It’s here – the holiday season is upon us – and The Coleman Center wishes you and yours the very best!

In striving to provide the most pleasant and professional meeting and conference center in Manhattan, we’ve had the good fortune of meeting fantastic folks – and we’re so thankful for all those guests who choose to host their meetings with us.

And though you probably have your mind on more important things this week – friends, family, lots of delicious food – we think these 12 Holiday Networking Tips from Career Hub may come in handy. You never know whom you’ll run into at home – an old friend could become your newest client – and these tips will help you stay on top of your game.

Remember, too, that if you’re planning a holiday meeting in December, The Coleman Center can accommodate your party. It would truly be our pleasure.

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all!

When it comes to meeting etiquette, there are lots of rules. But how do you judge the appropriateness of one rule over another?

Luckily, as a meeting planner, you get to set the tone in this area. Will the meeting be formal or noticeably relaxed? What’s the dress code? How will you determine who gets to speak and when, so that your meeting progresses efficiently? These are all relevant questions that need tending to before your meeting kicks off.

Straight-shooter Lyndsay Swinton – owner of Management for the Rest of Us – has compiled this list of seven business meeting etiquette tips that may help serve as a guideline when setting your standards. But where Lyndsay leaves off, we’d like you to pick up.

Do you have etiquette standards that you implement prior to a meeting? What are some of your meeting pet peeves, and how do you avoid them? The Coleman Center is interested in creating a dialogue with the meeting planners out there who have experienced business meeting etiquette in action – or lack thereof – and we’d like to hear from you.

Let us know in the comments section how you handle this hot topic!

Considering that most professionals spend approximately 25% of their time in meetings, middle managers often spend at least two days out of every week in meetings, and that it’s not unusual for execs to be in meetings for up to four days a week, it seems we could all use a break.

Of course, you have to get the job done – but a break here and there never hurt anyone. In fact, it may help.

According to EffectiveMeetings.com, studies show that the average person pays attention for about 20 minutes in a meeting before becoming restless, starting to daydream or working on other projects. They say that a change in speakers or presentation structure is enough to refocus participants at that point, but after 90 minutes a noticeable deterioration in attention and participation takes hold.

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As a professional, you’re well versed in the art of taking notes.

The question is, are the informative reminders that litter your legal pad as refined as they could be?

Here at The Coleman Center, our concern is not just the success of your meeting. We care about your success, too. We want you to make the most of your time with us, and help you walk away with a feeling of real accomplishment. That’s why we’ve scoured the Internet to find note-taking tips that are guaranteed to increase your productivity. They’ve worked wonders for Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Thomas Nelson Publishers president Michael S. Hyatt (who both know a thing or two about taking notes), and we’re certain they’ll work for you.

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You’ve wrapped up another great meeting.

The schedule ran smoothly. The equipment performed without a glitch. The attendees offered positive feedback. Then comes the bill. With hidden fees, service charges, attrition costs and more, what was once a good deal has your head spinning.

As a meeting planner, your job was to moderate costs and stay within budget. Lesson learned. But what can you do to prevent extra expenses from blowing up your bill in the future?

How to Stay Within Budget

When you run price comparisons at different places, remember to look at more than the base fees. Your meeting will likely require additions like AV equipment or refreshments. Ask yourself, does the venue charge separately for this? Also, look at how the venue charges you. Is its process confusing and complicated, or is it conducive to managing your budget?

Here’s a checklist of considerations you should use to keep expenses down:

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As your to-do list lengthens before the big meeting, the last thing you want to add to the fray is making your meeting “green.”

But accomplishing that task isn’t as difficult as you think – it’s certainly much easier than ensuring that everyone’s food allergies are covered. (For instance, holding your meeting at The Coleman Center will automatically give your meeting “green” status – without adding stress. More about that at the bottom.)

The Meeting Professional wrote this story a couple years ago, when the “green” movement was just gaining steam. Still as relevant as it was then, the article offers great tips on how the average planner can hold meetings that are easier on the environment.

Here, a few tips from Amy Spatrisano, CMP, and Nancy Wilson – principles at Meeting Strategies Worldwide, a conference management company committed to environmentally responsible planning.

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It never fails that when you’re on-site at a program, you call the office in a panic because the 50-page presentation they were supposed to send – the deadline for which is T-minus 10 minutes away – can’t be located.

In this day and age – no matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing – you can stay ahead of the curve with on-the-go applications.

By now, most pros are familiar with Google Apps, the office suite that offers e-mail, documents, spreadsheets, notebooks and more. There are lesser-known applications, however, that pick up (and subsequently take off) where Google falls short.

To help you make the most of your time between remote meetings, The Coleman Center has compiled this list of seven Web apps our guests have found helpful. The relevance of these applications to your company will depend on its size, of course. While some applications work for small businesses, they may not apply to larger companies – and vice versa.
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Recently MeetingsNet published an intriguing article about the diminishing quality of correspondence between hotels and event planners. Neglected phone calls, inattentive conversations, and unanswered messages seem to be more common in meeting preparations with hotels.

According to one coordinator quoted in the article: “Communication has just become too lackadaisical…”

There are different reasons for the recent spike in communication breakdowns. But by understanding what causes misconceptions and holdups, you can prepare ahead of time and take action to minimize miscommunication with meeting venues.

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You’ve been to a million and one meetings, as a leader, a presenter, and an attendee, but there are a few times here and there where a meeting may have sagged, waned, or disappointed just a smidge.

You may feel the need for a drastically new approach, but the truth is that one isn’t necessary! When in doubt, just go back to the basics.

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