As meeting planners, it is in our nature to be extroverts. After all, our success depends on the success of our event, which in turn depends on everyone—from attendees to our organization’s leadership—leaving the event feeling happy. It is natural to believe our relationships with these stakeholders should be our primary focus. However, the relationship that should never be overlooked is the one between the meeting planner and the event venue staff.
Building and maintaining rapport with your venue contacts is crucial. These are the individuals you will rely on to help solve issues before, during, and after the event. There are several easy ways you can strengthen that connection with your partners to ensure all parties are destined for success.
Before: The relationship begins the moment your contract is finalized. Contact each of your on-site representatives and introduce yourself, express your goals for the event, and highlight hot-button issues. Also, use this opportunity to connect with staff on a personal level. Do they have a child graduating from high school? Is there a dream vacation they’re looking forward to? Do you both love that new TV show? Make a note of this in your records and revisit it during the planning process. This builds camaraderie, and although it might seem trivial, the connections you spend time nurturing here will serve you well in the long run.
During: The foundation you have laid before the event pays off here. When last-minute changes occur, as they will, you can work together with venue contacts to overcome obstacles. For example, let’s say a speaker’s flight is canceled, causing a chain reaction of issues. You need to ask the hotel to cancel their guest room the day of arrival. You need the restaurant to strike their vegetarian meal and adjust the headcount. You need to add additional audiovisual elements to the general session room so they can present remotely. By building rapport ahead of time, you have established goodwill with your partners, potentially turning a challenge into a success.
After: Make sure to follow up with each partner after the event to discuss successes, as well as areas of opportunity. Set a calendar reminder once a quarter to reconnect on any big life events you discussed during the planning process. (They grow up so fast, don’t they? How was Fiji? Can you believe what that TV show character did?) These small pleasantries you discuss with one another create a shared affinity, so if or when your event returns to the venue, you can pick up right where you left off.
Knowing how to build rapport with venue contacts is one of the most important and underestimated skills a meeting and event planner has in their arsenal. It is a tool that comes at little to no cost to the company but yields an immeasurable return on investment. The more you use it, the easier it becomes, and the more it benefits you and your organization. So, the next time you meet a new partner, don’t be shy—make the most of the opportunity. And who knows? You just might make a new best friend in the process.
Kristin W. Durand is a program coordinator for meetings and events at the Louisiana State Bar Association in New Orleans, Louisiana.
