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A Letter from our Chairman:
In today's hectic business world, everywhere you look someone is either planning, leading or attending a meeting or event. In fact, according to research, the average worker meets over 60 times per month.
As president of Meeting Professionals International's Greater New York Chapter, I have been running to and from meetings and events since I was elected last fall, and thanks to our great team of experienced leaders, we are engaging our members every day to learn about best practices and integrating innovative concepts to engage and inform like never before.
Earlier this month, MPIGNY produced a series of TED-style talks on a variety of topics at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in NYC. Meeting planners learned about a variety of important trends, from food and beverage to hotel internet and data security, as part of Global Meetings Industry Day. Around the world, 115 cities hosted events across 5 continents and over 30 countries. From Stockholm to Mexico City and across the U.S., these events brought meeting professionals together to celebrate the industry and draw attention to the important role of meetings in building better businesses and communities.
At HRG, we place a very high premium on our ability to achieve our meeting objectives. From our staff meetings to the event management consulting and planning we provide for our clients, we are tested every day to engage effectively and deliver results.
We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, and invite you to participate in a brief survey on meetings, to help us further gauge your interest in this topic. If you have not already, we invite you to Follow us on our HRG LinkedIn Group page and on our Facebook page, and review past editions on our website at HRGinc.net
Wishing you continued success!
Robert O. Sanders, Jr., CMP
Founder and Chairman
Hospitality Resource Group, Inc.
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Developing More Effective Meetings
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Meetings play a critically important role in the success of any organization, as they bring people together to identify or clarify issues, set new directions, sharpen business focus, align resources and strategic partners, and move objectives forward. According to research from Harvard Business School and the London School of Economics, executives spend upwards of 18 hours per week - a third of their work time - in meetings.
There are many types of meetings, ranging from ad hoc discussions between two people in a hallway
to board retreats, sales and marketing meetings, organizational strategy and more.
Despite the growing emphasis on meetings to move important initiatives forward, research indicates that up to 50% of the time we spend in them is considered wasted, at a cost of $37 billion in lost productivity in salaries every year!
From executives to staffers, many of us question the usefulness of meetings, even as they continue to grow in importance, as organizations struggle to remain in synch due to time and location challenges from a more distributed, mobile workforce.
Whether you are organizing meetings or simply attending them, these trends and issues are driving organizations to become more effective and productive as they attempt to achieve their strategic goals.
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Meeting: Today's Challenges
According to industry research and our experience at HRG, the most often cited reasons that meetings fail to achieve their goals include poor planning, leadership, execution, engagement, and follow-through.
Meetings need to be planned carefully and methodically to ensure a successful outcome, and provide attendees with an opportunity to prepare to participate.
During the course of the meeting, it is critical to assign a lead to achieve your goals and engage your entire audience, and be as concise, informative and positive as possible.
And though the purposes and desired outcomes of meetings may vary, if you are in charge of leading them, you need to come up with a formula that works, and solutions to ensure their success.
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Developing Effective Meetings
 Based on our experience at HRG in developing, leading and participating in thousands of meetings, we focus on planning and organizing well in advance to deliver results for our team, and for our clients.
Here are some of the key areas to address and prepare for to achieve a positive meeting outcome:
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- Develop and post or email a detailed agenda in advance, outlining expected attendee preparation, meeting goals and objectives
- Check the meeting space to make sure the venue is fully equipped with Wi-Fi and other appropriate connectivity as applicable
- Confirm speaker needs and support- microphones, white board, laptop, etc.
- Arrive a minimum of 30 minutes prior to start to ensure facility is ready, meeting agendas are laid out, and refreshments have arrived
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- Open by reviewing the meeting goals and objectives
- Use a "parking lot" to articulate, recap and record issues discussed
- Assign someone to take notes on key points to review afterwards
- Post and confirm assignees for tasks identified during the meeting
- Thank everyone for attending and close on an upbeat note
- Poll attendees for availability and schedule next meeting
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- Email outline of key meeting outcomes and assignments within 24 hours
- Recognize key contributors to encourage support and engagement for your next meeting
- Ask for input and feedback on meeting topics, format, length, speakers, etc.
If you take these steps and these issues continue, you may want to consider contacting a company with the skills and experience in meeting and event planning that can help you deliver the results and exceed the goals you have set.
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At HRG, we have earned our reputation for meeting and event development from our work as M&E management consultants. From board meetings to corporate retreats, fundraisers, staff meetings and public/private partnerships, our clients continue to engage HRG as a strategic partner.
The HRG Event Solutions team works hard every day to improve our clients ability to engage, connect and communicate. If you need to improve your meeting or event ROI, we hope to meet with you! For more information, contact us at (914)761-7111 or walter@hrginc.net |
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Brief Meeting Effectiveness Survey
We value your feedback. Please take a moment to complete our survey.
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About Hospitality Resource Group
 Hospitality Resource Group, Inc. (HRG) is a group of 3 vertically integrated companies, with over 19 years of experience offering innovative training solutions, event management solutions and brand marketing programs for businesses, education institutions, municipalities and not for profit organizations. HRG clients benefit from our proven ability to develop effective management solutions to expand their markets and engage their companies to build brand equity, increase sales and improve productivity.
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| The HRG family of companies includes:
HRG has earned widespread recognition from leading industry organizations, including: |
Corporate Office: 237 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY - Phone: 914.761.7111 - Fax: 914.761.7854 -
info@HRGinc.net
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