InnovativeMeetings By Christopher Durso

Take Away

‘ThingsWereChanging’

Which is why HSMAI decided that its Affordable Meetings conference needed to change as well—into HSMAI’s MEET.

Evenmeetings aboutmeetings have to change how they’re meeting. And so on Sept. 7,people arriving at theWalter E.Washington Convention Center for Hospitality Sales&Marketing Asso- ciation International’s (HSMAI) annualWashing- ton,D.C.–based event for meeting professionals found that what used to be known as Affordable Meetings National was now called HSMAI’s MEET National. MEETstands for Meetings, Events,Education,

and Technology — which pretty well captured what was happening throughout the two-day

Education. Asking themselves,“How do you

do it a little differently,and how do you make it unique?” Brasseuxsaid,HSMAIintroduced speed- learning and peer-to-peer interactive sessions, along with an education track for exhibitors. Show-within-a-show. More accurately,

HSMAI worked with MaxVantage and ITA- Group to debut a “reverse show-within-a-show,” according to Brasseux. Called TEEM Up, the two-hour program occupied a roped-off area at the back ofMEET’s exhibit hall during the second day of the show.Twenty-seven planners sat at individ-

“We knew we might be smaller, but we wantedto be better.”

show,versions ofwhichHSMAIalso produces in the Midwest and on theWest Coast. Indeed,the new name was the least of the changes on display. Over coffee at Walter E. Washington, HSMAI ExecutiveVice President Fran Brasseux explained why, after 22 years of Affordable Meetings, HSMAIdecided to createMEET. “Things were changing,” Brasseux said.“We

were seeing that [when it came to] our original phi- losophy—which is to bring together our planner members with our supplier members—weweren’t innovating enough in this day and age.We decid- ed we needed to get back to our core.” SoHSMAI huddled with its partners—led by

J. Spargo & Associates, its event-management provider—and came up with a host of new pro- grams and features,including: Thatnewname. The brainchild of Tom Gib-

son,CEOofCoulter,HSMAI’smanagement com- pany,thename“MEET”grewout of a realization that “AffordableMeetings”may have pigeonholed the event strictly as “a place to do inexpensive meetings,” Brasseux said. “We thought, if we were going to change everything up,we might as well change the name.”

ual tables and took 10-minute appointments— 281 in all—withsupplierswhocalled on them. At AffordableMeetings, Brasseuxsaid,“The planners were saying,‘Everybody wants to meet with us, and nobody is qualifying their requests.’” Virtual component. Working with Freeman

and INXPO,HSMAIdelivered“a different version of a hybrid show,” Brasseux said, broadcasting 12 education sessions live on its MEET On virtual extension—alongwith short tips from 25 differ- ent exhibitors on the show floor. All along, HSMAI knew that transforming Affordable Meetings intoMEETcould be a risk. But it was one the organization felt it had to take. “We knew we might be smaller,” Brasseux said, “but we wanted to be better.” As it turned out, HSMAI hit its advance goal of 1,500 planner registrants, and drew more than 2,000 participants to MEET National — all part of its effort to bring together meeting professionals who have something to say to one another. “All of it does notworkif the right connection

isnotmade forbusiness,” Brasseuxsaid.“You’ve gottodoeverythingyoucantomakesure thatboth sideswalkawaywith business theywant todo.”

ON_THE_WEB: For more information about HSMAI’s MEET, visit www.hsmaimeet.com. 26 pcma convene November 2011 ILLUSTRATION BY MICK WIGGINS

If the Shoe Fits MEET National also included HSMAI’s first- ever CSR program— a donation drive for Soles4Souls, which collects new and gen- tly worn shoes and gives them to people in need. HSMAI had wanted to collect 2,500 pairs of shoes from MEET National attendees, but ended up with about 600. “In hindsight [the

original goal] may have been a bit ambi- tious on our first part- nership with this won- derful organization,” HSMAI’s Fran Brasseux said.“We did hear about some great connections that were made at the event by attending meeting planners with Soles4Souls which led to discussions on how to work with them at their own events. “So our mission to

bring new ideas to the meeting-planning industry through edu- cation and experience certainly delivered good results in the corporate social responsibility area!”

Christopher Durso is executive editor of Convene.

Innovative Meetings is sponsored by the Irving,Texas, Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.irvingtexas.com.