Top 10 Steps to a Successful Meeting

1. Plan to meet outside of the office away from phones, e-mail and other daily distractions.

2. Opt for a face-to-face meeting over a virtual conference because there's no substitute for personal interaction in fostering teamwork and cooperation.

3. If a key player cannot physically attend, use on-site audio or videoconferencing to accommodate him or her.

4. Instead of a hotel, choose a bona fide conference center that offers professional facilities and staff geared solely to conducting productive meetings.

5. Ease budget concerns by using the conference center's Complete Meeting Package (CMP) incorporating guest room (for overnight meetings), meeting rooms, daily meals and breaks, and basic audio-visual needs in one easy-to-understand per person, per day rate.

6. Insist on in-house audio-visual equipment and on-staff a/v professionals who can flawlessly support all of your meeting technology needs and any last-minute requests.

7. Choose a venue that offers e-registration to reduce your workload and to guarantee the accuracy of reservations, to ensure that ground transportation needs will be handled smoothly and to allow participants to pre-register for any breakout sessions.

8. Request a flexible dining schedule and continuous break service outside of the meeting room to accommodate sessions that may end early or run late.

9. Ask if the conference center is a member of the International Association of Conference Centers whose stringent Universal Membership Criteria examines 30 critical areas of compliance that reduce risk and increase the likelihood of a successful, cost effective meeting.

10. For additional information on a true conference center, log onto www.qcenter.com .

Article provided by Q Center. Q Center offers unequalled meeting resources, including 110,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space with sophisticated technology to meet the most advanced needs. Great for meetings of any size, Q Center comfortably accommodates 2 to 2,000 guests. For more information on using technology for your corporate meeting, visit http://www.QCenter.com .

About the Author

R.L. Fielding has been a freelance writer for 10 years, offering her expertise and skills to a variety of major organizations in the education, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing industries. She lives in New Jersey with her dog and two cats and enjoys rock climbing and ornamental gardening.