On the following pages, you’ll find time-tested meeting planning techniques and helpful tips on how to handle all of these scenarios and more.

Meeting rooms

If any attendees are standing in the back of the room without a seat nearby, then they haven’t done their job, which is to have everyone seated quickly, efficiently, and courteously. To achieve this goal, use the following strategies:

o Load the front of the room first, setting aside seating for VIPs and speakers.

o If there are side doors, open the front-most door first and direct delegates to the front seats.

o To prevent people from going down the hall, stand in the middle of the hall and point to the place you would like them to go. However, don’t argue with pushy guests if they choose to move down the hall.

o As the front fills up, close the front door and open the next door. Continue this procedure until the entire room except the back is filled.

o Tape or tape the seats farthest from the speaker and closest to the rear entrance door or use reserved signs to maintain the integrity of this area, approximately one-tenth of the chairs in the room.

o Finally, once the other seats have been taken or the meeting has started, remove all tapes, tapes, and signs and save the rearmost seats for late arrivals. Be sure to post the meeting room signage by the back door once the session has started.

For large groups, place one person in front of the doors that need to remain closed and one person at the entrance to be used first, which will automatically direct the flow of traffic to the desired door. Staff members stationed inside the room decide when to open the next door and communicate that decision via walkie-talkie to staff members stationed outside the room. When the next door is opened, the coordinator enters the flow and directs the delegates to the new door opening. Inside, staff members head to the new door and continue to seat people. Walkie-talkies and many coordinators or assistants are vital for large group movements.

Coffee breaks

o Never have open stations near the doors of a meeting room. If unavoidable due to space limitations, keep those stations closed and direct delegates to the farthest stations first.

o When installing stations, always keep in mind the direction people are coming from and position stations so movement is away from meeting rooms.

o Organize the stations so that attendees do not stop moving until after drinking their coffee or hot water. Place tea bags, sugar, and cream right after coffee or hot water so those who only need coffee can get through the line unhindered. Put the regular coffee first, then the decaf and hot water last.

o Place sodas and snacks (if applicable) on separate tables. Arrange the items in the correct order: glasses, then ice, then soda.

o If it is necessary to take a break and labor costs are not an issue, the coffee can be served by waiters. Again, keep the tea bags, sugar, and cream in the stream.

o Make sure the end of the stream has an outlet; do not run the end of the station towards a wall, escalator or dead end. Keep stations away from bathrooms.

o When moving from a general meeting session to small group sessions or vice versa, always try to locate the break in front of the next chronological destination. If you are entering groups that are far from the general session lobby, for example, set up the coffee break in the small group area.

o In a situation where both the remote exits and the general session are being used, you might have a problem when attendees going to the remote exits attack the coffee station reserved for the general session. To resolve this issue, ask the speaker to first excuse the private session attendees and keep the general session lobby stations closed until these people pass. Then, as soon as the first group has left the room, send the second group (those returning to general session) to recess just outside the room.

Cocktails

Meeting planners need to be proactive to ensure their events are appropriately designed and designed. Obviously, the type of cocktail, as well as the number of hors d’oeuvres, entertainment options, and accessories greatly affect the layout design and flow pattern of the room. The following guidelines apply to all types of cocktails.

o Do not place bars near doors.

o Food stations should not overlap or flow into bars.

o Avoid high density bar areas: four or more bars in a row is not a good idea.

o Consider beer and wine bars at large events and outdoor events.

o Position the seats away from high traffic areas and group the seats together. Do not extend it to force traffic around those seated.

o Always create large spaces for traffic to move between function areas.

o For large groups, bring guests to the back of the room first and do not open the bars or food stations closest to the entrance until most of the attendees have entered.

Move people to dinner

For buffet dinners – Objective: No long lines

o Just move as many people from the cocktail party as necessary to keep the buffet lines full. “Bleed” reception attendees by telling only those closest to the exit or the dining area that the buffet is open. (They will likely thank you and move quickly.) When the lines get shorter, repeat this procedure with the next group closest to the exit.

o Do not close all the bars until the buffet line is finished. Close the bars closest to the buffet first.

o Always discuss your plan with the hotel staff to make sure you control the flow.

o Never turn on lights or do anything to encourage all guests to leave the reception at the same time.

For sit-down dinners –

Objective: Quick seat so food service can begin.

There are several techniques that work.

o Close all bars at the same time. (Always make a “last call” before using this technique.) When a bar is closed, a tablecloth passes over the bar and the bartender steps aside.

o Make one last call, then indicate to delegates that dinner is being served with flashing lights or playing exit music.

o In each scenario, encourage the people furthest from the starting gates to exit the event first so they can choose their seats. As they go through the party, others will notice the movement and will also head towards the dining room.

o When using these techniques, always be courteous, not dictatorial. Keep in mind that courtesy and warmth work wonders.

People seating at food functions

Seating people at meal functions is critical, especially for larger groups. Keep these three rules in mind when seating groups of several hundred or more in unassigned seats:

1. Establish larger hallways to more easily move crowds around the room. The “filter through” method (no cross aisles) is a guaranteed disaster for 500 or more guests.

2. Line up the banquet staff in the hallways to direct early arrivals to the furthest reaches of the room. If early arrivals sit at the tables closest to the entrance, they block the aisles needed to move attendees back. (Note: Reserved signs on tables closest to the door force people to back off. Remove them as the room fills.)

3. Use as many entrances as possible, combined with multiple aisles if possible.

Events with reserved seats

Reserved seating events require increased use of manpower and signage for groups of 800 or more. The first challenge is getting people through the correct door, minimizing wandering around the room looking for the correct table numbers.

To achieve this goal, follow these guidelines:

o Place large reproductions of the room layout, with table numbers, at eye level in the reception area.

o Hang a sign above each door to the ballroom that shows the numbers of the tables that can be located by entering through that particular door.

o Post staff members outside each door with a list of seat assignments.

o You can also color-code each area of ​​the room (with balloons, tablecloths, or banners) and place a corresponding color tag on each attendee’s ID card. This tactic will direct them to the correct area. So the numbers are necessary to help them find the correct table.