The ABCs of convention Planning.

• Author: PARMELEE, CATHERINE

Planning a convention? Help is as close as your local convention and visitors bureau.

It can take up to five years of hard work and careful planning to pull off a successful convention.

If you are the designated meeting planner for your organization, you can spend that time telephoning, negotiating, arranging, confirming and reconfirming; making, reviewing, revising and updating lists and schedules--and losing significant sleep lest the slightest detail be overlooked. Or you can simply pick up the phone and let professionals lead the way.

"We love headaches," said Conventions Manager Emma Wilson, Fairbanks Conventions and Visitors Bureau. In Alaska, cities from Anchorage to Unalaska have established convention and visitors bureaus staffed with experts eager to help make your meeting a hit--free of charge.

In addition, larger cities might house private companies that can facilitate your planning needs, down to the smallest aspect. Although you pay for their services, you save money in the long run, according to Char McClelland, president, Alaska Destination Specialists in Anchorage.

"If you put together the meeting, it takes up your time," she said. "A professional can do the same work in a shorter amount of time."

A professional meeting planner lends expertise with hotel and vendor negotiations, implements realistic timelines, suggests cost-savings opportunities and shares successes from previous meetings, according to Karen Zak, general manager, Visions Meeting and Event Management in Anchorage. Expert on-site management also allows the organizing host committee to interact and participate in the event, instead of working behind the scenes managing the myriad of logistical details.

"Working together as a team on the program content, marketing and on-site management of the event offers the most optimum opportunity for success," she said.

Choosing a Location

Professionals are available to assist you with all or part of your meeting. But before you decide what services to enlist, you need to determine your destination. With today's technology, information is at your fingertips; research via the Internet should take just a few clicks.

During your virtual tour, Karen Lundquist, communications manager of the Fairbanks CVB, recommends checking local calendars of events to identify activities you can tie your convention into-before, during and/or after the meeting. Once you've narrowed down your site selections, contact the CVBs in those cities. Tell them as much as you can about your meeting, and they'll put together an information packet for you to...