fbpx
Blog

Meet MTA: Jesse Torres, Senior Software Engineer

The Miller Tanner (MTA) difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that bring our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. Today we introduce you to Jesse Torres, a senior software engineer with MTA Technology Services. Jesse is one of our tech masterminds behind our event management products: EPICTM, VALTsTM, and AttendTM.

Meet MTA: Jesse Torres

Tell us about your current role with MTA?

I’m a senior software engineer. My responsibilities include developing new features to extend MTA products in order to streamline the event planning process and making those products better and more robust by applying industry best practices and patterns.

How many years have you worked in this industry? I have been in the telecommunications and IT industry for over 20 years.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I most enjoy solving problems and making people’s jobs easier through technology and automation.

What’s your favorite aspect of software development?

I like learning new technologies and applying them to my daily work as well as collaborating with the MTA team.

What’s a favorite unique trait of MTA’s event tools?

Our event tools offer a one-stop shop for event planning!

What inspires you most when developing new software/technology for MTA?

Developing solutions that help make people’s work easier and more productive is what inspires me most.

Where do you live and what do you love most about your state/city?

I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. I love it here because there is so much to do and the food is great. Must-see attractions: Dallas World Aquarium, The Dallas Zoo, Reunion Tower, Southfork Ranch, and the Cowboys.

What do you do for fun? For fun, I watch movies, read, play video games, and watch football (Go, Cowboys!!!)

What are some of your favorite tech trends? Cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are some of my favorite trends.

Jesse received the 2021 Story of the Year Award. To read more click here.

Blog

5 Ways to Drive Your Training Ahead This Year

Behind every successful company is an equally successful training program to drive them forward. This year, give your training a tune-up and navigate a new route. Here are 5 ways that you can drive your training ahead in the new year:

1. Put your learner in the driver’s seat.

Instead of assuming which training topics should be a priority, ask your teams first. Map out a clear direction with your learners. Survey them to find out what skills they would most benefit from learning. If you get their input, you are more likely to have increased engagement from your trainees throughout your training and, ultimately, you’ll have a better return on your training investment.

Additionally, identify gaps and create a training that addresses those gaps.  eLearning Industry suggests using your company’s tech help desk as a resource for mining the most frequently asked questions submitted from employees. This allows you to “easily spot general trends that reveal skill gaps and common workflow disruptions.”

2. Put your training on cruise control. 

Do you feel like you are spinning your wheels when it comes to delivering your training? Are you repeating yourself? Do yourself a favor this year and take advantage of technology that allows you to automate your training process.

You can put your training on cruise control, using a learning management system like our VALTs, Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source. This allows you to easily:

  • Deliver training content
  • Reach all onboarding  requirements
  • Create assessments to validate comprehension
  • Generate completed training documents
  • Refresh rapidly changing content
  • Track progress

3. Let training data be your compass.

Your training data can be an excellent guide for delivering successful training. It can get you from point A to point B.

What if you could:

  • Have instant access to deviations
  • Know what information or activities your attendees engaged with the most
  • Manage multiple events within one source and compare data
  • Identify the gaps in learning among your attendees and address in during your event
  • Measure, or even change, the behaviors of your attendees
  • See in real-time how many people per roles per country are represented at your meeting

These are just a few examples of how data can improve the outcomes of your event. You can have your data accessible within a “dashboard” to provide real-time insights about your event anytime from anywhere.

Data paves the road for predicting the success of your training. It helps determine your goals, content, assessments, and trends so you can improve on future events.

4. Test drive other training technologies.

Why not try out a new vehicle for delivering your training. If you’ve always done a face-to-face meeting, try a more cost-effective virtual meeting instead.

Try using a learning management system like VALTs to conduct a pre-training or to downsize a lengthy face-to-face meeting. Mashup your training with a hybrid meeting (face-to-face + virtual).

To prevent your audience from falling asleep at the wheel, use new technologies such as ARS (Audience Response System), polling, and gamification to engage your passengers.

5. Hire a co-pilot (and by co-pilot we mean a meeting planner).

When it doubt, hire it out. It may be more advantageous and cost-effective to hire an expert to plan your training. The knowledge and time that it takes to design and deliver a seamless meeting can not be overstated – it’s a big, detailed job.

A meeting planner is up for the task because they have an event road map complete with backup plans and alternate routes. They have the resources available and the relationships established to make sure your training reaches its final destination with no bumps in the road. ( 10 signs you need to hire a meeting planner) 

Let Miller Tanner Associates help get your training on the road to success this year. Contact our team today to learn more about our training options!

Blog

Success Story: How a Hotel Contract Cancellation Clause Resulted in Zero Penalty During Pandemic

The Event

Multiple face-to-face events with meeting attendance directly threatened by a public health crisis, COVID-19 between February 2020 through June 2020

The Challenge

Given our previous experience with global outbreaks and public health crises including SARS (2002), Swine Flu (2009), MERS (2013) Ebola (2014) and Zika (2015), Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) knew that it was likely meeting attendees would be reluctant to attend face-to-face events with so many looming unknowns related to the meeting’s safety, travel, and accommodations. In these instances, travel could be prohibited for in-person attendees without advanced notices. Based on our extensive industry knowledge, we had historically included hotel contract clauses to address these emergency epidemic/pandemic situations among others. Typically, generic clauses are offered by venues; however, those are not always in the best interest of our clients who might need to proceed with the meeting on the same timeline, but in a different format.

Expanding upon our prior global experiences, in early January 2020, the Miller Tanner Associates’ Global Experience Team discussed the growing uncertainty and concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak that was happening in China and how it could impact upcoming Asia Pacific meetings as well as other global regions worldwide.

The Solution

MTA includes several clauses in all venue contracts that protect our clients in situations of emergency, terrorist attacks and other scenarios that would impact the full or partial audience attendance. We evaluate our contract clauses often to ensure that we have measures in place to protect our clients from situations outside of the norm.

Taking a proactive approach and utilizing our strong hotel partner relationships, we implemented a cancellation clause for all our hotel/venue contracts in reference to COVID-19 specifically. The COVID-19 clause allowed MTA 100% cancellation in case there was a need to cancel any event impacted by the pandemic with no obligation to rebook at a future date – allowing those events to move forward on their own time and in their preferred way. 

As a result, we secured 100% forgiveness of payment obligation for scheduled events that were canceled due to the coronavirus between February 28 – June 2020. This enabled our clients to avoid cancellation costs associated with their events during this timeframe and allowed for the future rescheduling of their events without penalty. We value our venue partnerships, especially during these uncertain times, and appreciate all who worked with us to put our clients’ and customers’ best interests first.

Blog

Virtual Events: Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about virtual events? We have answers.

Q: Is virtual really the best option for my canceled meeting?

A: Virtual event solutions are a very effective alternative to a canceled face-to-face event. Even when you can’t meet face-to-face, our virtual solutions offer an option to deliver your message to a virtually-engaged audience. 

https://www.millertanner.com/virtual-ebook/

Q: Why should I use Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) for my virtual event? 

A: We have over 10 years of virtual event planning experience. With a virtual event planned and managed by Miller Tanner Associates, your organization can streamline everything from staff training to annual investor recaps. We have created an innovative approach to virtual event planning and management that is focused on delivering a fully-tailored experience that suits your individual needs and goals. Years of experience have taught us exactly what works in the virtual event space. Now, we are able to make virtual events as powerful as meeting face-to-face.

Q: How are your virtual solutions and planning processes different from others?

A: Our approach is to partner throughout the process to plan your virtual event experience. First, our team identifies your virtual event goals so that we can recommend the best technologies for your virtual needs. Platforms are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to virtual meetings and it takes expertise to determine the best fit for your specific event goals.

Secondly, we guide you through the entire virtual event planning process and can assist with everything from managing registration, providing redundant systems, optimizing your presentation materials, coaching your presenters, creating an effective agenda, providing tech support, and ensuring audience engagement throughout the event production. 

Q: How many attendees can participate in a virtual meeting?

A: There is no limit restriction for the number of participants for a virtual event. 

Q: Will I have to “go it alone” during the virtual broadcast?

A: We have a team of experts working alongside you to provide technical and practical support throughout the duration of your virtual event. 

Q: What if I lose audio or video during an event? 

A: MTA’s support will provide assistance to make sure your virtual event runs smoothly.  If it is a system issue, MTA will work diligently to get everything up and running. We have specific processes in place to avoid and remedy any issues that a participant or presenter might have when participating in a virtual event. 

Q:  What about security for my virtual event?

A: Because of our expertise and security parameters, your event is secure. Our systems are geographically disparate and resilient. We use established and constant internal auditing processes. Individuals are issued unique credentials for virtual meeting access. Security is paramount for each and every event that we host. 

A: This is an important differentiator for clients in the life sciences industry. However, many other industries find it supports their requirements as well.  As part of our virtual event solutions, we developed a proprietary tool VALTs (Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source) which supports 21 CFR Part 11 requirements such as trustworthy e-signature and reliable electronic records with associated audit trails.  Through our dynamic client reporting, clients can monitor training completions and produce electronic training records for their files through a secure system.

Q: Will I know who attended? 

A: MTA provides post-event reporting that will identify the attendee by the unique URL they were provided when registering. This will show the client who attended from registration and the duration they were in attendance.

Q: How do I keep attendees engaged throughout my virtual event?

A: This is one benefit of having a professional meeting planner support your virtual event. With over 10 years of experience in virtual event planning, Miller Tanner Associates has developed best practices and a variety of strategies to ensure that your virtual event is engaging and interactive. Once we understand your event goals, our team designs an event that keeps your audience attentive and captivated throughout every session. 

Let our team of expert planners handle the details from start to end. Are you ready to get started planning your virtual event? Contact our team to learn more about how we can support your virtual experience.

Blog

10 Fun Activities for Corporate Events

Have your corporate events become stale? Are you looking to add a unique touch to your company’s meeting? Do you wish you had better engagement from your team?

For starters, add more fun elements to your next corporate gathering! With some creative thinking outside the box and the help of expert planners to guide you, you can design an event that is more personalized, exciting, and engaging for your attendees.

10 Fun Corporate Event Ideas

Here are just a few ideas that our Miller Tanner Team has used to bring more fun to the corporate events that we’ve designed.

1. Pick a Theme

A theme can unleash so many creative ideas, boost attendee engagement, and bring the details of your entire event together in a way that WOWs the crowd.

2. Unique, Interactive Food and Beverage Options

Instead of gathering your team around the proverbial watercooler, gather your attendees around a food and beverage station that is sure to spark fun and engagement during the break time. Try adding a sugary donut wall or a customized drink dispenser such as Drink Ripple (pictured).

3. Choose Your Gift

Remember those choose-your-own-ending stories? Well, the latest new trend in corporate event gifting is offering a gifting suite where attendees can choose their own gift, the one that speaks to them personally (pictured).

4. Customize the Roomset

We have so many options in roomset design. You can add the unexpected twist to your traditional meeting room with cozy sofas, modern chairs, or outdoor-style loungers.

5. Get Outside

Take your meeting outdoors. Offer a rejuvenating activity like outdoor yoga or yard games. Dine al fresco under the stars (pictured). The sky’s the limit when you take your event outside of the venue conference space.

6. Friendly Competition

Who doesn’t like a little friendly competition among coworkers? Bring your team together for unique competitions like ax-throwing or a game of skeeball (pictured) aimed at bringing fun into a friendly match.

7. Get Techy

Technology is a powerful tool to boost your attendees’ engagement. Using apps, virtual reality (VR), and holograms, learning can be entertaining and memorable.

8. Include Cultural Entertainment

If your event is hosted in a country with a vibrant culture, use it as an opportunity to partake in cultural activities with your team. You’ll gain a new understanding of the world together while adding fun entertainment to your event.

9. Invite an Inspirational Speaker

Bring in a comedian or motivational speaker to teach a new perspective, motivate with an inspirational talk, or to simply bring some uproarious laughter to your event.

10. Add CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility activities can bring your team together for a great cause while fostering team bonding. Whether your teams are competing to build a bike for youth or assembling gift baskets, they will certainly have fun doing something meaningful together for others.

Our team can design a perfectly unique corporate event for your company. Contact us to get started!

Blog

Meet MTA: Janina Marsh, Global Experience Designer – Events

The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars who brings our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients.

Today we introduce you to Global Experience Designer – Events Janina Marsh. Janina brings to the team a wealth of knowledge from her background in experiential design. With her creativity and expertise combined, she guides customers through the complexities of designing face-to-face and virtual event experiences that hit the mark.

Meet MTA: Janina Marsh, Global Experience Designer – Events

Strengths (based on CliftonStrengths): Communication, Woo, Input, Positivity, Achiever

Tell us about your current role with MTA? What are your primary responsibilities?

As a global experience designer, I am a lead planner for corporate programs. My primary responsibilities include everything from customer communication, logistics planning, and on-site and/or virtual event execution. With my background in luxury event design and experiential design, I love understanding the primary goals of the customers’ programs and meeting those goals in a unique and unexpected way.

What did you do before joining  MTA?

I have been working in the event industry for 12 years. Before joining MTA, I worked in many avenues of the live event industry from beautiful hotels and venues to luxury event design. My most recent experience took me to the beautiful Napa Valley, where I developed social and culinary experiences.

What’s the best part of your job?

Designing a custom experience for each customer is one of the best parts of my job. I love how each meeting and live event has a uniquely human element where everyone is learning, growing, and being impacted by the content, no matter how big or small.

During the pandemic, how did you pivot within your role as an event planner and what did you find to be most challenging or rewarding within virtual events?

With a background in production and AV, I found myself immediately pivoting to learning about technology solutions that recreate an immersive experience in a virtual setting. It was incredible how the event industry came together to support virtual event education through webinars and various learning opportunities. Now instead of sourcing the perfect meeting venue, we have pivoted to sourcing the best virtual platform.

Personally, it has been very exciting learning about creating engaging experiences in a virtual environment. What I love is that there seem to be endless technology solutions for recreating an experience – like a virtual DJ kicking off a general session or hosting a virtual wine-tasting as a virtual networking opportunity. We strive to create an experience that brings us together, even when we are apart.

What do you think is a key factor in delivering a successful virtual event?

Elevated production! Ensuring the virtual presenters are set up with the best camera, lighting, and audio will ensure the successful delivery of the content.

What’s a common misconception surrounding virtual events?

I believe a common misconception is that it should cost less to host a virtual event than a face-to-face event. While there are absolutely cost savings to be accounted for, a creative way to translate an on-site food and beverage budget to virtual would be to consider sending “pre-mailer packages” to attendees for engagement value.

What’s been your favorite event destination as an event planning professional?

I have truly enjoyed planning programs in Barcelona, Spain. It is one of my favorite cities in the world featuring a city experience with a Mediterranean influence.

What’s been your most memorable face-to-face event to date and why?

My most memorable event to date has been producing a dual incentive experience “Tale of Two Cities” where our US-based attendees traveled to Maine and our European attendees traveled to Ireland. In Maine, attendees took in the scenic coastline of the historic harbor towns and dined among James Beard award-winning chefs. In Ireland, attendees walked through the halls of history at the Adare Manor with personalized itineraries including a unique whiskey tasting and treasured tee time at the masterfully designed golf course.

What’s one place that you’d love to travel to for an event and why?

I would love to travel to Japan for an event. My sister lived in Japan for about 2 years and I was lucky enough to visit her while she was there. I would love to plan a program in this beautiful country because of Japan’s rich culture and unparalleled hospitality.  I would also love to explore the technology they have available to advance global meetings.

What do you do for fun?

I absolutely love traveling on my personal time. I jump at any chance I get to experience a new culture or unique cuisine. I also have a strong passion for wine and I am currently studying for my WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) level 1 in wine.

Janina and the Global Experience Team on a glacier in Iceland

Each summer, MTA comes together for a Workshop where we bring all of the team together for a week of training and team building. Why do you think that this is important? What do you get most from this time together?

To me, the MTA Workshop is an invaluable experience that allows our teams and departments to connect, grow, and unite as we look toward the future of MTA. It is at the heart and soul of what we do at MTA – provide dynamic experiences.

As a global company that primarily communicates virtually, the time shared together through experiences or collective conversations (or like in 2022, on a glacier) is what I most look forward to at the MTA Workshop. I love learning about what other departments are working through or celebrating in addition to personally getting to spend time with new team members.

What makes Miller Tanner Associates stand out as a meeting planning company?

In my opinion, the people truly make MTA stand out as a meeting planning company. In a fast-paced and high-demand industry, we work together as a team and company to exceed expectations. My favorite aspect is that even though we are a virtual company, I feel connected with my team and customers daily through our platforms and teamwork. Trust in your team and clear communication paired with customer service contribute to the experience that the Miller Tanner Global Experience Team brings to each customer.

To learn more about our MTA Team, visit www.millertanner.com.

Blog

Meet MTA: Mary Long, Chief Compliance Officer

The Miller Tanner Associates (MTA) difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that bring our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. With decades of compliance expertise, Chief Compliance Officer Mary Long leads the design, implementation and assessment of compliance for MTA’s operating processes, ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory and contractual obligations.

Meet Mary Long

Tell us about your current role as Chief Compliance Officer for Miller Tanner Associates (MTA)?

As Chief Compliance Officer for Miller Tanner Associates, I work across our internal departments to assure we have appropriate processes and procedures established to fulfill MTA’s legal commitments to our clients and or authorities.  

What are your primary responsibilities?

My role is to support and guide our teams to understand what compliance means, why it is important in terms of how we produce quality products/services.

How long have you been with Miller Tanner Associates? I have worked at MTA for 10 years!

What did you do before joining MTA?

Before joining Miller Tanner Associates, I worked in the clinical research organizational industry in global clinical operations and clinical quality compliance roles for twenty years. I was responsible for the development of departmental standard operating procedures (SOPs), process standards, benchmarking, system, and reporting tools for multiple companies. I also have ten years of nursing and have held positions in hospitals, clinics, and home care, with a therapeutic focus in oncology, nephrology, and orthopedics.

What do you feel are the most fulfilling aspects of your job?

It’s very fulfilling to continue to expand my understanding of the everchanging world of data privacy and to be able to support our teams with that knowledge.

What compliance-related concerns do our clients have and how does MTA address these concerns?

As the world is looking forward to planning more “in person” event opportunities to train, support and collaborate with their attendees, country, and or associations, compliance aspects of providing hospitality for an individual will need to be built into the pre-event event timelines.   Staying flexible in offering both in person and virtual (hybrid event) experiences for attendees will remain relevant for some time. 

Each summer, MTA comes together for a Workshop where we bring all of the team together for a week of training and team building. Why do you think that this is important? What do you get most from this time together?

As MTA has been a “virtual” company for 25 years, we recognized long ago that face-to-face interactions that occur at our workshops continue to support and build strong connections, relationships and commitments for one another and for the organization. 

Since you are based in Texas, tell us 3 must-see/must-do attractions when visiting the local area.

Some of the best attractions in San Antonio are the Mission Trail, the River Walk and Tower of the Americas, which is a 750-feet tall tower with panoramic views built as part of the 1968 World’s Fair.

Learn more about Mary here.

Blog

Proud Member of WBENC

WBENC logo

Our team will be attending the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Conference this week in Baltimore.

The National Conference & Business Fair is the largest conference of its kind for women business owners in the U.S. The WBENC National Conference & Business Fair is attended by Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs); senior executives and procurement representatives from the Fortune 500 and the U.S. Government; and select partner organizations whose missions align with WBENC’s vision of expanding women’s business opportunities in the marketplace. With three days of robust programming, the conference features lectures and presentations from today’s thought leaders, engaging panel discussions, 1:1 MatchMaker sessions, networking receptions, and a notable Business Fair.

For the past 16 years, Miller Tanner has proudly maintained a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) Certification through WBENC, the nation’s largest third-party certifier of the businesses owned and operated by women in the U.S. Nationally recognized by thousands of major U.S. corporations and federal, state and local government entities, obtaining this certification is a lengthy and intensive process. To achieve WBENC certification, women-owned businesses complete formal documentation and a site visit process which is administered by one of WBENC’s 14 Regional Partner Organizations.

Connie and Bonnie

“In 2002, I first learned of the WBENC Certification and how having this certification could help our clients.  Miller Tanner is proud to be part of this highly-valued certification program for the past 16 years. It not only affords us great opportunities and partnerships as a supplier diversity business but also the opportunity to pass along great benefits to our clients,” shares Marnie Miller Battistini, CEO of Miller Tanner Associates. “We look forward to attending this week’s conference to connect with other supplier diversity leaders across the U.S. “

Learn more about the benefits of working with a WBENC-certified business here.

Blog

25 Best Business Travel Hacks for a Stress-Free Business Trip

From Argentina to Ireland to China to Australia, we’ve planned thousands of events for our clients all over the world.

In the process, we’ve traveled extensively and worked tirelessly to create exceptional travel experiences for event attendees.

As a result, we often find ourselves sharing travel tips with clients, family and friends who are looking to make traveling a little less hectic and more stress-free either for themselves or for an event they’re planning.

So we figured, why not compile some of our top travel tips as a handy resource?

Whether you’re planning a conference and you have to manage the travel needs of a thousand attendees or you’re just looking for some helpful hints to make your own travel experience a little smoother, we’ve got you covered with a ton of great travel suggestions, tips and tricks!

Smart Business Travel Tips from Event Planning Professionals

From planning and packing to travel tech and troubleshooting, we asked Miller Tanner’s ace event planning professionals to share some of their top travel tips for a worry-free trip.

PACKING

How to pack for minimum frustration and maximum peace of mind…

1. Organize your carry-on

Never underestimate the power of an organized carry-on bag! Our team member recommends the Lo&Sons OMG bag which fits a laptop, a pair of shoes, and attaches easily to a roller bag. Organize documents and travel items before leaving for the airport for easier access. Consider a passport holder to keep tickets and travel info in one place.

2. Dress for convenience

Keep in mind that if you are not PreCheck [or Global Entry], you will have to remove shoes, sweaters, jackets, jewelry, etc. Plan your travel outfit accordingly.

3. Remember the essentials

Have some long-haul essentials ready to pack when needed such as compression socks, eye mask, ear plugs, lip balm and toothbrush/paste set, blow-up neck pillow, and socks.

4. Consolidate your technology.

Rather than take 20 travel adapters for all your laptops, phones and chargers, buy yourself a 4- or 5-way socket board (also called trailing sockets). You then only need 1 adapter and instantly get 4 or 5 sockets as a bonus.

5. Bring some distractions.

Consider loading books on your Kindle or movies on your computer to keep you occupied during your trip. Headphones work wonders to relax you and block out loud airplane noises.

6. Prepare for unexpected delays.  

Always pack some snacks in small bags in your carry on. Flights can be long, delayed, and/or sometimes on the tarmac. 

7. Prepare for the flight. 

A neck travel pillow can be re-purposed as lumbar support if you have an aching back and can also be used to raise your laptop if it’s too big for the table tray.

PREPARATION

Things to do ahead of time or before you leave for the airport…

1. Get Global Entry

Apply for Global Entry rather than TSA PreCheck. It costs the same and you get the convenience of both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck.

2. Give yourself extra time

Plan to arrive at the airport early. Don’t let the stress of check-in, security, etc., happen because you are rushed.

3. Use online check-in

Check in online! You can also pay for your checked baggage ahead of time, which will speed up the process once you arrive at the airport.

4. Gain preferred status

Whenever possible, build miles/status on one dedicated airline by flying within the dedicated alliance. Status helps speed through check-in, security, and gives you upgrades if available.

5. Keep your contacts close

Before leaving for the airport, make sure you have contact information for the meeting planners, the travel vendor, and the ground transportation vendor. If you have contact information handy, it will be easy to make contact with travel agents, etc., should an issue arise during travel requiring assistance. 

INTERNATIONAL TRIPS

Tips for taking the stress out of long flights…

1. Manage your money

Plan ahead with your money. Are you planning to get cash out of ATM? Are you looking to convert USD to local currency? What do you plan to do with remaining local currency at end of trip? Will the location you are travelling to accept credit cards? All of these things should be considered.

2. Get in the right time zone

As soon as you are on the plane start adapting to the time zone to which you are traveling. Therefore, if it is daytime in your final destination, try to stay awake through the trip so that when you land and it is now evening, you will be ready for a good night sleep. Do allow yourself naps as sleep is always going to be better than depriving yourself of it.

3. Take an overnight bag

Create a small ‘overnight kit’ that you keep with you under the seat. Suggested bag items might includes: essential medications, face wipes, socks, change of clothes, etc.

4. Dress for comfort

Bring comfortable clothes in your carry-on (this can double as your back-up set of clothes in the event your luggage is lost).

5. Think (and plan) ahead

Contact your mobile phone provider to ensure you can ‘roam’ and check costs/best/cheapest way to do this. Always check what visa is required. Know who is meeting you on arrival or know how to get a taxi/public transport in your destination city.

Travel Tools & APPS

Suggestions for tech that can make your travels a little easier…

1. Google Maps

Google Maps can help navigate your locations. Take screen shots of routes to take in cities in case the internet connection is not optimal.

2. Flight Tracker

The App Flight Tracker is also very helpful as you can access flight information from any carrier. You can also set alerts for specific flights so if there are any delays/changes, you will get a notification right away on your smartphone.

3. SeatGuru

SeatGuru (both a website and app) is great if you want to find the best seat available on the plane for what you like. It has a very good map of the exact aircraft so you can visualize where your seat is (on the wing, next to the galley, etc.) and how much leg room you’ll have.

4. Airline Apps

Use your preferred airline app to make updates/changes to flights, select seats, and check in without ever having to look up confirmation numbers.

TROUBLESHOOTING

How to prepare for and manage common travel snafus…

1. Pay attention

Keep an eye on your flight and trip alerts for cancelled flights, delayed flights, etc. 

2. Use your phone

If you find out a flight has been delayed more than twice or cancelled, call the airline directly from where you are sitting. If you have a preferred airline and status with them, call that number directly. You can also utilize your credit card company—most include a concierge that can help you look at options.

3. Stay positive

Have a good attitude! it’s stressful for everyone including those that are assisting you. Call the travel agency to help with rebooking if there are long lines at the ticket counters.

4. Don’t panic

Keep calm. You’re probably not the only person caught in the snafu, so ask the help desk, Google it, concentrate on the solution instead of the problem and plan your solution with a level head.

Whether you’re headed to South Dakota, South Africa, or the South of France for your next event, we hope you find these business travel tips valuable!

Are you planning an in-person event? Ensure a seamless experience for your out-of-town attendees with Miller Tanner Associates.

Blog

How to Choose a Room Style Arrangement That is Right for Your Event

Room Set

Choose The Right Seating Arrangement for Your Event

stage

The room set should be one of the first factors that is determined for your meeting. It’s helpful to choose your room set before ever sourcing an event venue.

This allows us as experts in coordinating and planning to search for the perfect venue that can accommodate all of your event needs. With the right room set design, the audience also knows what to expect from your event.

What are the basic elements that are considered as part of a room set?

  1. Seating Design
  2. Stage
  3. Lighting
  4. Audio Visual
  5. Space Layout
  6. Event Theme

1. Determine Your Event Goals

A meeting planner can guide you through your goals and objectives for your meeting. It’s important to know the variables such as the size of the group, type of event, and its purpose in order to design the best room set for your event. Once we have this information and understand your expectations for your meeting, we can begin designing your room set.

room set 2

2. Plan the Ideal Seating Design

Depending on the type of training you are planning, the seating design plays an integral role in the delivery of your messaging and the overall success of your meeting. Will your attendees be taking notes, working in groups, or using their computers?

Do you want them to focus primarily on the screen and its contents? Or do you want them to connect with one another? Is this a formal or a more casual meeting? Once you’ve considered these questions, we can suggest a seating design that will work best for your event.

These are the most common seating styles used at meetings, training, and events:

Theater-Style Seating

Theater-style seating works well for short breakouts where notes do not need to be taken. It’s ideal for commercial/corporate meetings.

Boardroom Style Seating

The boardroom-style seating is typically used for small groups, 10-15 people, for meetings such as ad board. This setting works well when a working space is required.

U-Shape Seating Arrangement

The u-shape-style seating works best for small groups of 10-20 people and is useful for CRA trainings,  board meetings, and some investigator meetings. It’s ideal for interactive working and planning meetings and easily accommodates for a presentation or speaker.

Classroom-Style Seating

The classic classroom-style seating offers a more formal setting where 100% of attendees’ attention is on the screen and its content. It’s an ideal setting for larger audiences. This works nicely for investigator meetings or CRA trainings.

Crescent-Rounds/Cabaret-Style (half-round) 

If your meeting includes a lot of collaborative work or workgroups, the crescent-round or cabaret-style seating is ideal. This seating arrangement better allows for discussion and offers a way for attendees to connect easily with each other.

If you’ve ever wondered what cabaret seating is, it’s a casual setting typically used for investigator meetings and some commercial and corporate meetings.

room set 3

3. Understand the Venue Space and Its Limitations

When considering your room set, be sure to understand the venue space in its entirety. For example,  a hotel diagram may reference 100-person maximum capacity, but that is wall to wall. Typically about one-third of the room will be used for foot traffic. And don’t forget additional space is needed for the tech desk, rear screen projection, etc. The bigger the room, the more options you will have overall.

Space design also needs to accommodate for the screen. Be aware of pillars and chandeliers. You may need to move the screen or have two screens which can increase your event budget. And also take note of the ceiling height. For example, you need a 14’ ceiling to use a 9’x12’ screen.

4. The Impact of the Stage, Lighting, Audio, and Screen

A stage, audio, and projection are essential, and the right lighting adds impact to the overall design.

Stage

With staging, a custom-made stage background with a hardcover backdrop or pipe and drape is necessary.  A lectern or podium is always suggested for the presenters; however, if you’re planning a Q&A panel, a bigger stage with a head table helps all the presenters to be on stage and answer questions.

Audio

Even in small rooms with small audiences, we recommend using audio. You don’t know who in the room may have difficulty hearing.

Screen and Lighting

Get the screen size right.  Are there a lot of charts and graphs in the presentation? This will determine the screen size and ultimately the viewability of the presentations by the audience. Using the largest screen possible is generally a good rule of thumb.

If there is a big screen with a small stage and a lectern only, your audience is most likely to pay attention to the content rather than the presenter. If there’s a large stage with colorful lighting, your attendees are going to pay more attention to what is happening on the stage.

Some events require multiple screens. The benefit to having two screens is that your presenter can show two different images at the same time, which can be helpful to show slides during an online demonstration or with the Audience Response System.

Designing a room set requires lots of advanced planning and considerations. The bottom line – it is key to start the planning as soon as possible in order to find the right venue with an optimally-sized conference room.

Rely on the experts to plan your room set. Miller Tanner Associates can walk you through the steps to determine a room set that is ideal for your meeting needs. Contact us today to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

In effort to help readers to summarize the information found within this post, we’ve recapitulated the article in question and answer form.

How Does the Room Set Impact an Event?

One of the first considerations for your meeting should be the room set. It’s a good idea to select your room set before looking for an event location. This enables an event coordinators to choose the ideal location to meet each of the requirements. The audience will know what to anticipate from your event if you choose the appropriate room set design.

Which Elements of an Event’s Room Set Should be Taken Into Consideration?

When thinking about the right room set for your event, consider seating design, the stage, lighting, audio and visual, space layout, and the overall event theme.

How Do I Come Up With Concise Event Goals?

A meeting planner can assist you in achieving your meeting’s goals and objectives. In order to create the ideal room set for your event, you must first understand the factors, such as the size of the group, the kind of event, and the goal of the event. A professional event planner can start creating your room set after this information is acquired.

How Do I Plan the Ideal Seating Design for a Large Event?

Depending on the kind of training or event you’re organizing, the seating arrangement is critical to the delivery of your message and the meeting’s overall effectiveness. Will your guests take notes, collaborate in groups, or use computers? Knowing this will help determine seating design.

What are the Most Common Seating Arrangements for Large Events?

The following are the most typical seating arrangements for meetings, training sessions, and large events: theater-style, boardroom-style, U-shape seating, classroom-style, and crescent-rounds.

© 2024 Miller Tanner Associates. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy & Use of Personal Information
Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Alt Text