Please explain "cumulative" vs. "nightly" in more detail...I'm not clear on the difference.

When complimentary rooms are calculated, there are several ways this can be done. For example, if you have negotiated that you received 1 comp room for every 40 rooms picked up, calculations can be done based upon how many nights were picked up on a specific day, such as 159 nights on a Monday,159 nights on Tuesday and 159 nights on Wednesday, for a total of 477 room nights. If it is calculated per night or nightly, you would receive 9 comp nights for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. When the calculations are cumulative, you receive 11 comp room nights. You receive 2 additional room nights by using the word cumulative rather than nightly.

Are there special cost-cutting suggestions for government meeting planners?

Start off your site selection by checking out the government per diems on www.GSA.gov. This information will guide you in your negotiations for sleeping rooms vs. F&B charges and how facilities bill you. I suggest checking out SGMP (Society of Government Meeting Professionals: www.sgmp.org), where you can network with your fellow government meeting professionals.

I have recently seen a charge for having F&B before 8 a.m. @ $100 per event scheduled before 8 a.m. This was in NYC and I negotiated it away, but are you seeing this in other areas of the country?

I have planned breakfast meetings beginning prior to 8 a.m. in first-tier cities such as NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and I was never charged for food functions beginning early. This is something that you can negotiate to avoid additional costs.

Can you confirm that mileage reimbursement is $.585? We heard it just went to $.555.

You are correct. IT HAD BEEN $.585 before it was reduced to $.505, and was just increased to $.555 as of July 1, 2011. I made an error in giving you the wrong information. Thank you for picking up on this misstatement.

You say you often tip the banquet captain. How often have you found that they are included in the gratuities distributed through the service charge? We are asking more and more for a breakdown of the service charges, especially as it keeps increasing. The highest I've seen so far is 24 percent, but what's to stop them from going further?

When you negotiate your contracts, it is essential that you inquire about service charges prior to signing the contract. You are wise to ask for a breakdown of how the gratuities are distributed. Resistance on the part of meeting planners to pay higher gratuities will have a major impact on higher charges. I vividly recall PCMA boycotting NYC facilities because of the high taxes. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was mayor at the time, went to Albany, the state capital, to get the taxes reduced to avoid losing business.

According to the PCMA book Professional Meeting Management, Comprehensive Strategies for Meetings, Conventions and Events, tips are voluntary given at the time of service, gratuities are voluntary and added to the bill, and service charges are mandatory and an automatic amount is added to bills to defray labor costs. Gratuities go entirely to the staff. Services charges typically range from 18 percent to 24 percent, and facilities retain a portion of the money.

Can you elaborate on who you tip and how much you recommend?

Most meeting planners base their tips on the quality of service and whether staff goes above and beyond the normal tasks of the job.

Employees who most frequently receive tips are head housemen, bell captain, bellmen, banquet manager, catering manager, catering captain, bartenders, convention service manager and individuals who move boxes. I provide boxes of candy with my client’s name to the front desk and telephone operators. I will send a letter to the GM or president of the hotel for my sales representative if there is outstanding service.

I usually tip housekeepers $2 per day if I don’t request any additional services. Some planners prefer to tip $3 per day. This can be distributed daily or at the end of your stay. I also try to keep my room in decent order by using trash baskets and not leaving a mess in my room. My mother brainwashed me well!

The PCMA Professional Meeting Management book recommends the following options as you prepare your budget. Consider a set dollar amount per attendee or amount per sleeping room, or a percentage of the total meeting budget, such as .025%. 

One other suggestion for F&B budget: Set a price budget per person first and then order F&B accordingly.

I refer to the profile of my attendees and my history in determining whether to order per person or per item. Once I have calculated my per-person cost, I will meet with the chef and ask what he/she can provide for my budget. (Be sure to include service charges and taxes in the calculations).

Regarding the authorize signatures. Do you need to include that in the contract or will the BEOs be a binding agreement? 

The following is included in the hotel requirements submitted to the convention service manager in advance of the conference.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURES
Bonnie Wallsh, and President of Association (Name specified)
NO other signatures will be accepted for payment.

Do you find hotels will not let you bring in power strips and extension cords due to safety concerns and OSHA requirements?

I have never had any problems bringing in extension cords or power strips. The AV technician tapes down the wires to avoid any risks of someone tripping.

Do you think we should charge the participant who requires a special diet?

Absolutely not. We are in the customer service business and it is our obligation to provide for special dietary needs of our attendees if we are notified in advance of the event. Include space for attendees to advise you of special needs IN ADVANCE of your meeting. These special requests should be given to the chef and cards given to attendees to identify themselves to the servers.

BONUS QUESTIONS

I've been a corporate meeting planner for 15 years. I never pay for function space--never. I negotiate an F&B minimum instead. Also, guest room internet access can be waived through negotiation. I very rarely pay for guest room Internet wireless access.

You are obviously very adept at negotiating. I recommend that meeting planners be very prepared with the value of their meeting to the facility, history and know when they can negotiate the best rates. It helps to have options in dates and locations.

I recently had a meeting at a hotel and had two attendees approach me and said they could not eat any of the food we served at our meal functions. They needed kosher plates. They went and bought food from a kosher market and asked the hotel to cook it. Of course they said no. They offered a microwave for $200 per day. Any ideas?

Kosher requests MUST be made IN ADVANCE. I have never heard of attendees buying their own kosher food and requesting that the chef prepare items for them. If the kitchen is not kosher, as soon as the food is prepared in the kitchen, it is no longer kosher. There are different levels of kosher, the strictest being glatt kosher. If the entire group is not kosher, meals are usually provided in wrapping and an attendee unwraps the meal. If it is unwrapped and placed on dishes, it is no longer kosher.

What are the top 10 items to watch out for when investigating, and then negotiating, a cruise?

The most important things to be aware of  in planning an event whether on land or on sea are the objectives of the event, profile of attendees, budget, the agenda, geographical location of participants, the cruise line brand and the ship. Be aware that it will be costly if there is single occupancy in cabins. Newer cruise lines are designed for meetings and events with designated registration areas. The program must be adapted for the cruise itinerary so that participants can enjoy some time in ports. Depending upon the number of attendees, functions can be held in private rooms. However, meal functions may not be conducive for speakers unless you book the entire ship where you have exclusivity in the dining room. Check the tax liabilities and deductibility in scheduling your event on a ship. Many cruise lines have dedicated staff to work with meeting planners. Be aware that if you have non- American citizens with green cards, there may be restrictions on traveling to foreign countries.

Do you find the cost of printers, etc., is the same for printed handouts?

Printers can be sponsored. Also, printers are provided for those who prefer having handouts in advance of the session rather than printing out handouts, particularly when there is uncertainty how many people will be attending a session. Not all participants in a session need handouts in advance. The handouts can be provided in zip drives where participants can run off their own copies when they return to their offices.

I once had a meeting where we put the program online to save printing and shipping costs. We needed Internet access in the general session. Have you found the cost of the Internet and electrical negates the savings of shipping and printing?

The cost of the internet in the general session meeting room is separate from the printing and shipping budget. This cost should be negotiated in the hotel contract. The best way to save money on shipping is to prepare a timeline with deadlines to take advantage of the lowest shipping rates. Remember that FedEx provides you with the opportunity for procrastination but you pay for this service. You can avail yourself of ground service if you plan in advance. I have not been charged for electrical service.