Here’s how to earn your CEU hour. Test Time CERTIFICATION MADE POSSIBLE Once you finish reading this CMP Series article, read the following article from a previous issue of Convene: “‘Stronger Than Concern &Weaker Than Panic,’” which is about the revisions to the PhRMA and AdvaMed codes
of ethics that went into effect last year and are still the subject of discussion and debate among meeting professionals: http://bit.ly/94SE5U.
Then, to earn one hour of CEU credit toward your CMP®
The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a registered trademark of the Convention Industry Council.
to move up?’ and they looked at me shocked that I would even suggest that. It made me thinkthat they are a little more astute than others—that they might really get it.”
Sticky Situations But what is the “it” to get? What are the ethical flashpoints within the meetings industry? What practices might be con- sidered questionable? The answer depends on whom you ask —which is one of the difficulties when discussing the sub- ject: What’s perfectly acceptable to one planner might be considered beyond the pale by another. Fam trips. That said, in the comments left by respondents to our ethics survey, fam trips and site inspections were con-
sistently singled out as potentially dicey. Two questions on the survey dealt directly with these areas: When is it ethical for suppliers to issue and for planners to accept invitations to events?
On a site visit, is it ethical for a planner to… Have the entire stay (including room and meals) comped?
Pay for the stay and amenities and, if you bookthe venue or destination, have that amount taken off your master account?
Sixty-seven percent of respondents answered the first
Which option best serves the community as a whole, not just some members? (The Common Good Approach) Which option leads me to act as the sort of person I want to be? (The Virtue Approach)
Make a Decision and Test It 7. Considering all these approaches, which option best addresses the situation? 8. If I told someone I respect —or told a television audience—which option I have chosen, what would they say?
Act and Reflect on the Outcome 9. How can my decision be implemented with the greatest care and attention to the concerns of all stakeholders? 10. How did my decision turn out, and what have I learned from this specific situation?
Reprinted with permission of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University (www.scu.edu/ethics).
question by saying it was ethical to accept an invitation when there is “business on the table.” Just under a quarter said it was ethical to do so “when you know the person, even if there is no business pending.” Less than 6 percent believe that it is never ethical to accept (or issue) such an invitation. For the second question, a little less than two- thirds said it was ethical to have the entire stay comped (2.7 percent fewer said it was okay to accept free amenities). Just under a third replied that one should pay for one’s own stay and amenities. Fewer than 10 percent of respondents said it was unethical to accept anything while on a site visit. “I thinkthere’s more scrutiny on both [the planner and
supplier] sides,” Breiter said. “I thinkthe hotels, convention centers, conference centers, whatever it may be ... are a little more concerned with appearing to be trying to buy some- body’s business. On the other side, my boss…doesn’t want
“As a planner, I am very careful to act ethically and professionally. There are times when suppliers try to push the limits.”