Spring/Summer 2008

LBNL CONFERENCE COUNCIL

The Conference Services Department is delighted to introduce the LBNL Conference Council, which is comprised of a group of LBNL representatives from each division.

Conference Council Members:

The purpose of the Council is to ensure that the Conference Services Department meets the needs of our customers in the most effective and efficient way possible. We will measure our performance against more than just operational and financial metrics. We will measure ourselves against values that are important to the Lab. We believe that integrity is at the core of everything we do, and that we must be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. 

We are committed to providing exceptional service to our customers. The Council is tackling topics ranging from conference and meal policy, procedures, understanding the Conference Management Order, training and customer service. If you have any suggestions and or would like to attend one of our Council meetings, please contact the Conference Committee.

Expedite the Approval Process

To expedite the approval process for your laboratory-hosted, on-site meeting request, make sure your meeting includes these criteria:

48 Hour Notice

The food service is approved 48 hours in advance by Conference Services.

Meeting is At Least 2 Hours

The meeting or conference must exceed two hours.

External participants must be present

External (non-LBNL employee) participants must be present (~20%).

The Meeting is Not Routine

Routine meetings refer to the conduct of normal, regular business, such as staff meetings, monthly or quarterly reviews, new employee orientation, or employee training.

work Is to be performed during the meal session

The nature and urgency of the meeting or conference requires work to be performed during the meal session.

Work precedes any food service provided

Food service is incidental to the meeting or conference

Attendees are not free to take meals elsewhere without being absent from essential discussions, lectures, or speeches.

An agenda and attendee list are provided

Quick Tips for Meeting Planners

Know Your History

Chances are, not everyone who registers for a meeting is going to eat every meal. To avoid paying for unconsumed meals and drinks, look at historical patterns of how many people actually attend food functions, and how much they consume at breaks and at cocktail parties.

Use Stand-Up Tables

For cocktail receptions, use highboy cocktail rounds instead of sit-down tables. People are more likely to network, and they are less likely to hang around and drink and eat all night — saving you money.

Know the Total Value of Your Meeting

When negotiating for hotel rooms, planners should come armed with data on how much the group spends in total, not just on space, rooms, and food and beverage. Try to get historical data on how much the group spends in hotel restaurants, bars, spa, golf, Internet usage, gift shops — in other words, track every dollar spent. This will, of course, require the assistance of hoteliers, but planners should request this information for future use. It will give the hotel a better picture of how much your business is really worth.  

Lock In the Menu Prices

If the hotel will not provide a specific menu in advance, at least agree that the menu prices will not increase more than a fixed percentage per year.

Be Flexible on Dates/Patterns

In a seller's market, deals can be found in top-tier cities by simply being flexible on dates and patterns. Filling holes in a hotel's calendar will give you more negotiating leverage; even changing your day-of-week patterns can result in lower rates.

To sign up to receive LBNL Conference News Bites please send an email to: Conference Services

LBNL would like to announce a new online registration tool, RegOnline. Since LBNL started using RegOnline for workshops and events, the registration process for LBNL has dramatically improved.

As one of the largest fully-automated online registration and attendee management systems, RegOnline has processed over 6 million registrations for more than 96,000 events worldwide. The web-based system has made LBNL event registration simple, fast and efficient.

RegOnline automates real-time credit card processing, one-click report generation, event revenue management and follow-up communications such as confirmation and reminder emails. RegOnline’s customers are primarily corporations, independent meeting planners, associations, university and governmental, religious and non-profit organizations.

For more information, please visit RegOnline.com or to sign up for a free live online demo, click HERE.

WANT A MEAL?

Because there is a lot of confusion around meal approval policies and procedures at the Lab, the OCFO is offering a fun and informative training on how to obtain food services for your meetings and conferences. This training will take the mystery out of the meal approval process, making your request as painless as possible.

When: June 27 and June 30

To attend, register online through the Employee Self-Service Training website HERE.

Discover the DoubleTree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center at the Berkeley Marina. Download an overview of their services HERE (pdf).

Join our Mailing List

To sign up to receive LBNL Conference News Bites please send an email to: JSStark@lbl.gov, Conference Services.

Conference Services Office

Hours: 9 AM - 6 PM

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