SAN FRANCISCO - It was a conference planner's nightmare. The event, an Education Credit Union Council annual convention in San Francisco, was running smoothly. Attendees were looking forward to an evening dinner cruise on San Francisco Bay. Then gale force winds hit and the Coast Guard closed the bay to boat traffic. Lorraine Webster, others on the Education Credit Union conference committee, and the hotel staff swung into action. The hotel quickly set up a dining room and even allowed outside caterers to bring in the food that had been ordered. Just another day in the life of those responsible for a conference. Webster, ECUC executive director, has held that post and helped organize the group's annual meeting since 1979. Until then, she says, she had little experience in handling such events - certainly nothing approaching the magnitude of the ECUC sessions which typically draw 400 to 450 attendees plus spouses and guests. She's learned a lot and watched conferences evolve. "It's important to know the reason for your meeting and do the most professional job possible in planning the program and the speakers, and in working with the hotel to provide full value for that registration fee," Webster stresses. That means listening to attendees. "We have evaluation forms that are submitted. To encourage people to complete the forms we hold a drawing. The grand prize is a complimentary registration for the following year's conference," she says. Are incentives important to encourage such feedback? Webster laughs. "Well, we get a good response, so I assume providing incentives is important. We have a board meeting immediately following each conference to review those evaluations. Our directors provide their input and their feelings about how the conference ran, suggestions for changes, and programming for the future," she says. Then in April the board meets to actually plan the conference for the following year. Based on the evaluations plus topics that have been suggested, Webster comes to that gathering with information on possible speakers. She contacts those speakers in advance to check their availability and fees, plus any ideas they have for topics "We work with an outstanding speakers bureau. Most speakers bureaus are able to work with any speaker. It's really a matter of selecting one you feel comfortable with, who knows credit unions and knows speakers who are doing well perhaps at other conferences throughout the country. We don't mind using those speakers, because our people haven't heard them," Webster says. Speakers seem to appreciate the fact the ECUC contacts them well in advance. She's never had to arrange a speaker on short notice, but she believes sought-after speakers have full schedules. Webster indicates she has seen major changes in negotiating with hotels. "At one point it was really just a matter of a letter of agreement - formal, but fairly simple. Now it has evolved into very extensive contracts that we do have legal counsel review. "The hotel atmosphere also changes. At times it's a buyers market, then at times a sellers market. That is reflected in what we can do as far as negotiations," she says. Webster believes it's almost impossible to prepare too far in advance. With a firm meeting date, the ECUC plans five years ahead. When you contact hotels, have information on the amount of meeting space you'll need, both for breakout and general sessions, and the number of hotel rooms required, she recommends. "The attrition clause, that is guaranteeing a certain percentage of the rooms you've blocked, has become very important. That used to be a very small portion of the contract. So you really need to have a good idea of your expectations. "The hotel staff, of course, is extremely important," Webster says. "Because of the size of our group and the space required, we use national hotel chains - Hiltons, Sheratons, Marriotts. They have a reputation of their own so there is a consistency of service. Once the contract is signed, the sales staff assigns a convention services manager to help with the logistics of the meeting space as well as perhaps the meals. In some cases, a separate catering department may be responsible for meals. "I've always experienced excellent people," Webster says. "I think you need to work with them in a cooperative effort. They're trying to make the meeting successful from the hotel's viewpoint. We're trying to make it successful for our attendees. So anything I try to do has been a win-win situation. That's extremely critical." Competition to attract attendees is another factor that has changed dramatically, Webster says, as the number of conference opportunities available to credit unions has multiplied. "We are very fortunate at the Education Credit Union Council because we have a core of very interested and loyal attendees. We have recognition for those who have attended 10 or more conferences. We call them our oldtimers. Then we recognize those who have attended 15 or more. About 25 percent of our attendees fall in that group," she notes. "But we realize conference invitations come across people's desk every day. So we know we have to offer something special to attract them." That means conference content has also evolved, Webster continues. "In 1979 there wasn't a lot of interest in technology. That has become a huge area. We've also seen our members grow because of the addition of SEGs. Like other associations that started out as pure defense or telephone credit unions or whatever area they served, we've all grown so we serve others as well as that initial group," she says. "We have to keep that in mind in our planning. We are open to any credit union that serves the educational community. That includes students, staff and administrators. Even though that may not be the core or the majority of their membership, anyone who has those people in their credit union is welcome to join the council." Time and location are other important points, Webster continues. The ECUC holds its conference over President's Day weekend, which has proven a good time for working educators who have that Monday off. The February timeframe means a warm weather location is attractive. So glance at the ECUC list of past and future convention sites and you'll see Orlando, Tampa, San Francisco, San Diego, San Antonio and even Honolulu. At the same time, the ECUC tries to keep attendance affordable. The registration fee includes almost all meals, so attendees basically know what their costs will be. One short-term challenge is promoting the conference, getting printed materials out to people who might be interested and handling the registration logistics. What makes a conference successful? Is it the speakers, the food, the location? "It's really a combination of everything," Webster says. "What I've found is that good planning, early planning, attention to detail is what really makes a good conference. We get many, many evaluations saying the meeting was well organized and the sessions ran on time. Attendees appreciate it when their time is used wisely and there aren't a lot of gaps. "We've introduced additional programming people have requested so now we have optional open forum time. We offer opportunities to see the location during times sessions aren't held. So we find sessions are very, very well attended up to the final day because they do have an opportunity to see the city where we are located." During an ECUC conference sessions often begin at 8 a.m. then wind up in the early afternoon so attendees have a portion of the afternoon to sightsee. Webster suggests the biggest mistake a conference planner could make is not having backup plans. "We just plan everything so much in detail in advance there's time to deal with any emergency that might arise," she explains. For example, suppose a speaker phones and says his plane has been grounded by a blizzard. Speakers already there may be able to fill in. A final point - delegate responsibility. For example, Webster praises the work of the more than 40 ECUC board members she's worked with. "When they are on-site they are a working board of directors," she says. She also applauds the directors of individual credit unions who have spent long hours staffing the registration desk at ECUC conventions. -
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