As professionals balance their checkbook against their daybook in deciding what events are worth shelling out fees for, a society of local meeting planners may have hit on a solution for other groups trying to achieve quorum ”“ a “bailout” plan for attendees.
The Westfield chapter of Meetings Professionals International, which covers Westchester and Fairfield counties, is offering members assistance with dues and meeting fees, whether due to a lost job or to cutbacks for continuing education in corporate budgets.
In the second half of 2008, meeting planners nationally canceled 8 percent of the events they had scheduled and could cancel 7 percent of the meetings this year, according to a report released last month by MPI and New York City-based American Express Co. The report authors determined that budgets for events in the current year have been cut by 6 percent, after a 22 percent spike last year before the economy slid into recession.
While that will have the most visible impact at large conference halls, it could be equally pronounced at the hodgepodge of relatively small events hosted daily at local hotels, restaurants and tourist venues. MPI hopes to maintain attendance at its meetings, and perhaps inspire its member planners on ways to maintain attendance figures for their own functions.
The average meeting included in the MPI-American Express study cost $200,000; the “bailout” program fashioned by the Westfield chapter of MPI represents a fraction of that amount. Last month, the organization”™s board authorized $5,000 be allocated to the program. If scant, it nevertheless represents nearly 5 percent of the group”™s annual budget.
The bailout includes everything from six-month extensions on paying dues, to help with fees and hotel bills for attending MPI seminars and even to assistance paying the freight to attend other organization”™s seminars related to the event-coordination industry.
The president of MPI”™s Westfield chapter”™s is Rick Weaver, whose title is chief inspiration officer for New York City-based Lifeteacher.com ”“ the chapter”™s bailout offer includes up to 30 days of business coaching free from Lifeteacher.com.
“We have had members begin to take advantage of the program as the economy has hit our membership very hard,” Weaver said. “It is certainly something we felt we needed to do to take care of our members and to continue to provide a value-add for their membership dollars.”
The bailout program at present appears to be constrained to the Westfield chapter of MPI ”“ the Dallas-based umbrella organization also recognizes chapters covering central Connecticut, New England and greater New York, the latter chapter”™s executive director being Kathie Stapleton who is based in Briarcliff Manor. But MPI has an existing program to provide up to $5,000 in assistance to member chapters for an array of programs from marketing campaigns to prospective members, or those who have canceled memberships, to grants for specific programs such as leadership development or scholarships.Â
Even as the federal bailout program for banks includes the catch of giving up equity, the Westfield MPI bailout similarly requires a sacrifice of equity ”“ of the sweat variety. Anyone accepting assistance must volunteer “time, talent or expertise” toward the association”™s strategic plan.
Launched last May, that plan includes increasing the size of Westfield MPI”™s membership base by 15 people to 275 in all; getting a turnout of 30 percent of the membership at each monthly meeting; and roping in additional interest by reaching out to area chambers of commerce and other groups that promote the region”™s hospitality sector.
