When it comes to coordinating a meeting or event, planning is the top priority. The team at Hershey Resorts – comprised of Hershey Lodge, The Hotel Hershey, and Hershey Country Club – offer their eight best practices to make planning a near-seamless experience.
- Early planning is key, so think ahead and be specific. Even though the current planning climate is short-term, it’s still beneficial to have a strong foundation. Starting with the RFP, give as many details as possible. Include strong estimates for meeting space, sleeping rooms, equipment, and activities. If you have your details set early, you have the opportunity to receive more entertainment and activity options, better pricing and an overall better fit for your group.
- When choosing your site, don’t dismiss a location just because the price point is high. If its amenities, service levels, activity offerings and local atmosphere are of better quality than other locations, it will make your event and its results better than choosing a lower priced location. When going on a site tour, ask for a customized visit that goes beyond the four walls of a room. If you feel a high comfort level with the staff after your tour, it will make your site selection process even easier.
- Be flexible with potential dates. If you have more date options, you may have more negotiating power. Sales teams often have dates they need to fill and by shifting your retreat a week or even one day earlier, you might be able to secure a great overnight guestroom rate. That savings could help you land your ideal property or give you more flexibility to add “bonus” activities to your overall program.
- Customize your program based on your audience. Ensure every aspect of your event keeps attendees engaged and meets their needs and goals. Create learning experiences that foster ongoing best practices. Make sure there is something for everyone.
- Incorporate the destination and its unique offerings into the overall program. For example, Hershey The Sweetest Place On Earth has many offerings to make a program memorable. Chocolate is abundant in Hershey – even with team-building activities. The Chocolate Challenge, wine and chocolate pairings and chocolate martini mixology are all-time favorites.
- Have a predetermined and well-defined event agenda. This will help you stay organized throughout the retreat or meeting and will help you stay on track to achieve your goals.
- Measure the success of your meeting through a post-event evaluation. There are many topics to evaluate, including destination, facilities, session quality and speaker quality. It’s also important to do your evaluation in a timely manner. They can be done at the end of each session, at the end of each day or a few days after the entire event. Don’t forget about the type of survey. Think about your group – would they be more inclined to fill out a hand-written paper survey or an electronic version?
- Keep the atmosphere fresh for each meeting. Look back at past events and thoroughly review evaluations. Perhaps you need a new destination or location. If you have a budget that doesn’t allow for big changes, even something as simple as changing the color scheme or setup of the room could make your next retreat livelier.
- Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Sugar Scrub
- Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Body Wrap
- Hershey’s Sweet Hands & Feet Dark Chocolate Treatment