Plan A Successful Business Meeting

Planning an Albany area business meeting or corporate event? The success is in the details, and planning is the key! Whether you’re hosting at your business location, or using one of the many Albany meeting facilities in the Capital District or meeting space nearby, there are a few basic tenets that will help keep you on track as you begin to move forward in the planning process:

What is the purpose of the meeting? If you’re arranging a company meeting for brainstorming purposes, a retreat setting might be most appropriate. For staff or employee training or for hosting customers and clients, a conference or meeting setting in a hotel environment may be more appropriate, providing participants with access to additional services, amenities, and the ability to access local attractions and restaurants.

Where are they coming from? Are your participants all local? Are they driving in, or flying? If so, a location close to the Albany Airport or interstate will be most appropriate to saving time and money as well as wear and tear on your participants!

Establish your goals early and decide what you need to meet them. Will your meeting be more effective in a more casual, intimate setting or benefit from the formality of a boardroom setting? If you have a speaker or presenter, will they need extra space, a speaker system, some props for their presentation?

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Equipment Reservations: Make sure you aren’t faced with the embarrassing reality of a screen and no projector, or a computer and no connection! Make a detailed list of the equipment and technology you need to conduct a successful presentation and reserve it early. Coordinate your needs with local audio / visual suppliers, and be sure to arrive in plenty of time to check it out and verify everything is working properly.

Know your Stuff: If you’re using your laptop for your display, make sure you have the connections you need, bring all of your connectors and power cables with you, make sure you’re familiar with the provided video, audio, projection equipment. Boot up your computer and check to see that your Powerpoint display is working, and that the screen is aligned properly for your audience.

Have and agenda! Plan your meeting schedule and do your best to stick to it. Providing meeting attendees with your information, agenda and handouts beforehand via mail or e-mail can 1) go a long way toward making sure they get the most possible out of your presentation, and 2) save you valuable time as you open the meeting and begin your presentation.

Refreshments: This can be one of those details that can make or break your meeting! How many times have you been to a business gathering, and one of the most vivid memories is how hungry or thirsty you were, or that the food wasn’t very good! Provide adequate break times and plenty of beverages throughout the day. Numerous Albany banquet facilities and caterers can provide wonderful catering services as well!

Entertainment: For multi-day events, or just to break up a long day and give attendees something memorable to talk about, consider hiring professional corporate entertainers. A creative and relaxing break will keep ideas fresh and your attendees eagerly awaiting your next event!