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Contents Meeting Planners Guide FEATURES 4 COVID-19 factor Event industry plans for ‘new normal’ 6 Making a connection 6 Virtual meetings heighten importance of audience engagement 8 Following guidelines Tips on government meeting planning 4 8 VENUE DIRECTORY SERVICE DIRECTORY LARGE EVENT VENUES ..........................................................10 CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAUS ...............22 OTHER MEETING FACILITIES AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT DEALERS .....................22 OKC AREA ................................................................................12 CATERING COMPANIES ..........................................................23 TULSA AREA ..........................................................................18 SPECIAL EVENT PLANNERS .............................................24 VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANIES ...............................25 For copies of this publication contact:The Journal Record Publishing Co. | 101 N. Robinson Ave., Ste. 101 | Oklahoma City, OK 73102 | 405.235.3100 | JOURNALRECORD.COM GROUP PUBLISHER SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR MULTIMEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES Lisa Blossman Jessica Mitchell Vicki Madden Shelly Sanderson EDITOR COPY AND WEB EDITOR Laura Watts Russell Ray Ron Clay GRAPHIC DESIGNER ADVERTISING DIRECTOR RESEARCHER Nicole Haggard Sarah Barrow Katherine Baber 2020 Meeting Planners Guide 3 3 Event industry plans for ‘new normal’ By Jennifer Sharpe Photo courtesy of depositphotos.com hile the meeting and event reported that 2020 bookings were higher Houck-Barnett, director of sales and mar- planning industry started than years past. keting at the Embassy Suites Oklahoma City 2020 strong, the coronavirus “Meetings and events that had booked in Downtown/Medical Center. pandemic brought a devas- previous years were renewing early to secure “However, labor was one of the biggest is- tating blow to the industry dates for 2020, and there was also a posi- sues facing the hotel industry pre-pandemic. andW forced it to adjust practices to what is tive amount of new business coming in,” There was a significant shortage of talent, expected to be the new normal. she said. and some hotels were recruiting from non- In the first quarter, many venues reported Hilton Garden Inn & Edmond Confer- traditional industries and compromising on an increase in overall bookings compared ence Center’s performance from January experience just to get open positions filled,” with the same time the previous year. to mid-March was 35% better than 2019, Houck-Barnett said. “Hotel supply was at “Prior to the pandemic, the outlook for and the venue’s forecast showed a 25% an all-time high with new hotels opening 2020 was very positive as bookings were up,” increase over 2019, said Sherri Banister, everywhere; demand was high supporting said Charlene Ferris, director of meeting director of sales. the new openings, yet labor wasn’t available and event services for the National Cowboy Hiring and demand for workers in early to meet the demands.” & Western Heritage Museum. 2020 was high, with a shortage of qualified The COVID-19 crisis brought a near-com- This year started out on the upswing for workers available. plete stoppage to the industry, and it is hard other event venues as well. “In January 2020, we reported the larg- to determine when the meeting and event Shelby Kirkes, manager of special events est number of teammates on payroll since planning industry will recover from the ef- for Oklahoma City Dodgers baseball, also the property opened in 2015,” said Tasha fects of the pandemic. 4 4 Meeting Planners Guide 2020 “Our current estimate, based on the vol- “The pandemic has provided us an op- ent,” she said. ume of cancellations, and the response we portunity to evaluate and improve our prac- Banister anticipates an increase in virtual are getting from guests, businesses and tices,” said Ferris. “Social distancing, safety meetings and events, or events being held event planners, is an eight- to 14-month and sanitation guidelines will continue to be as a combination of live and virtual. More recovery period,” said Banister. “We don’t emphasis will be placed on hygiene and ser- have enough data at this point on book- “The pandemic has provided us vice procedures, with an overall emphasis on ing volume and pace, especially since it reducing points of contact as many interpre- dropped by more than 90% for rooms and an opportunity to evaluate and tations of social distancing will become the by 100% for meetings and events.” improve our practices. Social new normal. Embassy Suites’ Houck-Barnett said she distancing, safety and sanitation “We have to be realistic about how at- doesn’t expect full recovery of staffing and tendees will judge their safety and plan events until at least the second quarter of guidelines will continue to be ahead,” said Houck-Barnett. “This includes 2021. practiced and improved.” incorporating social distancing, menu plan- “This is a conservative estimate as this is ning and assuming smaller crowds, even an ever-evolving situation,” said Houck-Bar- months after we are allowed to gather. So- nett, who predicts that, as restrictions ease, – Charlene Ferris, director of cial distancing limits the ability to host larg- there will be an immediate need for smaller meeting and event services er events because they will require twice the instructional training sessions. for the National Cowboy & While several larger events affected by meeting space.” city mandates have been postponed until Western Heritage Museum Despite the challenges, she is hopeful for later this year, there is concern that the dev- the future of the industry post-pandemic. astated economy will hinder the return to practiced and improved.” “People still have a longing to meet and pre-pandemic booking and revenue levels. Kirkes is optimistic the industry will find connect, and I am confident that will nev- “There’s a chance of losing some business new ways to make the industry adapt to its er change,” she said. “While people will that will likely cut back unnecessary costs clients’ needs. continue to be cautious, there will be a for the remainder of the year,” Kirkes said. “While events may look a little different more robust desire to feel personally con- In recovery and beyond, the pandemic than they have in the past, the industry is nected after spending months isolated. will have a lasting effect on the meeting and used to adjusting to current trends and plan- Therefore, we may see a surge in people event planning industry. ning accordingly; this should be no differ- hosting events on a larger scale.” Oklahoma’s Best Places to Work event held at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in November 2019. Photo by Mark Hancock 2020 Meeting Planners Guide 5 5 Making a connection: Virtual meetings heighten importance of audience engagement By Jennifer Sharpe Photo courtesy of depositphotos.com he main issue that attendees of a must. hold an audience’s attention, and it also virtual meetings and events face “Every meeting and event is diff erent comes across as overprepared.” is distraction. To combat that and the organizer should always go back Not all great in-person speakers trans- challenge, meeting planners must to the goals, mission, purpose, and budget late to great online speakers, said Jane work on fostering attendee en- of the organization to help determine the Anderson, president of Edge Productions. Tgagement and connection in the virtual best way to serve attendees,” Ferrell said. “Schedule speakers that know how to setting. Having clearly determined goals also use the online platform to connect with “Th e top challenges for a meeting orga- helps meeting and event planners as they their audience,” she said. nizer hosting a virtual meeting include de- interact with other providers involved in Format and delivery are also important termining what content is relevant to the the event. for engagement. attendees, how to make the meeting en- “It is important to work with whatever “When taking a meeting virtual, think gaging and meaningful, and what compo- professionals that you hire out for ser- about how long your sessions are. What nents or platforms to include,” said Brian vices to reach goals because they might your in-person meeting may have been, Ferrell, president of factor 110. “Whether have diff erent ideas about how you can time-wise, maybe it needs to be shortened it is a one-hour program or a two-day vir- reach them,” said Abby Wolfe, director of on a virtual experience,” said Anderson. tual experience, there is thought that is marketing and communications, Cory’s “It all goes back to what ar e you trying given to the organization of the content, Audio Visual. to accomplish for the attendee, and what general session speakers, opportunities Pay close attention to speakers. will be most comfortable for the attend- for networking and contact with other at- “Choosing your presenter is one of the ee?’ Online attendees have shorter at- tendees, highlighting sponsors and exhibi- most important things you can do to in- tention spans and the content needs to tors, and being creative on how you create crease engagement and attendee experi- match. Shorter presentation times should an immersive experience.” ence,” Wolfe said. “When a presenter is be considered.” As with any event, establishing goals is not animated enough, it is really hard to Anderson suggests hiring a qualified 6 6 Meeting Planners Guide 2020 emcee to keep audience energy up and the event interaction as well. Registering in ings is invaluable,” she said. flow of the program moving forward. advance, blocking time off on the cal- Anderson said to have a plan for how to “The emcee brings more of an engag- endar, setting reminders and reviewing handle technical difficulties for presenters ing rather than just a viewing experience,” materials provided before the meeting as well as for attendees.