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Have You Lost Respect for Your RSVP?

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Missy JohnsonPost written by Missy Johnson, Principal, MJMeetings, LLC | Meetings Consultant | Gourmet Food & Wine Enthusiast | Sports Fan

I’m bothered by a current and growing trend in our society. It seems that the public is numb to the meaning of the RSVP for parties, events or invitations to just about any occasion.

RSVP is a widely known acronym for Répondez s’il vous plait, which is a French language phrase for “Reply if you please”.

Any event organizer knows the frustrations that come with not knowing an exact count of invited guests. The event venue fee is sometimes tied to your total guest count and food and beverage guarantees are traditionally paid per person. If party favors or gifts are included in the event, having an accurate RSVP count is very important.

Of course it’s reasonable to expect that any party or event will have some expected guests that no-show or provide last minute cancellations in the final days before the event.

Depending on your event’s size, a typical amount is 10-20% of your expected guest list and any rational event planner understands that some guests become ill, have family emergencies or have unexpected work demands that come up after an RSVP is given. So for the sake of argument, let’s take this small group out of the equation.

RSVPIn recent years, I’ve observed people across all industries and professions have less and less respect for what an RSVP means and, more importantly, how it reflects on them personally and professionally.

In my experience, no-show’s and day-of-event cancellations have risen sharply to 20-35% of total guest count across all different types of events/parties.

I’m just going to put this out there…I think it’s rude to no-show and I think it reflects poorly on your character, especially if you’re a repeat offender. (Those who no-show often make a habit of it.)

Far too many people have become LAZY and if they just don’t feel like going to an event that they themselves have paid nothing for and spent no time planning, they just don’t go without giving any thought at all about the ramifications of their failed RSVP.

Event organizers and host sponsors of events plan and pay for events based on your attendance at the event. If you don’t attend, the costs are great…and the overall event ROI (return on investment) is diminished.

To me, this seems like common sense as an event organizer…but also as a human being.

I have too much respect for my RSVP to no-show. What about you?

What do you think? What’s your experience been? Leave a comment below or email me at missy@mjmeetings.com to share your thoughts on the state of the RSVP in our culture.

3 Communication Strategies I Live By

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Missy Johnson, CMPPost written by Missy Johnson, Principal, MJMeetings, LLC | Meetings Consultant | Gourmet Food & Wine Enthusiast | Sports Fan

Have you ever observed a supervisor or manager communicate poorly with a key vendor or top sponsor? Have you noticed when your coworker can’t quite manage to convey an important message to an internal partner? Or maybe you’ve seen a colleague talk down to a line worker at your annual meeting hotel.

And then you think to yourself…”That could have been handled differently with better results for all involved.”

Superior communication skills are the #1 critical skill a meeting professional can posses.

In this profession we must be communication chameleons – able to quickly adapt and change our communication style and message to fit others in varying settings. We communicate with CEO’s, managers, peers, hotel conference staff and A-V technicians, and more…sometimes all in the same day.

So how do you achieve this? Just like anything else, it takes practice. Here are 3 communication strategies I live by:

3 Communication Tips1. Assume Good Intent

If you enter every interaction assuming that both you and the other party have good intent, and that your actions as a result of your communication will result in a positive outcome, you’ve started in the right place. This is sometimes hard to do, but try it and I think you’ll find that your communications overall will be more positive.

2. Simplify the Message

Working with CXO’s taught me an important lesson…simple messages are more effective. Don’t give more detail or background unless you’re asked or required to provide it. Distilling your message to the most important and strategic points more quickly gets you where you need to go.

3. Follow-up is Critical

After messages have been delivered, I take the responsibility to follow-up on items that were communicated. This is a step of communication that is often missed, yet is so very important. A simple follow-up can be extremely effective and is another way of saying, “I care so much about our conversation that I’m double-checking to ensure we got it right.”

What other communication strategies do you live by? Share it here with me and my readers.

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ROI! ROI! ROI! (Yes, Let’s Talk About ROI.)

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Missy Johnson, CMP

Every C-level executive is always looking for more ROI from everyone in their organizations and on every project they undertake.

The good news is that your organization’s meetings and events are ripe for demonstrating smart ROI.

S0 how do you provide ROI without sacrificing the experience you want for your attendees? Work with an experienced meeting professional to help you take advantage of ROI opportunities such as:

Volume = Savings

Think about how buying in bulk helps you save money at Costco and other warehouse retailers. Bundling your purchasing of meeting and event space works exactly the same way.

Meeting and event venues will give you more of a discount on room rental, guest room rates, food and beverage and audio-visual services when you purchase in volume. Think about booking multiple years at a time or, for a repeat event, book multiple hotels within the same chain to leverage savings.

Timing is Key to Deeper Discounts

Experienced meeting professionals know that sometimes it pays to procrastinate. Waiting until the end of a quarter and especially the end of a calendar year can yield significant savings when booking meetings and events.

ROISales professionals are motivated to close business during these times and will almost always give you greater discounts on the things that matter the most to you.

Make your “Hot Buttons” Known

Meeting professionals know that in negotiations you must make it known early on to vendors that you have a certain budget to meet or must gain a complimentary concession in order for them to have an opportunity to win the business. We call them “Hot Buttons.”

Every sales professional in our industry knows to expect a few Hot Buttons. It might be that you want to have free WIFI in all guest rooms, you must have a discount on food & beverage, or that you need to have three complimentary suite upgrades for your VIPs.

Whatever your “Hot Buttons” are, make them known early and don’t back down on their importance to your overall meeting’s success.

Measure and Track Savings for ROI Reporting

After all the negotiations are complete, it’s important to measure and track all of the savings. Every executive responds to statistics and percentages. Accurate reporting of negotiated savings is an excellent way to measure the success of a meeting professional and understand the value they bring to your organization.

Say it with me…ROI! ROI! ROI!