Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies
by Susan Friedmann, CSP
Meeting & Event Planning For Dummies
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright 2003 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646- 8700. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201)748-6011, fax (201)748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wiley Publishing, Inc., in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2003105655
ISBN: 978-0-7645-3859-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
is a trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc.
About the Author
Originally from London, England, Susan Friedmann, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), has been a successful consultant, speaker, and author for over 20 years. Her extensive tradeshow experience and background make her a popular expert presenter and trainer for corporations, associations, and convention organizers worldwide.
Known as The Tradeshow Coach, Susan works with organizations of all sizes to help develop certain skills that are critical to their event success. She shows people how to build better relationships with customers, prospects, and advocates in the marketplace to retain and grow their businesses.
A prolific author, Susans books have been translated into four languages, and her written, video, and audio training materials are used worldwide. Most recently, she compiled and published the latest books on exhibiting, the three-volume Secrets of Successful Exhibiting series, with over 30,000 copies in print.
Susan is a regular contributing writer to numerous professional and trade publications. She has appeared on a variety of radio talk shows and as a guest expert on CNNs Financial Network and Bloombergs Small Business.
Susans clients include American Express, Bell South, Sun Microsystems, John Deere, Parker Hannifin, BOC Gases, Boehringer Mannheim Corporation, Parke-Davis, Eli Lilly, Kimberly-Clark, Nomadic Display, Greek Economic & Commercial Section, Metro Detroit CVB, Mississippi Division of Tourism, Association of Manufacturing Technology, National Safety Council, Meeting Professionals International, Tradeshow Exhibitors Association, and hundreds of smaller businesses around the world.
Susan is an active member of the National Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional. A CSP is a dedicated professional with a proven track record of continued speaking excellence. Its the highest earned designation from NSA with less than 8 percent of the total membership having achieved it.
In her spare time Susan enjoys practicing yoga, hiking, and working as a literacy volunteer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Dedication
I dedicate this book to my incredible support team and cheerleaders. First of all to Alec, my partner for over 30 years, whose limitless love and devotion help to spur me on to greater heights. Next to our two wonderful offspring, Dov and Yael, who have a never-ending supply of encouragement and enthusiasm for all my projects. And, finally, to my parents Felix and Herta Flatter, for always giving me the freedom to make my own choices. I am eternally grateful to have been blessed with such a loving and supportive team. I know that I couldnt accomplish what I do without them.
Authors Acknowledgments
My biggest fear writing this page is the thought that I might leave someone out. There are so many wonderful and giving individuals who have played an important role in developing this book, from the research to keeping me sane throughout the project.
First, I would like to thank Celia Rocks, my literary agent, for pairing me up with the wonderful team at Wiley. Thank you Celia for your foresight and perseverance to help make a dream of mine a reality. Next a big thank you to Kathleen Nebenhaus who believed that I was the right person to write this book. A special thanks to Marcia Johnson and Joan Friedman, my dedicated editors, and their wonderful team, for helping shape this book into what you are now reading.
When you write a book such as this, you need plenty of technical advice, which in my case came from Karolyn Kiburz, CMP, who acted as my expert to verify technical details. Thanks for the superb job you did!
An extra special thanks goes to my excellent and extremely talented research assistant, Dayna Michaelsen, who worked long and hard, and never tired of me requesting more and more material to find just the right information to include.
A very special person in my life is my baby brother, Michael Flatter, who over the years has taught me so much about food and beverage management. He is truly a master of his craft having worked in many of Londons finest hotels in banqueting for the past 30 years. Naturally, I couldnt have written the food and beverage chapter without his guidance. Thanks Mike, I love you!
To my much-loved friends, Tonianne Robino, Diane Silberstein, CMP, Rick Segel, CSP, and his dear wife Margie, who so generously shared their expertise and guidance. Thanks for always being there for me.