Speaker(s): John Foster, JD, CHME

The devil is in the details when preparing or revising hotel contracts. Terms that appear to be reasonable or standard may contain serious and expensive pitfalls for the unwary and untrained. This session is an intermediate to advanced approach on how specific terms in hotel contracts should be written.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify what clauses are typical problem areas between meeting sponsors and suppliers.
• Discuss the two different methods for calculating performance damages.
• Demonstrate the best practices for writing attrition, cancellation, and force majeure clauses.

Speaker(s): John Foster, JD, CHME

Planning and staging meetings outside the United States is fraught with legal and financial pitfalls. Professional meeting and convention organizers must understand the complexities and issues in three key areas when planning international meetings. This session, for novice and intermediate level planners, will address all three areas.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how negotiating internationally is different from negotiating in the United States.
• Identify critical contract terms to include in international contracts.
• Implement strategies for handling risks with currency, deposits, and methods of payment in global contracts as well as preferred methods for dispute resolution in international contracts.

Speaker(s): John Parke

Not for Clock Hour Credit

Much has changed over the past five years in the meetings industry, yet rarely are meeting professionals represented at the executive level. Hear real-life stories of people who have been successful in being promoted to the executive level in meeting- and event-planning jobs.

Learning Objectives:

• Review the job description of an executive-level planner.
• Identify the key steps to success.
• Examine the obstacles to overcome and how to do it.

Speaker(s): Paul Snyder

1 Clock Hour | Domain H: Site Management 

Discover what to look for when searching for the most sustainable option for your meeting/event. Learn about innovations in sustainable meetings and identify and learn the right questions to ask. Learn how hotels & venues can help you align with CSR strategy and provide measurements to demonstrate a better impact on the environment. Join Intercontinental Hotels Group, sponsor of the MPI CSR programme, who will share details of their environmental programme Green Engage , including a real life case study of how Green Engage is brought to life in meeting planning and execution.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to make informed choices when comparing venues and accommodation on sustainability merits.
• Discover how a planner/supplier partnership can boost your success and meet organizational commitments to Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Appreciate through a case study analysis how easy sustainability can be when partnering with the right vendor.

Speaker(s): Lawana Gladney

1 Clock Hour | Domain G: Meeting or Event Design 

Learning is fueled by brain food. Meeting experts know the brain must be focused and excited to learn and the details of every event are key to supplying the key brain "food."

Learning Objectives:

• Discover how the brain processes information
• Understand how to avoid information overload
• Create brain friendly meetings

Speaker(s): Howard Givner | Emilie Barta | Samuel J. Smith | Kevin Olsen

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning 

Gain a better understanding of Virtual and Hybrid meetings and events. Learn to determine when this approach is appropriate – and when not.

Learning Objectives:

• Examine costs and how they can be recouped over time, as well as how these strategies reinforce face-to-face meetings and events.
• Define terms, including what Virtual and Hybrid encompass in your organization, then create best practices (and next practices) for preparation, facilitation, execution, and follow-up.
• Evaluate additional items, such as: how to encourage social media exchange, contextualize content for countries or regions, plan a viable agenda or series of agendas, prepare participants and assign prework, keep participants focused and engaged during a virtual meeting, build trust and social capital, and maintain momentum between meetings.

Speaker(s): John Foster, JD, CHME

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning 

Understanding hotel contract basics is critical to both planners and suppliers. This session is for novice to intermediate planners or a refresher course for senior planners. We will cover legal tips every meeting professional must understand in today’s business climate to avoid potential disputes and lawsuits. Some of the major issues addressed in this session will be breach of contract issues – "penalties" vs. "damages" and what’s enforceable; the importance of understanding profit margins in hotels; the two methods of calculating guest room attrition damages; contract preparation tips and much more. The session will be interactive and your questions will be addressed.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and understand the issues and legal principles in hotel contracts that cause the most friction between planners and suppliers.
• Understand the difference between penalties versus damages and what’s enforceable.
• Recognize the two methods of preparing performance clauses used by hotels today to calculate attrition and cancellation clauses in guestrooms and catered food and beverage functions.

Speaker(s): Guy Bigwood | Amy Spatrisano

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning 

Yes it does. And in this session you'll learn what tools to use.

Learning Objectives:

• Outline 3 ways “green” measures add value to your meeting.
• Recommend what to measure and how to measure it in order to benchmark your events performance capacity.
• Evaluate tools in the market place that facilitate measurement to determine the key priorities for selecting the right tool.

Speaker(s): John Foster, JD, CHME

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning

Negotiation is essential but the key is to ensure your contracts are legally clear, inclusive and enforceable, and the parties don’t end up in court. This advanced level workshop will discuss critical clauses and their hidden risks. Learn how to prepare or revise your current agreements to be fair and effective. The session will be hands-on, interactive with participants discussing clauses for: attrition (guest rooms and catering F&B), cancellation, force majeure and several more.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and understand the practical and legal principles applicable to all contracts.
• Explain the hidden problems in attrition, cancellation and force majeure clauses and how to amend them to avoid potential problems and expense.
• Explain the hidden problems in attrition, cancellation and force majeure clauses and how to amend them to avoid potential problems and expense.

Speaker(s): Jon Petz

1 Clock Hour | Domain A: Strategic Planning 

Corporate and association audiences aren’t easy to connect with. They’re sophisticated, often jaded and accustomed to high production value and flash. They bore quickly, victims of a career’s worth of long meetings. Your meeting or event has to be energetic, engaging and entertaining. Join author and speaker Jon Petz to explore the 'no bore’ zone!

Learning Objectives:

• Create meetings that engage and entertain attendees while aligning with meeting objectives
• Understand the abuses and effective uses of innovative technologies
• Understand the abuses and effective uses of innovative technologies