Just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so is meeting value defined in the eyes of stakeholders.  Meeting value looks differently depending upon who is asking “What’s the value?”

The debate over Return on Objectives (ROO) versus Return on Investment (ROI) masks the real issues in the meeting industry.  Our future success in measuring meeting value is tied to three things.

Recognition that measurement and evaluation completes a cycle - Most planners understand the importance of setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) outcomes.  Ultimately determining meeting value is dependent upon the advance setting of outcomes.  I differentiate between the terms objectives and outcomes.  Objectives provide guidance to a process.  Outcomes define desired results.  Most organizations lack a consistent discipline around setting measurable outcomes and creating plans to determine success (value) against those outcomes for meetings.  This lack of discipline and consistency is a shared responsibility across management, stakeholders and meeting professionals – not one solely shouldered by meeting planners.

Use of a consistent and unambiguous vocabulary - We banter ROI about as a generic term for meeting value.  However, ROI has a specific definition and meaning.  When meeting professionals are asked to demonstrate ROI, we should clarify what stakeholders are looking for.   Meeting value can be measured around outcomes that address reaction, learning, application or execution after a meeting, business impact on the organization or return on investment.  Generically using the term ROI to define meeting value is like always referring to photocopies as Xeroxes.  Meeting value is created when meeting participants think differently, act differently or have new knowledge after a meeting.  As meeting professionals, we should push for clarification when stakeholders demand to know what the ROI for a meeting is.

Moving up the chain of impact when demonstrating value -  The ROI Institute defines the chain of impact as moving from the subordinate levels of reaction or satisfaction to learning, application or business impact.  Meeting professionals can advance the industry by moving from measuring reaction (How did you like….the speaker, the food, the room temperature) to measuring intended actions (What do you intend to do differently) or learning (What did you learn?) or application (What are you doing differently?)  or business impact (How have your new thoughts, attitudes or actions impacted the organization?).  Related to the “vocabulary” problem cited above but even more pressing is the need for meeting professionals to focus on relevant business metrics.

A push for a more disciplined approach to measuring results that are tied to business issues will garner meeting professionals additional respect for the profession and the value of the meetings they plan.  We will move away from a debate within the industry about terminology to a dialogue with meeting stakeholders.  And that puts us all in a position of supporting the business of our organizations rather than simply the meetings business.

This article is written by Sue Tinnish and brought to you by Hereschicago.com, Chicago's Online Resource Directory for  Meetings and Special Events.

There are many decisions for a planner to make when hosting a team program for a company meeting or retreat. These decisions include selecting the right teambuilding company or facilitator, finding the right venue, deciding on the best program activity and understanding what participants should “walk away with”; such as making new connections, or better understanding everyone’s role within the team.

Often lost in this process is deciding if a program should be run competitively or non-competitively. It is a misconception to think that a competitive group will only do well within a competitive environment. These groups actually are often the ones that would benefit the most from an opportunity to work together on an activity or project run non-competitively, where the entire group wins by participating. The insight that a team’s collaborative efforts helps the entire group succeed is often more valuable than knowing their team can “beat” other teams in a particular challenge.

On the other hand, friendly competition can be healthy if run correctly. When a small group of participants truly work together at a challenge, it can be very rewarding as they collaborate, show sportsmanship and bond together. Many sports oriented challenges such as Corporate Olympiads, adventure hunts and build-your-own boat or racecar events are set up to promote competition. But beware, if a program is not produced tightly, or teams are not distributed equally, this approach can lead to other teams and participants resenting the winners. Claims of cheating or favoritism can creep in and instead of creating organizational unity; winning teams show up losing teams and losing teams give up or try to foul up winning teams.

Does this mean that team activities should never be competitive? Absolutely not! Depending on the situation, friendly competition can generate excitement and keep teams actively engaged. It can also be a good stimulator for participants who are usually not very competitive, or need to be more competitive to survive in their fast paced business environment.

Here are guidelines on adding competition to help you plan a beneficial team activity:

1)       Determine what you want participants to get out of the program. If creating a sense of competitiveness within the organization is important (such as a sales team), then adding an element of competition can be healthy.

2)       Work with a trained facilitator or team-building company to consider how a non-competitive activity might be structured and what some of the potential benefits are from this type of scenario. Examples of non-competitive activities may include building a playground or bicycles for a charity or tasking teams to accomplish a series of challenges with a group debrief at the end discussing roles and responsibility instead of awarding prizes.

3)       Be sure teams are equally created along the lines of age, gender and employee position.

4)       If it is decided to include competition, don’t announce or update team scores until the very end of the activity. It may be nice to have scoreboard updates when following a collegiate sports competition, but in a corporate setting keeping scores a mystery allows every team to feel like they have a chance throughout the activity.

5)       Stay away from large or financial prizes for winning teams. Teams often benefit enough from the recognition they receive at the end of the event for winning the competition. Ribbons, novelty prizes or low dollar amount gift certificates work well. Large financial prizes can again create a sense of resentment and a team or two might feel cheated. If there is a financial prize, consider a monetary donation given to the winning team’s favorite charity.

No matter what approach you take, it is important to add interactive or team programs to the overall meeting agenda where participants can be actively involved in meeting new people, solving challenges and generating excitement. The key point is to be sure to step back, fully understand your group’s program objectives, and then determine if adding an element of competition is the best way to accomplish these objectives.

Ed Graziano is the company founder of Chicago-based Corporate Event Enterprises, a national supplier of interactive and team based programs for event and meeting planners.

Visit Corporate Event Enterprises on Hereschicago.com, Chicago's Online Resource Directory for Meeting and Event Planners seeking meeting venues and services in Chicago.

Jewell Events Catering held an open house at The Field Museum to sample the buffets and the special opportunity to view the Museum's new, permanent exhibition, The Ancient Americas. 

The Field Museum is a world-renowned cultural and educational institution, the number one cultural attraction in Chicago, that offers unique spaces to accommodate a variety of groups, from small, intimate gatherings of 50 to large diverse groups up to 15,000.  Jewell Events Catering is an industry leader with a reputation for wonderful food with gracious service.  Create a truly memorable event at The Field Museum for your next special or private event!

Watch the video featuring the Field Museum's private and special event space.

 Photo courtesy of Hereschicago.com

John Kvedaras, Jewell Events Catering, Kara Gifford, The Field Museum and Greg Jenkins, Jewell Events Catering.

Photo Courtesy of Hereschicago.com

Marion Holtzman, In The Loop Chicago Destination Management, Johnny Danrich, CMP, Hard Rock Hotel and Patty Hayes, MetroConnections Destination Management.

The Field Museum is a Planner Preferred Vendor of Hereschicago.com, Chicago's Online Resource Directory for Chicago Meetings and Special Events.

Lettuce Planet hosted the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants Special Events and Private Dining Managers for an all day conference at Scoozi.  Speakers at the conference included Jim Grillo, CMP of Hereschicago.com who spoke to the group on search engine optimization and internet marketing techniques.  In addition, Rita Emmett spoke to the group on procrastination and clutter busting.  After the presentations, the group had a wonderful teambuilding excersize via a Scoozi Interactive Cooking Class.  Below are some photos from the conference.

Speakers Rita Emmett, author of The Procrastinator's Handbook and Jim Grillo, CMP of Hereschicago.com.  Jim is the founder of Hereschicago.com and has presented to Meeting Professionals International Ohio, Circle Michigan, Circle Wisconsin, Team Illinois and others.  Rita has been featured in Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Family Circle, and Parents.

Jim Grillo, CMP of Hereschicago.com and Maureen Larson of Lettuce Planet

Christine and Maureen of Lettuce Planet

Scoozi Interactive Cooking class with the Private Dining Managers of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.  The group made thier own lunch to include Butternut Squash Ravioli, Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi, Housemade Mozzarella and Tiramisu.

This is a blast!  Perfect for corporate groups seeking a teambuilding activity in Chicago.

The group working together to make Ravioli

How about some fresh mozzarella

Christine of Lettuce Planet making Tiramisu. Her smile says it all!

One of the 4 stations preparing preparing Gnocchi

Jim Grillo, CMP of Hereschicago.com and Maureen Larson of Lettuce Planet

Scoozi Restaurant offers corporate groups an interactive cooking class that is out of this world!  Speaking of this world, contact Lettuce Planet to book Scoozi's interactive cooking class or any one of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant's private dining rooms in Chicago and the suburbs.

Lettuce Planet is the Meeting & Event Planners Universal Source to “Out of This World” group dining and special events. Lettuce Planet is a division of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants developed solely for the purpose of assisting the Professional Planner with finding the perfect venue for meetings and private dining events from amongst our 28 restaurant concepts.

Visit Lettuce Planet on Hereschicago.com, Chicago's Online Resource Directory for Chicago Restaurants.

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Chicago—George Vizer, General Manager of  Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, 2233 S. Martin L. King Drive, Chicago, Illinois, announced today plans for a new 6,600 square foot contemporary dining venue featuring three unique dining experiences; Forno, a 50-seat Italian trattoria, Shor, a 210-seat Chicago Grille and M/X, a sleek, high energy bar and lounge featuring “Large spirits and Small plates”.  Their current space and original hotel restaurant, NetWorks, is undergoing a $2 million dollar renovation and expansion to be completed in early February 2007.  Current Executive Chef for Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Anthony DeLaRosa will continue in his role in overseeing the new restaurant.

Designed by the acclaimed Chicago-based Aria Group Architects, the decor will have accents of rich wood and earth tones.  The reconceived space will boast varied dining spaces, including an atrium style terrace, an intimate and more secluded dining room, a casual trattoria for when time is of the essence and a creative buffeteria for lunch and breakfast.  In addition a private boardroom is being added to serve private events along with an exclusive wine room.  The extensive wine list will feature over 100 labels.

Forno, an Italian trattoria designed to accommodate fast-paced service, will offer a hearty, high quality menu that features crisp, fresh made selections to order.  Diners can enjoy the cozy, 50-seat space surrounding an open brick pizza oven or they may place an order to go.  Forno’s menu features freshly made crisp crust pizzas including Margherita and Chicken Saltimbocca, gourmet salads including Herb Crusted Chicken Salad and Salmon Panzanella, sandwiches and panini, including Turkey Pastrami and Peppered Roast Beef.  Also available will be light sides, home made soup daily and desserts.

Shor, a Chicago Grille, will offer diverse lunch and dinner menus, which both build on and depart from traditional grille standards. At their core the menus will emphasize well-aged steaks, the freshest seafood and a range of tempting desserts.  During lunch hours, Shor’s menu will give guests the opportunity to sample flavors from different Chicago neighborhoods, with items including Taylor Street Tuna, Chicago Deli Hot Corned Beef and South Side Cioppino.  In the evening, Shor’s dinner menu will feature Striped Bass, Peppered Salmon with a drizzle of Ponzu Dressing, as well as Choice Steaks grilled to perfection.

 A chic, 160-seat bar, M/X, will round out the trio of spaces. An extensive, small plate menu offers a lighter fare for those wanting to nibble on comfort food, while enjoying their favorite beverage.  This menu will include a wide variety of meats and cheeses served with crusty baguette and flat bread, designed to be enjoyed small manageable portions.  In addition to Forno’s soon to be famous specialties, other items include assorted olives, Stuffed Pepper with Prosciutto and Provolone, Marinated Asparagus with Meyer Lemon and Seared Ahi Tuna Tomato Seaweed Salad.

Hyatt Regency McCormick Place currently has 800 guest rooms, 43,000 square feet of function space, and a 12,000 square foot Grand Ballroom.  The hotel features Daily Grind coffee shop, a lobby bar, a full service Business Center with Wireless High Speed Internet and an indoor pool and health club facility.  The hotel is situated directly next to McCormick Place Convention Center, minutes from U.S. Cellular Field, and near downtown Chicago’s many attractions including Lake Michigan, the Field Museum and the Magnificent Mile.  Complimentary shuttle transportation is available to downtown Chicago.  Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is only 10 miles from Midway Airport.  

For a list of group friendly hotels, visit Hereschicago.com, Chicago's Online Resource Directory for group hotel rooms for corporate meetings and special events.

The Spirit of Chicago. Enjoy all-out, non-stop fun aboard Chicago’s most entertaining harbor cruise ship, the Spirit of Chicago. You’ll feast on a wonderful meal, applaud a live musical revue, take in the sights and dance to a pro DJ’s top hits, all for one price. Lunch, dinner, cocktail and charter cruises are available. The Spirit of Chicago is a Planner Preferred Vendor on Hereschicago.com, Chicago’s Online Resource Directory.

It’s spring time in Chicago! Cruise the river or cruise the lake. Book a cruise in Chicago for your next sales meeting, client outing, corporate event or corporate cruise, friends and family reunion, association event, non profit event or any private party, special occassion in Chicago. See the city skyline from Lake Michigan and the river.

Visit Hereschicago.com, Chicago’s Online Resource Directory for all of Chicago’s Planner Preferred Meeting Venues and Services for Groups, Corporate Meetings, Conferences, Conventions, Private Parties and Special Events.

Chicago’s Online Resource Directory for Groups, Business and Corporate Meetings and Special Events.

Planning a meeting, incentive program or conference, corporate destination retreat, meeting, awards gala event, retirement party, birthday party or wedding in Chicago? Consider hiring a Chicago Destination Management Company (DMC) and let a DMC handle every aspect and detail. Destination Management Companies serve Chicago and all suburbs of Chicago with a “one call does it all” philosophy. 

Whether you are seeking a Chicago photographer for your corporate event, ground transportation including Chicago Trolley’s, busses, limousines, sedans, balloons, invitations, theme decor, event planning, musicians and bands, DJ’s, videographers, characters, restaurants, private rooms, event space or full event production, a Chicago destination management company produce all or just some aspects of your next private or special event.

Some of the top DMC’s in Chicago include Masterplan, Contact Chicago, Total Event Resources, Creative Impact Group, Metro Connections and Chicagoland Trasnportation Solutions.  For a complete list of DMC’s in Chicago, please visit Hereschicago.com

Destination Management Companies are experienced in organizing events for your company destination event, destination wedding, or any other destination event you might have. DMCs specialize in the organization and logistics of destination events by finding the perfect venues and suppliers to suit your vision and travel / transportation needs.Besides organizing company meetings, company incentives and events, and destination weddings, companies offering Destination Managers can arrange venues for your events. Other special services include catering, dinners and entertainment. If you wish, a DMC will even make hotel selections / reservations, restaurants with private event space, arrange transportation to and from the airport and provide travel coordination and management, guides and hostesses. Your Chicago Destination Manager can coordinate VIP transfers, motor coaches for transportation and limousine and car rentals that can take you and your party wherever you need to go. DMCs design unique and creative itineraries for your destination event. Destination Management Companies remain behind the scenes while ensuring that everything runs according to plan.Choose a Chicago DMC for your wedding, incentive program or company event in Chicago.

Visit Chicago’s Planner Preferred Destination Management Companies for your next motor coach transfer, limousine, sedan rentals, creative event production, theme decor’, private party, restaurant dine around dinner, catering management, meeting, incentive program, event production or convention service at Hereschicago.com.

Chicago’s Online Resource Directory for Groups, Business and Corporate Meetings and Special Events