Business Meeting Planning Tips:

Friday, March 5, 2010

    I understand there's more to events planning than just booking the venue - travel arrangements, local attractions and the weather forecast may all need to be considered. So I recommend that you consider the following aspects of event-planning:

Budget
    When defining your budget for any event, remember that the rates for meeting space will only be one part of your expenditure, and make sure to allow a similar sum at least for equipment rental, refreshments, transport costs, etc. Once we know the type of event that you propose, Moscow Hotels will be able to provide you with an integrated estimate for all your meeting costs.

Location
    The choice of location depends, of course, not only facilities available for your type of event, but also on where you will be staying and where most of your attendees will be traveling from. But bear in mind that traffic congestion in the city and downtown parking is also almost non-existent. Depending on your circumstances, you may well find it easier to use hotels on the outskirts of the city, near major airports.

Venue
    In choosing your venue, you'll want to factor in not only the size and capacity of a space, but also its technical capabilities and the impression it will make on attendees. Remember that some of the most stylish and prestigious conferencing venues are often leave you with little opportunity to personalize the space for your own requirements. If you want to make your corporate identity felt to all attendees, you may be better off finding a more low-key, plain meeting space which can be decorated and adapted to your needs.

Space
    Depending on the type of meeting, you may well need more than one meeting venue to accommodate your event. For all except the smallest boardroom meetings, extra space can make a massive difference to the success of your meeting, allowing you to create a more personalized atmosphere, and giving you and your guests the chance to relax between sessions, with clear boundaries between working and rest areas, and the chance to share ideas under less formal circumstances. Many hotels offer transformer halls, which often provided the opportunity of creating a main meeting space and auxiliary break-out space for receiving guests and organizing refreshments.

Timing
    As a general rule, the most important aspect of timing a meeting is to balance the agenda with the attention span of your attendees. Don't forget that successful meetings and conferencing events always require plenty of preparation time, and that is especially true in an unfamiliar atmosphere in a foreign country. Ensure that hotel staff fully understand what you require well in advance, and be sure to allow at least one hour for set-up, even for the most basic meetings.

Equipment
    Most hotels with MICE spaces offer a reasonably extensive range of modern audiovisual equipment. However, never take for granted that all venues have exactly the equipment you need for your conferencing event. As a rule, if you have specific technical requirements, it is always worth checking with us before you book. Moreover, you will have to ensure that the materials you are bringing with you - software, electronic data, laptop computer, etc. - are compatible with local standards.

Regards