After
more than a century in the hospitality business, Fairmont
Hotels & Resorts knows that anything left unsaid is apt to
create trouble. Following are some pearls of wisdom from the
chain’s event planners.
Communicate. Make a timeline, a roster of
contacts and a to-do checklist, and share them with your hotel
team. Be certain both your vision and objective for the meeting are
clearly set forth to the convention services manager, so she can
help with themes and special touches.
Eat well. Inquire about hotel specialties or
regional favorites. If you feel uncertain about a particular dish,
ask the F&B staff to
e-mail you a picture of the meal.
Be transparent. Tell your CSM about your
budget. With her expert knowledge of the hotel, the CSM can help
you stretch your meeting dollar in ways such as distributing hors
d’oeuvres from trays instead of at fixed stations.
Shoot film. Take photos of your setup. You can
refer to the snapshots in case you want the same arrangement again
or to clarify changes you’d like to see in the future.