February 2008 | Convention Centers
Convention Centers:
What Makes Them Great?
By Marlane Bundock
As an independent planner who organizes events for groups of varying size and type, Joice Ventry, CMP, owner of Florida-based MEETING SPOTS, regularly contracts with convention centers and said there are some basic elements to consider when selecting the best facility for a particular client. “You have to consider its meeting space availability first, and once that’s established, then location, costs, services and professional staff are all important,” Ventry said.
Yes, the commonly used statements “it’s about space, rates and dates” and “location, location, location,” hold true when selecting a convention center, but as Ventry said, it’s also about “the heart and soul” of the facility—its staff and the level of service they provide.
“What good is an economical, centrally located convention center with extensive meeting space options and availability if the center is not adequately staffed or that staff lacks the service level that I require?” asked Margaret Marter, conference planner at the University of South Carolina’s College of Social Work. Marter routinely uses the Columbia (S.C.) Metropolitan Convention Center for meetings and events, and while she said the facility offers the ideal space and attributes needed for her group, it’s the staff that makes her attendees satisfied and her events a success.
Abby Freeman, CMP, president of Freeman Meetings LLC in Atlanta, agreed that the staff at a convention center is a top concern of hers. “Staffing is extremely important to me when planning meetings for my clients,” Freeman said. “What I really want is a combination of service staff expertise, accessibility and flexibility. Also, I rely on convention center staff to know more than I do about what meeting set ups will work best in their ‘home.’ For example, I need their expertise on how best to secure my exhibit hall, where I can easily wheel in a breakfast buffet, etc. The staff truly become partners—I can’t succeed without them.”
The needs expressed by planners have not gone unheard. While convention center officials tend to promote a building’s aesthetics or its “hard” features like location, space and amenities, they have taken note of planners’ concerns regarding service standards.
“The staff is the convention center,” said Rose Malerba Parsons, vice president of marketing for the Sarasota Bradenton (Fla.) International Convention Center (SBICC), a mid-sized facility with 96,000 square feet of meeting space. “The aesthetic beauty of a facility means nothing if the customer is not satisfied with its services.”
In Athens, Ga., Leigh Smith, marketing director for The Classic Center, a facility with more than 80,000 square feet and 29 meeting rooms, emphasized, “Space and location are critical to the ability to house an event, yes, but when a center has a team that listens, thinks proactively and is invested in making the event successful, it builds a strong foundation for an event’s success and a business relationship between the planner and supplier that is solid.”
Whether it’s a parking attendant, volunteer or banquet manager, Smith said the “proactive” attitude of a center’s staff means the difference between an event that simply runs smoothly and an event that “sizzles.” And, for Smith, a hands-on staff concentrates on the details. “Sometimes going above and beyond is as simple as strategically placed bottles of water—and sometimes it means slipping into the kitchen to make someone a peanut butter sandwich. But it’s always about exceeding someone’s expectations.”
For the past 18 years, Luther Villagomez has held the position of general manager of Houston’s George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center, a facility with 1.2 million square feet of exhibit, meeting and registration space, and 639,000 square feet of contiguous space. “Our goal,” he said, “is to help clients produce a successful event where we’re not just taking orders but helping them achieve their goals. If that means assisting from a governmental standpoint with street closures and clarifying city ordinances, we do that.”
For Villagomez, the level of service is what sets convention centers apart. “We know meeting planners can hold their meetings anywhere,” he said. “The quality of service our staff offers, combined with the added attention to detail we give to all of our clients, has helped the GRB maintain a strong client base and acquire new business from around the globe.”
What’s more, Villagomez said the center consistently strives to improve its service to groups and in doing so recently created the Event and Guest Services Division. “It is their job to concentrate solely on complete customer satisfaction,” he said of the division’s staff members. “Services are offered at no additional cost to the client and are designed to enhance the total GRB experience for clients, exhibitors and attendees. These include concierge services, client amenities and more. We also have a new program that allows conventioneers to bring their luggage to the GRB on the last day of the show and it will be transported to the airport without any worries or another trip back to the hotel.”
Mary Rocereto, who has been the director of sales and marketing for the Tampa (Fla.) Convention Center for the past six years, said her facility’s staff is like none other. “There are many ‘beautiful boxes.’ You can have a great physical property, but if you don’t have a staff that is trained correctly, you don’t have what a client needs to put on a meeting or trade show. I have had several clients over the years tell me that they would choose a less glamorous hotel/convention center if the staff was outstanding over the opposite any day.”
Rocereto described her “beautiful box,” the Tampa Convention Center, as being one of the more unique in its class. “This 600,000-square-foot building offers priceless flexibility, convenience and functionality with 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 36,000-square-foot ballroom that can be divided three ways. Along with these spaces, the center has 36 breakout rooms, 10 of which overlook the water, and beautiful outdoor venues available for groups of up to 7,500 people. Our center is bright, open and airy unlike many other centers. Plus, we’re located directly on the water, which is our biggest selling point.”
Marty Beecham, event manager of the Motor Trend Auto Shows books the Tampa Convention Center annually and applauds its staff. “We know when we come into this building that we can really depend on our time table being met, which is vital in this business.”
High-quality staff and services are also a part of mid-sized facilities like the Emerald Coast Conference Center (ECCC) in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., which has 35,000 square feet of meeting space. Tisha Maraj, CHSP, has been the sales and marketing manager at the ECCC since the center opened and said that more than just employees, the staff [of the ECCC] is a team. “With very little turnover at the center, our staff has been working together virtually since opening our doors in April 2003,” Maraj said. “We are passionate about the service we provide, and we’ve had the opportunity to realize where each of our strengths lie.”
Before You Book
In deciding to book a particular convention center, many planners will factor in the service quality of the staff. “I would definitely take service into consideration when deciding whether or not to recommend a venue to one of my clients,” Freeman said. “If we’re looking at a handful of locations, I will quickly not recommend the one where I had a bad service experience.”
When Ventry is selecting a convention center, she especially inquires about the standards of service of the food and beverage staff—since attendees often equate a meeting with its banquet abilities—and the standards of service of the security staff, which she feels should be highly trained, especially when dealing with high-profile attendees.
Freeman said planners should effectively inquire if the staff and services offered will best suit their group’s needs. Echoing this, center officials shared their expertise and insight into what planners should look for.
1. Experience Levels: Ask about the experience levels of the staff, said ECCC’s Maraj, who explained that Florida’s Emerald Coast is home to three U.S. Air Force installations and because of the area’s location along Gulf of Mexico military families often choose to live there beyond their military career. “That being the case, many of our employees and key managers have served in the military,” she said. “The excellence required of them while serving their country transfers into the excellence they strive for in their career at the center and many surrounding businesses in our area.”
Longevity of staff is also critical, Villagomez said, explaining not only is the GRB celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with the opening of a 14-acre park across the street, but it’s also celebrating the longevity of much of the staff. “A number of staff members have been with the GRB from the beginning and have been instrumental to the industry honors the facility has received. In addition, we support staff members seeking to become CMP-certified (certified meeting professional) by hosting regular training sessions for those who seek certification.”
2. Personalized Services: Find out if the center provides services that are tailored to each group’s specific needs, Maraj said, adding that ECCC offers each group a “dedicated, experienced event coordinator who will work with you every step of the planning way at no additional cost. Groups are in the hands of experts who will provide helpful suggestions, share best practices, and be at your service from beginning to end of the event to ensure that you reach and exceed your goals.”
Smith said that The Classic Center has specially trained staff on site for various needs. “Having a full-time technical director on staff means that we can provide specialty lighting and event services not offered in other facilities. And, as part of having a professional theater at our convention facility, we also have a full-service, on-site box office that can handle ticketing for any part of your event—it’s perfect for an Oscar-themed reception.”
3. Prepared Staff: It’s critical that the staff is properly prepared, Smith said, explaining that for large-scale events, the center typically schedules two pre-con meetings. “One is an internal meeting that reviews the event plan down to the finest details…as a team we look at everything from security to parking to wait staff to be sure that it has been planned as thoroughly as possible. Only after this kind of trial by fire do we then invite the client in to review and discuss the preparations.”
And, at the Tampa Convention Center, Rocereto said, “Our entire staff is CPR, AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and first aid trained.
4. Response Levels: When the question of staff quality comes up, Parsons of the Sarasota Bradenton International Convention Center likes to bring up the time they hosted President George W. Bush. “The president of the United States was in the facility and the Secret Service evaluated SBICC as: ‘Anything that was requested was furnished without any strain, unlike most other facilities.’” Parsons emphasized that the center’s staff members are empowered to get things done—and in a timely manner. “SBICC staff is easy to work with; decisions are made on the spot without referring to a committee or council.”
Find out for yourself how empowered a convention center’s support staff are, suggested Lou Bryant, who has been the director of the Waxahachie (Texas) Civic Center for the past eight years. He explained that there is a two-fold requirement of any large meeting venue: flexible space and experienced staff. “With the versatile design of our building and [with] our staff we are able to create the perfect setting to accommodate your event and meeting needs,” Bryant said, adding that it’s not just the meeting space that must be versatile. “My staff has been praised on how flexible we are, always trying to help the meeting planners reach the goal of a successful event. And, working each others’ jobs helps to make everyone more flexible and [gives an] understanding of what needs to be done. We are more hands on. When something’s not right, the person is right there to take care of it. You don’t have to go through several departments.”
