Finding a great restaurant for your corporate incentive group, medical meeting, convention or trade show dine-around is no easy task. With hundreds of choices in the Valley of The Sun region, your decision should be based more on just feel, or cuisine. What about health or safety concerns.

The Mariposa County Government Health Department rates food establishment in accordance to their cleanliness. To check any area restaurant, visit the following site and type in the name or location.

http://maricopa.gov/envsvc/envwebapp/business_search.aspx?as_page_title=Food%20Establishments%20Search&as_type=Food

1. Is High Speed Internet Access offered? Once you determine high-speed availablility you need to consider what you are trying to accomplish. For example, Fairmont offers the equivalent of a T1 connection to the Internet at all properties, so webcasts, VPN connections, checking email and basic surfing are all easily done. If the group needs more bandwidth or its own connection, determine the necessary lead time (generally 6-8 weeks but will vary with regional provider).

2. What type of network is it run on? Hotels will advertise high-speed Internet connections but what are you connecting to? Ask, as you may be comparing apples to oranges. Fairmont has partnered with Cisco to provide a premium, networked infrastructure. The alternative could be a hodgepodge of different makes and models that are sub par, unstable, and generally provide a poor Internet experience.

3. Is the Internet easily accessible? Ask how guests or attendees connect. Fairmont offers a ”plug & play” solution and requires no configuration on the part of the guest - or guests can access via a wireless connection in many public areas of the hotels.

4. Will VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) run in the hotel? If you are concerned about attendees connecting to your office through a VPN, a key question to ask is if your attendees need to share a unique IP address. Fairmont provides all connections with a fully-routable IP address with no restrictions by firewalls, proxy servers or network address translation (NAT). The unique public IP address means guests are unlikely to run into software usability issues, a characteristic more typical of low-quality HSIA offerings that share banks of public IP addresses across users.

5. What do attendees need to access their computers? It’s important to remind the conference attendees to check that their equipment is configured to connect to the Internet and bring any equipment that is specific to their laptops, in particular their own power supply. Laptops and computers will need a working Ethernet card (NIC) for wired connections and a wireless card to connect to the wireless network.

6. Who controls the entry points for Internet access? Having a third-party vendor providing the Internet service adds another level of complication to planning your meeting. If there are problems, will you need to contact the vendor to troubleshoot the problem?

7. Can kiosks/cyber cafes be set up? Cyber Cafes are an easy way of providing attendees a way of checking email and staying up-to-date during a conference.

8. Is wireless access available and where? If the meeting includes attendees not staying in the hotel, wireless allows them to stay up to date. Fairmont has partnered with Intel to provide Centrino mobile technology-verified hotspots in public areas of all our properties.

9. Is the staff knowledgeable and does hotel offer tech support? This may impact the level of sophistication of your program. Fairmont has technology staff dedicated to helping our sales and conference service teams make functions a success. In addition, guests can access the 24/7 Virtual Assistant for complimentary tech assistance, via an 800-line manned by Fairmont IT staff.

10. How will the group be charged? Options include setup charges, daily rental fees and fees per room or event. Fairmont will be launching a new service that allows planners to bundle the costs in the guest room, meeting room and wireless, allowing attendees to seamlessly move within the hotel and stay connected without multiple prompts for payments. Finally, discuss the goals of the function in addition to the technology needs. Often, by giving the Conference Planners and Sales Team background on the meeting, they can make suggestions for technology applications never even imagined - such as wireless breakouts in a garden - definitely a breath of fresh air to attendees!Ask Fairmont First, and call 1(866) 662-6060, a dedicated toll-free number for meeting planners. Visit us online at www.fairmont.com for information about local sales offices or to submit on online proposal.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a collection of world-class resorts and city center hotels that enjoy unrivalled prominence in the communities where they are located. Operating 42 properties throughout six countries,

Fairmont is committed to providing guests with exceptional service in distinctive surroundings

Do you announce a meeting and find either no one shows up on time, they come with their own agenda, or the meeting goes on and on? If this is true in your case, then worry no more. Here are six steps to help you develop successful meetings:

1. Establish a realistic and specific objective. Ask yourself, ‘What do I want to accomplish?’ or ‘Why am I calling people together at this time?’Do I want:to solve problem(s). * to inform. * to gain feedback. * to orient.to motivate. * to reward. * to buy. * to sell.Then decide the best mode to accomplish your objective. Ask yourself which best suits your needs:a conference with a panel(s) of speakers?
a half-day workshop? Or a full-day seminar?
a staff meeting that includes your immediate staff?
a staff meeting that includes your department or division?
a staff meeting that includes everyone from all levels of the entire organization?

2. Create a well-developed agenda. Review your agenda before announcing your meeting. Make sure it avoids:spending too much time on details technical subjects. (It puts people to sleep and does not communicate with them.)failing to specify the starting and ending times. (Employees need to know when to be there, when it is expected to start, and when it is expected to be finished so that they can reschedule their other duties and responsibilities.)adding irrelevant topics. (Doing so only lengthens the meeting time and serves to anger people or put them to sleep.)having speakers or presenters who are known to ramble. (One of the surest ways to put your audience to sleep is to have a boring meeting with speakers or presenters who talk on and on. This is especially true in cases where the agenda covers technical or scientific material.)crowding the agenda with too many subjects. (It is better to have a question and answer period during the meeting than to try to cover everything.Now review your agenda and make sure you have included:a chairperson or Master of Ceremonies to move topics along without rushing the presenters, or allowing them to ramble.general logistics before hand, such as restroom locations, break times, and telephone or walk-in interruptions.a priority system so that the most important topics or pressing matters are covered first.

3. Assign particular responsibilities. Be sure to select responsible people to carry out the responsibilities of your meeting. Also be sure:to match the topics and tasks with competent presenters.to give them clear, complete, and specific instructions including assigned time to complete their presentation.to gain the concurrence of your key participants.to have a clock in clear view of the presenters.to start on time, regardless. (This is perhaps the most important aspect of running a successful meeting.)

4. Establish a positive meeting environment. Take the time to plan your meeting. Perhaps the most important aspect to consider is the environment where you will hold your meeting. To insure its success, be sure you:create an environment that is conducive to effective communication.set start and ending times that are conducive to all.
develop the environment around a theme.consider the objective of the meeting when selecting the room.
consider decorating the room, if this is warranted.arrange and test the audio-visual support before hand.
arrange the seating of participants and attendees, depending on the estimated number of attendees.arrange the seating plan for optimal effect.

5. Plan all the activities. Take the time to plan and plan again all the events, people, places, and things related to the objective and theme of the meeting. Be sure to: gather input where relevant.
take notes where necessary.
prepare adequate quantities of handouts.
prepare to post adequately the announcement of the meeting along with its agenda, times, participants, and any other relevant information.
prepare backup materials.
prepare post-meeting evaluations, where necessary, and summary handouts.
Remember: When you maximize your potential, every one wins. When you don’t, we all lose.

© Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

SEAL Inc.
847.394.9857
stinnish@ameritech.net

Innovative meetings occur where there is a good match between speakers, topic, your requirements/needs, desired outcome and the setting with a twist of the right chemistry.

The best speakers create in audiences the desire to change, the confidence to act, and the knowledge or tools to succeed. Speakers can impact people’s:

• Attitudes (how they feel)
• Knowledge (what they know)
• Actions (what they can or will do)

Before even previewing or considering a single speaker, be clear on your objectives for hiring a speaker. “Because we always have a keynote speaker.” is not a good reason to hire a speaker again this year.

Clarify why you want to hire a speaker. Select speakers who will deliver the outcomes you want/need. Some common objectives include the desire to:

• Entertain (change how they feel)
• Motivate (change how they feel)
• Promote a cause or organization (change how they feel and what they know)
• Educate (change what they know; perhaps what they do)
• Shift behavior (change what they do)

Many other sources (including speaker bureaus) offer checklists that cover logistics, legal issues and also content. This checklist is intended to help you hire a speaker who is the best match with your meeting. This checklist of 20 questions will help you create an innovative meeting.

Checklist for Innovative Meetings

1. What size of a group do you work with?
2. What level of people do you work with?
3. Are we an attractive audience for you? Why? Most top speakers don’t accept every engagement even if they are available. They select audiences with whom they have the greatest chance of success.
4. How would you characterize your “style” of speaking?
5. What is your focus? Are you more of a “special event” speaker? Do you focus on keynotes? Do you offer ongoing, long-term training as well? Most speakers operate a three-pronged business: Keynoting, workshops and consulting.
6. Do you specialize by topic or industry?
7. How long is your “typical” program?
8. How do we make sure your program works?
9. What will you do to make your message relevant to our group?
10. How will you create an empathetic connection with the audience?
11. How will you create involvement and interactivity? Professional speaker Patricia Gardner says “People don’t want to listen to a lecturer.” That requires speakers to use techniques and tactics that involve the audience.
12. What will you do to finish on time?
13. How can you help us promote this meeting?
14. What else do we get when hiring you?

Some options include:
• Deliver one or two “breakout sessions” or a spouse program
• Introduce other speakers
• Emcee the event that they are part of
• Host a book signing
• Meet and greet at a reception
• Coach other internal speakers either in advance or on-site
• Moderate a panel
• Sign autographs
• Appear in the sponsor’s booth to increase the value of their sponsorship

15. What are the pros and cons of having you speak to our organization more than once?
16. Will you customize your program for our organization? Content, titles, introductions, props and visuals are areas that can be customized? For example, your organization’s name, logo, and meeting theme can be incorporated in the handout.
17. What type of pre-program research do you conduct?
18. Do you provide handout masters and/or finished handouts? Who pays for the handouts?
19. How do you accommodate hearing and sight impaired audience members (i.e., Handouts in Braille, audio tapes, etc.)?
20. Will you be accessible to all attendees before and after the event?

Ultimately when narrowing down your selection, ask yourself these questions to help guide your decision:

1. Have I considered a widely-diversified group of potential speakers? Does the pool of speakers address the type of diversity in my audience?
2. Do I have a match between Content (topic), Style (delivery), and the Call to Action (outcomes)?
3. Is the speaker entertaining as well as informative?
4. How does our location/site influence our selection of a speaker and that speaker’s success? How will a rugged, individualist speaker play in a tony, urban 4-star property? Can I use our site to help build a theme or thread running throughout the meeting?
Does the speaker have verifiable references that increase my comfort?

These questions will help you get a great match between your speakers, topic, requirements/needs, desired outcome and the setting while maximizing that all important twist of chemistry.

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