The planning committee for the 2013 Marketing Seminar just wrapped up our in-person planning meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas (the location of the 2013 Marketing Seminar). I wanted to start a blog as part of my role as chair of the 2013 Marketing Seminar. My primary goal in doing so is to offer a window into the planning process for those who are interested.
You may not be aware, but every spring, before the seminar the planning committee gathers for an in-person planning meeting. Why do we spend two full days on location to kick off preparations for the seminar?
First, we’ve found that being on-site, seeing the hotel, the rooms where we will have the events, and the city help us to get in the right frame of mind for the actual conference. For example, this year we found that one of the scheduled break-out rooms for concurrent sessions is on the 17th floor, completely disconnected from the rest of the event space on the 1st and 2nd floors. After looking at the ballrooms and other space reserved for our event we asked the hotel to explore the possibility of reconfiguring some of our space to allow us to hold all the breakouts much closer to the nexus of seminar events.
Second, getting to meet the team in person and getting to know each other while we make very important decisions about the seminar has proven to be an invaluable experience. There is great diversity amongst the committee members. Some of us come from large programs with big budgets and staff. Others come from small programs where they serve as an army of one. Some of us have a lot of freedom in certain areas and others must work within much tighter institutional restrictions. Having all of these views at one table is essential as we focus on the one thing we are all committed to: delivering the best event possible for our colleagues.
I feel confident that we are leaving Austin in good shape for the 2013 Marketing Seminar. So mark your calendars for November 6-8, 2013.
Be on the look-out for next week’s blog entry on: What to Expect at the 2013 Marketing Seminar