On the Spot 12-1-2002

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts December 2002

December 2002

Short Cuts:
On the SpotIf you were an attendee at a convention, what would be your chief demand?

“I would demand a really smoothly functioning front desk, both at the convention hall and hotel. Many desks are run like independent companies with no clue as to the nature of the meeting, and too many of the employees are trained only to smile.”

William H. Swatos, Ph.D
Executive Officer
Association for the Sociology of Religion
Holiday, Fla.

“Adequate staffing, especially at peak times. So often you see convention center staff sitting around doing nothing, but when you most need them, no one is around.”

Karen Broughton
Manager of Special Events & Membership
American Foundation for Urological Disease
Baltimore, Md.

“I don’t like to wait in line, so I’d be eager to see a good registration system in place that already knows all about me.”

Marlene Hight
Convention Planner
American Economic Association
Nashville, Tenn.