Beating the meeting doldrums.

• Author: Horvath, Terri
• Position: Keeping awake during boring meetings - Meetings and Conventions

It starts as one muffled cough, a pair of glazed eyes or the sound of shuffling feet. Soon the signs spread to others in the vicinity, and an epidemic ensues. The malaise comes from another boring meeting.

You can beat the meeting doldrums, however, by applying extra attention in the formative stages and, perhaps, adding a few special effects.

"In planning a meeting incorporate many details, starting with getting a location that is easy to find," says Debbie Locklear, president and owner of Meeting Services Unlimited in Indianapolis. "Selecting a room that's adequate for the participants' needs is also important. Do they need a table to write on? Are the chairs comfortable enough for the amount of time that they will spend in the room? Are the temperature and lighting adequate? Where are restrooms and telephones?"

These are a few of the questions that Locklear considers when arranging meetings or conventions for her corporate clients. She also examines some of the factors that could cause a meeting failure--such as the fact that a similar gathering was held recently. Other circumstances that could lead to a lack of attendance include the possibility that another meeting affecting the same industry is scheduled for the same date, the topic is overexposed or the date is too close to a holiday.

Using the experience and resources of a professional meeting planner has, in recent years, become an increasingly popular convenience for corporations. Another company customizing meetings for organizations is Tour Du Jour in Bloomington. Four years ago this group-travel department began planning meetings for its parent company--Cook Inc., a medical device manufacturer--and has since worked with other clients as well.

Mike Attebury, Tour Du Jour's manager, says that Cook had no personnel dedicated strictly to meeting planning before his department's recommendation that it assume those responsibilities.

"It used to be that an individual was assigned to throw together a meeting," he says. "It was just thought of as a back-burner project until about a week before the date."

Tour Du Jour's staff helped convince Cook's management of the need for a centralized planning office to avoid overlapping responsibilities and to ensure competent preparation.

"We wrap all the details and programs around a meeting's core agenda," Attebury explains. "We have no control over the agenda (established by the client), but we make the details as hassle-free as possible...