an organisation are you trying to achieve by hosting this event?
• • Who are you trying to impact? Define your target audience in terms of delegates and sponsors?
• • How do you define success?

If the conference was run last year by someone else, check with the organiser. Read through feedback from last year’s conference and act on it.

2. Establish Conference Title, Theme and Topics
3. Decide on length and pattern of the conference – dates, workshop space, is there an exhibition? etc and contact suitable venues.
4. Chose a venue — Fridays are big wedding days and a lot of hotels in Ireland are sold out. Best conference days are Monday to Thursday. Wednesdays may work out to be more expensive as a hotel will consider the fact that they might lose out on being able to take a Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday conference if they take a one day conference on a Wednesday. For tips on how to negotiate with a conference venue read this article
5. Establish a budget for the conference – for more tips on organising a conference on a shoe string budget read this article. and this one that has some great ideas from conference organisers around the country.
6. Develop a business plan for the conference – what is the objective and most important outcome and work backwards. Ensure all of the committee are working on this.
7. Investigate conference technology to make life a lot easier and help promote the conference. There are more details in this article on apps and conference technology – we highly recommend http://www.exordo.com/ to use as a tool for an academic conference in particular one with conference submissions, abstracts and papers. It will save up to 5 days! They also have an excel version of this conference check list to download for free, it is at the very bottom of the home page.
8. Have the conference website or page for the conference created. Exordo.com can also help with this. Pathable.com is also a wonderful conference tool to use for promotion and engaging with delegates before, during and after the conference.
9. File for funding for the conference – there are a number of options to help fund an international conference in Ireland. The Gathering initiative funds up to about €2000 if up to 50 delegates are attending from outside Ireland.

For the next stages of organising a conference, download this easy checklist here.

Feel free to contact Ciara for any advice on organising a conference in Ireland. We work with our international partners to find venues outside of Ireland for your conference, meeting or event.

Tagged: arranging conferences, arranging events, conference and meeting place, conference guide, conference hotel, Conference Hotels, corporate event planning tips, Corporate Meetings, how to save money when planning a conference, organise a conference on a shoe string budget, tips on planning an event

Top Tips to make Networking at a Conference more effective… Conference Technology

On 19 March, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Event Technology, Conference Planning, Networking in General, Smart organising tips, Twitter and Events

What Conference Technology and mobile apps to use to deliver a better conference experience…

I attended the AIPCO (Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers) Conference March 7th, at Clyde Court Hotel – it was an excellent event. There was a lot of talk around how to improve the results of conferences for delegates – networking being a really big one. Do you leave it up to chance who you “might” bump into at a conference? Hoping it will be that one contact that will pay for the whole trip? Preparing for an event and connecting with conference attendees before the event is smart and makes for much more productive conferences and helps make networking 10 times more effective.

Corbin Ball has put together a list of a few social networking sites and mobile technologies that improve the attendee experience at a conference. A great point Corbin makes is that for decades the name badge was the principal networking tool. Here are some conference technology sites that can make planning a conference and attending a conference much more effective…. most of them are free.

www.Bizzabo.com - Designed to help conference organisers communicate with attendees and delegates with each other.

OleaPark.com - an innovative social networking tool connecting people via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook interests. Upload your event and begin speaking to delegates, get feedback and send messages.

Qriousapp.com Helps attendees and exhibitors find and connect with the people that are important to them.

For further information on this and to read Corbin’s blog – check this link out.

What is the easiest way to find out who is attending the event?? Ask the organiser! They should be able to send you a list or have it created with some of the technology outlined above.

If you would like more information on how to make networking more effective at conferences or events, feel free to call me. I look at the networking space and how the conference venue itself can deliver conference results for delegates and for the conference organiser. Conference hotels and conference centres/conference venues are key to delivering the result a meeting organiser and conference organiser wants to get from holding an event.

Tagged: arranging conferences, arranging events, conference apps, conference organiser apps, conference organisers, conference social media, conference technology. conference apps, conference venue ireland, corporate event planning tips, corporate event services, Corporate Meetings, find a conference venue, how to save money when planning a conference, meeting planner apps, organise a conference on a shoe string budget

Conference Organisers use TripAdvisor to help decide on Conference Hotel…

On 5 March, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venue Tips, Conference Venues, Dublin Conference Facilities, Venue Reviews

This is a fact. A client of mine recently chose not to book a week long conference at the Burlington Hotel based on their reviews on TripAdvisor. Ouch! It is being used to find the right conference hotel.

TripAdvisor have now introduced a business listing which I would highly recommend serious conference hotels in Ireland upgrade to. Why? – the hotel gets….

Link to your website
Email address
Phone number
Link to special offers
Special offer tag
Custom photo slideshow

It is all about making it easy for the conference organiser to get independent reviews about your hotel that are believable and based on a real experience.

TripAdvisor spoke at the IHF Conference in Killarney today on this topic and needless to say it was a heated debate about listing the reviews directly on hotel websites and them being anonymous. I highly recommend it. If you are not putting the reviews on the hotel website, conference organisers are just going to look for them anyway. If there are negative reviews, it all depends on how they are handled. Some negativity makes them more believable. Conference Hotels can’t ignore the power of TripAdvisor in converting a conference, meeting or event enquiry, they are being used to find the right conference venue and conference hotel.

Tagged: arranging events, Business listings, conference and meeting place, conference organisers, conference reviews, conference venue ireland, corporate event planning tips, Corporate Meetings, find a conference venue, hotel reviews, TripAdvisor

Older Posts »

FindAConferenceVenueFind a Conference Venue

GREEN VENUES

Google Opens a Conference Centre – Dublin’s hottest new venue

Create the Buzzz Factor at your Conference – how the venue can help..

How to Effectively Analyse your Conference – post event surveys…

3 Smart, innovative conference hotel experience ideas

Email is killing your conference business… how to book more conference and meetings business…

27 Things to do before a Conference…

How to book more conference business and increase hotel revenue…

How to Plan a conference – top tips on how to organise a great conference…

Conference Organisers use TripAdvisor to help decide on Conference Hotel…