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you plan meetings toperfection, we plannedan entire city that wayAn 86,400 square-foot facility withcolumn-free exhibit space, state-of-theartaudio visual equipment, full-serviceon-site catering, 17 breakout rooms anda full-service business center.The free wireless connectivity and freeparking were nice too.The climate controlled light rail transitsystem took our people into downtownPlano and points of interest all overDallas. It was quick, safe, affordableand comfortable.convention & visitors bureau800-81-PLANO planocvb.comClose to restaurants, fun, shopping andairports. Far from ordinary.356668_Plano.indd 111/28/07 4:56:25 PMFocus, Food and FunThree special words that dene our approach to events and meetings. Because, at Great Wolf, weunderstand it’s more than just another meeting. It’s your meeting and will be the event your attendeestalk about and remember. Our Meeting Services team is ready and prepared. The logistics. The cuisine.The service. The technology. Perfect execution is our goal with each and every event. From salesrallies to product launches, our new Conference Center gives us the exibility to accommodateevents as small as 10 people and as grand as 500.Grapevine, TXCall 817.722.3881or visit greatwolf.com16 CURRENT www.mpidfw.org421033_GreatWolf.indd 12/24/09 5:31:44 PM
It is your responsibility as themeeting professional to makesure your attendees’ epicureanneeds are met and satisfied.continued from page 15creativity. Chefs love to create! Ask the chef to recommend regionalfoods. The chef will know what is in season and what can be sourcedlocally. This could provide a cost savings. Butler passing the horsd’oeuvres cuts down on the number of items consumed by theattendees and will prove to be a cost savings. Plan on four to sixhors d’oeuvres per person if dinner is being served after the receptionand 10-15 hors d’oeuvres per person if the reception is takingthe place of a dinner. Hors d’oeuvres should be 1½ to two bites each.Select items that don’t have tails or are placed on skewers, picksor spoons. These items create waste, and attendees are often leftholding a tail, not knowing what to do with it. If you decided toprovide a buffet for your reception, place your buffet tables alonga wall as people will not eat as much if they don’t have access toall sides of the table. Use small plates and station a banquet staffat each table to replenish food, remove dirty plates and act as adeterrent for people overloading their plates. Also keep seating toa minimum. This will discourage people from loading up their platesand sitting down for a meal of reception food. It is always nice tohave live music entertainment or dancing, and these also reducefood consumption.Planning your bar package can sometimes be one of the mostdifficult tasks. It is important that you know your audience and thecompany policies regarding alcohol. It is also important that theattendees are aware of this policy. Alcohol should be purchased ona “per drink basis” or “based on consumption.” A good rule of thumbfor alcohol is to plan on two drinks per guest in the first hour andone drink per guest each additional hour. This number may increaseif the weather is warm, the attendees are dancing or there are otherphysical activities. Alcohol consumption can turn from pleasant todisastrous in the blink of an eye. Be sure to have a plan in placeif this happens to you. Most employees are on their best behaviorwhen consuming alcohol in front of supervisors. If the event includesattendees who are not employees, they may be less inhibited andmay consume more alcohol. Start closing the bars 15 minutes beforethe scheduled end time. This will save money as well as reduce alcoholconsumption. Don’t announce “last call.” Have you ever experiencedthat one person who kept telling you, “I’m not as think as youdrunk I am”? Make sure to have taxis available and even hotel roomsfor those who have consumed too much. Be sure to have plans andprocedures on how to deal with an inebriated attendee.DinnerDinner is the last and the most important meal of the day tosome. When planning dinner for your group, again, it is importantto know the expectation of your attendees and the amount of timeavailable. Dinner services can range from a casual-themed buffetto a nine-course French Service. Dinner services are only limitedby your budget and your creativity. Buffet dinners typically lastone hour while plated dinners can range from 1½ to three hours.Planning dinners is another great opportunity to meet with the chefand tap into his or her knowledge and creativity. Once you providethe chef with information about your attendees and the type of dinneryou would like to provide, he/she can create a fabulous menu foryour attendees. If budget is an issue, the chef can substitute items,change cuts of meats or eliminate courses. Plated dinners are typicallyless expensive and less wasteful than buffets. While buffetsare much more casual and create more of a networking environment,preparation labor costs can run as much as 20 percent more thanplated dinners.Food and beverage planning should be fun and exciting, butmany people find it extremely intimidating. Be conservative withyour guarantees, and use past events to establish these numbers.Be open to new ideas the chef proposes, and have fun exploring theculinary world.◗Marketing on the D/FW Chapter website is available at a veryreasonable rate. Put your best foot forward to encouragebusiness from fellow members. Website Banner Ads providea smart way to advertise to the D/FW MPI Membership.Visit www.mpidfw.org under the tab Buy MPI.BannerAd.indd 12009 MAY/JUNE CURRENT 174/1/09 10:41:43 AM
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