Photo by Jerry Metellus Photography Inc.
Caesars Entertainment’s catering and convention services leaders discuss how they help meeting planners create events with maximum impact for attendees.
What innovative approaches can make meeting spaces more engaging?
Flexible space with areas in foyers that allow for guests to interact. Creative seating groupings and options encourage this engagement. -Don Ross
Connection to outdoor/natural light areas that are inviting, such as a terrace or balcony with a nice view or a garden terrace/roof. Guests and patrons are inside meeting rooms all day, so if the venue can offer a few minutes to change the scenery that is always welcome. Also, dynamic changes in scenery. Conventions usually show or tell a new story and you want dynamic scenery to match—it can be changing lighting or music. The meeting space environment has to appeal to the kinetic senses. -Steve van der Molen
Bring the outside world inside or make it available to your guests. There’s no better feeling than walking out of a conference room wrapped in four solid walls and seeing that the outside world still exists! Adding natural light to a facility and easy access to outdoor seating areas brings life back to your guests and extends their energy to the end of the day. For some, bringing the outside world in may be easy access to well-thought-out mini business suites for guests to use for a little more privacy. This is especially true in large facilities, where their guest room work desk or a private public area is too far away for a quick conference call or networking opportunity with a potential customer. -Michael Hartman
Using alternative venues such as showrooms, restaurants and outdoor venues to change the environment up during a lengthy conference. In-between usage of the space, make changes to the lighting, linen and decor pieces to create a transformed environment. This will also build anticipation that the content will be new and fresh as well. -Bill Dosch
The way a meeting room is set up can really affect the way a meeting goes. We have a lot of groups that have gotten away from the old style classroom- or theater-style seating and have gone to seating at rounds where the attendees can watch the presenters and can team build with the others at their table instead of the person on each side of them. -Paul Voss
How do you keep an increasingly distracted audience engaged?
Sessions need to be on topic and inspiring. AV production must be upbeat—use video and music. TED talks are quick, engaging and to the point. Also the use of live performances such as icebreakers before a session work well. -Don Ross
I think you always have to keep an element of surprise and suspense in the program—if everything is spelled out in the conference agenda then guests will tune out. The great news is there are a lot of ways to create surprise and delight for each event. Surprise speaker, surprise panel guests or a demo of some sort—even an unannounced break in the program—are all ways to keep guests curious about what is next. -Steve van der Molen
It’s not smart or fun to open a bottle of fine wine and chug it like a frat boy. Enjoy the experience with friends or colleagues, and you’ll remember how great the wine was instead of the nasty headache the next day. The same applies to meeting agendas. Don’t bore them to death with eight hours of industry- or company-driven content. Focus your agenda on your message, but keep the audience engaged by delivering short bursts of important content or messaging, while mixing the day up with innovative industry speakers, team building or community service projects. -Michael Hartman
We work very closely with our AV vendor Encore Event Technologies to help promote Cumulus, which is a web-based mobile app designed and powered by Encore to deliver meeting information to event participants via their smartphone, tablet or other internet device. This allows meeting planners to push their content to a potentially distracted audience in a medium the attendees are constantly plugged into, can relate to and are more likely to pay attention to. -Bill Greaves
We have seen an increase in the number of breaks groups are taking and they’re offering their guests small, light, energy-boosting food and beverages. Doing lighter lunches so that guests don’t feel like they need a nap after lunch. -Paul Voss
How are your team and space designed to maximize audience engagement?
Breaking up the presentations into shorter sessions and ensuring that the content is relevant to the audience’s interests and needs. Interactive elements such as sharing immediate feedback from the audience. -Bill Dosch
We are fortunate to have well thought out design in our conference space that allows for maximum versatility. Ballrooms can be configured and re-configured in a matter of minutes and we can do literally hundreds of combinations that allow for quick changeovers from one session to the next. We have a built-in remote hoist control truss system, a loading dock and ramp that is directly connected to the ballroom and a state-of-the-art, dedicated banquet kitchen that allows for culinary presentations at restaurant quality for 2,000+ guests. All those aspects connect to a multiverse use and engagement of guests and experiences. -Steve van der Molen
What F&B trends should planners pay more attention to?
We are seeing much more diversity in attendees, customers with varying health issues, many who are on different diets. Guests have increased interest in trying different types of foods. Meeting planners must be aware and provide a more balanced selection at breaks, meals and receptions. The days of providing soda, coffee and cookies are gone—these breaks need to include protein boxes and vegan and vegetarian selections. Buffet breakfasts, lunches and receptions with food stations are the trend to accommodate all guests. -Don Ross
More attention needs to be paid to food sustainability, as the long-term goal is to make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and farm resources. Locally grown vegetables and fruits harvested within hours of landing on your table can’t be beat for the vibrancy of their flavors. Get fresh produce from a sustainable farm and you get it at its best. Also, planners need to pay attention to dietary choices versus dietary needs. Understanding the specific parameters and differences of food allergies, food intolerance, religious dietary restrictions, lifestyle/dietary choices and actual Celiac disease are factors to be considered when choosing appropriate menus to cater to the masses or at the very least making accommodations to allow for service to guests with any health concerns or preferences involving food. -Lanette Myers
A food trend we are seeing is the shift away from formal galas or awards ceremonies. We were recently faced with a regular client who asked us to come up with a fresh new feel for their final night event. We helped produce an awards night that started at the hotel with elaborate, fun standup stations all offering beer or wine pairings, then grab-n-go lollipop desserts that the attendees enjoyed while on busses heading to a show buyout, followed by awards at the show venue. -Bill Greaves
Smaller food portions, more variety and concentration on building menus that satisfy a wide range of tastes and dietary preferences. Visual appeal and creating culinary experiences that will be memorable for the attendees. -Bill Dosch
All catering operations have pre-planned menus to share with planners, which may be fine for certain audiences or quick one-day meetings. But all catering managers love to be creatively challenged—it’s part of a successful catering manager’s DNA. So challenge them! Discuss your meeting/event theme or key message—maybe a celebratory milestone or even just the thought of sharing the local flavors of the region that the event is being held in. You’ll soon be rewarded with a carefully thought out menu plan that no other group has experienced before; you “own” that particular culinary experience. Don’t be afraid to change up your meal plan game as well. Everyone expects a mid-morning “coffee break” to have hot coffee and sugary pastries on it; instead, present them with grilled and chilled vegetable crudité with savory dipping selections, cold brew coffees and fresh-pressed fruit and vegetable juices. Not only will it surprise the guests, but you’ll be providing them with a high-energy treat that is sure to help them power-up for the next session. -Michael Hartman
How do you promote wellness at events?
Look at whole-body wellness as part of the convention. In addition to learning there should be time set aside for fun, networking activities. Would this be a scheduled “fun run” prior to a general session start? Or yoga at sunrise or sunset? Consider activities that take the guest outside of the convention space and provide an activity in a new environment. Look at serving food untraditionally and combine it with networking—e.g., set up picnic baskets filled with food for groups of six, set blankets on the floor (indoors or outdoors) and guests must find fellow attendees to share their picnic basket with. -Lanette Myers
Engaging attendees by offering fun walks and runs during the early morning hours or free time. Promoting corporate social responsibility by connecting our customers with our local charities and schools. Working with the culinary team to create healthy and energizing alternatives to the core menu offering. -Bill Dosch
How do you ensure that attendees leave an event with well-defined takeaways?
Our convention clients’ “experience” in our area is crucial to their overall experience in the hotel. We strive for a memorable experience that includes the very best in food and beverage, quality meeting facilities that are comfortable and clean and expert staffing from convention service managers and banquet managers all the way to banquet servers, porters and the culinary team that pride themselves on connecting with our guests and turning short-term relationships into long-term. -Brian Beckner
Set goals for the meeting and attendees, and keep attendees engaged along the way. Recap after each session and explain how this plays into the meeting goals and objectives. Allow for Q&A. -Don Ross
How do you ensure that your events are inclusive to all?
For the planner, there is a responsibility to build diversity and inclusion into conferences. People come from all walks of life with a range of gender identities, geographic locations, racial backgrounds, ages, abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds and other traits that may represent a community. The ability to be inclusive is to accommodate people from a broad range of backgrounds and to make them feel welcome. All events must allow for the attendee to feel welcome, comfortable and be able to fully participate in events and meetings. Can anyone with mobility challenges get to and from the event venue easily? Is there adequate seating for people that may need to sit throughout an event? Consider all the parameters involved with food allergies and preferences from the simplest to the most health concerning. Will there be any guests with communication challenges, or potential hearing, reading and language opportunities? Does the content of the sessions assume that all participants come from a similar community? Content must be open, engage diverse perspectives and be accessible and inclusive. -Lanette Myers
