Meeting the Budget: Creatively controlling corporate event costs.

• Author: Kronemyer, Bob
• Position: Meetings & Conventions

With Corporate expenses being scrutinized in a shaky economy, offsite meetings and events can still succeed without breaking the budget. But it does take some flexibility in amenities and schedule dates. Being able to determine specific needs in advance will also favorably impact the bottom line.

Take food, for example--an important ingredient for most gatherings. "Instead of steak or prime rib, consider serving roast beef," says Ann Fischer, director of catering at the Executive Inn in Evansville. Likewise, the way chicken is prepared can be scaled back. "A Queen of England chicken breast with walnuts and grapes can easily be substituted with a chicken piccata," Fischer explains. The savings can be dramatic: $22 for a fancy meal versus $12 for something less-labor intensive and made from lower-priced ingredients. This translates into a savings of $500 for 50 people on one meal alone. Regardless of choice, "you still get a house salad, a starch, a vegetable, rolls and butter, iced tea and coffee, and a dessert," Fischer says.

Fischer also shatters the myth that a buffet is often less expensive than a sit-down meal. "For a served meal, we can control the food costs," she states.

Theater seating for the meeting room is also less costly than classroom seating. "You need to rent a larger room for classroom-style seating," Fischer says. In addition, a classroom setting usually entails tables and linen as opposed to chairs only for theater seating. "It takes less time to set up a room for theater style," says Fischer, so labor costs are subsequently less.

Carefully checking lodging rates can also save money. "Sunday or Wednesday may be a low-occupancy night for a particular hotel, so you may have a better chance of negotiating a favorable rate," says Gregg Murphy, co-owner and general manager of the University Inn, Conference Center & Suites in West Lafayette (adjacent to the Cumberland Place Exhibition Center). For a one-day meeting, "have everyone arrive Sunday for a Monday meeting instead of arriving Monday for Tuesday," Murphy suggests.

Flexibility in selecting the month or season of the meeting can reduce costs as well. "Typically, hotels are going to have a busy season or a slow season," Murphy says. "January may be a slow month, for example." Furthermore, try to limit meeting hours to daylight. "The hotel's cost structure is higher during the night," Murphy points out. "Obviously, your dinner entrees are more than breakfast or lunch. Staff...